How depressing. Another win for the human rights abusing, slave owning, blood money oil barons. Pep can do one too. Pretty much any manager in football could win a few trophies with those resources. Reckons he’s too important to wear a suit on FA Cup final day too.

Which will also have covered the clubs costs too.

If you want to attract high quality employees you better as hell make sure that current ones are treated very well. The cost will be minimal, but our conduct won't go unnoticed amongst fellow professionals. An accidental work injury is not the fault of the employee and is one of the most important times to ensure that you look after your staff. Businesses should have morals.

You brought them up!

And all is right with the world.

So if he’s here for 10 years and plays an 18 year old. He “inherited” that 8 year old? No credit? They weren’t in the first team

Raya and Travis never played so you can’t really say he “inherited” them. Also I thought keeping hold of Mulgrew, Lenihan and Graham in the window after relegation was a massive success. Important to remember we had a good squad for League One, and made good signings for a League One club.

Chris Wilder beats Pep, Klopp, Pochettino etc to win LMA manager of the year. Well deserved imo. But Mogga was robbed.

Well, sacking Darren Moore worked out well.

Dean Smith turned Brentford into the biggest shithouses in the league - doing the same at Villa. Never off their arses. It plays against them too - boy who cried wolf syndrome led to a foul not being given that ended in the WBA goal.

Let's get Jordan back on loan! Rumour is he's going to Huddersfield I believe, but would be a fantastic signing. So you're saying there's a chance he'll come back? ?

Apologies - must have misinterpreted the "'fans' like this". I'd say this is already the case. Clubs gambling their futures to pay even average players £500k a year to even dream of being top 10 in a division above. Look at Bolton. Look at us. We're only just keeping the doors open due to questionable charity from suspicious and disinterested owners. The game needs a root and stem reform - the mega-clubs will not be involved in this. They will pull up the ladder further. Fair play. I can't get enough personally, and although I do believe in the difference a small moral protest can make - they've completely got me by the bollocks now because I'm (weakly) addicted and BT are the only company offering decent value broadband in my area. So I feed the beast. It's a fantastic product. I don't think pay per view TV money will matter for long though. The distribution will soon have to be free and completely ubiquitous (due to streams/internet etc) -but then the advertising and sponsorship revenue will increase even more. The VAR will be sponsored, the ball boys will wear placards, the referee will wear boots made of Continental tyres: because the world will be watching. Every ounce of money will be milked - and it's inevitable that it will be a closed shop. It's a problem with capitalism, and not with the actual football, which is bloody enjoyable when you turn your brain off. Rambling! The crux of it all is probably a discussion for elsewhere!

Yep, it isn't pretty. Pure apathy towards the unstoppable machine. A content consumer of the "elite" level game and realistic enough to know that nothing will stop it's progress. But to infer that I won't attend when I can, I won't buy the shirts and scarves, that I won't follow the club through thick and through very thin is massively wide of the mark and just an unnecessary dig. Clubs like us will always survive, but the game is changed, Championship clubs WILL HAVE to change their model in face of this brewing hegemony.

A very good point, have to say I never thought of it that way. I just get blinded by how exciting it usually is in the knockout rounds, and tbh it feels like I'm watching a different sport with these clubs now - I find it really hard to care too much about the structure or what the gods of money have in store for the format. I'm cynical enough to just assume the rich will still get richer and apathetically enjoy the ride. Better than watching PL on Sky anyway

I think I started it

Promoted. Finally.

This is fun Can someone make up a rumour please to see me through a quiet Friday at work?

I just think that because one team has a pre contract with an average player I don't think that necessarily reflects badly on the other 91 league teams. Being "left behind" is hyperbole. Targets of all types should be lined up, the window isn't open yet, we find out the budget before it is, off we go. It's not ideal but I wouldn't lose my shit about it just yet.

Transfer window open in a couple of weeks. Closes 8th August. Plenty of time to panic, bicker and moan when we can actually sign players.

Comes down to this - Spurs winning pisses off Arsenal fans vs Liverpool winning pisses off Man U fans Europa - Arsenal winning rubs it into Spurs fans vs Chelsea winning pisses off everyone Liverpool and Arsenal please

Unreal. I love football.

The Champions League is absolutely fantastic

As good as Ajax are, Spurs have been bobbins

I think he was far better a couple of years ago and has gone downhill. He was an exceptional teenager. Mowbray got our job a couple of years ago - coincidence?

Yes but Liverpool have a world class young player so there surely has to be a way to criticise Mowbray for that.