Dictionary definition: Hubris means extreme pride or self-confidence. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one’s own competence,accomplishments or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power.
An example of this would be selling your best player and goal scoring threat because you are the new owner and you want to demonstrate who is boss.
In my pomp , I used to play no 9 for a team in the Ford League. We were the only ‘white collar’ team in the league and the other teams were called after their locations – The Engine Plant , The Coke Oven, The Blast Furnace , Tractor Plant, etc . Being rather partial to the odd show offy piece of skill, I can still remember the day, with my back to Reg , the York Crankshaft Line’s left back how I perfectly executed a little flick over his onrushing beer belly. Satisfying as it was at the time , for the remaining 80 minutes or so , I had to suffer a whole range of threats involving where a York Crankshaft might end up in my anatomy and numerous attempts at maiming me . I decided from that point onwards that flicky football had no place on the fields of rush green and romford.
I’m sorry to say this , but I’m a bit worried that Astrit and Reza might be a bit partial to the old flicky, fiddly, tippy , tappy stuff.
Which brings us to Nottingham Forest’s new manager , Neil Warnock. I might be wrong but Ive got a feeling he might be related to Reg from the Crankshaft line
Oh dear…………….
I’m sure its one of the least appealing facets of becoming old which is that you don’t like change . As one who adheres slavishly to government advice -I regularly stick within my limit of 63 units of alcohol a week and often stare at pictures of Gwyneth Paltrow for hours just to absorb some of her tips about a healthy lifestyle.
Hence my horror this week when it became clear that under the new culinary regime instituted under Dr Evil and Vanessa Kensington Katrien Meire 
, hot pies are no longer available in Crossbars and nor are baked beans. – Is there no end to their acts of vandalism – OK, if you really have to, its OK to sack our best manager in years , get rid of our best players including the only one who could hit a cow’s arse with a banjo , but no pies , no beans – that really is the thin end of the wedge
To be frank, my whole matchday experience, although hugely enriched by the occasional glimpse of Katrien as she glides through the lounge and by Bob Bolder’s incomparable reading out of the teamsheet revolves around whether to go for a Chicken & Mushroom or the highly spicy ( and only available on special occasions ) Balti Chicken.
After yesterdays concerted grief I got from commenters ( lighten up a little -it was a bit tongue in cheek !) – I thought todays headline is a bit more PC
Whilst I thought the whole team put in a really great shift last night , werern’t Cousins & Poyet absolutely magnificent . If we could add some creativity and a striker , bring Solly back ( although Wilson has got better & better ) , it would be a really great base to build a team around for next year .
I hope the new regime are moving heaven & earth to try to keep Poyet for a bit longer – he really is outstanding .
As for the new Hot Dog stands in the East Stand , my mate says he doesn’t care what division we are in – he’s going to keep coming just for those tasty new hot dogs
There you are that’s one for Roland and the new dawn .
I’d really like to lay claim to be the first person to start the campaign to get rid of him . He’s already been here 3 months and we’ve had enough of him – right ? . Lets analyse the evidence.
1) He sold our best player and our only decent striker 2) He sold our 3rd or 4th best player 3) He sent us a load of useless foreign players , none of whom have helped one bit. ( I’m excluding Astrid’s corner against QPR- its hardly a hatrick is it?)
4) He has sacked our beloved manager , who despite the odd tactical faux pas loved and understood the club and was very successful on a tiny budget . 5) He has sent one of his Belgian mates over as manager ,a bloke whose managerial career , includes less success , at a lower level , than Chris Powell . He is also 12 years or more older than Powell , although apparently he is good at mending laptops , following his lengthy career in IT.
6) According to Richard Murray the big benefit is that never again will we have to sell off youngsters at well below market rate – well , except Diego Poyet, of course – apart from him .
7) Roland is however fascinated by the whole social environmental side of football and is determined to make the whole experience more entertaining . I’m really looking forward to banding together with the other 6 blokes in the new North Stand Lounge listening to Bold Bolder telilng a joke whilst Rochdale are warming up on the pitch below . Don’t get me wrong , I love the whole social classless society bit at football , but the thing that really turns me on is when that little round thing ends up between those two tall sticks in the netty thing.
8) As I have said before the whole European network of clubs idea is a complete load of cobblers . It doesn’t actually work at any level at all, except just maybe for the top club who can farm out their wage bill and poor performers
In a week when EbbsFleet becomes the site of a new garden city and yet more new homes get built on our supporter area , why cant we have a progressive owner with a vision ?
ROLAND OUT !!!!!
I was sitting with my Mum watching the black & white telly and I remember she cried. When the Sunleys and Jimmy Hill decided to move to Palace , closing the derelict Valley , I was on holiday in Paros, it pushed me onto the ouzo for the week.
Yesterday , I was busy tucking into a full English Brekkie in a hotel in Gloucester ,reading the Racing Post and girding my loins for the Cheltenham festival of losing bets and damaging liver when the radio in the corner announced SCP’s departure.
Given that I have been saying that this was inevitable since Relegation Roland took over , it was no suprise , but it made me sad .
Look I have read all the encouraging stuff from other bloggers , New York Addick is always particularly clever and insightful ( are we sure he’s not really George Soros ?) and I will keep coming and supporting , although I’m really not sure if I can take another spell in Div 3.
I’m not looking to spark another debate about tactics /formations /players etc , but I think its really sad that SCP didn’t get the financial support that he needed.
He is an absolutely top man , a man you would run through walls for , a proper gentleman – a dignified , articulate , passionate and committed leader , but above all that he was OUR man !
Our club is the poorer for his departure
COYA
All I can say about yesterday was that it was a bloody long way to go , especially on the drive home, to watch a performance like that !
Shorn of our best player through a forced sale and saddled with a number of Roland’s , not ready , not good enough , not fit enough, not old enough , not strong enough, reserves , it will take a minor miracle to escape relegation.
I just wanted to say that Roland’s European swopsie idea sounds great in theory , but in practise , its a complete load of cobblers . I like Astrid , he seems committed and certainly has some talent , but he also has the turning circle of the QE2 and he looks like the only who might add anything to the team .
In reality , Roland’s idea of loaning players around Europe just won’t work to anyone’s advantage other than ( maybe) the top club which is Standard Liege , who can move out a few underperformers down the structure . Occasionally , one of the lower teams might get a gem , but as you can see in our case , it will be very rare and no more common than getting a useful loan player in from any other higher level club. The thought that Standard Liege will get our better younger players is nonsense because Charlton will just sell them to English Premier League clubs instead for more money and by the way if you were Poyet or Cousins and the choice is EPL or Standard Liege where would you want to go – English players generally don’t travel well either.
The somewhat inevitable result of Roland’s Folly will be a continuing decline in performance , a blaming of the football manager and a foreign coach taking over in Division 3.
Chris Powell, of whom I remain a big fan, won’t sign a new contract until football issues are resolved with Roland – i.e Roly, baby , your model might work for a chain of travel agents , but we are supposed to be running a football club.
Someone needs to tell Roland , Hans Christian Anderson wrote about it – its called the emperors new clothes.
Albury Addick 