Redknapp to be charged with defrauding Revenue and Customs
Untold Arsenal predicts EXACTLY the right score yet again!!!
Oh where to begin?
The is the second Tottenham manager in recent history to have had a little contretemps with the authorities while holding that esteemed office. In 1987 David Pleat was cautioned concerning kerb crawling (the tactic of driving a car slowly past prostitutes in the Kings Cross area) and resigned.
From memory that event happened on the Friday – I remember that because we had a home match the next day, and outside Highbury there were hundreds of guys selling tee-shirts with the front and back pages of the Sun reprinted. I reckoned about half the crowd were wearing them by the time our game kicked off.
So one might say that trouble with that tricky business of law and order and is bit of a thing for Tottenham managers.
Although I must add it seems that the English footballing authorities like men with “a past”. I have commented before on the huge amount of money the England manager has had to pay back to the finance authorities in Italy. Something well known to the FA when they took him on.
Back to Arry. To be clear and exact the being known as “Harry Redknapp” is going to be prosecuted over his alleged inability to pay the right amount of tax to Her Majesty’s tax collectors. The hearing has not taken yet. He is innocent until proven otherwise.
The solicitors BCL Burton Copeland said: “Harry Redknapp is extremely surprised and disappointed to have been informed that HM Revenue & Customs intend to institute proceedings against him in the week commencing 11 January 2010.”
The blog site Untold Arsenal said, “Tony Attwood is extremely thrilled and delighted to have been informed that HM Revenue & Customs intend to institute proceedings against the man who has left West Ham, Southampton and Portsmouth in the state we have found them in this season.”
A spokesman for the alleged “football club” said: “The club considers this matter to be a private issue… and which is not related to football matters. His position remains unaffected and he has the full support of the club.” Much like David Pleat then.
Tony Attwood said, “Untold Arsenal considers this matter to be of great public interest, and should be the source of much amusement for all right thinking football supporters. The fact that the Tiny Totts are standing by this alleged “manager” will beyond doubt increase the amusement that is to be had by this affair.”
So that’s great news, and now back to the footie and the bookie.
Last weekend we predicted Liverpuddle 1 Arsenal 2. And guess what? We was right!!!! Absolutely. The preview even mentioned an own goal – although I admit we had Theo scoring a goal at the wrong end, but still the concept was right.
Then – I fully admit it, I predicted a 1-3 win for us against Burnely and I got it wrong. One punter wrote in and said “I should give up on predictions mate”.
But Arsenal 3 Hull 0, predicted on friday night by Phil Gregory was again absolutely right. Two out of three scores absolutely right in a period of 8 days, what more could you ask for from a blog?
We had some rousing choruses of “Stand up if you hate Phil Brown” and on the naivety of the ref allowing Barnby and Hunt to stay on the pitch. Watching the TV replays later it was clear that Barnby shoved his hand in Nasri’s face, which normally is a sending off offence but I am told is normal saturday night behaviour in Hull.
The Evil Being Called Brown tried every trick in the book, but the best plans of mice and mice were undone by Denilson’s brilliance, Almunia’s dive, and the stunning predictions made on this site.
So I look at the table and think…
We have
- No Fabregas
- No Van Persie
- No Bendtner
- No Clichey, Gibbs or Traore
- No Rosicky
which is a fairly big injury list. Laughingly Match of the Day changed their tune this week and said that Arsenal had been quietly plodding away and getting there. Last week we had “four defeats in their last seven games” or something stupid (they included games where we put out the youth team).
Looking down, and being careful not to get vertigo we are eight points above Liverpoodle with a home game in hand. Liverpoodle will of course be happy that they are above those high flyers of Birmingham City (on goal difference) and above that top team Fulham (by one point) but they might be a trifle concerned that Birmingham C and Fulham Al Fayad both have a game in hand over Liverpool. If they were to play and win those games Liverpool would not be a flattering seventh, but a less convincing ninth.
