blonde poker forum

For those who missed this

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/16/andy-woodward

Is the original interview with Andy Woodward last week. Crewe until today have shut up shop sadly.

Lots of the other players involved are now coming forward and another one hasn't spoken to Daniel Taylor today which will be published shortly.

Sadly one of the players Bennell scouted was Gary Speed. The family deny he had anything to do with the reasons for his suicide it should be said. An accomplice of Bennells is said to be shortly named.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/21/crewe-alexandra-andy-woodward

Further bits today including Crewe response.

Must say I find the response clumsy at best. Dario Gradi a man I massively respect or did trying to fob it off and some of the abuse happened at his house (not that he was directly involved )

Here is Steve Walters story just released now

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/22/steve-walters-andy-woodward-crewe-alexandra

Very harrowing. Some superb work by Daniel Taylor on this a proper journalist

Awful response from Gradi, shocked by it to be honest.

Somehow I've only heard of this today. Strangely enough the official Crewe pages aren't really talking about it...

There's always been rumours around Dario himself. He's got a big house swimming pool etc. Always had lads around there. But didn't know about Bennell until today. Tbh I'm not that shocked. However Crewe really haven't handled this very well at all. They should of been flat out condemning him. As should Dario. I would imagine Darios view was/is he was a friend and colleague and he doesn't want to be too harsh on him. Which doesn't look very good on him at all.

I wonder how it was "dealt with" at the time :/

For it to have possibly had some influence on Speed committing suicide is just a horrible thought. The fact it could of possibly ruined Steve Walters career is shocking too. Horrible story and disgusting that it happened at all. I wonder how many more stories will come out. Whether Neil Lennon or Danny Murphy had any knowledge of anything as they were young and around the academy at around the same time. Robbie savage too maybe.

Reminds me of the Penn State Paterno/Sandusky scandal.

Harrowing reading.

Gradi is an old man now, must be very difficult thing to face up to.

I think/hope he's talking about the 1995 court case when he refers to it "being dealt with at the time".

It does not surprise me that a story like this has come out in the wash. As some of you know, I am a gay man & this story doesn't surprise me at all.

The amount of straight men that have approached me on the poker scene (who are Married & some with kids) for "interactions" is quite surreal. They say 1/9 of the population is gay, but it's a lot bigger than that. All we hear nowadays is x person from religion is playing with boys, x person from reality TV is playing with boys, football is no different & anyone will exploit their position

Sorry, are you suggesting people who are secretly bi or homosexual are also paedophiles?

Your experiences with confused poker players have nothing to do with this story.

Puts a lot of questions in my mind this.

I hate to say this but does it in anyway explain why Dario stayed so long at Crewe?

As the reports say Bennell had links or at least found players for most of the northern clubs, lot more to come out sadly.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/paul-stewart-manchester-city-abuse-12216110?service=responsive#ICID=sharebar_twitter


Paul Stewart seems to have been with the other coach linked to bennell

I was thinking the same.  But wouldn't Woodward have named him by now?  Seems to have at least turned a blind eye?

The scale of it seems to be pretty horrific.  I can imagine that many men will just be unwilling to come forward even now.

Dario was there for so long as there was noone better for the club. They ran the best academy in the country, he was hugely profitable as a manager and took Crewe to the championship at one point. He was a great manager and developer of talent. As I said there were always rumours around Dario but you'd think that if this has come out then they wouldn't have batted an eyelid at naming everyone involved if anyone else was. So hopefully he is completely innocent of anything. I went to the summer soccer schools at Crewe in the 90s. So probably had interaction with Bennell at some point. Obviously as a kid didn't notice anything

Paul Stewart today in The Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paul-stewart-sexually-abused-coach-9313094 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paul-stewart-sexually-abused-coach-9313094)

Very difficult stuff to read but you have to think it's positive that men who've kept this bottled up for decades are now talking about it.

I'm giving my opinion as a gay man on the story and giving an example of why I'm not surprised in a "manly" environment. This stuff is happening all the time & takes an enormous amount of courage to be able to come out with the abuse that he says he has received.

It's not the all that surprising to hear. I know of plenty of professional footballers who are gay, one recently telling me the homophobic abuse he received from the manager (who got the sack recently) was a fine example of why he's not open about it. Who wants the extra hassle?

