2000 AD Online Forum

Finally gone...

"Oh George, where did it all go wrong?"

ALCOHOLIC HEROES
? Runnin' Riot

He?s the greatest player the world has ever seen
Geordie we love you the crowds all scream
But Geordie doesn?t care what the crowds all think
Is it near full time then I?ll get some drink

Chorus 1:
Geordie, Geordie, Geordie, the fans all sing
Geordie, Geordie, Geordie, he can do anything
Geordie, Geordie, Geordie, he could have gone far
But Geordies too fond of the bar

RIP

So, that's the end of the George Best Deathwatch that most of the news programmes have been running...

That was rather odd.

"This is A. Reporter, wearing a warm coat and standing outside a hospital waiting for a man to die.  Let's hope it's not too much longer as I'm freezing my arse off.  Now, back to the studio."

What possible "news" could they garner from outside the hospital that they couldn't get from just 'phoning up and asking if he was dead yet?

Especially odd to see Channel 4 News' cultural reporter performing the role.  "We know you usually do in-depth and significant cultural reports, but today we'd like you to just be a vulture, if that's okay?"

Hmm, perhaps to coincide with the 24hr drinking?

"Let this be a warning to you all to sip wine sensibly!"

I think George already was a 24hr drinker

Indeed, and obviously well beyond warning :o)

The rolling news channels have been unbelievable over George Best, talk about vultures... I'm surprised they didn't replace their news tickers with a feed from his ECG.

I read that a reporter from Sky News gave the cut throat gesture and a thumbs up to camera before they switched back to the studio to announce that he'd died.

Not sure how accurate that it, but I wouldn't be surprised.

- Steve

okay, I'd understand all this broohaha if it was the queen or pime minister that was dying, but all this over someone who used to be a footballer decades ago- actually, I would expect it from the likes of the sun and the mirror, but the BBC and Channel 4 news???

Taken from Football 365:
Nearly as memorable as Best's football was his wit. Here, F365 have gathered our fifteen favourite George Best quotes. Such is human nature, everyone has different views on George Best, but we hope that you will join us in remembering a legend of the game with affection:

15) "I was in for 10 hours and had 40 pints - beating my previous record by 20 minutes." (Blood, during an operation, not beer).

14) "Robert Redford used to be such a handsome man and now look at him: everything has dropped, expanded and turned a funny colour."

13) "I'd have to be Superman to do some of the things I'm supposed to have done. I've been at six different places at six different times."

12) "Perhaps he saw something I didn't." - Regarding being asked 'where did it all go wrong?' by a man delivering champagne to his hotel suite - where there was ?20,000 in cash scattered on a bed which also contained the current Miss Universe.

11) Best's reputed answer at the time - "Wrong?"

10 ) "There's no point in asking me - I can't remember what happened last night!" - When asked 'What Happened Next?' on A Question Of Sport.

9) "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right" - On David Beckham.

8 ) "That's what children do - throw food. That's not fighting. We were real men. We'd have chinned them." - On The ManYoo v Arsenal tunnel 'brawl'.

7) "In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life."

6) "I used to dream about taking the ball round the keeper, stopping it on the line and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net. When I scored against Benfica in the European Cup Final I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead, but then I chickened out. I might have given the boss a heart attack."

5) "I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."

4) "I saw an advert on the side of a London bus inviting me to 'Drink Canada Dry'." - Best on why he joined Vancouver Whitecaps.

3) "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

2) "I used to go missing a lot...Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World..."

1) "Pele called me the greatest footballer in the world. That is the ultimate salute to my life."

And the worst part of it all is that it will totally eclipse the fact that we also lost Mr Miyagi today : (

I was just watching the news on BBC 4, and they had Clive James on talking about Best. Now, it's a long time since I thought of James as anything other than a smug complacent tosser, but he was bang on when he attacked the press for their barely concealed revelling in Best's decline. I was looking at a gallery on the Times site today, and I don't think there was a single photo of him on the field. Of course, his celebrity and the alcoholism that was intimately associated with it is part of his story and his significance, but I find it very sad that so many people choose to remember him as a celebrity drunk rather than the astonishingly gifted footballer he was. It's a bit like the way fat Vegas Elvis overshadows young Elvis, I guess.

It wasn't the ghoulishness of the fascination with George Best's demise that annoyed me so much as the sentimentality.

Maybe they should design a fountain in his honour?

