He may be abbot flabby, but I dare say Rooney does a fair bit of exercise.
He may be abbot flabby, but I dare say Rooney does a fair bit of exercise.
Mental, can't imagine what it's like to eat that much.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
@Mahow ?
Them World's Strongest Man lads are all doing about eight to twelve thousand a day, and they're on every substance known to man, so a fourteen stone swimmer requiring those sort of numbers - even if he lives under water - ought to raise a few eyebrows.
:harold:
:lol:!
Sign Morata.
It obviously will be trickier to maintain your level if you've been overplayed (whether he has is arguable), but it's taking the piss turning up to pre-season training alarmingly overweight and has undoubtedly hurt every season of his since it was clear he wasn't taking care of himself. The best professionals (Maldini, Giggs and co.) make the extra effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
"However, they are not willing to match the fees Lukaku's agent Mino Raiola would earn if the forward joins United."
He's ours.
Mino Raiola is everywhere, isn't he? He's the agent of Donnarumma, the Keane lad at Juventus born in 2000, and Lukaku now too. Must be the sneakiest bastard.
EDIT: And Pogba, Ibra and Mihkytarian. Lol.
Born 20km from Naples, there you go.
Chelsea showing who's boss.
Have United really been 'chasing Lukaku for most of the summer'?
He is clearly predisposed to a certain amount of fatness, which, whilst making it more difficult to stay in shape as he has got older, also enabled him to have played first team Premiership football at sixteen. But this isn't a new thing. He said himself he turned up to pre-season in 2009 half a stone overweight, and that was his best season. With that in mind, the fact he likes a bit of crap food strikes me as being less of a factor for his current state than the fact he has played - and played hard - 755 top, top flight games by thirty-one (and that he still wears strapping on his ankle from his 2010 injury). Ryan Giggs didn't reach that amount of games until he was thirty-five. Paolo Maldini likewise. Didier Drogba has only recently surpassed it. He's just worn out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Fair play to Chelsea (to the extent that one removes any knowledge of the existence of Jorge Mendes* from one's mind) for balling in with an offer like that. It's probably the only way the proper parasites are going to be rid from football (arf, as if).
*I was going to call him Pedro Mendes and then confused myself with a bit of wiki'ing, wait, the guy that Ben Thatcher put into a coma/advertising hoardning is the arch nemesis super agent?
Lewis- I agree he was always chubby but he was also unusually explosive as a young player and played at a quick tempo in every match. I'm not sure which season it was (more recent than 2009) but he was much more than half a stone overweight then.
I'm not suggesting my tennis matches without ball boys are on the same level as a World Cup, but as an amateur player I can say from experience how important diet is.
If memory serves he's been taking the piss for over 5 years. There's a clear correlation between his diet going to shit and his decline as a player.
By the way how does being 'predisposed to a certain amount of fatness' help him play football at sixteen?
He was as big (heavy) as a man by that age, which is perhaps rare (and important).
According to Sky, who obviously have nothing to gain from hyping up nonsense, the Lukaku transfer has "so many twists and turns."Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Which proves it must be a SAGA because the bits I've seen of it goes thusly: He wanted to leave, United made a bid, Chelsea matched it.
You truly couldn't write it.
Man torn between the manager that ditched him and the club that ditched him. I say torn, he's probably just looking at their respective personal terms.
Players who are playing top flight football every week from sixteen or seventeen usually break down physically by about thirty, if not before. Current examples that come immediately to mind; Rooney, Kompany, Aguero, Torres. Mario Gotze and Jack Wilshere are both fucked already. Past examples include Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.
He was a manchild, which enabled him to physically compete with actual men at a young age. He could well have handled himself better, but he was never going to go much longer than he has done. Think about it. With the exception of freaks like Ronaldo, how many all-action attacking players actually get to this many games at the absolute highest level? Thierry Henry had played a similar amount of games at a similar age, and he was realistically done by thirty-two.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Being fat at 16 meant he was 'solid' as opposed to weak, look at Fabregas when he was 16 compared to Rooney. The difference between paella and pie.
If only we could combine the two into some sort of super dish. Pie-ella. No, that'll just confuse people.
When Henry was approaching 30 he was playing world class football and earned a transfer to Barcelona. Rooney, meanwhile, was looking like this. He's done at 31 and his level has dropped every year for the last 5 years. You can be 'pre-disposed to fatness' but you can also take care of yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
The guys John mentions were done by injuries. What do you associate Rooney with? Injuries or being a bit fat?
Henry went to Barcelona at twenty nine and was in the MLS at thirty two.
It's an observable trend. Players who play loads of football really early tend to burn out early, unless they're particularly well made.
It's definitely a trend, yeah, but Rooney's contributed to his decline.
Anyway I'll stop because it sounds like I'm way more passionate about this than I am, and we need more "Lukaku decides on Chelsea after his girlfriend buys a goldfish from London" rumours.
How's the "Rooney to Everton" SAGA going on?
Seems done and dusted.
Both, but mainly just being worn out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
How do Chelsea expect to sign somebody without paying their agent off? Presumably the fees they receive are in their contracts, so somebody has to pay them, which will mean Everton losing out or the player stumping up. I used to refuse to do it on Football Manager and all of the agents hated me. :cool:
That is quite a lot of things. If Alex Ferguson was still in charge Bill Kenwright would have caved at forty after a few drinks and a Billy Connolly story.Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian
I was going to ask earlier which fat scouser Chelsea were throwing in to 'match' United's offer, but I didn't realise he really was a part of the deal.
Giggs passed 750 games in the 2006-2007 season so right around turning 33 and played until he was 40.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Maldini got there in 2001 right before turning 33 and played until he was 40.
Rooney got there at 31 (and a half) and looks shot.
Clearly his physiology doesnt help him but he hasnt helped himself at all. We all knew he was going to fall off a cliff. United should have let him go to City and let him be their problem.
Vurnon Anita to Leeds. Hope he does well there.
I must have worked it out wrong, but they're different beasts (and exceptions in their own right). Samuel Eto'o was doing badly in Russia by thirty-two, David Villa was on the slide by that age, Gabriel Batistuta was gone... I think his lifestyle has taken months off him rather than years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny
Actually I think he's still good just not as good as when he was in his prime.
Rooney has been a shadow of his former self for a good five years now. The odd moment of brilliance or run of form but he hasn't been a top level player for 5 years.
His decline started at 25/26 and a huge part of that has to be the way he looks after himself. I'm sure the amount he's played is a factor too.
He was awful in 2012/13 when RvP was donning it and has been shit ever since.
I've never really got what he was good at. I mean, he's scored a lot, sure, but he's been a first teamed since his head popped out of his mothers growler. All we hear is 'he's not a striker', well what is he then? Long diagonal passes does not a midfielder make.
That's the key point, 'did' score - his record over the past 5 season has been average, at best - with a slight exception in 13/14.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
https://gyazo.com/384e90604fc39ae6119b1612e743966d.png
Wolves have broken the Championship spending record again this morning, paying around £15m for Ruben Neves of FC Porto. Five year deal, Jorge Mendes is of course the agent.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DEMmsVXX...jpg&name=large
Yeah, he has scored a lot regardless. He's England's top scorer of all time and I imagine he's pretty far up the Utd rankings. Again, a lot of that will come down to him playing top level football before he could even drive legally.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
His best season was about 6 years ago. This isn't a "he's 31 and suddenly can't play" , this is a steady descent. Lost his pace, motivation and ability to control the ball.
Anyway, big Rom Is in the house.
That Ruben Neves deal is deeply bizarre. He's the youngest captain in that club's history and has about a hundred games by the age of twenty. There must be a serious underlying issue if fucking Porto are letting a player go on the relative cheap.
There is. They have massive financial problems.
Porto's manager is Mendes' best mate and got him into the agenting game. If it was just a case of needing a few quid sharpish I'm sure Mendes could have found a bigger club to take him for a load more money.
Lingard must be heartbroken.
Who do you think takes all of their pictures?
He's furiously learning French this summer.
Need to drop ITKiko down a tier after his Morata declaration earlier in the week.
One of Pogba's brothers so he can say he's 'involved in the bantz' probably.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Seems things rapidly changed to go towards lukaku. Not to say Morata isn't still inbound.Quote:
Originally Posted by Migraine
Know when you're beaten, Kiko.
If it's Lymm McDonald's ITK you need, however......
I'd say Rooney shouldn't be starting for any team in the Premiership so whilst I understand the move for Everton and Rooney I do think it's terrible business.
lol at this (not even accurate) Scouse Accounting. His 'effective transfer fee'. Brilliant mate. They just gave Morgan Schneiderlin away. Football Twitter is like the best/worth reality programme imaginable.
Bit late to the party but wolves signing someone for £16m.
Wtf.
Chicken nuggets fyi.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
From what I read earlier, it's £75m + £15m in likely achievable add ons + £20m (?) to Raiola + wages. That's a fuckton of official noodles/traffic cones/teapotsQuote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Looks like at least 3 of the top 6 will have a new marquee striker signing. Possibly even 4 if City do end up trying for someone like Aubameyang.
We could be in for another season of the top 5/6 being clearly better than all below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40545516
Lukaku arrested in LA.
Partying too hard with Pogba probably.
That is brilliant. I'm not even sure what the worst part of it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
I zoned out at the Rooney valued at £25m bit.
:face:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
How do you come across that shit on Twitter, Lewis? :D
It just came up under 'Lukaku' thanks to a load of wallies re-tweeting it. Elsewhere, the ever-reliable Sun reckons that United want to sneak in and sign Tiemoue Bakayoko. Do it for the lolling Jose lad.
I'd love Bakayoko.
Although I'd rather we HIJACK Liverpool's bid for Naby Keita.
I've never seen him play, but that would obviously be funnier. Sign Alexis 'Alexis' Sanchez too and it's all good.
We were never after him
Klopp knows best
Lucas Leiva is coming back, like a new signing
Who?
Sheyi Ojo :drool:
YNWA
The SEETHE from the self-proclaimed hardcore fans if that happened would be spectacular.
Speaking of which, Sky Sports News did well to find the only five Everton fans (all loitering near the ground as it happened) who haven't spent the past thirteen years absolutely SEETHING at all things Wayne Rooney to call him a legend and welcome him back to the club.
Just saw that RAWK Meltdown has closed. Shame that, but there's a career opportunity there Lewis, la
It's Mendes. That said, couldn't give a hoot if it benefit wolves.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
See, I thought his going back was an odd one (didn't he basically bottle a Goodison away game under Ferguson who didn't select him?) because of the reception he tends to get. I know he was clapped and whatever at that testimonial he was in but that's a fucking testiomonial, it's not quite the same thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
He's guaranteed to score against us anyway. Bastard.
The only think Rooney's going to score is a free coke when he finally gets Old Kent road.
:D
What?
Yeah, this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Disco
The McDonald's Monopoly.
Come on.
Football is fucked. Harry Kane and Mbappe are the only ones remotely close to that sort of figure.
I was so sad when Totti retired. Football is broken.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...ooney-10760687
Looks like Ken is the reason behind Rooney. Apparently he's not very well so this is his last hurrah.
Is Lionel Messi really just gone on to £1m a week?
In Googling it to find out (Metro said £500k p/w and I realised I didn't care enough to Google for more sources) I discovered that Barcelona have a manager I've never heard of. Though he seems to have managed some other teams rather than having been picked because he once set out training cones for Xavi's La Masia intake so that's probably more my dwindling interest in football.
He was a legend on one of the old CM games.
https://www.sportsjoe.ie/amp/footbal...-priest-129553
Still none the wiser.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
It has it's own Wikipedia page and everything.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s_Monopoly
Was think meant to be thing? Or did he mean it like people say sumfink?
He's gone. Remember being enthralled by the boy wonder at home to Fenerbahçe. Totally unplayable. It's a shame he couldn't hit the heights post 2010 but at least he's got himself a move which keeps him sort of relevant. Good luck ysb.
It's like getting back together with a hot ex girlfriend after a long break, only to find all the good has been ridden out of her and her gowl is like a clowns pocket. Won't end well.
Stock the fat cunt up front, no captaincy, no midfield. Just let him score goals.
He can't even do that as we saw with Mourinho.
I saw a Twitter poll recently asking people whether they would rather have peak Paul Scholes or peak Wayne Rooney in their team. The result was something like eighty per cent Scholes, but I went with Rooney on the basis that his 2009/10 season is the best that anyone has put together in the Premiership. I think they would have more than likely beaten Chelsea in that April SIX POINTER had he not been injured, and got to another Champions' League final as well. He was legitimately the third best player in the world that year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
götze had massive thyroid issues which he now apparently has sort of under control after half a year of therapyQuote:
Originally Posted by John
He meant 'stick' @Giggles.
Rudiger to Chelsea for £35m. Five year deal.
Both bold statements.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Ronaldo was the best player in the world in 07/08, so why wouldn't that be a better Prem season?
Jesus christ these Twitter announcements.
Ronaldo wasn't behind an even better Ronaldo and 'The Little Genius' in 2007/08, and, although he was brilliant that year, have a look at the United squad statistics for 2009/10. The amount of injuries around him out to have written the season off, but he carried the side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Have all of these clubs just suddenly realised that Twitter exists?
People are most likely getting paid to think up new ways to announce a signing which is a bit lol. I miss the days of plain old holding the shirt up at the ground/training ground.
I suspect marketing agencies have just realised that they can make stupid people pay them lots of money to come up with them.
Even worse is that BBC sport felt the need to describe the video in their article on the transfer.
I'm still waiting for a team to go full Ultimate Team and do a fake "walk-out" bit with an updated FUT card showing the new club.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
Have fireworks and all them things in the ground, drop the players' flag from the rafters, the entire bit just played out in real life.
For those who don't play FIFA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4FC4jZmS4
£40m bid for Sigurdsson rejected wtf
TBF, they'll get relegated without him and that's 120 million quid.
Easily done with a green screen.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Ohhhh no I want them to do the whole nine in real life. Green screen would be way too cringe.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
Mind you, the idea is cringe to begin with, but I'd at least applaud the EFFORT otherwise.
Yeah fair enough. I guess a big chunk of the "wtf" was us whacking £40m bids in.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
When you're bidding 30 for Troy Deeney, anything is possible.
Dear God.
Should have just used Stormzy
Looks like somebody already hasQuote:
Originally Posted by phonics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articl...-romelu-lukaku
Is that the same pool that they've been hanging out at all day? For fuck sake.
They didn't have Eric Bailly in 2014.
TBF he was wrong in 2014
Spending the Mahrez money. Like why Everton spunked millions all over the place - they knew the Lukaku cash was comingQuote:
Originally Posted by Max Power
Where's Mahrez gone?
Nowhere yet, but probably Arsenal if rumour gibberish is to be believed
Made £65m from Champions League alone last year. Don't see us needing to sell Mahrez to spend big money.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
£65m wouldn't even get you Jonathon Spector's left nut these days
Well it probably ain't getting Gylfi Sigurdsson anyway.
Iheanacho incoming though which is good. More excited about what weird and wacky way we'll announce it tbh.
Keep it quiet and parachute him into the centre circle during the first home friendly.
Have him dress as the mascot then have a big reveal when you sub him on.
Dress him up as a steward and see how long it takes before the good people of Leicester recognise him at a game. My money is on never.
Everton are minted these days. Think they'll still be splashing it about a little bit yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
Newcastle are after a player called Alphonse Areola which sounds like something we would have made up and sent into TalkSport.
Sounds a right tit.
Keep us abreast of the situation
I'll stop there, I don't want to milk it.
Boob puns are great, but I just suck at them.
Doubt he'll be a Alan Shearer type signing. More like a Titi Camara.
He's pretty good if mammary serves.
You leave my boy Specs alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
http://mediaweb.wftv.com/photo/2017/....0_640_360.jpg
He reminds me a little too much of one of the Trump kids there.
http://www.skysports.com/share/10944636
James joins bayern on loan
Squad player for a huge club --> squad player for another huge club. Hmm. One of the few that can afford his wages, I guess.
"He made 111 appearances for Real, scoring 36 goals and producing 41 assists."
I didn't realise he'd played that much. Impressive stats.
He's been there three seasons though and they must play about 70 games per season.
I see Slimani getting linked around to West Brom and Newcastle, I thought he was quite good last year?
