BTRFTG

What negativity? I said he took his goals really well today. I also reminded the quality of his finishing was wholly uncharacteristic. For us in the Championship that's 5 goals in 70 appearances. That's partly why, save others points deductions, we'd be looking at Div 1 next year.

Did really well yesterday but as for give him a chance - he's had loads. As I said I'd love him to prove me wrong but I don't think he ever will. Remind, what's his stats to date? What do you suggest?

You don't like Premier solidarity, you'll be happy to forgo the sums they pay City in excess of that City fans punt through the turnstiles. Yeah, I thought not....

Semenyo's finishes today were out if this world. Given previous, beyond comprehension. Unfortunately one swallow does not a summer make. He is not nor ever was the future. I'd love him to make me eat my words. He won't.

The 8 had, for obvious reasons, only their own and their family interests at heart. Lest not forget they were given their registrations such they could earn their livings elsewhere, plus eventually received around half the value of their outstanding contracts. Those who were around remember the detail well and, no, we don't sing that stupid song.

Any club seeking to blame Covid for 'losses' (sic) in asset value should automatically be deducted additional points for having the gall so to do. By all means adjust and report losses incurred by changes in accounting practice but that's something the club chooses to do and has sweet FA to do with Covid. Some folks appear to forget the purpose and basis of accounting. It provides a useful tool to one wishing to assess or gauge value AND RISK but is not nor ever has been a guarantee of aforementioned value. In signing a player all one is guaranteed is liability against contract value. All else is subjective speculation, in reality players are all worthless. One may place a value on them but only market & time will prove whether that was in the right quantum. A player gets crocked or dies they're worthless, hence why clubs insure them (Sala and Cardiff a prime example of poor risk management in respect of their valuation of him.) Transfer values in the UK are primarily dictated by Premier monies and whilst there was some impact from Covid it was marginal compared to their main income source, which wasn't impacted at all and which, perversely, may increase future income. If you want to see the future look at the NFL. Although much of last & this season saw reduced capacity stadiums the Commissioner wasn't shy in publishing their key money making stat - of the top 100 US TV audiences in 2021 91 were live NFL games, top 16 all NFL, 48 of the top 50 NFL. TV, Advertisers Sponsors want those numbers, fans in stadia are atmosphere chicken-feed. It's easy to blame Covid for folks finally cottoning-on that football had financially become unsustainable. If Covid wasn't the final straw, something else would have been. Downward adjustment had to happen.

Haven't seen Gunner & the boys for ages, possibly as the main contact this side decanted himself to Sweden many years ago. Top lads.

One imagines the existing Use Case consent to be Sui Generis ( football, training, medical, conference, admin, educational, entertainment, retail et al.) In which case that expires once application is made (essentially saying the infrastructure no longer matches the existing Use Case consent.) For those implying change might be to B2/8, C3 etc then there could be a big impairment in value in respect of CIL & S106. Whilst Derby Council could 'help out' by dropping S106 fees, CIl is fixed.

Looked up my old programmes. Pertti came initially on a pre-season loan from IFK Eskilstuna (the team I couldn't recall,) where he'd been playing for 18 months since he got cut from Malaga. Eskilstuna were playing in the northern half of the regional 2nd Tier of Swedish football, which was a mixture of some pros playing alongside part-timers (doesn't say which Pertti was.) Many Pro contracts were seasonal given the way in which leagues were suspended or varied according to the prevailing weather. City played them in a pre-season friendly when on their Swedish tour, which I believe was in the middle of their season. I'd forgotten that although he scored on his League debut for City he actually made his first appearance at Frankie Prince's testimonial (for good reason I didn't attend,) but he also figured in the Moscow Dynamo game which I was at though all memory erased owing to what happened to (my hero) Collier that night. Amazingly, when he signed after the trial we paid £50k for him. No wonder we went bust.

No room for Henry McKop or Jehad Muntasser?

Tarantini- to quote Warren Zevon: "...his hair was PERFECT."

Afterwards he may well have played in the Swedish top flight ( Vasteras rings a bell) but we bought him from an unknown lower tier bunch of part-timers near Stockholm (can't recall their name.) I'm 99% sure, as in Finland, he was a full-time fireman there. Despite his dream start he was so far out of his depth he went from Div 1 to fighting fires back in his hometown.

Whisper quietly but such is the squeeze on newspapers these days there are many official and unofficial tie-ups, with journos squatting at desks in each other's offices sharing info. DT & Reach (Mirror, Evil et al) started a sports collaboration for football prior to Russia 2018.

