Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[BigAdz]

Current thoughts on one of your heroes Michael O Leary, please Tikay?

Showing his true colours methinks, and handling this whole thing very badly.

[Skippy]

I read somewhere a theory of business that said that businesses that last for a long time and stay successful are the ones that survive being hit with sudden massive disasters- as in from day to day most things stay the same and they plod on, and then suddenly a massive crisis hits out of nowhere. Some companies survive and some don't. A bit like the asteroid wiping out the dinosaurs. This could be one of those for Ryanair.

[tikay]

Current thoughts on one of your heroes Michael O Leary, please Tikay?

Showing his true colours methinks, and handling this whole thing very badly.

Ha, thanks for passing me that hot potato, Adzy.

Will reply shortly. And then it'll all kick off......

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

You should write a book Tony

Great story by the way.

You write nearly as well as Tom.

Err, thanks Jim, & Ralph.

Tom's story telling is the nuts, I agree. 1,500 words on how to boil a kettle, 2,500 words on how to make a cup of tea, 1,000 words on his lawn mower. Fascinating stuff.

[tikay]

I knew you had a skeleton or two in the cupboard.

Great story-telling Tony - Tom taught you well.

Carrington Lido (as was) is about half a mile up the road from my gaff - I spent many a sunny afternoon there in my youth.

I did a few honeypots off the high diving board - too chicken to actually dive off it obv.- although I never kipped in the bog.

Never heard that expression (in that context) before, what dies it mean?

Not sure it was wise to tell that story, but Shaz mentioned Ruislip Lido & it just set me off. There have been a whole bunch of memorably daft episodes in my life, things I still remember to this day. Don't think I'll be regaling blonde with too many of those. If I could add up all the ridiculously daft things I've done in my life, it'd be a mighty big pile. The trouble is, I'm struggling to recall the good decisions I made. 

[tikay]

This Knightsbridge house, complete with unfinished basement project, is up for sale at £25 million.

Previous owners include none other than Achilleas Kallakis, who paid £28 million for it back in 2007.

Seems he not only had a hole, but he's in one. 

Click to see full-size image.

[Marky147]

Superb story, and agree with the others on you writing a book.

Remember I got in trouble for nicking sweets out of the tin at Sunday school

[Karabiner]

I knew you had a skeleton or two in the cupboard.

Great story-telling Tony - Tom taught you well.

Carrington Lido (as was) is about half a mile up the road from my gaff - I spent many a sunny afternoon there in my youth.

I did a few honeypots off the high diving board - too chicken to actually dive off it obv.- although I never kipped in the bog.

Never heard that expression (in that context) before, what dies it mean?

The idea is to make as big a splash as possible so you try and land in a sitting down cross-legged shape.

Not sure it was wise to tell that story, but Shaz mentioned Ruislip Lido & it just set me off. There have been a whole bunch of memorably daft episodes in my life, things I still remember to this day. Don't think I'll be regaling blonde with too many of those. If I could add up all the ridiculously daft things I've done in my life, it'd be a mighty big pile. The trouble is, I'm struggling to recall the good decisions I made. 

[Karabiner]

     ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Bugger - quoting error - not having a good day 

[DaveShoelace]

Are you per chance in Leeds next Friday Oct 6 Teeks? I might be there in a flying visit near the Sky offices with the other half if you fancy a coffee on me?

[tikay]

Are you per chance in Leeds next Friday Oct 6 Teeks? I might be there in a flying visit near the Sky offices with the other half if you fancy a coffee on me?

I wish I could, Barry, but I only go up there about once a month, & I was there last week.

And, as it happens, Gill is coming down midweek for a long weekend, & we are off out somewhere for a mini-adventure. Not decided where yet, but a day in Oxford seems to tick a lot of boxes - a nice train journey on the old GWR lines, & I imagine it would be rather nice to walk around the University buildings.

Shame you don't get the chance to pop into Sky Towers these days, now RM has moved on. You heard anything from him? I've not heard a word, which is a shame. We never had a cross word in 9 or 10 years.

As you may know from your connections, SB&G are absolutely flying. Mr Flint is a seriously shrewd sort, who wisely surrounds himself with excellent Lieutenants. Bet is run by a chap named Ted Moss, whilst Gaming (everything except Bet, so Vegas, Casino, Bingo & Poker) is managed by Conor Grant. Both are right on top of their brief, & the expansion continues at an astonishing pace. Think there were 500 staff when they were sold, & they have over 1,200 now. And that's been done without diluting margins. Incredible really.

They also have an office in your home town, too - their International Office is based in Sheffield. Sky Bet Italia has been up & running several months now, & Sky Bet Deutschland is running in Beta phase.

How is Poker Strategy doing these days? When is your next book due out?    

[tikay]

Current thoughts on one of your heroes Michael O Leary, please Tikay?

Showing his true colours methinks, and handling this whole thing very badly.

Don't really know where to begin with that one Adzy. I could write War & peace, but I doubt I'd ever convince the haters, & anyway, I love the guy, & love is blind, right?

