Having waited patiently to see where this thread is going, I can see the truth of the matter coming ever closer. The lack of professionalism in this entire business has been obvious to me, and the lack of professionalism from DB even more so. But it was not only him, it was the system at fault because -- to be blunt about it -- in this case the expected players did not win while the unexpected players did. Until they got to the Worlds, that is, where they were under different pressures and having to please a different system. The "professionals" like DB and those there to support the team failed, dismally, to deal with this, and suddenly it was all someone else's fault. The basic fact is this: what exactly happened to prevent some very simple apologies from dealing with the matter? No, can't do that, let's spend tens of thousands of pounds and prove someone else wrong. Sorry, it didn't work so well, did it.

Gail is in a very good position to deal with stuff like this. She will fight to the last, she can afford to prove her point, and she did Scottish curling a favour by doing both. All for the sake of an apology and putting the facts right. She won't get an apology, and the facts were never in doubt.

There are certainly a number of people in 'professional' jobs within curling that do not have the competence or meet the criteria to do the job they are paid to do. However it is worrying that they continue in their jobs or indeed move to new jobs within curling. DB is not the only example of that, others have been given jobs where there have been criticised within a previous role. The last Olympic cycle report said as much!!

BUT they seem to have missed the point!
Their debate is about the role of the coach in regard to selection.
The judgement against Brown related to communications and not strategy.
There was no critisism of Brown for dropping Munro in the first place.

This is a very, very sad business. So many of the facts were not known and are only now being made public. Please read Bob's Blog, it is a must for all who care about curling. One bit that has shocked me to the core is this:

The Royal Club made three demands of us when we came back - to apologise, to give a financial contribution to curling development in our area and not to play in any competition that could lead to international representation.

Now hang on a minute here! People blow me to the rafters and more when I say anything against the RCCC, especially when I am right with my facts, but this is surely the most stupid, senseless, incomprehensible statement they have ever made!

To make my position absolutely clear, I am not important and don't consider myself to be. But I care, and I try my best for a game I dearly love. I am not a particular fan of Gail or her team, but I respect them for their commitment and their attitude to curling. I am not a fan of Derek Brown at all, but I hardly know him and can only measure him by what I see and read. Sorry, Delboy, you got this one wrong big time and you will never live it down, because you are too proud to admit to your own mistakes. It takes guts to apologise to someone like Gail, and you haven't got it.

Well done, Gail, simply keep speaking the truth and you'll be fine. Who knows, with the WWW only twenty years old, the RCCC might learn in fifty years' time that there is a new world where lying is no longer an option. People can now communicate and speak the truth, no matter who tries to stop them!