@bovidae said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@canefan And Pochettino goes from a club whose owner never spent money to one where the owners can't spend enough.
Yeah. He must be like a pig in fat now. Different problems managing egos for a control freak high intensity coach like him. Now he just needs to sit back and let them run around a bit....
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
Does FFP not apply in France?
FFP is a sham. It is my understanding that the regulations that caused Messi to have to leave Barca are specific to La Liga. In addition, if they hadn't let his contract run out he could have had his deal extended and not be constrained by those regulations. In the UK Chelsea football club owe Abramovich hundreds of millions of pounds in loans that will never be paid back. And Citeh should be banned from the UCL because they are clearly running a rort with their sponsorship deals. And yet they slipped out of having to face sanctions too
@canefan Meanwhile Fulham still can't do much in the transfer market because they overspent three years ago in attempt ensure survival in the PL.
It does seem that FFP rules are only enforced against the smaller clubs.
There was a really interesting episode of a Fulham podcast a few weeks back on FFP and club finances in general. The conclusion is Fulham pretty much have to go back up this season or we are deep in the doggy do
Guardiola coming out and saying Citeh can only afford Grealish and Kane? because they sell Academy players is such a crock.
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@canefan Meanwhile Fulham still can't do much in the transfer market because they overspent three years ago in attempt ensure survival in the PL.
It does seem that FFP rules are only enforced against the smaller clubs.
There was a really interesting episode of a Fulham podcast a few weeks back on FFP and club finances in general. The conclusion is Fulham pretty much have to go back up this season or we are deep in the doggy do
Guardiola coming out and saying Citeh can only afford Grealish and Kane? because they sell Academy players is such a crock.
I read somewhere that FFP was designed to rein in the big clubs, but in fact it just cemented their dominance because they can hide it better. Smaller clubs struggle to keep up, and may face a day of reckoning as Leeds did all those years ago.
This was a few seasons ago, and I am sure it is worse now
First game of the new EPL season has just finished. Brentford played their first top-flight fixture in 73 years and beat Arsenal 2-0.
I know I’ve gone on a bit before and almost no one will care….but
Tonight (sat uk time) Wimbledon will play its first “home” game in front of fans for 30years, after ground sharing with palace for a decade, then reforming at the bottom and playing on Sunday league grounds and then kingsmeadow (Kingston) for another 17 odd years…first game in Wimbledon in front of fans
It’s huge
First Saturday with fans at club football in England since early March 2020 and look who is back:
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
hmm who would've thought
Harry Kane's price just went up I reckon.
I haven't watched the game or seen the score, but I'm going to give this comment a tentative upvote pending watching the game tonight
@kiwiwomble said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
I know I’ve gone on a bit before and almost no one will care….but
Tonight (sat uk time) Wimbledon will play its first “home” game in front of fans for 30years, after ground sharing with palace for a decade, then reforming at the bottom and playing on Sunday league grounds and then kingsmeadow (Kingston) for another 17 odd years…first game in Wimbledon in front of fans
It’s huge
link text
god i wish i knew how to share a facebook video
If anyone does watch, the keeper (second one out) is Nik nik tzanev, I sponsor his gloves 
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
hmm who would've thought
Harry Kane's price just went up I reckon.
I watched it from about 30 minutes in. Spurs played it very smart, defended deep as you have to do against City but didn't let them pass without pressure and kept on breaking up attacks. When they did break, the front 4 all got forward fast and were dangerous.
City looked hopelessly short of ideas until Kev de B came on and couldn't get a shot on target when they did get a chance. At least with Kane in the team, throwing a ball across hopefully might have had some reward.
For Spurs, Lucas Moura was very good and the 2 midfielders playing deeper (Skipp and Hojberg) did their job very well.
9 days later
@Kiwiwomble I see your lot are going out in the 3rd round of the Mickey Mouse cup!
I can only laugh at this as this cup is the only thing we look as though we can win. Getting absolutely humped in the PL and it looks to continue this weekend when we play City
@hooroo you're a gunner? good pick up getting ramsdale, was only with us for half a season but will go down as a club legend, top bloke and was playing well below his level with us
there will be people writing songs for him right now
not worried about it, its the first time we've got past the first round in years so to make the 3rd and to play a big "localish" club is a win
you can expect a decent crowd from us i would say
@majorrage said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@hooroo Indeed. Even I'm wanting Arsenal to do better.