They are also six points south of securing a Europa League spot next season.
Of course we could have spent a few billion on new players as required by some, and been perhaps like, oh, I don’t know, Manchester Arab, who are six points behind us, and have just sacked that most disgusting of managerial dung heaps, the OOOOOOOoooooooze. The man who required Fabregas to apologise to him. The man who thinks there is nothing wrong with rushing into the other team’s technical area to wave and shout and sending his team out to kick the others into the mud.
The man who spent £25m on Mr Adebayor and then forgot to play him yesterday.
The papers won’t say it, but Manchester Arab got rid of the OOOOOOoooooze because he was a total embarrassment to them.
Ruminating further, could this be the end of Liverpool?
Certainly no one seems to be anxious to buy them. They are clearly in poor shape, and the banks want their money back. Anyone buying into the club is likely to have to
1. Pay off the £350m debt to the bank
2. Invest £100m in new players, the youth team not seemingly bringing many first team players through.
3. Spend £300m on a new stadium.
4. Spend £100m to balance the books over the next three years before the stadium is built.
So that’s about £850m – which is not far short of what you would have to pay to buy Manchester IOU.
It doesn’t look like a great deal – although of course someone from the middle east might go for it.
I doubt that they will go bust, and I suspect that somehow they will survive in the EPL this year, but that means next year they have no Euro money, and less TV money, and that will be the killer blow – not this year’s performance.
That lack of income to a club that lives by spending £30m a year to throw on players will be much more destructive than this year’s failure, and the long run of 20 years without a championship (which we shall celebrate this year) will be ended by a scrape with relegation. The myth of Liverpool will finally end.
So, all in all, a jolly (if cold) day yesterday.
Now about this little matter of Redknapp the Destroyer and his not paying tax. What could that be about? Obviously not his salary as a manager, because he would be paying PAYE on that as all employees do. It must be some other money that has come from somewhere….
Where, I wonder?
Tony Attwood
IMPORTANT NOTES
If you wish to comment on Mr Red the Destroyer of Football Clubs please do remember that he is not guilty of anything, and has not had his day in court. It would be wrong to allege anything you cannot prove in advance of the hearing.
If you place an order for Making the Arsenal with the publishers on Monday or Tuesday this week I will still have time to sign it (if you want) and post it to you for delivery straight after Xmas.
And you can read all about Christmas for the Arsenal 100 years ago on www.woolwicharsenal.co.uk
Bloody cold still, isn’t it?
Just brilliant Tony. You called it. “The chickens are coming home to roost” in the inimitable words of my hero Malcom (see my Avatar).
PS: How come you missed ManUSA beginning to drop points like leaves in autumn. Splash the cash they say.
Cracking read Tony. In particular: “Barnby shoved his hand in Nasri’s face, which normally is a sending off offence but I am told is normal saturday night behaviour in Hull”
Nice post. I am really happy with yesterday’s performance . Do you guys feel that Song,Diaby,Denilson are all playing better and show their talents more when Fabregas is not there ? I have not seen Song trying to dribble so much and he was successful most of times too. Denilson’s long passes were delightful and especially the one to Theo. May be they do not have enough confidence to play along side Cesc and they have too much respect for Cesc. Probably Arsene should tell them they do not have to stop playing when Cesc is there and he cannot win matches alone. It was a really good moment to see Denilson come forward and take the free kick , what a good kick that was it was like Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick few weeks back.
Congrats on the prediction! Wonderful game yesterday.
“four defeats in their last seven games”
I think they said ‘four in six’, which of course sounded even worse.
The papers won’t say it, but Manchester Arab got rid of the OOOOOOoooooze because he was a total embarrassment to them.
No, I think he’s sacked because the Sheiks are HUUUGE fans of Mr. Wenger and were pissed at the no handshake incident. Okay certainly not but it amuses me to write so.
All in all not a bad day yesterday. ManU & Liverpool lose, Hughes loses his job and Happy Arry keeping HM Customs & Revenue busy.
