Gagging Orders across the water

**bluemovie** · 27/04/2011, 3:33 PM

Originally Posted by peadar1987

I'd like to think that if I was a professional footballer, I'd be above all that sort of stuff as well, but I've never had the problem of an endless stream of beautiful women throwing themselves at me, so I'm not quite sure how I'd react.

I remember a conversation with some friends a few years back where we were complaining about certain players' attitude. At first, we were very moralistic making out that they should all be Denis Irwin-type heads-down, hard-working gentlemen. Then we agreed that if we could, we'd sign a five year multi-million contract, live the highlife, ride every girlband member available then do a Winston Bogarde on it and refuse to move.

By the way, great goal last night.

**tricky_colour** · 28/04/2011, 2:15 AM

Well I didn't know Imogen Thomas was a singer, but apparently she's been doing gigs for months.

**tricky_colour** · 28/04/2011, 3:22 AM

I copied that from someone on twitter, dunno if this slightly modified version works better.
"I think Imogen Thomas may be planing on a new career as a singer, I overheard someone say she has been doing gigs for months."

Also found another version on twitter which is probably better:-

I didn't know Imogen Thomas was a singer? Apparenty she started doing gigs a few months ago.

**Longfordian** · 28/04/2011, 12:18 PM

Harverson actually left United to work for Prince Charles I think. He's not there now anyway, their spokesman is Philip Townsend accompanied by some recently appointed PR firm whose name escapes me, John Tibbs & Associates perhaps.
Apparently the unnamed player has been putting it about a bit over the years and his wife isn't a saint either. A lot of footballers wives know the score when they get involved and are willing to let things slide now and again provided they're kept in the manner to which they're accustomed. See Mrs Rooney.

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

I had exactly the same conversation with my wife last week too. Being old and cynical, that makes me believe all the more that it is our unnamed friend. Can you remember the source that inspired the conversation? I can't. Yet people are holding him in high esteem just now, and not just for football reasons - which is all the more odd given the good season he's having. What better way to deflect attention than a carefully controlled media leak about just how steady and sensible and family oriented the player is? Paddy Haverford is the Man U press officer - he's a very, very shrewd operator who used to work for Prince Charles, so he knows a thing or two about managing reputations.

**Macy** · 28/04/2011, 1:35 PM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

Apparently the unnamed player has been putting it about a bit over the years

And it's made the papers in the past too (google the unnamed player and hollyoaks for an example). As I said earlier, not sure how it would make him a non model pro anyway, but I'm shocked at the level of shock - it was either the PR coup people are suggesting or posters who are simply too young to remember.

**bennocelt** · 28/04/2011, 5:50 PM

Originally Posted by John83

The media will turn around and suggest you suck their profit margin. They pay for that stuff because the public buys it. If people didn't give a crap who some footballer was shagging, it would not be published, much less paid for. In short, humanity mostly gets the papers it deserves.

Dont agree with that - manufacturing consent and all that?

**thischarmingman** · 09/05/2011, 6:49 AM

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/tvshow...ves-Volvo.html.

**dcfc_1928** · 09/05/2011, 6:57 AM

"But then Hugh’s devotion to wife Lulu is so strong it is understood he is known to fellow thespians as the Ryan Giggs of the showbusiness world, after the famously family-orientated footballer..."

Originally Posted by thischarmingman

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/tvshow...ves-Volvo.html.

**Spudulika** · 09/05/2011, 4:51 PM

Put it this way, who cares? If I were to go all human development, then we're all a step down from apes (as in down from the trees) and the sole purpose of the male is to procreate with a willing, suitable (or just willing) female, have a child, stay until the child is 2 then head off to impregnate the next female. Now, in saying that we've been conditioned by church and law into trying to stick it out for longer than a few years with one partner. It's not the media's fault that this nonsense goes on, it's not the woman's or the man's fault, they're all just doing what is natural. The fault is that the public are so desperate for some kind of news because we've moved so far away from one another that crap like this actually becomes news. So we feed the machine which scans for scandal and packages it for our morning break.