:p

>4) "I saw an advert on the side of a London bus inviting me to 'Drink Canada Dry'." - Best on why he joined Vancouver Whitecaps.

That's an old Dean Martin joke...

Liver for lunch...

it's a loss of a great former footballer i'm sure but i cannot bring myself to feel sorry for him.  He brought it on himself entirely.

Bah!  You wouldn't say that about somebody who broke their back while rock climbing (for example)...

;)

I might to a rock climber who was told that if he kept climbing he would definately break his back.

; )

Or a liver transplant recipient who was told they'd die if they continued drinking heavily.

In other sports death news Richard Burns the ex world champion rally driver has died aged 34 after a two year fight against a brain tumor.

No way! Now that's sad.

:o(

> 13) "I'd have to be Superman to do some of the things I'm supposed to have done. I've been at six different places at six different times."

Er... You wouldn't have to be Superman to be in six different places at six different times. You'd just have to be man.

Apparently, George Best used to play football when he was younger! And not dead.

Mike C

i may get some flak for this but i have always felt it was a waste of a liver him what with not kicking the habit for very long
and to be honist i dont care about the but "he was an alcoholic" crap if you have to have some one elses internal organ put in to you thats a fecking clear sign that you should stop what ever the hell it is you are doing to your self to feck up the ones you got their are plenty of people who could of had that organ and to be honest im thinking of the ones who had the same problem but have kicked the bottle for good
George Best - Did it to himself

> Did it to himself

Too true! Could this be the world's most celebrated suicide?

Personally Im of the opinion that one should celebrate someone life after their death, not pull apart their life looking for mistakes.

However, Best was an alchoholic and had a transplant.  He still couldnt find it within himself to give up alchohol.  Or that with all his money, he still couldnt get cured.  

I just hope that his mistakes will allow others who are alchoholics or similair addictions, to take a look at what they are doing to their lives and maybe change....


Slips

Yeah, all kidding aside- he abused a second chance that not everyone gets...

Bah! You wouldn't say that about somebody who broke their back while rock climbing (for example)... ]


well no and nor do i about a footy player who gets injured playing football.

Equally, if the rock climber pissed his/her liver (and a spare from some other poor person) down the drain i'd have the same view of them.

In other sports death news Richard Burns the ex world champion rally driver has died aged 34 after a two year fight against a brain tumor.


..

to me that was much sadder and much more tragic.

Fishy --

I think JEB was being a bit sarky with that post...

The man is dead and a little respect wouldnt go amiss, now would it.  

We all know he was an alcholic and we all know he drunk himself to death.  No one is saying hes perfect, not even the OTT media.  I think its a reasonable thing to  say he gave loads of people great joy with his skill and people enjoyed watching him play a game he loved.  Now no one in the media is going to slag him off are they, his immediate family (thats the people who have been affected by his behaviour more than anyone else) would be rather upset by that wouldnt they.  

Now thats not saying I condone his behaviour nor that Im not sad that another sportsman has lost his life either.  Lets just wait till hes in the ground, yes?!  

Slips

Richard burns ?!  No way ! he was one of my faves, jeez, fast n furious.
 I never met him, nor rallied with him, but i prefered him to mcRae who is a bit attitudey... and yeah shit loads faster than us even in a bloody 4X4.

im sorry i have no respect for a woman beating lush who not only fecked up his own liver but wasted the gift of a new one i understand the "problems" he had but it really all comes down to his behavour and the fact that most people worship him like some great guy when basiclly he was for the most part a poorly behaved drunken lout

wasting the second liver just showed that he was really selfish. It's not as though there are an infinate number of organs ready for donation, that lives could have been much better used on someone else.

So, this memorial fountain, then - where d'you reckon we should put it? I propose the centre of the pitch at Old Trafford.

paying bugger all attention to this , like all media type crap... except when cleaning up newspapers ,
 it occured to me, that the reason theres so much hype about this 'famous' death, its nothing to do with football, but the fact that everyone is currently obbsessed with & aspires towards the kind of lifestyle he supposedly lived,
its not even as cool as drink drugs n rock n roll;
sleaze, booze, drink, the objectification of women, 'glamour' (pronounced 'glamaa'), drugs, immorality, greed & being a superficial materialistic designer clad big name, is the pinnacle of todays society.
i'm not saying anything about Best for or against, cos i don't give a shite about another piss-head, rich or poor.
but i'm sick of the worshipping celeb & consumerism lad-mag culture that feeds these values.

for christs sake what about the children?

