arbitro

I'd forgot about Buckley. 😁

Stanley have had them on sale for a week or so. https://www.venuetoolbox.com/AccringtonStanley/ASP/bookTickets.asp?dept=Spectators&TicketsSelectedCostCentreID={8D83DB83-2D5E-4427-9342-0EB496F486FF}&clickedCostCentreLogo=true

He was a loose cannon though. I heard a story about a time when he walked around one of his factories and saw that one of his employees had scratched their name on a fork lift truck. He found out who it was, asked which was their car and he scratched his name on their car. His autobiography is a good read. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cracked-George-Reynolds/dp/1904034691

Fleck will be contracted until June 30th and as such I guess he will be eligible report back with the other players. I really think it's money down the drain to give him another deal irrespective of the terms. With Travis coming back that gives us four players for two places effectively.

I actually refereed a couple games at the Reynolds Arena and everything was too notch. The carpets were all lush with the club crest woven in and even the door handles had the Darlington crest on them. The pitch was cutting edge for that time and the facilities for supporters were first class. However with a few thousand rattling around a 25000 capacity stadium it was never going to last. George Reynolds died in 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-56736357

He hadn't won anything when Dortmund signed him and being coveted isn't any guarantee of going on to be successful.

Absolutely. He most likely saved us from administration and is now in the England squad for the Euros.

Not really. Players can walk away for nothing if they haven't been paid for three (I think) consecutive months. The money from Palace staved that off because when the window closed nobody could be sold. As will the Raya and Szmodics (if he goes) money.

We would have been in administration 😉

Do you think Palace took advantage of our precarious financial position after the ED and court decision in India? They knew the clock was ticking as the transfer window was coming to a close. As I have said many times Parrish made mincemeat of Pasha and Waggott primarily because he knew we were desperate for money to stave off potential administration. If Palace had walked away we would have been in real trouble, troubled the owners making.

I didn't have any real issue with him going in January - I resigned myself to him leaving when I saw him for the under 18's. My issue was the well documented circumstances of us desperately needed money and as a consequence of that the fee we accepted. You have made your point that you think we got a fair price for him and that's your opinion, I have no issue with that. Debates like This just go round and round because ultimately it's an opinion, nobody is actually right or wrong. It is however a fact that we got £18m rising to £22m and that, for me is clearly harder to bear than for you.

Which is the point I am making. If something is bought for a very good price it invariably means the buyer got a bargain.

Bellingham was a midfielder and went for more than Adam after less Championship games. That is more of a comparison.

Jude Bellingham went for a reported £25m after playing less games than Adam in the Championship. And on the Bellingham deal there were 'several million' in extras. There is also a report of Man Utd bidding £20m for Bellingham in the January before his summer transfer to Dortmund. Alex Scott went to Bournemouth from Bristol City for a reported £25m after playing 83 Championship games in three seasons.

Bowen was 24 when he went to West Ham, Adam was 20 when he left and the £22m was four years ago - what would that be now with inflation. If Adam was sold right now how much profit will Palace make? And after 13 games for them. I accept his England selection has heightened awareness and his value but even on MOTD and Sky pundits were eulogising about him and was what he had before his call up. I have said many times that Parrish fully exploited our need for instant cash and that, coupled with people like Waggott negotiating for us ensured Palace got him on the cheap. I know you think it was a fair price but I think you are in a minority and for most it's not with the benefit of hindsight, it was said at the time.

It seems the world has woken up to the talent of Adam. Man City are linked now although an immediate move for him is unlikely according to the article, perhaps after the end of next season. Still the money from his potential move will help Rovers to pay the wages and keep the lights on. I do wonder what his value is right now. Conservatively perhaps £40m? Whatever if Palace sold him now they would make a healthy profit........after playing 13 Premier League games. And some still think we got a fair price for him. https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/11679/13025499/man-city-transfer-news-rumours-and-gossip-live-updates-and-latest-on-deals-signings-loans-and-contracts?postid=7782856#liveblog-body

Fantastic for Adam and his family who will probably be changing their holiday plans right now 😁. His move to Palace and his form for them have no doubt got him there but after seeing him in the under 18's I said he would play for England. Nothing I saw subsequently dissuaded me. The circumstances of him leaving will always rankle with me but I am so proud of Adam and his Blackburn roots. A self confessed Rovers fan and one of our own. Rip it up Adam.

With there appearing to be no definitive budget yet it might be difficult for Park to target players for which a fee will be required. Personally (based on the last decade and a half) my expectation is really low and if that comes to fruition then we will really struggle particularly if, as expected Szmodics leaves. The only certainty about these owners is the uncertainty.

The worry I have is the timing. Will the new incumbents utilise the lists that the outgoing team had or will they have their own lists. In my view the second is more unlikely. There might be some new targets but things have been moving for a few weeks now with many clubs in negotiations with released players, a market I think we will be involved in. Once again the infighting and turmoil will take it's toll on the football side I believe.

I would be intrigued to know how much they have spent in getting rid of Silvester, Broughton, Kimberley and the other scouts There will undoubtedly be a few NDC's in there to factor in.

If there is some money to spend I think it will replicate last season's pittance spent on the likes of Telalovic and Wahlstedt. I honestly can't see the squad improving and if we sell Szmodics it will be considerably weakened. As ever with Rovers 2011 I will believe it I see it. Until then my derision will prevail.

So in theory they could challenge the EFL if City win their case and set a precedent. Most Championship clubs are put at an unfair advantage against clubs with parachute payments which could form the basis of their case. However I don't for one minute think they would do it.

So in theory they could challenge the EFL if City win their case and set a precedent. Most Championship clubs are put at an unfair advantage against clubs with parachute payments which could form the basis of their case. However I don't for one minute think they would do it.

I wonder if the EFL have an equivalent of the Association Party Rule? This rule can restrict the amount of sponsorship money that a company associated to the club (I believe Etihad Airways is owned by one of the City owners family for example) for obvious reasons and as such will have to be approved by the league. If there is something similar in the EFL I wonder if the sponsorship deal that the VH Group do with Rovers has been approved. It was reported at the time as a 'multi million' package and covered all teams from under 9's to the ladies and 'enhancing their visual presence'. https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2023/july/19/rovers-strike-significant-sponsorship-deal-/

Some of the things in the article are ridiculous like London clubs can charge more for tickets so City want to have artificially inflated sponsorship to balance this off. This could make or break the Premier League as we know it.