Optimistic Nut

I hope he breaks his monitor after getting stuck on D3.

Yeah I'd be happy with that and keeping the mid 80s crest on the 3rd kit.

What do you suggest then. Kids at 15 having a massive handicap the rest of their career because they don't have the training, facilities, etc that similar age kids have, just because they're from nowhere near a club with a top academy? Barnsley got compensated £350k plus massive future add-ons for him fwiw. That's probably more than most clubs at that level spend on an individual player and seems more than fair for what they'd spent on developing him up to this point. Would be pretty shite if other players his age have access to the best coaches, etc while he has to stay.

Billy Elliott was sent to the Royal Ballet School in London at 11. One rule for wannabe Swan Lake performers, another for Yorkshire kids wanting to be a professional footballer.

There's nothing to stop a parent sending their kids elsewhere in the country if they think it'll benefit their education so why should football be any different?

Exactly this. Some players are around the First-Team by 16-17 or on the fringes. Some lads are going to be penalised in their development just because of where they're born.

And that's exactly why he has to go to Barnsley at that age, but by 15-16 if he has a chance to go to a bigger and better academy to give himself the best opportunity to make it, he should be entitled to, and Barnsley should be able to be compensated properly.

I get the sentiment, but if you're a 12 year old kid and Barnsley is your local club you go there, it's not like that area is abundant with big clubs with great academies. Does that mean that kid gets disadvantaged because he can't go and have the facilities of one of the big clubs, and should Barnsley then not be entitled to some form of compensation/transfer fee for the development of that kid up to that point?

Wonder if the VAR room would benefit from having an impartial ex-footballer in with them? Pretty sure there's plenty wannabe pundits for instance who could have some input.

If they're good enough he does. Anderson & Miley have been regulars in his match day squads.

That's promising. Hopefully in 2-3 years time our older Academy sides are finally competing with those clubs.

Go get the Ben Arfa "warm up" video.

That's ridiculous.

Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov was full of praise for the Newcastle United faithful last night. Despite the tie being over before a ball was kicked, the home crowd applauded the visitors' efforts on top of the home side: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Newcastle fans. They applauded our good attacks and the goal we scored, and sometimes even cheered us on. They showed themselves in the best possible light"

Aye, it was a very Dummett-like performance. Decent job defensively, didn't really offer much the other way. That sort of thing is absolutely fine for your stand-in who'll likely play a dozen times for us, and not end up here for 15 years playing 200+ times.

It's actually mad that Murphy went to play for him for a bit before he came here.

I think people are over-rating this Barca team or more likely I'm under-rating them clearly. I'd take all of the PL side bar Spurs to beat Barcelona over two legs. Just watching our away form domestically I'd not be confident going to Chelsea and going through unless we had a 2+ lead up here. I think we could unsettle Barcelona though.

Gateshead home to Morecambe tonight, chance to climb one more place and get to within 7 of safety. Think that'll be then done if they don't win.

Think he'll go to a newly-promoted club or one of the Old Firm this summer. Think the half dozen games or so he had when Pope first got injured has made up peoples minds on him. He's not brilliant but he's not been half as bad as made out since then. Certainly no worse than Pope, but you have at least got a keeper who'll help you play out. We need two keepers this summer though.

If we sold Wissa for £40m and say got £20m for Osula, that must be close to at least a "break even" in terms of this amortisation bollocks?

I'm not sure. PSG are one of, if not the best team in Europe and we're unbeaten in 3. The away game in 23/4 we rode our luck but we were the better side in the home game and last month I felt. Same with Barcelona, up until the goal they struggled to deal with us. These teams aren't used to teams putting them under pressure like we do. Put Gordon up front and we could unsettle any non-top 4 PL side. Chelsea are obviously a better team than us this season and are used to playing teams who press from the front every week. I think they'd be more equipped to handle us and beat us. Barcelona maybe get a game like us a handful of times a year. I think we could beat them. We'd need to ride our luck a bit but we would have to with Chelsea as well, but I reckon we could beat them.

Horrible match up for them, too. How many games a season do Barca play against a team as in their faces as us? They were very lucky not to be 2-0 down before their goal in the first match. It'd take us riding our luck a bit but I think we could do them. Chelsea though just screams a narrow disappointing exit.

Please give us Barcelona. I think we could beat those. The way our away form has been domestically I could just see Chelsea being a disappointment if we get them.

So sloppy but you can see why you try and have a right footer on the right and a left footer on the left (Burn made a similar poor pass just before the goal when he switched). The passing lines are completely different when you're on the unnatural side.

You sell 52k tickets at £65 a pop and you've made, profit.