By Dave Eadevic
January 28 2011

Arriving in the North East on Tuesday brought its normal mixture of dread and excitement. It was Tuesday (as previously stated, hey isn’t memory a wonderful thing?) And as such I had not checked who our manager was since Sunday; there was a good chance that we had gone through several since then.

Now this is the first Christmas for several years that I have not spent in Newcastle, I can usually drag up a relative to visit so I can drink their beer and eat their food for a couple of weeks while I catch up on football and all things Newcastle.

But this year they visited me (and I am still trying to restock the drinks cabinet) now I should explain for anyone who doesn’t know, around Christmas Europe from a football sense closes down, they take the novel approach that it’s a time you should be spending with your family and not worrying about the important things in life. (No I don’t understand it either).

In England they do the opposite and play a game every 35 minutes over the Christmas, so knowing I had missed in excess of 3 thousand games, made me hop off to the nearest pub where I could be regaled over something cold, and hear tales of robbing refs and cheating foreigners.

It also brought the uncomfortable realization that I had missed a derby. Now really the only excuse I can offer is I had to work. My wife and children are under the novel illusion that I should feed them and keep them warm.

However I could watch it live on TV unlike you. Now lets just think about this I am about 2000 miles away and I can watch the most important match of the season in peace and quiet (or more accurately Violence and noise, hey I take it serious) and everyone else living, breathing having to work with those of a mackem persuasion couldn’t.

Which brings me rather neatly I feel to Andy Gray and Richard Keyes. Sacked a national institution (in the shape of Andy) and a part time werewolf , (Richard) for unguarded comments. Now I am not going to belittle the comments, I mean I wouldn’t want the opposite sex to worry their pretty little heads about it.

Women are more than capable of running the line (providing the dishes and the ironing is done) they are just as capable of making a pigs ear out of every decision as their male counterparts.

But having said all that I am not convinced that what Andy did was a sacking offence, stupid and embarrassing certainly, but sacked?

Anyway I am off to chair feminism in the workplace.

The Times They Are A Changing

Discussion started by TyneTalk (IP Logged), 28/01/2011 19:14

TyneTalk
28/01/2011 19:14

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lostmekeys
28/01/2011 20:17

i'm sure you will be up to speed on this dave, but i've sat through HR seminars at work over the last few years which make this sacking no surprise at all. taken at face value, the three occassions we have been shown (before the wolves match with gray and keys/at touchline with gray and reporter/in studio with gray, keys, and some lass) could all be used to instigate disciplinary measures had a complaint been filed by a fellow employee. add the celeb angle, add that the media gorging on themselves also intensifies things, add the fact andy gray is currently suing the news of the world (part owned by murdoch - grays ultimate boss at sky tv), and it's easy to see why it ended this way. i'm not judging the actual comments or sentiments here, i'm sayimg the current attitude towards this kind of thing in a normal workplace is fuelled largely by fear and confusion on the part of employers, who refer everything to HR or even outside specialists who will make a long drawn out process of every charge (whatever type of discrimination is being charged) til everyone concerned is so sock they all want to leave and get new jobs anyway. (no, i havent, thanks tunyc).
take the self importance of the whole media industry and sky will have been busting a gut to demonstrate just how au fait they are with this hysterical situation.

actually, what we have (mostly) all done, of course, is play our unwitting part in a classic non-reality, another hyper-real part of baudrillards spectacular society. none of this is real, people. find out what news this news made the news instead of, thats the news. shh, the nurse is coming...

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tunyc
28/01/2011 20:53

Damn wife and kids! Missed you by two days, Dave...you could've cleaned out the minibar...

My favorite line from an Errol Morris documentary, spoken by a septagenarian Florida swamp-dweller:

"Reality? You mean this is the real world? I never thought of that."

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davenufc
29/01/2011 13:43

LNK I didn't know about Andy Gray and the news of the world, but it suddenly makes a lot more sense. And your right I have sat through several seminars on women in the work place, but as long as Berlusconi is in charge, I am pretty convincied Italy will remain the same as it always was wonderfully male.

And Tuny, yeah it was a shame but it couldn't be helped, even this is a flying visit I am going home on Monday evening (I thought I would cath the fa cup 4th round I mean really how much trouble could Stevanage possibly hope to be?)

My on going contr

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Andrew The Mag
29/01/2011 13:49

how many times do women say " men cant multitask" etc, thats also sexsist, i think this country on a whole has went way over the top ands has went way to politically correct, you cant say boo to anyone anymore without causing offence.

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tunyc
29/01/2011 18:19

The pc s.hit is out of hand over here too, if I'm honest.

Then again, I never cared for Andy Gray that much so I don't really f00king care about this in particular!

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davenufc
29/01/2011 18:22

I actually quite liked Grey. his enthusiasm made up for a lot he was lacking in other area's.

Not that it mattrs I shan't be losing sleep over it

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tunyc
29/01/2011 18:34

His enthusiasm reminds of American announcers, most of whom I hate. He didn't really deserve to get s.hitcanned but then most don't.

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waffles
29/01/2011 20:43

He's a good color commentator, but I dislike him as the primary caller. For my fellow Americans, I regard Grey a lot like I do John Madden. He's annoying at times, and makes a lot of inane comments, but every so often he nails it. Furthermore, like Madden, I think I'll realize how much better he was than others in a couple months when I stop hearing his voice.

On a different front: I wonder how this will affect FIFA 12 next season? Do they stick with Martin Tyler and Andy Grey, do they move away from Grey but keep Tyler, or do they drop them both altogether and get someone else?

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davenufc
30/01/2011 16:46

I have had time to think about this properly now.

And I have changed my mind. They should have been sacked, sexism is wrong in all its forms, and they were guilty.

Besides we might get a couple of women with massive t1ts comentating now.

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tunyc
30/01/2011 17:23

Hadn't thought of that...

waffles-I thought of FIFA, too. Again, losing him won't break my heart.

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