Ahh, the "old" story of cycling not being a "clean" sport eh? :P
Surely you're not the sort of person to think it's ONLY cyclists that ever use drugs? It's only recently that other sports have STARTED to introduce the level of testing that cycling has been putting into place since the Festina saga years ago, you know that Ian!
Why have the FA not approved or sanctioned drug testing in line with the recommendations of WADA? Oh, sorry, of course, how silly of me, I must have forgotten, the FA (along with most other sports that used to think it's easier to turn a blind eye) think they know more about the subject than the World Anti Doping Agency, how silly of me to think that the international "experts" would know more than the main authority (the FA) behind the biggest advertising hoarding (Football) currently available in this country
How can we possibly expect people to have any respect for others or for authority when they only have those namby pamby hoity toity airy fairy "prima donna's" to look up to
Spitting at the ref and arguing every decision he makes is a terrific example for people, kids especially, to follow isn't it!?!
One of my ex-workmates used to play for Portsmouth FC until forced out thro' injury several years ago when he took up refereeing. Any of you playing in local leagues will know about the lack of Officials. He stopped last summer after he'd been assaulted three times that year, twice the year before and had his car trashed by local club "players" who "disagreed with his decisions. Maybe that's just the Portsmouth area for you, I dunno? But if the pro's bust up a bar and we laugh at it, or a pro argues the toss with the ref and we shout abuse at the ref on TV, if you can afford a Sky subscription, can we say we're too different to the so-called "minority" of thugs that supposedly follow teams around just to make trouble?
Is it ONLY football games that this happens at?
For heavens sake even this thread has recommended we send hate mail to his website and even MURDER the referee because he made an unfavourable decision in a GAME!
Can't remember which famous Liverpool manager (they're Coaches now aren't they?) said that "Football isn't a matter of life or death, It's more important than that", was it Bill Shankley? Whoever it was got it right, it seems to be increasingly more akin to a battle field that grips the whole nation!
Wish I had a fraction of the stamina of Armstrong who can manage 3 weeks of cycling over 100 miles a day, near enough every day, over anything from slimy wet cobbelstones to the high Alpine passes. Then I might be able to do his sport a bit of justice in this argument. I'm out of breath now I've rambled on so much. I'll sit back in the trench with my tin hat on for a while.
I'm happy to disagree with anyone if I feel the need, so over to you lot
[Edited on 26-6-2004 by psychlist]