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CLUBS IN DEBT TO BE TARGETED
Platini "financial fair play" plan to be approved
Reuters

UEFA president Michel Platini's plan to force clubs to live within their means is expected to be approved at an executive committee meeting.

Platini's plan, dubbed "financial fair play", has already been approved by the European Club Association (ECA), representing the continent's clubs, and the Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC).

The PFSC includes representatives from the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), the international players' union FIFPro, the clubs and the UEFA vice-presidents.

Platini wants to prevent clubs from spending more than they make from their revenues and could signal the end of "sugar daddies" buying into the game and transforming the fortunes of a club.

The Frenchman, who says he has the backing of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and other rich club owners, says clubs will have to live within their means instead.

If passed, the new rules are likely to come into effect in 2012.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46369000/jpg/_46369251_proms1.jpg

I've bit my tongue for long enough - where was my birthday thread you lick spittle?! 

How things may have changed.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210141/Irish-generals-plotted-attack-UK-forces-Ulster.html?ITO=1490

Walking up the Donegall rd this morning and at the entrance to the City hospital a bonfire in a very enclosed space right beside houses.
This was the norm for the area, but what really pissed me off, was thte fact that the "componant parts" for the "bonnie" (that is pallets, sofa, scrap wood, city council park benches!, etc..) had spilled out/where left out, over the six foot metal fencing and onto the footpath and road. This meant that anyone walking on the footpath had to step onto the road and walk around this rubbish - absolute fecking disgrace and dangerous as well.

Anyone else having problems when posting?
If I'm replying to someone and quote someone when I start to type the screen goes to the top and I cannot see the new script?!!!
Fecking really annoying, anyone got a solution?
Thanks.

[There is speculation that Nelson McCausland is a possibility to take Mr Campbell's post as culture minister.]

It is believed an announcement on a new team could be made within days.

It is thought MP Nigel Dodds will remain at finance; Gregory Campbell and Sammy Wilson are likely to stand aside.

There is speculation that Nelson McCausland is a possibility to take Mr Campbell's post as culture minister.

Edwin Poots is viewed as a contender to succeed Mr Wilson in Environment.



Good god if there waas one other person on the face of this earth who could possibly be a worse culture minister then Campbell then it would be this fella!

Bad news (if confirmed) for the GAA and Irish language!

As above

Well following on from Zap's free state poll/thread, the posters have gone up here in the north, so who do you think will get elected?, and who will you be voting for?

[IFA says play-off will go ahead]

Thought that Tony would have picked up on this disgrace by the IFA!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8033369.stm

IFA says play-off will go ahead 

DC chairman Raymond Bonner believes his club should have bene promoted
The IFA has said that the two-leg promotion/relegation play-off between Dungannon Swifts and Donegal Celtic will go ahead as planned this week.

The first leg will be played at Suffolk Road on Tuesday evening, with the second leg at Stangmore Park on Friday.

DC had appealed the decision to play the game as they believed Dungannon should be automatically relegated after finishing bottom of the Premiership.

The IFA say they have been in contact with DC to explain their decision.

"The Association received a faxed copy of an appeal submitted by Donegal Celtic in relation to the IFA Premiership promotion/relegation play off," said the IFA, in a statement released on its website.

"Donegal Celtic wished to appeal against the decision made by the IFA Premiership Interim Board regarding the promotion/relegation play off, a decision made following the withdrawal of Bangor FC from the Domestic Club Licensing scheme for season 2009/10 which would prevent them from playing in the IFA Premiership next season.

"With this knowledge in mind the IFA Premiership Interim Board met on Monday 2 February 2009 to put in place a process to ensure that there would be a full complement of teams to play in the IFA Premiership next season.

"In doing so they exercised the powers available to them under rule 62 of the rules of the IFA Premiership and circulated the details to all clubs affected by this decision in both the IFA Premiership and IFA Championship.

"Any such appeal against this decision would have been required to be submitted within four days of this decision and as this was not the case the time for same has now lapsed.

"The Association has been in contact with officials from Donegal Celtic to explain the situation and to confirm that the promotion/relegation play off between Donegal Celtic and Dungannon Swifts will go ahead as scheduled this week on Tuesday (5th May) at Donegal Celtic Park and Friday (8th May) at Stangmore Park."

The Swifts finished bottom of the league but Bangor have been relegated as they did not apply to re-join.

DC finished second in the Championship.

The West Belfast club believed that Dungannon should be automatically relegated and they could only face a play-off against the club which finished second bottom.

As that was Bangor, who are dropping out of the top-flight due to financial reasons, DC felt they should go up.

The rules at the start of the the JJB Sports Premiership season stated that the team finishing last would be relegated, with their place taken by the Championship winners, who were Portadown.

The second bottom team would face a promotion/relegation play-off against the Championship runners-up.

But after Bangor's decision to move down to the Championship, the IFA ruled that team finishing last would not be automatically relegated but instead face a play-off against the second team in the Championship.

On BBC radio 2 now. 88-91fm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k17n1

Just a thought.
Oiche maith.

Thought that nifan and the other bigot excusers needed a separate thread.
I'll start, nobody has yet mentioned the poor young Polish fan who was attacked by 6 or 7 of "Ulsters finest" on Tates Avenue on his way to Windsor (Bigot) Park.
They were dancing on his head! But sure probably only singing the bouncy (which has nothing to do with Robert Hamill RIP )

Need to get pet insurance for the puppy (well she's 6 months old now), who would youse recommend and who would be the cheapest?
Resident in Belfast.

Cusack PK 2.30pm Iar Mhí v Dún na nGall
Referee: Aidan Mangan (Ciarraí)


Well was last weekend a flash in the pan on the way to divison 2 or can the men from the hills actually win this weekend and go along way to securing their divison 1 status for another year?

Have these dates been announced yet?
Heard something on Cool FM ( ) yesterday and it sounded like the dates for Croker were 26 - 27 July, but cannot find anything on the web to support this!

Whats the average price of a Nintendo DS these days?

Any of you good people know where is the cheapest place to get them in Belshaft or Derry?

 

Are we going to arrange another one?

Does anyone know of or can recommend anywhere that does cookery classes, Christmas gift for a friend, you know the type of thing, nice country house etc, weekend cookery school or one day job. But they want hands on stuff not just demonstration malarkey.

Thanks in advance.

[Blast bombs found near BMX track]

Blast bombs found near BMX track 
 
Four blast bomb-type devices have been found during a security operation in south Belfast, the police have said.

It began when a suspicious object was discovered near a BMX track in Bentham Drive off the Donegall Road on Tuesday.

Further searches are to take place on Wednesday. Rail services were disrupted for a time due to the alert, but have returned to normal.

Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde said the Troubles were over, but that dissident republican activity remained a concern.

"Their determination to kill a police officer remains, our determination to stop that is of a far higher order," he said.

He said dissidents threatening people who work with police showed how low they were prepared "to sink" and described them as "thugs and bullies".




Four blast bombs found in the heart of the loyalist "village" area (Jackie McDonalds fiefdom btw) and all Hugh Orde can comment on are dissident republicans!!

I await all the condemnation from the unionist politicians also.