Two more “names” leave Koptalk

Tonight saw the departure from Koptalk of two of its best-liked moderators. I don’t think too many would disagree with me when I say that.

One of them is Red_Al_77.  Many former and current Koptalkers consider him to be a friend, even though they’ve never actually met. He’s got that kind of impact with people because his work in helping people find ways to watch the Reds was done for one reason – to help other people. It never occurred to him to take any more reward than hearing people say thank you.

Tonight he left Koptalk, and was joined by his fellow moderator, “Mumsafan”.

Red_Al_77   Honorary Member
Reged: Oct 21 2005
Posts: 4932
Loc: The real world
Time to leave
#1587410 – Thu Aug 03 2006 09:08 PM

Well it’s time to move on. I have been fiercely defensive of the Koptalk community in the past so if anyone is expecting an explosive farewell post then they’d best look elsewhere.

Circumstances have dictated that I have to leave Koptalk for good. There will be no coming back this time, no sneaky logging in and no lurking. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time amongst this community but over a number of months things have gone sour. Things have been nagging away at me over that time and I’ve tried to answer all the questions, but there comes a time when you have to put you hands up and say enough is enough. I don’t enjoy it anymore much less becoming a visible pawn in a battle. I also received a phone call yesterday, which has bought things to a head. It’s time for people to fight their own battles.

The people within the community have bought me a lot of pleasure not least the ability to enjoy my football with fellow Liverpool fans. I hope I have contributed to enhancing the community on the site. Despite some differences along the way I have enjoyed my interaction with others on the site but at the same time it is but a cyberspace forum and when something as benign as that impacts on your work then its time to think of yourself despite everything. I have always gone into things with eyes wide open and that is why at times I have been critical of others who attempt to cast stones without sufficient knowledge or credibility.

I want to say something about the people on Koptalk and the people who used to be on the site. I have always found 99.9% of them both engaging and in some cases downright funny. The 0.01% has never really bothered me. Other things have but I’ve put that down to experience. I have made some extremely good friends who I now trust implicitly. Others have let me down but again we live and learn. People have recently made an issue of the streaming help, which although disappointing is understandable. It is not the reason I’m leaving though.

Someone recently questioned my allegiance to this site. I don’t have allegiances to sites, but I do to friends. The issue of forums, allegations, moral arguments, accusations etc etc is now overshadowing things and lessening my enjoyment of supporting Liverpool. It has all become a chore and it has become part of my work, which is wrong. To continue would call into question my integrity. It is very hard / impossible now for me to remain impartial.

I wanted to say a few final words about Koptalk as a ‘site’ because it is not really just a forum these days. A lot of ‘adults’ have gained a lot of pleasure from this site over a number of years including myself. I’m sure this site will continue to do so. It has pushed the boundaries and whatever may be alleged elsewhere it has changed the face of fora on the net. This is not the place to be critical, too much time has been spent elsewhere doing that.

People are probably reading this thinking I haven’t actually said much at all. That is actually the way it should be. Others may think it’s all a bit melodramatic. Well I can’t just walk away without saying goodbye. I at least owe some an explanation.

Finally I would ask that this post not be quickly deleted. I think I’m owed that after the time and effort I’ve put into this community over the last couple of years. I would also ask that my details be removed from the Koptalk system as and when.

Best wishes

Al
- – - – - – - – - – - – -

Mumsafan
Honorary Member

Reged: May 05 2004
Posts: 24742
Loc: Upper Kemlyn

Re: Time to leave  [Re: Red_Al_77]
#1587414 – Thu Aug 03 2006 09:10 PM          Reply      Quote

What Al has said goes for me as well.

Bye.
- – - – - – - – - – - – -
JD    Moderator
Reged: Dec 12 2004
Posts: 11734
Loc: Cambridgeshire
Re: Time to leave  [Re: Mumsafan]
#1587422 – Thu Aug 03 2006 09:17 PM          Reply      Quote

Quote:

What Al has said goes for me as well.