I've just been looking through the list of summer transfers to see what I've missed (almost all of them, as it turns out) and the one that sticks out as :sherlock: is Barcelona buying back Gerard Deulofeu. Is this in preparation for the newly independent Catalan league demanding 8 home grown players?
They have no depth after neglecting their B team and don't have the option of changing a game using the bench or playing two different sides in two different competitions like Real.
Looking back on Barcelona's transfers over the last 3 years is quite startling. They've had a nightmare.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-b...ers/verein/131
3 years? It's been awful since Rijkard.
That loan sounds a bit crap from Madrid's perspective. If he is great for Bayern than they will lose him for less than he is worth, and if he is crap then they will also end up with him back at the club with no suitors and probably not long left on his contract. They should have just taken forty million off somebody and written it off.
These multi-year long loans are just creative accountancy (of some sort) aren't they? They are actually transfers. He's not going to be going back, like Cuadrado wasn't going anywhere once that absurd 4 year loan or whatever it was would have ended. I'm sure the Delofeu thing is a mix of him being available fairly cheaply (by the standards of the today's market) and them thinking they'll be able to sell him for more in the near future (a Morata deal). In short, everything's fucked.
Dani 'Daniel' Alves going to PSG is a bit lol. Daniel Levy must be rubbing his hands together in a very stereotypical way.
I see Eric Dier is agitating. Surely United will have to break the world transfer record by a considerable margin in order to wrest him away from Levy.
They've needed a new John O'Shea for a while now.
Eric Dier is massively over-rated. He's a pretty good CB but offers absolutely nothing in midfield apart from an ability to not get booked for professional fouls.
Agreed. He's a decent player, and nothing more.
It is the nature of a DM I guess, being decent at everything without being fantastic. Don't rate him particularly.
Even Wanyama looked a lot better doing that for them last season.
This would be true if you didn't have to play another DM that's just as limited next to him to do half his job for him. Gilberto Silva was pretty average at everything but you only needed 1 of him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adamski
Even more absurd, Juventus started shopping Cuadrado around for thirty odd million the moment he'd signed for twenty.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
Eric Dier is rubbish, but it could be worth it to see just how much of a petulant shithouse he can become under the right management.
He's not off anywhere. How would he and Dele keep up their love in at that distance?!
Jesse Lingard needs a new mate, so it works out perfectly. Elsewhere, ten million quid for Adnan Januzaj isn't terrible. The waster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RIPHsxYuVk
No way we're in for Dier. Feel like that's a United counter to Chelsea supposedly trying to leak to the press that we're "in for Bakayoko" so they can "save face" over the Lukaku "robbery".
Save face? This isn't the mafia.
It was a good theory though if you assume that Antonio Conte is constantly on the verge of SEETHING himself unemployed.
Am just going off what I've heard on the interwebz, Jimbo.
Lewis - I mean there's deffo been a bunch of little rumors that he's doing just that.
Every Chelsea manager from about 2013 onwards has been doing that / will be doing that, the board won't buy them all the players they want.
Yeah, which is why the idea of the stiffs in the Chelsea hierarchy leaking those stories as if he's an idiot is lol (and entirely believable).Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
And Bayern buying him outright is now probably dependent on Juventus signing Douglas Costa from them, as he has now joined Juve on loan with an option to buy at the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
At least Dier is a bit more exciting/interesting than Matic. And he's English, which they're lacking.
Now the Bayern/Juve relationship, that is the definition of bent. There is some massive, massive corruption going on there. Players move back and forth between them but no transfer fees ever seem to change hands.
It will all be in Argentine bank accounts.
Rumours afoot that the Keita deal is essentially done.
By the sounds of it the commitee tried, got quoted a high fee. They then went back to Klopp who has told them to pay whatever it takes. Kid wants the #8 shirt too.
Encouraging if true.
This morning I read we're in for 'PEA' as he will no doubt be dubbed by the lazy. That would be a truly dismal signing.
Yeah, I feel someone is going to suffer badly in signing him (the fear was [is] it would be us).
That said, I've just seen a picture of Willy Caballero holding up an orange goalkeeping jersey at a press conference with Michael Emenalo, so I suppose it could be worse.
Gylfi Sigurdsson has decided that he's 'not in the right frame of mind' for Swansea's trip to the USA, and has subsequently stayed at home as he's unsettled.
Everton have now had £40m rejected.
He's a match winner but potentially £50m for Everton to sign him seems a madness.
Someones got to score the free kicks now Leighton Baines is dog shit.
For swansea, i can see why it has been rejected. He, is the only reason he they are a premier league football club. Without him, they would be relegated 100%
Not if they've got an extra £50m to spend.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
He's a good player but he's not Maradona ffs.
Spending an extra £50m on players is a gamble, when you have a player who will keep you in the league if you keep him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adamski
I read somewhere that Lukaku used to be Everton's highest earner, on £90k/week. They're now paying Keane & Pickford that, Klaasen & Ramirez £100k odd, and Rooney £150k.
Can only end well.
They're loaded.Quote:
Originally Posted by dino
Klaasen is such an average player, a la Classie.
Man City apparently paying £50m for Kyle Walker.
Fkin 'ell.
I'm surprised that Levy only got that much out of them tbh.
These prices really are absolutely fucking ridiculous.
If Kyle Walker is 50 million, I'd drop double that on Siggy.
£50m is par for the course these days really. Surprised Levy didn't beat the Bale deal really.
Somebody's pointed out that Nottingham Forest was sold for the same amount this summer.
When the bubble bursts, it's going to be fucking hilarious.
It's not like it's going to go "pop" one day with nobody suspecting it. It will be gradual if anything with dozens of employees at clubs monitoring any change.
It'll happen when TV rights values (which I suspect are not infinite) go in the other direction and suddenly everyone's got all these massive contracts on their books.
The market is entirely driven by TV rights. Literally no other factor involved.
ITV Digital is a decent precedent for what happens when you overpay for TV rights.
The consumer isn't prepared to pay ever-increasing sums to watch Stoke City v Swansea.
If telly disappeared tomorrow the Uniteds and the Bayerns of the world would just launch their own streaming services, and everyone else would suffocate.
Once it comes near collapse we'll see the Euro superleague (played in the US) and everyone else will go back to semi pro.
Exactly, the very richest would be fine but anyone who's currently being subsidised by TV (i.e. most clubs) would die instantly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Next World Cup is ours.
Trying to work out if there's a country at the next World Cup it would be more comical to get bummed out by than Iceland. Uzbekistan might be a good sleeper candidate.
Tottenham will hopefully be closed for business if Kyle lolker is going for that much.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/manc...ers/verein/281
The amount of money they've thrown at defenders is mental.
Otamendi
Mangala
Stones
Walker
£161m of 'talent' there.
It goes under the radar because of United attempting to buy the title.
Bailly was cheaper than all of them too :cool:
How are Everton lining up next season if they do end up getting Gylfi? Is Rooney playing upfront?
I like to think Daniel Levy lives his entire life with the bass line from Pink Floyd's 'Money' going round and round his head.
'Dom dom-de-dom - dom - dom - dom - dom - no, Amanda, we're not flying business class.'
Since they bought Kompany for fifty pence they've done about three hundred and fifty million trying to find a partner for him.
And Benjamin Mendy will make it over £200m if he signs.
This gets even loller with Leonardo Bonucci about to join Milan for - wait for it - thirty-five million. What is going on there? What are Juventus doing? What is he doing? What are Chelsea and City doing?
Inter probably found out they part owned him when he was 15 or something.
£10 on Rooney getting 30+ goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by Amigo
I can't link it from mobile properly but the Southampton post is so good.
https://twitter.com/southamptonfc/st...51913856630784
You are too skint to waste that kind of money.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
It's the only way he'll win her back.
Long term investment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny
Shedding cash before the settlement.
That Southampton thing is good, but the real wonder is that Stuart Taylor is still picking up Premier League wages despite, I believe, never having actually played a game of football.
£50m for Kyle Walker. What a world we live in.
Obviously silly money as always but he's no mug. Team of the year last season. I think he's one of the best right backs.
I've never got it. He's fast and he's not a disaster or anything (he wouldn't be a key player for a team at that end of the table otherwise) but even taking into account the "English tax" I think that's too much and that he's much overrated.
It falls into the same category as any of the proper rich clubs where the fee isn't really especially relevant, but still.
Do Man City even have an official tractor?
He wasn't even Spurs best right back by the end of the season. He'll be very useful for Guardiola though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Kyle Walker's concentration is 0.
Trippier > Walker :nodd:Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Kyle Walker's pace covers up the fact that he has the tactical discipline of a pitch invasion. He'll only have to get about ten percent slower and he'll immediately be a complete liability.
If this move goes through the most expensive back four of all time will consist of Luke Shaw, John Stones, David Luiz, and Kyle Walker. :D
Aren't City trying that tiki-taka stuff? Walker is miles from having the brain for that.
Only 27 so pace should be alright for a while. Not going to be someone like Dani Alves but he's not just pace. Apparently he was their first choice.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Tika-taka-spaka shit pass it to the fast brown one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
Walker has pretty much 'earned' his reputation from recovering possession that he lost in the first place. His pace is basically an undo function and he has the delivery of a buttered up midwife.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCYhZa49gBc
He's back.
Gor Mahia FC didn't know what hit them.
He won't be slow for a long time yet, but he won't have to be slow for his utter lack of positional sense to become a problem. The moment he doesn't have the pace to offer just about any player in the league a three yard start in a ten yard race he's done. That could be in six years but it could also be in two. Obviously the fee has as much to do with the English premium and taking a starter off a rival as it does the player himself, but for a player with so little to his game it seems like a particularly absurd amount of money.
That bet looking good now. :drool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
That's gold. I'm robbing that.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Kyle Walker is very much not a good player. He is a right footed Gael Clichy (who we managed to mug off 15 million back in the day when that was actually a decent transfer). Cannot wait.
Sunderland have signed Aiden McGeady and James Vaughan permanently, and Galloway and Browning on loan. Decent championship signings?
The Everton connection.
Rumours that Zlatan is staying with us and re-signing in January. I'd absolutely love it if that happened.
Larry is the best signing you could have ever made.Quote:
Originally Posted by ScousePig
#TOOSG
McGeady has done well at Preston. Needs to be just let do his thing and take the bad that comes with doing that, which can work ok at that level.Quote:
Originally Posted by ScousePig
I swear this is the first time in my life I've had to look up who's managing Sunderland. :|
Clown.
Chalobah has joined Watford permenantly and Loftus Cheek is at Palace on loan. Bertrand Traore has moved to Lyon, Solanke has gone to Liverpool, Ake is at Bournemouth, Izzy Brown looks on the verge of going to Brighton or Huddersfield, Tammy Abrahams has gone on loan to Swansea and they're looking at spending 10 million quid on a back-up goalkeeper. That's the spine of their 4/5 time FA Youth Cup winning squad gone.
At this point, why would you ever sign for Chelsea as a youngster?
So 6 out of the 7 players you mention are at, or will be at, Premier League clubs. How many Arsenal, Man City or Man Utd youths actually genuinely make it at those clubs?
That's what makes Tottenham so special :happycry:Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
You've just listed off the best reasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
Man City are a similar level of joke. United I don't know. Our youth team got relegated to Dividon 2 - few years ago and hasn't recovered.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
That's what I mean. It's worked out well for those Chelsea guys.
At United it's been pretty much the same deal in terms of numbers coming through. Before Rashford it had been a while.
Not a huge fan of Walker, but tbf to him he's been part of the best defence in the league over the last couple of seasons. I think he'll thrive at City.
This Bonucci deal is madness. :cab:
Being a third choie is the most secure job in the worldQuote:
Originally Posted by phonics
Taylor shows no improvment or progession in his life.
I even think calling him experienced is pushing it.
Apparently Bonucci and Alves fell out with Alegri at half time of the Champions League final. Something to do with Dybala.
Juventus decided they had to get rid of Alves and Bonucci. Bonucci was/is adamant that he's not leaving Italy and Milan are the only club who where interested at 35m.
Walker and Mendy are well worth 100m to City at this point. Great signings and would make them favourites to win the league and probably puts them in the mix for Europe as well.
Abdelhak Nouri of Ajax collapsed in a friendly the other day because of heart rhythm problems. They managed to save his life but having done tests after he was stable, they say he has suffered serious and permanent brain damage and his chances of recovering are nil.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40595416
Yeah, that's crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
As with these things, it's pretty grim viewing...
Toggle Spoiler
Speaking about heart issues, this female has claimed on different occasions when she has her head on my chest.
1) My heart has skipped a beat
2) You can see my heart beating outside my chest
Ive never had any issues regarding this, but im probably going to get it checked out based on all these strange heart cases recently.
Take care Sincere, it always seems to be black lads that have heart trouble.
This Keita situation is strange. We are confident of landing him and he has supposedly agreed to terms. Even some of the Leipzig staff are seeing it as a formality. Yet the RBL ownership view it completely differently. They got into contact with Liverpool yesterday to declare the player not for sale. We then returned later the same day with a £57m bid, which they have today rejected. It's expected to take about £10m before me get around their valuation.
He also has a clause in his contract which means we could buy him in a years time for half the amounts being thrown about. That's not active until next year though and I imagine RBL would push him to sign a new contract to remove that. You'd expect we should give up and wait for that clause, but Klopp has provided no alternative targets. He wants Keita and has told the money men to pay whatever it takes.
If we do end up getting him, it's going to be a little tough to predict a Liverpool line-up. You'll have Firmino, Coutinho, Mane, Salah, Lallana, Wijnaldum, Keita, Henderson, Emre Can, Sturridge, Ings, Solanke and Origi all vying for the 6 spots ahead of the defence. That's not even including Milner or Lucas, with the former now seen as a left back and the latter expected to move to Lazio.
Mane - Firmino - Salah
Keita - Coutinho - Henderson
I bet Daniel Sturridge is sitting there right now rejecting approaches from the sort of crap club he will have to settle for in August.
What sort of player is Keita? That strikes me as 5 attackers + Henderson but I might misunderstand Keith a little.
Keith.
Box-to-box ish with more of a focus on going forward. But it does leave me thinking we're all-out-attack with whatever team I think we might play.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonsky
He'd go to someone better [richer], which is why Liverpool have to pay over the odds to have him now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
It also seems we're likely to get Robertson from Hull. £8m. Not much to complain about there.
The bolded ones are all backup though, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
Trouble is Salah and Mane are both better from the right, but you'd expect both of them to start. You've gotta put Coutinho in the midfield three if only to fit others in (and he was playing there toward the end of last season, or at least a couple games?)
Mane, Firmino, Salah
Coutinho, Keita
Henderson
Would be harsh on Wijnaldum. You could just shove captain Henderson on the bench and go all out mental attack. Heavy metal etc.
You've also got Lallana missing out, which is again harsh on him.
Options are good though.
Is the defense still a pile of shit?
Dejan Lovren is, yes.
It always will be when you are that attacking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonsky
Coutinho in the midfield three is only going to happen against wank (which is a good idea, incidentally). I would imagine Wijnaldum-Henderson-Lallana would be the BIG GAME midfield trio (from currently available options), but assuming everyone is fit all the time is daft. Someone is always injured and Liverpool's bench was very weak last season.
Oh yeah, forgot about Lallana. He was arguably the best player? In conclusion, I have no idea.
1-1 against Wigan at HT.
Alexander-Arnold looks to be genuinely pushing Clyne for starting right-back... very impressive so far.
Lallana was probably our best player last season (Coutinho missed too many games).
It's all incredibly average, Coutinho & Mane apart.
They played the same number of [league] games last season (Lallana more minutes).Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Yeah, I seemed to forget the Lallana injury. Still, he was very good.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
Lallana just kept getting injured for months on end after playing for England.
Much like Torres coming back with a muscle injury every fucking time he played for Spain in 2008/09. You'd think they'd learn.
If you sign Oxlade Chamberlain expect to have a good portion of the team out with hamstring injuries. I love to watch him play when he's at it but he's so, so, so bad when recovering from injury. His entire Arsenal career could be summed up 3 bad games with 2 average games, hits another level for 3 games, out for 7 weeks, repeat. The player is absolutely there which is why I'm frustrated we'll no doubt lose him but he has baggage.
I'd be genuinely interested to see how Chamberlain got on in a system like Liverpool's (assuming he would play as one of the supposed midfielders). He's always seemed like he has talent, but not really as a wide man (I'm sure Southampton always had him pegged as a central midfielder). Now that Arsenal have adopted the a la mode 3 man defense maybe he'll get a chance there for them (or just get to play as a wingback as and when hamstring injuries permit).
