Ken Tone

You have to remember that football wages are usually quoted *after* tax. Tge obscenely high money that we hear players are paid are actually their take home pay. The clubs pay their tax for them in effect - or in Portsmouth's case they didn't! 🙂 So to pay someone say £60k a week will cost the club around 100k. And it is wage costs that show in the accounts, not the take home pay.

Walcott is a useful player to have but surely we can't afford the wages he's used to?

Yes? but unfortunately his bid was left next door while we were out.

Fair enough but I'd have thought he'd be on the bench instead of Lewis.

McCarthy? Rested or......?

So why isn't salisu on the bench?

Any of the 2000 on-line? What's it feel like there ?

Those supporters that are successful in the ballot will have their seats allocated and will receive an email with information about their tickets by Tuesday 8th December. 'By'... but people are often sloppy about such details and it may actually mean by the end of Tuesday. But as said earlier, my view is that it's a serious risk for anyone at all vulnerable. Never mind how distanced you might be in the seats, think how that bloke up the row who can't hold his drink will push past you to go to the gents etc. You'll often be closer than 1m.

So the rules in different tiers mean that some teams will have (small) crowds - all home fans presumably- whilst other clubs will still have no spectators at all. Hmmmm.

Any news on JWP's fitness?

Shouldn't matter. He's not Maradona!

Tests are usually only about 95% accurate and even then only tell what can be found in the blood at that moment. That's why testing at airports etc isn't good enough for certainty. Not worth the 1 in 20 risk of unknowingly bringing a mutated version of the virus into the UK *if* he's been infected.

As I read it he'll definitely be able return but he may have to quarantine for 14 days- as would several other Danish players in the PL, including some fella called Hojberg. This Danish mutation of the virus could be really bad news for a vaccine, which puts the importance of football in proportion IMO.

I think 'open' just means physically open on site. I had a call back last week from a ticket office employee working from his home. That was about 2 days after I filled in tbe 'contact me' form. (like many people I was renewing for more than just me and you can only get the discount for one person on line)

I think the idea mooted above of asking ST holders if they *want* to go into a ballot is a good one. Because I'm 'vulnerable' I'm not keen to go until it's much safer - ideally after a vaccine - but I'd like to renew anyway (with refunds for games not watched) so that I'd be sure to get my usual seat for when I did start going again, with all the usual people around me that I've got to know over the years we've all had ST's. Presumably there's be enough who did want to go into the ballot to cover the planned reduced capacity.

Thanks for posting these k links

Royal Oak in bowness usually has live sky matches, if you're at the bottom end of Windermere.

i also thought JWP ended the game at RWB, in a rather lopsided 3-5-2, but Hasenhutl himself said on Solent that we moved to a 4-2-2-2, so maybe that's what he intends for today. It's not a formation I understand well to be honest, but I think that puts JWP wide midfield.

He's never really been given a chance here since his injuries a couple of years ago. I don't know if he'll ever make it at top level, but I'd like to keep him for now to find out. He is unusual in being both tall and quite fast, so if he does come good he will give us several options in terms of style of play. So give him a go now then decide in summer.

When it says pay so much for the loan, is that in effect just to cover his wages, because contractually we still pay him, or do they pay the wages *snd* we get a fee?

No Gallagher then. Hmmmm.

A season long loan makes good sense. Prove his fitness. If he is fit he'll then be a good signing.

The problem for ward Prowse at saints is that his best position is right side of an attacking midfield, and that doesn't fit with Hughes's 3-5-2 formation, with a right wing back ..... Unless JWP adapts to RWB himself which doesn't seem to be likely. so if he wants to play he'll have to go elsewhere, which personally I will find a great shame. He * is*a good player, and what is more he's a lot brighter than most footballers. If we let him go, we'll regret it.

I'd be happy to have Welbeck here, but media reports are that he's on £115k a week and surely we won't match that?

I'd like to see Sam Gallagher given a start and a decent period of time on the pitch, to see if he might make it this year (as I hope) After all, the point of these friendlies is at least partly to assess players against proper opposition, not just to build up fitness.