England Squad

We'll just ignore the fact that year on year Newcastle spend more on players than Arsenal shall we Kimbo

Kimbo wrote:

Luis wrote:Any team outside the top 4 can easily go to Anfield or Highbury this season and get a result if they play with a bit of bollocks, it's not good coming and looking for a draw, you will not win that way, Liverpool and Arsenal aren't even that far off the 5th and 6th place teams, the top two are so far ahead because they have played good football and got results

This season is irrelevant, i'm talking about the next 5/10+ years.

The financial gap is getting bigger and bigger. A couple of years ago our budget was £2m less than Liverpool's, now it's over £30m less, that number is only going to get bigger. And Arsenal, Man U, and Chelsea all have higher bugets than Pool.

Is this gap EVER going to close? I doubt it.

What if Uefa were to introduce new rules that state a team can't spend over a certain amount? it could happen and probably will happen one day

Tweedle wrote:We'll just ignore the fact that year on year Newcastle spend more on players than Arsenal shall we Kimbo

I'm talking about the future Tweedle, in the past few seasons we've been able to spend similar amounts to Pool and yourselves because we've had similar finances. But now both clubs are ahead of us by more than £30m, and that gap has opened up over the last 2/3 seasons, what will it be in 5 years?

Luis wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Luis wrote:Any team outside the top 4 can easily go to Anfield or Highbury this season and get a result if they play with a bit of bollocks, it's not good coming and looking for a draw, you will not win that way, Liverpool and Arsenal aren't even that far off the 5th and 6th place teams, the top two are so far ahead because they have played good football and got results

This season is irrelevant, i'm talking about the next 5/10+ years.

The financial gap is getting bigger and bigger. A couple of years ago our budget was £2m less than Liverpool's, now it's over £30m less, that number is only going to get bigger. And Arsenal, Man U, and Chelsea all have higher bugets than Pool.

Is this gap EVER going to close? I doubt it.

What if Uefa were to introduce new rules that state a team can't spend over a certain amount? it could happen and probably will happen one day

It will never happen, the G14 won't let UEFA take their financial edge away. It's those clubs that attract the worldwide audiences, without them UEFA and their competitions are nothing, and they could easily create their own superleague if they want.

Kimbo wrote:

Tweedle wrote:We'll just ignore the fact that year on year Newcastle spend more on players than Arsenal shall we Kimbo

I'm talking about the future Tweedle, in the past few seasons we've been able to spend similar amounts to Pool and yourselves because we've had similar finances. But now both clubs are ahead of us by more than £30m, and that gap has opened up over the last 2/3 seasons, what will it be in 5 years?

For us the situation will still be the same - we'll have the debts from our stadium for the next twenty years.

You've also ignored the injections of cash into lcubs like Pompey, Villa and possibly Citeh in future + the fact that clubs like Bolton seem to be around the UEFA spots

If anything the football quality will improve as well due to better quality players.

Tweedle wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Tweedle wrote:We'll just ignore the fact that year on year Newcastle spend more on players than Arsenal shall we Kimbo

I'm talking about the future Tweedle, in the past few seasons we've been able to spend similar amounts to Pool and yourselves because we've had similar finances. But now both clubs are ahead of us by more than £30m, and that gap has opened up over the last 2/3 seasons, what will it be in 5 years?

For us the situation will still be the same - we'll have the debts from our stadium for the next twenty years.

You've also ignored the injections of cash into lcubs like Pompey, Villa and possibly Citeh in future + the fact that clubs like Bolton seem to be around the UEFA spots

If anything the football quality will improve as well due to better quality players.

These injections of cash into Pompey etc are measley compared to the money the top 4 have, those guys aren't Abramovichs. Their budgets are probably around £100m or so LESS than the top 4s.

Look at last seasons budgets and look at the gap between West Ham and the top 4, that gap is going to get bigger.

1 Real Madrid £202 million
2 Barcelona £179.1 million
3 Juventus £173.7 million
4 Manchester United £167.8 million
5 AC Milan £165 million
6 Chelsea £152.8 million
7 Inter Milan £142.8 million
8 Bayern Munich £141.5 million
9 Arsenal £133 million
10 Liverpool £121.7 million
11 Lyon £84.2 million
12 Roma £83.8 million
13 Newcastle United £82 million
14 Schalke £81.1 million
15 Tottenham Hotspur £70.7 million
16 Hamburg £67.1 million
17 Manchester City £59 million
18 Rangers £58.4 million
19 West Ham United £57.3 million
20 Benfica £56.1 million


What we'll see is various clubs throwing money at a meaningless "fight" for 5th place, it will include us, Tottenham Everton, Villa, and Pompey.

