ENSKIED

Ok, so for argument's sake let's say you're right, what you're confirming then Batman there is or certainly could be bias in Plymouth - right? Lets say for example we're in a pub with err "Jan-cunians" or indeed a Jan-cunian stronghold there is every chance there could be bias against Lallana because he plays for Liverpool - agreed? Whereas Instant classic in his post unequivocally and deterministically states and I quote "I'm in Plymouth as well so there is no bias whatsoever" He also states "the rest of the people ergo "everybody" thought Lallana was $hit" so it's fair to deduce no "Janner-pudlians" were probably in the pub, most especially since Lallana was probably England's best player on this occasion.

That's not my knowledge of Plymouth, for a big city it's a bit of a footy wilderness, Argyle have been dire and dying for years [ sad I know] and it's thus something of a Manc outpost, ergo lots of glory hunting "plassy" Mancs there who do perhaps have a bias agenda in regard to err Liverpool.

Yes, an excellent question WG. Wasn't it Jimmy Hill who helped eradicate the maximum wage which was something like £10 per week? I read somewhere or other about that and how the likes of Stanley Matthews the first superstar footballer sometimes picked up £6-8 if he was lucky.

That's highly selective, nowhere in this debate WG, for my part at least, have I used the term Saints. This for me isn't merely about The Saints per se, it is about the Global Phenomena that is football and what may be going on in terms of the immense amounts of money generated, which of course will have ramifications on The Saints. As for accounts they will always tell you what those who produce them want them too, the only crime is getting caught, FIFA themslves in the form of Sepp Blatter et al, EUFA in the shape of Platini and of course they are the ruling bodies! Abramovich, Shinawatra, Hicks and Gillette, Messi along with Alladyce, Neymar, Juventus, Barca etc. etc. the thing is when it comes to the clubs themselves billionaires can hold off most law suites to such an extent getting them through courts can be a mammoth and very lengthy expensive task, which they often "bank" on [pun intended] though some do get caught but of course by no means all. For them it's all about the money honey and any prestige they can milk, that's why the billionaires are involved. Stan Kroenke's statement summed it all up when he said " I didn't buy Arsenal to win trophies," their fans went ape over that, but in a sense at least he's honest in that he's a super rich American with no real love for the game other than the money that is in it and potentially in it.

Yes because the billionaires have bought the game, now they are the only one's who indeed "can afford it", but that still doesn't answer the question "why?" So let's ask this question, are they billionaires because they lose money or because they acquire it? Obviously the latter? If that is indeed the correct answer then we have a good to very strong notion why the billionaires have bought into the game, which in its turn brings us back to the orginal question - where is all the money going?

It may be worth attempting to answer the question rasied virtue of a couple of other questions, why are Billionaires many of whom have little to no undertsanding or love for the game whatsoever involved? Have they simply bought into the phenomena that is global football on some charitable concept or other? Hardly, they are in it, as is almost evryone else, to mine the rich gold seam that is football.

Yeah probably true, Re: his bad back, his grasping, greedy agent was probably on it.

Liverpool have sold Benteke for some £32 mill, not loaned him, why would they continue to pay him, partially or otherwise?

What you offer there in case you are oblivious to it, actually substantiates the validity of the initial question I raised, for now it seems Henry is probably a "mate" of Puels;) So like I intimated above in my second post on the matter, this can now go back and forth like a tennis ball, on the "I / we need to be right" basis. However, luckily for us as I say we are about to find out if Claude is actually what some claim, "everyone talks a good fight only a few can produce it" - are we not? And that will settle the matter, at least for some of us it will.

In your opinion of course. You've reduced the plural to a singular, as whether "he" had to comment at all is doubtful, since it becomes incumbent upon the likes of Henry and Laurens to comment, it's what they usually get paid rather handsomely for and of course Puel being French, French pundits will be called in to comment. Basic diplomacy at this stage precludes anything contentious such as, "he'll struggle or he'll be out of his depth" it's always the well trodden path at this "stage" of the proceedings to spin the positives. No matter what, all conjecture aside we are about to find out whether Puel can cut the moutarde de dijon or not . . . . . are we not?

Begging the question, given they are both French would they be likely to say anything else at this stage?

So no doctors in Burnley huh? Or is his agent hoping to entice the Mancs in, in some fanciful fantasy or other, I think we should be told!

Sadly that's getting desperate. Sounds like if Koeman wasn't at Everton they would have lost 0-3. Lovren was being driven in car when within 50 metres of Anfield and his driver making a right turn, there was a crash some 20 or so metres behind them, sounds like if he hadn't ever signed for Liverpool the crash would not have happened.

There's nothing that turns PEOPLE'S heads more - period.

Which sums up every single football forum there is, as adriansfc duly intimated.

That's the Professor [and others] taught a valuable lesson.

Thanks for that David! An excellent and well-written piece about a great footballer I knew little about.

As well as being honest let's also be fair they reached two finals last seaon one Domestic one European many clubs don't reach one in a generation.

But a rich tool, getting even richer.

Now we can perhaps appreciate how good Mane is. Everton fans seem to be worrying already.

Also helps reaffirm the Scousehampton connection . . . .

? Liverpool reached two Cup Finals last year; one domestic, one European, no doubt clawing in millions £££ en route. Newcastle won err relegation . . . . . yet again.

Are you claiming Les is Dyslexic ?

Understand what you are attempting here,however BB, here's the caveat, if it's all speculation it can't be baaed on facts.

Not sure what your disagreeing with IRL, a pot stirred keeps the contents from settling, the analogy in that context complies with what you are claiming ergo unsettling Mane. However, it has to be said no doubt the type of unsettling both he and his agent seek and desire. In that we have also have to face the fact that if you're working for a salary of say 30K and a company somewhere else offers you 120k plus a lump sum of say 500k to join them, what's the chances of you turning them down? To reiterate such "unsettling" is what Mane, in common with many players, desires for it is all about the money.