In other news, look at the state of Diego Costa:
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps...sta2_getty.jpg
I looked for a better one on their official site but there must be some kind of embargo on them (that's probably an archive photo). I bet there's a fair amount of timber around the midriff there.
I think that'd be interesting to see too, Niko. Sure he'd be willing to press like Klopp wanted (until he got injured at least).
Seems that Kolasinac dude will be first choice left wingback for Arsenal, and Bellerin will presumably be on the right, so Ox would be on the bench. If I was him, or just about any player there, I'd have a change and try somewhere else.
He was absolutely immense as a wingback last year but I'm starting to think anyone can look good there. I'd say he's an improvement on Lallana in his dribbling ability but his final ball off a touch is really poor which often has him beating a man but then knocking it into the next or fucking up the next ball. I once saw him beat the same man with a Cruyff turn 4-5 times in as many seconds and then fail a 5 yard back pass on the halfway line, as an example. He shone as a wingback as he was often taking a cross off the first touch back off a pass from the edge of the area and he hits it very sweetly. It's noticeable how much interplay he has with Giroud vs Ozil, a man of many touches.
In our old formation he would/should get in front of Walcott but Ramsey/Xhaka/Oxlade-Chamberlain is a weird mix of CMs.
Ozil should be sold. He has given arsenal four years of decent game. He is 30 now (i think) with one year left on his contract. He isnt going to start doing better numbers. It should be oxlade who should be first choice for that right wide slot. Both walcott and ozil are way best their experation date.
Bellerin looks like he is staying so RWB is probably going to be bellerin. Put oxlade in front of him, further up the formation.
The Ox sees himself as a central midfielder these days. Though how this much rumoured move to Liverpool will help, I don't know. He's more likely to play there for Arsenal than us.
lol at Costa. Maybe China is too demanding a league and he's holding out for Thailand.
I can't see any point whatsoever in spending £25m on Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Ozil is 28, scored 8 goals and got the 6th most assists in the league last season where he spent 3.5 months injured. He was poor the moment Arsenal became a poor team. Very much a player who makes good teams great rather than someone who drags them through. Still a fantastic player. No-one wants him outside of Fenerbache because no-one still plays with a 10/8 hence he'll stay.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
Scored our best goal last year too, the guy is a non-competitive version of Bergkamp you just need to put good enough players around him to let him play his game
https://media.giphy.com/media/MHLU4RUR7IaEU/giphy.gif
:d
@phonics Does he not have a habit of disappearing in big games, though? Genuinely asking. I don't watch that much of Arsenal.
It's more that Arsenal do, but he stands out more because he doesn't PRESS and people expect him to do something with nothing.
As Lewis says, that's far more Arsenal's fault than Ozil. In our two marquee wins over big opposition (the 2 3-0's vs United and Chelsea) he was absolutely key in both. I watched him vs West Brom when I went there on boxing day and a ball went out of play due to his fake and he ended up kicking the water bottles by the corner flag into the crowd and screaming so loud I heard it in the middle tier. We won 1-0 through an 88' Giroud header (selling him is going to be the biggest mistake we make this year) despite dominating the game. Though you could that problem down to a poor conversion of chances etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Hes both frustrating and in the top 10 players that's ever played for the club (that I've seen)
That's fair enough. And yeah selling Giroud would seem a mistake to me. If he'd rather be off probably not much you can do though.
Arsene Wenger is literally the only manager in the world that's never kept an unhappy player. If you're willing to let Alexis Sanchez go on a free next year to win the league this time round, why would you let Giroud go because it's a World Cup year.
Former Southampton Striker Emmanuel Mayuka
Then
Toggle Spoiler
Now
Toggle Spoiler
Southampton in Twitter fat shaming controversy....
I had a dream last night I was in line for some pizza and Mike Ashley was ahead of me in the queue. I wish he kept to his word about giving Rafa what he needs. At least the new guy almost scored on his debut. Looks like Gouffran's away which is fine. A season in the Premier League might be too much for him.
Except he's dog turd and can't take a throw in to save his life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
Interesting from Mourinho on Lukaku: http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Fe...ource=facebook
Loic Remy's been told he can leave Chelsea this summer, according to Sky.
I'm not sure there'll be too many takers for him now - I was expecting him and Benteke to tear it up last season for Palace, but he spent nearly all season injured, he's 30 now and he'll still be on big wages.
I'm more surprised he's still there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40609989
Chelsea have signed Bakayoko.
£40 million is the new £12 million.
Aguero to Chelsea?
Milan are basically buying a new first XI at this point.
Biglia now to add to, Bonucci, Andre Silva, Musacchio, Rodriguez, Conti, Calhanoglu and Kessie. Signing Donnarumma to a new deal and supposedly still want Belotti.
I'd completely missed Andre Silva going there. Thirty million quid and Porto were still skint enough to send Neves to Wolves for half that.
Inter. :(
Milan are basically spending money until fair play kicks in for them in September.
Fucking hell they've spent nearly £170 million whilst Inter have only spent about £22 million.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Lol fair to see who got the best new owners.
Inter spent similar money over the last 2.
Ok yes fair enough. Didn't realise that, and that's actually scandalous given how bad they've been.
Renato Sanches on loan as well, according to Sky.
I wanted him to come to United :(
Perisic is supposed to be done according to Miggy Delaney.
Meh, I'm not convinced by him.
Any news on a central midfielder, Keeks?
I'm confused with this Lemar chap - did he play centre-half against England in that recent friendly? I could swear he did, but it would seem he's actually a winger so I'm doubting my memory.
He might have filled in momentarily when Varane got the boot, but he wouldn't have played there. There's a French centre back named Laporte who may be fucking with your memory.
Just reading about this. Seems unlikely to happen. Sanchez is much more likely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Baz
Bravo to zero, lol: https://www.theguardian.com/football...-claudio-bravo
Can't see it working out amazingly well for Milan this season. That many new players to go straight into the first eleven is a big move. Top four would be a good achievement.
We're doing the same thing and just got murdered by a load of lollipop men and PE teachers. They could finish twelfth and it wouldn't be a shock.
At only £14m I think it's over exaggerated what a failure Bravo was. Hart was terrible for Torino last season, for example.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
I thought Reina was a big cheese and highly regarded at Napoli?
And we're back. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Storey
You should get Mert on the case and get a cut of whatever these frauds are being paid.
I remember floating it on the Old Board years ago, so I could have retired on it by now.
You definitely did, but there's also whatever you submitted to Football365 which, as I remember, came about a year before I seen a proper article with the same idea.
I don't know what it would take for a football bubble to burst.
The same thing it takes for any other bubble to burst - rampant over-valuation of things.
If sport 2.0 kills it I think I'll cry.
What does that mean, everyone stops watching it as they are too busy playing Fifa?
No everyone starts to watch other people play FIFA and pay for the privilege.
Sounds exciting. I wonder if I could monetise people to watch me post on here.
How would FIFA work as a game if the sport collapsed anyway?
You could have avatars playing for brands, instead of players playing for clubs.
Your players are shite, though. And your manager is shite.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
5 year season ticket holder for Mahow's bedroom.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Graham Hunter has a new podcast out today called 'THE BIG INSIDE VIEW' where he reveals his EXCLUSIVE insider knowledge to people who give him a fiver. In the first episode he says M'Bappe will stay at Monaco, Kyle Walker is moving to Man City and Bonucci will move to Milan. I repeat, the podcast came out TODAY.
With EXCLUSIVES like that I can't see why he's not charging 100 pound an episode.
He's just Guillem Balagué without the foreign mystique and crap goatee.
His Big Interview show jumped the shark when he got Jody Morris on and said he was one of the finest passers of the ball to ever grace the nation of England. Stopped listening after that.
I startled listening to those again the other day. Forgot it was still running.
He is full of shit though. I skip the bit where he talks.
Us going after Aguero is mental/desperate. Our transfer policy seems to be the result of daily liquid lunches. Pity AVB isn't still around to see it.
So dependent on having a top head coach under the current setup (and I mean head coach, not manager).
Javi Manquillo, the right back of Atletico and previously on loan at Sunderland and Liverpool, is having a medical with Newcastle at the minute. Can't say he's impressed me in either Premier League spell, so we'll see.
Jacob Murphy of Norwich is expected to have a medical today too.
Did they go after lukaku in the end or was he too expensive?
Sky Sports News appears to be giving credence to the Neymar to PSG stuff, which would be shit for Barcelona even with the lol transfer fee.
Manquillo was the definition of average in a 7th/8th place Liverpool team if I remember right.
As for us, Robertson has left Hulls pre-season tour, so you can only imagine that's to complete his Liverpool move. Fee just under £10m last I heard.
Wait, PSG are willing to pay €222 million?
What even is financial fair play?
£24m for Arnautovic.
How much did West Ham pay for Ayew again?
:D I wonder how many sub-£20m transfers there'll be in the Premier League this window.
West Ham's recruitment for the last few seasons has been abysmal. So many chancers.
The Spanish tax man seems to be catching up with a few people, which is an unexpected development it has to be said.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
No such problems in Macron's France.
Aye, until the bus blows up.
Danilo's gone to City. They've now spent over 80 million quid on right backs.
Whichever Manchester manager doesn't win the title is a cunt.
The internet told me that Veratti is going to sign with Mino which means my midfield might be Pogba-Veratti-Herrera next season and for some reason I'm hard as bricks.
'My midfield'
Well I am a card carrying Member of Manchester United Football Club after all, phonics.
#Engagement
Robertson is on his way over for a medical for a shade under £10m. Kevin Stewart is going the other way for somewhere around £7-8m, we we're gaining a left back for almost free. Or the cost of our 8th or so choice centre mid.
The Keita saga rumbles on. We bid €65m and saw that rejected. We returned Tuesday with €75m and that has today been rejected, with the owner of RBL stating they wish to make a point of not selling their better players. It was expected that the latest bid, which was £66m would seal the deal so I don't know what happens now. Unless he turns in a transfer request then I can't see this one going anywhere.
Think Morata will be the better of the two out of him and Lukaku. Chelsea could really do with a defender.
I'd be really surprised if Morata is better than Lukaku this season.
I wonder what the fee is. Madrid could probably have rinsed them, but they might be SEETHING enough at all things United not to have bothered.
80-85m Euros say the reports.
Surprised madrid sold him. Benzema is 30 before the year is dome. I would have thought he would have left before morata. Morata to take benzema's spot or move ronaldo into the CF position instead.
You could probably extend that back about 15 years. £24m for a striker who scored 7 in 35 last season, for fuck sake.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raoul Duke
When was the last time Real Madrid or Barcelona actually sold one of their starting XI though?
The likes of Sanchez, Xavi, Casillas etc have left in the last few years, but they've either been backups or their contracts have been allowed to run out.
Özil maybe?
Real Madrid will be able to buy a few quality players for the £100m from Morata (backup) and Danilo (backup), rinse and repeat with their replacements.
Sanchez had more league starts than messi during his last year at barcelona.
BBC says 'about £60m'.Quote:
Originally Posted by Migraine
Yeah but they were signing Suarez so he was essentially backup at that point.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
@Weaver - Real Madrid sold Di Maria. But you're right, it doesn't happen often (and that was a while back now).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Migraine
SEETHING it is. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
Morata - 29 goals
Lukaku - 29 goals
Difference?
Morata - 1 goal per game ish
Lukaku - 10 game dry spells before scoring 7 against Huddersfield.
Morata will score about 9 all season, 4 of them in a Champions League dead rubber against Slavia Prague.
The fee is fucking bonkers for a player who's played for nothing but dominant sides and has fifteen league goals as his high watermark.
The difference is more that Lukaku scored those goals in the Premier League for Everton.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
He's predicting next year's tallies.
Ah, apologies. I see Morata scored 23 club goals, all comps. I don't think he's done enough to be expected to score 29 for Chelsea. It's a different game in the Prem, unless Chelsea start racking up the 5-0s next season. (Real scored 106 in the league; Chelsea 85.)
Lukaku's definitely going to outscore Morata. The man's a beast in the Prem whereas Morata's fairly unproven.
He'll also be playing for a side which scored thirty fewer goals than Chelsea last year and at the moment has him as its only arrival.
I feel like Lacazette should be in the comparison too.
Although it's a bit worrying that a Liverpool's frontman is Firmino, when the rest have Morata, Jesus/Aguero, Kane, Lukaku & Lacazette as theirs. :uhoh:
You have Sturridge for 5 games a year too.
Don't forget Divock Origi.
He's no Loic Remy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Maybe when he develops a bit more.
Who?Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
I had to double check that he was still at Chelsea. I assumed he was in the Middle East by now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
But what are the other choices, anyone who scored more than 12 in 35 is going to cost over 40million and won't be interested in West Ham anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron
Also maybe he won't get played as the number 9, chicarito will play that role, Arnautovic may play as a wide left attacker instead?
It's fine as long as they can keep a few more out at the other end . . .Quote:
Originally Posted by Baz
May have already been mention but world cup winner cristian zaccardo is a free agent and is using linkedin to find a new club.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristian...rdo-65b0a3116/
Arnautovic is a winger so 7 in 35 is alright. He was playing for Stoke as well.
My point was they'll both probably score a similar amount of goals but in very, very different ways, and that's huge and another reason why stats are bollocks. xxxQuote:
Originally Posted by Reg
I'd love to see Magic's opinion in a parallel universe where the signings were reversed. I suspect his opinion would be reversed, too.
Not transfers but check out the Gold Cup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_CONCACAF_Gold_Cup
Honduras v French Guyana finished 0-0, but later awarded 3-0 to Honduras because FG fielded Florent Malouda, who was ineligible owing to the fact that he has 80 caps for France.
How can you get that wrong in a major tournament?
There's a lot of history there. Read up on it, it's not just an admin error. They knew they'd be punished beforehand.
Just did, so what was the point of that?
FIFA don't recognise them as a country, so they're saying that shouldn't have to follow their rules.
Well they can 'say' what they like, but it isn't their tournament.
Of course, and they've obviously been punished.
From what I can gather, this is the first time the Gold Cup has enforced those rules - so that's probably why they're a bit salty.
I don't see why the organisers didn't just ban him from the squad in the first place. Makes the African Nations sound thoroughly professionally organised.
Speaking of the African Nations, I saw a proposal yesterday that they might expand to 24 teams including 3 non-African invited teams, and host it outside Africa. I think you're kind of missing the point, chaps.
The point of all football now is money, so they're getting exactly the point.
Rugby league leading the way again. :cool:
Here's my parallel opinion:Quote:
Originally Posted by SvN
Go fuck yourself.
:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Magic
Magic :cool:
On balance I'd rather have Lukaku than Morata (being a Chelsea fan), but that's mainly because a big physical striker suits THE SYSTEM better than sexy Alvaro and his dreamboat eyes.
If we change THE SYSTEM and have some more bursting presence from midfield, as we will have to do in order to avoid finishing 13th, then you never know.
Still surprised nobody has splashed on Kane yet. He's the most natural striker I've seen in years.
You'd have to pay £300-400 million for Kane, surely.
I think he will go in about two/three years, when he's sick of having nothing to show for his thirty goals a year, and when the stadium costs are starting to bite. Right now anyone after him would get Jewed into oblivion.
Kane is happy at Spurs so you would be looking at stupid money. With Walker, Bale, Modric etc they were all agitating for a move and Levy still got twice what they're all worth for them.
Actually, I think there's an argument for the current transfer fee's going round being traceable back to the Bale deal.
Next year will be the Spurs exodus (if they don't win anything).
Alli, Kane, Alderwiereld, Eriksen all too good to go trophyless.
Morata is a big, physical striker. At a guess I'd say he's probably bigger than Diego Costa. What you'll be missing out on is pure nastiness but Lukaku wouldn't be bringing that anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
I must have watched him a good 10-15 times and I've never noticed his physicality or height featuring. Could be my fish tank talking though.
United should really have brought Javier Hernandez back for the sake of it.
Barcelona have bid £72m for Coutinho. I look forward to us firmly holding out for a week or so before caving in and selling for £75m.
I also look forward for the coming challenge to reach 6th place.
Does that mean this mad Neymar deal is on then?
