The Football Thread.

TTony

Philly_Q said:

On the other hand, as Brighton have shown today,

, that Man Utd are as bad as I can remember for a very long time.


But, back to Spurs.

Romero is immense.  If he can cut-out the silly give away passes, he’s a top top player.  Spurs finally seem to have a defence!  Well, 3/4 of a defence - just need a right (wing) back who can cross, tackle, and knows where the goal line is.  We’ve somehow gone from brilliant RBs (Walker, Trippier) to Aurier & then Royal.  Whoops.

Liverpool were lucky to score.

Spurs we’re unlucky not to score more.

TTony

DrCornelius said:

scrumhalf said:

I'm worn out after watching that. Some heroic performances and, let's be honest, a big dollop of luck for Liverpool.

Typical Spurs, we beat Man City twice, draw with Liverpol twice and arse it up against Brighton and Brentford.

watching that tonight must have been positive though, you only seem a couple of players away from being in the mix for next season

A decent RB (see above) and Dele from 4-5 years ago as a creative, goal-scoring midfielder.  

Apart from that, a bit of strength in depth to cover for the inevitable injuries, and I’d be happy.

scrumhalf

Dele wouldn't get into Conte's team. Dele played at his best when he had Eriksen to put him through with some tremendous passes. When Eriksen left Spurs Dele's game just disappeared.

There's a clamour for Eriksen to return and, fine player though he is you have to wonder if he's a Conte player.

We need wing backs who are as good in their position as our most reent signings are in theirs. Romero, Kulusevski and Bentancour have been brilliant acquisitions. We could also do with better cover at centre back and perhaps another forward to back up Kane and the quite magnificent Son.

Sonny is just brilliant. Not only ios he a great player but he always smiles and gives the impression of enjoying what he does for a living. When he renewed his contract there was no fanfare, no trying to negotiate in the newspapers or holding the club to ransom. He signed it quietly and got on with being a brilliant player.

TTony

Agree completely re Son.

A proper footballer, in every respect. 

scrumhalf

Klopp was his usual graceless self in the post-match interview, criticising Spurs for the sheer effrontery in not just waving his team through to score as they pleased. 

axisus

Wow, man U really are sh*te these days. Well done Brighton, the fans must have really enjoyed that one. Bringing in Ralf was yet another shockingly poor decision. The guy isn't even a manager FFS! 

In better news (for me) Luton have made the playoffs! Yaaaay! For a team that wasn't even in the league 8 years ago and had a budget of 7m this year (according to the BBC), that is an amazing achievement. I don't expect them to go up of course, but just to be there is brilliant.

NorthernGooner

axisus said:

Wow, man U really are sh*te these days. Well done Brighton, the fans must have really enjoyed that one. Bringing in Ralf was yet another shockingly poor decision. The guy isn't even a manager FFS! 

In better news (for me) Luton have made the playoffs! Yaaaay! For a team that wasn't even in the league 8 years ago and had a budget of 7m this year (according to the BBC), that is an amazing achievement. I don't expect them to go up of course, but just to be there is brilliant.

Happy days  *sigh* 

NorthernGooner

TTony said:

DrCornelius said:

scrumhalf said:

I'm worn out after watching that. Some heroic performances and, let's be honest, a big dollop of luck for Liverpool.

Typical Spurs, we beat Man City twice, draw with Liverpol twice and arse it up against Brighton and Brentford.

watching that tonight must have been positive though, you only seem a couple of players away from being in the mix for next season

A decent RB (see above) and Dele from 4-5 years ago as a creative, goal-scoring midfielder.  

Apart from that, a bit of strength in depth to cover for the inevitable injuries, and I’d be happy.

On a serious note |I'm just amazed that the Spuds aren't above the Gooners in the league. When you think they have taken 8 points off of Citeh and Liverpool  this season. Injuries and Harry's sulk I guess. They've played some great fast counter attacking football as well. Much prefer watching them to our lot.

guitars4you

Well I'm sure it will please many, but looks like the lads from Leeds may well be back in the EFL in a few days time - Was hoping Chelsea might have one eye on the Cup Final this weekend, but they still need a few more points to ensure a CL place, so no easy points on offer Wed night at ER - Then we have Brighton (H) + Brentford (A) - Maybe they have nothing to play for but some pride, plus of course the desire to put the final nail in the coffin 

Even 5 points might not see us safe, plus based on our last 2/3 games I'm not sure where 1 point is coming from 

The plus point in the EFL is that it is easier to get tickets for home matches - Had a right fight this year picking up tickets when I can make it, and that is even with a priority Membership 

DrCornelius

guitars4you said:

Well I'm sure it will please many, but looks like the lads from Leeds may well be back in the EFL in a few days time - Was hoping Chelsea might have one eye on the Cup Final this weekend, but they still need a few more points to ensure a CL place, so no easy points on offer Wed night at ER - Then we have Brighton (H) + Brentford (A) - Maybe they have nothing to play for but some pride, plus of course the desire to put the final nail in the coffin 

