angelman

Let's not be naive about it. This is not for the benefit of the national team, its for the benefit of those playing Champions League.

TBH I think that the OP has a resonance with many supporters for various reasons connected to the first point, but not sure I agree with the others, not least about Amazon. I am already Amazon Prime for TV and quick deliveries, and I don't think it too badly priced, unless they start charging extra for games. Certainly Sky and BT are poor value by comparison, and I hope that Amazon squash them both (even if Amazon have squashed the High Street) What's the point? To be entertained and follow the club I support. Hopefully the two are synonymous, although the past 2 years have been tricky. I'm never going to support any other team, be it at home or in a different league or abroad. Its Saints or nothing. BUT Your point 1. It's not just the overseas deal, nor clubs being richer than others per se, it is the constant pursuit of riches while shafting everyone else when there already is enough. Not only that, but the integrity of the competition is disappearing when those with the most money, spend the most and win the most. And not only that, but the way that some clubs have done alot of spending before FFP rules came in that now stops any other team challenging the top table. But (and another big one) I do question what the point is of being in a competition that you have little to no chance of winning. Oh we can all see LCFC and fair play to them. It was a perfect storm and they came out on top, and we came 6th. But that is once this century. Since the PL started you have had Man Utd (x13), Arsenal (x3), Chelsea (x5), Manchester City (x3) and Blackburn when they "bought" it. So twice in 25 years for a team out of the Big 6, with two of the Big 6 never winning it (yet!). So that leaves Cup competitions, and as we have a better chance of winning those, we should really concentrate on them. And then there are other parts of the "game" that are unappealing. The players and clubs, and the way they are happy to **** over everyone to get anywhere. There are ways and means of doing it, and few know how to. The money involved is just horrendous. I don't buy this short playing career nonsense, as they are perfectly able to get another job somewhere else without having to earning £500k a week. The way some games are scheduled that away supporters have huge problems getting home eg Newcastle kicking off vs Arsenal at 8pm. Or us vs Newcastle at lunch time.

Well their main target was Zaha, but CPFC want £70m which Spurs won't pay.

^ this, and I will be cancelling my subscription. Waste of money reading all this ballocks.

Everyone is very keen to off load Stephens. How about moving him up to DM, not least as he is seemingly happy enough to carry the ball forward?

Really? I think we are a dreadfully poor side. Maybe that is a little harsh, borne out of the utterly tedious football served up by the national team both now and for the past 15-20 years. I would love to be proved wrong, but.....

I'm in row |JJ and have to ware a peaked cap otherwise I find the floodlights a bit of a distraction.

I look back on all this, and the thing I am most disappointed about, is that the hype that we were sold about the deep thinker who was a supposed tactical genius never materialised. Not even remotely so.

That's about the equivalent of £135 of every season ticket.

You seem to forget that the contract he had signed 6 months earlier became not good enough and he handed in a transfer request. And let's not be naive about it, things like this - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/aug/20/manchester-united-jose-mourinho-southampton-jose-fonte - from August 2016 don't just appear because of Barry's mate's dad's dog's sister's girlfriend started a rumour. Me, I was ambivalent about it. He was getting slower and had had his best days behind him, regardless that he picked up a Euro medal. His performances at WHU show that perfectly and were exacerbated because his CB partner's legs had also gone.

Now Nordic, in your pleasure to denigrate Southampton supporters, do you hold the same disdain for West Ham supporters and their opinions on Fonte?

I suspect we'll see various loan deals, although would be delighted to be proven wrong and that he delivers the goods in the PL.

What, on a 3 month or 6 months stint?

I disagree that EFC are light years ahead of us. What they do have is an owner (who ever that might actually be!!) who is interested in trying to push the club forward and is funding it as such. It somewhat depends on what our new owner wants to do. Looking at the evidence thus far, I will have to contradict what I said about EFC not being light years ahead.

The Poch season.The highlight for me was seeing so many academy players on the pitch. IIRC one game we started with 5 and brought on 2 more. That is football for me. I want that, and given that we had a modicum of success in the league (ie winning games) then that was perfect. Last seasons cup run papered over a lot of cracks and we were actually still pretty **** and boring.

I would go Shaqiri as well.....but tomorrow morning????? Come come. We don't move that fast...ever!

I see the overseas supporter who follows non Big 6 to be somewhat different as they certainly aren't glory hunters.

I think that the general reaction you got was that being in America you seem not to understand the dynamic between clubs and their supporters here in the UK. What you see as hypocrisy is actually more like pantomime. HTH EDIT - in case you need it https://britishtheatre.com/explaining-pantomimes-to-americans/

I think it probably was. I answered that nothing would entice me to change my current arrangement to take on Virgin Media, not least because their service is not available in my area.

How to improve atmosphere - I put score more goals.

I didn't really think it necessary to answer whether I was a male, female, transgender-male, transgender-female or other, nor what my sexuality was.

Plus whatever Roma can get out of them for their goalkeeper. £50m?? Plus Fekir maybe for £60m. So that would be say about £200m. The PL has well and truly become a joke about who can spend the most. Their used to be a taunt about buying the league. Now it is demanded by fans that it is done.

They want the Roma goalie, but they want £60m or so for him, to make up for what they perceive as Salah being too cheap. They also want to sign Fekir. And sooner or later, they'll have no English players in their match day team.

I had this discussion with someone at the time of the Women's World Cup in USA. They said that they should, I said that it was determined by the market attractiveness. I think I am right in saying that in USA, the women are better paid than the men (or used to be) as their appeal was higher. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33114171 (Maybe that changed when Hope Solo's video playing with her growler appeared on line!!!). I pointed out that the pinnacle of the game (the Woman's WC) had half empty stadiums, even when the hosts were playing. The demand is not there. The TV companies will not pay the big money for rights to air it. Therefore wages won't be equal. I think I am right in saying that Messi earns three & a half times more in a week, than the best paid woman footballer in Spain earns in a year.

Absolutely. I sometimes think that the striving for equality (which is understandable) sometimes is not the best thing. As the England player mentioned, if pitches were smaller, it would - or could - be better. But I guess it will never happen, as if it did, then that could be seen as an admission that the woman's game is inferior to the men's, rather than just being different. Look to cricket - the women's game seem to have it right there. While bowling etc is slower, the boundaries are closer. You've got Chris Gayle who can hit a ball over 100m but there aren't any women who can do that (or are there?). So they have adapted the pitch to suit the players' physical abilities. Yes, it is easier to do in cricket without visually admitting women are weaker (you've still got the 22 yard wicket which is the most important thing), but maybe the women's (football) game should be more pragmatic.