It points to that. I don't think Barca have £72m available to spend now without selling, after buying Semedo and Deulofeu for about £35m.
They can surely afford whatever transfer fees they want, but they apparently struggle with their wage bill (or are at least paranoid about it, since it nearly ruined them fifteen years ago), so Neymar going would help them there more than the actual fee would.
That sort of fee does suggest they've got something coming in, but they could be doing with central midfielders too, so it's possible they just plan to play him there. They have a shitload of them already but half of them are rubbish.
Coutinho is probably the ideal replacement for Iniesta. I hope he stays put though.
It's not the first time I've heard of Coutinho potentially replacing Iniesta.
I'm already anticipating he'll leave. If Neymar does go then I imagine it'll become more of a formality. Who we panic buy should provide much entertainment to the rest of the league.
It gives the ownership a chance to prove themselves. Then can go with the hardline stance RB Leipzig are showing us now and say we have no desire to make money and would rather keep the player. The problem they have though is that the fanbase are already wary of them. They've been trying to prove themselves to be not about making a profit for years and under Klopp this hasn't gone away. Should Coutinho leave and the money not be reinvested in a quality player we may well see the protests back again.
Our only saving grace might be that he's openly critisized Madrid and Barcelona lately, saying he'd rather play somewhere and be loved than go to one of them and be another of their many bought and sold.
I don't mean to sound unpleasant, but you don't half talk some shit at times.
When's the Keita done deal getting wrapped up again?
The lulz if Coutinho leaves. :drool:
There's a 3rd bid of £71m coming if that makes you feel any better?Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
The indication was that the previous bid was supposed to have been enough to get the deal over the line. Hence the surprise when it was turned down.
I love this stuff. "There's a 3rd bid of £71m coming".
Nice of Liverpool to let the papers know.
Aye. Not quite my point, but nice to know. Exciting times.
At what point is Naby Keita not worth the money?
What is a Naby Keita?
I think that point has been and gone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Although, I suppose, in the alternative, if he really is the macdaddy "TOP TIER" uberplayer the price tag suggests, a club like Liverpool have to overpay now when they have an amount of leverage (Champions League football) as that could quite likely not be on offer next summer, when he''ll go for whatever it is his release clause is. €50,000,001.
If he'll improve them then he's worth whatever.
No player that comes off of one decent season in Bundesliga is worth 70 Million, even at todays crazy valuations. Specially not when they come from one of these random "success-story teams" who upset the league and played brilliant football for a whole season somehow (see: Leicester).
tbf, Keita is Leipzig's Kante, who has been a huge success at Chelsea.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
That's impossible to know - And I wouldn't say it's the same. Kante was more or less the life and breath of that whole Leicester team, whereas the Leipzig team has had a plethora of players perform quite well, haven't they? Like Forsberg and Werner.
And Kante went for, what, 32 Million, right? Which is a reasonable - even bargain - price for someone who has proven himself in the same league already (albeit for only one season). 30 million is the new "let's take a punt, what's the worst that can happen" - price these days.
But for 70 million, you'd expect someone who has proven a bit more than that. I mean, Lukaku was 75 - and he has proven himself in the same league for several years now.
Of course it may end up being worth it in hindsight, if he turns out to be as instrumental as say Suarez was, but then you're back to it's still a bit of a gamble to get a player like that, and at that point 70 Million seems completely off.
The price is high because Leipzig are backed by sugary drinks and don't need to sell. If it was Mainz he'd already be in Liverpool and claiming he saw the Beatles at the Cavern Club.
They're more a Man City than a Leicester. In fact, aren't they basically thought of as the most evil organisation since the SS?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
I for one think that Man Utd players are rubbish, whilst Liverpool players are THE BEST.
Lol at football. £72m on Coutinho to spend it on someone with a decent season behind him.
Fixed that for youQuote:
Originally Posted by GS
I hadn't heard of him before the summer, so yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by dino
Really? Didn't know. Thought they largely had the same team in the second division as what they did so well with in Bundesliga the year after or whatever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
Not having to sell for being rich makes sense, but I guess I didn't realize someone like Red Bull would be so happy to shell out money on something like that (as an Oligark or Sheikh might for their own amusement more or less). Red Bull has always just sort of sponsored extreme sports and Salzburg - which is a bit of a nobody team really, which is why it would seem weird that they'd be happy to just fork out cash all of a sudden.
How on earth is it impossible to know? He's not the same type of player as Kante, much more of an all action box to box type, but he was every bit as much the engine of the team as Kante was for Leicester. A playmaking winger and a rapid striker also performed well, you say? That sounds familiar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
I meant it's impossible to know that Keita would be a success at Liverpool just because Kante was a success at Chelsea.
But, I do seem to have misunderstood what type of player he was - so fair enough. I thought he was a Winger, for some reason.
Probably because he's African and Liverpool want to buy him.
That's the Liverpool spirit we all know and love. Straighten the tinfoil hat, they're all against you.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Robertson has been announced.
Stewart also confirmed as having gone the other way. The fees almost cancel each other out.
I was being sincere. Bloody love Lazar Markovic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Andy Robertson :wub:
That Stewart fee really is mental. He's barely even a reserve, and it's not like he's that young. Is that the price of base competence these days?
Doesn't that transfer save Dundee united due to the sell on clause?Quote:
Originally Posted by Waffdon
They get £600,000 apparently, although Hull's renegade owner probably won't pay.
Stewart played 18 mins of Premier League football last season, according to Whoscored.
We've done well out of this one.
Can we expect a £79m bid for Keita tomorrow?
I think the more pressing concern over the weekend will be this:
http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...wants-to-leave
The daft cunt has five years left on his contract, and [at least] two until he could try to buy himself out of it. If he insists on striking the other clubs, as a long-term measure, should all help Southampton pay his wages and let him miss two years.
How would you lot deal with van Dijk in this situation, out of interest?
Making him train on his own is fair enough if Pellegrino wants to punish him before selling him on, but I reckon Southampton want him in their first XI when the season kicks off and beyond.
Ideally, you make him train with youngsters, then come the season - you pick him - if he refuses to play, I believe that there is a rule that the PFA agreed to - where the club don't have to pay him (I may have mis-remembered this, cos I can't find a link online).
The big problem, of course, is that Southampton have presumably a few clubs waving £50m quid at them, for a player acting a cunt.
They have to sell really. West Brom learnt that the hard way with Berahino.
Yeah, and then when time goes on, you realise the player has no consistency and turns out shit. They lose all their value then.
Poor little lambs, having to sell a permanently injured player for a grossly over-inflated fee.
They'll probably hold out until as close to the deadline as possible. Sometimes changes of heart occur. Didn't Liverpool have a similar thing with Suarez or did he end up going that summer [Bodgers sent him to train with the youth team] anyway? Did that even happen?
Gerrard changed his mind once too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
We'll get an okay sum. Pisses up the wall though.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
He was playing for an amateur team four years ago. Fkn hell.
Sky are running with Neymar to PSG this morning again, this time saying that he's '90% likely' to leave this summer.
The other 10% will be a pay rise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sky
Short of single-handedly winning PSG the Champions' League, you're not winning any individual awards playing in the French league.
£200m? What.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40691689
Another £50m defender for City.
You could have Paul Breitner and Antonio Valencia patrolling either flank and they wouldn't make up for John Stones.
That is obscene. We must be nearing the end game now.
Elsewhere, United still need a winger, and PSG have reportedly told Dire Maria he can leave... :drool:
Di Maria was quality for us the first few games, before his house got broken into and Lewis Van Garl started using a random number generator to determine his position each game.
Bring him back.
He should never be allowed in the country again.
It'd be worth it just for mahows seethe.
The Guardian sez that a SEETHING Chelsea will take fifty million for Nemanja Matic. Whatevs lads. Chump change. Also:
Heroic stuff. The Iranians will probably name a street after him.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Guardian
Are City's back 5 now the most expensive of each position ever?
Or does David Luiz lol his way into that equation?
Someone posted it the other day and Luiz was there.
Woodward to go back to Spurs with a new offer of £39m for Dier next week then.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40686943
Another defender for City for only half the regular price!
£75m on right-backs in one window. Jesus christ.
From what I remember of when City played really well for those ten games last season, their SYSTEM relied on their full-backs being extremely disciplined, and, as past it and/or crap as their 2016/17 full-backs were, are their new ones more intelligent? They are obviously better on paper, but Kyle Walker is an idiot, and that Benjamin Mendy has probably never marked anyone or anything in his life, so building your SYSTEM on their ability to hold particular positions seems risky (and probably futile in a quicker league regardless).
At the start they were playing with both full backs as "inside full backs" tucked in alongside the holding midfielder (when in possession). A better idea when your full backs are Lahm and Alaba than two guys whose strength is running - Walker and Mendy - so they'll probably just do their usual thing and get up the wing.
In this market Dier (as an England international, homegrown player (or is he?) and proven Premier League performer, to a certain level, at a club that doesn't need to sell) is worth at least £60 million.
Wasn't that partly to protect their relatively light-weight spine? If their full-backs remain wide at all times, any likely central midfield combination (assuming they won't start Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan) seems susceptible to being overrun, thereby further exposing the losers in central defence.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
You're turning into a tactic bore, Lewis.
Pep can't truly actualise his genius without £200m on full backs.
If Man City don't win something big - never mind top 4 - after all this then 'Pep' needs to go on the bonfire.
If he has another season that's anything like the last one then I'm afraid he'll have been found out.
I've just noticed we've loaned Kurt Zouma out to Stoke, and Mason Mount is heading to Vitesse.
One Englishman in the squad these days, which is captain Gazza Cahill.
I missed that zouma transfer. Also missed douglas costa joining juventus and assombalonga joining middlesbrough.
We could really do with sorting this VvD situation out. It's been clear for a few weeks that he won't be with us next season.
I'd rather sell him now then wait till the end of August to squeeze the extra couple of million out of whichever club.
Need a centre back to replace him and then some sort of marquee signing.
Have a feeling this will be a very long season, we where crap last season despite finishing 8th and we haven't really added anything.
Liverpool target keita - who ive never seen play, not even youtube highlights - managed to get the the leipzig training session called-off after an alleged savage tackle. Diego Demme had to leave the field on a stretcher with bandages on his knee caps.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...d-bust-up.html
Hopefully now they sign him and in 2 years time he pulls the same stunt on their star player so he can get a move to Spain :D
Just saw this on BBC website:
Well worth £52 million then.Quote:
Who is Benjamin Mendy?
Born in Longjumeau - a suburb of Paris
Signed for Monaco in June 2016 for a reported £11m
Has made four appearances for senior side
Has represented France's youth sides (under-16, 17, 18, 19 and 21)
No mention of his Monaco season (which one would assume was pretty good). Reads like a bit of an agenda.
Keita is similar, although his fee last summer might have been a bit of a stitch up between Red Bull teams.
There have probably never been more 'scouts' in the game but fuck know what 99% of them do.
Maybe, but mainly to outnumber the opposition in midfield and make it more difficult for them to counterattack because their wingers were having to tuck in and try to make up the numbers. It also meant City's wingers had more space which is why they could play those quick balls out wide for Sterling/whoever to have a 1v1.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
So now they can be counter-attacked more easily and have Kyle Walker defending for them. Win/win.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40669333
Hope he does well.
That's a proper bargain.
:drool:
Love a bit of Hernandez. :(
He's only 29...?
Funny to think that if that was Jamie Vardy, 30, then the price would probably be at least double. And he'd still at best score 5 goals less than Chicharito will.
Just checked last years bundesliga. Leverkusen finished 12th.
The picture they've chosen for that Danilo article is quality. It looks like he's just leaving his man to run through.
There was a tweet yesterday which I enjoyed, saying that Man City have had a higher 'defence budget' this year than most countries.
Is City basically just planning on playing Stones and Otamendi in central defence all season then? I mean as Kompany invariably will get injured after two games.
:harold:
Mangala and fernando are both still officially man city players.
Juventus are after Mangala to replace Bonucci. :cab:
Is Danilo the sort of full back who could drop into a back three? Pep must have his eye on a midfielder who cab drop into defence.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
Fernandinho.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
Mbappe going to Real Madrid for £161 million. Excellent value.
Important to know.
Why bother? They're loaning him back for a year anyway, and realistically who else can (or would) pay a similar amount (whilst also representing a progression, thereby ruling PSG out)? It's not as if he will have ten clubs in for him next summer, so wait eighteen months and see if he doesn't flatline.
Where would he even play?
He's going to end up being a more expensive Odegaard.
Benzema has been there for 8 seasons now. Last year, he had his lowest scoring season at real madrid since his first season. Sell him, bring in mbappe and move c.ronaldo into a central position.
Karim Benzema looked pretty amazing when he scored at Old Trafford after just turning twenty (he was also monstering the French league), and has he ever been consistently world class since?
His numbers from a statistically view are great. Although anyone playing in a real madrid team as a number 9 would be.
If they stuck me up top for 38 x 90 minutes in La Liga, I wonder how many I'd notch. Probably zero.
Only if thy spitefully never gave you a tap in, or you spent all your time chatting to Navas.
I think that was the same year he scored a hat trick at Ibrox after we'd turned them over in France. 07/08. He absolutely dismantled us on his own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Is it not a bit weird to break the world transfer record by a country mile then immediately loan him out?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
City have made an official offer for Mbappe. Wherever he ends up will be annoying.
That bloody defence budget thing is doing my head in. It's EVERYWHERE.
At least whoever told City that Madrid will take ages getting the money together is having a good laugh.
Madrid will have spent almost £200m on players who've played about 40 games between them in total, if you chuck in that Brazilian scamp too.
Has that Lacazette lad actually signed for Arsenal? Completely missed that.
Ross Barkley wants to leave Everton (lol at all the 'typical slow decision' stuff), but who would bother? He's twenty-four in December. There was talk last week of United waiting until TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY and getting him for a fiver, but I hope they don't.
Like Eric Dier, I reckon Barkley is massively overrated.
I didn't know Dier held any opinion on the subject.
He's not a big fan, apparently.
Literally no one gives a fuck but Orlando City signed Dom Dwyer, a player who came to us on loan in 2013 when we were still in the 2nd division and broke a bunch of goalscoring records.
Myself and a bunch of other psycho fans met him at the airport :drool:
http://www.trbimg.com/img-597893a8/t...rport-20170726
My fat ass is on the left side with the purple hat on :)
Get in the diet thread, mate.
I missed the bit where he said it was a problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
Exactly, I actively want to die so if shoving 300 McChickens down my throat a week will help expedite that process I'm all for it.
In the meantime I'll just enjoy mediocre MLS football and all of you wonderful lads :drool:
Fuck Dom Dwyer. British cunt pretending to be American.
lol he's even from Cuckfield.
Better than every American cunt pretending to be Italian/Irish tbhQuote:
Originally Posted by Spoonsky
Division 2 :DQuote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
We've got Izzy Brown on loan which is pretty good. Apparently only our second ever player to have an afro.
idk what else to call the second tier of US Soccer bud sorry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adamski
:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Who's curating that list?
It was just said jokingly on a fan site, not part of the official signing announcement unfortunately. :D
Today, Kalas and Jamal Blackman have both signed new four year deals and simultaneously been loaned out to the Championship.
I'd love to see what sort of golden doorknobs Michael Emenalo has in his house.
I know there's an almost limitless amount of shit written at this time of year, but I came across this earlier and was genuinely taken aback by the stupidity of it. I can only assume 'Miguel Delaney' (seriously?) is a poorly programmed bot of some kind.
The twist to it all is that the Chief Football Writer never really had the cash for a weekly shop - until he brought in over half the fee by uncovering the secrets of buying and selling, and conning a living out of the Independent blog (formerly newspaper).
Merino's coming in. More players > less players. Unsure how this season will go with this group.
Really? What is the point in him, he's never going to make any decent squad so why doesn't he just sign for one of the bottom shite no mark teams?Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
In premier league terms, he just has.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
No he's signed on loan. He'll never ever make Chelsea team so why not just take £7.5m for him?Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Because if he's half decent for half a season they'll get £48m for him next summer (using the Nathan Ake transfer multiplier).
Not particularly sure he's what Brighton need, although I've not seen that much of him.
I think we've actually taken it far enough now that we'll keep some of these players on the books throughout their careers and just keep making cash off the loan system (until someone regulates to stop us). Presumably Fulham are paying us more for Kalas than it costs us to keep him fed and watered, so there's no need to sell.
