[tomtom]

Buy out clauses being one of the players compensations for having relegation pay cut deals figured in.

Jimmy Bullard

is exactly the reason why all our players now have relegation pay cut clauses..

[nai]

For some reason all of ours had them in 2011 except Zigic who we ended up paying almost as much as the rest of the squad for 3 seasons in the championship.

[Grubes]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34039857

The time line is a shame full display of the FA choosing money over history.

The road to MK Dons
January 2001: Wimbledon first announce that they are considering moving to Milton Keynes
May 2002: The move angered Wimbledon fans and was opposed by the Football Association, but is given the go-ahead by an independent panel
May - June 2003: Wimbledon finish 10th in Division One and then go into administration
September 2003: 5,639 watch the first game at Milton Keynes
March - April 2003: Winkelman's takeover bid is accepted by creditors
June 2004: Football League approves name change to Milton Keynes Dons FC
August 2007: All trophies won by Wimbledon FC handed to the London Borough of Merton

[moose]

Came across this list of players Chelsea have sent out on loan this transfer window:

Marco van Ginkel Stoke City;
Mohamed Salah Roma;
Christian Atsu Bournemouth;
Mario Pasalic Monaco;
Tomas Kalas Middlesbrough;
Patrick Bamford Crystal Palace;
Michael Hector Reading;
Nathan Aké Watford;
Juan Cuadrado Juventus;
Marko Marin Trabzonspor;
Lucas Piazon Reading;
Victor Moses West Ham;
Andreas Christensen Borussia M’gladbach;
Matej Delac FK Sarajevo;
Wallace Carpi;
Kenneth Omeruo Kasimpasa;
Jordan Houghton Gillingham;
Jeremie Boga Rennes;
Nathaniel Chalobah Napoli;
Alex Davey Peterborough;
Todd Kane Nijmegen;
Ulises Davila Victória Setúbal;
Stipe Perica Udinese;
Cristian Maneo Mouscron;
Bekanty Victorien Angban,
Cristian Cuevas, Joao Rodríguez all St-Truiden;
Lewis Baker, Nathan, Isaiah Brown, Danilo Pantic, Dominic Solanke all Vitesse Arnhem

crikey... modern football eh?!  Seems a shame that yet again the balance of success and failure in a lot of leagues (not least, in the lower parts of the Premier League and in the Championship) could come down to which clubs are matey with Roman's bunch.

[Jaspersharpe]

It takes the piss that Reading can sell a player to Chelsea for £4m and then loan him back. Nothing to do with Steve Clarke's Chelsea connections obviously.

[moose]

From what I understand, Chelsea's approach was created a response to Financial Fair Play regulations.  Essentially they devised a means of using the loan system, their academy, and unofficial feeder clubs (Vitesse Arnhem) as a profit making footballer factory - buy cheap and young, polish-up at the expense of lower / foreign clubs, sell on for a profit.  Now that FFP appears to have had it's teeth pulled, I wonder whether they will be so active in future.

Incidentally, the most creative means I heard of dealing with FFP was one of the Turkish clubs - they supposedly funded a hydroelectric power plant to create profits to offset player spending (not sure if it convinced the FFP accountants though - not really footballing income is it - unless the players have to man the turbines in between training sessions!?).

[Grubes]

It takes the piss that Reading can sell a player to Chelsea for £4m and then loan him back. Nothing to do with Steve Clarke's Chelsea connections obviously.

Hmm wonder if the £4m was taxable .. In no way am I suggesting this could be money laundering

[moose]

Just noticed that Anthony Martial - £36m, after eleven Ligue 1 goals, possibly up to £58m if he succeeds wildly - is a Jorge Mendes client.  He who got around £3m of the £8m Man Utd paid for Bebe, after a stellar career of playing in the homeless World Cup, moving for nothing to Vitoria, and playing 6 pre-season friendlies!  Someone in Man Utd's scouting department is due a nice Christmas present.

[Falling Down]

There's been a handover of the "Cups for cockups" from City to Utd.  I can't believe the mess they've got themselves into over there.  It's comedy gold.

[Jaspersharpe]

Think I've posted it before but David Conn's article on Mendes is well worth a repost. Not surprising that arch cunt Kenyon is involved....

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/22/-sp-jorge-mendes-agent-third-party-ownership-players

Re Man U, yes what a farce. Long may it continue!

[Falling Down]

Went to Selhurst Park today for the Palace v City match.  A great game, fast, tense and 0-0 until 90+ minutes.  It was noisy with both sets of fans in fine voice.  Palace are a great side under Pardew; aggressive, pacy, skilful, confident & they kicked the shit out of our forwards until Aguerro limped off.  De Bruyne looked a bit shellshocked with the pace most of the game but played some great passes and our youngster scored a proper poacher's goal in injury time.  Had a chat to some nice Palace fans on the train on the way back (Selhurst Park is flippin' miles away) who'd had a great day too.  Top day out.

[cheque]

We beat Crawley 4-0 today. Biggest league win for eight years!

[moose]

Statement from last week by Ghana FA head Kwesi Nyantaky on how to improve attendance at local matches... He is on the long-list to become the new FIFA President.... "sexy ladies in nice jeans".... well, he'd get my vote!

“Me I have said this thing over and over again…we must let sexy ladies ladies enter our stadia and the men will readily follow them into the stadium to watch games”, Nyantakyi told Montie FM.

“Most of these men when they hear that beautiful girls are coming to the stadium today, they’ll all jump and follow them to the stadium…and they are going there purposely to see the ladies”.

“I remember there was one match the we brought some beautiful girls who were in nice jeans to the stadium and the girls started walking around the stadium and come and see the hysteria it created in the stands”.

“The men in the stands went into frenzy and when the ladies waved at them, come and see how jubilant they (men) were”.

[tomtom]

Sounds just like a home game at the KC Moose

[tregiffian]

Further to an earlier post, Setanta must have paid us good money to beam the Sunderland cup tie to Benin (and Ivory Coast). The Bantam's draw with Sheffield United was played on a green carpet immaculately mown. The chairman is called David Lawn.

[kelvin]

9 points from three difficult away games for us. Not sure what to think yet...

[Grubes]

forgot to post.
We won we won we actually won 

I went on saturday and we actually won again 


I am off down on thursday night (seriously why are we playing on a fucking thursday?) to watch us lose to Notts forest. But seriously a fucking thursday? 
 

[GraemeA]

Blatter just been charged. Burn him, he's a witch.

[tomtom]

I saw you'd posted and wondered if it were about Sunderlands woeful start to the season. But it was even better news!

[Snoops]

Blatter just been charged. Burn him, he's a witch.

Wizard?
How is it his bent right hand man Platini is first in line to be the King?

[tomtom]

Platini is the surprise (or not) here...

Ian Dowie for president.

[moose]

the reason why English teams are failing in Europe? No team visits to Beer Festivals.  Bayern Munich at the Oktoberfest:

[mrjonathanr]

Bye bye Brendan. Stupid decision, should have stuck with him for another season.

Shame they didn't sack the defence instead.

[Doylo]

Klopp for Kop

[rich d]

The mad Italian has sacked yet another of our managers at Leeds.   Everytime you think it can't get anyworse