I still don't see how this is remotely relevant.

Paul Stewart: I was sexually abused by coach who threatened to kill my family if I told anyone

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paul-stewart-sexually-abused-coach-9313094#ICID=sharebar_twitter

One of my all-time favourite City players David White is another one and he is seeking his closure via an autobiography:

http://www.amazon.in/Shades-Blue-Hidden-Torment-Football/dp/1782437703

Yep sadly so archer

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/23/david-white

Is the guardian piece just released

+1

What point are you making Aaron, how is being gay remotely anything like child abuse? 

Cheers Horse.

just seen this link on a City forum, a Despatches interview with one of Bennell's victims from 1997 who testified against Bennell. Harrowing stuff. Eeerily it mentions White, Gary Speed, Rob Jones and Andy Hinchcliffe as being players who made it to the top having been under Bennell's wing and nearly 20 years later White confirms the abuse. There was specalution this might have been behind Speed's tragic suicide but IIRC his family denied that was the case.


YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTT2dETNaoU

Thanks archer

That was the clip I remember seeing a few years back. Like you say eeringly accurate so far

crewe's response from jun 1988

unchanged now

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cx9xWSGWgAEk_V7.jpg)

i know a lot has changed in youth football since then (accreditation and vetting of all those involved coaching kids for starters), but surely a fresh inquiry is called for to learn the lessons of this?

"As the Crewe abuse scandal develops, time for Dario Gradi to tell us what he knows."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/crewe-alexandra-sexual-abuse-scandal-dario-gradi-andy-woodward-a7434706.html

I couldn't agree more.

From Dickinson in the Times

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/chilling-echoes-of-savile-in-how-predator-abused-trust-xjlxj9gmd

From that article: The echoes are chilling; the exploitation of power over children; the failure over so many years of adults to act on troubling rumour; a lack of outrage or even curiosity by the media; the reluctance of the authorities at the time to face up to their own responsibilities, hiding from the shocking truth. When, in 1997, a Dispatches documentary for Channel 4 exposed the Bennell story, and other episodes of abuse in the game, the FA refused to comment. As Deborah Davies, the journalist behind that programme, said yesterday: “We knew there was so much more to come out. And not just about Bennell. But football was a man’s game. Sexual abuse wasn’t meant to happen. No one in the game wanted to speak.”

I heard all sorts of gossip, rumours and speculation about this 15-20 years ago. Different times now and hoping the whole lot comes out.

Generic "I know nothing" response from Dario.

http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/sport/crewe-alex-director-football-dario-12225031

The thing is the people who commit these crimes won't go around talking about it to normal people. So it's plausible that the rest of the club knew nothing about it, you would of thought someone at some point would of said something to someone else at the club thiugh. But they're young lads who would of done anything to be pro footballers so if told to be quiet. They probably would of been.

Much like the Ian Watkins stuff from Lost Prophets. I don't believe his band mates knew a thing as they'd of murdered him if they did know.

I tip my hat to the bravery of these guys who have come out and spoken up. Such a stigma to men being open about this stuff, especially blokes in the public eye.

This.

I remember when rumours broke about abuse at Celtic years ago, I was horrified and isgusted in equal measure that something like that could happen at my club. 

What sickens me most is fans that thing its apropriate to chant songs about abuse.  There are certain things that can be past of as banter but a little decorum for the victims of such abuse isn't too much to ask for?

Alan Brazil was one of the victims back then.

To think though this guy Bennell gets 9 yars for ruining so many lives.  Hanging is too good for these sort of people.

I felt a bit sorry for the dj Barry Bethall of slimfast advert fame until I googled and found out he was a beast too!

Jesus.

My nickname at school was Barry Bethel, because my name is Barry and the slimfast add was quite big at the time. Glad I'm still not at school now.

Former board member warned Crewe about bennell

Getting worse this


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/25/crewe-barry-bennell-former-board-member

Top football clubs 'made secret payments to buy the silence of young players sexually abused by coaches'.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/25/football-sex-abuse-scandal-top-clubs-made-secret-payments-keep/

Crewe launch investigation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38118429

Don't read Eric bristows twitter tonight


Words fail

A poor man's Trump springs to mind there.

He is a complete and utter moron. Hopefully he won't be polluting the darts coverage after that.

