midds

25/1 chief. Pile in

Gallowgate block M had about 500 free at about 10.30. East stand block J had about 450 free. Queue moved pretty quickly and I was about 2675 iirc

Done. Gallowgate for Atalanta and East stand for Bilbao. Will probably be the only games I get to go to this season so I'm looking forward to them

The demand for season tickets is there though, we saw that last week. People do want to pay the prices for STs, thousands of them and the reality is that we do need to maximise the income from tickets and I don't blame them in the slightest. I agree 100% that it's a bit shit that some people are priced out of watching their team but you can't have it both ways. You can't maximise revenue and keep tickets at rock bottom prices. Bayern might be able to but we can't, that's the reality of things.

Don't agree that fans are getting shafted, there's no obligation to go, as I said it's maybe a fiver too much imo but it's not anything to kick off about. Fact is that despite how rich the owners are they still need to get as much money into the club as they possibly can, they're not missionaries who are giving tickets away for free. They've priced them slightly too high imo but it's barely worth getting upset about. They're trying to maximise revenue and I think they'll do that.

The demand is there imo and both games will sell out. £20 is maybe a little on the high side but it's money into the club at the end of the day, I want to go and watch my team and I'd pay £50 for me and the bairn to go and see them twice, it's not a million miles away financially from going to the cinema tbh.

They've actually been quite smart with splitting the total spend this window into the 2 financial windows. Obviously there was the big splurge in January and you'll need to add Targett, Pope and Willock iirc to that but the Botman fee is in the following year. I'd predict another 1 or 2 biggish fees this window with little to nothing done in January or before 1st July 2023 just to keep things ticking over nicely regarding ffp. Spread the fees out, jack the sponsorship deals up steadily over the next 2 years then try and have a huge window in maybe summer 2025

It wasn't stupidity it was laziness, totally in line with the previous regime of Ashley and Bruce. Decision needed to be made - move him on and scout/sign a better younger version? Na, fuck it, just extend his deal. Job done, easy peasy.

Exactly. The biggest fear for me is that a significant proportion of our fanbase lose their shit and kick off because their own ridiculous expectations of what they want aren't met. You know the type, throwing tantrums (probably on twitter) because the new owners haven't addressed all of the issues with 2 windows. Slagging them off despite spending an unheard of amount of investment at the club. What they've done so far has been magnificent, they've transformed the team by spending over £100m so far, lifted the fans' morale, ensured that the ground is sold out for every match, started upgrading the training facilities, boosted the profile of the women's team, looking into extending the ground etc. But Billy Daftcunt from Wallsend is booting off and moaning like fuck on twitter because they've only bought 5 players when he wanted 8. Only spent £85m when he thought £140m was needed. A sizeable section of our fanbase need to grow the fuck up and appreciate that it's going to take time and won't happen in a year.

Broja is the link that makes the most sense to me - we need instant improvement but can't buy as many players as we would like to because of FFP, loaning quality ticks both of our boxes. Broja will play and develop more up here than sitting on Chelsea's bench for 85% of the season. Chelsea get a chunky loan fee and lend a good/challenging/dangerous team a player who could help to hopefully take points from Chelsea's direct rivals without having to face him themselves. The whole thing just makes sense for all parties.

Of course they are. They constantly tell themselves they are so it must be true.

nnngghhhh Time to log off

Ian Rush Des Walker David Platt Mark Hateley? Wilkins may be one perhaps?

Find it hugely ironic that the club that decided to permanently close a huge part of their ground because of lack of demand to see that team now see fit to attempt to try and take the piss out of a club that fill their bigger ground and could sell another 20k+ each game easily. It's like a tramp taking the piss out of your wallpaper.

Feels like the bluff has been called on this one. Give them an offer and a deadline and it either happens or it doesn't, non-negotiable, no more stalling. And I'd be offering slightly less out of sheer principle, this is the deal - sign it or don't. If he doesn't then I'd not consider or speak to the cunts again. He's not the only talented young striker in the world.

Definitely. I'd love the chance of 2 together for me and the boy but I knew that's out of the question so I didn't even bother. The demand is huge, just wait until the friendlies go on sale, they'll both sell out within an hour, nailed on.

Can't deny it the Saudi shirt looks ridiculously good. Classically simple, nice colour contrast and it'll ping. I'll not be buying it though

Players for the final third needs to be the priority now imo. GK and defence is sorted now, it's not perfect but it's more than good enough now. Midfield is adequate but could do with another ace CM or DM to fix it for the time being. We're short up top - ASM is inconsistent, Wilson is injury prone, Wood is (let's be honest, a plank) Gayle is substandard, Fraser is fitful, Almiron has little end product and after that there's nothing tbh. Could do with 3 players to provide competition and raise the threat going forward in that final third and that's going to cost. Need to look at loans and free agents to try and fix it asap. All that said I'm not flapping at all, the new owners have already put their money where their mouth is and invested. I'm not greedy and I'm not impatient and it'll not happen in 1 or 2 windows, it'll take 8 or 9 windows to build the squad we're after. My advice would be to be patient and build it slow and solid and give it a few years, you can't fix everything at once

Looks an absolute unit, bonus being he can actually play too. Fingers crossed he adapts to the pace of the game over here but he'll have no issues with the physicality of the league. Not seen too much of him in all honesty but I'll trust their judgement and he could be here for years with a bit of luck. Nothing like having a few big, nasty snide fuckers in the XI either, 6ft 5 CB - wins everything in the air and a threat in the opposition box too. Big, big ticks for the PL game

Imagine it man. "Well a similar performing club to you only managed to get £2.357m for their shirt sleeve so you're not allowed to get any more than that. It's unfair if you do as it wouldn't be fair. It's unfair if you get more than them so no, you can't be allowed to sign that deal. That's not fair" Fuck me man

"fair market value" is such a bullshit phrase and vague use of terminology man. It'll get ripped apart in any court. Just do the fucking deals ffs

Honestly man, I've tried (and succeeded) to actively not make a big thing about the wealth of the Saudi's. I've not bragged in any way shape or form about it because I'm still not totally comfortable with it. I'll not defend them when they're challenged, I hate the shit that goes on over there and I'll never agree with it, it's vile tbph. I'll not flash £50 notes at opposition supporters, dress up as them or any of that ridiculous shit, I can understand and agree with their critics. Then the rules get redrawn to blatantly try and prevent any challenge to the megaclubs. Deliberately trying to pull up the ladder to stop us/them and I find it almost impossible not to say - fuck it, spend the fucking lot. It's so obvious that I want to rub their collective faces in the pigshit. They're the richest cunts on the planet and they could blow them all out of the water if they were allowed. But they're not. Because they're challenging the elite and the systems introduced to protect them. And everyone knows we can't have that, can we?

Looks as if the cartel have written a new set of rules to directly and specifically prevent the challenge that we pose. How fucking rattled are they? Still maintain that we need to sign the deals asap and argue about it later in a court of law. Fuck it, they're not even pretending to be fair any longer. How can they say that the owners of a club can only invest a certain amount in their club? On what fucking planet does that happen man? "No, no, stop!! Stop investing all of that money into your club that you've bought, that's not allowed, you might become better than us!!" It's as transparent as it is fucking pathetic. They're scared shitless the petty, little fucking wankers.

It's 50/50 because we either get him or we don't - 50/50

Hungry now. Cheers.