**peadar1987** · 09/05/2011, 5:59 PM

Well, the dads who stuck around to look after the kids they spawned, their kids had a better chance of surviving to pass on those more dependable genes, so it's not just a cut and dried case of dump your genetic material in the nearest female and move on!

**Spudulika** · 09/05/2011, 9:25 PM

Peadar I agree with you, I just put forward the basic point, and I'm grateful my own Dad didn't behave like an ape. What I should really have focussed on how the public love to look on at "heroes" falling down and their grovelling apologies. It betrays a real lacking in society and I'd put the blame down to how we've outpaced evolution. I always remember a former Professor who, in a rather intoxicated state on a dig in Meath, said something to the effect that the pace of communication and societal development has outstripped our mental and emotional progress. 50 years ago (or modern day in certain parts of Ireland) Irish people relied on the radio and newspapers for news, people still could sit face to face and talk, plus most houses had a single radio or tv (if they were lucky). It was a slow development from days when we sat in caves or around campfires and saw who we were talking with.

Now it's sms, mobile phone, skype - we're talking to people yet thousands of miles apart, without physical contact or interaction. We're so starved for reality we watch crap like Big Brother and X Factor, suicide rates rise and the media controls our development. It's a circular argument but it comes back to - who cares who did what to whom, slam the media for covering it, slam the player and woman for shacking up, yet how does that help either of them, or his wife and kids - but of course who cares about kids when the public needs it's latest sacrifices.

**Hurt Locker** · 15/05/2011, 11:55 AM

the most decorated player in English football history! Feel sorry for him, wouldnt be surprised if wife leaves him and will have to live with the stigma for the rest of his life.

**old git** · 15/05/2011, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by Hurt Locker

the most decorated player in English football history! Feel sorry for him, wouldnt be surprised if wife leaves him and will have to live with the stigma for the rest of his life.

no sympathy for him he knew what he was doing for 6 months , so he has to live with actions , only thing is if he let it come out in the press it would have been forgoton about in a couple of weeks.

**Longfordian** · 15/05/2011, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by Hurt Locker

the most decorated player in English football history! Feel sorry for him, wouldnt be surprised if wife leaves him and will have to live with the stigma for the rest of his life.

No chance. She's already well aware of it by all accounts and hasn't gone anywhere. They have two kids so that may have something to do with it I guess. Everyone will have forgotten about it in no time. There's a few stories that have done the rounds about her too. Nobody's a saint here.

**Hurt Locker** · 15/05/2011, 6:30 PM

It is clear she is no angel she has done at least two other Utd players. Has a hardcore video from her time in BB house. Normally women don't stay with cheating husbands, take the house kids and half his money (More to do with religion and morals than kids).

**The Fly** · 15/05/2011, 7:38 PM

Originally Posted by Hurt Locker

It is clear she is no angle, she has done at least two other Utd players.

Surely that makes her a little bit obtuse?

**Hurt Locker** · 15/05/2011, 8:35 PM

more like an acute slapper!

Originally Posted by The Fly

Surely that makes her a little bit obtuse?

**Macy** · 16/05/2011, 9:16 AM

Originally Posted by Hurt Locker

the most decorated player in English football history! Feel sorry for him, wouldnt be surprised if wife leaves him and will have to live with the stigma for the rest of his life.

Whats the divorce rate in the UK? Arguably he's had his best season for years, so didn't exactly impact negatively from a football point of view! It will have zero impact on his legacy as a footballer, imo.

**Longfordian** · 16/05/2011, 2:15 PM

Details of the judgment here for anyone interested. Thomas comes across very badly.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2011/1232.html

**passinginterest** · 16/05/2011, 2:40 PM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

Details of the judgment here for anyone interested. Thomas comes across very badly.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2011/1232.html

That's really damning for her, although most of what's levelled against her is alleged, she comes across as being extremely vindictive and manipulative.