Paul Sykes... where is he now?...

[chiggsy]

I’ve just read The Salford Lads. Busy lads.

Not long finished it myself,christ almighty one extremely violent area that

What, Salford?! It's a little media hub. Is it dangerous?

I have never lived there myself so calling it a violent area might not be fair.

I'll say this though the villains are definitely not what you'd call "plastic gangsters".

[mickey1975]

I’ve just read The Salford Lads. Busy lads.

Not long finished it myself,christ almighty one extremely violent area that

What, Salford?! It's a little media hub. Is it dangerous?

Yes. It’s a city, not just a big studio! BBC staff were all warned before media city opened up there. Old Trafford is there, ITV.

[CaptainSpacerod]

It's nothing to be jealous (or proud) of, I can assure you.

Deprivation:
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... p-10166607

Crime:
https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/mancheste ... qualities/

Health:
https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/mancheste ... qualities/

Rising inequality:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -rich-poor

But don't worry, Manchester has always been a dump, it's nothing new:
http://www.dannydorling.org/wp-content/ ... id2937.pdf

Statistics on insufferable Manchester University academics are currently unavailable. You'll have to trust me on that one.

NB. Wakefield, as Paul Sykes will tell you, is however the 'best little city in the world'

Never had the pleasure of a visit to Wakefield.

I was hoping for corroboration from official sources rather than left leaning newspapers and random websites

Obviously all fabricated then. The Manchester Evening News and the Guardian ie. the Manchester Guardian, obviously have some hidden agenda to slag off the fair city of Manchester.

Those MEN stories, reporting on studies commissioned by the Department for Local Government and the Inequalities in Health Alliance, obviously all made up. Not based on official sources.

Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at Oxford University, he's obviously just making stuff up as well.

So, over to you. Perhaps you'd like to provide data from the International Centre for Mancunian Studies you are involved with. Data which refutes all this evidence and demonstrates what a safe, healthy, happy place Manchester is.

Your original points were ;

Poorest health in the country - you do not corroborate this claim

Amongst the highest deprivation rates - even if we ignore the fact that the left wing M.E.N has an axe to grind with the evil tories, in the stats they quote the key measure of deprivation to which it refers references eight areas 4 of which are in Rochdale and Oldham and 3 of which are in Salford so only one is actually in Manchester then. I’m not here to defend Greater Manchester.

Inequality - the “evidence” you use to support this claim is a report by the Inequalities in Health Alliance an independent organisation only formed a few months ago (clearly with a remit it would seem). It’s not evidence mate - it’s not based on current statistics or historical data, it’s an opinion piece written by people with a vested interest.

Crime - I’ve not even bothered to have a look. All major cities have violent crime problems to an extent. I’m prepared to accept that Manchester has a problem but I’d be interested to see whether you had any actual statistics on for example violent crimes per head of population etc

It’s interesting that you attach such credence to one randomly plucked research study by a random Oxford professor. I don’t know if you know this but one study does not make something factual.

You clearly have a bad opinion of Manchester and that’s fair enough but unequivocally rubbishing a city based on a couple of newspaper articles and think tank studies comes across as petty prejudice.

Having lived there most of my life I can honestly say that pre covid the city was thriving like never before. Had you made your points in the early 90s I may have been more amenable to them but the huge ever spiralling investment in the city since the bomb has transformed Manchester. Vast swathes of east mcr have been transformed by City’s owners, the formerly notorious Hulme has been gentrified, Moss Side is perfectly fine now and has been for decades. Salford has benefitted greatly from the influx of businesses into Media City, now a northern hub for the BBC. Transport links are marvellous, green policies and cycle lanes are everywhere. It’s a modern vibrant city and the positive aspects of this stretch way out into the suburbs.

There’s no point clogging up a boxing forum with a tit for tat on a non boxing topic on which we clearly are destined to disagree but if you fancy clogging my inbox up with relevant stats I’ll definitely take the time and trouble to hopefully repudiate them

[margaret thatcher]

why do the left hate manchester?

[Cyclops]

why do the left hate manchester?

Do they?

[mickey1975]

You’ll know this, Merc, and I’m not saying it couldn’t happen here, but my 6’4, streetwise son got grief from 4 blokes in a car right next to Manchester uni, the real one. He has a bird there.

[Fray Bentos]

Maybe they thought he was a student, Mick, being near the University. A lot of the locals prey on the student population. Muggings, burglary, etc. But they won't put that in their prospectus.

I remember my mate's girlfriend and her friends and boyfriends got mugged around Fallowfield - there were 10 of them in a group going on a night out and they got terrorized and lost what they had on them. That kind of stuff happens in Latin America... and London!

