The Football Thread

[m100]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

It is also going to get worse as Sky & BT want an 8pm KO on a Saturday night with the PL looking at more early KO so they can milk the money making Chinese market. My understanding is they are considering a 10.30am Sat KO as well as the 12.45 and starting at 11am on Sunday, so games will be shown on Prime time Chinese TV.

Just goes to show people who run football have little or no regard for supporters, all that matters is

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££

the answer for fans is to boycott fixtures at those times because empty grounds do not make for saleable product.

[Old Jud]

On behalf of myself and at least a few other Utd supporters, may I take this opportunity to congratulate Manchester City on winning the Premier League?

Barring a catastrophic injury list or the team imploding, it's all over for this season. Will City lose a game this season? Probably, and more than likely against a struggling bottom half team, but it won't affect the inevitable outcome.

And yet again the setup at City demonstrates the 'bleedin' obvious', invest enough hard cash on quality players and managers and the rewards will follow. City also present a real threat in the Champions League.

As for Utd, it's plain to see that we need that all important second 'world class' midfielder, we simply cannot keep relying on Pogba, his absence was so damaging for us in the derby match, and our defence really needs sorting out.
Anthony Martial is at his best playing left-side midfield, NOT RIGHT.
And yet again we see that Romelu Lukaku is a Premier League level player that we have payed world class money for. Now don't misunderstand me, I rate Lukaku as a good premier league player, it's just that I doubt his ability at top level. We need a reasonably young world class striker, the problem for us is that few if any want to play for Utd.

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Old Jud

...may I take this opportunity to congratulate Manchester City on winning the Premier League?..
Barring a catastrophic injury list or the team imploding, it's all over for this season. Will City lose a game this season? Probably, and more than likely against a struggling bottom half team, but it won't affect the inevitable outcome.

City now look like they have now discovered the elusive art of winning, whatever. Your lot used to have this down to a 'T' under Fergie, an indifferent tactical manager but a brilliant man-manager. You now have a brilliant tactician in charge but..?

There doesn't look to be a side consistent enough to challenge them. Spurs and Chelsea have gone backwards, Arsenal and Liverpool look awesome one moment and appalling the next.

The next flurry of interest might be who goes where in January - Giroud, Sturridge, Wilshire and Walcott amongst others will want regular football. And there's a few chairmen and owners who will be sweating over the potential drop down into the Championship - a far cry from trying to compete with the money swilling about at Real, Barca, PSG....and Citeh.

City look good enough, at their best, to win the league at a canter, and I suspect anything less than CL semi final will be frowned upon. MU look about 2/3 years behind them and I do wonder how attractive they are to the very top players anymore, apart from the Brits?

[Old Jud]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

City look good enough, at their best, to win the league at a canter, and I suspect anything less than CL semi final will be frowned upon. MU look about 2/3 years behind them and I do wonder how attractive they are to the very top players anymore, apart from the Brits?

City have the cushion of being able to have a few indifferent results and still win the league without breaking into a sweat.

I agree with you that we look a couple of seasons behind City. Or a single summer spending spree. We have the money, problem is the Glazer's lack the commitment or interest.

Like City and Chelsea we need a billionaire investor who is actually interested in Utd for what they are, a FOOTBALL CLUB, and not a cash cow to prop up their other business interests.

[victor meldrew]

According to KUMB WHU relationship with the LLDC has completely broken down.

Currently waiting on reports from this afternoon's exchanges at the London Assembly, although I understand our agreement is water tight.

However one just cannot trust the three wise monkeys.

I wonder where we will be playing next season, could we become another clubs lodgers?

Reece Oxford expected to be sold in January.

Onwards and downwards.

Sack the board

COYI

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Old Jud

We have the money, problem is the Glazer's lack the commitment or interest.

Like City and Chelsea we need a billionaire investor who is actually interested in Utd for what they are, a FOOTBALL CLUB, and not a cash cow to prop up their other business interests.

Er, weren't MUFC the first to rebrand by removing 'Football Club' from the club badge?
As a football supporter I sympathize with your sentiment 100% but I think it's fair comment that MUFC were among the very first to market themselves as being beyond a mere Football Club, exploit their identity as a brand with a very cynical aim for global commercial appeal and actively court overseas investment?
The only billionaire investor I can think of who actually takes a genuine interest in football nearly bought out Leeds United. Then we lost one of our final matches of the season in a poor end of season display at Stamford Bridge, so he decided to buy Chelsea instead. Small margins?