Bye.

sorry your going to mumsafan. You will be a great loss also.
- – - – - – - – - – - – -     

I also saw Dunk’s reply to the post, but I’ve not put it here. Al made a big step in leaving Koptalk today, and I know a lot of people reading this blog used to enjoy talking to him on Koptalk, before they left the site for whatever reasons. Dunk’s reply would require a further reply from me on here, and I don’t think it’s fair to hijack Al’s speech. Maybe I’ll put it on the blog another day.

Al – sorry you got caught up in all of this, I’m sure you’ll find a new “home” on the web sooner or later. If you do and you want me to pass anything on, let me know. Best wishes in whatever it is you decide to do. Mumsafan – best wishes to you too.

And if former Koptalkers want to leave a comment for Al and Mumsafan feel free to do it here.

Under attack? Play a bit of make believe

There you are, sitting in your shed in the North East of England. Your copy of the Sun is battered now, after you used it to try and kill one of the many flies that seem to have started swarming around the shed. You’ve had a nasty letter off some people who weren’t happy with the way you took their stuff and pretended it was yours. And the way you called them names and made false claims about them. And as if that wasn’t enough, those nasty bloggers have been saying you can’t read long words. And they say you won’t get round to starting your buke, but you have – you’ve already got the title sorted. Even your mam’s not sticking up for you any more, and your step-brother says he won’t go out with you for a beer now, saying something about “B.O.”, whatever that is. And he keeps saying something about cramping his style with the girls. ‘My chat up lines are legendary’ you think to yourself. Still, seeing as nobody likes you any more what can you do?

Ding! That lightbulb appears above your head. ‘I know!’ you think, ‘I’ll transform myself into one of my aliases.’ Into the Koptalk dressing up box it is then. First item is ideal. Yes, it’s your leather gear. Even though Jamie Carragher refuses to even carry one, you’ll gladly pretend to be one. A few moments later and you are transformed into…….

….the Koptalk Wallet!

Now, to write something…

wallet    Silver Member
Reged: Jul 22 2004
Posts: 463
Kuyt bid approved by our Board….
#1587081 – Thu Aug 03 2006 05:27 PM
Hello

I’ve just received a call to say that an improved offer for Dirk Kuyt has been approved by our Board. It is a player plus cash offer, suspected to involve Jerzy Dudek and is worth approximately £9.4m all up. It is anticipated that this will test the resolve of Feyenord with Kuyt anxious to move to Anfield. The bid will be made after tomorrows match.

Why Dunk has to use this image from the BBC website as his “wallet” avatar I’ve no idea.

Maybe he couldn’t find one he liked on the Liverpool Echo / Daily Post website. Still, his visit to that website at least allowed him to read this (here) -

“Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is hoping to seal the signature of Dirk Kuyt with a renewed bid this week. But if Feyenoord’s resolve over the £10milion asking price for the player can’t be broken, Benitez is prepared to play the waiting game in his bid to get a fourth main striker.” 

Duncan Oldham would make more money by handing himself over to science. Surely there’s a lot of money to be made by isolating whatever it is that allows something so dense to be so easy to see through.

Ex-editor hints at official reprimand from Liverpool FC

I’ve seen this mentioned in the comments and some of you have emailed it to me. Duncan Oldham, ex-editor of Koptalk.com, has had another rant.

KOPTALK COMMENT: Why the worry?

With regards finance, it’s a little depressing hearing those involved or educated about the matter speaking so negatively about the club. I really do wish the club would pull something off and shut everyone up.

Hearing Professor Tom Cannon on Sky Sports News today saying we risk the chance of dropping out of the big four now if we fail to secure finance and a new stadium really concerned me. If it was just a journalist saying this I’d probably reserve my opinions but when an independent egghead starts talking it makes you listen. (I’ve heard a lot of negative stuff said about that particular Prof and his actual knowledge of Liverpool’s investment situation. I’ll not go into it in too much detail but I was told his views should be taken with a pinch of salt. Maybe Duncan should have checked this out before taking his word for it. Trouble is, the Professor’s opinions suit Oldham’s agenda – which is to attack Parry at every opportunity).