Yes - won't somebody please think of the children?








Not you, Gary...

LOL!

Best laugh I've had all bloody weekend. The slightly raised eyebrow & thoughtful look on the rock-perv's face just make it all the funnier...

:-D

When somebody "acceptable" to the hive mind dies we get eulogy after eulogy. When not they are barely cold and the sniping begins.

There have been times in the past when people have died that I don't particularly like but I've never felt the necessity to post something unpleasant in the RIP thread.

I think I've learnt a lesson here...

Please- I'm on the edge of my seat here.  What's the lesson?

Fishy- I was joking- it's an old Ben Elton gag.

The lesson is that you shouldn't speak ill of the dead.


But what about Hitler???

why not? are they going to do? get up and complane? i doubt it and even if they did i have my copy of the end is nigh (Zombie edition) and im a dab hand at swinging a cricket bat so im not worried
let them come

You did read all of what I wrote in my last message didn't you?

i only stated a fact about the guy and then defending that comment.  I'm not sniping, and as i said i am sure he was a great footy player and yes i am sure he brought joy to lots of people.

not hive mind, it is my bloody opinion.

so what lesson have you learned?

thanks JEB.. and i fell for it hook line and sinker.

When somebody "acceptable" to the hive mind dies we get eulogy after eulogy. When not they are barely cold and the sniping begins.

*Sigh*

When someone ultra-famous dies, or someone a bit less famous but connected to the arts, or someone really quite obscure but connected to science fiction, or someone completely unheard of to anyone but 2000AD readers, somebody then generally posts a thread about it here.

People then add their comments.  Often, these comments are of an upset or grieving nature.  This is because the individual posting the comment is momentarily saddened to hear of the passing of someone who they respected or liked in some way.  

However, since this is a group of *individuals*, not everyone has to react the same way to everything.  So, on this thread, there are some respectful comments and some disrespectful ones.  Despite your wish for people all to act the same way (hoping, presumably, to create some kind of "hive mind"), it's pleasing to see that various posters here (notably Tweak) don't feel that they have to adopt a deeply bogus sense of regret at the passing of somebody who they found vile, just because that peron has reached the end of their life.  I say this is pleasing, because it means that when on other such threads there is an outpouring of love and affection at someone's passing, you know it is meant, and genuine, rather than just the mooing of a herd.

no it's the baying of the crowd. As for what I've learned? The level of what is acceptable on this board.

I'd rather be mourning the death of the liver transplanted in vain

To be honest, this thread is quite tame compared to some other forums I've been on. At least here there are some people willing accept his talent and skill and have a laugh (even if it is at his expense!). Everywhere else it runs along the lines of 'Despicable little bastard...'

Ho-hum.

" I watched my daddy drink all there was out of that bottle until one day the bottle started drinking outta him. "

Chief Broom. One flew over the cuckoos nest.










 

"As for what I've learned? The level of what is acceptable on this board."

I don't get it.

Does that mean for this board hellraising, alcoholism, spousal abuse and wasting a donor organ are beyond the pale?

Does that mean for this board hellraising, alcoholism, spousal abuse and wasting a donor organ are beyond the pale?


All that's beyond The Pale, you say? That's an awful Irish stereotype you're suggesting there Ush. ;)

Extra Brownie point to anyone who knows what I'm talking about

and it's got nowt to do with George being Northern Irish by the way

And what have I learned today?  That your opinion is the greatest of them all, of course!

I feel sorry for George- but I feel sorrier for his family.  I feel even sorrier still for whoever didn't get the liver Georgie boy clearly didn't appreciate.

Actually, no- I've decided to save all of my pity for myself for reading your 'hivemind/baying crowd' drivel, you moaning old giffer...

god i'm really touched !  sniff, at last i am included in the baying hive, & here was me thinking i was at odds with the acceptable in-crowd.

hurrah !   does that mean i'm allowed to say i don't like a lot of pat mills recent writing without being massacred ?  god the relief of it all ! hurrah  hurrah  sings "i'm in with the in-crowd "

Hang on, I thought the official Hive Mind position was anti-Mills?

Have people been leaving me out of the distribution for Hive Mind memos?

er...yeah sorry ...i must have accidently dropped you off the mailing list when the hive leader put me in charge of memo-distribution & general irritation duties.

i guess i could forward you a link to the latest hive programming up-dates tho.

