Taylor Swift

Did they break after being burnt?

:lol:so true. A big part of what I enjoy about supporting us is because of the existence of this place.

I think whatever personal issues he's had is affecting his effort and motivation. Didn't Pardew say that his newborn child was unwell? It'll take time for him but he's got quality and I don't doubt that he'll show it on the pitch eventually.

Jesus

At least the last free kick wasn't floated in.

Jesus

Clearly unintentional. He tried a glancing header, caught it too thin and it bounced off his right hand towards the goal. Anyone who thinks he did it on purpose is blind.

Did he punch it or was it unintentional? Unintentional.

Clear handball.

Dat cross

Harper is shite

Come on

The last fifteen minutes have been quite good.

What did Rodgers say?

What about Messi? He's more like Messi than Ronaldo. It's between him and van Persie for the best player in the league. Hazard will get there, and Cazorla is close, too. Yaya is a completely different player so I won't compare.

I said he'd be an England international within three years

Gercinho you moron

Atmosphere is immense.

Oscar is going to be sensational.

Thomas is back with a bang.

We've woken up.

The knee IS important because it stops other clubs from getting insurance when they sign him, which is why they haven't signed him yet. His contract is guaranteed but without insurance, it's very risky.

being a doctor is easier than being a footaller? :lol: i half agree with you, footballers are paid what they are because thats the amount of money thats in the game, however it has nothing to do with the comparitive difficulty of being a footballer to other proffessions. It does. If it was so easy being a Premier league footballer then everyone would be one, meaning wages would drop because the supply of them are in excess. Fact is, being a good footballer is an immensely difficult thing. No amount of training or practicing can turn someone into a good footballer unless they're athletic to begin with and have some talent. That's not the case with being a doctor. Anyone, theoretically, can be a doctor. There are no age limits to becoming doctors, no weight limit, no height limit. You can be fat, tall, short, handicapped, whatever, and that won't stop you becoming a doctor if you study hard enough. There are way more limits to who can become a footballer and it's why they're paid as well as they are. No disrespect to doctors or engineers or teachers or anyone who has a normal profession (I have one as well). It's just a fact of life that good footballers are in perpetually high demand so they have a lot of leverage when negotiating contracts.

If you have a unique skill that people covet, why shouldn't you be paid as much as people are willing to pay you? Why should someone else say that you're only allowed to be paid x amount? This is a basic tenet of a meritocracy, no?

If you have a salary cap based on % of revenue then you condemn all the smaller teams from being able to move up. A salary cap, which I think is a horrible idea, has to be a nominal cap that's not based on team revenue if it's to be fair. Players are paid as well as they are because they deserve it. Why aren't doctors paid as well as footballers? Because being a doctor is easier than being a footballer. You want to be a doctor? Go to school for eight years. It ain't easy but many people manage it. You want to be a footballer? So many things have to go right for you, and you have to have talent in the first place. Most good doctors are products of good educational systems. Most good footballers are naturally talented. It's basic supply and demand. It also isn't a pretty fact of life that people are more willing to pay for leisure than they do for health or education. That's why the poor consume alcohol rather than save etc. There's economic papers written on this. People are more willing to pay to watch football than they are to do other things, so footballers should be rewarded for their ability to provide entertainment that we value quite obviously very highly. The best players deserve everything they're paid.