–

I was saddened to be informed recently that a non-executive figure at the club has apparently been trying to make things difficult for KOPTALK. Whether the top brass are aware of this I don’t know but I will be investigating when I can be arsed. It’s not the first time that this has happened and it certainly doesn’t concern me in the slightest. (No idea who you mean Oldham. Well, I’ve a few ideas who might be acting to protect the rights of Liverpool Football Club. That would be employees of Liverpool football club who are paid to act on behalf of Liverpool Football Club. I’m 99.9% certain (to coin a phrase) that the “top brass” are aware of this. I am also 99.9% certain that you won’t be able to “investigate” this directly with any of the “top brass” or executives – whether you can be arsed or not. “It doesn’t concern me in the slightest” – it does concern you. In fact it really, really pisses you off. It makes you so angry you could write a rant about it. Oh – you just did. Face it – you’ve stolen from the club once too often. You’ve written negative unfounded attacks on the club and its staff once too often. You’ve screwed up – once too often.)

Liverpool supporters have the right to make their own mind up regarding matters that affect the club be they on a positive or negative stance and the only people that suffer when you try and get heavy is the fans. I’m flattered of course but they should be embarrassed. Be careful because my book’s out this season and I’d hate to be forced into quoting you. (Ooh – I bet they’re quaking in their boots now aren’t they? First of all, you’ve got nothing to put in your infamous book about them. You’ve got trouble holding back from any of your many addictions, and slagging off others is one of those addictions. If you had anything, you’d have used it by now. Secondly, even if you did have anything, by the time you’ve finally written this long-promised book most of those you claim will be in it will be only seen at Anfield in the museum, long since having left the club. You’ve been promising the book for three years and you’ve claimed it was finished twice. It’s just another Oldham lie. As for “Liverpool supporters have the right to make their own mind up…” yes, they do. Except on Koptalk, where they’ve got to think what the Ex-Editor tells them to think or face a ban. It’s great for all the true LFC supporters who read this blog to hear, from what the “Informer” might call the “mouth of the ‘horse’”, that Liverpool Football Club are dealing with Mr Oldham. Well done Oldham for telling us. Well done LFC for doing it. Another big step towards taking our club back from the odious webmaster.)

We try to remain independent of conflicting opinions and views that relate to the club and this is something that I want to try and improve during the coming season. Sometimes it’s difficult when the club is in your heart but it’s better to let the fans decide what’s right for the club rather than the opinions of myself for example or those employed by the club. This attitude is something that I will be conveying to your new editor (Steve). (Crap. Completely. Oldham always wants the readers of his site to follow his line. Including reading the Sun if it comes to it. And shouldn’t the new teenage editor of your pathetic rag of a website be able to also make his own mind up about things? Or are you insisting he does things the Oldham way? You’ve already given him the Oldham name.)

You don’t make a lot of friends when you’re prepared to speak up but we refuse to just toe-the-line like many journalists and other websites do. (A dig at Chris Bascombe? He’s the only journalist I know of who would need to “toe-the-line” regarding LFC. And that need only goes so far, as I’ve heard him explain elsewhere (not Koptalk). He’ll be helpful to the club and they will be helpful to him, and as a result he gets exclusives that Oldham can only dream of. Bascombe once slagged Koptalk off (indirectly) in one of his columns, according to many of you in emails and comments, and as such is one of the many on Dunk’s hitlist of hated people. Other websites certainly don’t “toe-the-line” regarding the club, they just speak like true fans. That means criticism does come, but it’s generally constructive, and supporters who contribute to forums on those sites are allowed to say their piece too. Oldham’s criticism is all aimed at either getting back at people he doesn’t like, or generating hits.) 

The fans are more important than the suits and that’s why we report what we do and in a style that we hope they understand or can at least relate to.  (That’s it though Dunk, you have to try and think to yourself, “what would a fan think right now?” – Genuine from-the-heart Liverpool fans don’t need to try  – they say what they feel. From their heart. Without “the suits”, we’d not have a transfer fund of any kind, not to mention the other uses they have, including those who are rarely seen in public. Liverpool FC is a unique club in so many ways, not least of which is that “the suits” are also Liverpool fans, not always the case elsewhere. And “the suits” may be well rewarded for their work, as are the players, but they do put the club first, not the bank balance. And they think long-term, not short-term. You ought to try thinking that way too Oldham, but you do, of course, know best.)

