A solution to the two Dembas Ramadan dilemma?

Posted on July 23rd, 2012 | 185 Comments |

Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse prostrate themselves.
Nee scran for Ramadan?
In more Demba Ba news to add to my story from earlier today, it’s that time of year again (Ramadan) and the Senegalese hitman is already off his scran during daylight hours for a month.

Of course, many of you will remember the fuss from last year when Ba had just joined the club, and the debate on how it affected his performances, and his goal scoring. Having written that, it did begin 11 days later in the year of 2011, and Eid Al-Fitr, which brings the end of the fasting, didn’t come until the end of last August, after several weeks of Premiership games had taken place. On the other side however, with the added burden of European competition to contend with, the demands on players will be higher than ever. Lee Ryder from the Evening Chronic stated in one of his pieces on Saturday the Demba had indeed started his fasting for this year’s Ramadan last Friday (January 20th). Whatever the dates in any given year though, there may be a solution to the problem in years when Ramadan fall within the Premiership calendar, which I will explore a little below.

Tracking back a little though, the same observance of the fast will almost certainly be true of the other Demba too, Papiss Demba Cisse, as they seem to be like peas in a pod. Though if it is true, it certainly didn’t stop Cisse scoring freely with Freiburg at the beginning of last season.

Being a keen student of Islam, and also after consulting with a devout Muslim friend, as well as a user of this site from K.S.A. (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) some time time ago, there should be an exception from fasting during the daylight hours of the Ramadan period in special cases for those involved in very physically demanding work, which, in the modern world, should surely include professional athletes like Ba and Cisse who are at the top of their profession?

Anyway, on this subject, here’s an VERY interesting and informative article from the Guardian on the very subject of how many practising Muslim athletes in the British Olympic team will not be fasting during the holy month (and the London Olympics). It’s called “Ramadan and the Olympics: to fast or not to fast?

In this story, it raised the very interesting case of Team GB’s Muslim rower, Moe Sbihi, and possibly a solution to our own “Demba dilemma” which should be in keeping with both the spirit and practice of the Muslim faith.

The idea is that instead of Sbihi observing his fast during Ramadan, he instead will be undertaking to provide 60 meals a day for the poor for every day of fasting he misses, which is dare I say it, entirely in keeping with the spirit of Islamic practice and the teachings of the Holy Prophet himself. Indeed, it gets to the very core of what Ramadan, and Islamic charity is all about in the first place, and he only did it after consulting with senior Muslim scholars in Morocco, the home of his father. I’m also pretty sure that both Ba and Cisse could manage this on a Premiership footballer’s wages too, even under the Mike Ashley austerity regime!

As well as the Guardian piece linked above, there is also more on that decision in another very interesting Guardian piece entitled “London 2012 Olympics: Champions aren’t made easily, says Mohamed Sbihi.

To the two Dembas if you’re reading this, it’s certainly “food” for thought?

Postscript

Since the time of writing this piece, I noticed that since 2010 in German football, Muslim players have been advised by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany that they may defer their fasting to times where there are no games. The chairman of the Council, Aiman ​​A. Mazyek, said in a statement also issued this statement just before the commencement of the 2011-12 season (and Ramadan) last year:

“The professional player can make up the fasting days during periods when there is no match and in that way show his respect for God and the holy month of Ramadan.”

Mazyek issued this statement after a dispute at second-division team, FSV Frankfurt, gave three of their Muslim players an official warning in October 2009 for fasting during Ramadan and failing to inform their managers. The German Football Federation (DFB) subsequently reached an agreement with Muslim leaders in 2010 which allowed players to respect one of the five pillars of Islam at another time, enabling them to fulfill their professional obligations during the season.

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NUFCBlog Author: workyticket workyticket has written 1091 articles on this blog.

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185 Responses

  1. He started Ramadan on January 20th?

    Wow he must be STARVING by now. ;)

    Sorry mate couldn’t resist.

  2. Whatever keeps the lads happy. Can’t abide any religion myself, but if it means the lads are happy, Im all for it.

  3. How dare you, I myself am not a Muslim but I would not dare suggest to my Muslim friends that there beliefs could be bought, which is what you are suggesting, we then get bewilderment from ignorant people such as yourself who are aghast at any animosity which occurs through ignorant comments which Christians such as yourself make, by the way I was raised as a Christian myself, but I am a tolerant Christian, not a rasist one as you have portrayed yourself as being

  4. Ramadhan MUST be observed by all muslims unless one is on the exempted list of which either the Dembas or any other athlete is among .u r nt allowed to leave fasting on such grounds.the EPL or any other sporting events is nt greater than our holy month.

  5. Scary how many people on the planet believe in the existence of an invisible super-being.

    Even scarier that all religious books are written by men on behalf of these “Gods”.

    Millions have died in wars between religions who share a common God as their leader.

    Scary Sh!t.

  6. mick/Abdirahman>

    This isn’t a religious debate and its text taken from a Guardian article so quit the ultra-defensive BS.

    Jumping on here and calling people ignorant etc just shows that you didn’t even read the article, you just saw the word ‘Muslim’ and obviously dropped your keyboards out of your prams to write that rubbish.

    Don’t claim blasphemy the instant someone mentions region in the same breath as football!

  7. Geordiedan>what i would like u undestand is:in islam there r a number of persons who r permitted 2 abstain from fasting on certain prevailing circumstances,i can give u the list if u like,when i do give out that list check for athletes or players who r out there 2 make money

  8. mick im not sure what you are getting at.

    im not getting the same feeling reading this article as you mate.

    for me it is a very informative piece, with a “take it or leave it” approach to Ramadan.

    its a bit like lent, didn’t Jesus fast? we Christians have watered it down slightly to only be on the grounds of giving up one thing.

    but at the end of the day, i think what worky is trying to say, if you are doing heavy strenuous activity then you are exempt from Ramadan.

    which means, both dembas are exempt so they can “take it or leave it”. and they will be quite within their fundamental human/Islamic rights to do so.

    obviously there will be a backlash on themselves by the various extremists in the world that get angry at people for exercising their simple human rights(a bit like you trying to call worky a racist for stating facts/reports on Islam)

    but at the end of the day Demba Ba will know all about Ramadan and who can and cant be exempt, after all he is a star when it comes to get out clauses.

    i psersonaly wouldnt expect him to skip class for the sake of a sport and Abdula man @ 4 is quite right. nothing is higher than the Lord.

    i myself am a christian who has a lot of faith(but not good at practising it) but i still believe in God.

    i for one can see why everyone would want to stick to their values but i can understand why so many would want other people to cut corners.

    i dont think Worky is says they should i dont even think he is suggesting he wants them to.

    i think worky is more stating that they could if THEY wanted to.
    the option is there.

    if you are saying that worky is out of order for stating facts then im sure your trouble making attitude and journalistic approach to making something out of nothing, will fall on a lot of deaf ears.

    as far as i can see, this is a article on the Ramadan and the OPTIONS Muslims have. They are also called Human Rights.

    and that tolerant Christian you claim to be? mmmmmm.

    not showing sorry.

