leffe186

The worst bit is the effect on the heart, unfortunately.

Just came on to post the tweet

Agreed, but the point still stands. Contrasting West Ham and Lyon (for example) is strong evidence of the PL’s financial might overwhelming others. Just looking at transfer fees (leaving wages aside) Lyon have had to recoup large fees every year by selling their better players to…the PL. For the last few years they have had a net transfer surplus. West Ham have been able to spend large sums on players year in and year out. If someone doesn’t quite pan out they can afford to suck up a major loss and move on due partly to the large amount of TV money the PL brings in.

…but they’ve still massively outspent Lyon in terms of transfer fees and wages. It’s much easier to recruit well if you can outspend your competitors year in and year out. They just can’t outspend their competitors in the Premier League.

Don’t think Modric is totally different at all…as a player. Very similar role in a team. To JPB’s point, Xavi was essentially a one-club player who was groomed from an early age as part of a team and system. Modric’s achievements are extraordinary because he wasn’t in that position.

I completely forgot about the early game (again) but actually went up in the standings.

Naah, he looks like one of my daughters went through our wardrobe.

Console yourself with the fact that I’m trying not to engage with football much any more. I can’t in all conscience publicly gloat or celebrate. Not to say I don’t have a difficult private choice whether to check out Arsenal-mania or Redcafe first. I will say this. The fact that Aston Villa only had two yellow cards after that is incomprehensible to me . Now I have to avoid mentioning the game at all to my Villa fan wife. Again.

We never really went down there (but too Arsenal for me ) more often Crouch End. There was a pub quiz we went to that Sean Hughes used to be at. Also often in summer went up to the Flask in Highgate.

Yeah we’d drink in a few places - the church when it became a pub, the John Baird (now called something else, sadly), that pseudo-Irish place round the corner on Colney Hatch Lane. Mainly though we’d get wasted at La Porchetta because the girls in the house would flirt massively with the waiters . Glory days, man. Christ knows how anyone with a normal job can afford to live there nowadays.

Nice one. Do I know you? Lived at 186 Muswell Hill Rd for a while in a massive house share. My sis lives there now. One of my favourite places in the world tbh. Was over there last month and my last meal before coming back was Cod and Chips from Toffs and a can of Lilt . Bliss.

Actually there’s an awful lot of Spurs fans around my age who think the opposite - which is quite something given that Hoddle was basically my idol as a kid. They were just different. Different style players whose careers overlapped a little. Both were amazing.

Oh no problem I just genuinely like the idea of officially making them Man Poo.

Something to aspire to.

Any other really good kids coming through?

I’ve not been paying attention to Man Poo/Manure at all - def interested in who you’d keep @Froggy. Also in which epithet you prefer out of Man Poo and Manure.

Haven’t been on there for ages, are they absolutely shitting it?

This. I mentioned it briefly, but from outside the England talk was hilarious. He’s been a great get and has done more than almost anybody to keep you up. When the team around him gets better he’ll be valuable and even if he’s in and out of the team you can see him being a great squad player. Just, he’s not as good as people were saying he was and not as bad as people are now saying he is.

Yeah, iirc it was something like Waddle, Hoddle, Ardiles, Paul Allen and Chiedozie/Micky Hazard in midfield, which was absolutely ridiculous when we were playing well.

Was at that game. We could have scored 15 tbf.

I mean Cristiano Ronaldo still exists.

Not gonna lie, I love what’s happening at Wrexham.

Yup, exactly the same on Kane. Just glad that I got in Rudiger, although annoyingly I also took a hit to get in Thiago Silva.

More annoyed that I bottled it and went with Captain Salah.