Emenalo will end up with a Nobel Prize for Economics. A constant stream of 'football income' to dodge FFP and the only catch is you have to do an awkward tweet once a year.
What/who do you reckon we need @niko_cee?
I've got a vague sense that we'll sit deep and get some clean sheets at home, and that getting service to whoever's upfront will be tricky and we'll maybe rely on set pieces. But I'm not sure how best to address that or who would be good to get, or even if sitting deep is Hughton's plan.
A couple of nippy wingers and a nine footer up front is the standard plan for that sort of thing, isn't it?
It would be in the old days but I'm not sure you can do that in the Premier League now. I s'pose Burnley are the closest?
It's classic FM tactics. I reckon Mahow might actually be Emenaldo in a Mission Impossible-style mask.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
If it was he wouldn't be able to stop himself calling every club with a player he'd loaned them 'we', so we'd know all about it by now.
https://s1.postimg.org/au9ka31gv/IMG_9637.jpg
New Barrow AFC signing Donovan Makoma with some interesting footwear...
VvD to Liverpool is a done deal. The club are fuming as apparently he said he wanted to leave at the end of the season but wouldn't kick up a fuss. Then last week he went on strike and forced their hand.
Bit of a cunts trick just to get a move to Liverpool, he's good enough for any club in Europe, strange he's settled for Liverpool.
His agent probably thinks he can get another onward move from there for another big cut.
He'll probably do his cruciate in pre season.
They'd have been better just buying the club and asset stripping it three years ago. They'd have got better value for money.
Is he, really?Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
He wasn't a particular stand out in the SPL until his second season, three years ago, so he must have progressed incredibly quickly if he is.
Andy massively overrates Southampton's players, it's a continuing theme.
He's about to become the most expensive defender in the world.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Replacing Alderwiereld with VvD was a fantastic bit of business for us. I thought it would be impossible to replace him yet Van Dijk settled straight in and was as good if not better from the off.
He either improves massively in a quick space as you suggest or just wasn't putting in 100% for Celtic.
This is what I think has put off the other top clubs. It's a bit of a gamble following his ankle Injury.Quote:
Originally Posted by GS
He'll be taking that 'honour' from Kyle Walker. Not in any way a point in his favour.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
He isn't as good as Alderweireld, so it looks like Yev is right.
The only one I've got massively wrong was Schneiderlin at United. I still can't get my head round he flopped there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
The others I've talked up have gone on to do well; Mane, Alderwierled, Lallana and Wanyama.
Wanyama shocked me. He's still a booking waiting to happen but any time I seen him he looked really good.
Why's he not as good as Alderweireld then? I've seen them both play loads and think Van Dijk edges it but if like to know your reasoning.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
They're both top 5 in the world IMO so I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong just interested.
Him and Pochettino are just made for eachother.Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Behave yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
What a sentence to put in a post arguing against the idea that you overrate your own club's players. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Andy
From what I've seen of both players I just don't think he's as good as Alderweireld.
We finished 6th that season, our best ever points tally and highest league finish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
Van Djik won all the end of season player awards.
That was supposed to say top five centre backs. Not that there's much competition at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Anyway, I'm off to the pub. You'll have to continue this super exciting Southampton chat without me I'm afraid.
I got what you meant. In the last three seasons Southampton have had two of the five best central defenders in the world. It's still hilarious.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
I'm guessing my point's been proven.
Who are the best centre backs in the world? Ramos, Bonucci and Boateng for sure. Godin has still got it. Who else? It's not exactly a vintage era.
I've no idea, but if Virgil van Dijk was one of them he wouldn't be going to Liverpool.
No it was a more general question. Early 2000s was a cracking era for centre backs.
Eric Bailly the young gawddddd
One realization I had recently was that, because most people generally only consider the players at the top, top clubs when they're doing their "who's the best player in X position?" analyses, it makes sense that a lot of positions seem to have few world class players around. If there's only 4, maybe 5 clubs to choose from when making these judgments then you're never going to have many options to choose from. In the early 2000s there were at least 10 consistently CL-challenging teams so it was easier
Like, people always talk about how there's no world class left backs anymore, name off Marcelo, Alex Sandro and David Alaba, and go "who else?" You're restricting yourself to the mega clubs so yeah, it's going to seem like peanuts
Maybe there are less clubs challenging for the CL title because there are fewer world class players?
World class is a relative term, so the number shouldn't change much.
Maybe, probably not thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
If regular people were actually good judges of footballing ability, then you're right. But a world class player on a good-but-not-great team is gonna have a hard time convincing people of his abilities. You get people like Godin from teams like Atletico that'll sneak into the conversation, but is anybody going to mention Koke in a list of the world's best midfielders? I've barely watched him play but from all I can tell he definitely is, and that's Atletico Madrid. If you're on a smaller team your chances are infinitesimal. Alderweireld is probably top 5 CB in the world, but a lot of people would balk at that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
If I watched more football I'd probably have more examples, but there were more than 4-5 top teams 15 years ago and so more players who you'd feel comfortable rating highly
ramos isn't exactly a great defender is he. There's certainly none in Italy bar Juve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Power
Pontus Jansson?
It's easier to spot a fraud at a top team than a Diamond in the rough unfortunately. You have to wonder how many Mahrez types are stuck lumping long balls about in the Croatian 2nd Tier.
A total fraud yea, but if you have an incredible team you can put a 2nd tier player in and he'll look 1st tier. Part of the difficultyQuote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
Mok makes a good point. I've always found it difficult to judge defenders though. I can tell when a team defends well, but picking out individuals is tricky unless I watch them all the time.
-------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
He seems to do the simple things really well. Plus being that athletic is gonna help in a fast, aggressive team. His touch is good though, I thought he was just a bully before seeing him play more last season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
There are fewer teams challenging for the Champions League on a regular basis because the better players are more concentrated into those few clubs, not because magic and all the other teams still have as many stars as they used to. There are still great players playing for the lesser teams, but not as many of them so it makes sense to consider the bigger clubs first, then look down the list.
You do have to look at those smaller sides if you're considering who the best in the world are though, and I did when dismissing Alderweireld and Van Dijk. I'd take Gimenez from Atletico before either of them, along with all the names already mentioned and Thiago Silva, Eric Bailly, Koulibaly, and Koscielny, and probably some others if I was to really sit down and think about it.
It isn't a golden age of defending, but that doesn't mean those two get in.
The best defender in Italy doesn't even play for Juve, bro.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
Koulibaly :nodd:Quote:
Originally Posted by Adamski
Going by the Serie A I watched last season, I didn't think the country had any defenders at all...Quote:
Originally Posted by Adamski
I would normally go for that argument, but in this case the only other teams who could afford him aren't particularly desperate for a sixty million quid upgrade (if he is one) on what they already have. I'm sure if he was going for the usual Southampton thirty-ish million more teams would have been interested.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
All that centre back discussion and not one mention of Phil Jones. Is he not going to be a FEC anymore?
Not even a FEI.Quote:
Originally Posted by Weaver
Bonucci duh.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
I wasn't aware that he had actually signed for Milan yet :(
Two weeks ago.
He didn't do the simple things well for the first 6 months. I think he's the sort of player who improves when he plays with better players as he's really kicked on again at Spurs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Lol we're about to sign Negredo apparently.
These Fellainimania stories had best be shite.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Phew. It's a different Fellaini.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Galatasaray Sporting Director
Happy days.
Matic expected to sign in the next few days.
ITKIKO :drool:
The problem at Celtic is the same as he could have at a top club in the Prem. He goes to sleep. His best performances came in Celtics tougher games when he was more actively called upon. Much like many keepers - Almunia for us was class against the likes of Barca and consistently fucked up against the dross. VdV is not that bad, and unlike an Almunia has the attributes to be amongst the very best in the world, but he suffers the same weakness.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
United Twitter seems to be overwhelmingly anti-Matic, but I think it will be a really good signing.
It's not an exciting one.
There's other midfielders that I'd prefer ahead of him but he's probably the type of player that we actually need.
It's because he old and not very exotic, but I'm also hopeful that he will be the anchor to the midfield we've been very much missing (If he plays better than he did in Chelsea's disaster season, obviously). A 23 year-old Brazilian who plays for Monaco is always going to get the twitter fans going more than Matic.
Also been linked with Matuidi and Aurier again this evening. The former presumably as a Fellaini replacement which would be fine. The latter seems to be a truly enormous dong-end, but a talented fullback. Guess if he can behave himself he'll be good to have along with Valencia who's getting on.
It's going to be a proper physical/shithouse nineties United team. I think that makes Anthony Martial Lee Sharpe. Unlucky, mate.
Wonder what the average height of the 'spine' of the team would be. About 9 feet presumably.
I missed Fellaini going. Hadn't even seen rumours.
Fellainimania. :(
He hasn't gone yet.
Is the SSN breaking news tweet about this a wind-up?
https://twitter.com/SkySporfsNews/st...93743701626880
Edit, ah, Sky Sporfs News. Many a true word etc.
Matic is such a Mourinho signing. Reading about Monaco's transfer factory, did United really pay as much as the BBC say for Martial?
I see Conte has commenced hostilities on the MINDGAMES front.
With those leaked papers from a few years ago regarding player transfers, martial has some top 3 ball d'or clause where man utd have to pay £20m if he reaches the top 3. There were some other mad clauses in the transfer too
Matic is a great signing for United. Surprised Chelsea are selling him to a league rival.
Pogba should be a lot better with the added protection behind him.
https://i.redd.it/cm3ih7m99qcz.jpg
What's the verdict Photoshop experts? Real or no real?
£40m for a 29 year old defensive mid is stunning.
Agreed.
In before he's 28 until Tuesday.
Its not too bad when you remember China will buy him for £50m without thinking twice.
Speaking of China, according to Wikipedia Ighala has scored 4 in 14 since his £20m move. Has anybody come anywhere close to justifying their transfer fee in that league?
I think that's right. It was an initial £55ish million.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
Forty million for a TWENTY-EIGHT year old with loads of relevant and necessary experience isn't bad.
He'll play loads of games before then as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danny
Two years experience isn't exactly loads. Bakayoko has about that for the same price and is 6 (SEVEN) years younger.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Good for him.
Anybody over 24 is useless and past it. FM taught me that.
See you next time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
My Scouts don't even report back with players older than 21. They wouldn't fucking dare.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Soldier
Matic hasn't been good for about two years, though.
Sell the cunt.
McMullen though...
Zlatan to LAFC.
Zlatan would go to the Galaxy if anyone, but I don't think he's going to.
I heard he hates Ashley Cole.
Well aren't 2 super league teams defaulting on their massive wage bills?Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
Matic has his moments, but in general he's a lazy bastard. It's just a classic 'worked with him before' move from both player and manager.
Probably an alright Carrick replacement though.
https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/892037452076134400
Matic is confirmed.
EDIT: £35m + 5 in add-ons. Basically 20p and a curly wurly nowadays.
Itk!
That fee suggests that Chelsea could probably have been knocked down further over the coming weeks as their financial fair play plates started wobbling.
We have the best FFP avoidance mechanism in the land (brought to you in association with Michael Emenalo, Sibneft and Goldman Sachs). Probably got enough 'football related income' to build ourselves a fromagerie.
Where's the over elaborate signing reveal?
I want him in a black mask doing the dab with Pogba and Lingard with Stormzy LAYING SOME BEATS down.
http://i.imgur.com/RklfKhf.png
Bring back Fellainimania and his duel winning ability.
That dickhead celery chant (if they still do it) should be changed to fromagerie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
In a world of bullshit stats 'Duels' is a new low/high.
Apparently:
They could lump that in with tackles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Opta
I reckon there are about three levels of subjectivity to go through there before you arrive at a statistic which seems to paint *my favourite team* in a good light.
Newspaper who are apparently very reliable for PSG news saying we'll sign Aurier if he's successful at trial on 7th of August, allowing him yo enter the UK again.
Anything in it, itkiko?
You would have thought they were fine at right-back. Unless Antonio Valencia is going to be a winger again. :drool:
That'd be like creating your own player in FM with max CA/PA and 20s everywhere.
United should really be walking the title, so I've just entered the market at 3/1.
Mourinho in a 2nd season. They should be favourites. I reckon it's between them and Man City.
Well we haven't got a whole lot of (good) backup for Valencia, and he's getting on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
If he goes down you have Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian (who I thought was sound last season), Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Axel Tuanzebe. They can all fill in when called upon, and I would much rather see the latter two given a chance if necessary.
Neither Tuanzebe nor Fosu-Mensah's preferred positions are right-back (centre-back and defensive midfield respectively). I'd rather have my Nan at right back than Phil Jones and Darmian will probably be our first/second choice left-back, although yeah he's good cover for the right as well.
I think bringing in someone who will potentially be first choice right-back in the near future is a good move. I'd like to see the youngsters given a chance too, but moreso in their preferred positions.
Aurier is a fucking lunatic, we haven't had one for a while, probably since Heinze :drool:
They can both play there though, and the more minutes they get - wherever they get them - the better. If they want an immediate Valencia replacement when the time comes then get one, but it isn't a priority this year.
Push Shaw to left wing, Valencia right wing and sign Bale for left back :rave:
Chelsea spending all of their Matic winnings on Danny Drinkwater must be a ploy to force the manager out.
Sky Sports say they are interested in Renato Sanches, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Barkley, along with Drinkwater. Huh? Clearly the clowns at Chelsea haven't heard of selecting attributes in their player search.
I saw Tom Davies linked the other day. They must have realised that selling/loaning all the homegrown players means they don't have any homegrown players.
Looking back, getting eight million out of Chelsea for Frank Arnesen is probably Daniel Levy's masterpiece.
Maybe not, but the reports are that he'll cost about 25m euros because PSG want to get rid (due to him being a massive cunt). I doubt we'd get another chance to sign a player as good in future seasons without paying much, much more so I guess it's a case of taking the chance whilst it's there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
There is still the fact he's a big old twat though, so it's a risk.
Is Aurier actually any good? And doesn't 'being a massive cunt' sort of mitigate that, if he is? £25m as chump change is a laugh. Monaco paid half that for Mendy a year ago.
He's decent but he's only a right back, and also his signing is dependent on having an assault conviction overturned which you'd think would be 'alarm bells, alarm bells' as Tim Vine would say.
I'm getting more and more radio ads for football on the way into work. Arsenal spent the last six weeks desperately trying to flog Emirates Cup tickets to the mums market (not convinced they succeeded) and this morning it was Man City trying to flog VIP packages to me, in Surrey.
D'oh! I missed that link in my post above. Drinkwater, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley. All English. I suppose any of those guys will only be backup anyway, so maybe it is just to fill the quota.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Apparently Renato Sanches is staying at Bayern which is a shame as I wanted UNITED to do something.
I'm still SEETHING that they won't go get Neymar but maybe their plan is to let Neymar fuck off in France for a couple years and pounce when PSG undoubtedly need to sell at a discount because of "FFP".
Neymar-size players will never come to England, much harder to dodge tax here.
After the Chelsea/English players talk I thought I'd look up some first team squads. According to transfermarkt:
Last season's top six:
Chelsea: 93.3% foreign players
Man City: 78.6
Arsenal: 69.7
Man Utd: 69
Spurs: 68.2
Liverpool: 64.5
Promoted:
Newcastle: 68.8
Brighton: 60.7 :cool:
Huddersfield: 56.7
A few people have alleged that it is all going through Qatar (either them topping up his wages as an 'Ambassador' for 2022, or them giving him the money to buy his contract out), and none of our clubs have any convenient cover wheezes on the go at the moment. Maybe Tottenham could pay him to convert.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
That's a good point actually. Couldn't all these Abramovich-like owners employ star players as 'consultants' for their companies?
When PSG got nobbled by UEFA last time it was because one of their Qatari sponsorships was thought to be above market value (however they work that out), so how do they expect to get this sort of shit through?
Oh right. Weren't the fines for them and Man City something stupidly insignificant like £5m? Maybe they're just weighing the supposed risk.
The crap rules are a double-edged sword, it may be easy to get around them but it's just as easy for UEFA to arbitrarily decide they've been broken. I think the French legal system has worked like this since the days of Cardinal Richelieu.
They got a fine, were only allowed to spend a certain amount the following year, weren't allowed to increase their wage bill for a year, and could only have a squad of twenty-one in the Champions' League. It didn't really hit them at the time, but a second penalty would presumably have to be much more severe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
I forgot that other stuff. It would actually be quite exciting if clubs started getting banned from the Champions League.