  9. Worky: I think you should give out a prize for “total misunderstanding of an article, and being a pr@ck”. I will even donate the prize – a gold spray painted dildo! And the winner is Mick @3.

  10. GS i thinks its Mormon Brotherhood week.

    i had them at my door. they wont leave me alone.

  11. I’m not entirely sure the Demba’s qualify as special case to be honest. These normally allude to illness, pregnancy etc. where the individual would struggle.

    The point of Ramadhan is not to struggle and just to starve yourself, but to come closer to Allah (God). This is achieved through reciting the holy Quran, actions which please the creator, fulfilling the daily prayers etc. With it being one of the five pillars of the religion, its not really something that one should look to excuse oneself from…

    As a muslim myself, and observing Ramadhan, I believe it depends on the individual concerned. I’ve seen people who have cushy jobs but cannot leave food and water for 18hrs so pass, yet others who are manual labour workers who work long shifts actually fulfil their committment so depends solely on the individual I suppose..

    On a side note, Hashim Amla hit 311* while fasting against England!

  12. GS says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    “Worky: I think you should give out a prize for “total misunderstanding of an article, and being a pr@ck”. I will even donate the prize – a gold spray painted dildo!”

    GS, you’d end up spending your whole fortune on dildos mate! ;-)

  13. It finishes on the 18th of august this year so there wont really be a problem.

  14. Niaz says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    On a side note, Hashim Amla hit 311* while fasting against England!

    Niaz that was before lunch. Us Brits dont work too well on a empty stomach.

  15. Goerdiedan, you pig ignorant moron, how the hell are you supposed to prevent a topic from becoming religous when the author of the topic states that it would be better if Ba and Cisse buy there abstinence rather than actually abstain, Muslims do this because they have faith in there belief, I personally do not have that type of faith, I was raised a Christian but I am actually an athiest, but others do have there beliefs and rituals, and I respect that, but then I am tolerant and not a rasist, you sad little moron

  16. workyticket says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:39 pm

    GS, you’d end up spending your whole fortune on dildos mate!

    But at least you would have a famous name after your bankruptcy, GS.

  17. All the Muslims I know fast at Ramadan because they want to not because they have to. They see it as a religious and personal challenge.

  18. Niaz says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    “The point of Ramadhan is not to struggle and just to starve yourself, but to come closer to Allah (God). This is achieved through reciting the holy Quran, actions which please the creator, fulfilling the daily prayers etc. With it being one of the five pillars of the religion, its not really something that one should look to excuse oneself from… ”

    Of course it isn’t, Niaz, not just for it’s own sake. However I have always read, and been taught that one of the primary aspects of fasting during Ramadan is to express compassion and empathy for the poor, who at times in theur lives will go hungry not just through religious observance, but through necessity.

    As suggested above in the case of Moe Sbihi, his did not take his decision lightly, and he only did it with the apporoval of a senior Muslim scholar, which was also one of the key points which persuaded me to write this piece in the first place too.

  19. It is so sad to see someone preach tolerance and then in their next breath be intolerant and abusive themselves.

  20. Mick

    i think you are jumping the gun.

    how on earth can worky be racist for commenting on a article in the guardian?

    he said THEY COULD. not THEY SHOULD. you fascist little freak.

    and if you read it carefully, he was saying THEY COULD AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE FOOD THEY WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE TO COVER 60 MEALS PER DAY.

    “I’m also pretty sure that both Ba and Cisse could manage this on a Premiership footballer’s wages too, even under the Mike Ashley austerity regime!”

    at no point does he say THEY SHOULD or HE WANTS THEM TOO.

    he is stating facts on another athlete who is in Team GB, who has instead of fasting, has chosen to give 60 meals per day to poor people.

    either i am on the wrong planet or this deluded little man is reading the wrong blog.

    Mick Mate please dont stop taking the pills for that psychosis of yours.

  21. Who is a senior muslim scholar 2 tell sb nt 2 observe fasting,who gave him that mandate?

  22. mick says:
    July 23, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    “Goerdiedan, you pig ignorant moron”

    mick, there is a name for your condition, it’s called “psychological projection.” Look it up ;-)

    And please learn how to relate to people in a civilsed manner and show some respect. You claim to be been raised as a Christian, though you have obviously missed the point somewhere.

  23. GS.

    i think Mick is the pink hair joker type.

    you know what i mean.

    a few pubes short of a plug hole, a few tiles missing from the roof. a fully thatched roof during a corn field fire.

  24. Who is a senior muslim scholar 2 overturn God’s rulings and tell sb nt 2 observe fasting,who gave him that mandate?

  25. mick>

    A pig ignorant moron am I?

    Or maybe someone not immature enough to embarrass themselves by talking utter bullshit and resorting to name calling?

    Are you a 12 year old perhaps? Is puberty really getting to you?

  26. Who is a senior muslim scholar 2 overturn God’s rulings and tell sb who is as fit as a fiddle nt 2 observe fasting,who gave him that mandate? The so-called senior muslim scholar must read wide.the islam teachings is likened 2 oceans(it is broad

  27. Steven C and Workyticket, what right do you do or I have to tell other poeple how they should or shouldn’t conduct their beliefs or values, we don’t, as a result we have got to respect all even if we disagree with their values, and suggesting that Ramadan could be bought is ignorance of a high degree, assuming that you are both Christian, how would you feel if you were told by a non Christian that you had to work on Christmas day because your boss said it is an insignificant day

  28. @27

    over the last 4 or 5 years there has been so many so called Muslim clerics teaching there own version of events.

    thats why they get deported.

    unfortunately when people claim to know and who claim to be righteous, others still follow even if there grounds are inaccurate.

    you will always get this. no matter what religion you follow, people will always interpret things differently.