As Bill Shankly once said, big words are just used to try and make an ordinary person appear inferior. (Dunk = Arse. That short enough for you Mr Oldham?)

I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my gob although I must confess forks are rarely out of it. We’re football fans. We’re not here to be liked. We’re not here to be politically correct. We’re not here to intentionally offend. But we just don’t want tree-huggers here. As the official LFC website states in their terms and conditions: (I think the most common item found in the Oldham mouth is the Oldham foot. You do offend Duncan, and you do it intentionally – the “Crouch tape” comments are just one example of your attempts to offend others.)

‘If you are dissatisfied with the Website or any content or materials on it, your sole exclusive remedy is to discontinue your use of it.’ (What does the official site say about the e-season ticket or other paid-for content? Does it say that it will take one year’s payment up front, then ban you for no good reason one month later without any refund? What about taking money twice, or taking money after the service had already been cancelled? What about banning customers for asking simple questions or supplying some kind of constructive feedback? Somehow I doubt the club would act in the despicable ways that Koptalk does. And does the official site steal stuff from elsewhere to make money? I think we all know the answers.)

Listen to our podcasts or submit comments and opinions about LFC matters @ www.koptalk.coN/podcast  (Don’t expect your opinions to be aired though unless they match the Oldham view on everything.)

Duncan Oldham
Executive Editor  (Still has me laughing every time that one!)

KOPTALK
EXCLUSIVE LFC TRANSFER NEWS AND WHISPERS FROM INSIDE ANFIELD, MELWOOD AND THE ACADEMY >> (No there aren’t fatty. As LFC seem to have reminded you!)

For all you speed readers out there here’s a summary-

Duncan Oldham seems to have been officially told off by LFC and isn’t very happy because they used long words and he couldn’t work out what they meant but he’s writing a book which will have lots of short words in it and he’ll be calling everyone smelly-bum in it so they had better watch out.

Sorry, couldn’t be arsed with the use of full-stops.

Where’s the promised information?

The headline on Koptalk.coN screamed about information to be found in gold-covered streets of Koptalkinsider.coN. “The truth about our failed transfer bid + Investment news and more” it screamed.

The truth? About our failed transfer bid? But wait, what about, “Investment news“? And that not it? There’s more says Oldham, probably in the voice of that short Irish ‘comedian’ whose name escapes me. Then again, he prefers Bernard Manning does the xenophobic Mr Oldham.

In fact the first encounter I had with the headline was from what he laughingly calls his “News” page. The headline was another of his misleading ones – because it didn’t relate to the story behind it. Which reminds me of this tagline on one of his own sites – “The name on the front of the shirt is more important than the name on the back…” In Duncan Oldham’s world, “The headline that brings you the hits is more important than the bullshit behind the scenes…”
Here is the article and its headline -

The truth about our failed transfer bid + Investment news and more

Not a member yet? Go to www.koptalkinsider.com and select either an Insider membership (silver) or a Gold Club membership (gold). This will give you unlimited access to all our exclusive reports and more. Anything deemed to sensitive for publication is retained for the Insider website.

Gold Club members receive a FREE Insider membership plus FREE worldwide LFC SMS alerts all year round (team line-ups, goal alerts, transfer news, official news etc) plus much more.

Gold Club members can access the Insider feature but Insider members can not access the Gold Club so please consider which membership level is best for you.

Compare the benefits of both membership options and see existing member feedback when you follow the link above before joining. Listen to what our existing members think rather than those people on other sites who like to knock us because we have subscriptions. We only have subs to pay the bills. There’s not one fans site on the web that offers the level of free content and services that we do.

99.9% of our content is free to all but our die-hard readers are given the opportunity to support the site by joining us on our members only site. 6000 already have!

Please remember that KOPTALK.COM is run by fans, not suits. We rely on advertising and membership subscriptions to survive.

