MichaelThomas

Main thing for me is, as mentioned, the new owners crowing over the Olympic Stadium. It's such a crime for a stadium built for the Olympic Games to continue to be used for athletics isn't it. Why don't they build their own new stadium instead of trying to leech one?

I'm sure the club have been well in the loop with whatever deals the Premier League were getting on with. I'd imagine that they've been working as if it was there for next season. So I imagine it will make very little difference.

He never will. He's from the Sacchi school. How I long for the team of Barnes and Beardsley :wallbutt:

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I think something that would do some serious damage is if all the hon vice-presidents resigned with Moores (along with a public statement of course). If they all went at the same time, perhaps wrote a joint letter of resignation, take out some space in the Echo to print it, it would make a major statement. Surely DM could play a big part in making that reality.

He's 63 actually. That's 5 years for him to have the usual 5-year plan (and contract) and still only be Fergie's age. ;)

My main problem with the British market is how inflated it is. There are far better buys to be had abroad. Providing we can scout them a little better than we did Voronin or Babel however.

It's alright the Mancs moaning, but they brought it on themselves. That's what happens when you become a PLC, anyone can buy you. They sold themselves down the stockmarket river and are now paying the price for it. We on the other hand are different. The reason we are in this position is because Moores and Parry decided to sell to these clowns. Man Utd stopped being a football club a long time ago. We will too, unless we get rid of G&H.

What track record did Pep Guardiola have? Or Frank Rijkaard? How did Benitez get the Valencia job? Do you have any idea under what conditions managers operate in Spain and Italy?

He's a waste of space. Undoubted talent, no mental strength to speak of, little in the way of a footballing brain, and would rather be rapping than playing. And to think he thought he would keep his tweeting private by protecting his tweets ::)

I think that's the sugar daddy effect in some cases then. It was always common practice to stagger transfer fees over 12, 18, 24 months.

It's normal not to pay the whole transfer fee up front. It is usually paid over the course of a player's contract. So the Aquilani deal doesn't sound strange

I think you have a point but, it's clear we can do much much better. Here are just a few who would walk into our squad, and how much their clubs paid for them at certain points (before they got big) Luis Fabiano (bought by Porto for €10M before being sold to Sevilla) David Pizaro (bought by Roma, from Inter for €10M all in) Rafael Marquez (bought by Barcelona for €5M) Yaya Toure (bought by Barcelona for €9M) Gonzalez Higuain (bought by Real Madrid for €13M - that's almost a Babel) Daniel Pjanic (bought by Lyon for €8M) And Aly Cissokho when he was bought by Porto from Setubal They are out there, and they don't have to be big money. Would you rather Pizaro than Aquilani? Would you rather Toure than Lucas? Would you rather Fabiano than Kuyt? Would you rather Higuain than Babel? Or Cissoko than Dossena? Or Pjanic than Rieira?

I'm not re-writing history, but that line does annoy me. I'd say to take what the press say with a pinch of salt, or perhaps Chamakh is joining us for £25M, it's been widely reported........ All managers play politics, but managers from Spain and Italy are better at it, because they need to be. It's a constant power struggle within the club. For Benitez to give the impression Madrid want him is good politics.

I know that. But the first reason applies to Calderon's reign. And what you happen to *think* doesn't count as a reliable source. The OMG HE COULD LEAVE FOR REAL MADRID TOMORROW!! line always peddled is tosh.

Sorry, just wrong, right there. Can you get me one reliable source which says he has been offered the Real Madrid job when with us? From what I understand he has made the shortlist, but never been offered it. There are a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, his style of football is not what the Bernabeu crowd like, at all. And secondly (this is important) Florentino Perez does not get on with him. I also think to say he's had to put up with more rubbish than elsewhere is slightly exaggerated. In southern european football things like this happens all the time. In Spain there are elections for the president, each candidate often outlines who they will appoint, and all this whilst a coach is currently in the job. He also had to work with a sporting director who bought the players for him in Valencia. The conditions in which he operates here give him greater powers than he could ever expect with a Spanish club. And why did he choose Liverpool? There was an interview on Radio City which made it pretty clear that it was the 5-year contract which sealed it. Rafa wanted stability and job security, more so than money. He's had that by the bucket-load here.