ponsaelius

Seems it's another promising team we're contributing to rip apart. Sochaux were apparently one of the most exciting teams in Ligue 1 last season, but they've already lost Ideye Brown to Dynamo Kiev and now this guy to us seemingly. Marvin Martin and Boudebouz have both been linked to moves away aswell.

Lens are gonna be sick of the sight of us.

So he's our new #9 then?

Think he looks like a young Lenny Henry myself.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2025987/Newcastle-bid-7m-PSVs-Erik-Pieters.html

Fucking De Jong.

How the fuck has it gone up again? Edit: Oh, that's just him speculating. You'd fucking hope not like.

Yeah he's a prick and disagrees for the sake of it.

Exactly. The only real 'profit' in a football club is ultimately the success on the football pitch, which is why they can't be compared to other businesses. Yep. I hate it when I hear people say "well football's still a business...", it's not a fucking business, it's a sport, nobody ever says golf or tennis or other team sports like cricket or rugby are a business. If football is a business, that should not be a cue to the people in charge, whether it be FIFA/UEFA/FA/Premier League to start treating it as a business and telling clubs how to manage that business, it should be a cue to them ripping the whole thing up and starting again because something's gone badly wrong somewhere. I was having this argument with my Dad the other day. He was saying that Ashley is free to do what he wants because he owns the club and that if he wants to run it like a business then it's up to him, and I quote "fair play to him". He wouldn't comprehend that this argument is fundamentally wrong. It's not fucking right that people can come in and have free reign like this so long as they have the money in their back pocket. For all intents and purposes football clubs are businesses, but in reality they are anything but. They're sporting institutions, with thousands of fans who's lives are built around what happens with the team. It's far too simplistic to just say, 'football is a business just like Sports Direct or ASDA'. The other argument I had was he said 'people are upset but they'll still turn up every week and lap it up, in any other business people wouldn't buy the product'. Utterly incomparable tbh, people love following their team and it's impossible to simply 'not buy the product' (calling football a product FFS). There's not a set of fans in the world that would do that.

Exactly. The only real 'profit' in a football club is ultimately the success on the football pitch, which is why they can't be compared to other businesses.

This is the crux isn't it? There has become a desperation, certainly within the Premier League and the people who run it, for as many teams to do well in the Champions League as possible - your average Newcastle/Stoke/Villa fan of course couldn't give a fuck but the majority have to live with it for the benefit of the minority. I'm interested in how the money is divvied up across each major European League, particularly the German one. Presumably their Champions League qualifiers get the same wedge ours do? Are they just not using it as well as ours? The game has badly lost its way in some countries, especially England, to the point where it actually being a sport has been forgotten about. The German teams are restricted to spend no more than they earn, so the wages are dictated entirely by how much revenue they make and there are financial restrictions in place stop them from building up debt. Also every single team in Germany is obliged to be fan owned by atleast 51%. If they don't follow these guidlines they can have their membership stripped and kicked out of the league. It's not perfect like, both Dortmund and Schalke (IIRC) have had financial problems recently. But for the most part it's far more sustainable than the English 'model', which like you said is built out of a desperation to succeed at all costs. I honestly think that football in this country (and many others, with regards to the financial side) is intrinsically broken from the ground up. Our youth setup is neglected and corrupted, we aren't producing coaches or managers at the level we should be, the league is built on a mound of debt, ticket prices are going up season on season (another place where Germany wins is with cheap tickets), foreign ownership is completely ripping any sense of identity out of the clubs. For all the hype and marketing power that the league holds everything else is deteriating IMO. I would tend to agree with that. It would be much better for the game if UEFA were to standardize the positive aspects of leagues like Germany right across the board, but that is highly unlikely to ever happen. The foreign ownership issue is the biggest threat to the English game at the moment, in fact issues of private ownership in general when clubs are being run for the benefit of cunts like the one who owns us. The problem is though if UEFA try to implement financial restrictions like that across the board, you get the big guns all saying 'well fuck that' and toddling off and setting up a Super League. That simply cannot happen, it'll ruin football IMO.

This is the crux isn't it? There has become a desperation, certainly within the Premier League and the people who run it, for as many teams to do well in the Champions League as possible - your average Newcastle/Stoke/Villa fan of course couldn't give a fuck but the majority have to live with it for the benefit of the minority. I'm interested in how the money is divvied up across each major European League, particularly the German one. Presumably their Champions League qualifiers get the same wedge ours do? Are they just not using it as well as ours? The game has badly lost its way in some countries, especially England, to the point where it actually being a sport has been forgotten about. The German teams are restricted to spend no more than they earn, so the wages are dictated entirely by how much revenue they make and there are financial restrictions in place stop them from building up debt. Also every single team in Germany is obliged to be fan owned by atleast 51%. If they don't follow these guidlines they can have their membership stripped and kicked out of the league. It's not perfect like, both Dortmund and Schalke (IIRC) have had financial problems recently. But for the most part it's far more sustainable than the English 'model', which like you said is built out of a desperation to succeed at all costs. I honestly think that football in this country (and many others, with regards to the financial side) is intrinsically broken from the ground up. Our youth setup is neglected and corrupted, we aren't producing coaches or managers at the level we should be, the league is built on a mound of debt, ticket prices are going up season on season (another place where Germany wins is with cheap tickets), foreign ownership is completely ripping any sense of identity out of the clubs. For all the hype and marketing power that the league holds everything else is deteriating IMO.

