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Talk:South Sydney Rabbitohs

older entries
The original page is involved in a copywright dispute so I moved all the material that was not disputed here as it was not fair for other people to have their work deleted.GordyB 11:27, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)

If you're not going to tell us anything at all about the club's history, will you at least provide a link that will?

suburb?
what suburb are they based in? -- Astrokey44 |talk 11:45, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
 * The League's Club is in Redfern. They are from and still train at Redfern Oval. Dankru 05:17, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

The ownership structure of South Sydney is not "unique" as this article claims it is. The structure is virtually copied from the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles model with only minor variations. (UTC)

"Pride of the League"
Not once have I heard Souths referred to under this nickname, apart from Rabbitohs fans themselves. If someone is able to find a source such as a newspaper article where they are in fact referred to under this name and use it under references, I'll leave the nickname in the header. Otherwise I don't see why it should be kept in the article at all, unless it is moved elsewhere to somewhere more appropriate such as a reference to fans, etc. --mdmanser 07:35, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

 * Souths are referred to as the "Pride of the League" on the Sydney Olympic Park website:
 * http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/Home_of_sport/home_teams/south_sydney_rabbitohs

 * The late Offical Historian of the South Sydney Rugby League Football Club, Mr Tom Brock, collaborated with Ian Heads in the writing of the official history of Souths, "South Sydney, Pride of the League", published in 1994. This is mentioned in Mr Brocks's biography:
 * http://www.sporthistory.org/TomBrockbio.htm

 * Also see the mention of "Pride of the League" under the heading of 'The History of the Rabbitohs and the Indigenous Community - By Ian Heads' on this page from the official Souths website:
 * http://www.souths.com.au/fanzone/viewnewsarticle.asp?ArticleID=1639

 * See also the heading of the Rabbitos Radio site:
 * http://www.rabbitohsradio.com/news.html

 * See also this the bottom of this page from the Tigers webite where its mentioned: "In 1925,South Sydney was dubbed 'The Pride of the League' and the Rabbitohs are known as this to this day."
 * http://www.thetigers.com.au/South%20Sydney%20Link.html

--Sattlersjaw 06:12, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

LOL@SOUFFS!

Edit: Serious question Sattler - when will South Sydney stop being so crap and actually become competitive again? I mean, do you invisage ANY form of success in the next 40-50 years?

 * How about you let us all know once you have gazed into your crystal ball.--Sattlersjaw 01:31, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Famous fans
Please see South's 2007 Corporate Partnership Brochure - on page 16 there is a photo of Shane Warne with his own personalised South's jersey, and on page 17 there is a photo of Tom Cruise (wearing a South's scarf) at a South's game with Russell Crowe:

http://www.souths.com.au/sponsors/Brochure_2007.pdf

 * How about a list of famous fans in the "Supporters" section. Ray Martin, Mikey Robins, Russell Crowe and Andrew Denton come to mind, and I know there are numerous others.--Jeff79 (talk) 03:37, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Major Overhaul
Since the Sydney Roosters article is now featured, I figured I'd go on and help promote another National Rugby League team article to the same position. Given that there was already a lot of information on this page that seemed of good quality, I thought I'd give this one a go. So far I've done quite a bit to consolidate the history section, move around a few other sections and add in an honours section (see history for a summary). If some of you guys, such as Sattlersjaw, can find a few references and put them into the article, I'll help you guys finish this article thoroughly. Cheers, and all the best, mdmanser 08:40, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

 * Thanks for helping to improve this article. I have added some relevant citations and references, a brief section on stats and records, changed some headings and made some other minor edits. Any further suggestions to improve the article are most welcome. It would great if this article can eventually be of a quality to get featured status as well. Sattlersjaw 05:02, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

 * Yeah I'll do some more work on the existing sections to give them the same feel as their corresponding ones on the Sydney Roosters page. I'll also expand the records section and hopefully do some more research on the stadium section too. But as you might figure out, my weakness would be locating references relevant to the club (as a Roosters fan I had no trouble doing it on that page). But I have to say, this article won't need much more work to get it to a featured standard compared to other club pages given the amount of work you've already put into it. That'll definitely help speed things up towards promotion. --mdmanser 07:58, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Removed Text From Page
I've removed a couple of news-related sections, but I'll paste them here in case they may be used in the future:

Alliance with North Sydney Bears
On the 28th July, 2006 it was announced that the Rabbitohs had formed an alliance with former first grade foundation club the North Sydney Bears. Under the agreement the North Sydney Bears will act as the Rabbitohs’ feeder Club in the NSW Rugby League Premier League competition, allowing the Bears access to players contracted to the Rabbitohs who haven’t been selected in the NRL side.

North Sydney Bears General Manager Greg Florimo was quoted saying “We’re very excited to be involved with the Rabbitohs, particularly looking at the moves Souths have made recently, the move to privatisation and the strong recruitment drive that has taken place are very positive moves and we’re looking forward to being a part of the future.”

Alliance with Brisbane Eastern Suburbs Tigers
On the same date a further alliance was also announced withn Queensland Cup Club Brisbane Eastern Suburbs Tigers. Rabbitohs CEO Shane Richardson stated in relation to this alliance: "There is a wealth of talent in Queensland and we are looking forward to working with Easts in Brisbane in identifying the players we want to come through the ranks and play with our South Sydney junior players at the Rabbitohs in future years... these alliances we have formed will allow us to compete with other NRL Clubs that have established ties in the Queensland market."

Sponsorship
On 19 December 2006, Members Equity Bank was announced as the club's major membership sponsor for the next 3 years. This is the first ever dedicated membership sponsorship in the NRL.

On 8 February 2007, it was announced that Virgin Blue has signed a two year sponsorship deal with the Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs are the first rugby league team Virgin Blue has sponsored.

Privatisation of the Football Club
Russell Crowe the Hollywood actor, has been a fervent Rabbitohs supporter for years, helping the club during their exile from the NRL. He has been criticised at times for an over-involvement suggested by his attempts to speak to the team during half-time. When Sydney Rugby League reporter Danny Weidler asked him why he did not buy the club, Crowe initially answered that there would be too many issues. However he and Peter Holmes à Court eventually tabled a bid worth $3 million. This was bitterly resisted by former football club chairman George Piggins who thought the bid insufficient. During an extraordinary general meeting of members on 19 March 2006, the pair won the necessary 75% of the vote.

The club was officially handed over to Peter Holmes à Court and Russell Crowe on 7 June 2006. Holmes à Court and Crowe own 75% of the football club through Blackcourt League Investments. The football club members own the remaining 25% of shares through the South Sydney Members Rugby League Football Club.

The privatisation is partial only and the broad membership retains full rights and effective control over such items as:

 * club name ("South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club") and nickname ("Rabbitohs");
 * rabbit logos;
 * team colours;
 * home ground being a venue within the South Sydney District (excluding Telstra Stadium);
 * team song;
 * entry into a merger, joint venture, amalgamation or any similar form of arrangement with any other rugby league club;
 * any decision to publicly list the share capital of the South Sydney Rabbitohs on the stock exchange.

None of the above items can be changed or implemented without the approval of at least 75% of the club membership.

Through these above arrangements Holmes à Court and Crowe have effectively gained management control over the club whilst members in have been vested with true protection and control over the club's key heritage elements.

The Football Club is now united and moving forward under this unique ownership arrangement.

Redevelopment of the Leagues Club
On 29 November 2006 the South Sydney Football Club was successful in its proposal for the South Sydney Leagues Club (which had previously been in voluntary administration), with Leagues Club members approving the Football Club's $13.1 million plans for the Leagues Club's redevelopment by winning an overwhelming 67% of the primary vote.

This ensures that the Leagues Club would remain at its current location in Redfern, be totally redeveloped with new Football Club offices, a Hall of Fame, state-of-the-art gymnasium and with new retail and commercial businesses operating from its premises. The successful proposal further ensures that the Leagues Club would be left debt free and with substantial cash reserves. Private property group and Rabbitohs sponsor Trivest has subsequently formed a joint company with Souths to redevelop the South Sydney Leagues Club, with the deal valued at $35 million.

This would turn the financial fortunes of the Leagues Club around so as to put it in a position were it can meet its charter of providing ongoing annual funding to the Football Club (something the Leagues Club has not provided for the last 20 years).

Suggestions
This is a very good article already - and, comparing it with Sydney Roosters there's not a lot that I can see that needs to be done aside from a thorough copy-edit and link check (the external citation link in fn 14 isn't working for example). However, I have a few random suggestions:

 * The famous fans in the Supporters section needs to be thinned out a bit more. I still think a few of the famous fans listed are pretty spurious (being present a single game and/or being a friend of Russell Crowe and hanging out with him at Telstra Stadium one night while in Sydney promoting your new album/film dosen't qualify someone as a Supporter).
 * I realise the Club Song is in the separate History article (as it is in the Roosters articles) but I don't really understand why this is the case - shouldn't it be in here with a broad overview of the club's supporter culture? Seems out of place in the history article.
 * Should the section on Privatisation and the Leagues Club be incorporated into the History section as subsections? Or perhaps the Privatisation section could be renamed 'Ownership' or 'Governance'?  Also, what does this mean:
 * "broad membership retains full rights and effective control over such items as... home ground being a venue within the South Sydney District (excluding Telstra Stadium)."

Does this mean the membership retains control over where Souths play their home games? CumberlandsAshes81 22:48, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Don't we have a better picture of Aussie Stadium than the Waratahs one?
 * Some good points there:
 * In response - (i) external citiation in fn 14 has been fixed. Maybe someone else can also do a thorough copy-edit and link check as someting else may have been missed. (ii) yeah, some of the fans are probably just friends/associates of Russell who aren't "real" supporters - Tom Cruise and Snoop Dog (both now removed) are the most obvious. (iii) Agree club song appears out of place in History article. Not sure where it should really be shown. (iv) Re privatisation, the membership does in fact retain control as to the venue for home games (excluding Telstra Stadium and a couple of games at Gosford per year). The venue has to be within the South Sydney district unless 75% of the membership decides otherwise. Whilst Telstra Stadium is the home ground this won't be an issue as Telstra is specifically exempted.

