Staying On Message?

[redrocks]

Can someone confirm if Mr B has been banned for his statements on the Tinnion interview? He appears to have gone AWOL and all trace of him seems to have been removed from this forum. I understand he may be a pain in the brown eye at times but isn't this going a little too far? If he is guilty of libellous comments, then that is for the courts to decide as has been noted.

This approach seems a little Draconian and against the general principles of a forum which is to express and debate views and opinions. Whether or not what he said was true is open to debate, which is the whole point of this site. Though I do not agree with his sentiments, the basic gist of his posts seemed to be based on the truth as far as he saw it.

Cue RedTop with his standard 6th form "freedom of speech/libel" essay.

[Guest Cary Grant supported City]

IF Steve L. had his way, we'd ALL be banned!!.

You can have free speech, so long as it's nothing to do with Bristol City!!.

[RedZepperin]

[screech]

The villainous Richie B after being gagged by the forum gestapo, for the horrible crime of freedom of speech.

[RED4LIFE]

The villainous Richie B after being gagged by the forum gestapo, for the horrible crime of freedom of speech.

Careful Screech, you may be next.........

[screech]

They don't like it up um.

[tompo]

[screech]

Jesus, chill out man.

Where is the love?

[Dolman Block B]

[tompo]

Blimey Tommo "chill". Its saturday morn, match day, get that dictionary out yer head,,,,

Perfectly chilled Arny and I will be even more chilled when I go out. It seems like its freezing out there.

Just trying to clear up a couple of urban myths. I feel better already.

[NATCHER]

Can someone confirm if Mr B has been banned

Yes, richieb has indeed been "suspended from the forum and his posts removed"

He is being held in an unamed coffee shop being slapped with a wet copy of The Sun whilst being forced to watch the omnibus edition of Eastenders on a continuous loop.

[Dinky Gems]

He is being held in an unamed coffee shop being slapped with a wet copy of The Sun whilst being forced to watch the omnibus edition of Eastenders on a continuous loop.

[Rednready]

Tinnion went on Public Radio and dredged up the before and after Wilson scenario. Making public comment only brings on public response, some for , some against.

To send a friend into a fans forum threatening legal action is bizarre.

If Tins does not want adverse comment, he should refrain from raising the subject in the media.

Now some woolly gloves, a brandy, and on to Forest.

[Milo]

Tinnion went on Public Radio and dredged up the before and after Wilson scenario. Making public comment only brings on public response, some for , some against.

To send a friend into a fans forum threatening legal action is bizarre.

If Tins does not want adverse comment, he should refrain from raising the subject in the media.

Now some woolly gloves, a brandy, and on to Forest.

I think anyone in the public eye is quite entitled to talk about their career on radio without subsequently having to deal with unfounded allegations about what took place.

As I'm not a moderator on this forum I don't know exactly what has happened to richieb but reading between the lines of the locked thread it looks like having his posts removed may have done him a favour.

[England]

Can't think DaveL could be involved with slander - after all he spends his life purporting that his eastenders drivel is entertainment, only an opinion of course!

[CGS RED]

I think anyone in the public eye is quite entitled to talk about their career on radio without subsequently having to deal with unfounded allegations about what took place.

As I'm not a moderator on this forum I don't know exactly what has happened to richieb but reading between the lines of the locked thread it looks like having his posts removed may have done him a favour.

Politicians, Entertainers, and Footballers are daily in the public eye talking about their careers. What they say, is merely their version of events, not necessarily fact.

Politicians, Entertainers, and Footballers, are daily taken to task by the media who portray a different slant on the same events.

If you put yourself before the public , you put yourself up for public debate.

I don't care if richieb or Tins have the story right, they do apparently. However the subject is emotive and Tins should know that raising it would open a can of worms.

[Atticus]

The villainous Richie B after being gagged by the forum gestapo, for the horrible crime of freedom of speech.

sums up what its like here.

[BB.]

Have I logged into an American website by mistake?

[Milo]

Politicians, Entertainers, and Footballers are daily in the public eye talking about their careers. What they say, is merely their version of events, not necessarily fact.

Politicians, Entertainers, and Footballers, are daily taken to task by the media who portray a different slant on the same events.

If you put yourself before the public , you put yourself up for public debate.

I don't care if richieb or Tins have the story right, they do apparently. However the subject is emotive and Tins should know that raising it would open a can of worms.

I agree with every word of that.

None of that contradicts the view that you cannot simply make an allegation that is potentially damaging to someone's career (as BT feels the allegations are) without being able to substantiate that allegation. BT's comments on the radio should have created debate about what happened, re-opened some old wounds, maybe change a few opinions but there has to be a line drawn when the debate turns into unsubstantiated comments that may affect someone's career.

Now perhaps Richie, who I like and I enjoy reading his posts, can substantiate his comments. If that is the case I hope that he finds the right outlet to back them up. The problem this forum has is that by continuing to host the potentially unfounded allegations here while there has been a threat about taking legal action the forum could be considered complicit in spreading the allegations. The golden rule of forum moderation is that if there's a whiff of litigation you remove the offending items.

