Jimmy_D

Ma Chaine Sport have the TV rights for France. They used to sell rights in the USA but that went down the pan with Setanta iirc.

Chanrai is just a gambler chasing losses now.

In terms of English football vs Scottish football, here's how it breaks down in real terms. (ie. where the money comes from) English football attracts far more interest from foreign markets, The Championship is marketed in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweeden, France, Norway, and the huge market of Asia (although this doesn't include Japan and Korea). The SPL is marketed in Australia, Canada, France, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweeden. This means that, despite their obviously far higher attendances, and us not being in the Prem, Saints will have been watched this season by a number of people an order or two of magnitude higher than Celtic. These far higher viewing figures mean that advertising is more effective for those audiences (ie. fans buy products they see during matches. Yes, YOU personally might not, but enough do to make a huge difference). Some of the money companies can make extra from advertising pays for that advertising to the tv company. The tv company uses that money to buy the rights to show football from the league, and that money is distributed to the clubs themselves. That money is then ploughed back into the teams, helping to keep the league competitive, the matches entertaining, and the interest in watching high. This means that while Celtic fans might moan that the only reason English football is better is because of the Sky money, that money comes from exactly the same place as people going through the turnstiles, from the fans. It's not Sky that's made the English league the best in the world, it's the fans, from all over the world. If we get back to the Prem, those differences are even bigger, and that combined with the fact that England international players are very VERY rarely get selected from outside the English league, and you can make a strong case for why Southampton could be seen as a bigger draw for a player than Celtic. Most Celtic fans seem to be assuming that there's no chance of Hooper coming here because they see themselves as the far bigger club. I don't agree with that view, and that's the reason I think there's every chance we'll manage to sign Hooper.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/19/spl-scotland-champions-league

Heh. This. I've got a gut feeling we're going to get him. No ITK stuff, but it feels like we're going to make sure we sign Hooper as a statement of intent as much as needing the striker.

Beautiful That'll kill the game off, **** off Cotterill, and **** off their fans even more.

Can't wait to hear Cotterill after this game as long as we win...

Will almost certainly end up being 'Lee will rock you' we use most.

On SSN during the games last week, they were talking about the player that was bought on just to take the penalty, comparing him to special teams in NFL, and MLT piped up with 'I could make a comeback!' No, of course he wasn't being serious, but it did make me smile.

Alpine, I agree that sometimes you take abuse that you shouldn't, and we stop that where we can. You also need to remember that other posters are just as entitled to a more positive opinion than you, sometimes you react as if you're being personally abused when it's actually that your opinion is being disagreed with by a majority of posters. It sometimes comes across as personal because you're literally the only person with that opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_disinhibition_effect

Haha... Really? We outsung them the entire match, their support, considering they were handing out a beating to a 'rival' was quite frankly, embarrassing.

The officials **** upon us from a great height today. I'm seriously considering boycotting the next game we have D'Urso in charge. The fact we were clapping the players off after a 3-0 defeat says it all.

Not sure how you lot had enough luck left to get rid of Cotterill like you did I think West Ham will seriously fall away now, the team we probably have to keep an eye on most in terms of automatic places is Cardiff.

I predicted a top half finish with outside chance of playoffs before the start of the season. Revised that to expecting at least playoffs after 10 games. At the halfway point, I'd be disappointed with anything less than 2nd now.

We're a set of fans that are awesome when the team needs us. We're at our loudest when we're losing. Today's match was so comfortable it was unbelieveable. Palace had a total of two shots on target, both of which might as well have been back passes. It's no wonder the crowd sat back, relaxed, and just enjoyed the match. Especially with it being Boxing Day and a lot of them being one match a year fans there because of a Christmas Present etc.

And finally got around to finding and updating this again

And that's enough.

Oops, missed the other thread. Merged.

Not sure this actually needs a caption...

Looks like Chaplow might be back for the next game, so that'll make a difference. Not to mention this result might not be worth anything by the end of the season, depending on what happens to Pompey.

As long as we beat them at home I'll take that result. Still gutting to have not won after ****ing all over them like that.

Hah, see thier eyes? They're ****ing themselves.

'Where Pompey floundered'

First goal will be important, only Blackpool have stopped us taking full points after we've gone in front in something like 40 odd games.