stevegrant

We don't seem to have bowled too badly to their top order, which is encouraging, but once again it's the lower/middle-order that's caused us the most pain. They're 51/3 in the second innings, but with a lead of 260+ already and more than a day and a half remaining, they'll be in no great hurry to score quickly.

Hmm. Bournemouth-based Keith Stroud will referee Reading v Bournemouth tonight. Nothing iffy there...

People seem surprised that someone with a long injury record and a 39-year-old might have fitness problems Once again, we've done alright against the top order but let the lower-middle order take the game away from us. Luke Wright and Ben Brown got 250 of their 444 runs at 6 and 7. Still, get up to 350/400 with the bat and we shouldn't lose.

Well, quite. Ready-made replacement, and we all know that McInnes and Awford fell out ages ago. No, that was Steve Evans, sadly.

Seems fairly clear that Gary Waddock will get the job on a permanent basis, he's got a fair amount of experience at that level already, and won promotion with Wycombe in 2010/11.

Noooooooooooooo! Awful sacked

He's not getting another high-profile job any time soon, certainly won't be in the running for the England job when Hodgson eventually calls it a day, and he only released an autobiography last year. There is literally no reason for any self-respecting journalist to attempt to keep in Redknapp's good books these days. Fortunately, it seems as if Ben Smith doesn't fall into that category.

If he can tear himself away from the bookies for long enough

And according to that not-entirely-believable table that was on here a week or so ago, he's being paid more than £2k a week for the privilege

Reading failed to beat Blackpool last night, I don't think that's much of a concern

It's had a European place for years. Since 1967, in fact, although initially UEFA stipulated that the winner could only participate in the Fairs Cup if they were in the top division, so QPR (in 1967) and Swindon (in 1969) didn't qualify despite winning the League Cup. When UEFA ditched the Cup Winners' Cup and expanded the UEFA Cup instead (later to become the Europa League), there were "considerations" to removing the European place for the winners, but they were never pursued and so England and France's Coupe de Ligue both continue to provide a Europa League place to the winners, but as the lowest-ranked position, so they enter in the third qualifying round.

The "second domestic cup winner" position in both England and France (who are the only two nations with two EL-qualifying cup competitions) is the lowest-ranked position, so had Sheffield United gone on to win the League Cup, they'd have gone into the third qualifying round. As Chelsea won it, and they've more or less already qualified for the CL, the EL place for that competition reverts to the next position in the PL. As a result, it's possible to have the oddity whereby Liverpool win the FA Cup, finish 7th, but go into the EL group stage whereas the team finishing 6th has to play in the qualifying rounds.

Not true, or at least the wording of the decision by the UEFA organising committee in 2013 is ambiguous enough to not state that exactly. The bold bit is the key, it makes no mention of having already qualified for the Europa League via the final championship standings.

If it's an Arsenal v Liverpool final, we have no concerns (or, indeed, as long as Arsenal go on to win it, regardless of final opposition). Potential scenarios: Arsenal v Liverpool, Arsenal win: Arsenal in the Champions League, so Europa League (group stage) place goes to the next highest place in the Premier League instead. Arsenal v Liverpool, Liverpool win: Liverpool get EL place (group stage), Arsenal already in CL, Liverpool likely to have also qualified for EL through PL, so the PL places shift down one (if Liverpool finish 5th or 6th, that would mean 5th/6th into group stage, 7th into 3rd qualifying round) Arsenal v Villa or Blackburn, Arsenal win: Arsenal in the CL, so EL (group stage) place goes to the next highest place in the PL. Arsenal v Villa or Blackburn, Villa or Blackburn win: Villa or Blackburn get EL place (group stage). 7th in PL does NOT qualify. Reading v Liverpool, Liverpool win: Liverpool likely to have already qualified for EL through PL, so Reading get EL (group stage) place. However, IF Liverpool only finish 7th in PL, Reading would miss out to 5th/6th in PL. Reading v Liverpool, Reading win: Reading get EL (group stage) place. Liverpool only in EL if they finish top 6 in PL. Reading v Villa or Blackburn, anyone wins: winner gets EL (group stage) place. 5th also gets group stage place, 6th in 3rd qualifying round.

A pleasant surprise for you

90+5

I find it incredibly difficult to believe that even they would pay a League Two player £8,462 a week

Third qualifying round (almost certainly 7th place): 30th July/6th August Playoff round: 20th August/27th August Group stage (5th/6th place): 17th September

It's fair to say it received mixed reactions in Warwickshire, given the amount of support that comes from Coventry, Warwick, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, etc. The club justified it on the basis that the city council had been very supportive over the years with ground redevelopment plans, funding, etc. In other news, we're playing Loughborough MCCU today, piled on 185/1 up to lunch with Carberry unbeaten on 99.

Let them think they're fine and we're in all sorts of bother. It's ****ing funny. :lol:

Assuming they have accounted properly (yes, yes, I know), income should be accounted for in the period in which the service is provided, so all season ticket money received before the financial year end should be carried across into the following year.

Not yet, they're not. The Football League's FFP regulations were vastly different to the Premier League's when they first introduced them, with much tighter loss restrictions - financial penalties kicked in after an £8m loss (or £3m if the owner(s) don't inject equity) in the FL compared to the rolling £105m over 3 years permitted by the PL. In addition, the PL refused to take any role in collecting fines levied by the FL to clubs who gained promotion off the back of overspending, meaning that if a club got promoted and then never went back down, the FL would never see that fine money. Since Brian Mawhinney stood down as chairman, the Football League has been seen as a bit of a pushover when it comes to sanctioning clubs for serious breaches. Pompey were spared a points deduction for failing to satisfy an agreed CVA, despite a precedent when other clubs committed a similar offence, Sunderland fielded an ineligible player in the League Cup (the FL's competition) but rather than be forced to replay the game or be kicked out of the competition (as the FA would do in the FA Cup in all circumstances), they were allowed to carry on, and got to the final. The solidarity payments will have been budgeted for by each of the 72 clubs well in advance, there's no way they could afford to let the league **** it away in the High Court.

Operating profit and *actual* profit are significantly different things.

League Two wage bill of £3.85m. Jesus ****ing christ.