Post by Wolvensam on Sept 29, 2008 17:31:16 GMT
Welcome to RHF: In The Spotlight. I am Wolvensam, and seeing as Fez is a lazy bastard and has taken about two years (slight exaggeration) to put Stealth's spotlight up, I've decided to adhere to the saying of 'if you want something doing, do it yourself' and put it up myself. The questions asked are interesting, crazy, whacky, serious, personal, intimate, and some are just downright rude!
This weeks member in the Red Hotseat is resident Tottenham Hotspur fan, Stealth1039.
Stealth1039 in action
Personal:
What is your name?
Alan Edward Pople
How old are you?
57
Which city/town/village do you currently live in?
Ashford, Middlesex.
Tell us one thing we don't know about you?
My biggest regret in life is not having children of my own. Although with all the current threats to the world this is lessening daily!
Have you got an "Other Half"?
Not currently
What school/university did you go to?
Hampton Grammar School. Didn’t attend Uni.
What subjects did you study and what were your favourite ones?
Latin, Greek, French, Art, Scripture, Mathematics, Geography, History, English Language, English Literature, Woodwork & P.E./Sports. Favourites were History, English Language & P.E./Sports.
What is your Goal in life? Have you already achieved it?
To see my great nieces & nephews grow up happy. Not yet by a long way!
What is your favourite:
Band?
As I’ve said in many a thread I don’t really have one favourite anything but, by virtue of probably listening to them more than any other band, I’ll say The Steve Miller Band.
Album?
Again because I’ve probably listened to it most times (at least in the last couple of years) Mighty Rearranger – Robert Plant.
Film?
Lord of the Rings trilogy
TV Programme?
The Ascent of Man by Dr Patrick Bronowski. So ground breaking it became part of the university syllabus for some years.
Dinner Guest?
If allowed dead people it would be John Lennon, Joseph Bazalgette or Lord Nelson. If they have to be alive it would be Nigel Lawson & Maggie Thatcher – so I could poison them.
Meal?
Sukiyaki – best Japanese dish of all.
Celebrity partner?
Jane Fonda – good looking, intelligent & politically aware. What more could you want? Other than a sense of humour & being British.
Football:
Who is your favourite Spurs player ever?
Sorry – this really is impossible! Attack - Cliff Jones, Defence - Dave MacKay, Goalkeeper – Pat Jennings - plus a dozen other options.
Who is your favourite current Spurs player?
Gareth Bale (It would be Ledley King if he was 100% fit)
What was your first football match? Score? Where was it? Etc.
Brentford at Griffin Park vs ? & the score? Wasn’t particularly memorable as I was already a Spurs fan by then.
Your favourite Spurs memory?
Becoming the first British team ever to win a European Trophy
Your worst Spurs memory?
Being three nil up at half time against Man U then losing 3 - 5
Opposition player you love to despise?
Didier Drogba. Was there ever any doubt?
Best goal you've ever seen live?
Scored by Hereford in a 4 – 1 defeat by us in the FA Cup.
Worst blunder you've ever seen live?
Being a Spurs fan this was hard as our recent defensive record gives loads of choice! Gilberto against PSV last year rates pretty highly though.
Do you/did you play for a team yourself? Who are they? What league are you in?
Used to play as a centre half for various teams.
RHF:
Why did you join RHF?
Liked the idea of a forum where you could discuss things rationally without insults & bad language flying around.
Who is your favourite RHF member and why?
Everyone says it but it’s true – it is extremey hard to pick one member as I like many of you for different attributes. However, I’ll go for the surprise element & choose Ben. He & I are alike in many ways (which is why we clash a fair bit) but also have similar views on a lot of important subjects including music.
What is your favourite thread on RHF?
This should be as easy to guess as Didier Drogba as I probably send everyone to sleep with it. Global Warming poses the worse threat to our survival that mankind has ever faced & possibly having to step back in to the Dark Ages just to survive is not going to win many voters.
In a fight to the death between you, Bismarck, Pij and Tim, who would come where and why?
I’d win hands down by boring them all to death subjecting them to a barrage of speculative theories!
Questions from the Members:
As one of the few fellow Londoners on RHF what are your thoughts about the capital. Do you enjoy living here or is it out of necessity?
As I’ve said before I loved it when young & single but now am only here through the necessity of being close to my parents. It is still great for easy access to the best museums, galleries, theatres & concert halls in the country but I would far rather be back down in or just outside Portsmouth where people still have time for you – partly because the pace of life is slower. Besides, the air is a lot cleaner.
You are extremely knowledgeable about Boxing and have the correct opinion about Muhammed Ali . Is this your favourite sport apart from Football, if not then what is?