Sattlersjaw 03:19, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Good changes, Sattler -- The supporters section seems right now (no entries that will raise eyebrows). OK - in terms of the 'power' of the membership to mandate the home ground be in the Southern Districts - does this mean that the power invested in the membership to do so will only be exercisable when the current agreement with Telstra Stadium expires?  When does that agreement expire? Or does the fact that Telstra is exempted from the power mean that the power is, in fact, useless, while ever management wants to play there?  I'd like to see a pic of Redfern Oval (obviously it's currently a vacant paddock) or an 'artists impression' of the new ground - I know there are a few floating around of both the future and past versions on the net (not sure if any of them are public domain - maybe Sydney City Council has some public domain ones) CumberlandsAshes81 13:57, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I believe the Telstra deal expires at the end of 2008. Unless the Telstra agreement is extended for a further period, I understand that Souths will look at moving back to Aussie Stadium. Since playing at Telstra is specifically excluded from the members' right to mandate a home ground, then the members' consent to play at another ground would only be relevant if (1) the ground is not Telstra Stadium, and (2) the ground is outside the South Sydney district. Currently within the South Sydney district the only viable home grounds for NRL games would be Aussie Stadium or the Sydney Cricket Ground. The revamped Redfern Oval would be too small in terms of ground capacity (around 12,000). So when the Telstra deals expires, if Souths plan to play their home games anywhere else other than Telstra, Aussie or the SCG, then 75% of the memberships approval would be needed before this could happen. Unfortunately the Redfern Oval pics on the City of Sydney website are copyrighted and need the CSC'c consent to be reproduced.Sattlersjaw 04:57, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

 * I remember all the shenanigans with the outfits from 78 onwards (78 was a minirevival - I think Darrell Bampton was captain and they started wearing green shorts, but as a Doggies supporter I never paid it too much attention...........we need some refs for this bitcheers, Casliber | talk  |  contribs 09:22, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

FA nomination?
I don't really know how it works but when is it planned to nominate this article for FA class? I'm not really sure what else can be added. I would say more pictures but it is practically impossible to find any that we have permission to use, let alone remain undeleted as a result of a ruthless interpretation of the Fair Use policy. CumberlandsAshes81 04:41, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

 * I'm pretty sure there is a History of Souths book that would be worth looking at. looks a bit thin on the inline refs side of things (not saying that any FA reviewer would resort to inlinerefcoutitis but then again..........) I might hav a look for the book in hte next week or so. cheers, Casliber | talk  |  contribs 06:18, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

I was asking mdmanser this very question just now and thought his response might be worth posting here Sticks66 14:01, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Well I have to say it's looking fantastic. Sattlersjaw has done a great job throwing those citations into the article - that part should pass the FA department. But if I had to make any comments it would be that the Culture and Statistics section need to get rid of the subheadings like that. I would think split the Culture section and make the Statistics section into mroe consolidated paragraphs like you see at Sydney Roosters. Small things like that cause a big uproar at WP:FAC. I wouldn't nominate it just yet because Sattlersjaw looks busy updating a few things, but it looks presentable. One more thing - we need an independent copyeditor to get the grammar and prose up to top standards - the guy who helped me on the Roosters article may accept another invitation if I ask him to help out. Keep in touch with me and Sattlersjaw as things progress. All the best. --mdmanser 13:18, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

I know what he's talking about with the sub-headings in Stats. The Roosters similar section flows much better. I put those sub-headers Points etc in Souths article so will remove and see if it reads better. I wonder if sattlersjaw you agree with md on that same issue with regard to the Culture and Tradition ? Or you CumberlandsAshes81Sticks66 14:01, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Hi Guys, I agree and have made the necessary changes to remove the subheadings and split what was there into separate sections.

Sattlersjaw 22:41, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

FA Londo06 22:50, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Only club excluded?
Sorry to be a pain but I think this is incorrect: "...in 1998 and a 14-team competition by 2000, South Sydney were the sole club from 15 applicants to be cut from the premiership at the end of the 1999 season." There were three classes of criteria that clubs needed to meet in order to take one of the 14 licenses: 'basic criteria', 'qualifying criteria' (which provided licenses to the one-team city clubs) and the 'selection criteria' which was applied to the remaining 10 applying clubs. While it is true that Souths were the only team out of the final 10 to miss out on a license based on the 'selection criteria',North Sydney Bears had already been exlcuded based on the first criteria (solvency). This is why when the Northern Eagles folded the license reverted to Manly whose license the Northern Eagles were using. So, it should be '16 applicants' and 'both Souths and Norths being excluded'. CumberlandsAshes81 11:55, 21 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I have changed the sentence to refect this better - though the sentence now seems a bit long and clumsy. What do you think? You are welcome to stream-line it so that it reads better.

Sattlersjaw 13:09, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Opposed 5May07 as anFA
Copied below the support/oppose comments from that saw the article considered but fail as an FA; posted here since you otherwise have to go to Featured article candidates page to see them Sticks66 13:55, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

A concise, accurate, comprehensive and well-written article that is thoroughly referenced and which I believe meets FA requirements. Sattlersjaw 00:30, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Oppose The logos lack Fair Use Rationales, and the second logo looks like it was sketched on paint. Also many words are linked multiple times (Eric Simms for example is linked five times, three of them in the same section), the rivalries section is very short and the statistics section is nothing but lots of one line paragraphs full of numbers without providing any context for them, and the line "The Rabbitohs have won the most first grade premierships, 20 in all. They have also won the most reserve grade premierships, again 20." feels quite oddly written. Laïka  07:09, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

 * ✅, Have added Fair Use rationale to both logos. Have removed multiple player and club links to their respective Wiki pages from the body of the article. Have rearranged and slightly revised the Statistics and Records section to put some context behind the club and individual player achievements shown. Have revised the abovementioned sentences in relation to first and reserve grade premierships so as not to make their reading feel "odd". Sattlersjaw 11:37, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Reply. Will also look at expanding rivalries section. Sattlersjaw 11:37, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
 * ✅, Rivalries section has been expanded.
 * Object. The fair use rationale on Image:South Sydney Rabbitohs logo.jpg is not sufficient and is not article specific. Also, please remove it from your user page, as images claimed under fair use are for the article space only. I do not understand why Image:Minties jersey.jpg is historically significant, and am not convinced it qualifies for fair use in this article.  Pagra shtak  16:33, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Reply. (1) ✅ The fair use rationale (now updated and expanded) is at the very least the same (if not more comprehensive) as for the logos in articles for other NRL clubs including that of the Sydney Roosters (which is a featured article) and the Brisbane Broncos (which is a candidate for featured article status). (2) ✅ I would have thought that the logo would be specific and relevant to articles on the South Sydney Rabbitohs club and related articles on its history, its team/players and its honours and achievements. However, I have removed it from the other related club articles and left it only on the main club article page (South Sydney Rabbitohs) for the purpose of meeting fair use rationale. (3) ✅ Logo removed from user page as requested. (4) The so-called "minities" jersey is historically significant as it depicts past jersey designs and colour schemes which are symbolic with the club. The image is fair use as it is only used to depict the club's past jersey design and is restricted to this article. Sattlersjaw 00:24, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
 * The fair use tag on Image:Minties jersey.jpg says that it is being used "to illustrate the event in question". However, you have said above that you are only using it to show the old jersey, not the event. Are you asserting that no public domain or freely licensed pictures of the past jersey exist, and it is impossible for any to be created?  Pagra shtak  05:17, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
 * OK, point taken. I'm not sure if there are any public domain or freely licensed pictures of the past jersey around - will need some research to determine. In the meantime, I will remove the image from the article page. ✅ Sattlersjaw 05:28, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Support. On a par with the currently Featured Sydney Roosters article. Good to see someone got the Ian Heads book, the ISBN would be nice to stick in...cheers, Cas Liber | talk  |  contribs 11:46, 3 May 2007 (UTC)
 * ISBN now added.

Alas, too late. we've been opposed.Sticks66 13:53, 5 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Footnotes need a lot of work; see WP:CITE/ES.  Footnotes should use a consistent format; all sources should include publisher, author and publication date when one is available, and a last access date for all websources✅ 5 May 2007.  Ditto for References, which should also be alphabetical ✅ 5 May 2007.  Sandy Georgia  (Talk) 02:47, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

Redfern

 * The first British inhabitants had often called the waratah a "red fern" instead, hence giving the suburb its name, and ultimately the local rugby club its emblem.

Well, no. The suburb was named after surgeon William Redfern, the first white owner of the land. Regards, Ben Aveling 11:59, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

 * I think you'll find that the particular interpretation found in the Redfern Wiki article is only one interpretation of how Redfern was named and hardly the definitive version. As Sean Fagan describes: "The origins of the name 'Redfern' are not entirely clear - some local history points to the name coming from Dr. Readfern (spelt with an 'a') who owned substantial property in the area in the mid-1800s. However, more likely, the first British inhabitants called the waratah, which was prolific in the area, a 'red fern'. In the 1890s the local rugby club played under the name 'Redfern Waratahs'. Articles in Sydney newspapers in the early 1900s make reference to the waratah in comments about the district's cricket and rugby union clubs." I guess some note should be made that the 'red fern' origin is only one possibility and this other version of the origin of 'Redfern' should be in the Redfern Wiki article. CumberlandsAshes81 03:36, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

GA Review

 * I'm going to take some time to read the article and give it a GA Review, in this subsection. If I don't get to it in 24 hours or so, feel free to message my talk page and remind me.  Cheers!  Smee 08:11, 15 June 2007 (UTC).

