Football 2011-2012

[eFestivals]

Net spend since the new owners have taken over is around £35 million.

while I'm not trying to claim that's been well-spent, it's been spent on improving a very shit squad towards a better squad. It's definitely a better squad!

And if the Carroll buy - which was £35M of course - had proved to be what I guess someone was expecting it to be when that £35M was spent, then that £35M of net spending would look significantly better than it does.

It's not only Liverpool that are capable of mis-spending. As a much worse example, Chelsea spent £5M on two kids (aged about 14 I think) a few years ago that they recently released on frees who are now playing for a league two and a Conference club. Or fergie with Bebe. Or a million other buys.

[pink_triangle]

Liverpool and Newcastle is an interesting comparison. One looked to British players to turn things round, the other ripped the English spine out. Interesting discussion on guardian podcast how both were rumoured to be using the moneyball concept but Liverpool overspending was inconsistent with these principles.

[strummer77]

Net spend since the new owners have taken over is around £35 million.

[eFestivals]

Only beaten by City and Chelsea. Since the formation of the Prem AND over the recent money years,

I've just remembered about this....

I've no idea which way the actual truth of things is, but there's a massive disparity between the net numbers put out by Gillett & Hicks for the net spend and what Rafa &/or his supporters say it was - so it's possible that the numbers you're working from are wrong for those years.

As I say, I've no way of knowing which way it is. Rafa would of course want to portray things he's done in the best light, but G&H weren't exactly owners of integrity either, so it really could be either way.

I can't remember the claimed numbers for either of them, but the difference was very big.

[eFestivals]

Liverpool and Newcastle is an interesting comparison. One looked to British players to turn things round, the other ripped the English spine out. Interesting discussion on guardian podcast how both were rumoured to be using the moneyball concept but Liverpool overspending was inconsistent with these principles.

I've guessed that it's because there's a bigger imperative to improve at Liverpool, because they've got a lot of players on high wages, so they need to get back into the Chumps as soon as they can to have the money to cover those wages.

While going mainly with youth looks to have worked well for Newc, they were starting from a different place where the wages are low, and so there's no reason for urgency to become a top team. They can afford to try it and see if it works for them, whereas Liverpool don't really have that luxury because of the financials.

It's certainly not a "all Kenny's doing" thing with Charlie Adam - L'pool were trying to get him before Kenny was manager, but Blackpool wouldn't sell. My reading of that at the time was that it was agreed then by both clubs and the player that the transfer would definitely happen in the summer.

[The Nal]

So what ball is on TV today then kids?

[strummer77]

So what ball is on TV today then kids?

[The Nal]

Strangely doesn't look like any PL games on...

Edited March 31, 2012 by The Nal

[luckysalt]

Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute Leukemia. Sad news, wishing him all the best

[The Nal]

Wow. Huge results today.

City drawing

QPR beating Arsenal

Wigan beating Stoke

Bolton beating Wolves

[Banana Co]

Massive Reading fan here, I dunno how many people are interested in the Championship here but the biggest game of the weekend has easily been Reading-2nd and West Ham-3rd. 4-2 to Reading in the end and Reading are unstoppable. C'mon you Royals!!!!

[strummer77]

Massive Reading fan here, I dunno how many people are interested in the Championship here but the biggest game of the weekend has easily been Reading-2nd and West Ham-3rd. 4-2 to Reading in the end and Reading are unstoppable. C'mon you Royals!!!!

Edited March 31, 2012 by strummer77

[The Nal]

Edit: 14/1 for Villa to go down. Fixtures include trips to Anfield, Old Trafford and a visit from Spurs and Sunderland. Worth a couple of quid?

[thetime]

Takes the pressue of united for the blackburn game, which no doubt will work in there favour.

mancini having a go at balotelli again, hes not great at man management is he? I so wish fergie would sign him up, I love balotelli one of the few characters in football.

[eFestivals]

Strangely doesn't look like any PL games on...

what you mean is that none are broadcast by the UK broadcasters.

You could probably have watched any one of them of them via other broadcasters.

[thetime]

Just noticed everton being above liverpool..

[strummer77]

what you mean is that none are broadcast by the UK broadcasters.

You could probably have watched any one of them of them via other broadcasters.

[thetime]

Newcastle going places

Liverpool going backwards

[The Nal]

Liverpool are a shambles. Massive rethink needed. Discipline gone now too. Diving and even Reina losing his head.

Worst Liverpool team I can think of. Ever.

[pink_triangle]

I remember souness as manager and some of his teams were much worse than this one.

[thetime]

I remember souness as manager and some of his teams were much worse than this one.

[The Nal]

Souness' teams were shite. Lets face it. But he did bring through Fowler, Redknapp and McManaman and had to deal with the older players leaving/retiring/playing shit. Barnes, Houghton, Beardsley, McMahon, Rush, Whelan, Grobbelaar etc were all leaving.

He signed some shit but no worse than Daglish has.

Walters, Clough, Jones, Saunders, Dicks, Razor.....

Are they really much worse than Carroll, Adam, Henderson, Downing? £113m spent in 12 months. Carroll proved today that hes fucking useless.

Fucking. Useless.

Even "Claudio Reina" (as Chris Coleman calls him) lost the head today.

In other news, Wolves are gone. So two spots left.

[pink_triangle]

He signed some shit but no worse than Daglish has.

Walters, Clough, Jones, Saunders, Dicks, Razor.....

Are they really much worse than Carroll, Adam, Henderson, Downing? £113m spent in 12 months. Carroll proved today that hes fucking useless.

In other news, Wolves are gone. So two spots left.

[The Nal]

I just looked at pages 1-4 and peoples relegation predictions are completely off.

[pink_triangle]

Just did that myself. I think the biggest prediction people have got wrong is Liverpool. They could end up bottom half at this rate.