Tottenham Hotspur, the Ryan Mason variant

[ChairmanDan]

@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy

odd value set

Speaking of odd value sets, are you still defending the paedophile cover up at Chelsea? Now that you’re no longer apparently the rabid Chelsea fan that you were when this story broke 5 years ago, presumably you don’t have to stand over it now?

@GeoffreyBoycott

BBC News

Chelsea apologise to Johnson over abuse

Chelsea Football Club apologises “profusely” to a former youth team player over sex abuse he suffered.

Chelsea Football Club has apologised “profusely” to former footballer Gary Johnson over sex abuse he suffered as a youth team member in the 1970s.

Mr Johnson, 57, told the Mirror on Friday that the club paid him £50,000 to keep quiet about allegations of sexual abuse by a former chief scout.

In a statement, Chelsea said Mr Johnson had “suffered unacceptably”.

The club said a review into the case would take place, adding it had “no desire to hide any historic abuse”.
It said the review would examine whether it had carried out a proper investigation when the allegations first came to light and why it did not report them to the Football Association and Premier League.

"We are fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and young people who are in our care or attending our premises.

“Their welfare is of paramount importance,” the club said.

Mr Johnson was a member of Chelsea’s first team from 1978 to 1981.

He joined the club as an 11-year-old in 1970 and told the Mirror he had been groomed from the age of 13 by scout Eddie Heath.

Mr Heath, who was the club’s chief scout from 1968 to 1979, died before the allegations against him were made.

According to the Mirror, Mr Johnson signed a confidentiality agreement in 2015 and accepted £50,000 from the club, but they did not accept blame.

Chelsea said in its statement that when the settlement was reached the club’s board understood it was “usual practice” to include a mutual confidentiality agreement, adding that Mr Johnson’s solicitors had not objected to the clause.

“More recently, against the current backdrop of wider revelations and other victims coming forward bravely to tell their story, we no longer felt it appropriate to keep the confidentiality agreement in place. It was therefore removed,” the club said.

The club said the decision to have a confidentiality clause had received “significant scrutiny” and it had now asked an external law firm to review this decision and make recommendations for settling claims in the future.

"In advance of that, however, the board would like to make clear that, in light of what we know now about the wide-scale abuse in football clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, it now believes that the use of such a clause, while understandable, was inappropriate in this instance.

“We certainly have no desire to hide any historic abuse we uncover from view. Quite the opposite.”
Chelsea said Mr Johnson’s solicitors at the time claimed Heath had “inappropriate relationships” with other young boys and men from the club, but no names were given.

The club said with the “limited information” it received it had been unable to identify any further individuals who may have been subject to abuse.

It comes after former Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson said on Facebook that it was “common knowledge that Mr Heath was a danger to us youngsters”.

Chelsea added it was now a “very different club” to the one it was in the 1970s.

It said its safeguarding policies were robust and continually reviewed and audited by the Premier League.strong text

@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy

The jealousy is off the charts here

@iron_mike

Jealous of paedo defenders. I think not

@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy

You follow the gga dont you?

@iron_mike

You’re a paedo defender mate

@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy

I commend the blues for their recent statement and for paying compensation to the victim

@iron_mike

Paedo defence at its best.

@gilgamboa

Sweep Sweep. I’d say terry prone drafted that for you. Disgusting. Commending the club for the cover up. Shameless prick

@Little_Lord_Fauntleroy

I commend the blues for their recent statement and for paying compensation to the victim.

@iron_mike

Paedo defender .

[caulifloweredneanderthal]

Done deal

Tottenham Hotspur

[ChairmanDan]

Good stuff. Wouldn’t have been my first choice, but nonetheless I’m happy with this appointment. Welcome Coach Antonio.

[StoneCold]

@ChairmanDan

I’m happy with this appointment

Really?

Managerial Merrygoround Thread

Wouldn’t see many similarities between Conte and Pochettino. Conte at Chelsea doesn’t have a track record of bringing though academy and young players like Pochettino has had at Southampton and Spurs. Conte doesn’t seem to place much faith in English players whereas Pochettino likes to build his sides around a core of young English players. Conte won the 2016/17 league with a lot of players that won it for Mourinho in 2014/15 before downing tools the following season to get him sacked. The…

[ChairmanDan]

You’re frantic trawl back through the archives has thrown up a post from some other poster from four years ago in October 2017. Your point is?

[gilgamboa]

Pick tsg up off the floor

No idea what has gone on in this thread but that is some wham bam thank you mam of a sequence of jabs here by dan

[myboyblue]

Is @ChairmanDan not @GeoffreyBoycott?

[Juhniallio]

@myboyblue

Is @ChairmanDan not @GeoffreyBoycott?

He is mate. But in fairness apparently @Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy isn’t any of the previous Hiberno-Latin posters we’ve cherished for years on here. It’s like the immunity the Cassidys get from the Mica stuff by setting up a new company I suppose.

[myboyblue]

Does @ChairmanDan know he is?

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

We have lots of Ulster-Italians about.

High profile Tyrone GAA referee Kieran Eannetta is a member of the Ulster Italian community for instance.

[backinatracksuit]

I’m out for the moment, Jesus Christ I thought it couldn’t get any worse than Mourinho, fuck sake.

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

Ok I’m in guys.

LEVY OUT.

[ChairmanDan]

You’re back supporting Spurs?

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

I wish Antonio the best.

LEVY OUT.

[Biff_Egan]

Richard Jolly

[Ashman]

That is Leeds United territory

[Biff_Egan]

Only Levy wouldn’t waste money on a goldfish tank

[balbec]

Conte slept at the training ground the other night, Levy wouldn’t pay for a hotel.

[Elvis_Brandenberg_Kr]

Signor Conte seems to have quickly re-established Spursyness.

Flew out of the blocks into a 3-0 lead playing lovely football before a meltdown at the back has seen Vitesse draw back to 3-2 at half time.

[KinvarasPassion]

That was some game of ping pong