Saint86

Its very obvious that certain players have used PR firms to right their messages. Its also extremely obvious that the vast number of them have waited to see which way the wind was blowing.

My crude two cents on the 50+1 rule. Government/FA/EFL/EPL etc should make it a condition of takeovers that no party can purchase more than 49%. There should then be scheme put in place, whereby clubs are required to make available a certain percentage of ownership to fans over a set timetable. This can be based on the club valuation, and it wouldn't require those "shares" to be sold, just that they were available to buy at a regulated price. Supporters' groups would then have the opportunity to secure ownership as and when the funding was available. A more drastic option, is that the government (at some level or another) buys out owners at certain times and returns clubs to a community ownership / council ownership etc. But acknowledge that is extremely far fetched and would have huge working issues.

Yup. He's certainly trying to make that argument. Also, the whole "new fans" malarky is basically saying, we are going to take the clubs, forget the fans, and become Real Franchise FC. The only reason their clubs may have falling fanbases, is because their leagues have zero competition and people are bored. And this is why. This is about them getting a bigger (and secured) slice of the pie (long term). Something they can never lose. They will hapily play the long game, getting more and more wealth and stopping others competing, but ultimately that is where it is headed. And it has to be stopped now, before general apathy and a new "lower hope" trend is established in the pyramids and smaller clubs. But this ultimately is the compromise they are after, but there can be no compromise on this. Its a slippery slope with no going back. The issue is however, that our clubs are owned by businessmen who won't want to risk lising out, wheras as fans, we'd probably risk our clubs going to the wall and fighting our way back, rather than have a meaningless existence as a feeder club that can never even dream of playing at the top table.

Amazon, Netflix and even google/youtube i reckon. Be good to see significant points deductions and relegation (for some) of the big six for this. And obviously immediately being kicked out of Europe and losing any prize money etc. Chuck in a transfer ban for a few windows as well. Let them have a crack at being like the rest of us then see how they like the locked glass ceiling concept.

On this as well, might be a chance to merge with the scottish leagues? Get Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Hearts, Dons as well? Probably wouldn't happen, but some of those are better clubs that some of our top 6 put it that way.

Of course they'll survive. Their owner might not. But worst case a club that size just goes into administration and gets bought out as one superb investment. It is laughable that people are even discussing what Perez said. When he says they are ruined, he means the owners. They've bet the house on trying to stay ahead of the competition by any means necessary and are at risk of losing it all. But if their clubs do get into trouble then they'll be another billionaire owner waiting in the wings to snap them up on the cheap.

Call their bluff and they have no product. Ultimately the big 6 should now be booted out of the league for me, or at least the current incarnations of their clubs. Let it be a lesson to other owners who would do this. Offer up the golden share to the supporters groups and see if they can form a team if it comes to it. If anything, this whole thing has a potential to be a catalyst for change and has highlighted just how the wealthy business men have taken the people's game, and the work and love of millions of people over a hundred plus years, and tried to farm it and then steal it. I would summarily pull the trigger on all of them, boot them from their leagues, boot them from the CL, ban any player who plays in the ESL from international football (laughable that they even suggest this is illegal - the Football Associations of each country will do it just for trying to damage grass routes and the football pyramid)... then leave them the franchises and owners rot in just another MLS/China/UAE league - a bunch of mercenary players at souless clubs, all playing in a pseudo competition. No top players, no competition, the same stale format, and no fans/atmosphere. Sod em all. Feel for their fans, overnight they've all woken up and realised their club is now more hated than MK Don's - no small feet! And there can be no compromise here. It will just be a death by a thousand cuts instead of straight away. They'll slowly eek out more and more monetary advantage, weaken the other competitions, and suck up all the players and talent. What will they have, an A team for the ESL, and a B-team for the prem? And what of the prem? they don't need to win it as it would be worth less and not required for qualification?!?! They would have zero place in it imo. And then the TV monies would drop as the competition dies, and this would spiral all down the leagues. Clubs going bust left right and centre, and not ones with huge fanbases able to reform. Hundreds if not thousands of staff losing jobs, fans and communities having a significant part of themselves taken away. No there can be no compromise, they have well and truly tipped their hand, time to boot them out and take the short term pain to restructure the game for the better. Even the prize pool for the new league is fixed. The permanent members get half the pot locked away secure, so even if say a Leicester won a league and qualified, then won the ESL, they'd only get half of say Real Madrid who wouldn't even progress to the latter rounds.

