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Isaac Hunt

Listed below are comments made by Isaac Hunt between Tuesday, 30th September 2008 and Monday, 2nd November 2009.

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Spurs learn silence is golden 1:28pm on 02 Nov 2009 So in the head to head game Arsenal beat Tottenham - again. There is not that much distance between the teams although Keane should keep it shut and deliver on the pitch which he has signally failed to do since his return from his boyhood favourites.

It should be noted that Tottenham this season have already played all of the "Big 4" - three of them away and additionall contrived to lose to Stoke at home in a travesty of a result all the while suffering a makeshift defence for many games, the loss of playmaker Modric and Lennon through injury and Defoe to stupidity. That considered their credentials appear to hold up. Arsenal have lost to both Manchester teams and have to play Liverpool and Chelsea before November is out. Chelsea have to play Man U and Arsenal this month. So these teams are going to take points off each other.

By the end of this month we'll have a clearer idea of the contenders and Spurs could still be in touch or even above Arsenal. The bragging rights remain in the Emirates - for now.

Remember trophies are handed out in May. Not the end of October.
Scolari fails to step out of Jose's shadow 1:28pm on 10 Feb 2009 To say that Chelsea haven't taken a long term view is plain wrong. A large slice of Romans money has been invested in an absolutely superb facility at Cobham, another slice on making the Bridge a terrific if small stadium.

In the Abramovich era the academy has been built and is doing pretty well. Results from these investments will take time.

And to all the smug Man U "fans", it actually took a good ten years before you started seeing any real throughput from your academy.

It should also be noted that Fergie actually built quite and old "horses for courses" team when he first took the reins.

Man U fans possibly can't remember when you couldn't buy the league. However a lot of Chelsea fans can tell you about being in the second division , losing 6-0 to Rotherham in 1981 and QPR in 1986.

Every so often the support even get on Fergies back, too old lost it etc etc. So cut the holier than thou and check your facts.

I think that Roman realises that perhaps its time to rebuild. The academy has some decent youngsters who need a try Di Santo, Stoch and Mancienne are about ready. Mikel and Essien are younger than people realise. Lampard, Terry, Cech and Cole will form the core of whatever comes next. And there will be a summer clearout.

Most clubs would kill for such a crisis.
Scolari fails to step out of Jose's shadow 11:32am on 10 Feb 2009 There is a load of rubbish spouted on here.

Whilst some pine for Jose - those with memories of a little over a year ago will remember that he had an absolute stinking start to the season culminating with the home draw at home to Rosenborg.

Grant did a terrific job and was treated terribly. Funny how no-one is saying that the squad ran itself this season. Grant also had to contend with the loss of his key African players for a month or so and an injury list that makes this season look like a picnic.

A lot of the "waste of money" sigings were free. Ballack, Pizarro, Ben Haim and Sidwell for example. Shevchenko did ok for Chelsea and would have done a job this season - his price tag was just ridiculous.

There remains a one of the best squads in Europe at Stamford Bridge. A little old but perfectly capable of competing on every front. What they miss is organisation and leadership - and balance in midfield which has screwed the defence and stunted the attack.

Scolari had to go - and now. The word from inside the club is:

A) That his ego got the better of him and that he pretty much picked arguments with senior players for fun and to show who was boss.

B) That there are the Portuguese speakers and the rest. Chelsea had until this season been pretty good at avoiding cliques.

C) Training was boring and outmoded. A heinous crime.

All in all he had lost the dressing room. The happy clown persona so loved by other fans and indeed my wife is a front. Scolari has a bigger ego than Jose and has proved to be out of his area of expertise in a british club side.

It is a brave decision by Roman who knows that this looks bad - but he is right - there is no going back from this situation and he needed to act now.

The next appointment is key - there will be no cast iron guarantees of tenure. Contracturally that is not possible - the term is the term and all managers thus far have been given decent terms which have been compensated at great expense.

I believe that the next manager will be proven at the highest level in European football and a consistent long term performer in many roles. He will be lured by money of course, an undertaking to be able to rebuild in the summer and a decent transfer fund. And I imagine a free reign in the market without Kenyons and RA running interference.

The overrated Arnesen will surely be moved on.
Does the Bank Rate matter? 4:49pm on 08 Jan 2009 Surely interest rates matter. The directly or indirectly affect just about everything.

But as Gordon Brown pointed out in his 1989 book "Where There is Greed..............." Interest rates are a very blunt instrument for managing a complex international economy.

However, the one thing interest rate reductions offer is the ability to continue paying mortgage repayments at the levels "enjoyed" prior to the recent base rate slash and burn policy in order to make a hole in your mortgage debt.