Successful good article nomination
I am glad to say that this article which was nominated for good article status has succeeded. This is how the article, as of June 16, 2007, compares against the six good article criteria:

 * 1. Well written?: Article is well written, and the language and syntax is easily understood.
 * 2. Factually accurate?: Sourced to an impressive (64) citations, and (12) references in the works cited.
 * 3. Broad in coverage?: Comprehensive coverage, especially of the History, and Statistics.
 * 4. Neutral point of view?: Article is worded in NPOV language, however see below for steps towards FA status.
 * 5. Article stability? Article seems to be bereft of edit-warring, however there is some random anon IP editing in the history, might want to just keep an eye on that, for additions of unsourced material, or removal of sourced material.
 * 6. Images?: (7) images used in the article. All appear to be used appropriately, however see below.

If you feel that this review is in error, feel free to take it to a GA review. Thank you to all of the editors who worked hard to bring it to this status. — Smee 04:23, 16 June 2007 (UTC) Thank you for your time, I hope some of the above pointers help. Yours, Smee 04:23, 16 June 2007 (UTC).
 * Some pointers as the articles moves along in quality.
 * NPOV - Some of the syntax in the intro and such is a bit wordy and a bit praiseworthy, I would suggest going for a Peer Review after this GA, and see what others think.
 * Images -- I would strongly suggest moving all free-use images to the WikiCommons, and really working on beefing up the detailed fair use rationale for those images that are fair use.
 * Peer Review - As already stated, the next best step would be to go for a Peer Review, sometime after absorbing this GA review.

"The Rabbits?"
I have never, ever heard Souths referred to as "The Rabbits", as the opening sentence states. And I've been barracking for them since 1970. Anyone calling them The Rabbits would immediately identify that person as a foreigner and/or someone totally unfamiliar with ARL. I am leaving the opening sentence as is for now, but I'm changing the infobox to say "Rabbitohs". --Jquarry 02:58, 7 August 2007 (UTC)
 * If you Google the string  there are hundreds of references, especially in news headlines. Gus Gould sometimes calls them the Rabbits on Ch 9 (when he's not referring to Ray Warren). It may not be used by Souths supporters, but it is used in the media. Rexparry sydney 05:14, 3 September 2007 (UTC)
 * On that argument you should also include "the Bunnies" as 'also known as'. ~ Florrie  •  talk  • 08:59, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Sorry mate, I've been supporting the rabbits all my life - since 86 - and all through school and home life they have been known as the rabbits, rabbitohs or bunnies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.165.156.214 (talk) 03:59, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Damn... am I that far out of touch? :-\ JQ (talk) 07:25, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

I have followed Souths my whole life, and admittedly find it amazing that a "fan" could never have heard the reference Rabbits. I respectfully suggest anyone who considers Rabbits a "foreign" term in reference to the club doesn't understand its history and origin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.190.190 (talk) 14:20, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

South Side Story
Shouldn't the South Side Story documentary get at least a mention somewhere in this or the History article?--Jeff79 (talk) 21:52, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Notable supporters
OK, we now have up to a dozen additions and reversions of the "notable supporter" section in this article. This cannot go on. Can I suggest that before adding it back that some discussion on the talk page takes place. If the edit warring continues, I will fully protect the page until some consensus is agreed upon. Perhaps the views of a third party need to be sought - a request for comment perhaps?

My own personal view (although I don't have strong feelings either way) is that I see little encyclopedic value in a list of every celebrity who happens to support a particular sports team - that to me is the very definition of trivia as defined in the MoS.Where a particualr celebrity has a close and tangible connection to a club (owner, board member etc.) then there may some encyclopedic merit but wouldn't that be better incorporated into the body of the article?

Regardless of my mild personal aversion to "celebrity" sections in sports teams articles, I am happy to follow a wider consensus but the continued edit warring must stop now. -- Mattinbgn (talk) 02:29, 2 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, Talk:Sydney Roosters, and the claim that the list of people were pro-reinstatement activists is nonsense as the attached refs didn't say that anyway. Third this is a GA, and isn't supposed to be a joke, same as the Roosters FA. If these people were stakeholders, ambassadors, Shahrukh Khan etc, then they would be in the main prose anyway  YellowMonkey  ( new photo poll )  05:41, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

recent edits
recent edits reverted because they were opinion based and not cited. --RichardMills65 (talk) 06:49, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

This is my first time doing anything, on a talk page and thusly I'm unsure how to add anything to these pages, so I thought I'd just edit this(seeing as it seems to be on a similar path to what I'm on about-wait on a second glance it's not really, lol). Sorry if that was a mistake.

2 things I think would help improve this article.

-More of a mention of the events of the 2012 season. It featured the teams first finals victory in a quarter of a century. Also only their second finals appearence since 1989.

-"South Sydney failed to meet the National Rugby League's selection criteria to compete in the competition and were subsequently excluded from the premiership at the end of the 1999 season." I understand that there are links to other articles but the text itself glosses over the supposed controversy surrouning the criteria. I feel that some basic mention of this would better inform a casual wiki user that probably wouldn't go that extra mile for the background information. The article would lead someone not in the know to assume that there was no particular controversy surrounding the exclusion. — Preceding unsigned comment added by The Rated Rabbitman (talk • contribs) 12:58, 22 October 2012 (UTC)

Scott

Confused - pre-1908 history?
The emblem section is suggesting continuity with a pre-1908 rugby union club however no connection is made in the history section. Hack (talk) 03:16, 20 March 2012 (UTC)

GA status
For a Good article this has quite a few tags. Would someone interested be willing to give it a copyedit so it can keep its status? AIR corn (talk) 06:49, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Okay did some editing myself. Still some citations needed (mainly for the recent stuff). Is probably a bit short in references in other areas, but I just tagged the ones I deemed most necessary. AIR corn (talk) 11:22, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Foundation
Yes, Souths are a foundation club, but the title is fluid and applies to Wests as much as Souths and Easts. Although I wouldn't persue it, technically Parramatta (merger with Cumberland) and St George (Glebe absorption) are foundation clubs as well. That is, by the basis that Souths are. Basically, I think the Souths - Easts only foundation is bull, and shouldn't be heralded in their articles.150.203.190.160 (talk) 10:38, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 3 one external links on South Sydney Rabbitohs. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070615234902/http://rl1908.com:80/Clubs/South-Sydney-Rabbitohs.htm to http://rl1908.com/Clubs/South-Sydney-Rabbitohs.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070213212011/http://www.rl1908.com:80/articles/balmain-1909.htm to http://www.rl1908.com/articles/balmain-1909.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20080719143210/http://www.southsydneystory.com/Documentary/Episode-2.html to http://www.southsydneystory.com/Documentary/Episode-2.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 06:09, 9 January 2016 (UTC)

Emblems
The three former emblems File:Souths R Logo.jpg, File:Souths Logo.jpg, and File:Souths2007 logo.jpg are non-free images and should not be used (i.e., "displayed") in a gallery format per WP:NFG because such usage tends to be primarily decorative and does not provide the contextual significance required by WP:NFCC. These logos should be incorporated into the text near the relevant sections where they are being discussed and this discussion should reflect what reliable sources say per WP:NOR. The non-free use rationale for each logo should also be updated to reflect this usage since none of the logos are being used "as the primary means of visual identification at the top of the article dedicated to the entity in question" any longer. -- Marchjuly (talk) 08:41, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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Lead comment
There has been a long, slow-burning edit war over the inclusion of the statement In addition to winning the most premierships, the Rabbitohs also hold the distinction of being the only club to win a premiership in their inaugural season at the end of the lead which needs resolution.

This comment cannot stand, and especially not in the lead, as it is a misleading/weasel statement. There are two ways for a club to win a premiership in its inaugural season: by winning the inaugural premiership (a relatively mundane achievement which must be achieved by exactly one team in every sports competition), or by winning in its first season as an expansion team (an extremely rare achievement which would be considered highly notable achievement in any sport). The statement in question dishonestly implies an equivalence between these two by bundling them into one statement.

The inclusion of this statement in the same breath as the club's league-leading 21 premierships – which is self-evidently the most important performance achievement any club article could include in its lead – would reasonably mislead readers into believing that the 'inaugural premiership' factoid is an achievement of equal or near-equal importance, which is definitely is not. Aspirex (talk) 07:47, 22 October 2021 (UTC)
 * I agree. They happened to be the first champions of a new league. Not a big deal. One of the teams had to do it. Meters (talk) 20:33, 8 November 2021 (UTC)

Notable supporters
Some of the references imply these are supporters (especially the American ones) simply because they wore a piece of Rabbitohs clothing like a cap. Surely a real supporter would actually have been to a game. I think that's the minimum to be considered a "supporter". LibStar (talk) 23:25, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:South Sydney Rabbitohs


text:
USS Greer

USS Greer (DD–145) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, the first ship named for Rear Admiral James A. Greer (1833–1904). In what became known as the "Greer incident," she became the first US Navy ship to fire on a German ship, three months before the United States officially entered World War II. The incident led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue what became known as his "shoot-on-sight" order. Roosevelt publicly confirmed the "shoot on sight" order on 11 September 1941, effectively declaring naval war against Germany and Italy in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Greer was launched by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, 1 August 1918; sponsored by Miss Evelina Porter Gleaves, daughter of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves; and commissioned 31 December 1918.

1919 to 1941
Greer's shake down took her to Azores, from which she rendezvoused with USS George Washington (1908), carrying President Woodrow Wilson home from the Versailles Peace Conference, and escorted her to the United States. After exercises in coastal waters, Greer was assigned to Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland, for duties during a transatlantic flight by four Navy seaplanes, one of which, NC-4, safely completed the historic undertaking. After further training exercises and a European cruise, Greer was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, reaching San Francisco 18 November 1919.