[mickey1975]

Maybe they thought he was a student, Mick, being near the University. A lot of the locals prey on the student population. Muggings, burglary, etc. But they won't put that in their prospectus.

He just followed the golden rule. No eye contact and keep walking, and alert. He only got verbals.

[Tuan_Jim]

Not long finished it myself,christ almighty one extremely violent area that

What, Salford?! It's a little media hub. Is it dangerous?

Yes. It’s a city, not just a big studio! BBC staff were all warned before media city opened up there. Old Trafford is there, ITV.

I had no idea, I only knew the swish telly part and the pleasant tram ride! Guess it must change on a night.

[mickey1975]

What, Salford?! It's a little media hub. Is it dangerous?

Yes. It’s a city, not just a big studio! BBC staff were all warned before media city opened up there. Old Trafford is there, ITV.

I had no idea, I only knew the swish telly part and the pleasant tram ride! Guess it must change on a night.

No, far from it. Some very rough estates.

[Cyclops]

Maybe they thought he was a student, Mick, being near the University. A lot of the locals prey on the student population. Muggings, burglary, etc. But they won't put that in their prospectus.

I remember my mate's girlfriend and her friends and boyfriends got mugged around Fallowfield - there were 10 of them in a group going on a night out and they got terrorized and lost what they had on them. That kind of stuff happens in Latin America... and London!

Some lad who was in the year below me got absolutely f*cked up by a gang of muggers when I was at Uni in London. He ended up with a huge scar down the left hand side of his face, like a good four inch mars bar. Funnily enough, he was a handsome chap, but in that strange way that they like models to be rather than conventionally good looking, and the scar gave him a 'look' and he ended up doing a bit of modelling. Catwalk and everything. So every cloud...

[mickey1975]

Maybe they thought he was a student, Mick, being near the University. A lot of the locals prey on the student population. Muggings, burglary, etc. But they won't put that in their prospectus.

I remember my mate's girlfriend and her friends and boyfriends got mugged around Fallowfield - there were 10 of them in a group going on a night out and they got terrorized and lost what they had on them. That kind of stuff happens in Latin America... and London!

Some lad who was in the year below me got absolutely f*cked up by a gang of muggers when I was at Uni in London. He ended up with a huge scar down the left hand side of his face, like a good four inch mars bar. Funnily enough, he was a handsome chap, but in that strange way that they like models to be rather than conventionally good looking, and the scar gave him a 'look' and he ended up doing a bit of modelling. Catwalk and everything. So every cloud...

Bonus, then?

[Cyclops]

I remember my mate's girlfriend and her friends and boyfriends got mugged around Fallowfield - there were 10 of them in a group going on a night out and they got terrorized and lost what they had on them. That kind of stuff happens in Latin America... and London!

Some lad who was in the year below me got absolutely f*cked up by a gang of muggers when I was at Uni in London. He ended up with a huge scar down the left hand side of his face, like a good four inch mars bar. Funnily enough, he was a handsome chap, but in that strange way that they like models to be rather than conventionally good looking, and the scar gave him a 'look' and he ended up doing a bit of modelling. Catwalk and everything. So every cloud...

Bonus, then?

Probably got him some model action.

[margaret thatcher]

why do the left hate manchester?

Do they?

i dunno tbh , that's just what im reading here

[CaptainSpacerod]

Obviously all fabricated then. The Manchester Evening News and the Guardian ie. the Manchester Guardian, obviously have some hidden agenda to slag off the fair city of Manchester.

Those MEN stories, reporting on studies commissioned by the Department for Local Government and the Inequalities in Health Alliance, obviously all made up. Not based on official sources.

Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at Oxford University, he's obviously just making stuff up as well.

So, over to you. Perhaps you'd like to provide data from the International Centre for Mancunian Studies you are involved with. Data which refutes all this evidence and demonstrates what a safe, healthy, happy place Manchester is.

Your original points were ;

Poorest health in the country - you do not corroborate this claim

Amongst the highest deprivation rates - even if we ignore the fact that the left wing M.E.N has an axe to grind with the evil tories, in the stats they quote the key measure of deprivation to which it refers references eight areas 4 of which are in Rochdale and Oldham and 3 of which are in Salford so only one is actually in Manchester then. I’m not here to defend Greater Manchester.

Inequality - the “evidence” you use to support this claim is a report by the Inequalities in Health Alliance an independent organisation only formed a few months ago (clearly with a remit it would seem). It’s not evidence mate - it’s not based on current statistics or historical data, it’s an opinion piece written by people with a vested interest.