Has anyone heard about this John Terry story? All I heard was a bit on the Sunday Supplement but it seems Terry has been caught in a sting operation taking backhanders (£10 grand according to the NOTW) to show people round the Chelsea training ground. Why the hell does someone earning a reputed £170,000 a week need to take a £10,000 backhander? It really makes you wonder about the intelligence level of the England Captain.
According to the Star on Friday or Saturday (can’t recall which) Arsene Wenger refused to rule himself out of the Manchester City job.
That was good.
The John Terry story is all there in the News of the World – including video evidence on line
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/647166/TERRYS-ALL-SOLD-John-Terry-in-secret-cash-scandal.html
Sorry I can’t make that link live here – you will have to cut and paste it into the browser.
Oh I just did make it live. clever me.
@SomeRandomGunner
I remember seeing an interview with Alan Mullery where he talked about playing for England under Alf Ramsey. Ramsey said to him “Your job is to get the ball and give it to him”. Him was Bobby Charlton.
I doubt if AW gives those instructions, but I guess they do it all by themselves!
Bet arrys twitchin now.What about putting an offer in for Torres now he will have nothing to play for this season?
Tony – Do you think Terry declared that money to the tax man?
GoonerGaz – I dont think Torres will be going anywhere in Jan but it might be worth a go in the Summer. He would really fit into out team and can you imagine the number of goals he would get with our creative players around him?
I mentioned something about comeuppance here on Friday 18 Dec. That counts as another Untold prediction, doesn’t it? Now lets see how many comeuppances recorded this weekend.
1. Man disUnited got seriously spanked 3 – 0 by Fulham (a true comeuppance)
2. Mark Hughes lost his job (even though I do not like the way he found out about it, it is still a proper comeuppance)
3. Dirty Harry to rumble with HM Revenue (another comeuppance in my book). If Harry is found guilty, I will absolutely have no sympathy for him.
Back to yesterday’s win:
————————
It is official. Diaby is the back-up to Cesc Fabregas. a truly Man-of-the-match performance from him yesterday.
Denil-my-son, A truly Brazilian free kick, that was.
The Aluminium man? Didn’t he stop the albeit dubious penalty?
Yet they are useless, the lot of them, aren’t they? Ehnnn!!!
Honest old John Terry. The English don’t dive; only Johny Foreigner do. I guess only Johny Foreigners took that bribe on behalf of John Terry, ehnnn? Greedy, shameless plonker (even if ‘plonker’ probably does not exist, I am allowed to make up my own words if I choose to, aren’t I?).
Great article once again. And was it Tony again who first revealed that there could be something wrong with Harry ? Long before others ? Really great job.
And those predictions I’m curious for the next week. Maybe I should visit a bookmaker when I leave Kings Chross next week ? 😉 Better not say it’s the Untold prediction then.
That is when Eurostar is working normally again. When I look out side my window I see some 10 inch snow and this is really unprecedented for ages I must say. I never have witnessed it in my life and as I am nearing the half century mark in a few years this means something I think.
I feel like in Siberia or so.
Here is some food-for-thought for you guys:
Has anyone noticed how Diaby seems to play masterfully well in matches whenever Fabregas is out – A la Roma last season et al?
Think about it guys.
Nice one Tony,
Brown was as ever a disgrace. In fact the whole Hull team represented Brown’s personalities very well.
2 unbelievable dives in a match was ridiculous to watch. The poor old Silvestre looked like he might get a heart attack when that whistle blew.
another food for thought: Played three games this week. The two with Denilson on the pitch we won and the one without him on the pitch not…
Our disgracefull match commentator hadn’t a clue what happened. I heard a whistle and everybode stopped playing but no one really knew what the ref had given. Ridiculous.
Great article Tony. Better than reading the rubbish in the Sunday papers anytime.