Can you see a non current top 4 club EVER winning the league again?

Those are the total turnovers, don't say that much about the financial strenght really (-> you can have a turnover of 200m and still make debts).

The Abramovich model makes lists like these obsolete anyway. Chelsea can have a net loss of 200m a year, and Roman won't break a sweat.

Thats money made purely from revenues though and doesn't look at the whole picture.

West Hams boss has over £500m.
The Pompey guy has said that he has £100m to spend on the squad.

The Lerner guy as Villa is close to a billionnaire!

Your club also receives significant cash injections, as do spurs and wigan

blutgraetsche wrote:It's the other way around Kimbo. Club football is being ruined by money, international football is the only refuge left for the football fan interested in football foremost, and less in marketing and gimmicks. In international football, poor countries like Ivory Coast have a much better chance competing than poor clubs in international club competitions, for example.

Maybe, it's just that in England people seem to be disillusioned with the international scene, most have a "club first" attitude to it. I don't know if it's the same in other countries.

Here in Germany, the national team has priority for the vast majority of fans, including Bayern fans even. Should be the same in a lot of other countries. France definitely, Brazil also. Spain is similar to England I guess.

Tweedle wrote:Thats money made purely from revenues though and doesn't look at the whole picture.

West Hams boss has over £500m.
The Pompey guy has said that he has £100m to spend on the squad.

The Lerner guy as Villa is close to a billionnaire!

Your club also receives significant cash injections, as do spurs and wigan

That money isn't going to be spent on the club though, Lerner has made it clear he's not going to be an Abramovich and i don't see any intent from Eggert or the Pompey chap to spend Abramovich amounts of money. And even if they try to they won't be able to attract the players.

Seriously Tweedle, do you see a non-top 4 club EVER winning the league again?


And i don't know what "cash injections" we get, surely you're not suggesting that Freddy spends his own money?

Kimbo wrote:
What we'll see is various clubs throwing money at a meaningless "fight" for 5th place, it will include us, Tottenham Everton, Villa, and Pompey.

Can you see a non current top 4 club EVER winning the league again?

Not with the current system.

The League needs to be shorter. The best teams are allowed too much time to make up for their prior mistakes and the smaller teams are required to hang on for much longer. It's now got to the stage when the league needs to be moving closer to the cup model rather than the opposite. At least then they'd be some unpredictability.

Kimbo wrote:

Luis wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Obispo wrote:They should just stop all international football anyways, it gets in the way of the domestic game which I think everyone on here cares far more about.

Fuck it.

It's become a joke, the players obviously don't care about it and it's becoming less and less popular with the public. International football is dying, and club football will follow it eventually.

how so?

Sooner or later the fans will realise they're being taken for mugs.

Look at the financial gap between the top 4 and the rest, it's MASSIVE, they just can't compete. Eventually the fans will realise that paying a fortune every season to watch shit football is pointless, nobody outside the top 4 will EVER compete for the league again(unless they get an Abramovich).

The bubble has to burst eventually, and a european "super"league will probably follow. The top 4 will be sorted, what will happen to the rest? Who knows...

So what would you do in our case? Look at what Newcastle spends and then compare that not with Sporting, Porto or Benfica...but Sporting, Porto and Benfica TOGETHER. You think you guys have problems...

International football should not include any players competing for club honours

Players can then chose between playing for Liverpool/Barcelona/Milan etc and winning titles and cups or playing for mid table sides and competing on the International stage

An England team without players from the top sides vs a Spain side without players from the top sides would make an interesting contest

Glenn Hysén wrote:International football should not include any players competing for club honours

Players can then chose between playing for Liverpool/Barcelona/Milan etc and winning titles and cups or playing for mid table sides and competing on the International stage

An England team without players from the top sides vs a Spain side without players from the top sides would make an interesting contest

Ganaría España.