I miss the days when the board was controlled by the hyper-elite "Big 5". They may have been nazis, but at least the trains ran on time...

Big Three, you idiot- just because there was actually five of us doesn't mean that the originator of the name could actually count...

;)

Bou - how dare you have an opinion contrary to mine re. Mills etc. etc.

ALL HAIL THE HIVE MIND!

Alcoholism is a disease, which contributed to the condition that later resulted in the death of George Best, the cause of his death was the massive internal organ failure which resulted in an infection caused by the drugs which stopped him rejecting his Liver..

the transplant was not any less worthwhile beucase he only last another two years.. pensioners who get hip replacements etc generally don' t recover fully and die only a handful of years later..should we stop treating them..or is their own fault for getting old?

lets all laugh at the people who die becuase it's their own fault

those who die of lung cancer because they smoke..ha ha hope it hurt

lets all berate the people who decide to cross the road with out looking both ways..it's their own fault for getting knocked down.

lets all laugh at Aids sufferers..well they should have been more careful.. ha ha hope it was drawn out and lonely

in fact lets trawl the obituries of famous people and laugh and say it's their own fault for not dying of natural causes

the people who decide to cross the road with out looking both ways..it's their own fault for getting knocked down.

Yep, pretty much.

Just for the record, i hope i kick the bucket in an incredibly stupid way (nibbled to death by a gang of angry hamsters, for example) so that people have no choice but to find it amusing.

And i want my tombstone to say: 'I knew this would happen!'



Just so you know.
-Wul

"Alcoholism is a disease"

Is it fuck, it's an addiction. You can't catch alcoholism can you? So quit spouting AA rhetoric and get off you moral high horse.

In fact blah blah blah blah blah...

AA rehetoric where did you read that.. the daily mail

People are genetically predetermined to have a susceptibility to certain conditions..such as depression, alcoholism and other diseases

nicked off the internet definition of disease

'A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. Sometimes the term is used broadly to include injuries, disabilities, syndromes, symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts these may be considered distinguishable categories.'

What about internet gobshitery?

I'd say that's a contentious definition right there.

While somebody who is an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, they can actually stop drinking any time they want to (although I'm not suggesting for one minute that it's easy).

When you've finished moralizing from your backside, maybe you can explain to me why you think it's ok to drink your liver to death, be lucky enough to get another one and then continue drinking- literally pissing your second chance up the wall.  

Whether drinking was the cause of his eventual demise or not, that's what George Best did with his new liver and that seems to be what most people object to- as is their right in a society that allows (gasp!) freedom of expression.

Quick!  Accuse me of being a Daily Mail reader!

"What about internet gobshitery?"

Dunno know, i'll go and take a look at what symptoms you've exhibited and make a diagnosis

I object to the tone of your last post, Eyebrows. It's the same as getting into your car pissed and ploughing through a bus queue, then reversing back over them. Repeatedly.

If you carry on this way, I may be forced to TAKE...YOU...DOWN! ;)

"While somebody who is an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, they can actually stop drinking any time they want to (although I'm not suggesting for one minute that it's easy)."

so you admit that it is an endemic condition?
 

"When you've finished moralizing from your backside."

Not entirely sure what you mean by this..as you seem to be taking the moral high ground because he was an alcoholic.. i must apologise for not agreeing with you..because you are correct...oh hold on i'm not your a 'moaning old giffer'

"as is their right in a society that allows (gasp!) freedom of expression."

oh the irony

"Quick! Accuse  me of being a Daily Mail reader!"

sorry i Forgot you seem to get your insight into the human condition from Comics and Buffy...my sincerest apologies

But there is an issue here isnt there.  

Its an immotive subject that seems to be getting everyones back up, it is turning a tad nasty.  Which is why I stopped posting when I asked for a touch of resect for a dead man, I felt shouted down.  I dont think anyone here has condoned George Bests behaviour have they (and if Im wrong Ill take it on the chin)

Now if we want to talk about alcholism lets do so in a sensible way.  Its a serious issue that kills thousands of people a year and its really difficult Habit/Disease to kick (and anyone whose grown up with an Alchoholic will tell you this, I can say so:)).  Is this bit contencious?  Im not sure it is.  So what is the contention, is it the fact that a poor (he had no money) irish boy who didnt know better drunk himself partly into the grave after becoming rich and famous for kicking a ball?  Would it be any better if he was Dylan Thomas/Richard Harris and did something worth while (tm) or is it the whole counter media thing that going on?

