General Premier League Thread 2024-25

I'm pointing out why he is saying people won't recognise players on the bench.

International caps means you're more recognisable.

I say it frequently, but I’ve never seen a team get on the good side of as many refereeing decisions as Newcastle

Was having this conversation recently with the lads in work. It's the suble things they get away with. They seem to play on the physical edge the whole time, and get so few fouls and cards given against them.

Pope and Newcastle with the cynical time wasting is killing the game for me

I’d love to see Pep take a job like West Ham. Potter should have stayed away from there, and their supporters don’t deserve much anyway, stadium half empty at full time.

Easiest home ticket to buy in the league

I'm saying that Rashford, Antony and Sancho are more recognisable than the players he was referring to on the bench, partly because they're capped, I mentioned the Nations they play for, England and Brazil, which obviously also comes into it also

I feel you're trying to deliberately misunderstand the point. I'm trying to highlight what differs those Man United players from the other Man United players on the bench the other day. Because that was big Jim's point

Yeah, I think it is fair that Utd had to eliminate costs as a massive imperative. Based on the reporting around Utd's headcount, the Glazers ran the business with vast malaise and inertia. While it is right to say the most significant contributor to unprofitability is the cost of the first-team squad and their failures on the pitch, a lean back office and club culture are more likely to foster better player-related decisions.

Utd needs to let bad contracts run down, try to move nonperforming assets away on cut-price deals, loans, etc., and strictly focus on younger players with upside mixed in with short-term veterans to solve specific needs. In the short term, this will not align with better success on the pitch. Much as laying off working-class admin staff at a football club, overpaying chancers will lead to bad press.

Directionally, it all makes sense. In 2 - 3 years, the club could have significant chunks of debt cleared, with a streamlined back office operation allied to a more valuable squad with 90%+ good value contracts. Amorim may not survive that, but it doesn't matter. The club's foundations will be rebuilt, and a platform for success will again exist for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

However, the decisions made around Ashworth and Ten Haag, allied to the missteps in Radcliffe's personal utterances, may be causes for concern. I don't find him very impressive (YMMV), and the fundamental arrangement with the Glazers creates limitations that are hard to work around. The essential question is whether INEOS has a framework for attracting staff and players to beat the competition over time. The jury is out on that so far.

Monday : “We haven’t a pot to piss in and all the cuts we’re making to non playing staff were necessary for the club’s very survival “

Tuesday: “Here’s our plans for a brand new €2bn stadium “

Where’s the sense in that?

I expect every City Council and football club in Britain will be watching this very closely as to where the funding is going to come from.

That’s exactly why I said other City Councils and Football Clubs will be watching it very closely - to make sure it stays that way.
It’s no secret they flew some kites for public monies in the early planning stages.

Summer 2022 - here are massive financial losses for the Club
Summer 2023 - here are massive financial losses for the Club
Summer 2024 - here are massive financial losses for the Club
Monday - the club has been spending more than it has earned for 7 years. We have to cut costs.
Monday - I have had to invest 300m and we have been taking on debt every year to cover the losses.
Monday - we expect to return to massive profitability in 3 years.
Monday - The stadium project is financeable and we will look for no government funding.
Tuesday - here is the stadium we want to build and complete within 5 to 7 years.

HoW Is tHIs PossIBLe!?

That new stadium is a microcosm of the world now….billionaires who have sucked the life out the clubs now turning to The State looking for a handout to build it. It should make any right thinking person sick.

You really think this is the smoking gun?? Really?

I will humour you though…firstly its not as if Madrid suffered in this time and needed those players so I would say thats a huge part. Who is Aguero getting in ahead of with Ronaldo and Benzema there? Aguero ex Atletico Madrid on a long contract doesnt strike me as the sort of player they needed or wanted so its hardly the shock you are making it out to be. Why would they spend 100m or so on a second choice striker? And for the record there were loads of links plenty of times throughout his career in the tabloids. Google is your friend here.

Same logic applies to KDB, Madrid had an abundance of players that KDB wasnt essential kroos modric bale hazard etc etc. Again there were tabloid links of KDB to Madrid albeit much less than Aguero but they existed.

David Silva was linked every year with a move back to Spain but again would he have got into the Barca team? Would they have spent all the required money(as city would have wanted, rightly, a huge transfer fee)on a squad player. Spain struggled enough accommodating Silva with most the Barcelona team so adding in Messi it wouldn’t have worked, in reality they didnt need him and neither did Real.

If a big club wanted a city player they could have got them if they paid the fee, Sane to Bayern a great example of that. It wasnt impossible like you suggest(multiple times over the years in fact you have suggested this). Outside of Barca/Real/Bayern who else could attract and afford a city player? And as a player you get the chance to challenge(and likely win) lots of silverware, you get to train at some of best facilities in the world, you get coached by one of the greatest coaches of all time, you get to play with a squad of world class players and you get a top salary. Maybe that was enough for players? Is that too hard to grasp or are you insisting that they want all that and then a shitload of cash on the side via unofficial routes?

Can't let facts get in the way of taking pot shots

Not a Utd fan so no clue on how hard it is to get tickets for their matches; would they be able to fill an extra 26,000 seats each week?

They are limited on how they can spend for the next while so it is hard to see them finishing in the top 8 next season, with 5 places in the CL this year there will be another team with the chance to get a deeper squad. There could be 2 or 3 teams getting an unexpected CL place; Forest & Newcastle, etc.

Obviously Utd or Spurs could get a CL place via the Europa League as I don't think there is much quality in it with the new format, i.e. 3rd place from the group stages of the CL moving into that competition.