You reap what you sow or so the saying goes. As far as I am concerned we are lead by an upstanding gentleman who will always do the right thing for our club. No wonder he is coveted by so many other clubs. Our whole team was outstanding yesterday and even under great pressure and under hands tactics.Even Sylvestre defended well ( penalty aside???? ) and got forward at every opportunity. So looking forward to the Villa game and I do thknk it is going to be a cracker! Pun intended.
Walter I’m in Caanda at present and we had over a foot of snow over the weekend and it’s currently -15 outside ( 10am ). Nothing stops for snow here. Maybe Europe is getting the wrong “type” of snow?
The BEPL strikes again……….another bent penalty for the Chavs.
“The papers won’t say it, but Manchester Arab got rid of the OOOOOOoooooze because he was a total embarrassment to them.”
You never know, Tony. Hughes’ display of bad behaviour against Wenger might have truly irked the Arab owners. Arab culture might take a much dimmer view of that kind of reprobate beaviour than does our fawning press.
Forget the injury prone Torres, I think if Eduardo gets his scoring boots on, he could be very prolific in our set-up. His dragged back which narrowly went wide was almost spectualar, add to that the tap-in……
………for the last 10 years we’ve wantted a tap-in merchant.
2 points dropped by Chelsea.. So, its just 6 points from the top with a game in hand!!! Great week for a Gooner!!!
Look if you guys are going to start covering the article I have just spent half an hour writing about John Terry and his tax situation I am not going to play any more.
It is wonderful that the KGB, Manchester IOU, and Liverpool Insolvency all lose points, and it really puts into perspective our draws with Burnley and West Iceland. We draw with Burnley and someone writes in to say everyone is rubbish and should go. Manchester lose to them, and that is forgotten. We draw with Iceland and its the end, but now we can see the KGB had the same problem.
This will be seen as the season when it all changes – the top four which has been fixed since Chelsea went KGB, is now all over. What is it replaced with? A top 3 + 1 rotating outsider. A top 5 with one team rotating out into the Europa league. A genuinely rotating top 6 or 7 seems a bit far fetched.
But as I write the history of Arsenal 100 years ago each day on the Woolwich Arsenal blog I am constantly struck by the fact that through most league history clubs moved very rapidly from success to failure and the reverse.
I am going to guess we will move to a top 3 plus a rotating outer ring of 3 who are constantly on the edge of getting into the top 3, but don’t. So the outer three play a little league of their own, the winning getting the 4th spot in the Champs, the runner up gets Europa, and possibly the 6th team in the league might get a Europa too.
Complex eh?
Another great piece Tony, and three points gained with out Cesc and in some style, Hughes getting the sack, Manu U and Liverpool loosing, Chelsea only getting a draw, what a great weekend!!
My MoM was Diaby followed by Denilson, Song and Nasri well played boys, my only gripe is that they never play this way with Cesc in the team, what’s the problem???
Loved all the chants during the match it was great to hear so many of our supporters giving Tango man a hard time.
Well done to Nasri for waking up the team and getting them going, the boys a bit nasty which is what we need in our team because we are just too nice.
Next prediction please Tony, this time i’ll go down to the bookies and have a flutter!!!
In the Observer today I gave Diaby 9 – the only player to get that score.
Yup, Nasri is the main man, ‘nasty’ Nasri maybe? He’s understood that to get respect, you need to be twice as nasty as the opposition.
Diaby is unique, because he barrels through the inside centre channels, which causes central defenders grief.
What a great weekend of results!
Tony I noticed you got fan status in the Observer. Didn’t reference your blog though. Team of the week notched Zamora ahead of Arsenal’s team. Maybe he’s Wneger’s no 1 target?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/6851894/Arsenal-midfielder-Samir-Nasri-facing-FA-charge-after-clash-with-Hulls-Richard-Garcia.html
More shit from the BEPL. If Nasri is charged, why don’t all the other off the ball fouls get charged? We’ve got a list as long as your arm of off the ball violence. Shawcross last season, and the guy from Sheffield Wecnesday who assaulted Van Persie spring immediately to mind.