Fairly convinced Arteta is not the way forwards.
Let's just leave him there for a bit longer....
@canefan said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@majorrage said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@hooroo Indeed. Even I'm wanting Arsenal to do better.
Fairly convinced Arteta is not the way forwards.
Let's just leave him there for a bit longer....
Even Arteta has won some silverware, unlike Spurs. 
Arsenal still need to get rid of a lot of dead wood, and need a right back and attacking midfielder ASAP.
rumour of the day is Ronaldo out of Juve,
and in to City
surely not?
Liverpool's Group is pretty tough, especially if it was the 90s. But that's what you get for finishing 4th. Not sure i can see another Group where a really good team is in danger?
@mariner4life said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
rumour of the day is Ronaldo out of Juve,
and in to City
surely not?
Liverpool's Group is pretty tough, especially if it was the 90s. But that's what you get for finishing 4th. Not sure i can see another Group where a really good team is in danger?
Maybe group A if Leipzig car bounce back from losing their manager and top two defenders.
This will suck shit.
Man City is easily my most hatiest ((c) Hooroo) team, but I love watching Ronaldo play.
Proper proper mixed emotions on this one.
@sparky said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
The sauces are suggesting that Cristanio Ronaldo is about to move from Juventus to Man City.
Looking forward to the reaction from the red side of Manchester.
The drama would be fantastic. I'd love to see it.
Hopefully they managed to fuck up and not win champions trophy again, plus sell Stirling somewhere so that when Ronaldo retires or moves on is another year or two they have to break open the chequebook again.
The BBC think that Ronaldo is currently in talks to rejoin Man Utd.
People tracking Ronaldo's private jet says it is heading from Turin to Lisbon. Off to see his mum and his agent before heading to Manchester? Or is he rejoining Sporting CP?
Ronaldo to rejoin Manchester United. The thing is though, what they really need is a Right Back.
Good old football, it keeps on throwing up the story lines. Really not sure if Man U have any strategy as such but this signing is sure to appeal to the fans. Suspect Cavani and Ronaldo won't play together too often but they will try to have one of them on the pitch at all times. And Martial would leave if he wasn't being paid so much.
Their wage bill must be astronomical given it was allegedly 212m pounds per year without Ronaldo. And he was on over 26m pounds per year at Juventus and I would think United will have to match that.
@kiwipie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
Good old football, it keeps on throwing up the story lines. Really not sure if Man U have any strategy as such but this signing is sure to appeal to the fans. Suspect Cavani and Ronaldo won't play together too often but they will try to have one of them on the pitch at all times. And Martial would leave if he wasn't being paid so much.
Their wage bill must be astronomical given it was allegedly 212m pounds per year without Ronaldo. And he was on over 26m pounds per year at Juventus and I would think United will have to match that.
That's a lot of shirts to sell
@kiwipie I read somewhere that Ronaldo has already signed the first part of his contract and he will be Man Utd's top earner. Relations between Juventus and Ronaldo broke down because they wanted him to take a pay cut.
Man Utd's share price went up 8% in the hours after the news broke so the deal will pay for itself.
Sounds like it was a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson that swung it for United, but it looks like Solskajer was always going to bid for Ronaldo if he became available.
Ronaldo has been an absolutely fantastic player for the last 15 years but there are four question marks about his signing for me. At 36 (37 in February), how many games will Ronaldo play? What about the looming legal case concerning the 2009 Las Vegas incident? All his team mates from 2008 have retired, how will he fit into this United dressing room? What does this mean for United's other Centre Forwards?
I wouldn't be surprised to see Martial and/or Greenwood loaned out now.
@sparky said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@kiwipie I read somewhere that Ronaldo has already signed the first part of his contract and he will be Man Utd's top earner. Relations between Juventus and Ronaldo broke down because they wanted him to take a pay cut.
Didn't help with Allegri returning to Juve after he told the president to get rid of him when he left last time.
One of the mysteries of recent times is how Manchester United have managed to have such a long unbeaten run away from home in the EPL. They seemed to have done it despite the team that is chosen not really functioning and despite being dominated for long spells in the game. Their 1-0 win at Wolves today being a prime example of that.
Nothing in the first 3 games has changed the view that the same top 4 as last season will be the top 4 this season, Spurs, Leicester, West Ham should all be hanging around the fringes of the top 4, Everton should be joining them but will probably fall away and Arsenal will be battling to take 8th or 9th.