Anyway theres my thoughts....

Slips

"or is it the whole counter media thing that going on?"

For my money, it's exactly that. I personally don't give a toss what George Best chose to do/couldn't help doing with his health and his chances in life; that's up to him. What I find nauseating is the fact that the news media, both fuelling and fuelled by public fascination, decided that George Best's last dying week and a half warranted rolling news coverage even though the outcome was a given.

Moreover, I can't identify with the public wallowing in pity and outpouring of sentimentality that ensued. I've never felt moved to heap bunches of flowers on an impromptu shrine to a total stranger, nor sign a book of condolence for the same.

"so you admit that it is an endemic condition?"

I like the way that you say that as if I ever implied that it wasn't.

I'm not fussed by your generalisations regarding my reading/TV viewing habits at all- it's what I'd expect from somebody who argues himself into a conversational cul-de-sac.  Sarcasm is no substitute for a proper argument*.

As for the rest. I think you've got it arse backwards.  You're entitled to your opinion, and I only object to your backing it up with bollocks FACT!s.  An alcoholic can choose to stop drinking at any time- in much the same way that you can stop talking out of your arse at any time.  I've every sympathy for 'George Best, the alcoholic'- just not as much sympathy for 'George Best, the alcoholic that indulged himself'.  Poorer men and women suffering from alcoholism have managed to turn their lives around- but this is a man who had the money and support system to help himself in every conceivable way, but chose not to.

You seem to be ignoring this, my only point, in favour of stuff that, quite frankly, seems to be seeping from your arse like a big wet fart.

I notice you didn't bother to answer my question about whether or not you thought it was ok to piss his new liver up the wall either.









*Unless your only other option is talking out of your tail pipe.  Oh... wait...  I see.

Wils- you read my mind.

Slips- have had an extremely selfish alcoholic in the family myself- but see your point.  As it goes, I couldn't stand the sight of Richard Harris or Oliver Reed either.  Being pissed up all the time didn't make them 'special' in any way and being actors didn't make them 'special pissheads' either.

Usher- couldn't agree more with your last paragraph.

"AA rehetoric where did you read that.. the daily mail"

lol, I now feel thoroughly ashamed. I made that up myself but that comparison is cruel! I'll admit it was a rather silly turn of phrase ;)

Anti-media thing? Yeah, me too, although I don't think I've actually posted anything against the defendant in question m'lud. It's the BBC I've been annoyed with. Can't speak for the tabloids, but I imagine they've been worse.

I don't think I'd 'laugh' at anyone dying for any reason, unless it was fictional of course.

...although, should we laugh with imperial glee when Saddam Hussein gets the death penalty? Maybe another one for the Daily Mail :o)

"... with imperial glee..."

With democratic glee, surely?

'Sarcasm is no substitute for a proper argument'

but resorting to school yard insults is...he he you said 'fart'

as for him 'pissing his new liver up the wall either.' as you rightly point out it is free country, an individual has the right to live his life in whatever way he feels fit..

this was his eulogy thread and should have been used to show respect for a great footballer... I probably expect to much from some board users whose idea of a coherent arguement is using the word 'poo'

"this was his eulogy thread"

Really? I had no idea.

"democratic glee, surely?"

BWAAA HA HA HA HA!

Sorry Andy, but you ceased to make any sense about three posts back.  George Best was indeed free to piss his new liver up the wall- just as everyone here is free to think less of him for doing it.

If that's the best you can come back with, I'd give up while you only look like a bit of a twat.

:)

Andy, is it windy and lonely on your pedestal?

I come from a family with a history of alcoholics, and one of my uncles drank himself into his grave a few years ago.  Like all alcoholics I've encountered, he was a selfish, self-involved prick that drank because he never got handed a living by the world in general, and the outpouring of deluded sentimentality when he kicked was sickening.  Alcoholics are encouraged to believe it isn't their fault - even the AA mantra of "give me the courage to change what I can, and accept that which I can not" is a prayer to that good old emotional crutch, God Almighty.
I make no excuses for having a low opinion of alcoholics that - as JEB has pointed out - have a willing and capable support structure should they make the effort to quit.

