Window Cleaner

Utd were never interested in the Cup this year, they already had their Dubai training camp organised for the 5th round dates.Although they'd probably say it was only provisional of course, strange that they got knocked by an injury time winner from Bony though.

If they did do-overs in any form of sport no encounter whatsoever would ever be finally decided. Already half the football games in the UK would have to be played again because one of the managers felt his side was robbed by the ref. We've seen that in the last couple of days, both Arsenal and City virtually eliminated from the CL already and both managers blame the refs. UK refereeing is "special" when teams get continental refs they get penalties and red cards given against them that UK refs just wave away and carry on.

Well we learnt yesterday that he is a big time stock market trader as well as a professional gambler and X-Film stunt man.

5 perhaps, can't see any more: Gaston,Dejan,Maya,Adam,Luke (perhaps).

Depends, the Cup this year is a hinderance to all those involvved in the WC, the team with the least WC players in it will probably win. FA Cup final 17/5, quite a few WC squads start to assemble on the 19th I think.

Not buying any of the "nothing has changed..business as usual" bolloaks then All depends why Cortese was sacked (not me,ask Toomer) I guess.

And Arsenal and Citeh took the Cup seriously are are now certainly eliminated from the CL.

I wish we had "reserves" like Sunderland's, they beat our first team less 2 players. If we had anything that you could call reserves we'd not be having these discussions every other week.

You are in fact wrong...well half wrong anyway. Under certain circumstances being 7th in the PL could lead to a qualification for the Europa League, those circumstances would also probably mean that we were qualified and the juggernaut Man U weren't. Man U not being in Europe in any way whatsoever would bring about wholesale change in English football and might well be desirable in the long term even if it only changed attitudes for a brief period. Whether those that govern football in the UK would let that happen I just couldn't say.

I saw it stated that we turned down offers for no less than 7 of our players in the last transfer window, can't remember where I saw it though, looked quite genuine.

Zero signings really is not an option. We need to sign at least 4 players if only to make up the numbers. We just cannot go through another passage like that of late last year where we had a complete duffers in goal at LB and at CB. People also need to stop with these illusions about "The Academy" we've pulled out what's useful just now, the rest lost 5-1 to Bournemouth today.

Monaco have to pay the FFF 50 million € to compete in the French League because their tax system gives them an unfair advantage,it isn't a tax in any way shape or form.Now the french clubs are to pay 75% additional tax (ceiliing 5 million€/player) for any member of their staff earning more than 1 million euros per annum ( ie every first teamer at Saints) . So when you take PSG who have what no doubt 20 players on more than 1 million/annum they are vastly handicapped compared to Monaco (but where any French player pays his tax in France, the French are not allowed fiscal domicile in Monaco). Now let me give you an example. Yohann Gourcuff earns about 6.5 miilion € /annum at Lyon, he pays his tax on that and then Lyon have to pay another 5.5m€x0.75 on top in addition to the 60 odd % social charges which they also incur. So a player now earn about 120K € a week will cost his club somewhere around 240K€/week. That's why they all fall over themselves to leave because the clubs just cannot pay top footballers salaries any more and all contracts will eventually be at lower salaries when they come up for renewal. The 50 million€ paid by Monaco is just a drop in the ocean, they get their share of TV money anyway and the FFF originally wanted 200 million.

I thought we played well against Arsenal without Lambert actually. Whole team looked far more vivacious.

Well at least Morrison won't be playing for them, loaned to QPR.

Valdes is supposed to be moving to Monaco this summer, whumper pay day and out of contract I think. Not much tax in Monaco, 10 million + to sign on and 100K a week of which you get to keep nearly everything, he'd be a fool not to do that.

I think we can now discount entirely any possibility of City beating Barcelona. Haven't seen the game but from what I've read it just goes to prove that any side is eventually only as good as it's weakest link.

I questioned this the other day, the usual cognoscenti assured me that it was because he's a good bloke who'd done a lot for us and should be rewarded for services past with a 3 year bumper payday for not playing much. I mean if,as Toomer keeps telling us, NC was sacked then you could see that that sort of thing wouldn't help his cause really. How much do you think a 3 year extension for Davis will cost us, 3+ million all told ? Why that's just a pure waste of money. He wasn't even playing much at the time we gave him the extension. On loaning out young players who are in our future plans I don't think we do that much now, apparently they might learn bad ways from other set-ups. That's what Mauricio said about Gazza anyway.

Next week I expect, Thursday maybe but as I've said before the club and the player will probably have already been tipped off. The usual system for international call ups is for any players likely to be involved (not always finally selected though) to be pre-selected in which notification is sent to the club, that happens perhaps a month before the game or so, then the final selection is announced about somewhere between 21 and 10 days before the game according to the usual practices of the federations.

Well that sounds as if it would make sense really, I mean physios know what they specifically need and CEOs probably don't. What's been happening then, I know you're dying to tell us. (Without attributing anything to club unnamed club sources of course )

If we want to be 6th they are and that is a possibility, it was the club's original target for this season in my view. How many spoke about Top 6, can't remember myself but I think it was enough to consider it might be considered possible. We need to make up 6 points on Everton and 3 on Utd, doable or not ? Each to his own opinion.

Only with defenders who are comfortable on the ball and with Morgan to bail him out when necessary. Utd away, if Morgan doesn't run 60 yards and effect the perfect sliding tackle on Welbeck because of a stupidly lost ball then we lost that game.

Be interesting to see how Hull handle the replay though, do they risk a reduced side against Cardiff (well it's Cardiff innit) because if they should lose they'll be close to serious trouble or do they put out a full side and take their chance against Brighton 2 days later. Bruce is already moaning about it, we would be as well.

We don't have any reserves, that is the problem. It would have to be the U21s against West Ham, can you imagine the furore that would cause when they smashed us 18-0 or so.

Have a look at the West Ham build up thread, I think someone was (maybe still is) offering one.

take it up with the PGMOL, isn't the CEO supposed to be a fan of ours. You'd think he'd tell them to cut us a bit of slack with Clattenburg wouldn't you, unless of course he's not pleased about not getting the CEO job (yet) of course.