who will have the more lol liverpool career?

nah, one taste of it and you want it every year, who am I kidding :(

Ideal situation sees RA celebrating his win by setting John Terry on fire.

Well the clubs who win the most will make the most money will pay the best wages will get the best players because they do so they can win the most.

― if there is a King Kenny, apparently he is huge into slapstick. (a hoy hoy), Wednesday, 2 February 2011 13:36 (5 minutes ago)

this logic may seem immutable to you, but to me it traduces what a football club should be

I think our culture of having the manager run everything is a big problem. It is fine when it is Moyes or Wenger and they will never be fired but most managers have 6 months to prove themselves and so fuck it, spend all the money to try to prove yourself and not care about the youth system/bring in your own coaches and new scouts and physios etc. etc. - Lyon got it right in part because they would just tell the manager that morning that X is coming and that Y (Y can equal a new signing or promoted yut) wouldn't be in training anymore and he was to get back to working out the best tactics for that weekend.

What was the figure in Why England Lose... there is a 98% correlation between wages spent and league place, while fuck all correlation between transfer spending. Also helps that Barca can spend so much on wages when you get yr Xavi for free and not for £70m like he'd cost on the market.

yeah well, clubs should be in a perpetual slow-build-and-simultaneous-realisation loop - arsenal do that pretty well and don't tend to bully other clubs with their cash AS MUCH as some of the others, but they still wield it when they 'have to'

a good youth setup should be mandatory for every football club. it should be the lifeblood.

and other cliches

I like the idea of the 18 smaller Spanish clubs colluding to lose every single game against the big 2 as a means of protest. Even if that means no Osasuna 1-0 Real Madrid

'I just really hope Chelsea win the CL asap and Roman subsequently says 'ok game over, hope u had fun', would be fitting'

You know, I'd kind of be happy with that too. What happens, happens.

arsenal do that pretty well and don't tend to bully other clubs with their cash AS MUCH as some of the others, but they still wield it when they 'have to'

Can you give me... 1 example to back this up?

All clubs should have an academy and when in 10 years the Bundesliga is untouchable as the best league in the world making the most money and being watched by the most people winning the most trophies, everyone might sort their shit out. But probably not.

Spending up to £10m oa time on Southampton schoolkids not really in the business plan of most clubs.

Barca wages aren't that insane.messi makes loads,but less than your tevez,terry,rooney etc. in epl afaik.xavi,iniesta a step down.puyol,pique another step down.busquets and valdes again,whatever.

Only reason they have insufficient competition is a) they're amazing, b) mou is no pellegrini,lol.

messi is on £275k a week and is the highest earning footballer in the world

competition is more than 1 other team

the top 2 have no competition at all, and none feasible

also lol

arsenal buy youngsters, yeah - it's still flashing the cash, although in mitigation these youngsters know they'll get a thorough football education and probably tell themselves with some truth that they're going for aesthetic/footballing reasons

that said, you can get a thorough if less-heralded football education at any professional club

I don't see what is bullying about the Theo transfer though? Southampton wanted (/needed - lol finances etc.) to sell, set a price and we were one of many clubs to do so?

It's bullying - the fact they 'needed' to sell is indicative of a football culture where bullying is not just endemic but mandatory

anyway I bet Nasri cost a packet

huh? its a sign of being badly run and getting relegated while still paying top level wages and building a stadium they couldn't afford

messi is on £275k a week

woah. And low, low taxes to boot

Also, who or what is 'benjamin' and why isn't he/she/it posting here? Could be Carroll to darragh's Torres

he/she/it is my best friend and is quite wary of messageboards so I wouldn't bank on it. will tell him about ILF though, he may approve. although do we really need another spurs fan?

Hm, fair point.

Is he Irish as well? Or a proper kosher fan?

yeah he has refused :( but you still get his gchat wisdom now and then, he's got this thing about not commenting to the internet personally but is cool if I quote him

he's got irish blood yeah!

me: i posted our conversation to the 'I Love Football' messageboard and now someone's requested you start posting there :D
Benjamin: well I won't
i'm afraid
me: haha
i had thought so
Benjamin: due to the 'no comment on the internet' policy
me: ah well
Benjamin: but feel free to upload my wisdom
me: that will be no problem
Benjamin: now
for the real discussion
let's kick blacks out of football

a sad loss

hahahahahaha

Obv figures are based on conjecture as cronaldo is widely reported as best paid footballer and afaik yaya toure,who didn't always get a game for barca,gets paid more than any of their players at city. Alves going the same way for same reason in summer.

Lj spanish football has only just became such a tiered system between top tier and rest.couple of years,hardly scotland yet.

Does Carroll still have to live with Kevin Nolan?

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

a new challenger appears...

any truth in the rumour jonjo shelvey posted a pic of his jonjo on twitter

lol "a new challenger appears"...can hear the bad synth brass in my head

So glad Suarez started well.

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=jonjo+shelvey

MrJoebangles_: lol jonjo shelvey put a pic of his tallywacker on twitter... LAD

Carroll needs to sort it out obv.

Bah, doesn't matter. Skilful players are all very well, but it's hard to beat having a big, fearless, bone-headed guy to line up behind. You want to try it sometime.

― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, February 1, 2011 1:11 PM (1 year ago)

how'd i miss this un

big andy's first prem half-season was pure thrills and no snooty revanchism can ever take that away so ner imo

its the final sideswipe at a hoy hoy that makes it, imagining a counterfactual where wenger sold rvp and bought pogrebnyak

and the winner is... luis? idk really, both were p lol

yeah, you called it

Coutinho/sturridge next pls