Its the pre season opening “friendly” shield today. Which I think is an allowed capacity crowd at Wembley. Not sure quite what the rules are for attending matches going into the new season but lets hope there are no more empty grounds.

Transfer market is hotting up, Kane has claimed he didn’t throw the toys out of the pram even though everyone has seen them on the floor all week. Gealish has gone to city for an English record, man u took everyone by suprise when they announced the signing of Sancho, Liverpool have shored up their defence with Konate. I don’t think Chelski have signed anyone yet but have been apparently linked with everyone. Leicester have quietly gone about there business and probably got a few quality players.

And of course Messi is now on the market, or maybe he isn’t it’s all about as clear as mud as Spain’s giants play power games compete to go even further in debt.

So what exactly is happening with Kane then? Is this just Spurs doing their usual and upping the transfer fee before the inevitable move?

It’s going to be an interesting season alright. I still can’t see anyone other than City for the title really. Other teams have strengthened but are still playing catch up. There squad looked so strong, before they added Grealish into the mix, who I suspect will have the kind of season that will make that 100 million transfer fee look like money well spent. That City midfield is scary.

I’m looking forward to seeing Sancho at OT and how he fits in

I can absolutely believe that Levy has gone back on his word, we all know how ruthless he is, but Kane was naïve in the extreme to agree his last contract below market value with no getout clause. City have shown over the past few years they will walk away from deals, I don’t think that deal will be done.

I’m intrigued by the Messi/Barca fiasco. It could see Agüero, Depay and others leave before they even start. It’s weird.  It’s clear now why Barca and RM will persist with the Euro league idea as it’s the only way they can escape from debt the size of a national debt.

Is FFP still a thing?

Grealish is dead to me now.

Pah! I don’t think any Villa fan over the age of 14 would begrudge Jack his move (as long as he doesn’t do a Denis Law on us*). I was going to the Villa v Sevilla game today until the Spanish team dropped out with a sevilla case of Covid, or they wanted to kick Grealish and were sulking.

*Denis Law was a long-time Man Utd player who was transferred to Man City and scored against his old club on the last day of the season. Man Utd were relegated.
Citeh play Villa on the last day of this season. Gulp.

As an Arsenal fan, I cannot see an improvement on last season. I was so looking forward to seeing Xhaka leave. Our transfer business hasn’t been great, so the only transfer in is that I’d like to see David Dein back and out of his depth Edu out.

FFP is the reason that Barca are saying they can’t have Messi. La Liga are being ‘sticklers’ for the rules. When Barca/Real say it, it probably means they are not letting them do whatever they want.
At the moment, Barca are blaming La Liga, so there is an outside chance they can persuade them to allow an exemption for Messi, so he can stay. It’s being framed as a national disgrace that the number one son is being unceremoniously shoved out the back door. The nation’s argentinian, tax-cheating number one son.
I can’t really get excited about the season anymore. Teams who have it spend stupid money hoovering up players, then use dubious means to hoover up more money to cover the nut, then, surprise, walk away with all the silverware. I think the game desperately needs some actual, enforced rules to stop the runaway train before it derails.

My point about FFP is how can City be buying Grealish for £100m and talking about getting Kane as well presumably for more? I mean, given they basically got away with FFP abuse last time I guess they just don’t really care.

I don’t think City will rest until they are the PSG of the PL and the only question is whether they will win the CL too.

The superleague was the only realistic path for barca and madrid to quickly clear their debts without years of sound financial management, and ironically the reason that la liga and uefa will now not bend the rules to protect them. Anyone with half a brain could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

@cromolly I am only 51 so don’t remember a time when the richest clubs didn’t hoover up the best players to dominate, maybe you are considerably older than me and can tell me when this idealised utopia you dream of existed?

Anyone with half a brain Man City supporters could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

My point about FFP is how can City be buying Grealish for £100m and talking about getting Kane as well presumably for more? I mean, given they basically got away with FFP abuse last time I guess they just don’t really care.

They are amortizing the transfer fees across the life of the contract, so expectations of future income cover it. They also moved out Aguero, freeing up 200k a week, plus Sancho, and a few other younger guys.

@MSP. Why not just make a point without being a dick?

1985. The Heathrow agreement. Sharing of gate receipts eliminated and the 4% levy reduced. Then 92 when 50% of tv revenue went to the top flight and the reduced levy was replaced by a 3 million pound payment, only 1m of which came from the top flight, the rest from the FA.
Then the move from rich domestic ownership to insanely rich foreign owners. To some degree it started with Many U but Abramovich accelerated it. Yes, big clubs used to buy as many of the top players as they could but squad size, wage bill, competitive rankings clearly show that in recent years the financial clout of the big clubs has increased. Whereas even the biggest clubs had limited ability to buy all the best players, now they can literally buy players so no one else can. Don’t forget that some of the biggest achievements by domestic clubs was built on a spine of academy players. Now there is little pretence of that.

Citeh will probably just announce a billion quid a season shirt sponsorship deal with the Mansour Coffee Company or Mansour Hotels inc or something 😉

I see they’ve attracted their usual capacity crowd 😂

@MSP. Why not just make a point without being a dick?

FFS you do love claiming a bit of faux victim status so you can do some name calling.