No - cricket is my second favourite sport but, as with most sports, I always liked to watch the upcoming youngsters in boxing so developed an interest that way. I have to admit to preferring to watch cricket highlights than full matches though!
Top 4 for Spurs this season?
You having a laugh? We’ll be lucky to survive the drop given all the disruptions.
If the Spurs did not exist who would you support?
It would depend when Spurs demise was. If in my early days it would probably have been Brentford I’d have switched to but if in the last 30 years then definitely Portsmouth.
And which is the nearest football league side to you?
Brentford – only 9.8 miles away.
What is your first recollection of seeing Spurs?
1961 F.A. Cup final against Leicester when we sealed the double.
How did your political views evolve?
Sorry, but I can’t really make this answer short. My Mum & Dad, although not really political at all, voted Conservative. I did not really take much interest either until the mid to late 70’s. By that time it was Maggie’s era & I agreed with a lot of what she stood for being totally against the state of anarchy that existed in the UK by then. I was also in business and, supposedly, Conservatives were always good for that (Don’t ever believe it!). However, I had always believed in social justice & that not every body down on their luck deserves to be so I started to have doubts when she said there was no such thing as society – and then proceeded to destroy it! Also by then all the sleaze was starting to emerge & the final straw was when Nigel Lawson, in his supreme arrogance, totally screwed the economy. I realized then they were no better at the administration of the country than anyone else but would drive intolerable wedges between the rich and the poor whilst greatly widening the gap which was already too great then let alone now. I had been asked by the local Conservative Party to stand for a winning seat on Portsmouth City Council (which I was greatly honoured by as I would have eventually been Lord Mayor & would have loved to have helped shape that marvellous city) but when I expressed my views after Lawson’s 1988 budget I was told they did not follow the party line so I decided Conservative politics was no longer for me. Now, although I lean mostly towards Capitalism tempered by Socialism I also find an increasing agreement with a lot of the Liberal ideas that Nick Clegg has been proposing. First & foremost is that the rich should pay a fair share towards maintaining society & then renationalising utilities, railways, airports & air traffic control that Thatcher had no right to sell in the first place. However, I have no real faith in any single political party being able to run the country for the equal benefit of all as they change coats at the drop of a fiver anyway. New Labour = Old Conservative/Cameron’s Conservatives = Old Labour.
If you ruled the galaxy, who would you choose as your side-kick and why?
Thor. He could kick ass when someone disagreed with my latest ruling.
What are your opinions on Juande Ramos?
Great tactician & fitness coach but don’t know about buying players as not sure who actually does it anymore. Too many changes, too quickly but they weren’t all his choice.
This weeks member in the Red Hotseat is resident Tottenham Hotspur fan, Stealth1039.
Stealth1039 in action
Personal:
What is your name?
Alan Edward Pople
How old are you?
57
Which city/town/village do you currently live in?
Ashford, Middlesex.
Tell us one thing we don't know about you?
My biggest regret in life is not having children of my own. Although with all the current threats to the world this is lessening daily!
Have you got an "Other Half"?
Not currently
What school/university did you go to?
Hampton Grammar School. Didn’t attend Uni.
What subjects did you study and what were your favourite ones?
Latin, Greek, French, Art, Scripture, Mathematics, Geography, History, English Language, English Literature, Woodwork & P.E./Sports. Favourites were History, English Language & P.E./Sports.
What is your Goal in life? Have you already achieved it?
To see my great nieces & nephews grow up happy. Not yet by a long way!
What is your favourite:
Band?
As I’ve said in many a thread I don’t really have one favourite anything but, by virtue of probably listening to them more than any other band, I’ll say The Steve Miller Band.
Album?
Again because I’ve probably listened to it most times (at least in the last couple of years) Mighty Rearranger – Robert Plant.
Film?
Lord of the Rings trilogy
TV Programme?
The Ascent of Man by Dr Patrick Bronowski. So ground breaking it became part of the university syllabus for some years.
Dinner Guest?
If allowed dead people it would be John Lennon, Joseph Bazalgette or Lord Nelson. If they have to be alive it would be Nigel Lawson & Maggie Thatcher – so I could poison them.
Meal?
Sukiyaki – best Japanese dish of all.
Celebrity partner?
Jane Fonda – good looking, intelligent & politically aware. What more could you want? Other than a sense of humour & being British.
Football:
Who is your favourite Spurs player ever?
Sorry – this really is impossible! Attack - Cliff Jones, Defence - Dave MacKay, Goalkeeper – Pat Jennings - plus a dozen other options.
Who is your favourite current Spurs player?
Gareth Bale (It would be Ledley King if he was 100% fit)
What was your first football match? Score? Where was it? Etc.
