Window Cleaner

Their annual disillusion is upon them. They just don't have the squad you need to make top 4 nowadays unless you can go a whole season à la Leicester with hardly any injuries. Liverpool do seem to get at least their fair share of mid to long term injuries. Coutinho, Henderson,Mané, Lallana must have or will miss at least 10 games this season I think.

But surely that's because you've altered results by employing players, coaches and means for which you can't pay. Doubt if any of the clubs involved would have gone into administration because they paid a bit more tax or NI.

As I explained further down (or up depending which way you read the forum). The 4 arrested in France are players agents and the affair is about agents arranging for players to pay less tax and NI in the UK by using devious image rights schemes. Marseille are famous for this in their 2 previous incarnations and I'm sure they're involved if only passively by not denouncing the practice. HMRC have obviously had a tip off from someone who didn't get his cut. What is quite strange is that the Corsican Financial Affairs bureau is in some way involved and that's probably mafia or nationalist related. UK clubs won't gets points deductions for this because it's revenue matter, no-one is suggesting that there's anything illegal which affects sporting performances, just a measly 5 million in lost tax and NI revenues.

so that gives us a far more limited number of players. Batshuayi,Luiz, Zouma, Azpilicueta. 2 of whom came from where....yep you've guessed it...Marseille. Marseille have been under the microscope for various trading offences for about as long as I can remember, most of them (apart from buying the odd match that is) involve illegal payments to agents.

Points deductions for what? Employing players who use doubtful french agents, don't think so. Chelsea are also seemingly slightly involved, don't think they'll be getting any points deductions either although Spurs fans probably hope they will.

Perhaps it does but occult in it's true sense means hidden, clandestine or secret. Comes from the latin occultus I expect which means exactly those things. Now when you're talking of witchcraft, sorcery and the "old gods" you need to put "the" in front of it.

4 French players agents arrested apparently, don't know who though. It's obviously about transfers between French clubs and West Ham and Newcastle (maybe others). Base seems to be about occult image rights not declared for N.I and Income Tax purposes. Now methinks you can bet your old boots that this is about Marseille (at least amongst others) again.

There's a predicted 11 million £ difference between 8th and 13th I think.

Seems it's a lot of things if you believe the meedjah. Transfers and agent activities are also being cited. Now over the buying and selling of Payet from and to those dubious folk around the OM I could well believe that. The OM is a three ringed circus and anyone who has any dealings with them will probably come out of it smelling of shîte.

Ah well, still a good start to the season though. A win and two nearly wins. Makes a change from hoping for rain to save us as at times last season.

Imagine that were just waiting for Ballance to make his highest first class score (211) and then we'll wrap it up as a draw.

We'll see but right now the match seems to be slipping away again, same as last Monday really. Or maybe not, got that elusive first wicket of the day, unfortunately it's not Ballance.

We will not be in the Europa League next season....

Looks like we need a couple of quickish wickets this morning. Otherwise Ballance will have succeeded in preventing Hants from winning again all by himself.

Berg on fire today, 99 not out and now 3 for 19...

Still chronically slow going for Hant's tail end. Wondering if scoring 3 runs every 2 overs is really getting us any advantage. Would we not be better to have a swing, get what we get and then let our pacemen get at them.

Could it be that the wicket isn't any too easy this morning? I mean you'd not think that getting 70ish from about 25 overs would be any too hard would you, but it seems that we got pinned down by some pretty tidy bowling this morning. We'll see what happens when Abbott and Topley get at it eh.

It says that Manchester United isn't for everyone. Horrible club that ruins far more players than it improves.

Vince will eventually find form, he'll not be the first young player to be weighed down by captaincy. However his international failures won't have done him any good.

Looks like some solid batting from Hants, except for Vince of course but as I actually expect very little from him now I guess we can pass on that.

We're not good enough I'd guess. Seems to me that we're always missing a kick arse striker or a goal scoring midfielder. When we have the one we don't usually have the other.

Football is played on a patch of grass of about 100 yards by 50 yards. It's not played in accounts books, balance sheets or marketing data.

Nowhere near good enough for PSG. They've learnt their lesson with Ben Arfa.

Tottenham punching above their weight? They have one of the best sides in the PL, probably the best manager and probably the 2nd richest owner. How is that punching above their weight?

Long needs to be putting on his not being offside boots more than anything else.