Football

Not sparkling? Really? Disappointed

Years ago I saw Eric Cantona wandering around Carnaby street. He was much shorter than I expected, but the beard was epic. There were no sandwiches to report. Or beverages.

Eric eats Baguettes - End of

You are missing the point though, there are a lot of factors at play here.

For a British Premier League player, £20m is now what £5m was 10 years ago.

1) Every team has much more money, with the big TV deals, and money filtering down the pyramid from the sugar daddies transfers, £20m is small change
2) 8 home grown players in your squad. If you don't have them, you have to have a smaller squad, and there are only so many home grown players of a decent standard around.
3) Premier League experience, it's the safe option. Yep Hazard and Mata might be the flavour of the month (especially in Championship Manager playing circles), but will they cope with a wet February evening in Sunderland?
4) Teams like Aston Villa, Sunderland, Newcastle want to be where Liverpool are. Selling them their best players isn't going to help that happen.

All of these factors mean prices for these sort of players are going to seem crazy. But in the end it doesn't matter. If the Liverpool owners want to spend £100m on Phil Neville, then that's up to them, it's their money, and no concern of mine.

There is no point though, those figures for those distinctly average/shit players is just fucking the whole system up
£5m for Dowing 10yrs ago should still be £5m now. He's no better and older, it just doesn't make sense. We paid £11m for Yakubu 4yrs ago, why are we struggling to get rid for £3m

Your 'points' make no sense

Henderson, Downing, Carrol, all worth a about £5m each tops...in the real world. Read my post about my Mackem mates. They thought Christmas had come twice when tehy sold Jordan 'He's fuckin shite' Henderson to you* whoppers!

*When I say 'you' I mean Libpool, not Oxford Utd

The statement about every team having money is also massively out, the sky deal will drop off given the law on tvs showing european cable, the costs of running clubs (mainly wages) have shot up.

The main reason for the massive hike in prices is the dirty little agents, or deterrents by clubs and players greed. the recent transfer prices are genuinely shocking and we are near the end of the line, you'll see contracts that tie them to longer contracts with better wage packages.

Look at Tevez - who every stumps up that cash for him is clearly mad for two reasons. 1 he can't stay at a club for more than 2 years before he has to leave because of some personal issues, 2 how will that club sell him on and make money with his transfer fee so far above what it should be?

It's not personal issues that drive Tevez to leave. It's that Kia Punto. He's greedy.

With the 8 homegrown players (who don't have to be Engerlish do they?) rule, there's bound to be a premium for Young English players.Banging on about the price they go for is like moaning about water being wet or some such shit.

There is no point though, those figures for those distinctly average/shit players is just fucking the whole system up
£5m for Dowing 10yrs ago should still be £5m now. He's no better and older, it just doesn't make sense. We paid £11m for Yakubu 4yrs ago, why are we struggling to get rid for £3m

maybe the whole world is wrong and it's just you that's right?

you're not account for basic fiscal principals like inflation. Also I'm sure I read Downing as put more successful crosses in than any other play in the prem for the last 3? seasons... I suspect they want that for Andy Carroll don't you? plus liverpool need width
I'm sure if Downing didn't have a left foot like he does, he'd be significantly less in demand

Also Day-Moe is on the button again

I think the homegrown rule just means they have to have trained at the club for 3 years before they turn 21. They don't have to be English...which is how Arsenal pass so easily.

You are missing the point though, there are a lot of factors at play here.

For a British Premier League player, £20m is now what £5m was 10 years ago.

1) Every team has much more money, with the big TV deals, and money filtering down the pyramid from the sugar daddies transfers, £20m is small change

Saying every team has more money isn't really true though. None of the top 7 clubs bar Arsenal made a profit last year. They made a big £56 million profit due to the Highbury development. The only other premiership club to make a substantial profit was Wolves £9million and that was due to promotion and increase in TV money but not a big increase in wages. A few other clubs made minor profits but non that are significant.

Ok yes turnover may have increased but so have wages which pretty much cancel each other out. So basically teams are borrowing more against assets. They don't really have more money though they just accumulate more debt. We all know though that this isn't sustainable and can't last forever unless you have some rich owner like Chelsea and Man City who have pretty much bought or tried to buy success by throwing bucket loads of (dodgyish) money at the situation. Cue UEFA getting involved and trying to level out the field by bringing in much needed financial regulation to the game. Im still to be convinced it will work but if it doesn't we will see more clubs like Portsmouth and potentially Birmingham go under as almost all Premiership teams overspend.

To qualify as home grown, a player will have had to be registered for at least three seasons at an English or Welsh club between the ages of 16 and 21.

Cesc: Homegrown

Also, I see that Spurs have signed another promising teenager from Barcelona. Just like Dos Santos. Will 'arry give 'im a chance?

http://www.football365.com/news/21554/7033565/Downing-Could-Be-A-Moneyball-Buy

to summarise why Downing is going for bigger money than you think:
'135 - Stewart Downing has completed more crosses in open play than any other player in the Premier League over the last three seasons. Whip.'
'34.4 - Stewart Downing has averaged 34.4 appearances over the past five Premier League seasons. Reliable.'

