The Phone In Thread (14/10/06) With Dick Tight.

[Jim D]

It wasn't really a phone-in, more of an interview with sycophantic interventions, but it was good to get Knight on the radio answering questions. I listened in anxiously as I wanted to find out if the rumour of him going was true. Delighted that it wasn't as I don't want the pair of Blooming Clowns anywhere near control of this club.

I thought he explained things very well about the reasons for the timing of MMs departure and why he had to go. Whether or not it was reality it was obviously DKs perception - and that's what counts. I'm uncertain as to what Wilkins has learned in the intervening 3 months that now makes him suitable for the job - but we'll have to wait and see. We've got some really difficult games coming up between now and the year end. We'll have to work really hard for the results and this will be a true test of Wilkins ability.

On another note - I wonder how much the knowledge that Knight was going on SCR after the match spurred on Wilkins and the team? I'm sure that there would have been some very awkward questions about suitability for the job against both of them if we'd played as badly as last week.

 

[ROSM]

My opinion (for what it's worth) is that I thought the hour went well for all concerned:

- some people will say knight was lucky that we won. well he was brave enough to appear when we were playing away to a team unbeaten at home. it's not as if he looked for a soft option.

- being an way game, many of the knight our keyboard warriors had a chance to call in. they didn't!

- once and for all, the comments attributed to Harty can now be exposed as wrong. harty says he didn't say that knight was blocking investment from outsiders. Knight says he would welcome investment with open arms. I wonder if that will be the end of that rumour from the knowledgeable masses.

- the MM story about losing the dressing room was a real exclusive. I'm sure MM will not be happy that it's come out but many fans felt the team weren't performing for the manager.

Also, can I say that Bens Grandad is spot on about MM and DK on transfer deadline day. I know of a league manager who phoned MM and was passed over to DK. A difficult thing to do if the stories about him being in spain with his phoned turned off are true! Perhaps this now will be shown as rumour and lies?

 

[Bozza]

This thread has been a good read - I hope the phone-in makes it onto t'web in the next day or so, in order that a wider audience may hear it. Happy to host it on NSC's server if anyone has it per chance.

I was off-line all day on Friday so was unaware that DK was going to be on the phone-in. Given the postings over the past week about how DK would not appear on the phone-in as long as Harty was hosting it, how did it all come about? Did DK approach SCR or did SCR approach DK who said "Of course I would..."

 

[METALMICKY]

- once and for all, the comments attributed to Harty can now be exposed as wrong. harty says he didn't say that knight was blocking investment from outsiders. Knight says he would welcome investment with open arms. I wonder if that will be the end of that rumour from the knowledgeable masses.

Generally i'm a fan of Harty but i listened to the previous week's show and he very clearly suggested that DK was blocking people who wanted to invest now.When DK confronted him with this he climbed down and absurdly DK ended up apologising for misquoting him.

It's not rocket science to know that nobody will invest in this club seriously until we get Falmer and they won't show their hand until that point.

The other people who hacked me off were those moaning about 'no plan B'. Do they not have the brains to realise that if you actually suggest an alternative then you totally undermine the push for Falmer where the pivotal message has to be there is no alternative.

DK should never be immune from criticism but some of the crap aimed at him is just so ill thought out.

Oh and Harty can you teach Colon all about punctuation when he's reading texts out. The meaning of my text was totally changed because of that.

 

[Stinky Kat]

I think most business plans have a contingency. Arnt people just worried if we dont get Falmer thats it, all our eggs in one basket etc

 

[Hunting 784561]

and it doesn't surprise me Dick Knight is reaching for even worse explanations than the "community club" one given the extraordinary amount of pressure he has come under over the past few weeks in gifting us a relegation fight this season.

NSC Uber Loyalist in Disloyal Comments Shocker....

Hold The Front Page...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think most business plans have a contingency. Arnt people just worried if we dont get Falmer thats it, all our eggs in one basket etc

I think anybody with any experience in any sort of business contingency planning whatsoever takes the 'No Plan B' thing with a pinch of salt. It's for public consumption. But at the same time, any Plan B would undoubtedly have to wade through another ten years of planning bullshit that the club probably wouldn't survive - even without the schoolboy error of building it anywhere near the masonic lodge of LDC.

Let's face it, the rational solution of the council in conjunction with BHAFC upgrading Withdean into a 21st Century sports complex (and building a bridge over or a tunnel under the f***ing railway line) ain't going to happen due to the concerns of a handful of grockles / residents. We all know it COULD be done. But it won't.

 

[METALMICKY]

I think most business plans have a contingency. Arnt people just worried if we dont get Falmer thats it, all our eggs in one basket etc

Absolutely, but you don't admit it at this point in time because you then provide something for the anti Falmer brigade to latch on to.