It's a serious mess up of course, no doubt about it. The rostering Team made a right pigs ear of everything, but, quite correctly, Michael immediately stepped up to the plate, & took full responsibility. In fact I rather liked his tone - "yup, we messed up", a refreshing change from the normal Corporate pith.

If we look a little wider at the Business, first quarter profits for FY 2018 were close to €400 million. That's for a quarter, admittedly a seasonally busy quarter, & one in which the date of Easter compared favourably YoY. 

Here's the numbers;

https://investor.ryanair.com/results/q1-results-fy18/

Their flights are, on average, 96% full. Every airline on earth envies that. Punctuality remains excellent.

It's a cock-up, but these things happen, & they'll weather the storm for sure. 

There's a delicious irony that so many, especially in the Media, claim to hate Ryanair, & yet they carry more passengers in their sector than any other airline. If everyone hates them, where are all these pax coming from? And now, folks are having to fly with ordinary airlines & pay 50% more, & they are complaining about that.

So, in short, my Michael love remains undimmed. I've got him right up there with Arsene Wenger actually.

Anyway, on less contentious matters, how is your health these days? You seem to have recovered well from what I can see, though Marky told me you can be exceedingly grumpy at times. As if.

Did Kracked Kings ever get back up & running? Think Marky told me it got hacked & the hackers stole all the Content & demanded a ransom or whatever. What a pain hackers are.   

[DaveShoelace]

Are you per chance in Leeds next Friday Oct 6 Teeks? I might be there in a flying visit near the Sky offices with the other half if you fancy a coffee on me?

I wish I could, Barry, but I only go up there about once a month, & I was there last week.

And, as it happens, Gill is coming down midweek for a long weekend, & we are off out somewhere for a mini-adventure. Not decided where yet, but a day in Oxford seems to tick a lot of boxes - a nice train journey on the old GWR lines, & I imagine it would be rather nice to walk around the University buildings.

Shame you don't get the chance to pop into Sky Towers these days, now RM has moved on. You heard anything from him? I've not heard a word, which is a shame. We never had a cross word in 9 or 10 years.

As you may know from your connections, SB&G are absolutely flying. Mr Flint is a seriously shrewd sort, who wisely surrounds himself with excellent Lieutenants. Bet is run by a chap named Ted Moss, whilst Gaming (everything except Bet, so Vegas, Bingo & Poker) is managed by Conor Grant. Both are right on top of their brief, & the expansion continues at an astonishing pace. Think there were 500 staff when they were sold, & they have over 1,200 now. And that's been done without diluting margins. Incredible really.

They also have an office in your home town, too - their International Office is based in Sheffield. Sky Bet Italia has been up & running several months now, & Sky Bet Deutschland is running in Beta phase.

How is Poker Strategy doing these days? When is your next book due out?    

Not heard a peep I'm afraid, lovely fella.

Yes I know the office, it has a helter skelter in it, I keep scanning the sky website job listings to see if there is anything I could do there because when will there ever be a gaming company 7 minutes from my house? It's a 30 second walk from the train station too, I would be very annoyed if you didn't look me up if you ever visited.



PokerStrategy is fine, we are concentrating on Spin & Go staking as one of our new big things which is (as far as I can tell) going very well. They've always been very good to me and in particular I have free reign to learn whatever I want when I can benefit the place, for example at the moment I am trying to learn all I can about Bitcoin, and given there is crossover appeal with poker player, that is resulting in me interviewing a bunch of Bitcoin experts for the site. Next month I am learning a new SEO keyword analysis tool, because I'm a complete flipping nerd.

My own personal book, I have just completed the first full draft and I am a bit in limbo now as to how to proceed, I know it starts with proof readers but I'm not sure where to go to get em. The book with Jared is on the back burner, as we have some other stuff happening in the pipeline. We have done a mini ebook and a video series for a well known online poker room, out very soon, which has compelled us to make a mini month long training course based on what he does with his top end clients to see if we can flog that.

All of that sounds like I'm a workaholic but I still manage to cram box sets, reading books, dog walks and too much time on YouTube into my day.

[TightEnd]

Things are getting so bad for Ryanair's Michael O'Leary that he's receiving PR advice from Gerald Ratner (via a letter in the Times)

Click to see full-size image.

[Doobs]

I was pretty ambivalent to Ryanair because with 2 hour flights, I am just happy with getting there.

Punctuality isn't still excellent, it might have been excellent a few months ago, right now it is shit.  I am now arriving 5 hours late if the plane I had to fight for arrives "on time".  I had several months relying on those plastic trains you despise and never had it this bad.  I still feel like I am playing roulette with it, as there are still a few weeks left to get re-cancelled.   Sure many others have had it worse.

I don't believe he has a problem with his rostering team, he appears to have a treating his staff poorly problem.   

Prices going to have to be quite a bit lower for me to gamble on this shower again.  Sure you'd feel the same if you were in the same position. 

Glad he has made so much momey he can afford to pay compensation, looks like zero chance I see any of it.

Hope you are well.