Football The 2013 / 2014 Season Thread

[Aoami]

Retweeted yaya toure (@YayaToure_):

Why are Liverpool fans angry? Luis just wants to be part of their past...I thought they loved history.

 

[soze]

He'll have to go abroad. He's a muppet if he thinks Arsenal have got guaranteed CL football ahead of them and as far as I know nobody else wants him...

I think RM want him if they don't get Bale but they will only get around £30m from them because of his issues.

 

[Raven]

I still think a cheeky 15mil bid for Torres would be funny.

 

[eksdee]

And welcome!

 

[caLLous]

 

[caLLous]

Gareth Bale intensifies war on Spurs

I love this blog. Written by Americans, don't'cha know.

 

[Aoami]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...elona-face-removal-of-privileges-8749147.html

about time too

 

[DaGaffer]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...elona-face-removal-of-privileges-8749147.html

about time too

Not actually sure about that; it seems to me that the "member owned" aspect grants certain Spanish clubs privileges not available to other clubs, so the answer is "force them to become PLCs". I actually don't know the ins and outs of this well enough but that seems like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Why can't they stay member-owned but just take away some of the unfair tax breaks? Also, the article is a bit misleading because it completely ignores a huge reason for the inequality in Spanish football, which is the club-specific TV rights deals which give Barca and Real Madrid the lion's share of Spanish media revenues, a far higher share than in the other major leagues. Changing Real and Barca to PLCs wouldn't change that in the slightest.

 

[Aoami]

I did wonder about the TV deals, but I thought that must be somehow linked otherwise they'd have specifically mentioned it.

 

[Aoami]

Confirmed bid from Barca for Luiz. If the money is right i'd let him go, and bring in a more natural Premier League CB, Hummels or Badstuber maybe.

 

[soze]

TV Deals are none of the FFP's business are they? If the league lets clubs negotiate individually they are just getting what they are worth. So unless they force the Spanish FA to to negotiate a shared deal I would not have thought it matters.

 

[DaGaffer]

TV Deals are none of the FFP's business are they? If the league lets clubs negotiate individually they are just getting what they are worth. So unless they force the Spanish FA to to negotiate a shared deal I would not have thought it matters.

Ownership structure is nothing to do with the FFP either; the EU are looking into this because somehow member-ownership is allowing the Spanish government (or regional governments) to subsidise these teams by the back door, and that's a no-no in EU terms. I just don't see why making them PLCs instead is seen as the only solution, but then I know jack all about Spanish tax laws. It can't be member-ownership in and of itself, because that model works just fine in Germany, so it must be that closing the tax benefits for member-owned clubs would have a knock on effect on other entities, maybe charities or something?

The point made about TV wasn't about FFP, it was a comment on how the article implied this change in status would make La Liga a more level playing field; but it won't, because of the TV thing. But to go back to your point about the FFP, frankly the TV deals make a mockery of the whole thing anyway, if the objective is to create wider and more even competition both within individual leagues and across Europe, how will that possibly work when the Spanish big two are at a permanent revenue advantage? In other revenue areas, a team can decide to build a bigger stadium, do better commercial deals etc. but they're always beholden to their domestic TV deals. As long as the Spanish big two are getting €80-€100m a year each more than their English, Italian or German equivalents, never mind their own Spanish "competition", what's the point of FFP? In fact it could be argued Sugar daddy owners help English (and now French) clubs stay in touch. If you look at La Liga itself, the only times the big two ever have any real competition is when someone bankrolls another team, like Sevilla a few years ago or Malaga recently. It obviously went titsup for both teams, but it does make the point that no-one's going to compete even temporarily without outside cash, unless the Spanish TV deal is made more equitable.

 

[Bahumat]

Arsenal have signed Angel Di Maria for a fee believed to be £20 million!

http://t.co/K0DJgnv6an

 

[megadave]

Confirmed bid from Barca for Luiz. If the money is right i'd let him go, and bring in a more natural Premier League CB, Hummels or Badstuber maybe.

If there was a chance in he'll of getting hummels I'd agree but there ain't. Unless he requests to leave I doubt we'll sell, mourinho already essentially called him out best CB.

Also Luiz + pique don't sound like a bright idea.

 

[eksdee]

Honestly think Luiz under Mourinho could be one of the best CBs in the world. (Fully expecting this post to be quoted multiple times throughout the season when/if he does something clowny )

 

[Vladamir]

Has the materials to be Ricky C the second, no doubt.

 

[caLLous]

Slightly out of the blue, apparently we've signed Etienne Capoue (excellent DM from Toulouse) for €~10m. I love random surprises.

 

[Aoami]

Good player. Beast of a midfield at Spurs now, if true. Huddlestone on his way out i'd expect as well, probably to Cardiff.

 

[caLLous]

Probably Parker too. Maybe even Livermore.

 

[Raven]

FM alarm bells ringing. Can they afford to get rid of both Huddleston and Livermore after recent leavers? To comply with home grown rules?

 

[soze]

So Man U have given up on Cesc and switched targets to Fellaini which means any hopes I had there are disappearing like a fart in the wind. And in other news Wenger met with some under 20 midfielder that Blackburn rejected and has offered him a trial ahead of a £2m move

 

[megadave]

FM alarm bells ringing. Can they afford to get rid of both Huddleston and Livermore after recent leavers? To comply with home grown rules?

You can only have a few homegrown players if you want, it just means you'll have a smaller squad.

 

[caLLous]

FM alarm bells ringing. Can they afford to get rid of both Huddleston and Livermore after recent leavers? To comply with home grown rules?

Yes. We need 6 I think.

 

[megadave]

I think you can have 0 homegrown players, it just means you'll be capped at 17 (foreign) players for your squad, plus however many u21s you like.

 

[soze]

I think you can have 0 homegrown players, it just means you'll be capped at 17 (foreign) players for your squad, plus however many u21s you like.

Yeah I think that's is right. In a 25 man squad you need 8 home grown players.

 

[Aoami]

Squad limit is 25 players, 8 of which need to be British, but as MD says, it could be 17 and 0. Spurs have Dawson, Walker, Defoe, Lennon, Bale (maybe), so they'll be fine.

 

[caLLous]

I think Sigurdson counts too because he did his youth stuff at Reading and also add Livermore, Naughton, Huddlestone, Parker and Rose to that list (transfers depending ofc).

 

[megadave]

for the first time ever im actually looking forward to a preseason match

shame about all the missing players :<

 

[Vladamir]

Soon

 

[eksdee]

for the first time ever im actually looking forward to a preseason match

shame about all the missing players :<

Did you watch it? Seen the score and the goals, but how did we play?