Just because he's not eye catching doesn't mean he's not a good,effective, player. Reliable, gets crosses in, isn't a big time charlie potatoes (apart from going to student nights??). Who wouldn't want him?

I don't know, could someone find out, but how many goals came from his 134 crosses? I'll tweet opta joe.

There is no point though, those figures for those distinctly average/shit players is just fucking the whole system up

I gave 4 reasons, you just chose to ignore them.

Henderson, Downing, Carrol, all worth a about £5m each tops...in the real world. Read my post about my Mackem mates. They thought Christmas had come twice when tehy sold Jordan 'He's fuckin shite' Henderson to you* whoppers!

They are worth whatever a club wants to sell him for, and what a club want to buy him for, not whatever you think he's worth. Why on earth would Villa want to sell Downing for £5m?

The statement about every team having money is also massively out, the sky deal will drop off given the law on tvs showing european cable, the costs of running clubs (mainly wages) have shot up.

That's quite possible, but it's not there yet, hence the prices are so high.

you'll see contracts that tie them to longer contracts with better wage packages.

Fifa Article 17 makes that unlikely

I think the homegrown rule just means they have to have trained at the club for 3 years before they turn 21. They don't have to be English...which is how Arsenal pass so easily.

No, they don't have to be English but the majority will be.

Ok yes turnover may have increased but so have wages which pretty much cancel each other out. So basically teams are borrowing more against assets.

Well, yes that's goes hand in hand. Because they have more turnover they spend more. The worst team in the Prem now gets £35M in TV money, the best a lot more. The top teams have turnovers of well over £100M a year.

2) 8 home grown players in your squad. If you don't have them, you have to have a smaller squad, and there are only so many home grown players of a decent standard around.

I thought you could just completely ignore this rule as Chelsea and Man City do?

Home grown doesn't mean British. Cesc Fabregras, for example, is a home grown player.

I'll have to check, which I will, but if you're over in the UK before 18, and in the country for 3 years you count towards the home grown rule. Man City defo have meet the 8 home grown quota, can't think of Chelsea ones off of the top of my head though.

http://www.football365.com/news/21554/7033565/Downing-Could-Be-A-Moneyball-Buy

I don't know, could someone find out, but how many goals came from his 134 crosses? I'll tweet opta joe.

Well according to premier statistics he had 9 assists in the 2010-11 season. So I'm thinking not that many from 134 crosses. MInd you just 9 assists puts him in the top 12 for the year.

It's not just about goals, thinking about it. They will have to be successful passes in the crossing area. Or whatever the fuck opta counts them as.

Does that make sense?
He could have made 134 crosses
9 led to goals
but there may have been many more goalscoring opportunities created.

I think it might be better to look at how many of those crosses landed in the "danger zone"

Aaron Lennon probably sent in 133 crosses, but about 99 of them would have flown over everyone's head or gone out of bounds.

Good ol' David Beckham only had two crosses. Near post, far post. He told everyone else, I'm sticking it in either of those spots, so decide who's running where and you'll get the ball.

Incredibly effective.

David Beckham, Good at crosses, bad at naming babies.

Finally...

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/konchesky-sold-to-leicester

No, they don't have to be English but the majority will be.

State the bleeding obvious

I felt it had to be pointed out...

Not sure how can get those stats for Downing but yes he probably created quite a few more chances than the 9 times the ball actually crossed the white line.

@ John H yes increased turnover means more money but if your costs go up you don't really have more money do you. Clubs could have a turnover of 500 million but if their operating costs are 650 million the turnover is meaningless. The whole premier league is a train wreck waiting to happen. Clubs overpaying for average players and agents basically holding clubs to ransom is the biggest cause. You can say well they are only paying what the transfer market values them at but the market isn't really accurate when none of the clubs make a profit.

Not sure how can get those stats for Downing but yes he probably created quite a few more chances than the 9 times the ball actually crossed the white line.

@ John H yes increased turnover means more money but if your costs go up you don't really have more money do you. Clubs could have a turnover of 500 million but if their operating costs are 650 million the turnover is meaningless. The whole premier league is a train wreck waiting to happen. Clubs overpaying for average players and agents basically holding clubs to ransom is the biggest cause. You can say well they are only paying what the transfer market values them at but the market isn't really accurate when none of the clubs make a profit.

Grr double post

Right: Pistanator:
Carlton "goals" Cole vs Beckford

Double or quits?

@ John H yes increased turnover means more money but if your costs go up you don't really have more money do you. Clubs could have a turnover of 500 million but if their operating costs are 650 million the turnover is meaningless. The whole premier league is a train wreck waiting to happen. Clubs overpaying for average players and agents basically holding clubs to ransom is the biggest cause. You can say well they are only paying what the transfer market values them at but the market isn't really accurate when none of the clubs make a profit.

But the fact they don't make a profit is irrelevant to the transfer market values if clubs are still prepared to pay it, despite making a loss. It's simple supply and demand.

Is it a train wreck waiting to happen? Yes it is, I don't like it, but it is the reality. The Germans are the ones who are going to be laughing when it all goes tits up. Well, specifically Bayern are going to be laughing, no-one else has a pot to piss in due to their rules.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-14134851

Barton denied entry to US. Berk.

For previous behaviour. Not current.

Berk.