Abacus

Interesting snippet at the end that there is apparently Saudi interest in Dubravka, so a new keeper likely on the way.

What a mess. It seems that there was a general panic after Abramovic was sanctioned, and that by Chelsea self reporting alleged prior breaches (still not dealt with), that the PL were clearly asleep at the wheel then anyway. FFP rightly allows you to spend what you like on training facilities etc for the development of the club and the sport in general. But unless you value the training facilities as development land (the opposite of what FFP was supposed to achieve for the sport), it's hard to see what other independent value it has, or how this is a good look no matter how you try and slice it. The hotel thing I could sort of understand, not that it's been approved so far anyway. But this would be nonsense. Well done on showing how you can regulate yourself PL, even just to the point that clubs are trying this sort of thing. I wonder if they ever replied to the select committee asking for more details about what Masters was specifically whingeing about when he claimed with no examples that having one could wreck the sport. I'm ambivalent to the idea personally, but they aren't half making the case for it themselves.

It would be pretty farcical if this was allowed. Well done in that case for sustainability by encouraging clubs to sell their own assets (i.e. the ones they are actually permitted to spend money on like training facilities) to another group company to make a short term profit for playing staff. And what would be the fair market value of that specialist asset?

I think we'll be really frustrated after the Brighton game, even though it was hardly a disaster, and will look to take it out on these. Two teams with patched up defences, but we'll have had that extra day of rest. Hopefully Isak is well and firing as I can see both him and Bruno having points to prove - Howe and the management as well for that matter, after Ratcliffe and the constant gardener's antics.

Outfield yes, but I'm wondering about a keeper. A young one maybe, one to be 3rd choice, given Karius is off.

Agreed. Hopefully they buy some Adidas shirts from JD Sports.

A very frustrating scrappy stop-start game, which was exactly how Brighton wanted it. That first goal was a bit of a killer for us, but either way we never really found our rhythm, or were allowed to. So it all felt a bit flat. All in all, it's not a disaster - 6th is still in our hands with one last push. Looking forward to Wednesday now - we could all but guarantee it there, what with Chelsea playing Brighton the same night.

No, it's that rather than repositioning the sun we're just trying to figure out how to affect the tilt of the earth's axis to change the angle of sunlight. Yes, this might affect the planet's seasons causing untold misery for life on earth and mankind in general, but fuck off man. We've got human rights too.

Just shove a bunch of glow worms through all their letterboxes and build merrily away.

Agreed, but next season is the real test for him. See if Villa can cope with a likely terrible CL draw like we had, plus little money to strengthen to progress due to ... reasons. To my mind, Howe will have come through this benighted season with flying colours. Emery's difficult second album is coming up and fair play if he manages it and keeps shaking things up.

His argument is basically that fans are a captive market, so will buy the shirt anyway and could be exploited. Wonder when he realised that?

Dan Ashworth is edging closer to Manchester United. Think that's the important word - Monty Dan really is dedicated.

It's not so much of a devil's advocate opinion, I've thought likewise. When he joined, we seemed like we were about to be the next Man City. And then rule after rule came in. Saying all that, I think he's bought into us now and isn't one to duck a challenge, especially as we can have a proper go next season. Rafa, apparently cold hearted and ruthless, stayed because he could see something here. I hope Bruno feels the same way because he's already a hero for me and could go one step further and become a legend. Go to Arsenal and get knocked out in the quarter finals of the CL? Meh. He'd get a bloody statue if he won something with us.

They can get to fuck.

Absolutely love this thread btw

Agreed, but we'll probably have a few of those types in a few years, instead of most of us who stuck about through relegations in the pissing rain, or decided we couldn't stick with an Ashley run club and gave up our weekends with mates. For all his wind-ups he did play that question with a straight bat when most would hide. Still think he's a traitor, like.

Let's not be hasty, now.

In this case, he probably can.

Assuming they did get the upper end of those guesstimate valuations, they'd need to completely rebuild their squad - it probably needs some major surgery anyway, and I don't see much appetite from their current owners to gamble in that way. Was wondering how much their whole club was worth - I'd guess maybe £100m? That's for a club treading water and making losses, where an extended period out of the PL makes you fall off the face of the earth media-coverage wise, and where their upper limits in my lifetime were the Peter Reid days. Which was still unsustainable, in an area generally in decline and without the money in the fanbase to increase gates to the level they can compete with. Not to mention the dreaded North sea. They seem locked into where they are right now, like a lot of other similar clubs. And with the barriers to getting that high again seemingly so huge, I'm not sure it's worth anyone pumping money in. A huge reliance on their academy then, and maybe a couple of lucky play-offs, to get them a season or two in the PL with the hope of parachute money to give them a chance of being a perennial yo-yo club. Pretty dispiriting really. I don't think I'm being overly negative towards them there either.

Yes, I suppose in marginal calls such as these, that's where I should err. Cheers.

Yes, probably would have been better in the managerial-merry-go-round thread, but there we go. But then, it's also a joke about Ashworth. So after much deliberation, I put it here.

Let's have the concept of time itself sponsored.

Waiting for the tantrum where Ratcliffe claims he's heard that ten Hag is the best in the business at gardening, so it's absolutely ridiculous he has to pay £20m to stop him leaving and to keep him cooped up in the manager's office instead.

I'm not sure if that was overt, but the reports were that they certainly said it was anti-competitive. Can you hear the noise of pennies dropping?

Re legal challenges, the PL are about to be in a whole world of them you'd imagine as everyone fights like cats in a sack. What a mess they've made