Chez

Amazing penultimate stage. I really thought Quintana was going to, do it but the sky team came through for Froome after the mare the day before. Tremendous days racing. Doping issues aside this was one of the best tours for years. The mountain bias worked a treat. Great to finish up a mountain too.

Difficult to know how much Quintana benefited from Froomes mechanical problem, but for me Froome has looked a little below par, coughing might suggest a slight illness, and Quintana looked stronger and I fancy him to take that 2.40 minutes today and win the tour. It's been a very good tour, but the doping issue is taking away some of enjoyment. Absolutely love the tour, but we must have an even playing field

dinner too?

****ing woeful player when I saw him for them. Seems like this Cook fella might know what he is doing...

er, the shakers were promoted last season. Very knowledgeable. ;-)

I like him a lot. He is a massive handful for opponents. He caused us loads of problems last season and when they moved him to a central position he was even harder to handle. £20m is a lot of wedge, and he's a tad raw, but he is the right age, already has prem experience and seems to be getting better every year. Some of his tricks are tremendous and he has so much power and pace he becomes unstpopable at times. We won't go in for him, and I doubt he sees a reason to leave Palace for us, but if I was manager I'd be pressing to sign him. Slightly surpised the really big clubs are not sniffing round.

scored quite a few and set up a lot over the last two seasons, but I'm with you. I watched the Napoli Europa league tie and he was very average. Maybe he had an off day, but although he clearly has ability he didn't step up in that game at all. Man City don't have the best of records for picking the right players to sign in recent years. They are still living off the earlier signings.

Massive demand for this game, it being the first, quite close and a great destination, but I wondered if those going intend to go to all and every away Europa league game? I miss this away game sadly, but fancy one in a later round assuming we get through.

They only offer 1200 to Dutch sides and when Ajax come to town for example they could sell the away end out three times. With the home supporters not selling out the ground, even for that game, their are empty seats all around the ground. Loads of Ajax fans buy tickets in the home end usually, so it wont be unusual for away fans in home end. Do Dutch sides have to pay for policing? If so it might not be in their interest to have a bigger away allocation. More policing required. More cost.

Three promoted makes it easier. Hard to find three that might prevent them (should things go right for them of course, which it might not). Wycombe perhaps, they were unfortunate not to get automatic last season, maybe Leyton Orient can turn it around after a woeful season last time. At the end of last season I suggested Morecombe might be one to watch, so I'm going to have a little bet on them at 28-1 (was hoping for more than that actually).

Their crowds are miles bigger than everyone else's, creating a bigger budget that one assumes can afford higher wages. For me it's not whether they can afford them, it's once again whether they have selected the rights players to hand those wages too. At some point a manager will get it right or right enough. Sadly.

I hope you don't mind but I will continue to play devils advocate here: With debt repayments now concluded (if that is not the case I'd be interested to know from a nutjob what they have left to pay and to whom), a far greater share of income can be spent on player wages. They have also offloaded quite a lot of players,freeing up space/wages for these new players. They are getting Championship size crowds, admittedly they are not getting championship income, but they are not paying Championship wages. Their goal should be to get promoted, not promoted on the least spend possible. What problems are they stockpiling?

Great win for Cummings, overshadowed by Froome apparently getting urine thrown at him. I know he has been taking the **** out of the the rest of the field...

an away UEFA game on it will perhaps benefit you should you need a ticket for a smaller ground or dare I say it the final...

just wondering if that number is as a result of my earlier posts (which I got from Googling away allocations at Vitesse league games) which have been `grabbed' from here and then tweeted or something you have seen officially mentioned? 1200 is certainly not many and with their games hardly ever selling out perhaps they might consider offering a larger allocation.

joint 8th really.

very.

is it really possible to get home end tickets at this sort of game?

They offer 1200 tickets normally for away fans in the Dutch league games. My googling tells me that Liverpool got 1500 way back in 2002 for a Europa cup game. If that's the allocation I would suggest it won't get past season ticket holders. I might be wrong.

sorry, that's what I meant, Toulouse to somewhere in Germany. Not sure the Dusseldorf flight is direct which will mean 7 hours there and back.

what about flying out from Toulouse?

does this round get on TV?

for the 1200 or so that will get a ticket http://www.stadiumguide.com/gelredome/

5th in Dutch league sounds relatively tough to me for an opening game.

bloody hope not. I can;t make the away game and I want at least one overseas football trip next season.