I have always had a flexible mortgage and overpaid heavily. I look upon this as a huge opprtunity to make a real dent in what is my only debt. I am sure that many others do the same and that this is going to be a factor in rehabilitating the economy. The banks will be receiving increased mortgage receipts and lessening their exposure all while - I suspect - enjoying improved margins.

The savers well that's another story............
Rose on pay and VAT 09:23am on 08 Jan 2009 The VAT cut at its inception would have appeared to be a stroke of genius. VAT is not meant to be a business tax per se but a tax on the end user. The Treasury were (in theory only) effectively putting 2.5% more retail spending power in the punters pockets. The genius of the cunning plan is that upping VAT would be nowhere near as emovtive as messing with income tax - as the 10p band debacle clearly demonstrated.

I too was thinking that the return of Miras could put a fire under the demand for houses. However this would stick in the old labour craw as it would only provided a break for the property owning classes and not those at the bottom of the economic food chain in welfare housing.

Also I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Mr Rose does not have the same compensation package as his staff. Car? Exec Pension? Stock Options? Nice PR puff though.

It's not just BS this is M&S BS!
Wikipedia is censored 11:53am on 08 Dec 2008 The offending cover is still on the Japanese version - which I bought in HMV in Tokyo last year. I guess they'll be blocking album covers by Blind Faith and Led Zeppelin too.

The Scorpions cover (unlike the Blind Faith one with its budding boobs) obscures the genitalia of the girl with a strategically placed cracked glass effect. Most of their covers are risque so where is the censorship going to start and stop?

I thought we had a nanny state, and enacted legislation for such things and didn't rely on ISPs to be our moral guardians.

And the Scorpions are hardly obscure or a 70s act. Very much alive and current, still selling out all over the world. At their commercial height in the 80s actually. Selling a great deal more records that obscure acts like Take That and Cliff Richard worldwide.
Why power prices aren't falling 11:46am on 20 Oct 2008 Just goes to show what corporate porkies are banded about.

The utililty companies and forecourts both used the sharp increase in oil prices to justify sharp, steep hikes in retail prices.

Looks like they didn't expect to see the price fall so sharply or so quick. Pestons point about the avaiability of oil futures is valid. But didn't they hold future conracts at the time of the price hikes and still blamed the current price of oil.

Something here doesnt stack up.

Additionally didn't the energy companies get levelled with windfall taxes? Didn't the pay chunky dividends? Why the hell has that not been reinvested in infrastructure and capital projects?
Day of reckoning 2:36pm on 10 Oct 2008 "You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket. "

I think that says it all. Union boss Frank Sobotka in David Simons peerless series "The Wire".

Everything has become virtual. Banks are so out of control the can't even put a value on their exposures. This is the service economy - it has little intrinsic value or assets.
Banks ask chancellor for capital 09:29am on 07 Oct 2008 It's time to get the politics out of this and figure out exactly the exposure and formulate a detailed plan of action.

All I have seen on here is ill advised knee jerk reactions and ignorant political jibes.

This would have happened no matter which government held the reins its roots are on the Big Bang deregulation in the Reagan/Thatcher years.

The stock exchange pressure on ever better quarterly half yearly results was unsustainable and led to greedy short term decision making by executives.

This crisis needs to be better understood in order to be remedied. Personally I'd be worried if Darling signed a knee jerk blank cheque in the manner of the US Treasury. The guaranteeing of deposits makes ense as it will stop a run on the retail banks which will exacerbate what is effectively a wholesale run on the banks. Cutting interest rates will be similarly damning in the longer term. Hopefully the downward pressure on commodities will effectively deflate prices and put money in pockets.

The hysteria must stop. Also - who has gained from this apparent black hole? the money is somewhere it has not disappeared into the ether. Even derivative positions unravel with winners and losers. The money is in the system and needs to be found and exposed. Mumbling about hedge funds isn't terribly convincing who the hell is sitting on the big pile with a smug grin?.

Until the market situation is fully understood and there is complete transparency we cannot begin to talk abou fixing "it".

We'll just have to endure more politicians/journos trying to out hype each other with just how gloomy life is.
Global financial crisis hits Ashley's price tag 4:30pm on 30 Sep 2008 He really does want to sell then. The value he has added is wiping out the debt. He shouldn't get a premium on his purchase plus investment because:

a) its a poor market, a really poor market.
b) a huge erosion of goodwill with regard to the customer base (fans)
c) despite debts being cleared a good deal of investment will be required and expected both on and off the pitch.

The only attraction is the tv revenue streams (if they stay up) and perhaps a turnaround in fan sentiment increasing gate and commercial revenue. And that is by no means certain.

I reckon he'll do well to break even and might be forced to sell at a substantial loss. It's become a white elephant.

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Isaac Hunt