The Football Thread 2014/15

[LeFromage]

New season's only three weeks away, so we might as well get a thread started.

I have discounted Southampton as title contenders.

Although they may end up being the richest team in the Championship in about year.

Absolute carnage - on the brink of breaking into the top 6-7 and being regular contenders for European football, the owner decides she's had enough and puts everyone up for sale. Brilliant.

Apparently she wanted to sell the club for £300 million plus, but could only get offers for half that amount, so she's making up the shortfall by flogging off the family silver, with the intention of selling up at the end of the season, having gutted the playing staff.

The club will be worth a lot less if they're relegated, so they're trying to piece together a skeleton squad that'll scrape survival.

Good luck with that.

[LeFromage]

At least Saints won't be wearing the worst kit in the world next season.

Spanish third division side Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa have pretty much nailed that title:

[Guest]

If by worst you actually mean the best kit ever!

That's f*cking brilliant!

[Merlin]

Agree ... it is f**king brilliant!

And the guys, third from left and on the extreme right, would carve your heart out if you disagreed!

[LeFromage]

So, there we go, Lovren and Chambers complete their deals to Liverpool and Arsenal. Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are about to sign for Tottenham.

SEVEN first team players sold in one transfer window. For a club that's financially sound, hasn't been relegated and is ticking along quite nicely.

Wowzers.

If you're a betting man, lump it on Saints to get relegated - judging from the statement from Director of Football Les Reed, they seem to think all these sales will be easily replaced by their conveyor belt of academy graduates stepping up.

Wowzers.

There's a reason why no-one has bought their other academy graduates - and it's not because they're just too amazing to buy with normal earth money.

Don't think I've ever seen this, in the history of the Premier League. Even relegated clubs, trying to get high earners of the wage bill, haven't been able to shed this many first teamers in one swoop.

Sure £130 million looks nice in the bank account (I can only assume, sadly) but it probably isn't going to win many games.

F*ckkkk.

[PeterCS]

So ... which other two teams are set above the trapdoor to possible oblivion?

[PeterCS]

At lest Soton's board will dine well for a few weeks.

[PeterCS]

Looking on the bright side, there could easily be four serious contenders for the title this coming season.

[Merlin]

Looking on the bright side, there could easily be four serious contenders for the title this coming season.

Southampton being one ... who are the other three?

Dello - thanks for Chambers ... to add to Theo and Alex !

[Henry]

Great to see Ashley Cole settling in nicely at Roma-

[LeFromage]

Looking on the bright side, there could easily be four serious contenders for the title this coming season.

Southampton being one ... who are the other three?

Dello - thanks for Chambers ... to add to Theo and Alex !

You got stung. £16 million for Saints' second choice right back?

Sounds like Wenger's going to try and convert him into a centre back. Which might work - he's quite tall and mobile.

But £16 million for a centre back who's never played at centre back?

You got stung.

[Guest]

So, there we go, Lovren and Chambers complete their deals to Liverpool and Arsenal. Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are about to sign for Tottenham.

SEVEN first team players sold in one transfer window. For a club that's financially sound, hasn't been relegated and is ticking along quite nicely.

Wowzers.

If you're a betting man, lump it on Saints to get relegated - judging from the statement from Director of Football Les Reed, they seem to think all these sales will be easily replaced by their conveyor belt of academy graduates stepping up.

Wowzers.

There's a reason why no-one has bought their other academy graduates - and it's not because they're just too amazing to buy with normal earth money.

Don't think I've ever seen this, in the history of the Premier League. Even relegated clubs, trying to get high earners of the wage bill, haven't been able to shed this many first teamers in one swoop.

Sure £130 million looks nice in the bank account (I can only assume, sadly) but it probably isn't going to win many games.

F*ckkkk.

My Dad is a Saints fan and is losing the plot. He sits rocking back and forth saying that the new manager is going to spend money and that Saints are going to break the top 4 this season. I'm not joking, he has genuinely got it into his head that Saints are going to be title challengers and he gets upset when I try to point out that all signs point to relegation.

He's only 61 but if he carries on with this madness then it might be time to consider "options".

[taipan]

So, there we go, Lovren and Chambers complete their deals to Liverpool and Arsenal. Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are about to sign for Tottenham.

SEVEN first team players sold in one transfer window. For a club that's financially sound, hasn't been relegated and is ticking along quite nicely.

Wowzers.

If you're a betting man, lump it on Saints to get relegated - judging from the statement from Director of Football Les Reed, they seem to think all these sales will be easily replaced by their conveyor belt of academy graduates stepping up.

Wowzers.

There's a reason why no-one has bought their other academy graduates - and it's not because they're just too amazing to buy with normal earth money.

Don't think I've ever seen this, in the history of the Premier League. Even relegated clubs, trying to get high earners of the wage bill, haven't been able to shed this many first teamers in one swoop.

Sure £130 million looks nice in the bank account (I can only assume, sadly) but it probably isn't going to win many games.

F*ckkkk.

My Dad is a Saints fan and is losing the plot. He sits rocking back and forth saying that the new manager is going to spend money and that Saints are going to break the top 4 this season. I'm not joking, he has genuinely got it into his head that Saints are going to be title challengers and he gets upset when I try to point out that all signs point to relegation.