Perhaps Richie might like to post his comments on the subcider forum and we'll see whether the relaxed moderation over there differs to here. I'd be surprised if it did (and I wouldn't recommend that he do that).

It is all too easy to criticise moderators and liken them to war criminals who tortured, traumatised and murdered innocents. Criticising those fans who have given their time freely to moderate these forums, fans who are saving the club thousands of pounds every year by freeing up paid BCFC employees from doing the job, is likely to lead to them deciding it's not worth the effort and giving up. No moderators would mean no forum. It would be nice to see a bit of appreciation for these guys rather than ill-thought out, suspicious and offensive comments for a change.

[cheshire_red]

The Editor of the Coventry City Rivals website (Gary Mabbutt's Left Knee) is being taken to Court by the Chairman of CCFC. A message was posted on the MessageBoard, was removed quite promptly (but seen and copied) and even though an apology was forthcoming from the Editor..........

Edit: Gary Mabbutt's Left Knee is a reference to the deflected own goal in the Cov v Spurs FA Cup Final.

[redrocks]

As RedZep mentioned, nothing richieb said was new, so I fail to see the problem. If BT, who I have every sympathy for by the way, goes on the radio and gives conflicting versions of events to the ones that have been pedalled by the AG press room, then that is of interest to me and a few others. It also fans the flames of the conspiracy theorists out there.

Let's face it, there was a fair bit of 'chatter' on here which, in hindsight, does look a bit suspicious in its origins or intent.

[Milo]

As RedZep mentioned, nothing richieb said was new, so I fail to see the problem. If BT, who I have every sympathy for by the way, goes on the radio and gives conflicting versions of events to the ones that have been pedalled by the AG press room, then that is of interest to me and a few others. It also fans the flames of the conspiracy theorists out there.

Let's face it, there was a fair bit of 'chatter' on here which, in hindsight, does look a bit suspicious in its origins or intent.

It doesn't matter whether it was new or old. As a result of the 'chatter', we now have an injured party who has threatened to take legal action. If this forum keeps the allegations up for all to read then it could be deemed to have helped spread the rumour and therefore also be at the receiving end of litigation (see Cheshire Red's comment about the Coventry Rivals site).

Can you please justify why the ST and the host company Clik should jeopardise their futures to allow conspiracy theorists to continue to make allegations that are potentially damaging to someone's career?

[England]

allegations that are potentially damaging to someone's career?

Surely the only potential damage to Tinnions management career was his record with City

[redrocks]

Can you please justify why the ST and the host company Clik should jeopardise their futures to allow conspiracy theorists to continue to make allegations that are potentially damaging to someone's career?

Because I think the fact that richieb's allegations are actually founded on truth on this occasion are worth standing up for. I may not agree with his sentiments but I disapprove wholeheartedly of someone being strong-armed off of an open forum in such an undignified way. I think it's got a lot more to do with the fact that richie voices unpopular viewpoints and has an history on here than it does anything else.

I know richie is a thorn in the side of some people on here but I really expected more from them. Does BT seriously think that richie's ranting on here attracts any serious attention? David Ike has more credibility than richie has ever had on here.

[Dave L]

Because I think the fact that richieb's allegations are actually founded on truth on this occasion are worth standing up for.

And it is the fact that they are not remotely founded in truth that has led to BT's reaction.

I spent a lot of time with BT in the lead up to DW's departure. I can state quite categorically that BT did not have discussions with SL about the manager's job prior to DW's departure. He was genuinely surprised when he learned that DW was leaving the club but even then had no inkling that he was in the frame for the manager's job. In fact his initial concern was that the new manager wouldn't want to keep him on as a player.

I can also confirm that in a subsequent conversation I had with SL, he confirmed that he had no prior conversations with BT about the manager's job.

Those are the facts, straight from the horse's mouth. I'm sorry if it doesn't fit in with some of the conspiracy theories which have been bandied about here for the last couple of years, but it's the truth. I have in the past gone to great lengths to explain the facts to Richie, in considerable detail, but he has chosen to ignore me and continue to spread an untrue version of events.

I've no wish to see anyone banned from this forum, even Richie, and have spoken out against over-moderation in the past, but that doesn't mean that everyone has carte blanche to make up stuff when it suits them, particularly when it could have an adverse effect on another person's career. BT is currently looking for work in football, and his chances of employment would be seriously jeopardised if there was a general perception that he had plotted against his previous manager. Rumours repeated on internet message boards can soon take on the status of facts, and it is for that reason that he feels very strongly about this.

If Richie can offer any proof to back up his statement that BT knew before the Brighton game that he was going to get the manager's job, then let him do it. Let him give us his source and state clearly why he knows this to be true. But he cannot carry on insinuating things that he can't prove, otherwise he is calling BT a liar, he is calling SL a liar, and he is calling me a liar. If he can't back up his statement with facts then I would hope that he is man enough to accept my version of events and publicly state that he is wrong.

[redrocks]

I agree 100% with everything you say here Dave. I think we are talking about two different things. I also believe the areas I am agreeing with richie on are outlined pretty explicitly above so I won't go through it all again.

