The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[godzvilla]

An article in the Times today , by their Beijing correspondent ,  80% of which was the usual , lazy journo , re-hash , a couple of bits sufficiently interesting to post, though.....:
"The Chinese businessman proposing to buy Aston Villa will travel to England in the next fortnight to have his credentials examined by the Premier League and Football League" ....in the next fortnight ?! .

" The club will announce its new manager in “one to two days”, said Xia, who sought a candidate who has achieved success in the Championship, has experience in the Premier League “and maybe on European battlefields”, plus a “diverse cultural and international background”.............which says to me  Di Matteo is the chosen one to me  ( unless Pearson has ´diverse´ International experience )...........Godzvilla!.

[Jimbo]

I think what we in the UK consider to be standard English isn't standard English globally, because so many more people outside of these isles speak English. In my experience, most tend to adopt American English, so when confronted with a real English regional accent - even a London accent - they can be bamboozled by its strangeness.

Still, people tend to like the sound of an English accent (yep, even Brummie) and sometimes it's not what you say that counts but how you say it.

Having recently spent some time on a work trip with Norwegians, Germans, Austrians, Swedish, Spanish, Russians, Hungarians, Estonians, French and Dutch, I found people understood me better when I was in full flow Brummie after a couple of drinks, than they did when I slowed down and sanitised my speech. People can tell when you're comfortable speaking or not, and the more comfortable you are the more people will gain from your speech, whether they understand what an 'outdoor' is or not.

By the way, we were in Hungary, where it was less than €2 a pint, which made the Norwegians giddy with delight, and then just giddy.
 

[fbriai]

Sounds as though that you were all pissed, so just didn't care so much one way or the other, Jimbo!

[Jimbo]

Sounds as though that you were all pissed, so just didn't care so much one way or the other, Jimbo!

Ha, yeah, probably. But I was able to conduct full conversations with the Norway contingent about black metal and its Birmingham origins, and why English pubs are the best in the world.  Plus I taught a rather charming Swedish lady to speak with a Birmingham accent. She was bloody good at it after a palinka or two.

[Malandro]

Is Tony unwell today? Ten am and no interview.

[paul_e]

Sounds as though that you were all pissed, so just didn't care so much one way or the other, Jimbo!

Ha, yeah, probably. But I was able to conduct full conversations with the Norway contingent about black metal and its Birmingham origins, and why English pubs are the best in the world.  Plus I taught a rather charming Swedish lady to speak with a Birmingham accent. She was bloody good at it after a palinka or two.

I took a couple of them over to Malta with me a few years back and there were, at the time, some bars near where my parents live that had the local ale and lager (blue nun and cisk) for €1 - I'm amazed that none of them drank themselves to death.

[passport1]

I've learnt that Alibaba is being investigated by the US SEC. Something to do with Chinese accounting practices.

Just thought I would try and get us up and running today.

[paul_e]

I've learnt that Alibaba is being investigated by the US SEC. Something to do with Chinese accounting practices.

Just thought I would try and get us up and running today.

What has that got to do with Xia?  It's about as on topic as our discussion about norwegian beer.

[peter w]

One I must add which always comes out for a spin when we visit our friends (ex Sparkhill) now living in Nimes - "Ackerdock" (aqueduct).

Are you sure your friend doesn't have a cleft pallet Mr Green...

[brian green]

No, palates fine, we boys used to play in the river (Tame? Rae? Cole?) beneath the Ackerdock at Billesley or maybe it was Warstock at the terminus of the 24 bus that forked right at Swanshurst Park.

[Pat McMahon]

Outside my house I have not heard  the word pantry used for donkey's years except by the butler in Downtown Abbey.

Get yourself off to Asia. Our colleagues in Shanghai and Singapore refer to their eating areas as the pantry instead of the kitchen.

[Axl Rose]

Outside my house I have not heard  the word pantry used for donkey's years except by the butler in Downtown Abbey.

Get yourself off to Asia. Our colleagues in Shanghai and Singapore refer to their eating areas as the pantry instead of the kitchen.

Haha. True.

[Singapore Villa]

Same here 😊

[mike]

When I was in Lyon a few weeks ago I played pool against a Frenchman and a Geordie and I could easily understand the Frenchman better.

My first holiday abroad was a coach and camping package to France with my dad. He was inordinately proud of the fact that he had a son who could speak French. I had a terrible time trying to get the waiter in one restaurant to speak French, but not wishing to let my dad down I persisted until he explained he was from Newcastle and would really rather speak in English.

[brian green]

I think you must be mishearing them.  You have been away from Brum too long.  They are sitting in panty areas.  Very hot and humid in the Colonies is what it says in National Geographic magazine. Panty areas.