Sad to say that a lot of people think the same way as Bristow.

Is Bristow always this much of a twonk on social media or is this a 'blow up'?

I think its a minority these days, but I fear that it may be a loud minority on the terraces if this story gets bigger and more widespread to reveal the active players and staff as victims.

Yes along with boasting about how much he is winning on the 49s draw at his local bookies. Wonder how Bristow bets is going? Think it went under a while ago


Anyway sky appear to have let him go

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3979822/He-Manchester-United-world-feet-Matthew-Monaghan-abused-Barry-Bennell-three-years-Crewe.html

Darios position must now be untenable. It seems every other team knew about Bennell at the time. Not sure why the mail are making fergie a big point of that article as the player says he was great. Well it is the mail

Wow, that was quick.

If true, it shows that a moments stupidity or carelessness can destroy a career - Big Ron & Gerald Ratner will testify to that.

Lots of public figures hold controversial views, but sometimes it's best to stay schtum.

Amazing it has taken Sky this long (23 years at Sky) to get rid of him off our screens and stick him full time in the van as a spotter for the cameraman.  Incredible it has taken something like this for it to finally happen.  Thank god for that.  He is a confirmed alco and wife beater on top of his dinosaur views.  He is one of the worse analysts and comm's of any sport on TV and dresses terribly on the screen.  He adds nothing when he opens his mouth of any substance apart from being a 5 time world champion.  How James Wade deluded himself into thinking he would suddenly become a 105+ scorer in order to compete at the top level by taking him on as an advisor was just as biazzre.  Bristow's bets used to be one of the most comical parts of any sporting event on sky sports the stuff he used to tip up.  He made Mardle's betfair column look like a full time winning punter in comparison he was that bad.

Paddy Power ‏@paddypower  · 38m38 minutes ago  

Eric Bristow has been sacked by Sky Sports.

Eric, you require a P45.



0 replies   251 retweets   398 likes  



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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CydquchWEAAomIZ.jpg)

Eric Bristow's manager asked BBC for £5000 (+VAT) when asked if his client would discuss his tweets about the survivors of child sex abuse.

BBC declined to pay Bristow this or any fee. He has since deleted the tweets.

per Richard Conway of the...BBC

If Bristow had not conflated paedophia with homosexuality, would he have got himslef in trouble?

Don't lots of people agree with taking law into their own hands / vigilantism where it comes to dealing with paedos?

Think you are correct, it's the fact he was saying 'poofs' and 'rugby players would not have stood for it because they are hard' that was the problem. He probably would have come across as a rough diamond hero if he was merely calling out the paedo side and said something like 'lets get em'.

In his own thick as pigshit way he was probably trying to do this, but very badly. Asking for 5k is very cynical though, I'm sure the Mail will oblige him.

So basically Bristow is the darts version of Aaron.

The interview this morning with Morgan on ITV was awful on all counts.

The lady representing a child abuse charity lost it and called Bristow "an abuser". For all his faults this was a bit OTT.

She then rambled on about needing funding whilst Bristow just mumbled away and looked startled by the whole thing.

NSPCC  receive 860 calls in 1st 3 days  from footballers wanting to talk about the abuse they were subject to and already 60 referrals to police and agencies:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/football-child-sex-abuse-complaints-police-referrals-nspcc-jimmy-savile-a7448256.html

Then in the Mail this article about Frank Roper (now dead)  who preyed on Paul Stewart:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3987998/Frank-Roper-gave-kids-50-arcade-took-abroad-abused-them.html

the Chelsea story deepens

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cyi0pGVXUAQ-gxO.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cyn0JpnW8AEX6tD.jpg:large)

this is horrendous

639 cases referred, 83 potential suspects, 98 clubs

http://www.npcc.police.uk/NPCCBusinessAreas/OtherWorkAreas/OpHydrant/FootballAbuseStats.aspx

Sadly even worse as more cases have come up in Scotland as well & won't figure in those stats. Already a former coach has handed himself in to the police. He was at Celtic, Hibs & Falkirk. Left Celtic after being a suspect in the murder of a Celtic youth player & investigated & cleared of abuse. Now admitting he was guilty of the abuse, the murderer was someone else.

Dario Gradi suspended

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/11/dario-gradi-suspended-fa-sexual-abuse-scandal?CMP=share_btn_tw