CanadaSaint

Any streams for those of us outside the UK?

Pleased to see that. His aggressive running has the potential to replace what we used to get (and badly miss) from the now-unreliable Stuart Armstrong, although he obviously needs more maturity and greater composure when a chance comes his way.

And another worthwhile thread goes off the rails with off-topic jousting that will end up with it disappearing up its own arse. We are the Moussa Djenepo of web forums. Thanks to tajjuk for pointing us back in the general direction of the goal.

I've already said I'm not expecting any fireworks, so there was no suggestion of chucking money around, but I specifically referenced a keeper. Eighth seems like a pipe dream but it's hard to believe that we're only seven points away from it with all the crazy shit that's happened this year - especially the second half capitulations

I doubt it’s lost on them that we’re only 7 points away from 8th, so it depends on what their aspirations are.

They seem pretty shrewd, and I’m sure they know that that finalizing this just as the window opens creates a higher level of expectation. If they’re not willing to do something they would probably have waited. I’m not expecting fireworks but I think it’ll be smart squad improvement. I also suspect that part of their due diligence involved time on here, so they’ll be well aware that a keeper is a priority. 😂

Not just for our sake but for football’s sake, I really like what seems to be going on here. It’s always good to see the rich, arrogant, self-entitled behemoth get its ass kicked by the little guy whose success comes from prudence and ingenuity. Brentford have been such a breath of fresh air, and I found a lot to admire in Midtjylland even if it was our ass that was getting kicked. We can really start punching above our weight as well with Ankersen involved. It’s about time the rest of us found an answer to the Marie Antoinettes of the Premier League.

This is the critical question for me, because that loan is a major FFP constraint for us - a dollar spent on interest is a dollar that can't be spent on players and club improvement. I'm happy it has finally happened, but I'd be even happier - and more optimistic - if that loan is gone from our books. https://www.sportsadda.com/football/features/financial-fair-play-uefa-football-explained "What is counted under the Financial Fair Play regulations? To comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations, the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) stated that only a club's outgoings in the area of transfers, employee benefits (including wages), amortisation of transfers, financial costs and dividends will be included."

It's the only explanation I can think of for the 125 million/200 million disparity in the "price paid" stories. It also makes excellent sense of the goal is to make the club better able to fund a higher quality squad without throwing crazy money at transfer fees.

One of the biggest opportunities out there for clubs like us comes from the profligacy of the big clubs. They hoover up talent, especially young talent, much of which is very good but not good enough. The transfer fees aren't big but the wages have been a problem for us, especially with the loan swallowing a lot of our viability. I don't expect big-price transfers but good young talent and older free agents. I'm hoping that Semmen's comment "we're much better placed than we were yesterday" means that the loan gone.

From what I remember it was a high-risk interest rate - like 7.5%, which is way above regular corporate loan rates. That throttles the club's finances and probably plays (negatively) into the FFP equation. It also places major pressure on wage bill affordability which is why I mentioned free agents. But lenders don't usually let you pay out early without some penalties.

What I want to hear is that they've paid off the loan outright, if that's possible. That would transform the finances of the club, and pave the way for some quality signings - not necessarily paid transfers but free agents whose contracts have expired.

Clear strategy at work. Build Serbian following, rig the F.A. Cup draw for a Pompey clash that would make its predecessors look like bun fights.

Unless the timing was forced by Gao's situation, I wouldn't buy a club at the opening of the window unless I would be able to make a positive splash by doing something in it. If that's not possible, for FFP reasons or because I donn't have the extra cash, I'd wait until the window closes. Or is that too simplistic?

I "think" this is good news, but does anyone else feel rather comforted by the fact that Katharina is sticking around? It seems that the new group would have preferred her to walk, but I really think she takes "protecting her Father's legacy" very seriously.

I wish we had a striker who's half as good at striking as we are at de-railing threads.

I think it’s probably 125 million plus take on the 75 million debt, so effectively 200 million. He’s still taken a big hit, though. But if he has somehow shit in his own bed with the CCP top brass, or maybe even if he hasn’t, what suits him may be immaterial.

All of the potential buyers will be looking for value and sustainability - not just to throw a ton of money at it, and certainly not to take on the millstone of big, long term contracts for crap players. It’s almost like this deal has been in the offing for some time, but we would have to clear out the dross before it could happen. Bob Ratcliffe is big on “making our own”, and so will most of the others be. While our academy production has slipped, we’ve continued to invest in the academy infrastructure. That’s unrealized value, which makes us attractive. To me, INEOS, Red Bull and Redball are realistic hopes, and they do their business the way it should be done - quietly. It could be someone else, of course, but I can’t see any Barry’s or briefcases being in this.

Hopefully the club is pitching a strong argument at the PL authorities rather than waiting for the chinless wonders to postpone the game without consultation.

What about the rest of us riffraff? “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche?” 😂

We also need to bear in mind that he played for almost an hour without our established left sided CD alongside him. With that, and us being stretched because we were a player short, the odds were very much against him playing well, but he did.

There are many companies that raise this kind of money, and a fair number are either venture capitalists or have them as investors. Venture capitalists are focused on two things - a significant (and ideally quick) return, and an (investment) exit strategy. That pretty much makes them “chancers” in my book. Granted, though, RedBall seem to have a longer term focus and a broader strategy.

Thinking back to the infamous “Where will we finish?” thread, and the even more depressing Everton post match reaction, there aren’t many of us who would have foreseen us being on twenty points on Boxing Day. But onwards and upwards we go! 😇

Yep, sad isn’t it? I remember the superb performance he put in for us at Chelsea, but - like they say - it can be a cruel game.