--
edit:
Freddy Adu is no longer a footballer, just a marketing prop. :D/:(
Quote:
Former US international Freddy Adu has joined the Polish club Sandecja Nowy Sacz on trial, despite their manager not wanting him there.
...
“It’s a joke,” Mroczkowski told Polish website Sportowefakty.pl. “I read in the media about his trial. I asked the sporting director [Arkadiusz Alexander] why he did not tell me anything [about Adu]. After all, he sent me a text message that there ‘will be a player on trial’ and that they all knew. Marketing knew, the staff at the club knew ... Only the coach did not know who the trialist was.”
Adu was most recently on trial with Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer earlier this year, but failed to earn a contract. He has not played a professional match since he was released by NASL side Tampa Bay Rowdies at the end of 2016.
“Whoever invited him, let him trial him. What is the point of having such a player?” Mroczkowski added: “The CEO says that it’s marketing. We may as well have Janusz Chomontek [a Polish football freestyler].”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ndecja-manager
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40800757
Looks like it's actually happening.
Christ.
£198 million :D
It took 15 years for the transfer record to double between Zidane and Pogba, 1 year for it to double again.
Deeply bonkers from all involved.
I was going to say, what does Neymar himself get out of this other than unlimited money (which he already has) and the appearance of being a corrupt bastard?
He gets to live in France (has he not suffered enough etc), he gets to play Tours and Montpellier etc on a weekly basis, and there might even be a fruity January Coupe de France tie away at Raon L'Etape.
It's almost as if those around him, and not the player, are the true beneficiaries.
Apparently he can't win the Ballon D'Or at Barcelona, which is the true measure of greatness for a Brazilian [the logic being Messi would win it if Barcelona did well enough].
Hopefully this doesn't trigger Coutinho fall out, although I suspect it will. Southampton and the owners of any fair to middling midfielders will be rubbing their hands together with glee.
Well the claim is that it's to get out of Messi's shadow and try and win a Balloon Door, but as I think Lewis covered, the only way he's doing that in France is if he wins PSG an Oscar and a Nobel Prize.
EDIT: beaten to it.
There was some talk that he feels he needs to be the main man in a side to win the Ballon D'Or and he isn't getting that at Barcelona, but he can be the main man for every side in France simultaneously and he isn't winning that prize playing in that league.
He'll spend some time pissing about in France then go back to Spain when he's twenty nine and Messi is just about out of the picture.
If he wins the Champions League for PSG (he won't) he'll win the golden ball which seems to be what all elite players want to be measured by these days.
Who gives a shit about the Ballon d'Or?
'In second place, for his 48 goals and 100 assists, is Lionel Messi. But the winner, for banging a few past Metz, is...'
The top players definitely give a shit.
A more convincing theory is the one I've just read by Tim Vickery in which he wants to coast all year to save himself for the World Cup.
I read a convincing theory that he wants loads of money.
But why leave Spain then?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
lol.
What a corrupt little league.
Aren't Barcelona knee deep in Qatari money as well?
Sponsorship changed this year, strangely enough.
La Liga have some balls.
https://www.ft.com/content/750e14a2-...c-36b487ebd80aQuote:
Originally Posted by FT.com
I must have missed this. Premier League teams are now allowed to add a new sponsor on the arm. Chelsea have Alliance Tyres, Man City have Nexen Tire (interesting decision to use the wrong spelling of the word) and Watford go with 138.com
Strange.
Chelsea
Toggle Spoiler
Man City
Toggle Spoiler
Toggle Spoiler
Yep, Tinder are offering United 20 million a year apparently.
As said before, the actual fee is pretty irrelevant to Barcelona, so they (and Spanish football as a whole) must be absolutely SEETHING about some nobody French side doing to them what they thought was their exclusive right.
Tire is the spelling typically used in the US etc. Alliance Tyres actually is Alliance Tire Group and I'm assuming they changed the spelling in the shirt just to make it look british.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Are crap tyres in third world countries really such a big market?
Yes, I am aware of that :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Adramelch
Tyres, and online betting websites apparently. I'm looking forward to Liverpool getting Dunkin' Donuts plastered on the sleeve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
In cricket we have the much more homely sight of Indian cement companies, you know where you are with them.
Liverpool have been tapping up Lanzini as a Coutinho replacement
https://streamable.com/xnfbe
:D
Barca have confirmed it on their website.
Ye the meat of the post was mostly that they went and changed Alliance Tire to Alliance Tyres, which seems pretty silly. Unless I guess it's some kind of subsidiary in the UK.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Stunning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Migraine
The 222m euros according to barcelona. Its a release clause, has to be deposited in its entirety.
What is it with Indians and their cement?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByoKOG3Y-bI
Apparently Neymars Dad / agent is set to make €55m.
He will have earnt more than anyone at Barca in the four years Neymar has been at Barca.
Maybe he just doesn't get on with Messi/other Barca fellas and the only one who will pay this stupid ass release fee is PSG?
Vital information.
I saw this mooted the other day, with some Bamsterman opining that it would be a DISGRACE if they didn't get £40m and Sturridge for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by McAvennie
He's a decent player, but for fuck's sake.
£125m and Rakitic'll do.
:rosebud:
Hopefully agent Neymar will put him off in preference of joining PSG after donning the World Cup next year.
All of the named replacements sound pointless (and two/three lots of wages is no good for them), so they might as well just spend it all on Kylian Anelka and annoy Madrid.
Bale to united is the obvious last transfer of the window. For 400m.
Tim Vickery started this rumour last week and it's fucked and multiplied like wildfire since.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
There doesn't seem to be a shred of evidence for it though, so avarice seems much more likely.
They should only offer him half of that when he comes to actually sign and dare him to go crawling back.
That would be fun if footballers had, you know, honour.
I can't see anyone playing in France winning it anyway. Even if he scores Cricket numbers it's still only fucking France.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
He'll have a chance if they win the Champions League.
He still needs to do more though. He needs to outscore either messi or ronaldo AND win the champions league in my opinion. Messi and ronaldo have moved the benchmark on what needs to be done in order to win the award.
No one gives a hoot about the CL in a World Cup year, if he wins the latter and is top scorer then he might get the award. I still don't see what's so amazing about individual trophies anyway.
Maybe the Champions League and a World Cup, I can't see France counting for much. Bayern Munich are always under-represented and they are in a better league.
Sky's breaking news now is that La Liga have refused to accept the payment for Neymar's release clause, because the money 'isn't in accordance with FFP rules'
La Liga could break PSG if they get investigated.
What has La Liga got to do with anything?
The Spanish league own Neymar? When did they turn into the MLS?
Surely La Liga are involved in upholding FFP rules? If they know it is against them, presumably they can step in?
A French/Spanish dispute with a heavy dose of Brazil and Qatar, not sure it gets any more corrupt than that.
Although, surely it would be the French mob that would block it. Barcelona (for once) are doing nothing wrong, and they'd be La Liga's responsibility.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40814854
In Spain a player must buy himself out of his contract.
This is done by depositing the amount of the buyout clause with La Liga - Spain's equivalent of the Premier League - to release the player from his contract. The league then passes the money to the selling club.
"We can confirm that the lawyers of the player have come to La Liga to deposit the clause and that it has been rejected," La Liga told BBC Sport.
Mental.
If the BBC exists for one thing it's to put sub-clauses like 'La Liga - Spain's equivalent of the Premier League' into its football articles.
Soo...what now? It's not going to happen?
Drama :)
It'll happen, Barcelona are trying to save face, they've essentially had done to them what they have done to countless teams over the years, and they don't like it.
This part made me laugh though, from the comments from La Liga;
"Neymar is being taken by a financially-doped team that competes with an advantage"
As if the TV rights and money hasn't been heavily skewed Barcelona/Real Madrid in La Liga for how many years. :happycry:
Maybe for a season we should change the rules of football so that matches are not decided by goals, but by the referee and his assistants having a vote at kickoff time about which team has the better moral case for victory.
The Fairplay table as the biggest Championship in the world. :drool:
Supposedly:
Qatar Sports Investment are paying Neymar c. €300m to be an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup - contract signed in Qatar at 0% tax.
He'll then buy himself out of his Barcelona contract and sign for PSG.
What's left from the €300m is his to keep (c. €78m). When that's split over 6 years (supposed length of his PSG contact), he'll earn roughly €40m a year net over the duration of the contract - with the contract itself working out at roughly €30m p/year + bonuses.
How can anyone say that a transfer goes against FFP, to do that you'd need access to the other clubs' accounts from the future.
The take to end all takes:
People who don't understand football attempting to talk about it is great. The giveaway sign is when they say 'Premiere League' as if there's a red carpet outside it.
That is quite brilliant and (together with the retarded buy out clause mechanism in Spain) has completely broken FFP.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Looking at the Financial Fair Play document, article 46b (4), it says:
Would 'Qatar Sports Investment' paying him £300 million to buy out his contract get away with that? I'm not sure.Quote:
An entity may be excluded from the reporting perimeter only if:
a) its activities are entirely unrelated to the football activities defined in paragraph
3 above and/or the locations, assets or brand of the football club; or
b) it is immaterial compared with all the entities that form the reporting perimeter
and it does not perform any of the football activities defined in paragraph 3 a)
and b) above; or
c) the football activities it performs are already entirely reflected in the financial
statements of one of the entities included in the reporting perimeter.
So am I getting it right that he's paying Barcelona himself to become a free agent supposedly with money he's gotten - 5 years in advance - to be an advocate for a World Cup which - supposedly (referring to Jims post above) is not related to the "football activities" he would then go about doing for whichever club decides to sign him on a Free, whether that is Yeovil or PSG...?
I mean, in theory that's all fine and all because there's technically no connection between his Ambassador role and Football (they couldv'e gotten Tiger Woods to do it couldn't they if they very well wanted to).
But you have got to think, that even a Sheik or the Qatari Foundation This&That or whatever, wouldn't want to just hand out 300 million Euros to a player where there are NO legal documents in place stating what he is meant to do with those 300 million Euros.
"Lad, he's 300 milli. Do what you want of course, we just have a suggestion (and it ain't Yeovil mate). PS we know jihadis"
The seething hyporisy of the Spanish is the best bit in all this.
Hopefully it leads to the (grossly unfair) financial 'fair' (lol) play rules being binned.
Sadly that has been "legit" in as much as they've bullied a load of spineless turkeys into voting for Christmas.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
I can see why it would be annoying for Barcelona, I mean they've always conducted themselves with impeccable honesty and grace in the transfer market.
Oh no sorry, I meant to write the exact opposite of that.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40814854
So he's technically a free agent now, right?
So now he can't even be considered the highest transfer fee of all time can he? It's not as if PSG paid that money to Barcelona now.
He should sign for Madrid now.
Unless Figo and every other major transfer that has happened under this mechanism has been considered a free transfer the yes, yes he can.
Oh I didn't realize this was common, sorry.
What an odd photo the Guardian have chosen for one of the Neymar articles. :D
Wenger is quite good on stuff like this.
I'm just linking Guardian stuff. Oh well.
After weeks of seemingly interminable haggling over clauses and agent fees Kelechi Iheanacho has signed for Leicester City. £25m with a £50m buy back clause. Think he'll do well for us.
Does this seal Coutinho to Bartha then? Bit torn on that really. On one hand he's their best player but on the other hand they'd get loads of cash and he's a bit piss and wind anyway.
I don't think I've ever seen him in full flight, but he's always looked very quick over five or ten yards so presumably that's Vardy edging towards the bin.
Supposedly he plays slightly deeper for Nigeria and had done at youth level for Man City so I'd imagine it's Okazaki for the bin for now.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Well that's upsetting. Okazaki and his little legs scampering around has been one of the better things about the Premier League the last couple of years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Power
Mes que un release clause
If only I had faith in the French tax authorities.
Say what you will about Wenger, but it always sort of struck me that his way of being generally reasonable and fairly gentlemanly (is that a word?) has been one of his better sides throughout all these years, but it's also epitomizing his decreased frequency of success - these days nutjobs like Mourinho who care about winning at any cost is what you really need to actually go on and win stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
Maybe Ronaldo will turn out to be a great manager.
I'm sorry but this really pisses me off as a United supporter.
Why?
They sit there and brag about all the money they have and "we can do things other clubs can only dream of!" and "watch this space!!!!" but never actually fucking do anything.
Meanwhile Real Madrid are gonna spend a trillion dollars on Mbappe, PSG has convinced Neymar to play in Ligue 1, etc. etc.
It's so stupid.
It's almost as if they operate as an actual business.
Look at all the sponsors we have!
Manchester United are delighted to announce a 5 year partnership with Joe's Earwax Cleaners to become the exclusive Earwax Remover of Manchester United!
I really, really want Bruh and manc_sean to meet.
Actual businesses don't conduct business deals by bragging to their counterparts (and entire world) they have MORE MONEY THAN EVERYBODYYYYYYYY thereby driving up the price of any such negotiation going forward.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
Because I guess I'm not allowed to be pissed off about the club I support or something. How dare I want them to spend all the money they constantly brag about and put out a team that plays a style of football that wasn't outdated in the 1940's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Toon
Who's your President again?Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Woodward ought to read The Art of the Deal maybe he'd fucking learn something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
It's not as if they have paid over the odds for anyone since he said that (which I think was aimed more at potential sponsors worried about the future of the club than fans).Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Do they brag about having more money and being able to do things only they can? I've never seen those adverts.
They have a shitload of sponsorships, but they're still a business being sponsored by other businesses. PSG can do this because they're backed by the Qatari royal family and they can bung Neymar a few hundred million quid through some trumped up ambassadorship. Real Madrid have historically been able to spend without consequence because they were supported by the King of Spain so when they were on their arse the Madrid council just bought their training ground off them for a few hundred million and leased it back rent free.
Imagine getting all worked up about the transfer window. Who gives a shit.
http://i.imgur.com/9mglnCG.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by John
http://u.goal.com/446000/446057.jpg
Good signing, seems like a solid goalscorer and given his age, he could easily have 'stuck it out' at City for a few more years and wasted his talent, which probably speaks volumes of him as a professional.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Power
£50m buy back is madness - you can tell City haven't used that card much before.
They did sign a player for a world record fee last summer, but that second image doesn't suggest anything other than that they're loaded which everyone knows anyway.
Neither image suggests they have MORE MONEY THAN EVERYBODYYYYYYYY.
Yeah wtf Manchester United spend astronomical sums
I've seen some bollocks in my life but this bruh seethe is next level. Am I on Reddit?
"We can do things other clubs can only dream of" doesn't suggest that?Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Fuck this shit.
So the complaint is that literally one club in the entire world has spent more on a transfer than United.
It's pure 'we're still a big club' rhetoric, but even taking that into account, not really.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
By the way, since he said that they've managed to keep hold of a player Real Madrid wanted and broken the world transfer record, signed the most expensive teenager ever, broken the records in two other positions, and signed fucking Zlatan. It's not like they've been doing an Arsenal and claiming to be loaded before haggling over pennies to sign some bloke from the Belgian league.
And they managed to con Arsenal out of sixteen million quid for Danny Welbeck, which makes Madrid selling their rejects for fifty million each look pathetic.
Hey, don't bring the smiliest United player since Dwight Yorke into this.
Yeah he seems a good egg which is nice, much like his fellow countryman Wilfried Ndidi.Quote:
Originally Posted by Weaver
Leicester back to being my second team now, a strong Super Eagles is a strong World Cup year.
It's still funny how much Everton have ripped United off in recent years.
Neymar is gonna score crazy figures in France, isn't he? How many did Zlatan average? I can see Neymar getting 150% of that with great ease.
Don't underestimate how many stodgy as fuck West African units there are in the lower reaches of Ligue 1 who can turn any game into a 1-0 shitfest, but he should piss 30 goals without even trying.
Some journeyman from Montpellier will snap him in the first month.
Exactly my thoughts too. They've definitely passed the threshold where the price vs risk of injury is too much.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shindig
Sky reckon Dembele of Dortmund, Coutinho or Griezmann as his replacement. They'll all cost at least €100m now the Neymar money is official.
Can he actually dislodge Pauleta or Vikesh Dhorasoo from the starting eleven though?Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Greizmann won't go and Coutinho's not for sale at any price, so Dembele it is.