And that isn't even remotely an exaggeration.

Absolutely shocking performance. No ideas, hardly any impetus or attacking play in an FA Cup semi final. Manager makes one change from a dire performance against WBA and then waits until the 83rd minute to change formation. Disgrace. The team and manager are very lucky they don't have to face fans in the stadium.

Game after game after game, we have zero creativity, never look like scoring, give away easy goals and are a delight to play against. The manger seems totally unable to recognise this or make a change. He's got the rest of the season to show some improvement or I think no one could criticise him being sacked at this point. I thought we'd actually turn up for this cup semi final game... How wrong was I.

We could play until next weekend and wouldn't have a shot on target.

Absolutely shocking performance. No ideas, hardly any impetus or attacking play in an FA Cup semi final. Manager makes one change from a dire performance against WBA and then waits until the 83rd minute to change formation. Disgrace.

Feel that the reward for piss poor performance last week seems to be a starting fa cup semi spot. Weak from Ralph.

Mind me asking how the sponsor logos / club crest etc. are? Well attached or likely to start coming off after a couple of washes?

It wasn't.

Damn right. Also Just what the players, fanbase, and club (as a whole need) when going into an FA Cup semi final. And yet strangely, some of our fans struggle to understand why people criticise our support at times.... The mind boggles. The amount of negativity from fans going into an FA Cup semi final is unbelievable. The team is safe in the prem with 6 games to go, and we've got the prospect of a cup final to look forward to. How on earth did said fans manage in League 1...

He stamps on Ings' achilies, ruins all our dreams for the season, then Ings leaves? 😱 Edit - this scenario might actually result in Ings still being a saint next season 😅

We were top 4 over a 38game period in 2020.

I've been behind the manager all season, but we are certainly in danger of limping over the line. Lose the cup semi and continue our current league form and his position is surely very tentative for a lot of fans (being kind) come mid-may?!?! I can't relate the teams current play with that of the first half of the season? Are the players all jaded and have had enough / on holiday?? Has Ralph simply been sussed out by the other managers in the league? Or has he lost the balance and setup that was working? - because right now we are so very very poor! I want to think that with a summer break and a squad refresh we'll be back to our best next season.... but I also think that a continuation of our current form and performances would mean keeping Ralph is a huge gamble from the board. I am sure all of us thought performances would improve once the squad came back to fitness - but they haven't!

He very clearly is better than, "lower premier league player". And regardless, he is one of our best players.... Fuck me, but some of our fans absolutely lose their shit when things are going bad. I genuinely wonder how we survived as a fanbase on our way down the leagues.

Think i'd drop Diallo, bring Stuart into CM with JWP, and play redmond / walcott on the wings with Che and Danny up front. We're too lightweight with Diallo in CM and Redmond up front. Che brings us physicality and Stuart is far superior to Diallo. Without Che up front we will lose imo as we have zero physical threat and hold up play. Arguments could be made for picking Djenpo over walcott, but either way, our 4 wide men of Redmond/Theo/Djenpo/Tella should all expect a run out imo. Bednarek has been struggling of late, but I am not sure Salisu is ready yet. Would be a big call to chance the CB pairing for a semi final. Would give Macca a recall. Injuries are such that any other changes are probably unreasonable. Macca KWP Vestergard Bednarek(or salisu) Bertrand JWP Armstrong Walcott/Djenpo Redmond Che Ings

Well we definitely got away with one tonight imo, not that it had any bearing.

Leicester will be licking their lips.

On the basis that it would involve beating city (chasing the quadruple) in a Wembley cup final, i think no saints fan should be under any illusions just how slim our chances of winning the cup are. For that reason alone i fully concur. It would be a 10/10 season. Given the insane wealth and squad disparity between our two clubs, it would be an equal achievement with 1976 for me.

Yup. 3 of those goals you'd think he could have done better for as well ^_^