Whitey Grandad

In a way it is exactly that. We are not trying to score goals. We are afraid of taking risks and would rather try to keep possession instead.

No matter how bad a manager they might be, three clubs are going to be promoted.

Nor I. If you can’t see the sleight of hand then you never will. Employees will find out soon enough when the next round of pay rises come under discussion.

If you really think that 13 points is ‘doing OK’ then you must be Lucy and I claim my £5

You learn something every day, if you take the time to look. I found this, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23634720

Most? Sauce!

I sometimes suspect that you really believe that.

Continue playing?

Cards started in the 1970 World Cup. Branfoot became manager in June 1991.

See, they have totally conned you. In my time I have paid enough NI for my employees to know what I’m talking about. To any employer their NI contribution is lumped in with the employee’s total salary. The government steal it before the employee ever sees it. If you’re an employer who’s thinking about employing someone (hint: don’t) then the two categories of NI are considered together. You might like to try the exercise of calculating the marginal rate of taxes for a middle earning worker once you include the employer’s contribution in the total remuneration. And whilst we’re here, let’s not forget that although pensioners don’t pay NI their employers do. Make no mistake. This is an increase in tax on workers. Where do you think this money comes from?

Did it ever achieve that? 😉

This is the trick that they have pulled on you. It’s paid by the employer on the employee’s behalf but it’s part of the employee’s salary. You’re looking at it from the employee’s viewpoint. Try looking at it from the point of view of the employer.

No, and this is one of my bugbears. The employers contribution is just as much a part of your salary as what you eventually get in your pocket. It's part of your remuneration as all the rest. The fact that the government creams it off before you see it is irrelevant. It makes your marginal tax rate higher thab they would like you to know. It's a payroll tax but it's your money beore it gets stolen from you. Other countries vary. When I had a company in France every month we had a payroll to approve and on top of the net salary there was a long list of enforced contributions, maybe 10 items incluing various insurances and even a perecntage that went to the local chamber of commerce which is why these are seen there as government bodies rather than local trade associations. When I was in Denmark however I ws told that the money that the employer paid all went to the employee without deductions and it was up to the individual to settle up with the goverment. This is one of the reasons why you have to be careful when comparing international salaries.

I Blame Baden-Powell

That's the problem with this pass it across the back system. One mistake and they're through.

Yes. Just throwing players in at random is never going to create a team and is going to get us nowhere. Which is exactly where we are now.

And the longer we persist with this the harder it will be to change.

It's not one or the other, they're the same thing. Employers' contributions are part of the employees' remuneration.

Can we really afford to experiment?

Dead beat

Clutching at straws. And grabbing hold of thin air.

Soon we shall be two years in and back where we started but in a worse position.

It’s a load of balls.

Agreed. My heart sinks when we pass the ball forward to a midfielder in space who doesn’t even turn and have a look upfield. Every time the ball is pinged back first time somewhere in the world another butterfly dies and the game I love turns into the game I loathe.

He only knows one thing.