  29. @ all.

    Been a passive reader of this blog for a long time but given the context I just feel I had to share my views on this subject.

    @ Stephen C, very well summarized.

    @ Mick, I understand where you are coming from but personally I believe you might have slightly misunderstood Worky and the tone you use does not exactly do justice to the message that you wanted to convey.

    Worky is stating few facts about fasting, however in portraying his research, he might have missed a point or two and if you read between the lines, it might look (whether intentionally or not) as though he is suggesting the Dembas buy off their fasting.

    Few facts to clarify this:
    1. Fasting is compulsory on everyone (of sound mind and health) who has reached the age of maturity,
    2. There are few cases where the person is allowed to skip a fast (pregnancy, menses, severe illness, long travel etc..) However I used the term skip, not exempt. No one is exempt from this compulsory fasting. It means that the one who has skipped a fast during the month of Ramadan for a genuine reason has to replace this fast in another month before the next Ramadaan.
    3. Providing the meal for 60 people fasting is on the following conditions: someone who physically cannot fast any time of the year or someone whose work (a work he cannot survive without) requires too much strenuous activity all year round

    From my perspective, the Dembas do not qualify for that for the following reasons:
    1. They can easily survive without this job. Even with this job if I were in their place I am sure I would be able to negotiate to accommodate ‘work exemptions’ while fasting. Like being on bench, not playing against parent teams when loaned, suspended due to yellow/red cards, on bench due to injury/lack of form, away on international duty etc… The job also can accommodate that. So it’s not like the atheletes don’t have a choice.
    2. The Demba’s are physically fit and healthy enough to fast so even if they miss for a genuine reason, they would still need to replace it.

    The point which is important to highlight is that by allowing this condition of compensating against meals, God is in fact making things easy for those who genuinely do not have the possibility of fasting. It is not a work around that the rich can play with just because they can affort, certainly not. The worse of losers is those who try to cheat in prayers. So even if a rich person decides to travel all month of fasting to escape the fast, he will still have to recover all the fasts before the next Ramadaan.

    I think maybe this is what Mick wanted to point out.

    @ Niaz. As Niaz says, there are people who really do strenuous work but still manage to fast. I even know people personally who have acidity and gas problem all year round but who fast without any problem at all.

    @ all, I have tried to clarify this based on my knowledge and interpretation of fasting in Islam without any intention of prejudice to any party. So apoligies in advance should I have inadvertently touched the sensibilities of any party or should I have shared wrong info.

    Cheers

  30. mick says:
    July 23, 2012 at 9:19 pm
    Steven C and Workyticket, what right do you do or I have to tell other poeple how they should or shouldn’t conduct their beliefs or values, we don’t, as a result we have got to respect all even if we disagree with their values, and suggesting that Ramadan could be bought is ignorance of a high degree, assuming that you are both Christian, how would you feel if you were told by a non Christian that you had to work on Christmas day because your boss said it is an insignificant day

    Mick i think you hit the nail on the head there.

    what right do you have?

  31. What is this joker on about? Any Supermarket in the US is open Christmas Day and there are plenty of Christians working there. Stephen C said he was Christian, I don’t see why he would assume Worky is?

    I also don’t see why I should respect all beliefs. I should be as tolerant as I can be but I do not respect people who want to kill others over a cartoon, for example.

  32. Shameem.
    thanks for your insight.

    im pleased my comments are being taken in the way they were intended to be read.

    i am in no way saying the dembas should escape fasting.

    after all as fans who are we to question what ever great one we share?

    i can understand why some would want the Dembas loyalty to be with NUFC as some people cant rub a cross without spitting on Jesus.

    so i can see why people would expect players like Dambas to give up for the sake of football.

    but those people i cant understand. no loyalty, no compassion and lacking insight in anything but their own deluded beliefs.

    The Lord god gives us every opportunity we have,, every day of ours lives, IMO.

    and no one should shy away from their love of god.

    no matter what Lord you follow.

    Gifts of football are not handed out every day. so one should not distract from the higher power, who IMO put you there.

  33. Ramadan started here in Saudi ont the 20th of July it isparticulary hard for the Muslims for the next few years as it falls over the summer months due t the differences in calendars it moves approx 11 days forward every year and is controlled by the moon cycle. All muslims fit to carry it out is expected to and men with jobs like pilot are allowed to ofset the fast. Also for all non muslims in Saudi Arabia if you eat or smoke in front of a muslim in Saudi you face prosecution loss of your job and deportation. in their country we must observe their rules although at work places are supplied by most companies to allow eating and smoking.http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/respect-ramadan-sentiments-govt-tells-non-muslims

  34. Ah religion! Biggest war machine in the world, bigger than the Americans.

    Abdirahman you said “Ramadhan MUST be observed by all muslims unless one is on the exempted list”
    That’s surely a contradiction? Anyway the only logical conclusion I could draw (thinking factually of course) is that it seems the discus thrower in the linked article doesn’t have that much faith in his ‘God’ if he feels he can’t fast and still be given the strength to perform to his full capabilities. Surely ‘God’ would realise this man has been fasting since he was 12 and cut him some slack this time but still let him perform perfectly? No?

    Imagine that, a make believe person who isn’t real!

    If there was a powerful god in whatever religion, there would be no need to fast to empathise with the poor as a god who loved all his people wouldn’t let people starve, would he? Or she? Oops better not say she because women are second class in most religions.

  35. In amongst all the rubbish there does seem to be some clarity emerging saying that if the Demba’s are devout Muslims they will need to fast during Ramadan. Indeed, Shameem is saying that the Muslim scholar advising Sbihi got it wrong.

    That’s enough theology for me though. What I really care about is whether the Dembas will be fit to play, which was the bloody point of the article in the first place.

  36. Steve C
    Yes I have perhaps hit the nail on the head, I have no right, which is what I was getting at, none of us do, live and let live, if the Demba’s want to fast then its there right to do so, I can only assume that you concede defeat in this debate due to the fact that you totally agree with me

  37. mick says:

    “I can only assume that you concede defeat in this debate due to the fact that you totally agree with me”

    :) :) :)

  38. Hard for the Muslims !!
    Same as for the non Muslims and expatriate workers that actually do the physical graft and don’t get the luxury of a 6 hour day ..

