Toonpack

Interesting they point out only Madistone have "ceased to exist" yet don't mention that 54 clubs have been in Administration since '92 and that if normal commercial rules applied to football a good amount of them would indeed have gone "pop". Given the Revenue and the Govt (apparently) are challenging the "football creditors" rule, that landscape could change drastically if and when HMRC/Gov't wins, as they hopefully should. No doubt the "tee hee no-one's ceased to exist" crew, will latch onto Maidstone and equally ignore the fact that whilst debts are monstrous they are just about all underwritten by rich owners and not exclusively to financial institutions (as our were previously) which is a whole different ball game.

Don't believe so and unlike just about everyone, we're talking hard cash up front

Does that include all playing staff or just first teamers? First team pay

Average wages were (May2010 in a Telegraph article): Liverpool £48.6K pw Man U £55.8K pw Arsenal £50.3K pw

Of course, the "random foreigners" may not have gone 4-0 down in the first place.

My Metz hoollie mate is of the same opinion, to the extent of adopting capitals as emphasis on facebook !!

I'd assume this was just ITK bollocks but it interests me that you mention that Carr was flying out to the Far East, given that there was rumors about Carr coming over here to look at a Korean player last month and I just dismissed them as... well.. ITK bollocks. Not claiming ITK at all, it was a while ago, was South Korea I believe, the Barton shenanigans brought it (the big changes bit) back to mind, that's all. Well, if we put two and two together it does seem like Carr was indeed in Korea to watch the player in question, without informing the player's agent or his club, even. Probably not a whole lot in it since obviously we don't make a bid for everyone we scout, but interesting that he's coming all the way out here nevertheless. I fairness, you don't have to inform a club (or player/agent) if you're purely scouting. My cousins hubby is a freelance scout, most recently for WBA, he's based in NZ but spends a lot of time over here, the States and Europe. He gets a list of player type/positions of interest to the club that's looking, sometimes it's a brief to look at a certain player, but not always. Sometimes it's because a fellow scout asks him to do a report on a specific player and cover some ground for him. It's a very you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours business. The head scouts, attached to clubs, may then take a personal look at a player if consistent reports are good. They get players watched multiple times by "thier mates". Otherwise the "cousin-in-law" just takes in whatever games he can to see what takes his eye and will pass on leads/reports to his fellows in return for the same back, when he wants it. How they get paid if a lead is taken up I haven't a clue. The media over here had the club officially rubbishing the rumors by saying "Newcastle didn't inform us that a scout was coming, therefore he couldn't have been here." I guess it's sort of a gentlemen's agreement thing? Scouts don't usually sit in the Directors box, they'll just get a ticket like everyone else (through a contact) . From what I hear scouts are like the mafia, without the killings

He's not, two lads at Man City on much more. You sure ??

I'd assume this was just ITK bollocks but it interests me that you mention that Carr was flying out to the Far East, given that there was rumors about Carr coming over here to look at a Korean player last month and I just dismissed them as... well.. ITK bollocks. Not claiming ITK at all, it was a while ago, was South Korea I believe, the Barton shenanigans brought it (the big changes bit) back to mind, that's all. Well, if we put two and two together it does seem like Carr was indeed in Korea to watch the player in question, without informing the player's agent or his club, even. Probably not a whole lot in it since obviously we don't make a bid for everyone we scout, but interesting that he's coming all the way out here nevertheless. I fairness, you don't have to inform a club (or player/agent) if you're purely scouting. My cousins hubby is a freelance scout, most recently for WBA, he's based in NZ but spends a lot of time over here, the States and Europe. He gets a list of player type/positions of interest to the club that's looking, sometimes it's a brief to look at a certain player, but not always. Sometimes it's because a fellow scout asks him to do a report on a specific player and cover some ground for him. It's a very you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours business. The head scouts, attached to clubs, may then take a personal look at a player if consistent reports are good. They get players watched multiple times by "thier mates". Otherwise the "cousin-in-law" just takes in whatever games he can to see what takes his eye and will pass on leads/reports to his fellows in return for the same back, when he wants it. How they get paid if a lead is taken up I haven't a clue.

I'd assume this was just ITK bollocks but it interests me that you mention that Carr was flying out to the Far East, given that there was rumors about Carr coming over here to look at a Korean player last month and I just dismissed them as... well.. ITK bollocks. Not claiming ITK at all, it was a while ago, was South Korea I believe, the Barton shenanigans brought it (the big changes bit) back to mind, that's all.