Crime - I’ve not even bothered to have a look. All major cities have violent crime problems to an extent. I’m prepared to accept that Manchester has a problem but I’d be interested to see whether you had any actual statistics on for example violent crimes per head of population etc

It’s interesting that you attach such credence to one randomly plucked research study by a random Oxford professor. I don’t know if you know this but one study does not make something factual.

You clearly have a bad opinion of Manchester and that’s fair enough but unequivocally rubbishing a city based on a couple of newspaper articles and think tank studies comes across as petty prejudice.

Having lived there most of my life I can honestly say that pre covid the city was thriving like never before. Had you made your points in the early 90s I may have been more amenable to them but the huge ever spiralling investment in the city since the bomb has transformed Manchester. Vast swathes of east mcr have been transformed by City’s owners, the formerly notorious Hulme has been gentrified, Moss Side is perfectly fine now and has been for decades. Salford has benefitted greatly from the influx of businesses into Media City, now a northern hub for the BBC. Transport links are marvellous, green policies and cycle lanes are everywhere. It’s a modern vibrant city and the positive aspects of this stretch way out into the suburbs.

There’s no point clogging up a boxing forum with a tit for tat on a non boxing topic on which we clearly are destined to disagree but if you fancy clogging my inbox up with relevant stats I’ll definitely take the time and trouble to hopefully repudiate them

'Random Oxford professor?' Danny Dorling is a world leader in this field - urban geography. He's the go to man on urban deprivation, poverty and inequality.

There's a raft of evidence to support all the points I made. But, as you say, you can't even be bothered to look. But Manchester's got cycle lanes (as have loads of places) and you say transport links are marvelous, so obviously it's great place.

I'm glad to hear about the transport though, because at least you can get out of there pronto, which can only be a good thing. But if you're on about those trams that are somehow meant to make Manchester special, well, Sheffield's had a tram service like that since the 1990s.

Media City is in Salford btw, not Manchester. Hulme and Moss Side have always been horrible places and still are. They've just been tarted up a bit, as has a lot of Manchester. But so what? So has Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, etc. in fact all these major cities. What's happened in Manchester isn't special or different.

Btw, the huge spending you refer to (which they used to refer to as regeneration) has only widened the extant gap between rich and poor in your fair city - and there's a raft of literature on that too, including various reports by Manchester City Council - which I suppose obviously also has a vested interest in running Manchester down.

Still, you can't tell a Manc anything, they always know better. Although I note you cannot produce any actual evidence - like data or research - to suggest that Manchester is such a safe healthy, happy place. Maybe you can 'inbox' me. But I won't hold my breath waiting.

Anyway, back OT - Wakefield is, as Paul Sykes will tell you, not only the best city in the country but the world. Made famous by the fact that you can have you breakfast in Moscow and your tea in Wood Street nick.

Risible post, you clearly have a huge chip on your shoulder. I’ll leave you to your idiotic thought process.

[Cyclops]

why do the left hate manchester?

Do they?

i dunno tbh , that's just what im reading here

I don't know where you're reading it.

[margaret thatcher]

Do they?

i dunno tbh , that's just what im reading here

I don't know where you're reading it.

dude is saying that the anti man stuff must be from lefty sources

[Cyclops]

i dunno tbh , that's just what im reading here

I don't know where you're reading it.

dude is saying that the anti man stuff must be from lefty sources

What because, some of it was in the Guardian?

Manchester's full of lefties. It had the Hacinenda, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses (even though I think Ian Brown is some sort of flat earther now) Oasis. Almost everyone I've ever met from Manchester has been a lefty, to the point of being quite irritating about it sometimes. It's a party city, from my experience. Why would pointing out that it's really poor in some places mean that 'lefties' hate it?

Are you American?

[margaret thatcher]

I dunno mate, it was another dood saying the source isnt credible because it's lefty, not me

[SticknMove]

Where is Paul Sykes now? A lefty righty argument and a War of the Roses thrown in. Good job

[D4v3]

Manchester seemed like a great city when I visited, Liverpool on the other hand seemed really run down and dodgy, even parts of the city centre

[Steveh583]

Where is Paul Sykes now? A lefty righty argument and a War of the Roses thrown in. Good job

[mickey1975]

Where is Paul Sykes now? A lefty righty argument and a War of the Roses thrown in. Good job

He’s sat chilling in Jamie Boyles head.

[Oiky]

Where is Paul Sykes now? A lefty righty argument and a War of the Roses thrown in. Good job

He’s sat chilling in Jamie Boyles head.

[Steveh583]

for those who haven't seen it