  39. @ Shameem I think you’ve summed up a number of good points there..
    @stephen, who is this list of scholars you refer to? I’m intrigued..

  40. Search for “IDC interview demba Ba” in YouTube. Go to 4:30 and hear what Demba has to say for himself about Ramadan. He says managers always try to find a way for him to avoid it. He says Ramadan is more important to him than football and that he tells the club that he will always do it, if he is not good enough put him on the bench if necessary. He also says that when people see how important it is to him, the club always respect his decision

    In conclusion, there may be numerous possible ways to avoid Ramadan, but Ba will NEVER attempt to exploit them. This is an important part of him and he’s not interested in any possible loopholes etc.

  41. The funny thing about the Bible and other Holy books is that they are so contradictory on every subject that they can back up anybody’s “interpretation”.

    Weren’t the Gospels written 100 years after the death of Jesus? Ancient peoples believed as fervently in Zues and Horace as Christians believe in Jesus today.

    You cannot dispute faith with logic though. The whole point about faith is that it is about faith. You either have it or you don’t.

  42. Shameem and Niaz, there is a lot of ignorance to various religions, I myself will be ignorant to many, what we must do is to tolerate and live together, all of us, Christians, Jews, Muslims and all religions, its now a small world which we should make tolerant to all

  43. And saying because people have faith you shouldn’t question their beliefs is about as simplistic as it gets.

  44. @mick I can’t disagree with you at all. As muslims we try n take it as our duty to inform the world of our religion, whether they then accept is totally their Choice..

    @tempura Hit the nail on the head.

  45. Mick i totally agree with you??????

    it seems my friend you totally agree with me.

    when you read my statements they are clear. a person should be allowed to chose, what he or she does.

    ive said that throughout my statements.

    but you Mick seems to suggest a person can only do what keeps the peace and if a person has an opinion they need to keep it to themselves.

    this article has been ready by all walks of life. including Muslims.

    and they have yet to take offence. like shameem said my interpretation is correct.

    no one here is stating they SHOULD or SHOULD NOT fast.

    they are saying the SHOULD CHOSE THEMSELVES.

    worky has not stated anywhere in his post that he thinks they should. he said said, based on his understanding and reading of certain articles, that there is a way out.
    if that person choses to take it.(write or wrong)

    no one is saying what you are suggesting.

    so when you say im with you on this one?

    you are on your own with what ever you think people are saying.

    unfortunately you seem to have grabbed both ends of the stick and started a fight with the guy holding the other end. i.e. YOU HOLDING ONE STICK FIGHTING WITH YOURSELF.

    just be careful you dont poke your eye out with that thing wont you.

  46. StephenC
    On the contrary I was all for the Demba’s with there beliefs, sorry m8 but I have never suggested that they keep it quiet or to themselves, all I have suggested is that we as humans should tolerate each other, before you or I proceed with this debate can I suggest that you have a look at the original story, which was to try and find a way of getting out of their beliefs

  47. The idiot who wrote this article got the dates wrong.

    Ramadan started on the 20th of July 2012. And that’s the official date… and not 9th July 2012 as the moron suggested. Such a shame that ignorant hacks with internet access can mislead people with their stupid opinions passed off as facts.

  48. StevenC
    please explain

    but you Mick seems to suggest a person can only do what keeps the peace and if a person has an opinion they need to keep it to themselves.

    that is complete and utter rubbish m8

  49. Stephen C: You are Mick’s M8 now. Everything you said must have flown so far over his head it is in space now. And now his friend, Dani M, from the fat tail of the bell curve has joined in.

  50. GS you made a false assumption at the start of this debate and now you have cornered yourself, do me a favour and rather than the usual FO, use my comments as a tool to use against me in a civilised debate, chances are you won’t because you know that I am far to intelligent and if you respond it will be of an offensive manner, a typical ignorant moron, if you are man enough bring it on, I’m waiting

  51. I wonder if mick and Dani M have ever read this blog. If they had they would know that Worky was taking a dig at Lee Ryder about the Ramadan dates.

    The Lee Ryder who went to the John Gibson and Alan Oliver school of journalism and only ever writes puff pieces about NUFC. His match reports are always written in the same style with no originality.

    Every article is just a benal arse-kissing piece of puffery. Never any insight, never any opinion.

    He has a good job though, travel the world writing the same story every week except substituting a few names and score lines and then feed the public every story that comes out of the Sports Direct PR machine.

  52. StevenC you make a lot of good and valid points but then you spoil yourself believing that you are more intelligent that the majority, thats where you let yourself down, ease back and take take people on there merit and not there intelligents, they may not be as clever as you, however I am, and I would happily take you to the cleaners, as I will if you wish to continue with our liaison

  53. Alright, a debate would imply that you had actually said something and not just insulted people followed by asking everybody to be friends.

  54. WORKEY
    Ya sure stirred up a hornets nest there !
    I did notice that no one mentioned that the required fasting lasted from sunrise to sunset, after which in certain Muslim countrys a festive evening usually takes place.
    Often including forms of entertainment.
    Where many different foods are available, Ramadan is not some tortuouse event, more a reminder, to Muslims of the duties required of Muslims in practicing their faith.
    And not only is fasting but abstaining from drinking fluids a requirement, certainly a difficult practice in certain areas, for those performing heavy manual labor, especially those areas surrounding the Persian Gulf, where temperatures during this time of year tend to reach well over 100 fht.
    But to my knowledge there are no exceptions even for those doing manual labor and non Muslims are often requested to abstain from both eating and drinking in the presence of those observing the fast.
    Not that i am any expert on Ramadan or Islam, but solely from experience and observation and a certain amount of
    reading.

  55. To get back to the point.
    I believe for the short period involved, there’s no particular problem for any of our muslim players, a lack of fluids perhaps, but as far as fastng between sunrise and sunset, no problem.

  56. Chuck at 65, very good and unbiased post, this hornets nest was possibly if not probably stirred from myself, I happened to mention that religion and sport should be kept apart, if they are religiuos then we should let them get on with it, see for yourself what has followed

  57. Chuck: I was going to say vipers nest. After a lot of years of thinking about it, my opinion on religion is that I try to accept what people believe as long as they don’t try to hurt people or push it on me.

