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PhillipeAlbert

Listed below are comments made by PhillipeAlbert between Wednesday, 1st October 2008 and Friday, 18th September 2009.

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Boxing needs a Bolt 1:35pm on 18 Sep 2009 How to get that cab driver interested in boxing again?

Show boxing on terrestrial television!

A World Champion like Carl Froch, a star in Nottingham, who fills the Nottingham arena, and he can't even get a TV deal for his participation in the Super 6 tournament - a torunament where the best ARE fighting the best!

BBC, where are you?

ITV got solid ratings for Carl Froch vs Jean Pascal. I've heard stories about how people who never watch boxing were talking about that fight with interest after stumbling across it last year.

In Germany, more than one terrestrial channel shows prime time boxing cards, and they get big ratings.

Sky often claim they kept British boxing alive for long periods, and there's some truth in that - but in the long term, they may well have contributed to its marginalisation.

Terrestrial exposure for big fights would give boxing a massive shot in the arm.
Comments 11:07pm on 27 Jun 2009 I expected to see Bruce Springsteen live. A Glastonbury headliner and the set isn't being shown? BBC, what on earth are you playing at? I feel mightily ripped off. I want a good reason for this. BBC, explain yourselves to your licence-fee payers for this ludicrous decision.
Success of Sky was never a model for Setanta 5:51pm on 09 Jun 2009 As someone who cannot afford satellite or cable, Setanta was a Godsend. I paid for the Broadband service - £7.99 per month - and was rewarded with some of my favourite sports; sports I would not have had access to before: boxing and UFC in particular, but also the prize of Premier League football.

I point to Setanta's boxing coverage - they made great deals with promoters like Top Rank, Sauerland and Hayemaker and even reacted to subscriber pressure to show certain individual fights. Steve Bunce, their boxing frontman, even listened to fans on internet forums and gave feedback to his Setanta bosses on which fights to buy...unimaginable at Sky!

I realise most Setanta subscribers also subscribed to Sky Sports, but there were hundreds of thousands of people without satellite or cable who signed up to the Freeview and Broadband service and got spoiled by Setanta's service.

They were far from perfect, their customer service was appalling and their coverage sometimes amateurish, but I will miss their attempt to cater to fans of all sports and give consumers another option besides the expensive Sky monolith.
Sports Personality shortlist announced 8:55pm on 01 Dec 2008 Joe Calzaghe had an even better year in 2008 than he did in 2007. British boxers have so often fallen short in American superfights, but Calzaghe showed guts to clinch a win against the wily Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas and then put on a spectacular display against Roy Jones Jr in New York to silence all but the most ardent of his detractors.
Global financial crisis hits Ashley's price tag 00:39am on 01 Oct 2008 According to Freddie Shepherd, the minute the Halls lost control of the club, the mortgage on St James' Park had to be paid immediately in its entirety.

That's £57 million quid that Ashley had to spend right off the bat - which he won't have known about, due to there beig no due diligence preceeding his takeover.

If Fat Fred is telling the truth, the mortgage on St James' being paid off would certainly seem to make the club a more attractive proposition for investors.

Ashley claims to have pumped over £100 million into `solving` the club's debt problem, so maybe the mortgage story would would be part of that figure.

Anyone who knows better please clarify, I realise Jabba the Fred isn't the best source of reliable info.

I wonder if Ashley had a moment if despair when that £57 million had to be coughed up.

It would certainly explain in his complete lack of net spending on players over the summer and the inability to splash out on basic requirements like a new left back to replace the winger currently playing there every game.

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