Even 5 points might not see us safe, plus based on our last 2/3 games I'm not sure where 1 point is coming from 

The plus point in the EFL is that it is easier to get tickets for home matches - Had a right fight this year picking up tickets when I can make it, and that is even with a priority Membership 

Hate to say it as a Palace fan but Brighton are finally looking like the quality team that Potter has been moulding over the past few seasons . If they had a decent centre forward they could be next seasons West Ham 

Lestratcaster

Nervy win vs Leeds yesterday but got over the line. Have to keep Nketiah now the way he's come in and got some goals. Even if we sign a new striker (or two) he's gotta stay as backup. Ayling's a bellend for that tackle on Martinelli. Right in the corner and the ball was almost out of play. Just why? Could have done some serious damage. Makes the Tottenham game on Thursday pretty tasty though if we just avoid defeat and win our remaining two games we'll get that 4th spot. Arteta's done well considering what's he had to work with and the start of the season. I thought Tomiyasu was solid as a LB and Cedric did better at RB (though his crossing his crap at times)
Serious reinforcements needs to come in this summer though, proper cover for Tierney (Tavares isn't reliable enough), new central midfielder who's better than Xhaka/Lokonga/Elneny to play alongside Partey. And two new strikers.

Philly_Q

DrCornelius said:

Hate to say it as a Palace fan but Brighton are finally looking like the quality team that Potter has been moulding over the past few seasons . If they had a decent centre forward they could be next seasons West Ham 

I like Graham Potter, even though I was gutted when he left Swansea after one season.  Palace is actually my nearest club geographically speaking, so if I wanted to follow a Premier League team they'd be the logical choice, but I'm pleased to see Brighton doing well.

thecolourbox

I hoped Potter would come to us (West Brom) when he was still in Scandinavia and looking likely to get a job over here. He did play for us back in the 90s - if I recall correctly he was a pretty unremarkable left back and had an unfortunate nickname which would be problematic if I repeated it now (think Beano characters, with the same surname). But he seems to have his head screwed on and plays good football, shaping his teams over time to what he wants.

I think he also had Dan Ashworth in the scouting team for a while, he was the main reason we at West Brom did well for a while as his recruitment was excellent.

Good to see Brighton doing well, seem a likeable club in general and have built very well over the years

mudslide73

thecolourbox said:

I hoped Potter would come to us (West Brom) when he was still in Scandinavia and looking likely to get a job over here. He did play for us back in the 90s - if I recall correctly he was a pretty unremarkable left back and had an unfortunate nickname which would be problematic if I repeated it now (think Beano characters, with the same surname). But he seems to have his head screwed on and plays good football, shaping his teams over time to what he wants.

I think he also had Dan Ashworth in the scouting team for a while, he was the main reason we at West Brom did well for a while as his recruitment was excellent.

Good to see Brighton doing well, seem a likeable club in general and have built very well over the years

Dashworth is at Newcastle now iirc but can't officially start until Nov due to disagreement over Brighton's compo deal. I dare say they've started behind the scenes. Roy and Dan leaving was the start of our decline imo - Darth Tony papered over the cracks but it's all come home to roost now of course.

AustrianJohn

mudslide73 said:

Dashworth is at Newcastle now iirc but can't officially start until Nov due to disagreement over Brighton's compo deal. I dare say they've started behind the scenes. Roy and Dan leaving was the start of our decline imo - Darth Tony papered over the cracks but it's all come home to roost now of course.

I like Dan Burn, but he wouldn't get a game for Brighton now. Cucurella is a much better option at LWB or on the left of a back three. 

And as we've just beaten Arsenal, Spurs and Wolves away, then hammered Man U 4-0, I can live with the cracks being papered over. 

guitars4you

AustrianJohn said:

mudslide73 said:

Dashworth is at Newcastle now iirc but can't officially start until Nov due to disagreement over Brighton's compo deal. I dare say they've started behind the scenes. Roy and Dan leaving was the start of our decline imo - Darth Tony papered over the cracks but it's all come home to roost now of course.

I like Dan Burn, but he wouldn't get a game for Brighton now. Cucurella is a much better option at LWB or on the left of a back three. 

And as we've just beaten Arsenal, Spurs and Wolves away, then hammered Man U 4-0, I can live with the cracks being papered over. 

Was unsure to what you might be referring to, so just had a bit of a google around and found this article - Scary stuff but not on their own with regards to such levels of debt/losses posted - https://www.wearebrighton.com/newsopinion/a-53-4m-loss-and-what-else-we-learnt-from-brighton-2020-21-accounts/ - especially this section - The Albion are now one of the biggest loss making clubs in Premier League history

The biggest takeaway from the 2020-21 Brighton accounts appears to be that in just four top flight seasons, the Albion have managed to enter the list of the top 10 biggest loss makers in Premier League history.