Arsene Wenger has backed Everton's Andrew Johnson to lead the line for England and revealed he was once tempted to take a punt on the then Crystal Palace frontman.
Johnson is expected to start for England alongside Wayne Rooney in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel and Wenger, whose Arsenal team face Johnson and Everton on Sunday, is a huge admirer of the 11-goal marksman.
"Andy Johnson is a player who can help England," said the Gunners boss. "He is a good player, with the timing of his runs, the quality of his runs, his team ethic is fantastic and he never gives up.
"He can be one of the players who can compliment Rooney because Rooney is more of a second striker who can make the runs and you need another striker who can stretch the defence.
"If you look at England players who can stretch the defence, Andy Johnson is one of them as well as Michael Owen."
Wenger considered signing Johnson before the Frenchman feels he was priced out of a move.
"I did consider him at one stage when he was at Crystal Palace, but the price stopped it happening," revealed the Arsenal boss.
"Some players make it a bit later, just look at Ian Wright. Johnson did very well in the Premier League as well and gave us problems.
"There was a big fight for Johnson and you know then that it is never below £12million or £13million.
"When you are buying a second striker that is a lot, whereas I can completely understand Everton paying what they did because he is their main striker."

Maybe he will try again for AJ , the big money signing he has promised.

Luso wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Luis wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Obispo wrote:They should just stop all international football anyways, it gets in the way of the domestic game which I think everyone on here cares far more about.

Fuck it.

It's become a joke, the players obviously don't care about it and it's becoming less and less popular with the public. International football is dying, and club football will follow it eventually.

how so?

Sooner or later the fans will realise they're being taken for mugs.

Look at the financial gap between the top 4 and the rest, it's MASSIVE, they just can't compete. Eventually the fans will realise that paying a fortune every season to watch shit football is pointless, nobody outside the top 4 will EVER compete for the league again(unless they get an Abramovich).

The bubble has to burst eventually, and a european "super"league will probably follow. The top 4 will be sorted, what will happen to the rest? Who knows...

So what would you do in our case? Look at what Newcastle spends and then compare that not with Sporting, Porto or Benfica...but Sporting, Porto and Benfica TOGETHER. You think you guys have problems...

But Sporting, Benfica, and Porto are involved in a title race EVERY season, and they're involved with the champions league. In Portugal it's not those clubs that have problems, it's the clubs below them, they don't really have anything to play for.

So Gary is injured , play Brown there or play 3 CBs ?

Bilal wrote:So Gary is injured , play Brown there or play 3 CBs ?

Hmm... He'll probably go with the younger of the chuckle brothers or Carradona there, and the other at leftback. I don't think even McLaren is stupid enough to attempt 5-3-2 again.

I agree with Kimbo's points about International football...but I think club football is fine, especially if all these lowered tickets prices come about. International football doesn't interest me that much unless it's a tournament...friendlies are pointless. Club football is where it's at for me and the players are starting to play like that.

However over the last few years The League cup has become a nothing cup...people now devalue the UEFA Cup, and International football is a joke. The FA Cup which is a massive part of English Football history will soon become the same.

I was hoping for 3 4 3 , lets attack .

Stephen Warnock should get a call up.

Funny to see that Wenger the "purist" likes AJ - a player with virtually no footballing ability whatsoever

He's just a short, white Henry I suppose.

Kimbo wrote:
But Sporting, Benfica, and Porto are involved in a title race EVERY season, and they're involved with the champions league. In Portugal it's not those clubs that have problems, it's the clubs below them, they don't really have anything to play for.

Yea, I know the title bit is true. Other clubs pretty much just play for a Uefa spot or a shot at the cup.

In terms of Europe though, which is really what I meant, our big three are in the same position as domestically. We're so far behind financially compared to clubs of similar stature it's insane. Like I said, Newcastle has more money than us. The poorer leagues need to be protected.

Course this has nothing to do with the England squad so I'll let it go now...

You all know he's just going to stick t'other neville in.

Our attacking full back threat should be stunning

Its going to be Pip Neville at right back and Jamie Carragher at left back.

Lovely.

Surely it should be the other way around if it's going to happen??

Barry got called up today anyway...and Nugent might be aswell as Darren Bent has got injured again.

For me Barry must be a starter, for example should we be without Bridge and Cole going into a tournament are we really going to expect to see Neville / Carragher play at left back, that to me is a ridiculous ask.

borocooper wrote:Surely it should be the other way around if it's going to happen??

Barry got called up today anyway...and Nugent might be aswell as Darren Bent has got injured again.

But Pip Neville plays right back for Everton.