Save £10 on Insider & Gold Club memberships when you join offline!

That story was not a story at all. It was a plug for the Gold and Insider sites. Nothing in it about investment, about transfers, or about “more”.  We hunted around on the Insider and Gold sites to see what a poor unsuspecting Red might find should they fall for Duncan’s bullshit. What stories, true or otherwise, could they find for their (up to) thirty quid?

None. Nothing. No stories.

The plug above is full of crap as ever. Fans? They slag the club off from top to bottom. Survive? They claim they spend a lot more on hosting than they actually do. And most content is stolen! Save £10 if you pay cash too – “nobody needs to know about our little arrangement” says Dunk.

Existing member feedback? You’ve still got feedback on your feedback pages from people who asked you remove it. Much of the rest is made up. As is the magic number again – 99.9%. I wonder if Dunk actually knows what 99.9% means? As for 6000 members – you wish. And the most users we’ve seen online, including anonymous ones and any scams he’s carried out to increase the figures, was just over 300. I’m not checking all the time, but I’ve yet to see him beat 300. What percentage of your claimed membership levels are actually using your site then Duncan?

No sign anywhere of “and more”. No sign anywhere of details on transfers falling through. The only “investment” story on Oldham’s sites was seen on both his “free” site and his Insider/Gold site. In fact he posted the story in a forum post as well as a news post. You didn’t have to subscribe to read this. He’s proud of this one clearly, so let’s give it some airtime.

A planned ‘aggressive’ investment approach to try and oust Liverpool chairman David Moores from Anfield has been ditched.

KOPTALK understands that a consortium of wealthy businessmen based in England and Spain were preparing to make the approach but pulled out at the last minute for fear of creating negative media attention which could spark animosity from supporters.

The consortium claims to have the clout to buy all of the chairman’s shares and arrange funding for the new stadium.

They also claim that they could provide the manager with the funds to spend more heavily in the market.

According to the consortium, they’re not prepared to spend heavily on legal fees just to come to the table when they know the chairman isn’t interested in selling.

A spokesperson for the consortium told KOPTALK: “David Moores simply doesn’t want to sell. If he did we would buy all of his shares, press ahead with the [new] stadium and provide money for the manager.

“David is quite happy to see the club pick up a trophy each season. He just doesn’t want to let go.

“We know he cares about the club but he’s not prepared to spend his own money any more. There’s no reason why he couldn’t stay on in some capacity if we were to invest.

“We’re not going to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on legal costs trying to speak to the club when we know David has no intentions of selling.

“The money is there – not just from ourselves but others – but the club simply don’t want to take it.

“Nobody will simply throw money at the club for a bit part role. It’s got to be all or nothing.

“We’re ready to invest but the club aren’t interested.”

Liverpool’s third biggest shareholder Steve Morgan remains interested in buying into the club.

That was confirmed this week when he sought clarification from the Premier League regarding what would happen if he loaned money to struggling Wrexham and then found himself in the position to take a seat on the Liverpool board.

The self-made businessman is another potential investor who has money waiting but he’s stopped banging on the door at Anfield because he also believes the chairman doesn’t want to sell.

He dropped out of the media spotlight after spending a fortune trying to take-over the club but he still wants in.

2-years ago his wife said: “My husband has spent nearly £300,000 on legal fees trying to put money into Liverpool Football Club. The response hasn’t been slow, it has been intolerable.”

KOPTALK understands that the L4 consortium – which Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish is associated with – would also come forward if invited, but again they will tell you that the club doesn’t want to do business and they’re not planning any kind of fresh approach as things currently stand.

Minted American businessman Robert Kraft is no longer on the scene but he continues to be looking at extending his business portfolio into Europe. There is nothing to suggest he couldn’t be tempted back if attitudes at Anfield change.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry insists the club is looking for potential investment, especially as the club must prove by September 28th that they have the money to build the new stadium.

If they fail to convince the Objective 1 committee that they have the resources, the club stands to lose around £20million in grants and city councillors have threatened that if there’s no regeneration in the area, they won’t allow the stadium to be built.

