Was China this oppresive?

[k4blades]

Watching the Olympic torch arriving this morning, (got bored after 5 mins, and to think we have to put up with it for weeks), I couldn't help but notice "The Men in Grey". Apparently a group of police offices who will follow the torch on its journey. They surrounded the torch bearer, and every time there was a stop, they huddled around in a circle ensuring the public were kept at arms length.
Now I appreciate there has to be a support team, and some security, but isn't this a bit over the top? There will obviously be police along the route on crowd control anyway, whats the worse thing that can happen...oh year, a protester might want to make a scene, and we can't have anyone question those in authority can we?

What should be a great public celebration is once more dragged down by the constant reminder of how oppresive it is in the UK.

[Alsatian]

.................and did you notice that, whilst the torch bearer was 'running' the 'men in grey' were walking AND keeping up with the runner.  ???

Is this the standard of our athletes and should the 'men in grey' replace them!   

[Stuart]

They are there to make sure that no-one on the route drinks Pepsi.

[k4blades]

LOL

[Pete]

Olympic Torch who are the "Men in Blue?" BBC reports

[Big Dave]

Didn't watch it, won't watch it and if (like this morning) anything to do with the Olympics  comes on I'll switch channels. It's a total waste of money at a time when the country is so f*cked up it'll be decades before it recovers.

[Fly]

Must admit, can't see me watching any of it.
Pretty sure there's someone making a mint out of it though 

[k4blades]

Good find Pete, seems our authorties are in awe of the way the Chinese do things.

Olympics...over managed, over regulated, money making scam. Nothing to do with the common man striving for excellence. Even Eastenders recognised this when in one of these weeks episodes a beurocrat made someone take down a sign because it used the word "olympic".

And for that reason, I'm out.

[Slacker]

Can't be to careful, it is going through Boza before it gets here 

Seriously though. the Mirror's political columnist Paul Routledge found himself agreeing with Thatch yesterday when she ruled out a bid for the 1988 Olympics on the grounds of cost.

Never mind the Jubilympics, bring on the footy

[Fly]

 

[therealjr]

Never mind the Jubilympics, bring on the footy

Wouldn't get too excited I can't see Woy getting us out of the group with the squad he's picked.

[Slacker]

At WBA he proved he could get fairly average players to play above themselves. At Liverpool he was no worse than "King" Kenny who could no no wrong in the eyes of the fans

[therealjr]

At WBA he proved he could get fairly average players to play above themselves. At Liverpool he was no worse than "King" Kenny who could no no wrong in the eyes of the fans

He took us to the relegation zone, he got knocked out of the cup competitions, he bought some of the worst players ever seen in a Liverpool shirt. He proved at Liverpool and at Inter that he can't handle big name players. His tactic is not to lose rather than to win which is why he has relative success at places like Fulham and WBA.  His aura of sucess has been built being a big fish in a little pond in places like Sweden and Switzerland and on one European adventure (which ultimately ended in failure) at Fulham.
The King won the title at Blackburn. 3 seasons later Hodgson got them relegated.

[k4blades]

At WBA he proved he could get fairly average players to play above themselves. At Liverpool he was no worse than "King" Kenny who could no no wrong in the eyes of the fans

Reminds me of a comment I made previously on the subject of England manager, when I suggested Neil Warnock. He too gets the best out of players and has always had some success, but he too, swims mainly in smaller ponds, where his big fishness stand out.

But they wouldn't offer him the England job in a million years, all they want is a yes man.

[Slacker]

I remember him at Chesterfield in the early part of his playing career