Village Idiot

La Liga will meet this Friday to decide if they go ahead with their threat of stopping the competition after meeting with the Spanish government regarding their several demands (keep the current foreign player tax system, tax reduction for ticket sales, fee for radio broadcasting, etc...) They pretty much have only until January 1st to get concessions, when the government will enact their new tax and sport laws. Don't think they have time to exert any meaningful pressure. If the government passes its current tax law project unamended, any January signing wouldn't benefit from the current tax benefits (24% tax instead of 43% for foreign players). Contracts currently in effect would be grandfathered for 5 years.

(Spain) USA, Ghana, France

Is Boateng owned by them or on loan?

Yes they do. I don't know where to get them, the Spanish TV used to broadcast them all before each WC.

Xisco is the only first team player in the Racing squad that has yet to start a single league game this season. Should tell you something really. (checked again, seems there is a CB that hasn't started a game yet, too)

Was John Dahl Tommasson expensive?

Regarding this, today's cover of El Mundo Deportivo made me laugh http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/gif/20091203/03porbn.jpg Daddy Zlatan taking his kid to school

What would be inethical about signing RvN? Apart from aesthetically, that is.

That's pretty true. One of the things you'll notice if you look at Barça stats, is that we top the passes completed list, but also the balls won list. Xavi and Iniesta tackle quite a bit for being small creative midfielders. That's something that Rijkaard brought to coaching when he first came: there aren't ball-winning midfielders, just midfielders.

Atlético's president, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, has said this week that they just refused an offer for Agüero. He has revealed that they will allow him to leave the club if he wishes to, though.

No. He made the papers with his first sub appearance a few weeks ago, and I just checked and he hasn't featured ever since. He seems to be doing very well in their youth team though.

Question: how much is the Carling Cup rated as a trophy? I know in Spain we cared so much about the League Cup we got rid of it 20 years ago. How good it would be for example, for ManCity to win it and not make the Top 4?

Zlatan is the missing link, when he is playing the side looks incredible. Messi is just so great to watch, the strength he has on the ball these days is great too, seems to be able to hold off players with ease this season compared to last. I enjoy watching Zlatan combine with all the others so much. He's miles more a football player than Eto'o ever was. Samuel might have been a more effective goalscorer, but Zlatan can be target man, striker and playmaker at the same time. He's amazing really. I'm off to w*** in a corner now.

Pulling my leg, surely? I know I know... they have just created more in 10 minutes than we did in the previous 80.

Ibrahimovic 0-2 We've been way better since Messi, Iniesta and Zlatan have been in the pitch together.

You knew that already though? Yes, but he's driving me nuts this game. Don't know why we bother to play through the left wing. He scored though. 0-1 with 5 minutes to go. If we end up conceding another 1-1 away draw I'm going nuts.

Wow Henry is such a shadow of the player he was. When he gets the ball of his feet you know that nothing will come out of it, nothing. He just fannies around, loses the ball, falls on his arse or ends up fouling someone.

FFS, I go to take a wee during half time and I miss Barça scoring. 0-1, Henry.

71% possession for us, although we have done fuck all with it on the last third.

Aren't they riding on a lot of debt because of their stadium? It's strange though, Arsenal just look 2-3 buys away from a title challenge, and they never do. For example not replacing Adebayor this season. Surely Van Persie stepped up his game, but his injury record is there for everybody to see, and Eduardo and Bendtner are well... not very good. Also one injury to one of their CBs and they are fucked.

You haven't got anyone to bring on either, shame. 0-0 HT, and a pretty boring game to watch. Unleash Messi and Zlatan, please.

Damn, we are wearing the draw shirt. Every time we wear that mango shit we end up dropping points.

Can I say it? Tino Asprilla. And no, it's not sour grapes

Hasn't really settled in that well at all so far imo. Obviously it's still very early days, but thus far hasn't looked anywhere near a £20+ million defender. I'm still cutting him slack. Márquez was woeful in his first season, yet he became a brilliant player for us later. Ridiculous pricetag for a semi-unkown defender, though, but it was Guardiola's pet wish.

Chygrynsky and Márquez at the back have the combined pace of an ice glacier. Hopefully Xerez are as shit as they look.