On the other hand - surely I'm not the only one who finds Best's ex-wife to be repugnant?  Quite apart from using his name after the break-up, any fucking idiot that has a recovering alcoholic spouse (as George was at one time) that insists on having that person sit and watch while she pours booze down her throat in pubs is just as bad - if not worse.  The poor bastard might actually have had a chance if he wasn't married to a fame-chasing scrupper.

'...you only look like a bit of a twat'

Also known as a Camel's Toe.

"Sarcasm is no substitute for a proper argument"

Neither is posting on the internet, everyone


just saying..

like

One of the weird thinsg I've noticed about America: Alcoholism isn't considered inherantly funny the way it is in the UK. Their loss, really...

I'm not sure when I stopped making sense....perhaps you have attention deficit disorder (even I'm surprised a thread on this board could stay nearly on topic for so long and you have probably become confused)

If you could highlight any points I have made that you had difficulty understanding, I will attempt (in my own humble way) to be more articulate, and raise my game to match the intellectual heavy weights of this thread.

Or if you feel more comfortable at your level. I could meet you after skool.. Coz you disagree wiff me and youse walk like a girl..my da's bigger than your da..(Yawn)

Seems to me you're quite at home in the schoolyard as it is.
Y'know, just a wee tip for future reference - if you pretend to be making a valid point, we don't actually notice it when your post descends into bitter and childish petulance.  We're glad you know you're so much more intelligent than some losers on the internet, and it's really nice of you to share that with us by coming down to our level and gracing us with your time and presence.

++Y'know, just a wee tip for future reference - if you pretend to be making a valid point, we don't actually notice it when your post descends into bitter and childish petulance.++

"Big Wet Fart"? "Blow it out your tail pipe?" "You'll look like a bit of a twat" or rather "Camel toe"

I thought that was the only way to get your point noticed here. But then I suppose it depends who you are - some people here can use "childish petulance" and are applauded for it. Others are criticised. Hurrah for double standards

I hope they slaughter you Bear and your tired snide remarks never taunt me anymore.

Actually, it was "talking out of your tail pipe" and "you only look like a bit of a twat".  Don't let the facts stop you though.

By the way, isn't Andy your brother- or am I mistaken?

" alchoholism is a disease ?! "

RARRRRR warp spasm ! ! "poo !"

yeah its a fucking scourge, and druggies too, yes some people are more pysiologically or genetically or psychologically pre-desposed to have addictive personalitys, just like some people might just have a set of circumstanses that make them into rascists, serial killers or bus-queue plower into-ers, we could argue nature vs nuture & all that bolloxks, but i don't care, piss heads should not be tolerated, supprted yes, helped up to a point yes, but certainly not humoured or venerated.

Its not big, its not funny & its no fucking excuse.  I cannot fecking stand the weak willed "poor me, i'm such a victim, i can't help it " pain in the arses. and I'm sick of a country & region & culture which condones it.

GRrrrr .

What a load of twoddle this thread has turned into.  If you dont like George Best fine, you probably have your own reasons but shouting at each other across the internet isnt going to fix the situation that arguably the greatest footballer to ever live is dead.  RIP Georgie Best.

I thought that was the only way to get your point noticed here. But then I suppose it depends who you are - some people here can use "childish petulance" and are applauded for it. Others are criticised. Hurrah for double standards

Hurrah for that great big chip on your shoulder.

++old joke alert++

Not disputing any of his footballing abilities, but I sincerely hope he's not being cremated...

I'm happy to make the first step towards ending hostilities. Name calling and finger wagging isn't very productive and all it does is wind people up, entrench positions and force me to post pictures of bacon sandwiches for no good reason. It achieves nothing good.
For what it is worth. I'm not saying that Bestie was a great man in fact my ambivalence towards him is fairly well known. "Flawed" is a word that has been used a lot to describe him.  And I think this is pretty much on the money. He was an exceptionally gifted footballer (argueably the best ever) who brought joy to millions Unfortunately there were was a lot elses besides which ultimately destroyed him. As Slippery PD said (broadly) doesn't make him any worse (or any better) than a drunken poet or drug ridden musician. Some are happy to overlook or forgive George for this. Many view the man with unbridled contempt. These are both opinions that I've held.As for the liver transplant? Someone in the medical profession made the call and Geordie got it and not someone else. God knows why and I have to say that I do feel uncomfortable about the whole episode.
To sum up - Geordie Best? RIP I hope the best footballer the world has ever seen as found peace at last. For those I've pissed off er sorry about that

Welcome to the friendliest place on the web etc,etc...