Six months' duty with the Pacific Fleet terminated 25 March 1920, when Greer sailed to join the Asiatic Fleet. After standing by off Shanghai to protect American lives and property during riots there in May, Greer sailed to Port Arthur and Dairen on intelligence missions and returned to Cavite, Philippines, for fleet exercises. The destroyer returned to San Francisco 29 September 1921 via Guam, Midway, and Pearl Harbor. Greer decommissioned at San Diego 22 June 1922, and was placed in reserve.

Greer recommissioned 31 March 1930. Operating with the Battle Fleet, she participated in a variety of exercises along the coast from Alaska to Panama, with an occasional voyage to Hawaii. Transferred to the Scouting Fleet 1 February 1931, she cruised off Panama, Haiti, and Cuba before being attached to the Rotating Reserve from August 1933 to February 1934. Training exercises, battle practice, and plane guard duty filled Greer's peacetime routine for the next 2 years. She sailed for the East Coast and duty with the Training Squadron 3 June 1936. After conducting Naval Reserve cruises throughout that summer, Greer sailed for the Philadelphia Navy Yard 28 September and decommissioned there 13 January 1937.

As war swept across Europe, Greer recommissioned 4 October 1939 and joined Destroyer Division 61 as flagship. After patrolling the East Coast and Caribbean, Greer joined the Neutrality Patrol in February 1940. Detached from this duty 5 October, the destroyer patrolled the Caribbean that winter. She joined other American ships on operations in the North Atlantic early in 1941, out of Reykjavík, Iceland, and NS Argentia, Newfoundland. United States ships, as non-belligerents, could not attack Axis submarines; but, as the German High Command stepped up the pace of the war through the summer of 1941, Greer found herself involved in an incident which brought America's entry into the war nearer.

The Greer incident, September 1941
The "Greer incident" occurred 4 September. By all accounts, a German submarine (later identified as GERMAN SUBMARINE U-652) fired upon the Greer, but made no contact. When news of the encounter reached the United States, public concern ran high. Initial reports reported that a British aircraft aided in repelling the attack.

In response, Germany claimed "that the attack had not been initiated by the German submarine; on the contrary, ... the submarine had been attacked with depth bombs, pursued continuously in the German blockade zone, and assailed by depth bombs until midnight." The communique implied that the US destroyer had dropped the first depth bombs. Germany accused President Roosevelt of "endeavoring with all the means at his disposal to provoke incidents for the purpose of baiting the American people into the war."

The United States Department of the Navy replied that the German claims were inaccurate and that "the initial attack in the engagement was made by the submarine on the Greer." Roosevelt made the Greer incident the principal focus of one of his famed "fireside chats", where he explained a new order he issued as commander-in-chief that escalated America nearer to outright involvement in the European war. In Roosevelt's words: "The Greer was flying the American flag. Her identity as an American ship was unmistakable. She was then and there attacked by a submarine.  Germany admits that it was a German submarine. The submarine deliberately fired a torpedo at the Greer, followed by another torpedo attack. In spite of what Hitler's propaganda bureau has invented, and in spite of what any American obstructionist organisation may prefer to believe, I tell you the blunt fact that the German submarine fired first upon this American destroyer without warning, and with the deliberate design to sink her." Declaring that Germany had been guilty of "an act of piracy," President Roosevelt announced what became known as his "shoot-on-sight" order: that Nazi submarines' "very presence in any waters which America deems vital to its defense constitutes an attack. In the waters which we deem necessary for our defense, American naval vessels and American planes will no longer wait until Axis submarines lurking under the water, or Axis raiders on the surface of the sea, strike their deadly blow—first." He concluded: "The aggression is not ours. [Our concern] is solely defense. But let this warning be clear. From now on, if German or Italian vessels of war enter the waters, the protection of which is necessary for American defense, they do so at their own peril. … The sole responsibility rests upon Germany. There will be no shooting unless Germany continues to seek it."

Senator David I. Walsh (Democrat–Massachusetts), isolationist Chair of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, scheduled a committee hearing to unearth the details of the incident, which prompted Admiral Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, to issue a written report. Stark's account, made public in October 1941, confirmed that the Greer dropped its charges only after the submarine fired its first torpedo at it, but revealed that the Greer had gone in search of the submarine after its presence was noted by the British aircraft. Admiral Stark's report stated: "At 0840 that morning, Greer, carrying mail and passengers to Iceland, 'was informed by a British plane of the presence of a submerged submarine about 10 miles [(16 km)] directly ahead. … Acting on the information from the British plane the Greer proceeded to search for the submarine and at 0920 she located the submarine directly ahead by her underwater sound equipment. The Greer proceeded then to trail the submarine and broadcast the submarine's position. This action, taken by the Greer, was in accordance with her orders, that is, to give out information but not to attack.' The British plane continued in the vicinity of the submarine until 1032, but prior to her departure the plane dropped four depth charges in the vicinity of the submarine. The Greer maintained [its] contact until about 1248. During this period (three hours 28 minutes),the Greer manoeuvred so as to keep the submarine ahead. At 1240 the submarine changed course and closed the Greer. At 1245 an impulse bubble (indicating the discharge of a torpedo by the submarine) was sighted close aboard the Greer. At 1249 a torpedo track was sighted crossing the wake of the ship from starboard to port, distant about 100 yards [(100 m)] astern. At this time the Greer lost sound contact with the submarine. At 1300 the Greer started searching for the submarine and at 1512 … the Greer made underwater contact with a submarine. The Greer attacked immediately with depth charges."

Stark went on to report that the result of the encounter was undetermined, although most assumed from the German response that the sub had survived. In fact, U-652 had indeed survived and promptly headed west to participate in the devastating U-boat pack attack on convoy SC 42 in early September.

Historian Charles A. Beard would later write that Admiral Stark's report to the Senate Committee "made the President's statement... appear in some respects inadequate, and, in others, incorrect." In his postwar summary of the Stark report, Beard emphasised that (1) the Greer had chased the sub and held contact with the sub for 3 hours and 28 minutes before the sub fired its first torpedo; (2) the Greer then lost contact with the sub, searched, and after re-establishing contact two hours later, attacked immediately with depth charges, then (3) searched for three more hours before proceeding to its destination.

The Stark report's account of how the Greer's engagement began caused Pulitzer-prizewinning New York Times reporter Arthur Krock to address it (and the Nazi sub engagements with the Kearny, and the Reuben James) when speaking about "who 'attacked' whom." Krock defined the term "attack" as "an onset, an aggressive initiation of combat, a move which is the antithesis of 'defense.'" "In that definition," he said, "all three of our destroyers attacked the German submarines."

A 2005 book concluded that Senator Walsh's "very aggressive actions in the USS Greer case prevented war from breaking out in the Atlantic."

The episode did not escalate into war because both Hitler and Roosevelt were being very cautious. Hitler concentrated his resources on defeating the Soviet Union, while Roosevelt was building up a broad base of support for aggressive patrols of the North Atlantic.

1941 to 1945
Greer remained in the North Atlantic through 1941, shepherding convoys to and from MOMP, the mid-ocean meeting point at which American ships took over escort duties from the hard-pressed Royal Navy. After overhaul at Boston, she turned south 3 March 1942 to resume patrol duty in the Caribbean. In addition to regular escort duties, Greer performed many other tasks, including rescuing 39 victims of German U-boats. In May she stood guard off Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe, trying to keep the Vichy French government from getting FRENCH CRUISER Jeanne d'Arc to sea.

Sailing from Guantanamo Bay 23 January 1943, Greer sailed to Boston then headed for the Atlantic convoy duty. Departing NS Argentia, Newfoundland 1 March 1943, she escorted merchantmen for Northern Ireland. During heavy North Atlantic gales, Convoy SC 121 lost seven ships to three separate U-boat attacks before reaching Londonderry Port on 13 March. Greer then escorted 40 merchantmen on the return voyage without incident, and continued on to Hampton Roads 15 April with tanker Chicopee.

After exercises in Casco Bay, Greer departed New York City 11 May with a convoy of 83 ships. Reaching Casablanca, Morocco, 1 June, the destroyer patrolled off the North African port and then recrossed the Atlantic, arriving New York 27 June. After another run to Northern Ireland, Greer returned to New York 11 August.

After steaming to Norfolk, she sailed for the British West Indies 26 August to serve briefly as plane guard to USS Santee (CVE-29). She rendezvoused with a convoy in the Caribbean and headed for North Africa. Diverted to New York, she docked there 14 September. Routine training exercises turned into tragedy 15 October as Greer collided with USS Moonstone (PYc-9) off the mouth of Indian River, Delaware Capes (35 miles (56 km) south-east of Cape May, New Jersey). Moonstone sank in less than 4 minutes, but Greer rescued all the crew but one.

After repairs, the destroyer escorted the Free French cruiser Gloire from New York to Norfolk. Greer sailed 26 December with another Casablanca-bound convoy and after an uneventful crossing returned to Boston 9 February 1944. This was the final transatlantic crossing for the old four-stack destroyer, as she and her sister ships were replaced by newer and faster escorts.

Auxiliary service
The veteran destroyer spent the remainder of her long career performing a variety of necessary tasks in American waters. After a tour of submarine training duty at New London, Greer became plane guard for several new aircraft carriers during the summer of 1944. Operating from various New England ports, she served with USS Ranger (CV-4), USS Tripoli (CVE-64), USS Mission Bay (CVE-59), and USS Wake Island (CVE-65). Sailing to Key West in February 1945, Greer continued plane guard duty until 11 June when she sailed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Greer decommissioned 19 July 1945. Her name was stricken from the Navy list 13 August and her hull was sold to the Boston Metal Salvage Company of Baltimore, Maryland on 30 November 1945.

