Tunley Legend

A Dutch author called Barbara Smit has written what looks like a fascinating story about the founding of two of the world's first and now top sports brands, Adidas and Puma. Both German, both from a small town of just 23,000 people just outside Nuremburg and both run by feuding brothers. Both were also quite keen Nazis which is the black mark on their record and seems the companies curried favour with the 1930's brutal regime in return for probable business benefits. Ms Smit writes.....

The war exacerbated tensions between the two brothers and their wives. Although both Dasslers joined the Nazi party and signed their letters with a "Heil Hitler" salutation, Rudolf was a more devoted Nazi, according to Smit. end quote.

Rudolf was head of Puma, City's new kit supplier.

Its all ancient history now I say to myself and we have moved on. But have the companies?... Both are still owned, run and managed by the Dassler families. Had they not got through the war years in such a healthy state they might not be where they are today.

I guess you can say that about VW - very blemished record. Well I don't drive one but i might find it hard not to buy a City shirt because I love my team above the problems of the past. But at least its worth sparing a thought for the small part a lot of companies played in germany in tacitly supporting the gov't of the day.

So I suppose we should forgive Maradona for his hand of god then?!!!

Still, pity City did not go with Umbro - British through and through.

Discuss.

So because a Dutch author has written a fascinating story and "believes" that Rudolf Dassler was a more devoted Nazi and it "seems" they curried favour with the Nazi regime to build up their businesses (over 60 years ago) you think people should question buying a new City shirt? Not me pal - I will be buying my son's kit the day it is on sale. Sorry!!

I do agree with the above post in that as much as we are to be grateful to Mr Lansdown for bailing us out on many occasions, a lot of our financial troubles are down to the mis-management of the present/recent board in the first place. Take off the rose-tinted specs and you quickly realise that paying wages of £5,000 per week to Marcus Stewart, £3K per week to Scott Murray, £1,500 to Partridge, £1-2K to Bridges, £2K to Carey (please do not quote me on the accuracy but you get my drift) etc. etc. when you are a loss making third division club isn't speculating to accumalate - it is financial lunacy, pure and simple that will ultimately end in the destruction of our club. It is this idiotic policy that means we now need gates of 22,000 to break even (Lansdown's own figures and more than our ground capacity). The same idiotic policy that now means we are a cannon fodder "selling club" as soon as we produce a decent young player. Just so that we can partially balance the self created debts accumalated by the club.

I am sure Lansdown has the best interests of the club at heart but unfortunately he has made many decisions along with his out of touch Chief Executive sidekick that have not worked for the club and have/will alienated supporters. Mark my words, the "Premier Club" scheme will fail as spectacularly as the new stand and more egg will be on more faces (successful businesses do not want to entertain Clients in Third Division football grounds - get a bloody grip).

And this is where Gary Johnson comes in. Lansdown desperately needs Johnson to succeed at what he has proven to be good at in the recent past. And that is obtaining cheap "nobodies" (Bas Savage will hopefully prove to be a good example), improving them individually and moulding them into a proper team. I think we are slowly seeing signs of what Johnson will achieve at the club but it is going to take a bit of time. Alongside our Academy that is the ONLY way this club can now progress forwards as we simply do not have the finances to spend proper money on players any more. If Johnson fails then the club faces a long period in the doldrums because we are looking a less attractive proposition from an outsiders point of view by the day. Look at the facts and tell me who would want to manage our club and who in their right minds would want to buy it? We are not a BIG club, lets forget all that - we are VERY WELL SUPPORTED small club (in terms of numbers, not the quality of the support), nothing more than that.

My clearout sale (in a perfect world) would be as follows:-

Get rid in January if possible due to lack of either talent, guts or brain:-

Woodman, Fortune, Carey, Smith (J)

Final decision in January based on next 6 weeks performances:-

Murray, Madjo, Smith (G), Bridges (if we don't play him why pay £5K per week?), Quinn

Final Decision at the end of the season based on performances and behaviour:-

Stewart (not justifying £5-7K per week), The Three Bar Brawlers, Gillespie

Safe

Phillips (needs competition though), Golbourne, Cotterill, Brooker, Skuse, Wilkshire, Heywood, Keough

Apologies if I've missed anyone who gives a damn but I'm sure there are a few above who don't!!

Perhaps Hearts have a decent manager who can get the best out of players, something we havnt had for sometime. Also shows what a squad we have when the players who cant even make the bench every week are doing well for other clubs Miller,Goodfellow & Gillespie all hardly get a look in at city yet all have been class for the teams they have gone on-loan too

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Agreed, but just remember that Goodfellow and Gillespie have been doing it in the FOURTH DIVISION. That does not automatically mean you'll do it in the third. And Goodfellow has hardly pulled up any trees since coming back. It took him over an hour to realise he was playing in a game of professional football in our last home game.

Showing your ignorance of Scottish football. McFadden didn't score that much for Motherwell. Everton didn't sign him for his goals. He's not even a striker normally - more often than not, he plays out wide.

If you have read recent Everton reports, McFadden has been superb.

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I think you've replied to the wrong post mate!!!

I would suggest that the service Miller is getting in Scotland is SLIGHTLY better than that produced by Murray and Bell this season. Which makes the return from Lita and Brooker so far very impressive. I note that it was Brooker who actually put Lita in for the goal today (they have obviously realised that they ain't going to get much help from anybody else).