But then this is the BEPL, where Arsenal are to the football authorities what like to hunt and harry us for some reason.
On the subject of BEPL, Chelsea got a blatant non-penalty given in their favour, and by all accounts, escaped a second penalty against them when Carvallho took out Franco. And we got the lamest penalty ever against us when Silvestre was penalized for having a name that sounds like a vest, and so was incriminated for vest-tugging.
The question is not, “Can we win the league?” , but “can win the BEPL?”
I doubt even Tony knows.
Going a little back to the corruption/xenophobia conversations:
Does anyone else feel a discrepancy in the coverage towards Mark Hughes, the way the Arab owners of Man City are being compared to say the owners of Liverpool, Manure, the unknown banksters in charge of other clubs etc…It’s quite blatent in my opinion.
Some people commented on the Dubai situation, and how that might affect Abu Dhabi City. Well, the only effect it had was to get rid of the OOOOOOoooooooozzzzzzeee I think.
Abu Dhabi is a very wealthy Emirate, more then happy to keep the port that is Dubai in business, not keen to see it as an emerging rival financial center to the trade between Africa, Europe he Mid-East & Asia.
Many outside of Asia seem unaware that Dubai is the heart of Asia’s black economy, has been for decades. That most counterfeit goods manufactured in China pass through it’s ports & that many of those construction sites were never meant to be finished, just to lure gullible investors.
Dubai is a city that was being built in the desert, where the temp. can reach up to 50 degrees, but they never built or planned a sewage system. About as explicit a statement of intentions as you could find, architecturally speaking.
How funny is that on Sunday morning when looking at all the Back Page headlines Sky completely ignored the ‘Harry Redknap going to be charged’ headlines.
Nobody want to upset the poor father of Jamie? The one who left all his previous club in such good situation they nearly all finished brankrupt.
How funny that some has been former player is dolled out to pontificate about the good old honest English player. Then advocate that Samir Nasri should be banned for his bastardly attack.
If you look at the picture of the incident a slightly different story emerge.
First Nasri approach the ball with Garcia and Hunt preventing a quick free-kick (which in itself is an offense), Nasri is then pushed away by Garcia, Nasri quietly trod on his feet as revenge. Garcia succombes to the terrible kick like Mike Tison just punched him. Barmby tried to punch Nasri. Hunt pretend to be horrified by Nasri’s dastardly act.
If you look at punishment, then Garcia should be charged for initiating the attack. Barmby should be banned for raising his hand (violent conduct). Hunt for also raising his hand.
I am afraid, Nasri act cannot be qualified as violent conduct (sneaky and uncalled for but not violent). Because he could only be charged for ungentlement conduct that carries just a yellow card, technically the FA cannot charge him with anything unless they use the catch all card of bringing the game into disrispute.
It is funny that only on French TV was it mentionned that at half time in the tunnel Nick Barmby try to confront Nasri and ended up in mild scuffle with a stewart and that it is the reason why he was substituted. If Nasri is charged, then Arsenal could then ask for Barmby to be charged for both incidents (raising hand to an Arsenal player, raising hadn to a stewart). That is also the reason why Tango tried to downplay the incident when still pretend to complaign about it.
Bar a miracle of biblical proportion, Liverpool are f*cked.
In you assessment of the situation, you forget that the owner would want money to cover their own ‘investment’. Do not forget that according to their own account they borrowed at 19% to put the deposit to borrow to buy the club. It is like borrowing on your credit card to put the deposit on a mortgage that you cannot afford anyway. They still want £300 millions. You need to add that money to the expenditure.
Even without adding that extra money, you end up with number that do not add up. Unless somebody comes and build a stadium of 120,000 places and charge a fortune for the pleasure to watch their team play in the Europa league. They will not make it.
I can see a slow painful death before the big implosion.