    I have read people like Sam Harris who think you should counter the religious arguments in everyday life but that is just counterproductive and makes people mad.

    Unfortunately, there is a lot of violence being done in the name of religion, by the US, Britain and extremists.

    Oh for the good old days when the CIA would just go in and put in a puppet government who would surpress all dissent and we wouldn’t have to watch it on CNN.

  58. GS,I totally agree m8, I am not a pushy or a rules freak, but I will not allow politics or religion to be a subject for discussion in our house, too much hassle, look at tonight on this forum, is it worth it, for some yes, for me no, I honestly wish I had shut my gob, its easy too be tolerant, but not if those around you are aggressive

  59. Comic relief had a few good moments, especially Ali G interviewing Posh and Becks. Nothing beats a good dose of mick though:

    “StevenC you make a lot of good and valid points but then you spoil yourself believing that you are more intelligent that the majority, thats where you let yourself down, ease back and take take people on there merit and not there intelligents, they may not be as clever as you, however I am, and I would happily take you to the cleaners, as I will if you wish to continue with our liaison”

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but this gives me renewed faith in the British??? education system.

  60. Well guess the US installing a puppet regime has been a result of inheriting that role from the Brits, who’s forte it was, during the days of having a worldwide empire.
    Plus who else are we gonna sell arms too, not to mention korn flakes, movies, tv shows, or have access to either their oil or mineral wealth, or use to build strategically located bases in ?
    c’mon guys get real !

  61. I’m your m8 now mick? I think you might have misunderstood me, which how you started on this thread with Worky and GeordieDan. I think you deserve 2 “Golden Dongs” today “M8”.

  62. WORKEY
    You can come outta the bunker now that the firing has stopped and the smoke has cleared.

  63. Have you noted the silence from StevenC since I made that post, not a word, and why have you tried to discredit rather than debate, civilised question, so what will you do, wait till the morning when I am at work so you can have an unanswered reply, do you go to the school of cowardise by any chance

  64. Here’s a tip mick, me old m8. Read back through your posts and try not to be abusive or contradict yourself next time.

  65. Here’s a tip GS, read my posts and you will see that I only meet aggression when faced with aggression, I never bring it on, contradict, give an example m8, I have been steadfast from my first post, there are too many people who wrongly assume, thats the mistake, but what can I do about that, all the best, even though you are a right tit I wish you well

  66. poor Mick fighting with the voices in his own head.

    Mick Mate if you fancy a liaison i dont mind mate ;-)

  67. StephenC, we have got off to a bad start, football is about opinions, lets talk foofball, yes or no

  68. mick, mick, mick @80… I gave you an example, all of your posts. Now to include mick @80.

  69. This is hilarious, he insults people, makes no sense, questions people’s “intelligents” :) and now wants to talk football as he “got off to a bad start”.

  70. I work nightshift and as a result I cannot get to sleep on some nights, tonight being one of them, if you are from abroad, lets talk and debate rather than fight, does that sound fair

  71. Mick never at any point in the last few hours have i ever said your views were completely wrong. for the last few hours i have tried my best to guide you to the right outcome on what to expect from worky.

    you dont seem to be a regular here.

    all regulars here know exactly what worky is trying tp say.

    you seems to have got the wrong end of the stick.

    to be honest most of the people in here tonight have been from what i can see an islamic background.

    we have all had our views. but imo saying worky was a racist becasue you misinterpreted him comments was out of order.

    i read the post carefully. i got a completely different out come yet you seem to have jumped the gun.

    ive explained what i think worky was trying to get at. which is imo a valid point.

    it is entirely up to demba ba if he wants to excuse himself from his religion and fasting when he chooses. i dont think anyone in here expects dembas to give up fasting.

    he is entitled to do so without predudice.

    personly i think he should fast if that is what he chooses to do.

    and on that note im off to bed…..again.

  72. GS what is your problem, the only defensive coment from myself has been in self defense, what do you expect ?

  73. mick: I do live abroad but I have no interest in “debating” with some human sub-species just because they are on night shift, so take it somewhere else.

  74. Worky mate: sorry to do that again after last week, but this one was just too easy as he couldn’t even remember what he had said in his previous post.

    Keep up the good work. In the end I think I did learn something. That the Dembas will probably be good to start the season (assuming both are still at NUFC).

  75. GS you try to come over as having a football brain, how would you describe Mathieu Debuchy, what are his strenghts and weaknesses, I have picked an easy subject as he has been in the public eye for a while

  76. Worky, how long have you been running blogs? Don’t say too long, and not much longer :) In your experience, is there a level of stupidity where someone is SO stupid that they don’t realise they are stupid?

  77. Worky is a numpty, he may well be an intelligent man but he does not use his intelligents correcetly, I could spout a load of crap to make a headline, truth is I have actually done it, but this is your job, you must do better, you have an audience, feed them and keep them or go under, your choice

  78. Theres a difference between knowledge and intelligence folks. Intelligent people tend to be very humble about it too.

  79. And still GS is incapable of giving a meaning ful response, dont ask Worky for answers, me and you, you are a dip stick who doesn’t know about football, what would Debuchy bring to us I asked you earlier what reseach have you done on a prominent target, none is the answer, so do yourself a favour and F–K Right o–, YOU ARE A MORON WHO IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH, GET OVER IT, FOOL

  80. Dear me, it looks like ya m8 has abandanded you, you are on your own, just where I wanted you, bring it on gob shite, I await with anticipation, I am going to love this

  81. Help, when you are in a hole the answer is to stop digging. This has to be a wind up, right.

    I know I am just making it worse.

    I believe in the theory of evolution for the most part. However, I am being proved wrong today. I always thought cro-magnon man’s fingures were too fat too type.

  82. WORKY, I know you are still up because you never sleep. I was trying to think of that youtube clip last week @99 as the perfect put down. You should at least look at that even if the rest of this pushes you over the edge

  83. And still there are no facts, GS be a man and admit deafeat, you have lost it m8, all you have is insults which is deafeatist, give it up and accept your rightful place of being second to me ?

  84. All I have to say from reading this is…Mick ur definately not a tolerant person if you blow up out of nowhere…it’s ashame your more defensive than the people that actually practice this religion

  85. Alright again, if I talk to you about NUFC it might give someone the impression that I care about your opinion.

    As to being second best to you :) :) :) I was thinking about getting a pet sea slug and they wouldn’t even be second best to you.