Of the 50 teams to have played in the competition since Sky Sports founded English football in 1992, those who have lost more than Brighton’s £270 million are Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland, Fulham, West Ham United and Middlesbrough.

Every other club on the list has spent at least double the amount of time as Brighton in the Premier League to rack up their losses. For the Albion to be there already is in one waye quite impressive but in another way bloody scary.

I have not posted this as a nah nah na na nah, having a go statement - Just that I was not aware of Brighton's financial position and it makes interesting reading  - Maybe like Leicester I see them as a smaller family club with a good spirit, who have both competed well in a 'big boy's' environment - They have played some nice stuff this year, with some good results to back it up - The question for both them and Wolves and/or who ever reaches that #8/#9 position in the PL, is where can you go next - What investment is required to move up a notch and is it sustainable, both with regards to funds required and position in the table

The PL is certainly a 2, maybe even 3 tier league - You have the established hierarchy who generally occupy the top 6-8 places - So then it is a fight to be the best of the rest - Whereby you are clear of any relegation battle, yet not quite ready for Europe - Then for large parts of the season a relegation battle with 6-8 clubs often involved until we get to the home straight, with currently 3 fighting to survive 

TTony

guitars4you said:

The biggest takeaway from the 2020-21 Brighton accounts appears to be that in just four top flight seasons, the Albion have managed to enter the list of the top 10 biggest loss makers in Premier League history.

IIRC, B&HA had some financial issues relating to their original stadium - weren't they homeless for a while?

If the investment necessary to fund a new stadium is included in those figures, then that might explain the financials.  Can't see that they spend a lot on transfer fees, nor recruit a lot of the highly paid mercenaries who infest many other clubs.



As a Spurs fan, I understand that a new stadium can be quite costly ....

guitars4you

TTony said:

guitars4you said:

The biggest takeaway from the 2020-21 Brighton accounts appears to be that in just four top flight seasons, the Albion have managed to enter the list of the top 10 biggest loss makers in Premier League history.

IIRC, B&HA had some financial issues relating to their original stadium - weren't they homeless for a while?

If the investment necessary to fund a new stadium is included in those figures, then that might explain the financials.  Can't see that they spend a lot on transfer fees, nor recruit a lot of the highly paid mercenaries who infest many other clubs.



As a Spurs fan, I understand that a new stadium can be quite costly ....

But such 'capital expenditure' with a very long term 'useage' can surely be 'accounted' for over many years - Think you spent around 1 billion - I suppose 1 billion divide by 20 years is still £50 million - Plus any loan costs on such a project - But in reality you can equally divide 1 billion by 30 or 40 years - But TBH I'm not sure the accepted level of accountancy on such an investment - Well outside the cost of me buying shop premises 

But then surely the new stadium, brings in more than an additional 50 million a year, compared to doing nothing and staying at White Hart Lane - Be it extra tickets sales, corporate boxes/match day visits, function room events, even 'tourism' - Football stadiums no longer only open 20 or so days a year 

thecolourbox

AustrianJohn said:

mudslide73 said:

Dashworth is at Newcastle now iirc but can't officially start until Nov due to disagreement over Brighton's compo deal. I dare say they've started behind the scenes. Roy and Dan leaving was the start of our decline imo - Darth Tony papered over the cracks but it's all come home to roost now of course.

I like Dan Burn, but he wouldn't get a game for Brighton now. Cucurella is a much better option at LWB or on the left of a back three. 

And as we've just beaten Arsenal, Spurs and Wolves away, then hammered Man U 4-0, I can live with the cracks being papered over. 

Mr Mudslide was on about "the other Albion" there, West Brom, rather than Brighton. At one point we had Dan Ashworth and Roy Hodgson in charge and were doing very well, they both left for England and then we fell apart. Darth Pulis keeping us just afloat enough to not go down until we all got bored to death and got rid of him. And then got relegated.

Although interesting your cross-purposes has led to some interesting discussion about Brighton - hopefully the losses don't cause it all to ground to a halt

AustrianJohn

TTony said:

guitars4you said:

The biggest takeaway from the 2020-21 Brighton accounts appears to be that in just four top flight seasons, the Albion have managed to enter the list of the top 10 biggest loss makers in Premier League history.

IIRC, B&HA had some financial issues relating to their original stadium - weren't they homeless for a while?

If the investment necessary to fund a new stadium is included in those figures, then that might explain the financials.  Can't see that they spend a lot on transfer fees, nor recruit a lot of the highly paid mercenaries who infest many other clubs.

As a Spurs fan, I understand that a new stadium can be quite costly ....

The Amex cost over £100 million. 

I thought the original comment was about footballing success with or without Dan Burn, hence my original response.

Having sold Burn for £13 million and White for £50 million the new accounts should be better. And as Tony Bloom is unlikely to ask for his loan to be repaid, any debt to him could be considered as shareholder equity - which Villa and Newcastle have done to balance their books.

Having said that - I really don't understand football club finances.