Awards

 * American Defense Service Medal with "A" device
 * American Campaign Medal
 * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one battle star
 * World War II Victory Medal

As of 2017, no other ship in the United States Navy has borne this name.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: USS Greer


text:
Bill Nicholson (footballer)

William Edward Nicholson (26 January 1919 – 23 October 2004) was an English football player, coach, manager and scout who had a 55-year association with Tottenham Hotspur. He is considered one of the most important figures in the club's history, winning eight major trophies in his 16-year managerial spell, and most notably guiding the team to their Double-winning season of 1960–61.

Early life
Born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, the eighth of nine children, Nicholson was a pupil at the town's Gladstone Road Junior School before attending Scarborough High School for Boys. He worked briefly in a laundry after leaving school, but at the age of 17 he was invited to a trial at Tottenham Hotspur, where he arrived on 16 March 1936 after playing for Young Liberals and Scarborough Working Men's Club in his youth. After a month's trial, he was taken on as a ground-staff boy at £2 a week. He played for Spurs' nursery club Northfleet United and won a Kent Senior Cup winners medal in the final against Dover. He signed as a full professional for Tottenham in August 1938, and played his first Football League game at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers on 22 October 1938.

Playing career
Nicholson joined the Durham Light Infantry on the outbreak of World War II in 1939. As a professional footballer he was sent on a Physical Education course and was made a sergeant-instructor, training new intakes of troops throughout the war. During the Second World War he was a guest player for several clubs including Newcastle United where he played on 19 occasions. Although the war probably cost him half his playing career, he did not regret it as his experiences taught him the man-management skills which were to have such a great effect later in his career.

In 1946, Nicholson returned to the Spurs first team, playing at centre half for two seasons, then moving to right half for a further six years. He was a vital part of the legendary "push and run" Tottenham team which won the league championship in the 1950–51 season.

He made his full international debut for England on 19 May 1951 against Portugal at Goodison Park, Liverpool, and made an immediate impression by scoring with his first touch of the ball after only 19 seconds. This proved to be his only international appearance due to injuries, his habit of putting his club before his country, and the dominance of Billy Wright. Nicholson is quoted as saying "My duty is to get fit for Tottenham. Well, they pay my wages, don't they?". Of his only appearance he said "Stan Pearson nodded it back and I ran on to let go a first time shot which, from the moment I hit it, I knew was going in. But for the next game they brought back Billy Wright and I accepted that because he was the better player". Nicholson is the only player to have scored for England with his first touch in international football and subsequently never play at that level again.

Managerial career
Nicholson took a Football Association (FA) coaching course and joined the coaching staff at Tottenham upon his retirement as a player. He quickly rose through the ranks of the coaching staff to become first team coach in 1955. He subsequently assisted England manager Walter Winterbottom at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden.

On 11 October 1958, Nicholson was called to the Tottenham boardroom and appointed manager of the club in succession to Jimmy Anderson. At the time the club was sixth from the bottom of the First Division and there was little indication that the greatest period in the history of the club was about to begin. That afternoon, in the club's first game under Nicholson's management, Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton 10–4 at White Hart Lane. This represented a new club record, surpassed only by their 13–2 (10–1 at half-time) FA Cup replay win over Crewe Alexandra in the 1959–60 season.

Less than two years later Spurs wrote their place in the history books when they won the Football League championship and the FA Cup in the 1960–61 season, the first "double" of the twentieth century. Spurs dominated the opposition that year, winning their first eleven games and scoring 115 goals in 42 games. The following year they won the FA Cup again, and narrowly missed a place in the 1961–62 European Cup Final, losing to Benfica in the semi-final.

In the 1962–63 season, Nicholson again put Spurs in the history books when they became the first British club to win a major European trophy. In Rotterdam on 15 May 1963, Spurs defeated favourites Atlético Madrid 5–1 to win the European Cup Winners Cup.

In 1966–67 Nicholson's Spurs won their third FA Cup in seven years by beating Chelsea in the first-ever all-London final. This was followed by a string of trophies in the early 1970s – the League Cup was won in 1970–71 and 1972–73, and the UEFA Cup in 1971–72.

As the 1970s wore on, Nicholson became increasingly disillusioned with football, in particular the increased player wages and the endemic hooliganism. He was appalled by the hooliganism he witnessed at the UEFA Cup final that Spurs lost to Feyenoord. Nicholson decided to resign after a poor start to the 1974–75 season and losing 4–0 to Middlesbrough in the League Cup in September 1974. Nicholson later said of his resignation: "The simple truth was that I was burned out, I had no more to offer." His tenure ended in acrimony as Nicholson wished to select for his replacement Danny Blanchflower as manager and Johnny Giles as player-coach, but Spurs chairman Sidney Wale was angered that Nicholson had contacted Giles and Blanchflower without his knowledge. Although Nicholson had intended to stay at the club as an advisor, the club chose to sever all ties with a £10,000 payoff and refused Nicholson a testimonial.

Post-managerial career
After quitting the Spurs manager's job, Nicholson spent a year at West Ham United as an advisor and a scout. When Keith Burkinshaw became Spurs' manager in 1976, one of his first requests was that Nicholson be brought back to White Hart Lane as a consultant. His knowledge and experience were invaluable, and he showed that he still had an eye for players by recommending several to Burkinshaw, including Graham Roberts, Tony Galvin, and Gary Mabbutt. Nicholson continued to work as a consultant until 1991, when he was awarded the title of Club President.

Recognition
Nicholson was appointed an OBE in 1975. In 1999 an approach road to White Hart Lane was named Bill Nicholson Way in his honour. On 8 August 2001, the club played a testimonial match in Nicholson's honour against Italian club ACF Fiorentina, following an initial testimonial against West Ham on 21 August 1983. In 2003 Nicholson was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact as a manager. Spurs fans had also campaigned for many years to have Nicholson knighted in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contribution to football but they were unsuccessful. Bill Nicholson died on 23 October 2004 after a long illness.

Bill Nicholson has been credited with saying, 'It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.' Sports historian, Norman Giller, who has written biographies on both Nicholson and his skipper Danny Blanchflower, traces this quote to Blanchflower. "Bill was a blunt Yorkshireman who just did not use this sort of language," Giller has written in "Danny was the poet of the team and he both said this and wrote it in his newspaper columns when captain of Tottenham. Somehow somebody has put the words into Nicholson's mouth, but it was definitely Danny who said it first."

As a player
Tottenham Hotspur
 * Football League First Division: 1950–51
 * Football League Second Division: 1949–50
 * FA Charity Shield: 1951

As a manager
Tottenham Hotspur
 * Football League First Division: 1960–61
 * FA Cup: 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67
 * Football League Cup: 1970–71, 1972–73
 * FA Charity Shield: 1961, 1962, 1967 (shared)
 * UEFA Cup: 1971–72, runner up: 1973–74
 * European Cup Winners' Cup: 1962–63
 * Anglo-Italian League Cup: 1971

title: Bill Nicholson (footballer)


text:
Tony Pulis

Anthony Richard Pulis (born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday.

Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one of the youngest professional players ever to have obtained the qualification. His son, Anthony, was a professional footballer and played at Stoke. Pulis had a 17-year career as a defender where he played for Bristol Rovers, Newport County, AFC Bournemouth and Gillingham. He also had a short spell in Hong Kong with Happy Valley.

Pulis took his first steps into management at Bournemouth, where he was a player/coach and then Harry Redknapp's assistant. He then took control when Redknapp left the club. He then went on to Gillingham before leaving in 1999 after a dispute with chairman Paul Scally. Pulis then had unsuccessful spells at Bristol City and Portsmouth before being appointed manager of Stoke City in 2002. He guided Stoke through a tough 2002–03 season avoiding relegation to the Second Division on the final day of the season. He spent two more seasons with Stoke before being sacked by Stoke's Icelandic board for "failing to exploit the foreign market". He spent the 2005–06 season at Plymouth Argyle before returning to Stoke along with Peter Coates. After narrowly missing out on a play-off spot in the 2006–07 season he guided Stoke to the Premier League in the 2007–08 season by finishing runners-up in the Championship.

With Stoke amongst the favourites for relegation upon their return to the top flight after a 23-year absence, Stoke went on to comfortably survive and finished in 12th position. Pulis made history during the 2010–11 season as he guided Stoke to their first FA Cup Final after beating Bolton Wanderers 5–0 in the semi-final. The Potters, however, lost the final 1–0 to Manchester City, but had the consolation of qualifying for European football. In the UEFA Europa League, Stoke lost 2–0 on aggregate in the round of 32 to Spanish giants Valencia. The 2012–13 season saw Stoke make little progress and Pulis left the club by mutual consent on 21 May 2013.

Pulis returned to management on 23 November 2013 joining Crystal Palace on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He guided Palace away from relegation, to their highest Premier League finish of 11th in 2013–14, which earned him the Premier League Manager of the Season award. He left the club, however, shortly before the start of the subsequent season. He joined West Bromwich Albion in January 2015, a post he held until November 2017. Pulis achieved a top half finish with West Brom in the 2016–17 season, finishing 10th, but the club made a poor start to the following season, culminating in his sacking. On Boxing Day 2017, Pulis was appointed manager of Middlesbrough, a post he held until May 2019. On 13 November 2020, Pulis returned to management when he was named manager of Sheffield Wednesday; however, on 28 December, he was sacked after 10 games in charge.

Playing career
Pulis began his career at Bristol Rovers where he joined their school of football excellence in Eastville from Newport YMCA. Pulis cites his time at Eastville as an excellent grounding with his Rovers teammate and friend Ian Holloway also making it in football management. "We learned our trade at a football club with really, really good people who had old fashioned values, I truly believe that it's because of the way we were brought up back then that we have managed to go on and achieve what we have done in the game. The basic principles were drilled into us, both on and off the pitch. Nothing was given to us and we had to work very, very hard for everything we got."

