The Journal's lead back-page story this morning reports BR's relief at the cancellation of the proposed pre-season trip to China after the local organisers failed to come good on a number of financial guarantees.

The Journal reveals "Bobby was never keen on his playing staff making the 11,000 mile round-trip fearing it could wreck his plans of getting off to a flying start in the new PL season". They quote Bobby as saying "I'm not convinced that going as far as China or Australia is a good idea in pre-season".

Just consider the full implications of this story. After 4 consecutive seasons of grossly underperforming, everyone is hoping with a few good signings we could begin challenging for "something/anything" again, against a backdrop of increasing rumblings of discontent from the Club's loyal army of ST holders.

However, despite this the Club go ahead and attempt to organise a pre-season tour against the wishes, and best judgement, of a highly-respected and vastly-experienced Team Manager! Can this possibly be true? How on earth could the Manager's pre-season planning for such a critical season be so gratuitously over-ruled, indeed hijacked, by the Board?

IMHO this is perhaps the greatest condemnation yet of the Management of NUFC, and provides the very clearest indication of why we will never, ever be successful while these people are running our Club. Tossers!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Answers

As next season is going to be another middle table job, we might as well go on the money making tours.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Yes Dave - that's also the limit of their ambition. Prats!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

The Board don`t deserve Bobby....amd he certainly doesn`t deserve them!(:o|

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

I still wonder if this cancellation only happened because the Chinese wanted to see Shearer and Dyer playing, and it's highly unlikely either one will be fit enough to play in July.

Still agree that it was horrible timing, and horribly unfair to Bobby to try to force this issue. He's the manager and is expected to know what's best for his players, so why won't the board listen to him!

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

I seem to recall Shepherd almost ridiculing Man U nited for doing the Far East after the Treble season, saying that, in retrospect our journey to the Far East the season we bought Shearer had knackered our players and probably resulted in our poor start to that season.

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

I'm glad we're not going too. It's pointless playing Chinese teams who are no match to us in reality.

I reckon Ciara is right about the Chinese cancelling it because Dyer and Shearer not being fit for it. Who would the Chinese want to see play if they aren't there?

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

Marcelino?!

(she yells from the taxi window as it speeds past) ;-)

-- Anonymous, June 09, 2001

The Far East tour is surely the name of the game business these days isn't it? Global brand awareness. China has a quarter(?) of the population on Earth and the financial benefits of TV rights etc in such a place must be immense. We went on a Far East tour the season we signed Shearer and from memory we started the season quite well and led the league by the infamous 12 points. (When I say we started well I'm ignoring the Charity Shield here - our defence is not noted as much of a Shield but at least we were able to supply the Charity).

I don't know what dates were mooted but presumably they weren't coming back from the Far East to play the first league game the day after. I think that in most cases the football and the business are symbiotic - if you have a winning team the gates and the sponsorship increase - but this seems to be one case where generating some extra income could possibly hurt the football. I say possibly, because, after all, YBR only said that he's "not convinced" it's a good idea. Whether he's genuinely unsure or thinks it's stupid but is toning down his language is not clear, but Bobby is surely in a very strong position at SJP, doesn't need the job, and could surely put his foot down over such issues if he felt it was that important.

It's a tough one to call. The game, as you know, and as most of us feel pretty uneasy about, is huge business these days. I guess that to succeed you have to go along with it. We can't stand still Canute- like and ignore the commercial aspects. We want to buy, and pay the salaries of, the very best players in the game, therefore we have to generate huge income. The Far East tour may have been a bad idea but I'm "not convinced" that the argument is so clear cut.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2001

Shirley, anyone with a bit of sense would organise to fly out the day after the last league game, play a couple of games and say right, who wants off the bus where and if it fits in with player requirements the player gets a paid return ticket, not that they need it, just an incentive, their family and or friens can join them.

The club also gets a publicity trip. With a squad the size of ours we could fit in games in Bangkok, Singapore, China, HK and Japan or Korea. This being done over a 2 week period would still see them off on hols by the end of May.

-- Anonymous, June 10, 2001