Anyone been assaulted at work?

[Puffingbilly413]

4 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I can honestly say, I didn’t like him or trust him (he lived next door to the pub and I did a little bit of tree work and stump work) but cross him or take him on? No way!

Ah still can't dent his kudos as a Liverpool icon of the 80s.  Neville Southall across the park was certainly a better keeper but unfortunately he played for the wrong team...

[Puffingbilly413]

1 minute ago, AHPP said:

I'm generalising. Is there a big difference with borders? I just think of any white man in the southern quarter of the African continent as being like the characters in Blood Diamond.

Yes - a huge difference.

Also a generalisation but in my experience whites from Rhodesia/Zim aren't particularly racist unlike many (but by no means all) I've met from RSA.  If you like war history, the Rhodesian Bush Wars are fascinating.

Or we could go with the Monty Python view 'I've never met a nice South African'...

[Mick Dempsey]

6 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

 

Did he call you Dempsey after that

No, not sure if he ever addressed me by name, although he knew it.

Strange guy, had an air of silent menace. He’d come in late afternoon, insist on buying us a drink, no argument.

No chat, no laughs, once asked me during the 98 World Cup if I’d seen who was in goal for Nigeria, I replied (in a South African accent) ‘some black fella’ which got a few laughs…..he didn’t laugh.

[AHPP]

4 minutes ago, Puffingbilly413 said:

Yes - a huge difference.

Also a generalisation but in my experience whites from Rhodesia/Zim aren't particularly racist unlike many (but by no means all) I've met from RSA.  If you like war history, the Rhodesian Bush Wars are fascinating.

Or we could go with the Monty Python view 'I've never met a nice South African'...

No no. Interested to learn. What's your connection? Have you lived out there?

[Puffingbilly413]

2 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

No, not sure if he ever addressed me by name, although he knew it.

Strange guy, had an air of silent menace. He’d come in late afternoon, insist on buying us a drink, no argument.

No chat, no laughs, once asked me during the 98 World Cup if I’d seen who was in goal for Nigeria, I replied (in a South African accent) ‘some black fella’ which got a few laughs…..he didn’t laugh.

Yeah he was (is) quite a big anti racism campaigner.  Was reading about his time as a white kid training with an entirely black club in Rhodesia. 

[AHPP]

10 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

No, not sure if he ever addressed me by name, although he knew it.

Strange guy, had an air of silent menace. He’d come in late afternoon, insist on buying us a drink, no argument.

No chat, no laughs, once asked me during the 98 World Cup if I’d seen who was in goal for Nigeria, I replied (in a South African accent) ‘some black fella’ which got a few laughs…..he didn’t laugh.

You see. That's still funny now and was at the time. Sod him if he won't let his guard down.

Edited December 15, 2022 by AHPP

[Doug Tait]

2 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

No, not sure if he ever addressed me by name, although he knew it.

Strange guy, had an air of silent menace. He’d come in late afternoon, insist on buying us a drink, no argument.

No chat, no laughs, once asked me during the 98 World Cup if I’d seen who was in goal for Nigeria, I replied (in a South African accent) ‘some black fella’ which got a few laughs…..he didn’t laugh.

 

When I think about seeing him play it makes sense. Always made the goalmouth look small and unwelcoming with his presence.

[Puffingbilly413]

1 minute ago, AHPP said:

No no. Interested to learn. What's your connection? Have you lived out there?

No never lived out there.  Ex-British Army so met loads of Commonwealth guys serving.  Did a couple of degrees on African politics and focused on Rhodesia.  Rhodesia during the period of their bush wars was considered to have the best fighting force in Africa.  Zim is huge - but they fought a counter-insurgency (communist supported) against overwhelmingly superior numbers of insurgents, all the time facing global sanctions, with a regular armed forces of about 12,000 people.  Tactics we think of as niche today were most likely tried and tested in Rhodesia, S Africa etc.

Going back to Blood Diamond, your man's character was actually Rhodesian - he made a point of it because they detested being thought of as S African.

[Mick Dempsey]

5 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

 

When I think about seeing him play it makes sense. Always made the goalmouth look small and unwelcoming with his presence.

Exceptional keeper, had a mistake in him, but 6 league titles, 3 FA cups, 1 European cup and 440 appearances tells its own story.

[Puffingbilly413]

1 minute ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Exceptional keeper, had a mistake in him, but 6 league titles, 3 FA cups, 1 European cup and 440 appearances tells its own story.

It does indeed.