Well, you coulda fooled me Russ but hey, there are plenty of ways to wrap a present ain't there. I'm afraid I just don't buy this constant assertion that you alone are good and everybody else is bad.
Further on in your post you malign the Millennium, sure as sh!t they deserve some criticism but I didn't see much of you doing it when it needed to be done, I was at the front end of that cr@p many times giving it to the Millennium guys and so I have earned my stripes Russ.
I can however understand why you may not have so publicly condemned (during those times) the Millennium but ffs mate, I think I have played my game pretty straight in going for all the people who deserve it.
I will also take you to task in saying the Millennium guys have done fack all for paintball whilst raping the customer.
You are wrong !!
I know, for sure, a lot of the time, the Millennium did not make money, they plugged it back in mate.
I was privy to a lot of the stuff that went on with that series (not all but a fair bit) and those guys may not have gone about everything the right way but they gave us all the best paintball product in Europe (in terms of tourneys) and apart from Pedro, did it for the most part, for the right reasons.
Well, it's not often I am ill-informed Russ but it's always a possibility I got no problem in entertaining but once again, you polarise yourself in having us believe all others are in it for the money and you (PA) ain't.
As I mentioned before, there are many ways to wrap a present .
And to add one more thing, you give me control of the PA with the income you guys generate and I will make a profit...a fackin nice one at that !
I got a lot of time for Steve and I have heard some of his detractors but I have to go with my gut instinct of the man and I think he's good for paintball.
But by identifying yourself with him merely because he has his critics mate is a little presumptuous to say the least.
Ignoring your critics isn't gonna change the 'fundamental' you Russ and so you can't really use that as an excuse for not changing.
I haven't yet matured to a point where I can ignore critics but I ain't making money from people or setting myself up as anything other than a mouthpiece.
All I do is comment, but that's my job.
Russ, ignore them and get on with it !
All you would have found out Russ was the sterility of your assertion, it would have got nowhere, why do I say that?
I got no agendas either way on this, I know all the people concerned and I am fully aware of the political landscape you would have had to negotiate, you might as well have pissed in the sea for all the difference it would have made and you can't then try and validate your suggestion by introducing the 'Yeh but what if' factor ....... that ain't gonna cut no ice with me Russ.
There has been many a dictator using the notion of socialist initiatives to drive their ideas forward. Come on Russ, you gotta do better than this mate if you wanna try and justify your ideas.
I don't agree with this at all, they have certainly made mistakes, big ones and they continue to take the piss in certain areas but you cannot write them off as you have done with such remarks.
They continue to give us, the Euro baller, the biggest and best series there has been, no argument.
As to what price you put on that, I will let others argue but from my point of view, they have done a lot for paintball and to suggest otherwise smacks of agenda and ignorance.
FFS Russ, come off it mate, this is abject bollocks, I don't defer to these guys, I don't talk bollocks with them and I get on with them.
You know full well that I went for their nuts on a few occasions and got them to change their stance, I didn't defer to them or brown nose any of them and I got what I wanted and I did so because what I wanted was the right thing.
Maybe look at what you bring to the table and how you bring it rather than condemn the Millennium guys as intrainsigent power fereaks.
If you think all you have to do is talk sh!t and all of a sudden they start rolling over and letting you scratch their bellies then you got a lot to learn.
I don't play that game and I get on with the vast majority of people in our industry...doesn't that give you a clue as to how to act???
You are confusing people not agreeing with you with them expecting deferential behaviour. Just because people don't wanna play your game doesn't mean they are against you mate or are expecting you to turn tricks for them, they just don't wanna play, that's all.
So?...it's business, get over it, as you so eloquently put it, 'feck 'em'
I have talked with Ledz a few times ont ihs subject and I know why he supports you guys and in this sense, he's a one off.
Ledz is extremely patriotic and a no nonsense guy, if that man gives you any sort of advice, then listen to it but if I were in your position I would be asking another question, a more pressing and relevant question, Why the fack is Ledz the only guy who seems to be supporting us'?
And when you answer that, it's not so much why he is but why the others ain't !
In your position, we can conclude a few things, the way it's being done isn't working (in terms of where you want it to go and the response you guys get from the industry) and so you need to go back to square one (in terms of self-appraisement)
As I said before, I think what you are trying to do is good for the sport and it's all about the way you do things and how you come across that seems to be the main problem.
The first thing to do is take a serious look at yourself and understand where your league is in the scheme of things, no bull, just get real mate.
Once you have that perspective, then list your ideals and aspirations and go for them, ignoring all the pratts and critics.
Russ, both you and Hatts, had allusions to grandeur and a misguided idea of where you were on the paintball atlas, this is not a diss, I am just telling you like it is.
Once you genuinely ground yourself in reality, you will have taken the first step to where you wanan go and with Ledzy's words of wisdom (and support) ringing in your ears, you will have a much better opportunity of achieving your goals.