Someone (elsewhere) had met Graham Carr flying out to the far east, some months ago, and Carr said there'd be big changes this summer and Jose was definitely away, "he just fancies a change". Be a miracle if he signs. BTW he is already the second highest paid left back in the country behind only Cashley Cole.

Is it not June 1st? Domestically it opened immediately after the last game of the season, not sure about France mind.

Not me, Ashley > Shepherd by lightyears, if only for the size of his wallet

Why not ?? the stated aim is to buy with resale value, even at £15 Mill "if" he comes off, he's still carrying a likely hefty profit. Don't forget amortisisation (sp?) as well, player book value reduces over time so a "profit" can be made even if selling at the same price or less even.

All clubs sell players so all clubs have the same ambition, isn't that the point you were making? All clubs sell players so all clubs have the same ambition, isn't that the point you were making? Yes, the situations are almost identical. Please tell me who these star local players are that Man Utd and Liverpool have sold. Come on man there's a huge difference. Liverpool have been top 4 or thereabouts Gerrard's, Carragher's, etc. whole careers, Man Utd have been there the whole time so no reason to leave. We've finished top 5 three times in about 13 seasons. Tell me what makes you think players from here won't see moves to bigger clubs an attraction. So in 20 years Man Utd have never had one offer for Giggs or Scholes and Liverpool have never had one for Gerrard or Carragher? Who cares what the players want exactly? An offer comes in, you reject it, end of story. Not when it's an absurd offer for a player who's just "potential". Severely flawed potential at that

Yet he tweeted at the time, he didn't care AC was gone. hmmm who should I believe. Footballer in last year of contract manouvers for biggest wad, there's a surprise.

Tidied Although if Man U do win it, hope they repeat next year to re-screw the murderers

I stand by what I said above in February. If he really is demanding a 4 year contract then sell him in the Summer. There aren't many players over 32 who can still cut it at Premiership level. Absolute bollocks that like. Good of you to back that up. Lets have a list (which does not include goalkeepers) of players over 32 who are still playing well for their teams. I'll start you off with Ryan Giggs. I'll also add some players who have done well for their clubs at that age but have retired by now. Shearer, Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Roy Keane, Zidane, Figo, Lucio, Zanetti, Milito, Deco, Drogba, Anelka, Beckham, Bergkamp, Tony Adams, Lizerazu, Sol Campbell, Robbie Fowler, Viera List of players that were just on top of my head btw. Barton even at the very peak of his powers isn't in the same class as those you've named.

Absolute rubbish, while I'm as cynical as other regarding the new board, you can't blame the old baord for us becoming an unattractive club: (a) I wouldn't say we're a partiuclarly unattractive club, we've just fallen down the packing order. That's down to a lack of European football and a recent relegation, the relegation is largely attributed to Ashley and Co and some of the disaterous decisions they made during the 08-09 season. (b) Ashley has actually improved the financial well being of the club. While that's all well and good, it's been to our detrimiment on the pitch. His penny pinching means we're frequently short of the required quality, this implies a lack of ambition. It's no suprise a majority of quality football sides rack up big debts. The "unattraction" followed on from our poverty, that is fully the responsibility of the old board. We were beyond skint and heading nowehere other than minus 10 points. Circa £20 Million a year put in (interest free) is hardly penny pinching. Yes football sides rack up big debts, but not one of them (excluding the leveraged buy out one's - who also make profits btw) had debts like ours. No other owner, outside of Fayed, has put in anything like Ashley has without charging for it - Lerner takes circa 15% of Villa's turnover a year in "charges" for his benevolence. Ashley can be villified for many things, but financial commitment is not one of them.

Yep. If you're leaving then just come out and tells us, f***ing p*ssed off with that t*** now. Although, the board still have to take a lot of the blame for making us the unattractive s*** that we are now. f*** off, Jose. f*** off, Ashley. f*** THE WHOLE LOT OF YA! The previous board should shoulder most of the blame tbh, they dug the majority of the financial hole, Ashley may have helped deepen it a bit (but not by much) and at the end of the day, that's cost him, no-one else. Thankfully he can afford it.

It is significantly different now, not because of the £35Mill particularly (although it helps). BUT in the previous windows the club was on its arse financially, now it most certainly is not. So we'll reinvest IF he intends to try and push on or we won't if he just wants to tread water and recoup some of his loans. Either way, his true intentions will be seen this summer. Which way will he go, I don't know, I hope it's the former.