PL shit that doesn't need it's own thread.

[Renegade]

Those kits are fucking hideous.

 

[Jamie_SFC]

Hideous was our all red home strip in 2013/14. During Cortese's mini rebrand.

Quite liked the whole Cartoon reveal. It's almost like my club knows replicas are for kids or sad as fuck old men.

 

[Cornish Piskie]

Because your argument is flawed. There are reasons for why Puel should have stayed as our manager and there are reasons for why he shouldn't have and when half the players and 70 per cent of the fans have lost faith in the manager it's time for him to go.

If we do suffer next season then I'll long for the days under Adkins, Pochettino and Koeman. You know, when we failed to keep the managers who were poached by other teams for being successful.

Not Puel, who took us from sixth place to finishing 23 points behind it.

All fair comment and I quite admire your desire for entertainment at the risk of going too far. I interpret your comment as being - in short - "The points are OK, but show us you can play."

There is a lot of pragmatism to being in the Premier League. Most fans at most PL clubs would, I suggest, be quite content with Southampton's place regardless of the number of points achieved. Certainly most owners would be chuffed to bits to keep the gravy train rolling. Kudos to Saints fans for holding out for better play at the risk of "rolling the dice" one more time.

I hope it doesn't go pear shaped for you, I mean that sincerely. But your club does take a risk every time they de-stabilise the, often delicate, balance between management and playing staff. Continuity and stability does have its benefits (providing the incumbent can keep things stable in the dressing room", that is). I guess it's just going to be a case of "wait and see".

Good luck with the new season.

 

[Stevencc]

Manchester Ci...sorry, the "City Group" are buying another club to add to the portfolio.

The lucky winners this time are La Liga newcomers Girona FC.

 

[HarvSFC]

Is this their second European club? Guess the decision to allow both Red Bull clubs play in the Champions League next season played a part in this.

 

[Stevencc]

Is this their second European club? Guess the decision to allow both Red Bull clubs play in the Champions League next season played a part in this.

I think this is the first European club besides City that they've bought.

They currently own...

Manchester City (100% ownership)
New York City (80%)
Melbourne City (100%)
Yokohama (20%)
Club Atlético Torque (100%)

The latest acquisition (God that sounds horrible) is/was actually owned, in part (80%), by Guardiola's brother so I'm not sure whether the City Group are buying out only his stake or the entire club. I assume the latter.

Before news of the purchase broke, rumours came out regarding Pep actually managing at Girona next as a "long-term project", taking a lot of his preferred staff (including some of the guys City brought on board to tempt Guardiola to become their manager) with him.

 

[JimJams]

Is this their second European club? Guess the decision to allow both Red Bull clubs play in the Champions League next season played a part in this.

Theyre not both Red Bull clubs anymore. Thats why its been allowed.

 

[Bilo]

I don't remember Welbeck's comments but you were/are right, almost any black player that can hold off a defender or attacker for a few seconds is referred to as a beast or a tank or something to that effect.

So, Naby Keita who works hard but is more similar to Iniesta and Veratti gets repeatedly compared to Kanté everywhere, and occasionally even Wanyama.

So what's our take on that guys meanwhile we can think of black players in this league who get praised for their creativity and intelligence more than the physical aspect of their play.

I'm still thinking.

 

[Benji]

Fernandinho?

 

[AFCB_Mark]

So, Naby Keita who works hard but is more similar to Iniesta and Veratti gets repeatedly compared to Kanté everywhere, and occasionally even Wanyama.

So what's our take on that guys meanwhile we can think of black players in this league who get praised for their creativity and intelligence more than the physical aspect of their play.

I'm still thinking.

Max Gradel and Junior Stanislas at my own club are the two most creative 'flair' players we have. Mane at your own club? He's pretty creative I'd say? Yannick Bolasie is Palace's most creative player. That took a couple of seconds.

One past player who instantly comes to mind is the fantastic Jay Jay Okocha, what a joy to watch he was for Bolton and throughout his career. Thierry Henry another technical delight to watch from the past.

It's fair to say that players with recent genetics descending from Africa tend to be bigger, stronger, and faster than average. Just as those genetics make for good athletes in various other sports favouring those traits. In football these players will disproportionately play in positions that favour those attributes, and as such will be praised for having those attributes and being good at those roles. "Beast, tank" etc.But that's by no means universal, obviously.

Are those labels wrong? Maybe, but it's not my place to judge that. What I can say is that I've used the term beast or tank to describe both black and white Bournemouth players in the past, such as 'Big Steve Fletcher', our all time most famous 'tank'. hailing from Hartlepool where they never see the sun.

Surely having to be so conscious a player's skin colour so as to pick and choose what words you use to compliment that player, goes counter to appreciating the talents of a player irrespective of their skin colour. Which I'm sure is what we'd all like.

I just want to watch football, support my players whoever they may be, and occasionally shout swear words at the referee.

 

[Son of Cod]

A few days late, but I've just noticed Penaranda has had a work permit application turned down. What is that all about? I was looking forward to seeing him this season and I was hoping he was gonna be a cheap fantasy league secret weapon in the opening months. Is that 100% final then? Another season out on loans?

 

[G.B]

What is that all about?

Watford aren't a top 6 club, that's what.

 

[Son of Cod]

Watford aren't a top 6 club, that's what.

