Village Idiot

Perhaps not, but in terms of signing a player to loan him out, Chelsea are the worst for it. No doubt about that. I wonder if they just see this as a moneymaking exercise. Do they usually get good fees when they finally get rid? It's not like Chelsea paid much of these players' wages throughout their careers since they spent most of their time on loan.

Thorgan Hazard was probably necessary to get his brother to move, so not "pointless" in that regard.

As a Spaniard, I would be happy to see Alan Pardew managing England.

Does the PL have a wage budget cap like La Liga?

I agree with that, he's an excellent poacher. I understand that nowadays, big clubs demand more from their #9s than just poaching, but I'm surprised he's ended up in the MLS at just 27 years old. Unless Orlando are paying him some silly wages, I can think of many good European teams where he could have an impact.

Unsurprisingly we look a completely different team with Neymar and Messi onboard. We're so dependant on those two - and Suárez - but I guess it's unavoidable.

Some of these are so clueless it makes this forum look like the Harvard of football boards. This forum ain't too bad actually.

I don't get the joke Is it some terrible pun?

Time to repost one of my favorite football photos

To José Enrique's favor, I can say that he had been moaning about the club's board in the Spanish press for quite before his transfer to Liverpool. There was also the Spain situation. With Capdevila retiring the LB slot was up for grabs and Liverpool are a far better shopping window for that. Of course things didn't work out for him there.

He's good at winding people up and getting them to call into his shows and discuss his articles, basically. Nowadays, most Spanish football shows are about winding people up so they call or tweet about the show. It's minging.

The amount of time and effort that must have went into that...? Pirlo's facial hair I still pumped my fist when Lego-Suárez scored.

Our press claims that Adama Traoré has flown to Liverpool and will have his medical tomorrow. It's unclear if it's a loan or a sale. The lad is a beast, but has the awareness of a blind donkey. I guess Liverpool are gambling on polishing that side of his game; I don't think he's cut for a top level team myself because of that. EDIT: Another of our local rags says it's not done with Liverpool and he will also hold talks with Stoke and Villa while in England. What seems confirmed is that he's flown to England.

Celtic have an average attendance of over half a million in there

You lost a CL final too. But won the EL thrice.

You would be so ridiculously top-heavy if you signed Berahino. I guess it would be a welcome chance from being nothing-heavy. I like Berahino quite a bit myself; love the way he tries to place his finishes, always dig forwards that go for that. And unlike Austin I get the feeling he would be a better fit for what you already have. He only comes across as a bit of a cunt.

I miss our 2014-15 team.

Fiore fans http://estaticos.sport.es/resources/jpg/8/7/pancarta-los-aficionados-italianos-fiorentina-fcbarcelona-1438546999878.jpg I know we're still missing all the non-biting SA players, but it's been an abysmal preseason so far. Will try no to give it too much importance.

Barring Arsenal with Wenger, I don't get the feeling that there's a strong vision behind the big English teams. When Ferguson was at ManU, you certainly got what they stood for, and what you could expect from them (the good and the bad), same from us and Real Madrid nowadays. Or you under Keegan. City, Chelsea and ManU seem to be drifting nowadays, looking for a football identity to rally around and drive the club. Even this Chelsea side seems devoid of that cuntish unbridled energy that other Mourinho sides had.

With the silly TV contract you now have in England, I'm not sure the CL prize money is going to be that big of an advantage anymore. Players and sponsors will still value it, though.

I don't think it has lost any importance, but the format has killed the goose that laid the golden egg IMO. Time was a fixture like, to pick an example out of thin air, Barcelona vs. Bayern would have a proper sense of occasion to it. Now these kind of games happen most seasons. Let alone that getting rid of straight knockout minimises the chance of owt exciting like Marseille/Ajax/Villa etc. winning the thing. The format is appalling, the group stage is always 95% dross. Group stage is crap, and it's only there to guarantee TV games from Europe's top teams right until January. But a few of the knockouts usually produce some of the best football on show every year, imho.

Dani Güiza has signed for Cádiz. This is slightly noteworthy for two things: 1) Back in the time when he was at his peak he swore he'd never play for them (he's from rival town Jerez) 2) The photo Cádiz have released of his medical http://estaticos04.marca.com/imagenes/2015/07/31/futbol/mas_futbol/1438334962_extras_noticia_foton_7_3.jpg

When does Di María's contract end? Considering amortisation ManU might be turning a profit here, never underestimate the magic of accounting.

Johan Cruyff, Thierry Henry, Gabriel Obertan.

Fantastic