  86. mick, who wants to debate and wants to be taken seriously says to me @100:

    “so do yourself a favour and F–K Right o–, YOU ARE A MORON WHO IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH, GET OVER IT, FOOL”

  87. Magpie, your possibly right m8, I do not tolerate abuse of any sort, whether it be sex, age, religion or race, if I am wrong then I apologise, but I would like too see witnesses who contradict my views.
    Would I practise what I preach, meaning that I would hit them before they hit me, yes I would, and as hard as I could, hopefully that wont happen

  88. Look at posts 100 and 109. You can’t just forget what you said 30 minutes ago and act like it doesn’t exist.

    You said @110:

    “I do not tolerate abuse of any sort, whether it be sex, age, religion or race,”

    No, but personal abuse is OK, is it?

  89. GS, your m8’s have gone to bed, your on your own, your in the mans league now, please step up and be a man, I have been waiying for you

  90. What do I have to do to ridicule you anymore? I compare thee to a sea slug, cro-magnan man, mentally challenged, insult you with some of the best movie put-downs of all time. I say I won’t discuss NUFC with you because I don’t respect your opinion.

    It must have all gone over your head as Stephen C’s stuff did earlier.

    In spaceships they wont understand you.

  91. Gs, where did I say that personel abuse was ok and what personal abuse have I give, self defence is not personel abuse, its acceptiple by law, so what meaningless point are you making, do you really expect me to real out every offence in the British Judicial law just to prove a point

  92. WORKY, WORKY, WORKY: it is late at night and nobody is going to read this last few hours of shite when you put the next article on. I’ve seen you like a dog with a bone sometimes. I’ve said stupid stuff in the past just to get a reaction, so maybe Mick is OK. I doubt it though.

  93. But the only opinions that count are the one’s you can’t give, due to a knowledge that I will enbarass you, football and common sense

  94. mick @114: what are you talking about?

    You said to me @100:

    “so do yourself a favour and F–K Right o–, YOU ARE A MORON WHO IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH, GET OVER IT, FOOL”

    that is not personal abuse?

  95. Mick @116, no it is not. I have said I do not respect your opinion because you have written such contradictory and abusive rubbish. So, I will talk to you about the problems you have expressing yourself properly and the deluded sense of self that you have.

  96. Mick: I have watched Jeremy Kyle by the way, so I do know what you are like and I have a therapist on call once the DNA tests come back.

  97. I finally shut you up Mickey Boy, except for the abusive last post you will undoubtedly send.

  98. GS, putting the bullshit to one side, between us as well, basically all I have said is that sport and religion should be kept apart, what is wrong with that, I accknowledge that you yourself did not critisize either Ba or Cisse, but as you will be aware many have, for me me those who critisize are in the wrong.
    Now could you please explain why I am contradictory, deluded and written abusive rubbish

  99. You can’t backtrack and try to be nice. I have quoted you a few times on what you said that was abusive and you have contradicted yourself from one post to the next almost every time.

    If you cannot see that, you are every bit as stupid as I think you are. So we are clear, that was a personal insult.

  100. I am not back tracking, where was the contradiction, I admit that I have had a few drinks, butplease tell me where the big contradiction was

  101. You picked a fight from the start and then tried to tell people about your “intelligents” and then moved on to a bit of calling people morons etc., now there is a bit of contrition. Do you really want me to elaborate because all I would have to do is put all your posts, one after the other, in one continuous post.

  102. Look bonny lad, I am not lookiing for a fight,I have lost too many too go looking for them now, I am nufc supporter, and I am proud of the team I support, you have mentioned a few quotes which I have supposedly made, mention the quotes, or apologise and we can and wil call it quites

  103. Apologise? You are so funny. No wonder you have lost a lot of fights “bonny lad”. I am from Newcastle and I know what that means.

  104. We’re having internet fights here :) I am in Chicago Mike, you want to come over for a fight? It would be in keeping with what you have said tonight BONNY LAD.

  105. Excuse me, I made the auther aware that the vibe could and would be a bone of contention for those of a rasist tendency, that did not transpire thankfully without any violence to my knowledge, but does that make it wrong, I did not pick a fight, I was guilty of perhaps being over caustious, but is that a crime

  106. Worky, mike didn’t seem that drunk when he started 8 hours ago. Now he is using it as an excuse. I’ve done that before, so what the F2ck.

  107. Keep your crimerate to yourselves, as far as we are concerned you can keep it, do not judge us my your own crime rate, most would try to hide it, but then most do have a degree of intelligents, sadly you don’t

  108. Mikey, I don’t live in the area where the crime is. For the last time it is “intelligence”!!! It totally defeats the purpose of you questioning someone’s “intelligents” when you can’t even f@cking spell it.

  109. Mikey @3

    “How dare you, I myself am not a Muslim but I would not dare suggest to my Muslim friends that there beliefs could be bought, which is what you are suggesting, we then get bewilderment from ignorant people such as yourself who are aghast at any animosity which occurs through ignorant comments which Christians such as yourself make, by the way I was raised as a Christian myself, but I am a tolerant Christian, not a rasist one as you have portrayed yourself as being”

    All over the place Mikey, I cant even tell what you mean or if you even are “intelligents”.

  110. You don;t live in the area where the crime is, the stadium is in the city centre, that statement sounds very American, or from a foreign country, I live 20 minuetes from the stadium and I have 2 season tickets, but your claim to fame will be I had a chat with a season ticket holder, you sad man, or woman

  111. I apologise for that last statement, whether home or abroad or with or without a season ticket, all NUFC fans have an equall rank, we are all the life blood of the club, no matter how far away you live, sorry for what I posted beforehand

  112. Now you might be sobering up Mikey, have a look at what you said @135 and guess why other people might have said a few unkind words to you.

  113. This is absolutely amazing. I can watch a Newcastle pre-season game live from Faro, Portugal on a Tablet in a Chicago Bar on Friday afternoon. I remember having to wait until Sunday afternoon to watch “Shoot” was it, on ITV with Kenneth Wilsonholme commentating.

    On another note. 30,000 people turned up to watch Toronto play Liverpool on the weekend. Liverpool basically sent out a reserve team for the first half and a youth team for the second half. That’s not right.