Welcome to the friendliest place on the web etc,etc...

D'yaknow, compared to everywhere else I've tried to join, this place is the friendliest place on the web ...

aah shut the hell up mike

me me me

we're all sick of you!






( :) joking)

As long as you fit in and dont cause too much of a fuss. There appears to be more and more of a gang mentality in this place. And it aint nice.



Oh and Im not anyones brother or mate or cousin, Im just sayin like.

Hmm. I'm sensing bitterness from a few people.

How long before we're accused of being a clique, I wonder?

As usual, only certain boarders are allowed to reply to this post. ;)

You mean you all don't want to be part of my gang?





Not you, Gary...

dont cause too much of a fuss

Well to be fair, reacting to someone making a fuss is hardly unreasonable, is it?

There appears to be more and more of a gang mentality in this place. And it aint nice.

A long standing charge and, to be honest, not one I have seen any evidence for, I disagree with pretty much all of the comments posted on the review threads (just see the one I posted today) and find many boarders' opinions to be counter to mine. I just don't go mouthing off at them about it. If we disagree, I state my position and have a conversation with them. All too often, the people who accuse this place of having a Hive Mind or of rejecting newbies do so because some twonk has posted before they've thought about it properly. There will always be those who react much more harshly to opinons counter to theirs, but if I were to suggest they shouldn't then not only would this mean everyone being on their very, very best behaviour at all times and giving only unqualified praise and agreement (as has occurred at too-harshly-moderated boards I've visited), but it would also run counter to what I have experienced of human behaviour!

This thread is just the perfect example of why this board is great ;-)

This thread is just the perfect example of why this board is great ;-)

lol, given the original topic, it seems to have become like a big contentious family funeral.

Shut up, Mulcher- everyone hates you.  You're not even in the big three* and as such, your opinion doesn't count!

;)







*never forget that there are five of them, their membership constantly changing to accommodate the claims of the latest 'outsider' with an everest sized chip on their shoulder.

"How long before we're accused of being a clique, I wonder? "

Well if the cap fits, No smoke without fire, A bird in the hands worth two in the bush...sorry I was leaning on the proverb button there.

yes i did but i REALLY wanted to use the zombie drinking pic

Well this thread got out of control.

My feelings on his passing might have been more sad had it not been for the ghoulish news reporting.

Anyway I've found this great example of why Best touched so many people in his heyday, it's a bit shmaltzy and anyone who doesn't like football might not get much out of it, but it touched me.

Link: What he used to be famous for

The same old guff.  People exclude themselves from self imagined cliques by whining that they aren't part of them.  What the fuck are you waiting for- a gold plated invitation delivered to your front door?

My personal 'clique' is made up of people that I enjoy interacting with online and who manage to not annoy me on a daily basis.  Some of them are creators, some of them are not- I'm rude or kind to both in equal measure.  Nobody gets into my 'clique' just for having some official 2000ad guff to back them up.  I'm quite happy to tell Gordon or Simon to fuck off if I think they've got it coming and I expect (and sometimes get) the same in return.  

The problem with some boarders is that they seem to think somebody like me is protected by some all-powerful clique that doesn't actually exist.  Like most of the people I like on this board, i just come in, have a laugh and interact as normally as I can.  Like finds like.  If you want to make yourself an outsider- that's what you'll become.

Stop moaning and just get on with it.

As I mentioned before, I have a bad opinion of alcoholics from personal experience, but feeling sympathy for Best was odd.  Other web forums were treating the rolling coverage with considerably less sensitivity than was shown here - Eurogamer's "For fuck's sake, George, just die, already!" thread being a good example.

Always baffled me about the 'clique' claims aimed at the messageboard, too.  Surely in-jokes and private humour is inevitable when you have people sharing news about their interests over time in a small and contained environment?  It's kind of like saying you don't like going into a room full of mates talking about football because they seem to know what each other are talking about without explaining every little in-joke and comment at length to each other, so you feel a little left out of the conversation.
Here's a mad thought - join in, ask what you aren't sure about, and LEARN what everyone's talking about.  You know, like you do on every other internet messageboard or forum.  Everyone else who posts here had to go through the same process, and they didn't take the hump because they misinterpreted sarky comments that get made to newbies and oldies alike as some kind of victimisation of newer members.