 

[Jim D]

Our 'Plan B' is obviously to stay at Withdean - and Dick clearly spelled out the drawbacks: A possibly hostile council (especially if Labour loses control) and a definitely hostile Withdean Residents Association.

If we were forced to stay at Withdean then not only would we need to fight several other political battles but we'd be faced with a lot more infrastructure work. At least the South Stand would get a roof though - and (hopefully) permanent seating.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Harty, good show - make sure you take him up on the offer to come back soon.

I've got mixed opinions on DKs performance.

Some interesting points re MM and Wilkins however also feel that on the whole he got off a bit lightly, too many people aged 85 and over telling him how great he is.

If it's not possible to screen the callers how about people emailing questions in beforehand?

 

[smudge]

Our 'Plan B' is obviously to stay at Withdean - and Dick clearly spelled out the drawbacks: A possibly hostile council (especially if Labour loses control) and a definitely hostile Withdean Residents Association.

If we were forced to stay at Withdean then not only would we need to fight several other political battles but we'd be faced with a lot more infrastructure work. At least the South Stand would get a roof though - and (hopefully) permanent seating.

There is no plan B!!!!!!

 

[KPTF]

Firstly, well done Harty for getting him on there. It sounded that the main reason he wanted to be there was to address the remarks that Harty made last week about local investors. I'm not convinced he would step down if the right investor(s) came along as I think he wants to see Falmer through to fruition (and, given the amount of time and effort he's put in, who can blame him?).

Where I do take issue with his comments was in relation to why he didn't sack MM in the summer. He said it was because it would have meant that we would have lost Dean Wilkins as there were 2 other clubs asking after him to run their academies and an incoming manager would have wanted to bring in his own backroom staff.

That's frankly bollocks. He could have insisted, as he did to Taylor, Coppell & MM himself that they retain the assistant manager (Booker in their case) and still promoted Wilkins to this role to work with the new manager.

Whilst it was a great scoop to reveal that MM had lost the dressing room, it didn't do a great deal for his integrity as he said he told MM he'd keep it confidential.

Looking forward to the next one already! If I'm not working, I'll try to get on.

 

[supaseagull]

If I win the lottery Dick Tight can f*** right off

...and I thought you were going to say that if you win the lottery, you might actually go to a Brighton game rather than sitting behind a computer for a change!

 

[Ernest]

Let's hope Harty gets Magoo on next week as surely he is due a right of reply to the bullshitting potless pillocks SCANDALOUS accusations.
I may be naive but every game I saw Magoo and CK head straight to the dressing room at half time and full time so how can Dick Tight say he had lost the dressing room

 

[7:18]

Glad to see that this is now a monthly feature! Very much looking forward to it.

 

[Harty]

Same here and ROSM you are talking bollocks, DTG, the NSC legend, backed up what I said on last weeks show, and I never said DK turned away investment, hence his public apology.

 

[Nemesis]

Same here and ROSM you are talking bollocks, DTG, the NSC legend, backed up what I said on last weeks show, and I never said DK turned away investment, hence his public apology.

So what exactly DID you say? Just interested you understand...

 

[London Irish]

you got yourself a GENUINE exclusive i.e. that Dick Knight thought that McGhee had lost the dressing room. Nice one!

- the MM story about losing the dressing room was a real exclusive.

I actually don't think it was an exclusive at all. In the very long interview that Dick Knight gave to the Argus the day after the sacking, Knight made reference to McGhee not getting the best out of the players.

The "losing the dressing thing" is the same idea but just dressed up in the most cliched soundbite language that for some reason football fans seem to love.

Funny that senior squad members like OGH and Butters both expressed their shock and dismay at McGhee's sacking - did he "lose" these players then?

At the very beginning of August I heard Dick Knight say with my own ears that "common sense" had prevailed at the Albion when McGhee was confirmed as manager for the season. Yet, 7 weeks later, McGhee lost the players, according to the same person? Who does Knight think he is fooling with these bizarre and abrupt changes of line?

 

[London Irish]

Badger, the constant falling out with players thing was a myth, there was a clique of disruptive younger players that had to be dealt with - and it was. You state the dressing room was unhappy - again, which senior player has said this?

Go and look at the Swansea/Leon Knight thread. Do you blame Jackett for Knight's latest problems then?

We had to sign players with "previous" at their other clubs like Jarrett, McCammon and CKR because these players were devalued and that's all we can afford on the money we have. Their subsequent prima donna behaviour was not McGhee's fault.

And you haven't answered the points I made about Wilkins. Would you say the dressing is unhappy now because Stokes cleared off after 3 days, that Hendo put in a transfer request and that Jake Robinson is slagging off the manager on a social networking site?

If you are going to blame the manager for every problem that arises with players, why are you putting forward a double standard by blaming McGhee for everything and Wilkins for nothing?

Players have to take responsibility for their own crap behaviour and holding up either manager to blame, Wilkins or McGhee, is a red herring.