    I know they had a lot of players at the Euros, but it is still not right.

  114. Interesting news now that Newcastle are in the hunt for reme from Marseille. with him and carroll in interest which one do they go for? bringing in two would be a dream but it would cost to much but, now that remy is on the books would rather have him than carroll.

  115. MICK and GS
    You two sound like you were made for each other, kinda reminds me of the octagenerian couples i often see on NYC busses, who by this stage are only kept to-gether by the ability to have someone to bicker with.
    Lighten up guys !

  116. Chuck and Worky: I have no problem with anything I wrote. Sometimes blogs may not contain the most scintilating coversation (Chuck, you would know about that) but they are what they are.

  117. Worky: there is usually nothing said during the night, so even my shite is a change from that :)

  118. And you have to realise that I was dealing with someone who couldn’t put a coherent sentence together and forgot what he wrote 5 minutes before :) My fault for even talking to him.

  119. I find it funny that septuagenarians are now slagging off octogenarians :) haven’t you heard, 80 is the new 70.

  120. There’s a thunderstorm here in Chicago and my dog doesn’t want to go out. I tried to explain to him that I don’t make the weather Basil, but he just doesn’t get it.

  121. You know Chuck, I try to not be a jerk but you have an attitude that you are the only one that can be grumpy and cynical. You are very good at it. The rest of us may also have bad days sometimes. However, as I think I may have said to someone else, my worst days are probably better than your best days because I don’t always look for negatives.

  122. I’ve just added a postcript to this piece about how German Muslim players have been advised by the Muslim Council of Germany that they may defer their fasting to times where there are no games, along with a statement by the Chairman of the Council, Aiman ​​A. Mazyek, which says:

    “The professional player can make up the fasting days during periods when there is no match and in that way show his respect for God and the holy month of Ramadan.”

  123. Well that provided a bit of entertainment on a train ride.

    That Mick lad completely missed the point and spent an entire evening trying to dig himself out of a hole. Very intelligent.

  124. GS
    It’s a case of either you get what i say or you dont.
    Most of what i say is toungue in cheek, but as i refuse to use those dumb-ass smiley faces then……
    In other words most of my non football posts are more figurative than literal.
    As in 72-74-146, hey Workey gets it !

  125. GS says:
    July 24, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    “Chuck and Worky: I have no problem with anything I wrote.”

    GS, perhaps you should heed the wise words of Cockney sages who often say:

    “Leave it! Leave it! It ain’t wurf it mate, it ain’t wurf it!” ;-)

  126. Worky @157: As the great Pedro would say – obviously. The hardest thing on a blog is when someone says something to you personally and to not respond. I think it is some deep seated psychological thing. That’s why I just had a lash out at Chuck.

  127. GS
    Eighty is the new seventy ?
    Surely you mean the new sixty, i would,nt want those guys getting on my case about that, especially if you have heard how they bicker.

    WORKEY
    Figured there was a reason for your absence, been scanning the globe to find something with a bit of substance to back up your original statement i see.
    Hey it’s ok to be allmost right sometimes.
    Truth is Islam is not unlike Christianity, with different strokes for different folks, just a bit more
    dogmatic.

  128. Worky: you should put in for Lee Ryder’s job. How can someone be so bad and still be employed? Lost in the middle of late night boring talk I did say something about Lee.

  129. GS
    What Workey sez is true, guy was a whack job and unfortunately, you end up looking as bad as each other, by continuing to bicker.
    But all is not lost , it’s good practice for when you become an octagenarian, or even a septagerian yet!

  130. The other thing about blogs is that they tend to be populated by smart arses like myself. So, when you get a bunch of smart arses together there is a propensity for misunderstandings.

  131. chuck says:
    July 24, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    “WORKEY
    Figured there was a reason for your absence, been scanning the globe to find something with a bit of substance to back up your original statement i see.”

    I was in Enfield, Chuck.

  132. I don’t have a problem with you Chuck and I am sure you don’t care if I do. Just knee jerk stuff that I sometimes do :) I do smileys now!!!

  133. Worky: as I said a week ago, I will write an article for this blog if you want. My tentative titles are:

    Does God hate Newcastle United?

    Malcolm McDonald – Lord knows you are miserable now.

    Lindsay Lohan – I would tap that, even though she is a bit of a nutter.

    Lucien Freud – I may not understnd art, but I understand what I don’t like

  134. I forgot to mention earlier that the two next friendlies in Portugal will both be live on ESPN in the UK, and I finally updated the “NUFC televised fixtures” section on the right side sidebar of the site.

  135. Bit like watching a boring tennis match tonight on the blog with all that wasted and pointless angst.

    Was going to comment last last about Ramadan fasting being dawn to dusk but Chuck had already made the point. Not trying to insult anyone but I can’t see it as a fast. I have done 3 day fasting in the past drinking only water, they what I would call fasts and even then only a minor ones!

    NUFC337, I saw the Remi rumour and £15m was being quoted, somehow I don’t see that as a starter.

    I’m fairly happy with our squad as it stands although another r/def is probably our one big need. Especially if we can’t hang on to Simpson, thought he might have got a pick for the Olympic squad, seems like the NE still aint in the selectors or in this case Stuart Pearces eyes.
    I starting writing this at 5pm and had another mini crisis to deal with, blocked drain at my sons house.

    I am busier since I retired than I have ever been! :)

  136. Grumpy Old-Toon says:
    July 24, 2012 at 7:18 pm

    “Was going to comment last last about Ramadan fasting being dawn to dusk but Chuck had already made the point. Not trying to insult anyone but I can’t see it as a fast. I have done 3 day fasting in the past drinking only water, they what I would call fasts and even then only a minor ones!”

    Personally, it would be nee botha for me, Grumpy. I hardly ever eat during the day anyway. My stomach’s a right Diva nowadays and I’ll never trouble Weight Watchers!

  137. S.C. Braga v Newcastle, Friday, 27th July, 2011, 8:45pm, ESPN.
    Olympiacos v Newcastle, Friday, 27th July, 2012, 8:45pm, ESPN.

    Confused. 2011? Same dates? Typo or am I stupid?

