TheBrownBottle

Those Caicedo and Enzo transfers were just Chelsea going crackers. They aren’t a benchmark for Bruno’s value - those players wouldn’t go for close to that now.

No argument from me on that front I also suspect that Todd Boehly has achieved nothing but an FFP straitjacket for himself

No-one is going to shell out £100m for Bruno. We’re as safe as houses on that front.

Chelsea bid £60m for him in 2022

A 60+ card @Alan Pardew? Who’s the fucking old cunt now, then?

I know, but they never mention the other part. That selling an Almiron brings the same profit as selling a Longstaff or a Miley. I said it in the summer, but I was genuinely surprised that we didn’t try and cash in on the likes of Almiron for an FFP boost. He’ll never have the same value again.

As unfit for purpose as FFP is, I’m getting increasingly narked at the shite that local football hacks put out about it, which feeds more misinfo in the fan base. The current one is ‘the best players to sell are academy products because they’re 100% FFP profit’. Total and utter bollocks. At this point Almiron’s transfer fee isn’t being amortised - he’d also be 100% profit in FFP terms. I just wish they’d stop the half-baked shite.

Yeah, he has. But I don’t think Tonali looked particularly great when he played. I don’t doubt that his potential levels are higher, though.

Tonali didn’t exactly pull up trees when he did play tbh. In terms of what we’ve actually seen, the midfield still looked better with Longstaff

Berwick Rangers are a warning from history on that front

Yep, I remember we had this discussion at the time - I felt that I’d rather play reserves in league match to increase chances of cup success, you held the opposite view - but we were both agreed that a complete swap out was necessary

Fair enough - it does have a long history at this club tbf. The 1-9 home defeat to the Mackems in 1908 was off the back of a switch to a reserve XI for a league game …

It wasn’t far from what it is atm the at its peak in the mid-00s - it was in the mid-£30ms at one point. And that’s not allowing for inflation

Again, it’s not hindsight if this is what you suggested at the time. Reserves and kids is who you’d replace them with, rather than first teamers who could hardly jog. You cynically take a likely hammering and move on. edit: we’ve lost six of the last seven league games. Not sure that ‘throwing the game’ would’ve resulted in fewer points.

You’re right, it’s definitely not a black and white thing we’re dealing with - for me, it was the Everton and Spurs games where I thought defeat looked inevitable and playing kids & stiffs might’ve been a help, allowing the players some respite. But it’s impossible to know if that would have worked or what the consequences would have been. I do though think it likely that a more experienced and cynical manager may have taken that sort of approach.

Some of us were saying this at the time tbf

Yep, true. Though I don’t think they’ll have trouble selling tickets.

It won’t impact their attendances. Spurs historically have the fourth highest average in English football. For comparison, Newcastle have the fifth and Villa the ninth highest.

Tbf, I didn’t mean our board - just a general point that a Mourinho or Benitez would have used it to take aim at whoever they thought either wasn’t backing them or was blocking them. I don’t think Howe would’ve been justified at having a pop at NUFC’s board

Agreed. And the culprit, whoever it is, is in this forum. Naming no names - I don’t know any - but posters are dirty

Howe is a football purist, and clearly a decent man, and I like that about him. But I know what a savvy operator like a Benitez or Mourinho etc would have done. He’d have played kids in a game or two, and used it to make a point / take a shot at a chairman, owner, the FA, the PL - whoever. It’s a more cynical approach, but it is what should have been done. I wouldn’t swap Howe for Benitez or Mourinho mind (I’ve seen the daft rumours circulating). But Howe could take an idea or two from them.

It does - it’s for 21/22. Next season it is 22/23, 23/24, 24/25 which counts for FFP

No, that’s unlikely. From the PL’s first TV deal in 1992, it was the biggest TV deal in world football (despite English football being the worst it’s ever been, relative to the rest of Europe). It was larger than Italian football’s deal at that time. Quality has never been a reason for English football bringing in big sums

We’ve got the accounts - they did go to the club in the main tbf. The commercials shrank but there is a paper trail for costs. Not sure where the land valuation comes from either tbh

Oof, that looks a wee bit high to me - he definitely coined it, but I don’t think he made those sort of numbers - due to his own incompetence mind