In short, it's disappointing that this debate cannot be cleared up on here instead of letting innuendo and half-truth on both sides hang in the air. Such is life I suppose.

[Milo]

Because I think the fact that richieb's allegations are actually founded on truth on this occasion are worth standing up for.

The moderators have absolutely no idea whether the allegations are founded on truth and why on earth should they gamble that they might be? I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall here but to reiterate, if BT sues Richie for defamation of character (or whatever) he could equally sue this forum for allowing the defamatory remarks to not only be broadcast initially but to continue to keep them available for all to see. This situation is the same as the subbers forum eventually removing posts relating to an incident involving players last year which had eye witness accounts.

I may not agree with his sentiments but I disapprove wholeheartedly of someone being strong-armed off of an open forum in such an undignified way. I think it's got a lot more to do with the fact that richie voices unpopular viewpoints and has an history on here than it does anything else.

I know richie is a thorn in the side of some people on here but I really expected more from them. Does BT seriously think that richie's ranting on here attracts any serious attention? David Ike has more credibility than richie has ever had on here.

Who exactly do you think has an axe to grind? Why should any moderators care whether Richie has been a thorn in anyone's side? This is a fans forum moderated by fans. The forum is better for having posters like Richie who are willing to put their often contentious views across. Why should any fans want him out? Any good conspiracy theory should at least have a motive to give it credibility but your reason for imagining why the arguments have been removed not only doesn't make sense but there's a patently clear explanation in the paragraph above that precludes the need for a conspiracy theory in the first place.

[redrocks]

The moderators have absolutely no idea whether the allegations are founded on truth and why on earth should they gamble that they might be? I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall here but to reiterate, if BT sues Richie for defamation of character (or whatever) he could equally sue this forum for allowing the defamatory remarks to not only be broadcast initially but to continue to keep them available for all to see. This situation is the same as the subbers forum eventually removing posts relating to an incident involving players last year which had eye witness accounts.

Who exactly do you think has an axe to grind? Why should any moderators care whether Richie has been a thorn in anyone's side? This is a fans forum moderated by fans. The forum is better for having posters like Richie who are willing to put their often contentious views across. Why should any fans want him out? Any good conspiracy theory should at least have a motive to give it credibility but your reason for imagining why the arguments have been removed not only doesn't make sense but there's a patently clear explanation in the paragraph above that precludes the need for a conspiracy theory in the first place.

Milo,

I completely understand what you are saying so I do not want you to feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall. I just find it disappointing that we find ourselves in this situation, that's all. Living in a country where litigation can happen at the drop of a hat, I find it sad to see the UK going the same way. This is an internet forum. I am sure DW could have threatened legal action to any number of people for defamation of character during his tenure. He was not exactly treated kindly on here. Perhaps he was sensible enough to not get involved? Whatever, he rose above it pretty well.

Despite your offer, I will resist the temptation to name names as I can't see anything positive coming out of that particular course of action. However, regarding your point on the fact that this website is moderated by fans offers nothing in the way of assurances that it will be moderated impartially. In fact, you could say that it would be better moderated by people who had no connections to City whatsoever. Therefore, I fail to see the validity of the logic in your argument. Sorry.

If you needed to remove his posts, then I understand. I have had posts removed in the past too. No big deal. I feel that the ban was overdoing things though. End of story.

You will be pleased to hear I will shut up now as I am finding this as tedious as you probably are.

Thanks,

redrocks

[RedZepperin]

If Richie can offer any proof to back up his statement that BT knew before the Brighton game that he was going to get the manager's job, then let him do it.

A bit late for that now, Dave - richieb is an ex-poster and is no longer here to defend himself.

Did richieb ever state "that BT knew before the Brighton game that he was going to get the manager's job"? Like even if we'd won the game and got promoted...?

By the way, even Steve Lansdown has admitted that he had decided (way before the Brighton game) that Brian would succeed Danny if he was poached by another club. So Brian was Danny's successor prior to the Brighton game, whether or not Steve had formally offered the job to Brian.

Did richieb ever actually accuse anyone of "having orchestrated an anti DW campaign that directly led to his sacking and the appointment of BT"?

Or have you had to cook things up a bit to justify your threats of legal action?

[PhatWill]

And it is the fact that they are not remotely founded in truth that has led to BT's reaction.

I spent a lot of time with BT in the lead up to DW's departure. I can state quite categorically that BT did not have discussions with SL about the manager's job prior to DW's departure. He was genuinely surprised when he learned that DW was leaving the club but even then had no inkling that he was in the frame for the manager's job. In fact his initial concern was that the new manager wouldn't want to keep him on as a player.

I can also confirm that in a subsequent conversation I had with SL, he confirmed that he had no prior conversations with BT about the manager's job.

I find that last line very hard to believe and cannot possibly take it as 'fact'.

Not even an informal conversation? Despite the fact SL openly admitted that for years he had primed Tinnion for the job?

Incidentally I am interested to hear exactly what Richie said last week as I was away. It would be helpful if someone could PM me, if it can't be done through the forum then send me a PM and I will supply email addy, ta.