Wolfcastle

The 9 teams reference was from about 6years ago. Nothing to do with us competing for anything. Ashley resented playing in the domestic cups he had zero interest in playing in Europe. Thus I've no idea why he bothered since he wasn't in it for our benefit. Probably just a useful idiot for the others - which sums up his entire reign here and why the others were so okay with it.

They were having a normal pitched conversation in that twitter clip until it turned to something vaguely assoicated to the Mags and the bloke has an aneurysm and becomes hysterical. Dear lord, calm down man, touch a nerve or something? Of course he acuses someone else of 'obsession' in his rant to boot.

In his rant the bloke heading the ESL rants how clubs with major European histories are struggling to compete. If its about performance, c'est la vie. None of those elite clubs mourned the demise of Forest or Red Star because of a smaller league, Saint Etienne or Reims when establishing themselves - including teams that have never won it and concievably never will, Barcelona only first won it in 92, Liverpool weren't a big club when European competition started.

I like him. But he is that.

City imply this was out of the blue, could be bluster, but I'd like to think there were some warnings for them to straighten up immediately, show some good will, cool it with the spending etc. before getting to this point. Not for leniency but because of what a mess its going to create and because having them tone it down is largely the punishment they're going to get anyway (loss of points, trophies, CL place).

Got to take that.

Still worth bearing in mind, people would be going nuts if we went 0-2 down to Leeds if drawing with them is anything to go by. It happens to our competitors just the same.

sh1te cue the inevitable and if not cue extra-time

oh my days

Bodes well for the game at Elland Road though

Lucky b*stards. Feels like that time they had to play Leeds with Radabe in goal for 75minutes and just squeeked it.

Was that two injuries to Leeds or one plus a tactical to help counter it?

They dont but feel the need to because they overplay their hand when there's no need

tbf most away fans at SJP back in the day (80s-92) couldn't fill behind the goal, so they were stuck in either Leazes corner. Would have been a half empty terrace in the middle with segregation either side then our fans in either corner.

Yep. That's very assuaging. Just about the only takeover that could have happened that gives us a chance of finding a solution. You just cant get vexxed.

Proudly announced "30,000 sold. A cracking effort for a short notice" The excucses man, they come out with excuses I'd never have dreamt up and have never heard before. Its the same short notice everyone has had for every replay since 1991 which itself is a weeks less notice than the previous 100years.

Take the Chelsea and Man City takeover out and we've Arsenal and Man United carving up 95% of the league for the last 30years. There's a virtue at least in preventing that. Could even argue Liverpool and Leicester would never have got a look in had Chelsea and Man City not broken up Man United and Arsenal's stranglehold

What of the other teams in the City Group? The must ultimately have either benefited from or faciliated this

Had the same thought yesterday myself having felt colder about Atsu than the others, but I suppose its someone we know so only natural. That there's news on Atsu being found also offers encouragement many others will be.

I argued that case a few times. At least twice when 7th-10th at the halfway point we all but took the second half of the season off. Only jerking into life when it nearly caught us out with a relegation. One year we played Burnley twice before halfway but their relegation competitors got to play a not arsed team and club in the second half which was played effectively without even having a manager. Complacency might be argued but this was desired by the then regime.

Mandatory cheating is probably the fairest way. None of the underhandedness and favoured clubs. Plus we'd be king dick.

Didn't Marseilles get stripped of the Champions League win in 93 for bribing referees/other teams in the build up to it? Think their name on the opening credits of the shows was left off the following season but before long it was just treat like they won it as clean as anyone else. Their owner Bernard Tapie living up to his name

WonderMillwall Stoke Away (Slide Away) / Rotherham Away (Round Are Way) go great "Rotherham away the birds are singing" "Stoke away, give me all you got"

City been caught out by rules brought in specifically to catch them out, errrrr I mean to protect smaller clubs that are part of their communities. Now it not the same as bribing a referee but because of these new rules it amounts to cheating and its seasons of it not just one game, not so much ethically but by these rules they've invented it amounts to much the same thing. Cant see anything being off the table as far as punishment goes that being the case.

Any consideration for strict FFP rules meaning they too can only spend what they make and as a loss making operation propped up by Drumville then Short and now with the hope of KLD they'll be kept at Norwich levels indefinitely whilst we remain out of their reach or is it just 'Yay the mags won't dominate' dumb question