  138. Yo maze,

    It’s Friday and Saturday or at least I hope it is as I’m planning a weeks holiday starting Friday :)

  139. “What is billed as the XII Trofeo Guadiana gets underway on Thursday night when Olympiakos and SC Braga face each other at the same venue – the latter side replacing FC Porto after their withdrawal from the competition.

    It’s then Newcastle’s turn to play the reigning Greek League champions on Friday night (8.45pm local time – which is the same as BST). ESPN will televise both this and the Braga game the following night (also 8.45pm)”

  140. I’ve changed them all since then. Sorry. I’ve been rather mistake prone since yesterday evening. Hopefully, it will wear off soon.

  141. Hey Workey, dispute all the turmoil this post caused I thought it was great. You got some individuals involved who have never really commented, the majority of which was well reasoned & conducive for debate…shame it got hijacked. It’s important to question the consensus/establishment & this forum has always done it exceptionally well. Rare to see.

  142. All the frenzied transfer speculation to sell papers is misplaced in my view. We need depth, but it is hard to see who we could bring in to displace any of our team.

    Debuchy, as the current French right back would be nice, but Simpson is more than adequate. Carroll would be nice but is not a necessity if we keep Ba and Cisse.

    If we can keep this team together we will be fine I think. You have to remember that some key players – Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Krul have very little premier league experience.

    Whenever I read blogs everybody is always wanting to bump Jonas from the team. It is weird because he plays almost every game and Pardew always finds a way to get him on the pitch, whether as a winger, left back or defensive midfield. That says something.

    What I am saying is that some time to get used to each other may pay off this season and we don’t need much to move forward. Look at Chelsea, they buy Lukaku for 18 mil and loan him to Fulham after a year, what’s the point?

    Plus I think Sammy is going to be a star.

  143. @GS I’d be more inclined to agree with you if we weren’t stretched by europe & our strikers didn’t disappear for ACN.

  144. Sammy J: Good point, except Senegal hopefully won’t qualify. I would like us to sign a couple of players, but the good thing is that they will have to be very high quality to displace who we already have.

    Chelsea are going to be so much better this year, we will do very well to finish top 6. They have a new manager though and hopefully Liverpool and Spurs take time to adjust to their new systems.

  145. I thought I might be able to talk that guy around last night, but realised there is no fixing stupid.

  146. Has anybody ever been to Faro? I have, it is like transporting Torquay to Portugal. And the developers absolutely ruined the coastline. Still better than the Canary Islands which is like transporting Blackpool to Spain. They had like old time working man’s club turns there when I went about 4 years ago to meet me mam.

  147. Sammy J says:
    July 24, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    “Hey Workey, dispute all the turmoil this post caused I thought it was great.”

    Thanks Sammy J.

    I actually made a real hash of it and feel ashamed of it. I rushed it and didn’t check it properly because I had to go out yesterday evening. It could have saved alot of aggro!

    For a start I forgot to put the link in for one of the two sources I was using to support my assertion about Mohammed Sbihi feeding sixty poor people a day instead of fasting. As well as obtaining the consent of senior Muslim clerics in Morocco, he also used the Qur’an itself to support his actions, as well as a precedent for it in Morocco itself.

    “It says in the Koran that for every day you break fast intentionally without due cause you have to fast 30 days or feed 60 people,”

    It actually says it in the Hadith (the collection of statements on the teachings and actions of the Prophet):

    “A person came to our master the Prophet and said, ‘O the Messenger of Allah, I am ruined.’ Our master the Prophet asked what happened. He said that he had broken the Ramadan fast intentionally. Our master the Prophet told him to free a slave. When he said that he had no slave, he ordered him to fast for two months incessantly. When he said that he was unable to do so, he told him to feed poor people.”

    Therefore, Islamic scholars state that one who breaks, without justification, the fast for which one made intention at night must manumit (release) a slave. If it is not possible, one must fast for 60 consecutive days. If it is not possible either, one must feed 60 poor people.

    I also didn’t say anything about the precedent from Central Council of Muslims in Germany, who advise Muslim players in the Bundesliga that they may defer their fasting to times where there are no games.

    In hindsight I wish I could do it over again.

  148. Back on the football though, I still can’t find any evidence of Ashley putting in any realistic bids for any players apart from the bairns which have been brought in. The only one which aren’t just hearsay are joke bids of slightly under £4 million for a full back who is rated as being worth over double that (Debuchy £9-10 million) and a bid for Douglas of £3.1 million (estimated value £7-8 million).

  149. Worky, you are beating yourself up about something that would never be perfect in some people’s eyes. Whatever you write about religion, somebody would have something to say about it and get offended.

  150. My mind changes about Ashley every day. Sometimes I think he knows what he doing, sometimes I think he got lucky and sometimes I think he is fattening up NUFC for sale. I would hate to have his competition though, some with almost limitless resources.

    In the end it boils down to the team and I quite like the look of our team.

  151. WORKEY
    One of the reasons Muslims learn to read the Kur’an in Arabic is to avoid any errors of translation.
    Sort of like reading The Venerable Bede’s history of the sixth century or Chaucers Cantebury Tales for English speakers, i would imagine.
    Even the King James version of the bible, almost a foreign language to most.
    Anyhow interesting to see you are capeable of reading the kur’an in it’s original form.

  152. GS
    It should be apparent, the guy is ruthless (Ashley) and to paraphrase Llambias’ statement about he and Ashley, “you dont know how horrible we can be”!
    And sure it’s undeniable he is a hard nosed businessman, But he is certainly not infallible, that we also know.
    Puts his pants on like most of us, one leg at a time.

  153. I tend to think, Ashley has reached an understanding that NUFC can become a whole lot more prominent in the publics eye, as a successful side rather than a Stoke or West Brom,who are for the most part, mid league plodders.
    Therefore they can be a more effective advertising force for his main business,”Sports Direct”
    That and a bit of ego, is no doubt spurring him to spend money in order to make money.
    With each tv contract the EPL increases it’s revenues in leaps and bounds, which has not escaped the notice of our increasing amount of foreign owners.
    Who believe in most cases that clubs can actually be profitable, of course in the case of certain fabulously rich owners it could be a place to park their fortunes and stroke their egos.
    My point is i believe Ashley considers NUFC to be not only an advertising adjunct to Sports Direct, but also a money making enterprise in it’s own right and if so, also an ego stroker as a successful side.
    Whadda ya think ?