Or Sanchez. :harold:
Bruh's outburst has really made my TTH day.
:eyemouth:
Is this what the world is now? Kudos, I guess.
Surely the complaint lies with the stodgy dickhead managers that have been appointed, rather than the failure to regularly spaff the gdp of a small county on transfers? [/aside]
I think it's because people spend so much time reading 'United Twitter' and similar outlets (adjust for whatever their club happens to be), particularly in the off season, that they lose perspective.
99% of what is churned out by the media, particularly online, is absolute tripe which is only put there for clicks and should be disregarded. But people seem to get obsessed and caught up in it now if they support one of the self-appointed 'big clubs'. My very rare visits to Chelsea Twitter are just full of nutjobs screaming about Gary Cahill being shit (he isn't).
You would definitely have Tweeted crap as '@Hasselbainkesque' if Twitter had been around in 2001.
Woodward is a dickhead but to echo boydy, who gives a fuck about the transfer window?
It's more interesting than the actual games.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Surely the crux of this transfer is that PSG wanted a SUPERSTAR signing and he was simply the biggest name available who was willing to come.
I think he's somewhat over-rated. It's not like they've signed Pele.
The whole charade is utterly tedious nowadays. Perhaps it's simply 'social media' that has made it seem ubiquitous, to the point that you simply can't escape a constant stream of HYPE. I recall a time when you only learnt that transfers were probably going to happen when they appeared in the broadsheets or, the gold standard, it was on the BBC website.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Despite the constant protests otherwise, we all do. This thread is 36 pages long for fuck's sake.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
@GS How many times have you seen him? He's one of the best players in the world, and he is a superstar - I'd guess only Ronaldo and Messi are bigger names.
Bruh in being a typical American shocker.
What a mong.
Probably as long as all the match threads totted up over the year as well. We're the cunts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
The summer of 2003 was magical. Opening the newspaper on holiday and who have we signed this time - oh, it's Geremi and Juan Verón.
I found out about Drogba days after it happened as well.
'Yeah I'm *refreshes Facebook* getting a bit *refreshes Facebook* bored of Facebook.'Quote:
Originally Posted by Yevrah
I sort of know what GS is getting at, I've also harboured similar thoughts about Neymar in the past, but you can''t argue with the fact that he is actually surprisingly good at carrying wank teams (just look at Brazil in and before 2014) so I reckon he is well suited to that messiah role he so craves and would obviously be denied at Barcelona. In short, everyone wins here.
Particularly Neymar Senior.
As to Yev's point. We used to have a whole sub forum for proper rumouring. Halcyon days. The clickbait shit Jimmy alludes to has wrecked it (and people's minds apparently) to the point where the only real thoughts that modern transfer rumour articles inspire are along the lines of "has this really been written by an actual human?".
He's clearly good, isn't he. There's a difference between saying he's probably over-rated and saying he's shit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg
You'd expect some jobber to chop him down on day one, but then there are loads of six foot four lumberjacks in Spanish and particularly Brazilian football too and he managed to avoid getting broken in three by one of them, despite looking like he's made of candy floss. It took some Colombian footsoldier to drop a move which is genuinely banned in UFC on him to do him any real harm.
In terms of pure ability I reckon he's probably slightly underrated if anything, purely because so many people still like to say he's overrated.
I found myself on some slideshow to rank the highest paid footballer and I love this:
http://i.imgur.com/ndjUT7L.png
A researcher probably decided to go on his Wiki page to find a big former club. Not satisfied with Milan they saw 'Barcelona' in his list of youth clubs and assumed it must be the Spanish one. He played a season at a small Brazilian lower league Barcelona.
Also, Axel fucking Witsel getting just over £300k a week is fucking mental.
Or more likely got Nou Camp and San Siro mixed up in his head.
Telegraph galleries are the absolute rock bottom for the click generating shite I mentioned. Every picture has its own url so they're getting 20 statistical eyeballs out of you. They are made for no other reason (I mean, what is the journalistic merit of that absolute shite above?).
When I were a lad we had to walk uphill both ways to get our transfer news. Forage in hedgerows for discarded copies of the super soaraway Sun. Unless you tuned in to Ceefax to get your transfer news back in the day, you don't know you're born.
I'm pretty sure PSG decided to buy Neymar just because he bummed them into next week when Barca had that bonkers turnaround against them.
I understand the best players, play through the middle but the daily mail claim that cavani will be pushed back out wide in order to accommodate neymar in the center. Respectfully, neymar is a wide left player. Cavani can still play through the middle.
That's the reason he's leaving Barca so I very much doubt he'll play wide left.Quote:
Originally Posted by SincereTheRebel
lol
Is the whole 'Neymar Jr' moniker just an attempt by his father to emphasise the fact that there's a Neymar Sr?
Actually, I've just found out that if we don't include what Neymars dad pocketed, Tevez will earn more than him so technically it's true.
This same website used to tell me I was being a "typical American" years ago because I cared about overspending on players because "who cares about transfer fees?! they haven't even come close to spending ThE RoNAlDo MoNEy! it's not your money is it?!" but now that I want the club to spend all the money they've bragged about having ("LoOk At OuR FanCy AdidaS mOnEy!") I'm still just a "typical American".
and lollerfuckinskates at "who cares about the transfer window?" I mean half of you have made "I don't think I even care about football" posts in the past 2-3 years so you can get to fuck trying to act like wanting better players in key positions is some sort of crime. The other half of you have lamented how boring United play whilst yearning for "tHe UnItED WaY" for years.
It's hardly as if I'm sat at home throwing things at my pets, I was just venting. You all really have to come off that high horse.
bruh == Smiffy??
I just have to accept that I will never win with you lot no matter what I guess.
We should be spending the money on Neymar because psg have.
All I know is he definitely ≠ mad
What the fuck is that all about?
Phonics do tell... do you think I'm sat here like grinding my teeth seething at the world? Like do you honestly think I'm kicking over trash bins in the office over it?
This obsession you all have with projecting people's emotions onto them is weird af. I've wanted Neymar to play at United since I watched him at Santos. The chairman of my favorite football club used to gas us up talking about doing things other clubs could only dream of. I don't know why I'm not allowed to be a bit miffed that while he's off to PSG we're haggling over a couple million quid here and there for players like Ivan Perisic (who would be a great signing).
It's madness to me that I'm not allowed to have any frustration with our transfer window especially given how boring and shit we play.
United have spent £146 million on players so far, with millions more likely (my research for this post indicates we got 40 for Matic, lol), we're going to lol at you for crying about that figure not being three times the size.
And they wouldn't have had to spend 146 million if Woodward would've kept his mouth shut.
They've bought Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof, and Nemanja Matic but fuck me for hoping they actually sign a dynamic, game-changing player instead of paying over the odds for Romelu fucking Lukaku and Chelsea's scraps.
Thank fuck I'm not a United supporter. Sounds difficult.
We would have signed Morata for a sixpence if it wasn't for WOODWARD!111
You're perfectly well allowed to, people will just make fun of you for it. You sound like one of those spoilt children on MTVs 'My Sweet 16'.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
I thought we signed the dynamic, game changing midfielder last summer.
If my parents sat around bragging about how much more money we have than everyone else, how my birthday party would be something other kids could only dream of, yes, I'd be pissed off about getting a Honda Civic.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
And hopefully Matic unlocks his full potential. You know who else would've unlocked his full potential? Fabinho. Bakayoko. I.E. a player that isn't on Chelsea's "want rid" pile. A player who we wouldn't have had to put 40m into the coffers of a direct rival for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Tell me more about Fabinho and Bakayoko and how you've come to the conclusion that they're the prodigal sons of DM.
I said "or a player that we didn't have to give money to a direct rival for". Not exactly the "end all be all" list but those are two players who were apparently available that could do the same job Matic will be expected to do.
Not sure why that's beyond the realm of understanding.
Nevermind that Fabinho is also apparently a very serviceable full-back and it's not as if we don't need depth there lol
That's the definition of spoilt. You're a brat.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Is Pogba a Juventus reject as they signed Pjanic before selling him?
Matic is a player Mourinho likes. Why does giving Chelsea money matter? You know Roman has loads of money right?
Lindelöf will win you the league, shut up and be happy you have the Wolds Best Defender.
The definition of spoilt would be someone's parents doing the best the can and providing what they can and the little kid being pissed off instead of being appreciative.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
Except that's not what United are doing whatsoever. I didn't ask Woodward to make such outlandish comments. I didn't ask the club to big up every Official Spork Sponsorship as if it's a new singing.
Last I checked all that mattered was the actual football and we play some of the worst football I've ever witnessed. I'm literally a season ticket holder for an MLS team. That's pathetic.
They're haggling over 3-5 million quid for a 29 year old winger, a position we actually need especially given Lukaku will be fucking worthless with the kind of "service" we tend to provide the front line. Pogba can't just ping 40 yard passes the entire game and hope that's going to win the League somehow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Brat.Quote:
A spoiled child, spoiled brat, or simply a brat is a derogatory term aimed at children who exhibit behavioral problems from being overindulged by their parents. Children and teens who are perceived as spoiled may be described as "overindulged", "grandiose", "narcissistic" or "egocentric-regressed".
So all the reports I've read about Conte being frustrated at Roman's keeping the purse-strings tight and basically threatening to quit the club mean nothing I suppose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
"Behavior problems" isn't coming to a fucking football forum to lament the lack of dynamic signings you weird little prick.Quote:
Originally Posted by phonics
Unreal scenes from the MLS season ticket holder.
You're welcome for being the only interesting thing on this website when @Magic's wife isn't fucking half the town.Quote:
Originally Posted by mokbull
Radars picking up something, seems to be a massive cloud of 'DEFINITELY NOT MAD, I'M ACTUALLY LAUGHING' in the vicinity.
edit: haha and there's the lash out at Magic, to the point of tagging him, to try punch down. What a child.
Who gives a shit what Ted Woodward says in the press? Do you reckon the chairman of Nice is sitting there reading the Daily Croissant when a poorly translated version of 'M.United ont beaucoup d'argent, dit Woodward, haw-hee-haw' appears in the odds and sods column, and he thinks 'Sacré bleu! I thought Man Utd were dirt poor! Armed with this knowledge, I will be holding out for millions more for *tenuously hyped-up player who has had one good season*!'
It's your own obsession with consuming the absolute tripe churned out for click generation that causes you such disappointment.
So again, it's my fault for taking the chairman of the football club at his word.
Understood.
Mind you, it wasn't "IN THE PRESS" it was literally on MUTV. No one asked him to say that. Don't tell your club's supporters to "WATCH THIS SPACE" and sign Nemanja fucking Matic.
I think I'm going to watch a lot more football this season than last and, now that I've been dwelling on it, I think I'm going to write a blog about it.
I do love that when you poke Bruh he lashes out at Magic along the way.
They've spent almost four-hundred million quid since he told the fans to 'watch this space'.
And how much money do you think they've made in that time?
Edit:
http://ir.manutd.com/~/media/Files/M...ease-final.pdf
Quote:
For fiscal 2017, Manchester United expects:
Revenue to be £560m to £570m.
Adjusted EBITDA to be £185m to £195m.
I've said Matic is lazy many a time, but fact is he started 35 games for the champion club last season. Lukaku meanwhile has scored 1 in 2 over the last five seasons, in this league, for lesser clubs, peaking at 25 goals last season (the last time a United player scored so many was van Persie five seasons ago). Why would Woodward not be justified in saying 'watch this space' before the capture of those two, rather than some 21 year old midfielder in France who you've watched maximum three times?Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
So I can take your word that Matic is lazy but I can't take the word of the hundreds of people I've read rave about Fabinho and Bakayoko (some of which were even on this website).
TRUST NO ONE BUT YOUR OWN EYES GUYms!M
(Neverminding I guess I'm not allowed to be impressed by a player in the few games I've watched now, either)
Trust me it's fine, there's no real debate anymore. You guys are always going to think poorly of me and I will always never understand why I constantly get such backlash for seemingly such innocuous opinions.
It's all good. I'm not bothered. Let's move on.
People used to think poorly of Mahow, and look at him now.
I don't think poorly of you. Let's go to Old Trafford.
Bruh's just a bit annoyed that Qatar hasn't been "FREEDOM!'d" yet and can afford this sort of endeavour, as his supreme leader is likely munching on doritos and yelling at the telly instead of plotting the next Freedoming.
One of these days my "MEMBERSHIP!" will pay off and I'll actually get tickets to come over :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Kikó
Which is how they - unlike pretty much every other club - managed to spend a hundred and fifty million quid (and probably two-hundred this year) whilst still recording a normal-ish profit. Short of punting their long-term financial security on Neymar, I'm not sure what you expect.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
all the signings!Quote:
Originally Posted by lewis
Edit: stop suppressing my need to be in all-caps you fucking website
You are but you can't claim that the club has let you down by spending hundreds of millions on proven players, and not on those ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Trust me I realize in the grand scheme of things it could be miles worse and I can see how it comes off a bit "spoiled" as The Phonics has said.
I just tend to look at things in a vacuum I guess.
I'll take it. Any attention is good attention.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Andy Mahowry
Sorry Magic.
Lmfao Offshore do you think negging all of my posts does anything but make my dick erect?
Waste more of your time you silly bitch :drool:
edit: Kiko we don't use "Man U" you know that smh
Making dicks erect is exactly the purpose of negging, as taught by Mert in the relationship thread.
Keep up, brah.
Here's another post to neg, Offshore.
Bruh I love your opinion on transfers bro. Most people would have thought it looks like opinions a granny might have but I think they really suit you.
You're nearly on 1337 posts. :cool:
Robbie Keane has joined his boyhood club, Atletico de Kolkata, to play for Teddy Sheringham.
The 'typical American' thing isn't based on what you think, it's how you put it across. Everything is at the extreme, the end of the world. When Manchester United were overspending in your eyes it was was the death of the club, now they're spending more than anyone but because one club made one deal that put you in the shade it's the death of the club, and you're 'mad' about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
As I pointed out before, since Woodward made the statement that set light to your undercrackers you've broken the world transfer record, specific world transfer records in three positions, and the transfer record for a teenager, as well as doing 'what other clubs can only dream of' in keeping a player who wanted to go to Madrid and who Madrid wanted. If he'd said those things and you'd signed a couple of kids from the lower leagues, that would be your Honda Civic. As it is you're complaining because your Bentley is two shades lighter than you wanted.
Fair enough. I am known to apply a lot of hyperbole I suppose. Sorry fellas.
I didn't know he played for Swindon townQuote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
Sigh. I'll do better one day I guess.
'Watch this space.'
Spurs are on course to sign their first player of the window, a 3rd string keeper named Gazzaniga. Fantastic piece of business, will really help keep us in the title race I think.
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...69/418/829.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
I'd just taken to paint with this name as inspiration, but perhaps not the best thing to tie myself to online in this day and age :uhoh:Quote:
Originally Posted by mokbull
Black Gascoigne? Yeah, don't bother.
Would have been an absolute classic and you know it.
It would have been Gascoigne either on a plantation or walking out of KFC in FUBU gear, and you know it.
Like I said, absolute classic.
Didn't want this to go unappreciated.Quote:
Originally Posted by McAvennie
What a career. Valencia, Gillingham, Southampton, Spurs. 12 appearances off Stuart Taylor.
Barcelona are going to spaff £120 million on Dembele from Dortmund now to replace Neymar. I'll laugh my head off if he goes there and wins the Ballon d'Or while Neymar is pissing about in France putting four past Lorient as the world shrugs.
All of the Dembele's are pretty good. Someone should sign them all for a laugh.
I've had to revise my view that Tarrier Dembele will be scoring goals in the Premiership before long. He started last season like a train with that hat trick against us, but it wasn't fully apparent at that point just how shite we were going to be. He got seven league goals in the first month of the season, then ten over the rest of it. He seems to have plateaued.
I thought there was another Dembele until I Googled Tarrier. :D
Shame, he was looking promising at Fulham.
You could probably just buy Dortmund for ninety and transfer his contract across.
Someone is going to sign the wrong Dembele at some point. Probably someone in China.
Yep. Is there a white equivalent?Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
Cole is probably the closest I can think of. There's not even a decent Smith, is there?Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic
Edit: and the best Cole isn't even white. :face:
Gotta be the various latin americans that go by Martinez, Hernandez and the likes.