Hivemind in action or just a normal, well balanced point of view?

S'right y'know, i was given a bit of a hard time as when i very first started posting as *he who shall not be named* was at the height of his disruption and flaming. Unknowingly i started posting with the same initials,(sort of), anyway i just stuck with it have been getting more forth coming with my posts ever since.
Most of my posts bring an excellent response nowadays*.
cheers,
Rob.

* tempting Fate a bit i know but..........

My sincerest apologies Johnny. I didn't realise I directed my post directly at you. Oh and knock me down with a feather, here comes the bear.


Now if you could just post that gold plated invite that would be grand.

So where do I fit in to all of this kybosh?

I mean Im an individual. I dont do partners. I have no real thread continuity. Ive got on the nerves of some and outstandedly welcomed by others.Im like a mercenary. Yeah. Me and George man; stand aloners! All the gear.No idea. YEAH! Pass me a beer! I got the gene, man.

My clique would possibly be anyone with the time of day for me. :)

Puts feet up on desk.

How about a gold plated "fuck off to my killfile" instead?

Touche





Oops I meant Touchy!

:: "* tempting Fate a bit i know but.......... "

Huh?  Whassup?

Fate as in "destiny", not as in "fate amenable to change". I left myself wide open to that didn't i! Cue Wils................
;)
Rob.

Don't you mean "cue Julian Clary"?

"cue Julian Clary"?
Eeek! there's an image i didn't want in my mind.

I'll get me coat then.
:(
Rob.

Yes and Ill er.. Ill see meself out..

hey another class link from Mr stress.

** tempting Fate a bit i know but.......... "
Huh? Whassup? **

i skim read this as "touching up Fate"  prehaps this sloppy reading is where it all goes horribly wrong, no-bodys actually diagreeing with anyone, Its just we're all to thick to read properly.

" no-one listens theyre just waiting their tur to speak "

Think I might pop along to the funeral tomorrow.

Look out for me on the telly, I'll be at the back with the Guinness.

Holy cow... the've just shown his coffine being piped of the plane on the news and there's live news coverage of the funeral tomorrow and a hightlights program later one. Did I miss something? Was Best a major statesmen and I never noticed? Has any other footballer had this (like someone who actually had a world cup winner's medal?)

Has any other footballer had this (like someone who actually had a world cup winner's medal?)

No, but their deaths weren't so damn easy to make a story out of, and they RIPed before the era of the non-celebrity being celebrated

Yeah, it all seems a bit OTT. I thought the minuites silence at EVERY football game last weekend was a bit much.

I bet there's none of this fuss when Nat Lofthouse pops his clogs - many years from now, hopefully - and he's a legendary footballer who has devoted his life to being a spokesman for his club. Probably something to learn from that.

And the thing about Dylan Thomas is interesting. I think the booze was worse for him than for Best as it stopped him writing poetry. The vast majority of his published work was written before he became famous. Once people started handing him pints creativity passed out the window. And I don't care what anyone says he was a genuinely great writer.

Dylan Thomas had a pair of trousers which he never washed which could stand up on their own. You can't say that about everyone.

Yes you can.

yeah, you can say it-just most of the time you'd be lying

Go on, say it about the Queen then.

The queen had a pair of trousers which she never washed which could stand up on their own.

Well that was amazingly easy and kindda fun in a stupid way.

You do know I'm a small r republican, don't you?

That being about the queen it's half true anyway (she hasw servants to wash her trousers)and the Queen gets gifts from all sorts, and from his latest  film it's clear that Wallace doesn't have anything against the aristocracy

"Dylan Thomas had a pair of trousers which he never washed which could stand up on their own."

He's also making a bit of a comeback with the live appearances. Sort of.

Link: Virtual Dylan Thomas

Creepy...

>Dylan Thomas had a pair of trousers which he never washed which could stand up on their own. You can't say that about everyone.

I remember as a kid someone in the playground reading out from a book about Hell's Angels that every Angel had a pair of 'originals' - jeans that he wore when he went through the initiation ceremony (during which the rest of the gang pissed on him) and never washed again. A good pair of 'originals' could stand up on there own...

And Dylan Thomas wasnt the last person to piss away is talent... there was Larkin for a start

Police have today admitted that George Best's funeral in Belfast was indeed a fake.

A spokesman said "In retrospect, we agree that the decision to cremate him in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday was unwise."