Otherwise it's moneylaunderers, tax evaders, meglomaniacs, bored international playboys, crooks and fraudsters plus the new influx of the Chinese who I suspect might qualify under more than one of those headings and make European football a plaything in very short time, and in doing so ruin what vestiges remain of the sport I remember so fondly. Apparently the new Saturday evening kick-offs are aimed in part at the far east market. They are certainly not aimed at the poor buggers who still feel inclined to journey up and down the country with our useless road and rail systems at increasingly antisocial times.
Half and half scarf sir? I bet you can get MU/LFC ones

[Stranger0975]

Talking of bad owners, it looks like Mike Ashley is finally going to agree to cash in on Newcastle. Proof that not all 'rotten apples' are foreign based, as he's ruined a great club with continuous asset stripping over the last ten years.

[Meini Again]

I agree with you that we look a couple of seasons behind City. Or a single summer spending spree. We have the money, problem is the Glazer's lack the commitment or interest.

So.... you are supporting the fan's demand of Man Utd > Arsenal > Chelsea > Man City etc....

~ embedded belief that you CAN BUY success ?
Depending on your dosh level ?

BUY a LEAGUE ~ Even ?

Where did footie go, if fans now believe that 'money' buys success...rather than a team/coaching/vision... gaining 'success'

Geez....

[Motorboater]

I saw highlights of utd/city. Lukaku's contribution to City's win was hilarious!

[victor meldrew]

This from the London Assembly meeting yesterday.

The LLDC have admitted that the Olympic Stadium loses a small fortune every time West Ham United play a match there.
The shocking revelation was just one of many made at a London Assembly Budget Monitoring Sub-Committee meeting this afternoon, chaired by Gareth Bacon, leader of the LA Conservatives.


Bacon, 45, took the London Legacy Development Corporation to task on several accounts regarding their relationship with West Ham - with the corporation's Gerry Murphy bearing the brunt of the questioning and criticism.

In addition to the huge losses encountered every match day, Murphy revealed that the LLDC has refused to sanction an increased capacity until West Ham agreed to increase their contribution to the stadium costs.

Currently capped at 57,000, the club have seen bids to raise capacity to 60,000 and 66,000 rejected as a result of the LLDC's stance - and Murphy confirmed that further legal action would be necessary in order to determine the outcome.

"The concession agreement talks about minimum seating," she said. "There are more seats available in the stadium, however in order to activate those seats it would cost E20 additional operating costs.

"There is a dispute with West Ham about what the contract says in terms of capacity. West Ham have said they absolutely want to increase capacity to 60,000, and further increase the capaity to 66,000.

"LLDC and E20 disagrees with their interpretation of the contract. We feel that if West Ham want to enjoy more seats then they should commensurately pay more - and that's the gist of the disagreement between us which is subject to legal proceedings.

"We have had a number of discussion with West Ham about capacity. Of course it would be good for us to have higher capacity, if we would get a share of that revenue - but that is not what West Ham propose."

Murphy, who insisted that "West Ham have a great deal" also revealed that the cost of moving seats from to and from football mode, initially budgeted at £50,000 per annum was in the region of £12million last year, largely as a result of the stadium hosting the World Athletics Championships.

"We have been looking at the overall efficacy of the seating system and there are a number of proposals for replacing elements of the seating," she added. "They are in concept design at the moment.

"We expect to see some proposals come forward in the first quarter of next year which may also allow us to reduce the seat move costs. I think we've gone some way already with configurations and some minor amendments of the existing system and there is also a review of the seating system and to see whether there are other things we can do to substantially improve."

And asked by Bacon why the LLDC hadn't entered discussion with West Ham with regard to making the stadium more profitable, Murphy insisted that the club would be heavily involved with their future plans.

"We will be talking to West Ham about all those things, "she replied. "We talk to West Ham all of the time. We are developing a commercial strategy and West Ham will be part of that development."

To which Bacon replied: "It doesn't feel like a partnership arrangement from what I'm hearing today. Partners who are supposed to be working together don't sue each other."