Anyone with half a brain could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

Thing is also, what’s wrong with protecting the established elite? The reason clubs like Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool are big/wealthy is largely because they built up a loyal following in areas with a large potential fan-base over decades of success. I’m sure you think it’s great for a petro-state to just come in and splurge wildly and completely unbalance the league but not many people other than city fans do.

But yes, I’m sure the Kane transfer money will be fiddled somehow.

Back to the actual football: Leicester we’re good for the win there.

Looks like they’ll be causing trouble up and around those top four places again this season

Hopefully cash-strapped plucky outsiders Manchester City of Manchester will bounce back from today’s disappointment to at least attain top four to qualify for the UCL which they’ve tried so hard to win despite everybody doing what they can to stop them.

Back to the actual football: Leicester we’re good for the win there.

I think it was the expected result with so many youth players in the Man city team. Leicester defended quite well considering their injuries, but their attack was scrappy they showed their potential in bursts but lacked control against a poor showing from the man city defence.

The man city senior players looked well of the pace, I think they are in for a difficult few weeks, I just hope the other contenders are in the same place.

The number of subs by Rogers in the second half showed it was a less competitive match than even the usual shield, both managers were just trying to get game time in players legs.

I wish we could stay in the darkness.

How can City afford it?

They won over £200M last season in prize money alone, before you even start adding in sponsorship and all the rest of it…

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-season-prize-money-20709335

As big a footie fan as I am I always think it comes back too soon.
Would love to have seen Messi in the premier League, have a feeling he’d do ok in a cup game one rainy Tuesday away to Stoke.

I’d like to see how Messi would do. But I think he’d really struggle due to the physicality of the game here and not being given too much space like in Spanish football.

With the Grealish stuff, the fans are more annoyed at the statement last year my club my home stuff but purslow made it clear Jack wanted the release clause and he wanted to go the previous year, that’s annoyed a few. I feel Purslow threw Jack under the bus and while it’s great to see the club being open and honest I think we didn’t need to know. Lots of references to Benteke who never said any of that he just wanted to go every season as he thought he was going to Arsenal when he first signed.

I hope Jack does well and the Villa team look better equipped this season, some very good buys and more to come, not relying on Jack every game means others will step up which took time last season when he was injured. Would love to see a cup run and maybe finish 6th…

I’m a season ticket holder and missed the football last year, was lucky to get a ticket for the last game of the season and when I was sat there it just hit me how much I’ve missed football, I go on my own but there’s a good group round me, kept in touch via WhatsApp be good to see some familiar faces soon!

FFP I thought they had parked it for a few seasons due to covid, allowing owners to invest to clear debt and invest for after covid. I could be wrong but while others are shouting about Man City other teams are doing the same, until we sold Grealish villa have invested £100m each year since promotion and again on target this season to spend that sort of money again. Grealish money will balance the books if FFP is an issue.

mrwhyte…..seriously?! Granted he’s not at his peak but one of the best players ever will stroll through the Premier League season and make mugs of the majority he plays against.

OK, perhaps struggle was the wrong word. I don’t think he’d have the same impact like at Barca due to the nature of the game here, it is very different to Spain. I think he’d get clattered as way of stopping him as that would be the only way to stop him. In his hey day yeah I think he may have done well.

As an aside, is the STW fantasy league still running?

Yeah, I was auto enrolled into it.

Let’s not forget the Scottish accomplishments too.
St Johnstone seem to be extending the amazeballs season they had last term with an away draw at Galataseray.

Mine hasn’t automatically joined again. Is there a code knocking around MSP?

Fantasy Premier League Re-activated

On Messi, the same argument was used about the diminutive Zola, and he did ok.

It doesn’t have the glitz of the Premier League but I think this is going to be a really interesting season in Scotland. For the first time in years we have both Dundee teams and both Edinburgh teams in the SPFL. Celtic have hit self destruct and have a major rebuilding job to do. Rangers were unbeaten in the league last year but have lost their second game and may lose some of their best players, if it gets nasty will Stevie G stick around? Time for the Stephen Glass/Scott Brown inspired second coming for Aberdeen?

Ah yes, I did think of Zola. I admit then, I am wrong. I think I just couldn’t imagine Messi playing at Wolves for example on a very wet and cold Tuesday night in December.

Thanks MSP. I did search but only came up with old fantasy league chats. I should’ve just looked at the current forum threads. Doh!

Re Messi leaving Barcelona. From what I’ve read essentially this is because they can’t afford to keep him due to his, and other players, wages exceeding the salary cap/financial fair play.

Apparently his new contract halved his £123m a year previous one! Wow! He is rich beyond his wildest dreams, if he was desperate to stay could he not have considered say, £5m a year? Mind boggling figures.

Zola was four years younger when he signed for Chelsea than Messi is now though.

His barca deal would have been 50+ million a year for 5 years, although they only expected him to play a further 2 years, basically they kept his current salary but spread it out like loan payments, insane.

Now he has only (**** only!!!) been offered 40 million by PSG for 2 years, so I think there is still a game of brinkmanship going in in the Spanish league. But with them still proclaiming they are going ahead with the superleague, I don’t think La Liga will back down.

FFS you do love claiming a bit of faux victim status so you can do some name calling.

Well, let’s try and experiment, you go against your nature, make a point without being a dick, I’ll see if I can survive.
What are your thoughts on the impact on competitiveness of the Heathrow Agreement?

edit

**** it, lets just try to ignore each other.