Pulis made 85 league appearances for the Pirates before leaving to join Hong Kong club Happy Valley AA in 1982. The club finished second in the Hong Kong First Division League and won the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield in his eight-month stint with the club. He then returned to Rovers the following year and made a further 45 league appearances before moving to his home town club Newport County in 1984. At Newport, Pulis became a popular member of the squad and his former County teammate David Giles believes Pulis was always destined for top-level management.

With County struggling financially, Harry Redknapp signed Pulis at AFC Bournemouth, spending three years at Dean Court before joining Gillingham in 1989 for £10,000 on a three-year deal. Gillingham manager Damien Richardson had envisaged utilising Pulis as a sweeper but his time in Kent was blighted by an injury suffered in a pre-season friendly against West Ham, limiting him to just 16 appearances. After contemplating a career outside of football and studying for a small business qualification Pulis returned to Bournemouth a year later for a fee of £15,000 to take up a player/coach role. He made 16 appearances, scoring one goal, while in this role.

AFC Bournemouth
Pulis was promoted to the position of manager in 1992, following Harry Redknapp's decision to leave the club for Premier League side West Ham United. Pulis spent two seasons at Bournemouth, both seasons saw the "Cherries" finish in 17th position before moving on. During his time at the club Pulis spent less than £400,000 on transfers, but recouped nearly £2.7 million in player sales. Among his purchases was Steve Fletcher, signed from Hartlepool United for £30,000, who would go on to make a record 728 appearances for the Dorset side across two spells.

Gillingham
Pulis then joined Gillingham in the summer of 1995, whom he managed for a further four seasons, turning a team that had struggled at the very bottom of the Football League into a promotion winning one in his first season, and laying the foundations for the club's eventual elevation to the First Division for the first time in their history.

In the 1995–96 season the Kent side gained promotion after finishing second behind Preston North End, setting a record for the fewest goals conceded by a team in the course of a 46-game Football League season in the process, with goalkeeper Jim Stannard keeping 29 clean sheets. The following season Gillingham started poorly, sitting in the relegation places towards the end of 1996, but improved to finish in 11th place and just six points below the promotion play-off places. The 1997–98 season saw further improvement, with the Gills finishing in 8th place and missing out on the play-off places only on the goals-scored rule.

In the 1999 Second Division play-off final, the "Gills" were 2–0 up with less than two minutes left, following goals by the prolific partnership of Robert Taylor and Carl Asaba, only to see Manchester City score twice, the equaliser in injury time, and after that win a penalty shoot-out 3–1. Following the defeat, Pulis was controversially sacked by the club amidst claims of gross misconduct. He later brought a £400,000 court case against Gillingham chairman Paul Scally for unpaid bonuses, which was settled out of court in 2001 for £75,000.

Bristol City
Pulis was appointed manager of Bristol City in July 1999, prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season. A previous long stint at bitter rivals Bristol Rovers meant that Pulis's appointment was met with mixed reception. He made several reasonably big purchases including Steve Jones and former Rovers player Peter Beadle, but his popularity hit an all-time low only six months into his term as manager and when rumours surfaced of a switch to Portsmouth, home fans chanted for him to leave. He moved on to Portsmouth shortly, where Milan Mandarić had recently taken over as chairman.

Portsmouth
In January 2000, Pulis left Bristol City to become manager of Portsmouth. He took Portsmouth from the bottom three to mid-table but lasted only ten months in the job before being sacked and being replaced by Steve Claridge in October 2000.

Stoke City
Pulis was then out of work for two years, before the resignation of Stoke City's manager Steve Cotterill early into the 2002–03 season led to Pulis being given the job that November. Pulis immediately found himself in a relegation battle and it looked likely that the club would be relegated back to the Second Division only a year after being promoted. Pulis, however, completed the signings of striker Ade Akinbiyi and goalkeeper Mark Crossley, on loan from Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough respectively, who helped turn around the club's bad run. Stoke avoided relegation on the final day of the 2002–03 season with a 1–0 win over Reading at the Britannia Stadium, with Akinbiyi scoring the only goal of the match. Pulis rates Stoke's survival in 2002–03 as one of his best achievements in management.

In the following season, 2003–04, Pulis guided the club to an 11th-place finish. Tensions grew between the manager and chairman, Gunnar Gíslason, in the 2004–05 season. Pulis was frustrated with his lack of transfer funds which led to Dave Brammer and Steve Simonsen, both of whom were free agents, being his only significant signings prior to the start of the season. Pulis, however, did add Anthony Pulis, his son, and Lewis Buxton to his squad in January 2005. The disagreement between Pulis and the club's Icelandic ownership culminated with Pulis parting company with the club on 28 June 2005. He was sacked for "failing to exploit the foreign transfer market" by then chairman Gíslason. Following his dismissal, Pulis bemoaned the club's decision to sell Ade Akinbiyi to Championship rivals Burnley, stating, "We sold our top scorer and never replaced him." Dutch manager Johan Boskamp was named as Pulis's successor on 29 June 2005, only a day after Pulis was sacked.

Plymouth Argyle
After a brief spell assisting with training sessions at Boston United (then managed by his friend Steve Evans), Pulis was appointed as manager at Championship side Plymouth Argyle in September 2005, managing to turn a floundering team into one that with the right investment could challenge for a top half/play off place in 2006–07. The turn-around coincided with the loan of West Ham United central defender Elliott Ward and the club improved even further with the permanent signing of Lilian Nalis from Sheffield United. Plymouth Argyle ended the season 14th in the Championship table.

Return to Stoke City
In May 2006, Pulis was the subject of an approach from former club Stoke, who had recently parted company with manager Johan Boskamp, following Peter Coates' takeover of the club. Plymouth reportedly turned down this approach. On 14 June 2006, however, it was announced that Pulis would be returning as manager of Stoke.

Pulis bolstered his squad for the 2006–07 season with the permanent additions of Danny Higginbotham, Ricardo Fuller and Vincent Péricard. His most notable coup was the loan signing of Lee Hendrie from Aston Villa. Hendrie's arrival along with the loan signings of Salif Diao, Andy Griffin and Rory Delap coincided with a change of form for the Potters following a poor start to the season. Stoke went as high as fourth in the table prior to the January transfer window.

Pulis was named Manager of the Month for April 2007 after Stoke picked up 11 points from 5 league games. This unbeaten run lifted Stoke to seventh in the table, on equal points with sixth-place Southampton. A 1–1 draw against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season, however, led to Stoke finishing eighth in the Championship. Pulis sold several key players prior to the 2007–08 season; club captain Danny Higginbotham was one of a number of players to depart, joining Sunderland for £3 million. Pulis, however, utilised the loan market again, signing five players on loan, including Ryan Shawcross from Manchester United, with a few of these loan signings joining on a permanent deal in the January transfer window.

Pulis guided Stoke City to promotion to the Premier League on the final matchday of the season, to be Stoke's first top flight campaign in 23 years. Upon promotion, Pulis admitted the need to strengthen his squad but he also made it clear that the club would not go 'over the top' with spending. Stoke's biggest summer signing was that of striker Dave Kitson, who joined from recently relegated Reading for £5.5 million. Kitson was followed by the captures of Seyi Olofinjana from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £3 million, Abdoulaye Faye from Newcastle United for £2.25 million, Amdy Faye from Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee, Andrew Davies joined for £1.2 million from Southampton, defender Ibrahima Sonko signed for an initial £2 million fee from Reading and former Potter Danny Higginbotham rejoined his former club from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. Pulis was also prepared to move players on, including his son Anthony Pulis and striker Jon Parkin.

After a promising start to the Premier League season, Stoke's mid-season slump left them as one of the favourites for relegation. The January additions of Sheffield United's James Beattie and West Ham winger Matthew Etherington, however, helped rejuvenate their season. Stoke dipped in and out of the relegation zone until March, when a good run of form lifted them above the bottom three. Their 2–1 win away to Hull City on 9 May 2009 secured their Premier League survival. Pulis has received much praise for his work with Stoke on a limited budget, in particular his achievement of keeping them in the Premier League. He was mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008–09 Premier League Manager of the Year award.

The following season saw Stoke consolidating their Premier League status rather than facing relegation, and also saw them reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with victories over York City, Arsenal and Manchester City before losing to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Stoke finished 11th in the Premier League with 47 points, a place higher and two points more than last season. Pulis made his 300th appearance as Stoke manager with a 3–0 win over Blackburn Rovers on 6 February 2010. The result was Stoke's largest top-flight win for nearly 24 years after a 4–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1984. Following criticism from Fulham player Danny Murphy over the way Pulis sets his team out to play, Pulis decided to release a six-minute statement defending the management staff and club as well as questioning Murphy's agenda.

After a number of controversial refereeing decisions that went against Stoke, Pulis advocated the introduction of a relegation system for referees to stop poor decisions. He became only the third manager in Stoke's history to guide the club to the semi-finals of the FA Cup after a quarter-final victory over West Ham. They then went on to beat Bolton 5–0, making Pulis the first manager to guide Stoke to an FA Cup Final. Stoke, however, lost the final 1–0 to Manchester City, with Yaya Touré scoring the only goal. By reaching the final, Stoke qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, after Manchester City confirmed a place in the UEFA Champions League. Club chairman Peter Coates said in May 2011 that Pulis is Stoke's greatest ever manager.

