PaddockLad

Thats the other thing I was told, and its been said on here a lot too. Beats me what other options he had at the arse end of 2007 when the financial crisis first hit and credit streams were drying up and he was staring into a finanacial black hole of the previous owners making. Not really criticising him for being generous but what else could he do? If we're all on board Mike's happy bus I've ben thinking what would be the outcome of going the whole hog.....done a lot of thinking lately, really looked at things from a different angle and something someone (Gemmil?) said in a thread the other day really made me stop in my tracks....if we sold enough of our player's this summer to bring in 60 million quid what would that do for the club in the medium term?...as Gemmil (?) said, thats 2 years champions league money, which is a different way of looking at things for me completely. Would anyone agree with doing that this summer?...it would effect us hugely next season, but if we were patient, and replacements were as well recruited (i.e. value for money) and as good and settled in as quickly as our signings this season, would we steal a financial march on the clubs around us?....would it be, in the long term, beneficial for the club>? It would be a huge gamble, but as we know, Mike does like a punt...

Robert Maxwell wasnt allowed to own Oxford and Derby, although Derby was in his sons name. Not sure if the morally upright bods at UEFA would take a similar line or not....

I was told by a mate on the way to Everton at the weekend that if you've put 200 million of your own cash into something you're entitled to call it what you like....which is fair enough in a way, but thats not the way Dekka sold it to the supporters.Why couldnt they actually come out and say so? As we can see, revenue streams are growing in other areas, and without trying to be smart or anything this is undoubtedly good news. So why we've got a shitty add on to the grounds name is a mystery to me....maximising revenue streams anyone?...

Remind me again why the name of the ground now includes the owner's company name?......

Cabaye,Ben Arfa and perhaps Krul are unlikely to figure in at least the play off due to them playing in the Euros, as well as the first 2-3 league games.

So just to confirm....they celebrated Man City winning the league by doing the err "Poznan"?....

Aye, because he shit himself at how much professional football in England actually cost, around the time a certain manager had his hand out again...

Randy Lerner's method for successful stewardship of football clubs: method #1: throw a load of money at a moderate manager If method #1 fails to deliver, see method #2 method #2: errrr......?......

Has he got his badges?

I haven't suggested that the mines shouldve been kept open....I'm making the point that the people who worked in them shouldnt have been left to rot. What did the Tories do for them?...next to fuck all as an act of revenge for their trade union causing a shower of shit for the previous 20 years.The same union which had been politicised by "extreamist" leaders...Arthur Scargill started the 80s miners strike with a large union and a small house and ended it with a small union and a large house.. Fair enough and hey- if you dont have to live in Barnsley or Easington who gives a fuck?...they've reaped what they sowed 30 years ago and theyve only got themselves to blame. Most folks wouldve gladly accepted a hand up rather than a hand out back then but its a different story now.

It was the Westbourne, good boozer for watching games in, and also a well known haunt of plastic scousers. Had a refurb a few years back to what its like now, the old place could be a bit rough on days like yesterday. Think "yuppiefying" the place has driven the real scousers out. Aruba was the Showbar in my younger day and am now about 15 years too old for the place. Back then most Bournemouth girls wouldnt let on to you unless you were one of Jamie Redknapp's mates...that is obviously a complete fabrication, but it makes me feel better

If they play in the euros they wont come back to training till the beginning of August, maybe 4 weeks after those not going?....

First play off Thurs 23rd Aug, 2nd leg 30th Aug so I think our second and 3rd league games will be on Sundays....got to think that we'll be without Cabaye and Ben Arfa for all those fixtures....Krul too?

Yesterday: fuckin shite. Season: Brilliant! Next season:?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.....looking forward to it with the required amount of trepedation

aint THAT the fuckin truth! Amazes me, the amount of plastic scousers down here. What boozer were you in watching it mate?

Agree with all that....the old dear was brought up in West Gorton and Ardwick Green (Auntie Brenda was an usherette at the Appollo! ) so I've got half a dozen cousins whove been waiting alll their lives for yesterday.....those fuckers waiting for a bucket of shitty chicken will have been waiting approximately 2 seasons I'd imagine You're right about the comparison with how our lot would celebrate...a couple of mates said they ran into some Arsenal fans on the tube after they beat us in the cup final,had faces like smacked arses apparently, fuckin ungrateful twats

Here at Knutsford serviced we're surrounded by fuckin citeh fans.....I asked one bloke why he wasn't jumping around in a fountain in Picadilly Gardens instead of queing for a fuckin KFC....didnt get a reply...some fuckers don't deserve what they get....

How do revenues go up though? I take what you and Gemmil are saying completely, am far from an accountant. But the bottom line is we don't borrow any more, we are, according to Dekka limited for revenue streams, so if we're going to grow its going to be via player sales. And in 18 months time when Xisco is off the wage bill we'll have little room for growth other than selling some more players.

Sort of, as you say Smiths wages for next season have been budgeted for, so next season if we bring 2 players capable of playing in the perm lge in and give them 30k a week each we've spent Smiths wages to good effect. We lose the effect the following season when we have to find the 30k a week x 2 from that seasons budget which probably means selling HBA or Cisse next summer etc..

Ok, Smith= 2 player's wages instead of one, but its not an income its a saving, but yeah, it could well be 2 players capable of playing first team football which he plainly wasn't. Did his contract have another year to run? If so its a benefit for one season.

Do you think we'll bring any players in Brock? If so, will they be financed by the loss of Simpson, Loven & Guthrie etc on their own?.....

Question for Brock and Baggio (or anyone else) how many players do you think we'll lose this summer?....you can give a champions league answer and a Europa league answer.... Ill go 3 if its europa league, Tiote, Demba and Krul, and 1 if its champs league i.e. Tiote. That's the ones theyre willing to sell, am not ruling out offers being accepted for Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Cisse etc...

Don't agree with the last bit, and as I said there are examples of where incentives for foreign investment have worked very well in this country. There just isn't the will to do it because governments now leave things completely to the market. China hadn't opened its doors in 81 or 91 when Nissan opened and now its the most efficient car plant un Europe. China has had an huge effect for a decade no doubt, but the 25 years before that were a massive missed oppurtunity in this country.

Am in the Lower Bullens tomorrow...think its got to be the oldest stand in the league which I quite like. It was designed by the celebrated Archibald Leitch who left his distinctive stamp (latticework barriers along the front of each tier, think the old stand at Villa Park) on dozens of stands, of which sadly only parts of 3 survive, the main stand at Ibrox, part of Fratton Park and this 1927 bulit stand at Goodison. The view admittedly is shite, but you will be standing in a rare piece of football history. Can't think of many occasions when any team with nowt to play for has just laid down on the final day regardless of what was at stake for the opposistion. But if we start well and get an early goal I think we'll win this by a couple of goals.

Thats the point though....do you think if Cabaye and Tiote both leave we'll do it next season?...am sure you hope so (and so do I) but as luckyluke says its easier said then done.