Congrats on Mikel for striking a football towards goal for the first time in a Chelsea shirt.

Germany is a really good league in just about every way. Very balanced and competitive, fantastic attendances, always brilliant atmopsheres, lots of good young players both domestically and being imported, sustainable financial model, decent football. It's pretty much spot on except for the fact the teams can't compete at the top level in Europe, honestly think that'll change when the bubble starts to burst for everybody else though.

Does this mean I'm square? Fwiw, I barely ever hear people spouting Sky's "best league in the word" propaganda or lamenting the physicality of the Spanish game, but constantly see people mocking these imaginary views I read it all the time on other boards and hear it constantly from people I know (in the actual REAL WORLD).

Definitely. That 'FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL' sketch would be worthy of a post right now.

Personal tastes innit.

Sanchez is gonna be good.

Nah. Real Madrid/Barca >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Other Spanish sides. They'd p*ss allover the Prem too, though. Quite probably. Doesn't mean the overall quality of La Liga is better. The quality of the bottom half of the Prem is grossly overrated. Some absolute dross in this league. Fair proportion of fans who mistake 'excitement' for 'quality' and swallow Sky's "bestest league in the world s****". A game can be exciting and end-to-end but full of poor football. Poor football = mistakes = goals =/= quality football. Definitely. I find it funny how people say Spanish players couldn't handle the physicality of the Prem, as if it's some kind of achievement that we have the most brutal league in Europe. Most English players would look like fish out of water in Spain. Look at Pennant, sole creative outlet for last years cup finalists in England... as much use as a chocolate fireguard in Spain. Pennant is rubbish in England as well. Pennant is rubbish everywhere. Pennant is rubbish generally. it's a pretty poor argument really, different leagues have different strengths and weaknesses. That was exactly my point, man. The fact the media use it as a beating stick for Spanish players coming over here yet because our players are so insular there is no comparison to be made.

Diame, Rodallega, Figeuroa, Moses, and Watson are all entertaining players. Wigan play decent football. The only sides in England I truly find uninteresting/will not watch are Stoke, Blackburn, and Fulham. Ben Watson?

Nah. Real Madrid/Barca >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Other Spanish sides. They'd p*ss allover the Prem too, though. Quite probably. Doesn't mean the overall quality of La Liga is better. The quality of the bottom half of the Prem is grossly overrated. Some absolute dross in this league. Fair proportion of fans who mistake 'excitement' for 'quality' and swallow Sky's "bestest league in the world s****". A game can be exciting and end-to-end but full of poor football. Poor football = mistakes = goals =/= quality football. Definitely. I find it funny how people say Spanish players couldn't handle the physicality of the Prem, as if it's some kind of achievement that we have the most brutal league in Europe. Most English players would look like fish out of water in Spain. Look at Pennant, sole creative outlet for last years cup finalists in England... as much use as a chocolate fireguard in Spain. Pennant is rubbish in England as well. Pennant is rubbish everywhere. Pennant is rubbish generally. Pennant has been a revelation for Stoke.

Germany has the most balanced league by a mile.

Nah. Real Madrid/Barca >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Other Spanish sides. They'd piss allover the Prem too, though. Quite probably. Doesn't mean the overall quality of La Liga is better. The quality of the bottom half of the Prem is grossly overrated. Some absolute dross in this league. The quality of bottom half teams in every European league is pretty shocking tbf. Think a lot of people actually overrate La Liga as we're only shown games involving the top teams, the majority of which are 90 mins of attack v defence. Don't get me wrong I enjoy watching La Liga, but in terms of overall entertainment the PL trumps it. I honestly find as much enjoyment in both leagues. There's good and bad games on a regular basis.

Nah. Real Madrid/Barca >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Other Spanish sides. They'd piss allover the Prem too, though. Quite probably. Doesn't mean the overall quality of La Liga is better. The quality of the bottom half of the Prem is grossly overrated. Some absolute dross in this league. Fair proportion of fans who mistake 'excitement' for 'quality' and swallow Sky's "bestest league in the world shite". A game can be exciting and end-to-end but full of poor football. Poor football = mistakes = goals =/= quality football. Definitely. I find it funny how people say Spanish players couldn't handle the physicality of the Prem, as if it's some kind of achievement that we have the most brutal league in Europe. Most English players would look like fish out of water in Spain. Look at Pennant, sole creative outlet for last years cup finalists in England... as much use as a chocolate fireguard in Spain.

Vuckic should definitely have been on the bench.