shurlock

Rest assured pal, stripes are still slimming.

Really?

Might have looked slightly better if they had followed the design of the away and third kits and broken the solid black up by adding thin lines or bleeding it into the main red and white. Anyway nothing to lose any sleep over.

The video’s utterly cringeworthy - a confused in-joke on a minor scandal involving a few rich yank college kids that 99.9% of the population has never heard or doesn’t care about. Convoluted much?

The third kit’s alright. I see saint lard is living up to his ITK credentials as usual.

We’ve had the bra kit, only fitting we now have the y-fronts.

https://mobile.twitter.com/rando__/status/1129116949412294656

Some big chances are going begging.

Abysmal quality.

Did someone say banter?

S.... Are Your New Team Sponsor.

I see every poundshop Clausewitz is coming out of the woodwork

Sickening elitism.

Nice collar. Stick a jumper and jacket over it and you could pass off as a trainee estate agent. Or Jordan Sibley.

Game on. Some of the defending tonight and yesterday has been shocking.

Beyond parody self-righteousness. If that club was a poster, it’d be soggy.

John Barnes no longer the flavour of the month, then?

Not sure what you’ve been reading. I don’t think I’ve ever claimed that the club is being run well. Quite the opposite. And I can’t think of many on here who dismiss “everything else” as a conspiracy. Let’s be clear what my position is: I am sceptical that Goa’s purchase of the club has much to do with the city of Southampton and the UK -in particular, that it’s part of a wider, state-sponsored drive to catapult Lander Sports into the UK construction and infrastructure market. By contrast, I’ve always maintained that, if Goa has a bigger agenda (beyond diversifying his wealth), it’s a domestic, Chinese one: whether its using the club’s reputation and know-how to build football academies in China or cater to some other local market. That’s also the position of many who are apparently ‘dismissive’ of you.

Buffalo’s a ****hole.

Couldn’t read the full article. But the excerpts are quite interesting. Always thought the likes of Chadwick who claim that the purchase of the club is part of some grand strategic plan by the Chinese state going beyond football or sport were barking up the wrong tree. The article would appear to support this position. The squirrel is hiding elsewhere. The article also highlights that there are communication problems between the club and owners which is very interesting, though not particularly surprising. It’s not just the fans who are in the dark; but it also appears the club in many respects. It also suggests that unless you’re part of Goa’s inner circle and Chinese-speaking, anyone claiming to be ITK about the club’s status (see the tiresome nod nod wink winks on this thread) is likely chatting s**t.

Yeh but at least we’ve now sold out all the pitch-side advertising.

The big problem in China is that tax revenue is far more centralised than spending. Local government collects about 60% of total taxes (though it has very little say over how the base or rate is defined or set). By contrast, local government accounts for roughly 85% of general government budgetary spending -everything from health and education to the public pension system and unemployment insurance which is virtually unique in the world. Many local governments are therefore reliant on transfers from central government which can be highly unpredictable and politicised. Not surprisingly many have significant deficits -and have turned to various activities -offbudget borrowing, speculative investment and predatory taxation etc- to finance their spending. Unless there’s real fiscal reform in China to address these imbalances, some of this will likely end in tears.

Leaving aside the fact that the club forcefully denies these links, let’s remember that the lander stake was sold to a state agency at the municipal or city-level, Chengdu State Assets Administration Commission. Of course, China being China, Chengdu’s economy is big but it shouldn’t been confused with the Chinese state as a whole, not least as local government in China has always enjoyed a significant amount of autonomy.

Asian American please

Not according to the club. They’re claiming that the club is funded by the Gao family’s own private wealth.