He's only 61 but if he carries on with this madness then it might be time to consider "options".

Lead injection?

[LeFromage]

So, there we go, Lovren and Chambers complete their deals to Liverpool and Arsenal. Schneiderlin and Rodriguez are about to sign for Tottenham.

SEVEN first team players sold in one transfer window. For a club that's financially sound, hasn't been relegated and is ticking along quite nicely.

Wowzers.

If you're a betting man, lump it on Saints to get relegated - judging from the statement from Director of Football Les Reed, they seem to think all these sales will be easily replaced by their conveyor belt of academy graduates stepping up.

Wowzers.

There's a reason why no-one has bought their other academy graduates - and it's not because they're just too amazing to buy with normal earth money.

Don't think I've ever seen this, in the history of the Premier League. Even relegated clubs, trying to get high earners of the wage bill, haven't been able to shed this many first teamers in one swoop.

Sure £130 million looks nice in the bank account (I can only assume, sadly) but it probably isn't going to win many games.

F*ckkkk.

My Dad is a Saints fan and is losing the plot. He sits rocking back and forth saying that the new manager is going to spend money and that Saints are going to break the top 4 this season. I'm not joking, he has genuinely got it into his head that Saints are going to be title challengers and he gets upset when I try to point out that all signs point to relegation.

He's only 61 but if he carries on with this madness then it might be time to consider "options".

Yeah, he's lost it.

The owner's clearing the decks, paying off all the outstanding debts and pocketing a tidy profit for herself in preparation for selling the club.

Tell papa vilkrang that the money won't be reinvested into the team. They'll spend a fraction of what they've brought in, to try and scrape together a side capable of finishing 17th - if they're lucky.

On the plus side, the club might get bought by someone decent. Eventually. Wouldn't be surprised to see Nicola Cortese weasel his way back into power.

Might be back in the Championship by then, though.

[JGK]

110,000 Seppos see Man U beat Real 3-1.

[skully]

110,000 Seppos see Man U beat Real 3-1.

FMD!!!  

[LeFromage]

What's even more amazing is that the enormous stadium isn't even used by an NFL team. It's the University of Michigan's home patch.

College "football". 110,000. And they sell it out every game. Shitting heck.

When I played football football at college, we'd be lucky to draw a crowd in double figures. And that included the substitutes and coaching staff.

[LeFromage]

Incidentally, the cheapest ticket for the United/Madrid friendly was $135, with the U of M keeping 90% of the receipts.

It's a whole other world...

[JGK]

What's even more amazing is that the enormous stadium isn't even used by an NFL team. It's the University of Michigan's home patch.

College "football". 110,000. And they sell it out every game. Shitting heck.

When I played football football at college, we'd be lucky to draw a crowd in double figures. And that included the substitutes and coaching staff.

Is that more amazing that the fact that it apparently doesn't rain in Michigan?

[JGK]

What's even more amazing is that the enormous stadium isn't even used by an NFL team. It's the University of Michigan's home patch.

College "football". 110,000. And they sell it out every game. Shitting heck.

When I played football football at college, we'd be lucky to draw a crowd in double figures. And that included the substitutes and coaching staff.

The one I love is the Uni of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Greater Tuscaloosa has a population of about 200k, the uni stadium holds 102,000.

[LeFromage]

What's even more amazing is that the enormous stadium isn't even used by an NFL team. It's the University of Michigan's home patch.

College "football". 110,000. And they sell it out every game. Shitting heck.

When I played football football at college, we'd be lucky to draw a crowd in double figures. And that included the substitutes and coaching staff.

The one I love is the Uni of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.   Greater Tuscaloosa has a population of about 200k, the uni stadium holds 102,000.

To be fair, the average American takes up between two to three seats per arse cheek.

Still - good time to be a burglar in Tuscaloosa on football matchdays.

[skully]

What's even more amazing is that the enormous stadium isn't even used by an NFL team. It's the University of Michigan's home patch.

College "football". 110,000. And they sell it out every game. Shitting heck.

When I played football football at college, we'd be lucky to draw a crowd in double figures. And that included the substitutes and coaching staff.

The one I love is the Uni of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.   Greater Tuscaloosa has a population of about 200k, the uni stadium holds 102,000.

Well, it is the heart of NASCAR territory, where 120,000+ (per event) fat dumb farkers watch cars with different sized wheels on each side go round and round and round ("it's so farking boring") the oval tracks .

[skully]

Incidentally, the cheapest ticket for the United/Madrid friendly was $135, with the U of M keeping 90% of the receipts.

It's a whole other world...

Crikey, $135 x 110,000 x 90% = $13.4 M (based on cheapest ticket). I'm guessing the 90% take was closer to $20 M. Not a bad little earner!!   

[Neil D]

College football in America is huge.  Just huge.  What's even more crazy is that, despite the likes of Alabama Crimson Tide pulling in crowds bigger than the FA cup final, the players don't even get paid.

Johnny Manziel, one of the most exciting college quarterbacks who hasn't even played an NFL game yet (was drafted this year), has paparazzi following him around 24/7.  Every time he's seen with a beer in his hand, it's practically front page news.

Different world.

[Neil D]

Exhibit A - for college kids.  Madness.

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