Brentford at Griffin Park vs ? & the score? Wasn’t particularly memorable as I was already a Spurs fan by then.
Your favourite Spurs memory?
Becoming the first British team ever to win a European Trophy
Your worst Spurs memory?
Being three nil up at half time against Man U then losing 3 - 5
Opposition player you love to despise?
Didier Drogba. Was there ever any doubt?
Best goal you've ever seen live?
Scored by Hereford in a 4 – 1 defeat by us in the FA Cup.
Worst blunder you've ever seen live?
Being a Spurs fan this was hard as our recent defensive record gives loads of choice! Gilberto against PSV last year rates pretty highly though.
Do you/did you play for a team yourself? Who are they? What league are you in?
Used to play as a centre half for various teams.
RHF:
Why did you join RHF?
Liked the idea of a forum where you could discuss things rationally without insults & bad language flying around.
Who is your favourite RHF member and why?
Everyone says it but it’s true – it is extremey hard to pick one member as I like many of you for different attributes. However, I’ll go for the surprise element & choose Ben. He & I are alike in many ways (which is why we clash a fair bit) but also have similar views on a lot of important subjects including music.
What is your favourite thread on RHF?
This should be as easy to guess as Didier Drogba as I probably send everyone to sleep with it. Global Warming poses the worse threat to our survival that mankind has ever faced & possibly having to step back in to the Dark Ages just to survive is not going to win many voters.
In a fight to the death between you, Bismarck, Pij and Tim, who would come where and why?
I’d win hands down by boring them all to death subjecting them to a barrage of speculative theories!
Questions from the Members:
As one of the few fellow Londoners on RHF what are your thoughts about the capital. Do you enjoy living here or is it out of necessity?
As I’ve said before I loved it when young & single but now am only here through the necessity of being close to my parents. It is still great for easy access to the best museums, galleries, theatres & concert halls in the country but I would far rather be back down in or just outside Portsmouth where people still have time for you – partly because the pace of life is slower. Besides, the air is a lot cleaner.
You are extremely knowledgeable about Boxing and have the correct opinion about Muhammed Ali . Is this your favourite sport apart from Football, if not then what is?
No - cricket is my second favourite sport but, as with most sports, I always liked to watch the upcoming youngsters in boxing so developed an interest that way. I have to admit to preferring to watch cricket highlights than full matches though!
Top 4 for Spurs this season?
You having a laugh? We’ll be lucky to survive the drop given all the disruptions.
If the Spurs did not exist who would you support?
It would depend when Spurs demise was. If in my early days it would probably have been Brentford I’d have switched to but if in the last 30 years then definitely Portsmouth.
And which is the nearest football league side to you?
Brentford – only 9.8 miles away.
What is your first recollection of seeing Spurs?
1961 F.A. Cup final against Leicester when we sealed the double.
How did your political views evolve?
Sorry, but I can’t really make this answer short. My Mum & Dad, although not really political at all, voted Conservative. I did not really take much interest either until the mid to late 70’s. By that time it was Maggie’s era & I agreed with a lot of what she stood for being totally against the state of anarchy that existed in the UK by then. I was also in business and, supposedly, Conservatives were always good for that (Don’t ever believe it!). However, I had always believed in social justice & that not every body down on their luck deserves to be so I started to have doubts when she said there was no such thing as society – and then proceeded to destroy it! Also by then all the sleaze was starting to emerge & the final straw was when Nigel Lawson, in his supreme arrogance, totally screwed the economy. I realized then they were no better at the administration of the country than anyone else but would drive intolerable wedges between the rich and the poor whilst greatly widening the gap which was already too great then let alone now. I had been asked by the local Conservative Party to stand for a winning seat on Portsmouth City Council (which I was greatly honoured by as I would have eventually been Lord Mayor & would have loved to have helped shape that marvellous city) but when I expressed my views after Lawson’s 1988 budget I was told they did not follow the party line so I decided Conservative politics was no longer for me. Now, although I lean mostly towards Capitalism tempered by Socialism I also find an increasing agreement with a lot of the Liberal ideas that Nick Clegg has been proposing. First & foremost is that the rich should pay a fair share towards maintaining society & then renationalising utilities, railways, airports & air traffic control that Thatcher had no right to sell in the first place. However, I have no real faith in any single political party being able to run the country for the equal benefit of all as they change coats at the drop of a fiver anyway. New Labour = Old Conservative/Cameron’s Conservatives = Old Labour.
If you ruled the galaxy, who would you choose as your side-kick and why?
Thor. He could kick ass when someone disagreed with my latest ruling.
What are your opinions on Juande Ramos?
Great tactician & fitness coach but don’t know about buying players as not sure who actually does it anymore. Too many changes, too quickly but they weren’t all his choice.