In the Europa League, Stoke were drawn against Croatian giants Hajduk Split, where Stoke won both legs 1–0 to become the first Stoke side to win a two-legged European tie. Pulis signed former England internationals Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson on free transfers to strengthen his centre backs following the departure of Abdoulaye Faye. He took charge of his 800th competitive match in August 2011. On transfer deadline day, Pulis signed Cameron Jerome from Birmingham City as well as Tottenham Hotspur duo Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios; Crouch, at a fee of £10 million, broke the club's transfer record for the fourth successive season. In the group stages of the Europa League, Stoke were drawn against Beşiktaş, Dynamo Kyiv and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and after a 1–1 draw against Kyiv in December, Stoke qualified for the knock-out stages. Pulis described the achievement as a "milestone" in the club's history. Stoke were handed a glamour tie against Spanish giants Valencia in the round of 32. He reached 400 matches as Stoke manager in January 2012. Stoke lost both legs against Valencia 1–0 and exited the Europa League. In the second leg in Valencia, Stoke took a largely reserve side and named just four substitutes which included academy captain Lucas Dawson. This attracted much criticism of Pulis by supporters but he defended his choice. Stoke finished the 2011–12 season in 14th position.

In the summer of 2012, Pulis was again busy in the transfer market, letting Ricardo Fuller leave bringing in a number of new midfield players. In came American duo Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu, Scottish pair Jamie Ness and Charlie Adam, Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Michael Kightly, Blackburn's French prospect Steven Nzonzi and former England international striker Michael Owen. Stoke made a steady start to the 2012–13 season despite a tough opening set of fixtures. Pulis has stated that he would like to see out the remainder of his managerial career at Stoke and that he is starting to change his side's style of play. Stoke went on a ten match unbeaten run from 10 November to 29 December, and held one of the best defensive records in Europe.

Stoke, however, made a poor start to 2013 picking up just a point in January and a frustrating transfer window saw just two new arrivals American winger Brek Shea and England goalkeeper Jack Butland. Performances and results remained poor in February and Pulis came under heavy criticism from supporters after an uninspiring home defeat against West Ham. Victories against Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City saw Stoke avoid the threat of relegation and they finished the 2012–13 Premier League season in 13th position. It was a season of little progress at Stoke, and Pulis left the club on 21 May 2013 after a meeting with club chairman Peter Coates. Speaking after his departure, Pulis revealed that he was disappointed by Coates' decision but accepted his reasons. He was replaced by another Welsh manager, Mark Hughes.

Crystal Palace
On 23 November 2013, Pulis was appointed manager of Crystal Palace on a two-and-a-half-year contract, taking over from Ian Holloway. His first win came on 3 December 2013, a 1–0 home win against West Ham. In the early part of 2014, the team went on a run of five consecutive victories, which included wins over Chelsea, Cardiff City, Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham. This run of form earned Palace mathematical safety and saw Pulis named as Manager of the Month for April 2014. Palace finished the 2013–14 Premier League season in 11th position with 45 points, which saw Pulis named as the Premier League Manager of the Year.

During the summer of 2014, Pulis was hired by the BBC to be a pundit for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. When he was not working, he used his spare time watching other games to scout new players and to see different managers at work. Shortly before the start of the subsequent 2014–15 season, however, Pulis left the club "by mutual consent", saying that it was because he was not being backed in the transfer market by the Palace board. In November 2016, Pulis was ordered by a high court judge to pay Crystal Palace £3.7 million for fraudulent misrepresentation in a dispute with Steve Parish over a £2 million "survival" bonus paid to him on his request over two weeks earlier than contractually necessary the day before he announced his departure.

West Bromwich Albion
On 1 January 2015, Pulis was appointed head coach at West Bromwich Albion. He won his first game in charge 7–0 against Conference Premier side Gateshead in an FA Cup third round match. During the January transfer window, Pulis secured the services of former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, who Pulis soon promoted to first team captain, with Chris Brunt as deputy. Under Pulis, the "Baggies" went through February unbeaten, keeping three clean sheets in a row in the process. West Brom's form saw Pulis named as the Premier League Manager of the Month for February. West Brom secured victories over Chelsea and Manchester United, and Pulis duly led the team to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League.

For the 2015–16 season, Pulis signed striker Salomón Rondón for a club record fee of £12 million from Zenit Saint Petersburg. Pulis's statement that he wanted Leicester City to win the 2015–16 Premier League and the motivation of his players was credited by The Daily Telegraph with spoiling their rivals Tottenham's celebration party. In the summer of 2016, Pulis was hired by ITV to be a pundit for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. He was used for his knowledge and previous punditry experience to commentate live on the Wales national football team. There were other games such as Spain–Turkey where Pulis also commentated live on the match.

Six games into the 2016–17 season, Pulis reached the milestone of 1,000 games as a professional manager which came against his former club, Stoke. At the end of October, Pulis signed a one-year extension to his contract. The extension committed him to the club until the summer of 2018. As the season drew to a close Pulis was part of the six-man shortlist for the Premier League Manager of the Season award, eventually losing out to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte. The club finished in the top half of the table under his guidance, occupying 8th place for much of the season, before a poor run of only two points in their final nine games saw them drop to 10th. On 11 August 2017, Pulis signed a further contract extension which committed him to the club until 2019. Upon signing he said: "I'm delighted to extend my contract because it continues the stability within the Club which is essential for its progress."

Pulis was sacked as West Brom manager on 20 November 2017, after a poor run of results where they had won only four of their last 22 Premier League games, a run stretching back to 2016–17. He left with West Brom occupying 17th place in the table. Throughout his tenure, concerns had been raised by supporters over his perceived "negative" brand of football, and a lack of progress at the club.

Middlesbrough
On 26 December 2017, Pulis was appointed as manager of Championship club Middlesbrough, replacing the sacked Garry Monk, who left the club ninth in the Championship table, after an indifferent first half to their season. On that same day as his appointment, Pulis was present in the stands to watch Middlesbrough, managed by Academy manager Craig Liddle in the interim period, defeat Bolton Wanderers 2–0 at the Riverside Stadium. Pulis's first match in charge of Middlesbrough ended in a 1–0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

Pulis's first win as Middlesbrough manager came on 1 January 2018, a comeback 3–2 victory at Preston North End. As the season continued, Middlesbrough temporarily began to suffer under the similar results under Pulis that they received under Monk's management, though Pulis turned the team's fortunes around, and they finished fifth, qualifying to the play-offs. However, they were defeated 1–0 by Villa, thus being confirmed as a Championship club for another season, much to the devastation of the club's fans, players and staff.

In Pulis's first full season as Middlesbrough, the team had a relatively strong run of results through to February, including a 3–2 away win against Pulis's previous club West Bromwich Albion. His side went on to maintain a top six position until March, though a run of six consecutive defeats saw them drop out of the top six for the first time that season. At the end of the season, Pulis left the club when the decision was taken not to extend his contract.

Sheffield Wednesday
On 13 November 2020, Pulis returned to management after over a year out of football, joining Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, the second consecutive appointment for which he had replaced Garry Monk. He brought in Mike Trusson as his assistant manager and Craig Gardner as first-team coach during his first week. His first match in charge ended in a 1–0 defeat against Preston North End after Josh Windass was sent off, after 17 minutes. He got his first point the following game in another away game, a 1–1 draw against Swansea City, with Adam Reach getting the first goal of his reign. After the 2–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, he broke the record for worst start for any manager at Sheffield Wednesday, getting 3 points from a possible 24. He won his first game as manager at the ninth time of asking against Coventry City in a 1–0 win, with Tom Lees getting the winning goal. On 28 December 2020, Pulis was sacked as Wednesday manager after having secured just one victory from ten league games. Sky Sports reported that major disagreements between Pulis and club owner Dejphon Chansiri over transfer plans for the upcoming January transfer window were the main cause of Pulis's dismissal. Chansiri later described his appointment of Pulis as a "mistake".

Style of management
Pulis has a reputation within the game for achieving solid results on small budgets and also maintains the proud record of never being relegated as a player, coach or manager. Throughout his managerial career Pulis has used the long ball style of play, and been known for placing an emphasis on defence and utilising set-pieces to pose a goal threat. He has a reputation for securing safety for struggling clubs, giving him a "Red Adair" type image which he finds frustrating.

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates stated that Pulis had studied, and was influenced by, Italian styles of play, saying: "The so-called Catenaccio defensive system interested him and the Italians haven't done too badly, have they, with their four World Cups?".

Personal life
Pulis was born in the Pill area of Newport, in Wales. He was brought up there, with his father, Angelo, a steelworker, and his mother, Jean, as well as his brothers and sisters. Growing up in Newport, he supported Manchester United as well as attending matches at Cardiff City and Newport County. One of his brothers, Ray, also used to play for Newport and is currently chairman of Welsh non-league side Pill AFC. His son Anthony is a retired professional footballer who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake. Pulis's former Bristol Rovers teammate Ian Holloway is Anthony's godfather. He also has a daughter, Stephanie whose partner, Jack Swann is an amateur footballer who played for Bournemouth Poppies. His grandfather was born in Ħaż-Żabbar, Malta before he moved to Wales.

Pulis was awarded an honorary degree at the University of Staffordshire on 10 July 2009. He received the reward for his contribution in helping sports journalism students at the university. He was also awarded the award at the University of Wales, Newport, on 15 April 2013. Pulis participated in the 2009 London Marathon to raise money for the Donna Louise Trust which assists a children hospice. He completed the marathon in 4 hours 31 minutes 57 seconds. In May 2010, Pulis climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with Nick Hancock to raise money for the Stoke-on-Trent based charity the Donna Louise Trust. In March 2012, he escaped a driving ban for speeding after his lawyer claimed that the city of Stoke-on-Trent would suffer as a result. On 31 May 2012, Pulis was an Olympic Torch bearer for the 2012 Summer Olympics. On 1 June 2015, Pulis completed a 450-mile rowing challenge from Tower Bridge in London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He once again teamed up with Nick Hancock and other team members for the Donna Louise Hospice in Stoke. The seven-day nautical challenge eventually raised over £250,000 for the charity.

Pulis is a Catholic and regularly attends church. His mother died on 13 September 2010, the same day that Stoke had a Monday night fixture against Aston Villa. Pulis made an unexpected return to the dug-out after the half-time break, having missed the first half, amidst huge applause from the home crowd. At this time, Villa were 1–0 up but goals from Kenwyne Jones and Robert Huth gave Stoke a 2–1 win and their first points of the season.