Didn't Everton already do that with those cbs from italy. Scouted one and then spunked 5 mill on his partner at the back by accident who lasted less than 6 months.
You thinking of Per Kroldrup? I'm not sure he was the result of them signing the wrong man, and certainly not of an error in nomenclature.
It seems to be an urban myth.Quote:
Originally Posted by John
https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum...topic=104595.0
Can't seem to find anything else.
Sunderland have done that, obviously. Signed a South American called Nunez who turned out to be a hopeless midget. I can't remember who it was we were meant to be getting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Foe
His partners at Udinese would have been Felipe and/or Roberto Sensini, and it's hard to see how anyone could have mixed those up.
Surely even your average idiot modern footballer can't possibly think anybody's going to care about a single achievement in the French league. Outside the Champions League and World Cup he now basically doesn't exist, other than as a black hole for money,Quote:
Originally Posted by John
In fairness it worked for Zlatan for awhile there.
Sky's two breaking news bits in the last hour are that Coutinho would move to Barcelona if they can 'amicably' agree a deal with Liverpool, and also that Ousmane Dembele 'wants to move to Barcelona' and that while Dortmund have said they won't sell, £90m might do it.
Would Barca want or need both? I'm thinking one of them is going to be left disappointed.
Zlatan could have achieved a lot more by just bypassing that little stage and going straight to a big PL team, though, at the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
As things stand, all he really has to show for it now are a bunch of Ligue 1 league titles which isn't really the mark of greatness I think he wanted to crown his career with.
Neither by themselves would replace Neymar in any way. One is seen as a right winger and the other as a CAM. If Barcelona do want to do well out of this they need to sign Coutinho plus 1 attacker. Someone like Mbappe would be great, but they may have to spend a ridiculous amount for a player with 1 season behind him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Weaver
Failing that they could sign someone like Dembele or Dybala on top and try to have a fluid front line without set positions.
Barcelona need to bring sanchez back at 26/1.
Edit: Its now at 8
If they've got the whole €222m to spend they should get Coutinho/someone else to go in Neymar's slot, and an Iniesta replacement as well.
--
Has anyone watched much of PSV in the last couple seasons? We've signed Davy Pröpper off them.
He's your everyday box to box motherfucker.
Barcelona still end up weaker regardless of whatever combination of signings you can come up with. Donned into oblivion.
I don't think they properly recover from here for a while. Too many missing pieces. They'll be signing Zenden and Cocu regens before you know it.
They've lost the plot a bit since whenever it was they started believing their own hype (or when Xavi's legs went).
Exactly. He doesn't really have an equivalent so their entire model is fucked. Good, fuck them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lewis
They'll go through the Gravesen/Drenthe spell shortly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mellberg
He plays down the right for Dortmund because they have Reus and Schurrle filling the left, but he's equally comfortable on both sides.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray Fox
I see Virgil has paved his way for a transfer to the city of Liverpool.
If I was Barcelona I would - having signed a top, top midfielder - either just attempt a soon to be replacement with Kylian Mbappe, or go for Sergio Aguero and let the other two do what they want behind/outside him.
If they chuck €90m on Dembele they're absolutely mental.
They really just need to do a dawn raid on Athletico but I guess their transfer ban has mucked a lot of stuff up this summer.
I'm quietly confident Coutinho will stay, but if they're going to be getting £100m+ for him then there's a case for letting him go. Just don't sign any fucking replacements. At least none from England.
£90 million on The Ox and Jesse Lingard. :drool:
Aye, it'll be £100m split between Lanzini and Chamberlain.
:face:
Sell Coutinho for £100, buy Ross Barkley and then you've still got £35m left for deadline day to spunk on whoever's had a good game for Southampton that week.
Oh shit, I'd completely forgotten about Barkley.
Although, the seethe a deadline day discount deal (ALLITERATION!) would generate would almost make it worthwhile.
RAWK :drool:
I'd go for Dybala if I was Real.
@Shindig Vernon Anita. :drool:
Someone on RAWK said they wouldn't entertain a swap of Messi for Coutinho earlier.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey M
According to this French (lol) article, PSG would be prepared to buy Mbappe and/Coutinho as well now, both which would cost around 100m Euro supposedly.
http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/foot...=AD-1481423553
However true that is, I just keep thinking about that thing Wenger saying about a country owning a club, it really is a big fuck-off problem that shouldn't be allowed in the first place (but, I realize, cannot be technically stopped).
Also, how is everyone just now completely mesmerized by Coutinho? He's brilliant a lot of the time, but he also disappears from games.
Coutinho will go up a level playing with better players. Won't happen mincing about with Moreno and Klavan.
Barca basically don't have any young talent there right now. All these FM wonderkids have been shown up to be Bojan mark II.
You need to be careful with barcelona. Fabregas upon his return was deemed not good enough and not worth to wear the shirt after three years despite his good 'numbers'. Coutinho will go up a level playing at barcelona. More goals and more assists.
Coutinho will suit playing in a midfield 3 in Spain (or France) where no one will bother to pressure him or make him work defensively, but I'd like to see him try it out for a year in England. Hopefully that's what Klopp/the brass have told him. Stick around for a year and go after the world cup next year if he still wants to. It's not like Barcelona aren't going to be interested then.
Coutinho would seem to be a perfectly serviceable Iniesta replacement for two years down the line. Liverpool are a second tier club where the market is concerned, but generally seem to get their extra season out of players moving on to first tier clubs. He'll be sold next summer. I'm not sure they could afford to sell him now, irrespective of the fee, given the incomings have been underwhelming and Lallana and Sturridge are both crocked already.
Coutinho as Iniesta replacement. Never thought I'd hear that one.
You should listen more, then. You may learn something.
He'd be insane to stay a year when there's the risk of getting injured and missing the payday.
Isn't he BFFs with Neymar though? I could see him going to PSG next season
I have no idea. I'm working to the still valid hypothesis that if you're 'Latin' and any good, you'll end up at one of the two of them.
Apart from all the tax he'd probably be able to dodge in Spain I think the payday is staying where he is (or going to PSG as suggested).Quote:
Originally Posted by Giggles
Speaking of which, Corporate Mourinho was putting his MIND GAMES on Madrid earlier over Bareth Gale in a lol way. I don't talk about players... But if he doesn't play tomorrow then they obviously don't want him.
Why on earth has it taken van Dijk until a week before the start of the season to hand in a transfer request? If he genuinely wanted to move "to play European football and further my career", then why not hand in a request on the 1st July.
All this fucking about just to potentially get an extra few quid from Southampton from the loyalty bonus? It's fucking stupid.
10% of a potential 70m is alot of cash.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Hate those social media posts which are quite obviously written by an agent.
Feel like something has changed recently though as the post mentioned top clubs and previously it's only been Liverpool mentioned.
Will be interesting how this one plays out now, the club wanted VvD to hand in a request so we don't look quite so bad. Now it's just a case of getting the maximum amount of money. 50m? 70m? Feel like any number is possible with the way the market has been this season.
I get that 7m is a lot, but he will also receive 4-5m signing on fee from the other side, I would have thought. At one point, you have to make a professional decision and sort this shit out. Hopefully Liverpool have faxed over a bid this morning and don't fuck about with this. If we lose him to another club it will be very annoying.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
Who will Southampton be signing as his replacement? You fancy Sakho?
:D
He's going to Everton, as has always been the case. Top club on the rise.
Keane and van Dijk :drool:
Haven't been following the newz but if that's the shit they're peddling then Barcelona really have no game plan.Quote:
Originally Posted by GS
Of the more well known players I'd say Coutinho is probably the closest you would get to getting an Iniesta replacement.
Surprised that coutinhio hasnt won a single trophy since he has been at liverpool.
He's half the player Iniesta is. Public opinion on him shifts every 6 months; he doesn't even have the same playing style as Iniesta. Eriksen's far more similar to Iniesta, although he too is obviously not nearly as good
You'll never replace Iniesta, just as they haven't replaced Xavi. Christ knows what happens when Messi comes to the end of the line. Mass mourning, I suppose.
Adam Lallana would be a better replacement for Iniesta than Coutinho and he wouldn't be a very good one.
If Neymar had stayed then the obvious solution would have been to have Lionel 'Leo' Messi drop into midfield and replace him. So that is another thing that transfer has ruined for them.
Have they put in an official bid for Leon Britton yet?
I'd like to see us try and sign Sakho but we wouldn't over pay so can't see it happening.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Arne
Hopefully we sign someone experienced to help develop Stephens.
Remember when Kevin Keegan wanted to bring Iniesta to Newcastle? Those were the days.
It's not like teams always replace players with exact replicas. But Iniesta's about as unique as they come so it is more difficult. Coutinho doesn't strike me as someone who can control a game against Real Madrid, Juventus etc. but perhaps I haven't seen him enough. He'd be a safer bet at left wing, I think.
Coutinho regularly goes missing, he's nowhere near top 4 clubs in the world level.
Coutinho is a 10 not an 8. It's as simple as that, doesn't move the ball on fast enough, slows down play etc. and that's ignoring his famous lack of consistency. It's not about replacing like for like, he just has a completely different skill set to the position required.
Barcelona have changed their style and system at least 5 times since messi came to town. Im sure they will have no problem changing their style again and becoming successful once iniesta calls it quits.
Since when has Barcelona changed their style?
I thought the style was all part of this Mes que un club bullshit and that essentially all they ever care about is passing the ball around for a million years, and that's how they will do it forever and ever.
They are (were) a lot more direct under Enrique than any of the tiki-taka mob previously.
The overwhelmingly obvious candidate to replace Iniesta is, of course, Alex Iwobi.
No because he is also a 10 and a not that great one at that. Hard getting basic player positions correct.
Wut
:face:
10 is not a position. The only attacking positions are right mid, left mid, centre mid and STRIKER.
Several times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
Remember the early days when eto'o, messi and ronaldinho had no interest in defending at all. They used to stand at the halfway line when barcelona were defending corners. Pedro came up and they played with all that high pressing. They moved messi central and played the 'false 9'. Saurez came and they played him central and moved messi back out wide. Those changes have all happened over the past 10 years.
Sir Henry Winter has just stormed back into the fray with a piece entitled 'Brighton will be a force for good'. I've missed him.
I'd never heard of a 'number 8' before Klopp started banging on about it in the aftermath of that goal Can scored against Watford. Is it really a thing then?
It's been around at least as long as 7 and slightly longer than 9.
An 8 is basically a 6 further up the pitch, closer to the 10 than the 4.Quote:
Originally Posted by niko_cee
10 = Riquelme
8 = 'Super' Frankie Lampard, complete with pointing to the sky for whichever disabled child has died this week
6 = Beckenbauer
4 = Makelele
Am I right?
:D
In other news, what's this Andre Gomes chap Barcelona are trying to send over in lieu of actual money like? I remember thinking he was half decent for Portugal at the Euros, but then international football is played at sub-Serie A pace so I fear he would be a total passenger in the Premier League.
I was thinking about how this naming convention works with defenders, because in my head Beckenbauer would be a 5, but so would Per Mertesacker because a 2/3 should be your fullbacks and you've used 4 for your DM.
4 and 5 have to be the centre halves, no?
Then you've got Matthaus and Sammer fucking everything up by being a defensive 10.
1 - goalkeeper
2 - right back (must be under 5 foot 7)
3 - left back (set piece prowess optional)
4 - fouling centre midfield man
5 - chin-stroking centre back who's decent on the ball
6 - big ugly centre back with top speed of 0
7 - right footed creator with complex backstory and some kind of addiction
8 - box to box warpaint sledgehammer
9 - carthorse
10 - philosopher king
11 - skilful both footer ultimately doomed to fall in the shadow of 7, 8, 9 and 10
Those work in a FOUR FOUR FUCKING TWO but no other formation which is the issue.
What's wrong with terms like "Defensive midfielder", "Central Attacking Midfielder" and "Shitkicker"...?
You all sound like Mert and his bros on the annual fratconvention.
Brah she's totally a 7 and you are a solid 9 brah, just look at your eyelashes brah they are killer dude
Because those names don't translate across languages. Hence stuff like Trequatista existing and no-one having a fucking clue what it means. That ones been in FM for years now and I'm still not sure what they do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
I saw someone on twitter referring to a formation as a 1-4-2-3-1 the other day. What the fuck is going on?
Does anyone fucking know what a number 6 does then?
Some fucker trying to be clever about Manuel Neuer and Bayern I imagine.Quote:
Originally Posted by dino
6 and 8 haven't been fully established here because we're stuck clinging on to the days of 4-4-2. Numbers 7 (any right winger) and 9 (good old fashioned proper centre forward, no funny business) work the best because they clearly relate to 4-4-2. Number 10 also works because we as a country were transfixed on the concept of 'playing in the hole/between the lines' and the idea of not playing two strikers, so the number 10 drew attention. Hence 10 can be a support striker ala Rooney or an exotic playmaker.
Eriksen isa very good shout actually. I wouldn't claim either is as good, but if you're looking for an Iniesta replacement you could do worse than Coutinho, or better yet, Eriksen.Quote:
Originally Posted by mokbull
Or an American.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazuuurk
And a maximum of two pairs of coloured/white boots per team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
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:nod:
3 in the middle? That's the kind of lunacy which should see a sectioning.
apparently when they started doing numbers people played in a 2-3-5 (da fuck?!)
http://static2.businessinsider.com/i...-800/01b-8.png
and that evolved to this:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3847/...ff7c6ca7_o.gif
Thanks, google.
This might be the wankiest couple of pages in TTH history.
Well, in more transfery news, Watford have signed some Brazilian I have never heard of for £11m.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40864766
How the hell has he got a work permit?
"Extraordinary talent" or something.
They changed it a while back, any transfer over 10 million automatically qualifies for one because no football team would ever spend that much money on someone shit (lol)
Hah.
Imagine being named "Richarlison"
So Liverpool spend Summer after Summer poaching Southampton players, to the extent that a public apology was needed earlier this summer, but Barcelona want a second player of theirs in 5 years and they shit the bed. :drool:
PES version of 'Richardson'Quote:
Originally Posted by mokbull
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40841080
Southampton have signed Mario Lemina from Juve for up to £18m.
Wait what? Wasn't he supposed to be the shit? Lots of clubs chasing him for 40m?
Am I getting him mixed up with someone? (Not Lemar, I know that).
You should read 'Inverting the Pyramid'.Quote:
Originally Posted by bruhnaldo
Apparently PSG are considering an £80m bid for Alexis Sanchez. Maybe they should've offered that before they broke the market with the Neymar deal.
£80m for a player out of contract in 11 months? Consider it well and truly broken.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lofty
What about a 'false' 9?
Back to barcelona is where he needs to go. Purely for the benefit of my bank account.
The bitter-enders of Barca, Mate still haven't given Neymar clearance to move, which is lol.
Word on the street is that Liverpool were forced to apologise to Southampton for tapping up van Dijk back in June because Klopp was spotted talking to him on Skype while he was on vacation in Iceland.
lol
if Barca don't put in the FIFA transfer papers or w/e the fuck and the deadline passes ...... then what?
Football stops, and Real Madrid are declared the final football champions.
Burnley selling Andre Gray to Watford. They are doomed with Keane and Gray gone and little chance of replicating that home form from last year.
I wonder where all the TV money they've banked over the last few years has gone? No improvements to the ground, making healthy profits on player sales, apparently the training ground is mediocre. Board lining their pockets surely.
Is there even any point in Burnley improving the ground? It can hold 30% of the townspeople as it is.
Comes under "securing the Club's future" I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Power
Fucking hell. I did not like the sound of that Rafa press conference. I dunno whether he's testing Ashley for more support or making actual plan B's for an exit. I'm scared either way.
Quote:
"It’s very difficult (for me to leave). My Chinese is not good enough (!). No I try to do my best now. It has to be something you cannot control. At the moment I am fully committed to do the best that I can do now.
That's classic snidey shit from Rafa, he's off.
You can improve it without expanding it. Absolute shithole. Then again I suppose it won't match the aesthetic of the town if they give it a lick of paint or whatever.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
Maybe they can attract more corporate entities with a more upmarket stadium. They could land some sweet Rugby League Weekender like we do. Or a couple of games during an eventual England 20XX.
£90m bid from Barcelona for Coutinho has been instantly rejected.
His 'back injury' doesn't sound that promising.
I guess the acid test will be whether he's still around come the Hoffenheim game, and then whether he plays or not.