Now this is worth a thread on its own. What, perchance might NTTDS' favourite band be? 'Grand Funk Railroad' is probably the right age bracket but they had few hits this side of the pond. Perchance early 80s guitar band 'Daniel Takes A Train'? If so NTTDS' they've reformed and you're in luck. One founding member is a neighbour of mine so I'm sure you'll be good for a backstage pass.....

Has FFP caused clubs to moderate their spending? No. For those with private, deep pockets does loan to stock conversion make a wholesale mockery of FFP's measures? Sure as hell it does. In which case why does FFP exist?

As has been demonstrated over and over FFP has nothing to do with attempting to bring sanity to football's failed finances and EVERYTHING to do with it being a protectionist cartel by a dozen or so of Europe's biggest clubs to ensure they may never be displaced within that hierarchy.

If Gould really believes that attributed to him in The Evil, rather than it being a strategic communication ploy, then City truly are screwed. First up, City haven't lost nor will they lose anywhere near the sum quoted as a result of Covid. Last reporting period the virus cost City somewhere between £8-9m (lost income minus reduced operating costs.) Add in City's historic operating losses and you're bang on the money. That loss is in the same quantum as the liability incurred in signing 'Kaki' Wells and however poor he is few would argue he alone caused City to breach (the meaningless) FFP. Secondly, whilst all fans know City are a selling club from where the hell did this 'player trading policy' appear? Hidden behind one of the numerous pillars? What actually does the policy say as I've never heard City say they've signed a player in an attempt to flip him later on at a profit? But let's run with Gould's 'policy'. As CEO he'll know from 'policy' leads 'process' from which leads 'procedure'. At minimum I'd have thought the 'process' to take the form of a rolling review, probably 3-4 year cycle, in which players are categorized as to actions to be taken. One assumes categories to be of the form 'Required Sale' (both short & mid term,) 'Retain Key', 'Retain Runaround', 'End of Career' and 'Offload at First Chance'. Now the blindest Pew would have spotted pre Covid that City's quality player cupboard was Mother Hubbard. Assuming there are folks at the club who understand football they'd also appreciate City's squad are top-heavy in the latter two categories and do not be fooled into thinking 'End of Career' excludes some not long out of nappies. As for procedure: take the case of CoD. Footballing waste of space, zero end product, given ten chances too many. So when he got ideas above his station, made clear he was off to pastures bigger and brighter than AG, the appropriate procedure would have been for the CEO to have informed him: "There's the door, use it." And when the market clearly demonstrated the worth of CoD's talent (sic) the procedure was not to feel sorry for his crocodile tears by offering him a new contract. In recent times City have landed more CoDs than Grimsby Docks. More plausible than Gould's raw deflections are conspiracist arguments that Lansdown has had enough and is manoeuvering a route out. Perchance Championship clubs collectively will seek to play their 'get out of jail' cards allowing owners to offload the folly of their 'investments'.

As a freelance he has to 'create' stories to sell, though with his track record God only knows who'd buy them?

As in 'ferret' Slarti? In the Open End on debut I had heard him called 'Bellend' as in profile and sporting that Joanna Lumley 'Purdey' haircut he came with, he looked like a giant phallus. Unless memory fails I think the reason he didn't last long is it later transpired he wasn't so much a professional footballer, rather a fireman who turned out at amateur level.

Exactly, came from Ottery St Mary and returned to Saltash United. He wasn't the only player of that type but what they lacked in talent they made up for effort and commitment. It's lack of those qualities I despise with the current crop.

For those of a certain vintage watching Leeds supporters going apoplectic during their drubbing tonight gives the same warm glow as a quality, pre-xmas cognac slipping down nicely.

Like all clubs City do that, not we'd ever get near the licenced approvals.

It's comparative. I thought Paul Williams technically the worst, others cite similar from that era, but in their cases I have nothing but admiration for them. They knew they were playing out of their depth but they tried, making the best of their meagre talents whilst rewarded a pittance for so doing. They kept the club going. Martin and Wells may have (marginally,) superior talent but given the utterly ludicrous salaries they earn and their apparent disinterest in applying the limited skills they have, they're truly rock bottom.

Law 12 is pretty specific on the subject. Is cupping ears excessive? Not if the person gesturing has been systematically abused previously, I'd argue. Making offensive gestures would be but gesturing, 'what was that you said?' that's deserved in my book. Note proscribing removal of shirts or covering faces was directly in response to complaints from sponsors, nothing about being excessive or provocative. Sponsors pay a fortune so sure as hell want the camera to closely focus on the centre of attention, images to be repeated long after their sponsorship may have lapsed.

It's a fairly standard strategy for large buildings with unknown or irregular footfall. I used to be responsible for dozens of buildings, many highly secure, but you still adopt a similar protocol given, though they shouldn't, punters will tailgate and do things they should not.