I had a bit of a read up on it and it's a stupid process. It gets easier when Venezuela get into the top 50 of the world rankings (which makes total sense?) but even then he has to have played in 75% of their matches over the last year, which he obviously isn't doing now as he's only just breaking through. Or it can be done on his salary, but he has to be earning in the top 50 percentile at Watford...or he has to play the majority of games on loan in one of the top 6 leagues in Europe, which I guess is what they have been going for with the Malaga, Granada, Udinese loans. Or, it can go to a subjective panel which I would have thought might have looked at the fact that he just tore it up at an international youth tournament and give them the go ahead. I get the idea behind this, to promote home grown talent but this doesn't restrict the amount of EU youngsters allowed. Stockpiling of senior players is as much to blame here. This must be very frustrating for Watford. They have a genuine potential talent who is getting close to being ready and they are being blocked by bureaucratic nonsense.

 

[Mr. Scruff]

Pe

So, Naby Keita who works hard but is more similar to Iniesta and Veratti gets repeatedly compared to Kanté everywhere, and occasionally even Wanyama.

So what's our take on that guys meanwhile we can think of black players in this league who get praised for their creativity and intelligence more than the physical aspect of their play.

I'm still thinking.

People used to think Yaya Toure was a dm and that he dominated midfields.

In reality his touch and technique were his best assets and his far and away best position was as a number 10.

 

[G.B]

I had a bit of a read up on it and it's a stupid process. It gets easier when Venezuela get into the top 50 of the world rankings (which makes total sense?) but even then he has to have played in 75% of their matches over the last year, which he obviously isn't doing now as he's only just breaking through. Or it can be done on his salary, but he has to be earning in the top 50 percentile at Watford...or he has to play the majority of games on loan in one of the top 6 leagues in Europe, which I guess is what they have been going for with the Malaga, Granada, Udinese loans. Or, it can go to a subjective panel which I would have thought might have looked at the fact that he just tore it up at an international youth tournament and give them the go ahead. I get the idea behind this, to promote home grown talent but this doesn't restrict the amount of EU youngsters allowed. Stockpiling of senior players is as much to blame here. This must be very frustrating for Watford. They have a genuine potential talent who is getting close to being ready and they are being blocked by bureaucratic nonsense.

Yeah, it's a clusterfuck of stipulations. Another option is Spanish citizenship after 3 years (might be 5, I can't remember). Whatever, if he played for a big club he'd be seen as one of them "special talents" and he'd get a permit no bother. Paul Simpson even backed his application after his performances at the u20 World Cup.

 

[Super_horns]

It is frustrating we spent quite a bit on him too..and he seems like the sort of quick skilful striker we could do with.

Trouble is he hasn't played much out on loan which hasn't helped.

And when Brexit comes into play won't buying non-EU players become even tougher?

 

[JimJams]

Why would it?

 

[Bilo]

Work permits will apply to them to innit. Unless you do the soft Brexit. Really it could go either way. Maybe have a referendum on that as well.

"We decided we will leave but we didn't decide how we would leave". It would be very British, why has no one suggested this?

 

[G.B]

Just saw on t'internet it's 7 years to the day since Yaya signed for City, here's Paul Merson's thoughts on the transfer at the time...

http://i.imgur.com/PeF6xPp.jpg

 

[JimJams]

Work permits will apply to them to innit. Unless you do the soft Brexit. Really it could go either way. Maybe have a referendum on that as well.

"We decided we will leave but we didn't decide how we would leave". It would be very British, why has no one suggested this?

Non EU players have nothing to do with Brexit.

 

[Bilo]

Non EU players have nothing to do with Brexit.

Oh right didn't see the original post.

 

[smat]

Oh right didn't see the original post.

You piece of shit.

 

[Bilo]

You piece of shit.

c*nt

 

[Stevencc]

Mourinho’s concern is that the campaign will be handicapped by current sloth on transfers. “Nothing is being done for signings”.

This is coming from Duncan "Jose's Mouthpiece" Castles, too.

 

[smat]

Leaked to absolve himself if you don't get what you need. But you have already signed Lindelof and (pretty much) Matic, haven't you? So I don't get what the fuss is about, the season doesn't kick off for another 5 weeks or so.

 

[Stevencc]

Leaked to absolve himself if you don't get what you need. But you have already signed Lindelof and (pretty much) Matic, haven't you? So I don't get what the fuss is about, the season doesn't kick off for another 5 weeks or so.

We've only signed Lindelöf but supposedly laid the groundwork in deals for Morata, Matić and Perišić. I think Jose's frustration is over the fact that we haven't pushed these deals over the line yet when they have been seemingly so close for a while. Perhaps a matter of throwing a few more million at them to complete things (that few million would mean nothing to Mourinho, different story for Woodward).

He wants everything wrapped up and ready to go for the pre-season tour which I think we fly out to in a week or so.

 

[smat]

We've only signed Lindelöf but supposedly laid the groundwork in deals for Morata, Matić and Perišić.

How...?

 

[Stevencc]

How...?

Made bids, spoke to agents, agreed terms with players.

 

[smat]

Made bids, spoke to agents, agreed terms with players.

oh lol i read that as you'd signed lindelof TO lay the groundwork for the others

 

[Stevencc]