Player

 * A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, Football League Trophy and Full Members Cup.

Player
Happy Valley
 * Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield: 1982–83

AFC Bournemouth
 * Football League Third Division: 1986–87

Manager
Gillingham
 * Football League Third Division runner-up: 1995–96

Stoke City
 * Football League Championship runner-up: 2007–08
 * FA Cup runner-up: 2010–11

Individual
 * Championship Manager of the Month: February 2005, April 2007, February 2008
 * Second Division Manager of the Month: February 1993
 * Third Division Manager of the Month: September 1995
 * Third Division Manager of the Season: 1995–96
 * Premier League Manager of the Month: April 2014, February 2015
 * Premier League Manager of the Season: 2013–14
 * Inducted into LMA Hall of Fame 2016–17

title: Tony Pulis


text:
R. A. McConnell

Robert A. McConnell (1914–2006) was an American physicist and parapsychologist.

McConnell was born in Pennsylvania in 1914, and studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology obtaining a B.S. in physics in 1935 and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1947. He worked as a physicist at a U.S. Naval aircraft factory and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Radiation Laboratory. He also worked in radar moving target indication, iconoscope, and ultrasonic microwaves.

He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in engineering physics. McConnell was the first president of the Parapsychological Association and a Fellow of the American Psychological Society. He was Research Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.

Selected works

 * Encounters with Parapsychology (1982, ISBN 0-9610232-1-X)
 * Parapsychology and Self-Deception in Science (1983, ISBN 0-9610232-2-8)
 * An Introduction to Parapsychology in the Context of Science (1983, ISBN 0-9610232-3-6)
 * Parapsychology in Retrospect (1987, ISBN 0-9610232-4-4)
 * Far Out in the New Age: The Subversion of Science by Cultural Communism (1995, ISBN 0-9610232-6-0)
 * Joyride To Infinity: A Scientific Study of the Doomsday Literature (2000, ISBN 1-878465-35-X)
 * God.org Are You There?: On the Deeper Meaning of ESP (2001, ISBN 0-9610232-8-7)
 * Can We Win This War?: ISLAM (2002, ISBN 0-9610232-9-5)

title: R. A. McConnell


text:
Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack

Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1967, is the third and last of the Samuel Marchbanks books by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies. The other two books in this series are The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947) and The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks (1949). Davies' writings as Samuel Marchbanks were also collected in a one-volume edition, The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks in 1985.

Background
Davies created the Samuel Marchbanks character whilst editor of the Peterborough Examiner newspaper in the small city of Peterborough, Ontario, northeast of Toronto. He wrote the first column under the Marchbanks pseudonym in 1944.

Davies first started work on Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack in 1953, but the manuscript was rejected by his publisher, Clarke Irwin. Davies filed the rejected manuscript away, not to return to it for a decade. He resubmitted it for publication in 1966, this time choosing McClelland and Stewart as the prospective publisher. The book is presented in the form of an almanac, based on the signs of the Zodiac.

title: Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack


text:
Stian Grimseth

Stian Grimseth (born 24 July 1972) is a weightlifter from Naustdal in Norway. He won the European Championship in 1996 and at some time held the 6th position in the world ranking.

He competed twice in the Olympics (1996 and 2004), World Cup, European Cup, and in Norway. During the Sydney Olympic games in 2000, Grimseth was suspended after failing a doping test. He served a 15 month period of ineligibility for testing positive for nandrolone.

Grimseth won his last Norwegian championships in March 2008, before retiring.

Grimseth is an active member of the Conservative Party.

title: Stian Grimseth


text:
The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks

The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks, published by Irwin in 1985, constitutes a collection of the writings of Samuel Marchbanks, a character created in 1944 by Canadian novelist and journalist Robertson Davies when he was editor of the Peterborough Examiner newspaper in the small city of Peterborough, Ontario, northeast of Toronto.

The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks is drawn from The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks (1947) and The Table Talk of Samuel Marchbanks (1949) as well as selections from Samuel Marchbanks' Almanack, published in 1967.

This book is presented as a "scholarly edition" of Marchbanks' writings, presented and edited by his "friend", Robertson Davies.

title: The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks


text:
Orion's Belt

Orion's Belt is an asterism in the constellation of Orion. Other names include the Belt of Orion, the Three Kings, and the Three Sisters. The belt consists of three bright and easily identifiable collinear star systems – Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka – nearly equally spaced in a line, spanning an angular size of ~$
 * 1) .## arcsecond$ (2.3°).

Owing to the high surface temperatures of their constituent stars, the intense light emitted are blue-white in color, aiding in the recognition of the familiar astronomical motif. In spite of their spot-like appearance, only Alnilam is a single star; Alnitak is a triple star system, and Mintaka a hextuple. Each of the three owe their luminosity to the presence of one or more blue supergiants. The brightest as viewed from Sol is Alnilam, with an apparent magnitude of 1.69, followed by Alnitak at 1.74 and Mintaka at 2.25. Together, the 10 stars of the three systems has a combined luminosity of nearly one million times (~970,000) that of the Sun's.

Orion's Belt has been called various names and mentioned in various cultures and literature. It has played a central role in astral navigation in the Northern hemisphere since prehistoric times, being readily pointed out by even the most unstarwise wayfarer. As a matter of fact, it is often considered by astronomers to be among the clearest constellations in the winter sky, although it is not visible during summer, when the Sun is too visually close.

The discredited archeological Orion correlation theory postulated a connection between the positions of the Giza pyramids and those of the belt, with the linkage shown to be spurious when placed within the proper historical context.

Belt features
The names of the three stars that comprise the belt derive from Arabic. All three were once known as Al Niṭhām (النظام) meaning "string of pearls" with spelling variants that include Alnihan and Ainilam, which was suggested by Knobel to be mistakes in transliteration or copy errors.

Alnitak
Alnitak (ζ Orionis) is a triple star system at the eastern end of Orion's belt and is 1,260 light-years from the Earth. Alnitak B is a 4th-magnitude B-type star which orbits Alnitak A every 1,500 years. The primary (Alnitak A) is itself a close binary, comprising Alnitak Aa (a blue supergiant of spectral type O9.7 Ibe and an apparent magnitude of 2.0) and Alnitak Ab (a blue subgiant of spectral type B1IV and an apparent magnitude of about 4). Alnitak Aa is estimated to be up to 28 times as massive as the Sun and have a diameter 20 times greater. It is the brightest star of class O in the night sky and is estimated to be around 720 light-years from Earth.

Alnilam
Alnilam (ε Orionis) is a singular B0 supergiant, approximately 2,000 light-years away from Earth and magnitude 1.69. It is the 29th-brightest star in the sky and the fourth-brightest in Orion. It is 375,000 times more luminous than the Sun. Its spectrum serves as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.

Mintaka
Mintaka (δ Orionis) is a six-star system at the western end of the Belt, and the star system closest to the celestial equator. It is the nearest massive multiple stellar system, composed of three spectroscopic components. The most luminous individual star is a O9.5 II blue giant. Together, the system has a combined ~250,000 solar luminosity. Mintaka is 1,200 light-years distant, with a visual magnitude of 2.25. The innermost binary has a period of 5.732 days and a semi-major axis of approximately 32 million kilometers (0.22 AU), with the two massive stars eclipsing each other twice per completed orbit as viewed from Sol, from which regular minor dips in brightness arise.

References in history and culture
Richard Hinckley Allen lists many folk names for the Belt of Orion. English ones include: Jacob's Rod or Jacob's Staff; Peter's Staff; the Golden Yard-arm; The L, or Ell; The Ell and Yard; the Yard-stick, and the Yard-wand; the Ellwand; Our Lady's Wand; the Magi / the Three Kings; the Three Marys; or simply the Three Stars.

The passage "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" is found in the Bible's Book of Job and Book of Amos. Tennyson's poem The Princess describes Orion's belt as:"...those three stars of the airy Giant's zone, That glitter burnished by the frosty dark."

In China's Classic of Poetry, the asterism, under the name "Shen" (参), was paired with Antares, which is known as "Shang" (商), to be a metaphor for two people who could never unite. This might have stemmed from the observation that both Orion's Belt and Antares rise in the east and set in the west, but Antares only rises once Orion's Belt has set and vice versa.

The three stars of the belt are known in Portugal, South America, and the Philippines as Las Tres Marías in Spanish, and as "As Três Marias" in Portuguese. They also mark the northern night sky when the Sun is at its lowest point, and were a clear marker for ancient timekeeping. In Mexico they are called the Los Tres Reyes Magos.

In Finnish mythology, the Belt of Orion is called Väinämöisen vyö (Väinämöinen's Belt). The stars which appear to "hang" off the belt form an asterism called Kalevanmiekka (Kaleva's sword). In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the belt was known as Frigg's Distaff (Friggerock) or Freyja's distaff. Similarly Jacob's Staff and Peter's Staff were European biblical derived terms, as were the Three Magi, or the Three Kings. Väinämöinen's Scythe (Kalevala) and Kalevan Sword are terms from Finnish mythology.

The Seri people of northwestern Mexico call the three belt stars Hapj (a name denoting a hunter) which consists of three stars: Hap (mule deer), Haamoja (pronghorn), and Mojet (bighorn sheep). Hap is in the middle and has been shot by the hunter; its blood has dripped onto Tiburón Island.

The Māori people of New Zealand refer to the belt as Tautoru (literally "string of three"), and it is often seen as the stern of the constellation Te Waka o Rangi (the canoe of Rangi), which extends to its prow at Matariki (The Pleiades). The rising of Matariki in the dawn sky marks the Māori New Year in late May or early June.

title: Orion's Belt