Oh dear. Duncan – you look a dickhead, but did you have to go to all this trouble make sure you look a dickhead? In one sentence your mystery consortium is backing out because they’ve got to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees just to open talks with the club – then L4 are waiting for an invite? I’ve said it before – stop lying, because despite the years of trying to perfect the art, you are totally crap at it.

How about your quotes from your contact? They won’t accept David Moores having any stake in the club, but he can stay on in some capacity. Please at least read your bullshit before you publish it. You’ve got no contacts at Anfield, Melwood, The Academy, L4, Steve Morgan and co, or mystery English and Spanish investors.

You are a fraud, and more and more people are starting to see this.

Red Del – stop helping your namesake…

I very much doubt that Red_Del is another of Dunk’s aliases – he knows far too much about how to use a computer. However he might as well be Del Johnson / Duncan Oldham, because he’s providing on of the selling points for Dunk’s gold club.

I can understand this sort of thing goes on, and sharing videos with friends is pretty common, but it does deprive the club of potential e-season ticket subscriptions. Worse than that, it makes people shell out £30 (£20 for cash) to Duncan Oldham for his Gold Club, and so helps his Sun-supporting site keep going.

So, Red_Del – stop providing these videos please. And is it worth providing them on your own server just so Mr Oldham can get a little bit fatter. Here are the videos Red_Del has provided this week.

Red_Del
Gold Member

Reged: May 30 2004
Posts: 398
Loc: Right Now? Here!

Kaiserslautern vs LFC Match Download
#1578909 – Sun Jul 30 2006 03:19 AM Reply Quote

As promised, here is a DivX AVI of the match:

http://RedDel37.notlong.com

Save to disk, play with favourite media player, one I recommend is VLC from >>HERE<<

If anyone does download, then a simple reply thanks here will suffice

And please, usual rules for my KT forum links, No-one, and I mean NO-ONE, is allowed to repost my links for my files with other websites, without my express written permission, That is what torrents are for, so by all means download & then share as appropriate. If I get billed for bandwidth, then I will not do them, and everyone loses out.

And lastly, enjoy

Red_Del
Gold Member

Reged: May 30 2004
Posts: 398
Loc: Right Now? Here!

The Story Of The Kop
#1581729 – Tue Aug 01 2006 03:20 AM Reply Quote

Came across this downstairs, so grabbed it & compiled as one avi file:

BBC Video is proud to present The Story Of The Kop is a lasting testimony to those who stood there. on this exclusive video are the goals, the songs and the triumphs which kopites have enjoyed most down the years, culminating in the closing party at the Kop at Liverpool’s last home match of the 1993/94 season against Norwich.

You will hear the anthem “You’ll Never walk Alone” usually sung with scarves and flags waving in unison was only part of the Kops considerable repertoire

Written and Presented by John Motson

http://RedDel38.notlong.com

700MB and 75 mins running time.

Save to disk, play with favourite media player, one I recommend is VLC from >>HERE<<

If anyone does download, then a simple reply thanks here will suffice

And please, usual rules for my KT forum links, No-one, and I mean NO-ONE, is allowed to repost my links for my files with other websites, without my express written permission, That is what torrents are for, so by all means download & then share as appropriate. If I get billed for bandwidth, then I will not do them, and everyone loses out.

And lastly, enjoy

Red_Del
Gold Member

Reged: May 30 2004
Posts: 398
Loc: Right Now? Here!

Grasshopper Vs Liverpool – Match Download
#1583794 – Wed Aug 02 2006 12:07 AM Reply Quote

Had a storm here during second half, about 10 mins missing, sky went off, but didn’t miss much anyway!

Here it is if interested:

http://RedDel39.notlong.com

Save to disk, play with favourite media player, one I recommend is VLC from >>HERE<<

If anyone does download, then a simple reply thanks here will suffice

And please, usual rules for my KT forum links, No-one, and I mean NO-ONE, is allowed to repost my links for my files with other websites, without my express written permission, That is what torrents are for, so by all means download & then share as appropriate. If I get billed for bandwidth, then I will not do them, and everyone loses out.

And lastly, enjoy

Next one on Friday.