Sporting4ever

I'd read those before, but I still get a kick out of it... American + Lawyer = :lmaosmiley: :lmaosmiley:

How many of the big clubs need a box to box midfielder like him...? Only arsenal, and they need a decent sub, they're not gonna pay that kind of cash or a sub...

I did that a few days ago, got 35. I spent over 1 minute trying to sell wolverampton, then gave up on them... Remebered QPR, crystal palace, both sheffields, and forgot fulham...??? :suicide_anim:

Jeez, so many kids... Only taxi and me are above 30...?? damn, I feel old... :sad02:

Ah, the one where Everton isn't a big club?? Yeah, good one

Well, it negates the strategy that his manager tried last summer, meaning force Sporting to pay a fixed ammount every time someone went over the €15m mark. Also, if he got 10% off his transfer, and his release clause was €25m, that means Sporting now get the same, since he'd get 10% off that, meaning €2,5m. So now we get the same, but his release his lower, which might make it easier for him to leave, and I'm wager he got a boost to his monthly fee as well, since he extended for another year. Actually, I don't see it that way... Remember, Sporting wanted the release fee last year, €25m. Now it's lower, €22,5m, or £20m, so he's in essence cheaper.

Some news on this front, João Moutinho just renewed his contract with Sporting until 2014. The release clause has been lowered to £20m, and the player will no longer receive 10% of a future transfer, or 10% of future offers over £13.3m. Don't know if this means he will stay for sure, but for once, it makes it clearer that both Sporting and him are interested in him staying. The release clause lowered might make him more atractive for other clubs also. João Moutinho renews his contract with Sporting Pretty ugly translation, but I've read the document sent to our Market Regulatory Entity (CMVM), and it's pretty much what I wrote.

Just read it. In all fairness he didn't say there was a loophole, he said that the rules could be made simpler, and that would have cleaned up a lot of issues. but I get his point, he made his pitch regarding the problem with the law, and they didn't listen, so it's not his fault.

Rain races are always a coin toss Didn't know about that meeting...

1st of all, I think it's a sound idea, since if there's already non-english teams in it, there's a precedent, and makes sence. However, I don't think increasing the number of clubs in the PL is fair. Teams already play a lot of games, this would stress out squads even further. However, I think that have them come in at the PL, of playing some sort of playoff with the championship teams for promotion is not fair, I think they should enter at championship level, fighting for a spot there. And that's a compromise, as any other teams from England would have to start at the bottom of the pyramid...

exactly - no rules were broken. not button, barrichello or brawns fault that other teams didnt work this one out as well as they did. hes making out they should say sorry for winning races! Well, yes and no. The tech is indeed legal, but it's a loophole, so to speak. They used the letter of the law, not the spirit. I'm not saying they were wrong, it's FIA's fault, for not seeing what might come out, especially when the teams started to really make sure they weren't breaking the law, just bending it as far as it would go. As for Briatore's remarks, I agree. If his team had come up with the tech, he'd use it in a heartbeat, like ferrari and all the others, and they know it too, which is why they aren't bitching like this. But that doesn't change the fact that, when the other teams like mclaren, renault and ferrari get their dissipators in working condition, the championship will probably be settled, and FIA's plans to level the race track, as it were, were completely ruined by this. It's not the team's fault, it's FIA, for leaving enough room for this to happen.

SteveO, I don't think you understand just how much this technology affects a car's performance. The implementations FIA made this year were in order to level the playing field, so that all teams would be more on equal grounds than previously, where the big names like williams, renault, mclaren and ferrari dominated. The limitations that were imposed were designed to facilitate overtaking, because the cars would be less aerodynamic, but this dissipator pretty much circumvents that, allowing for a faster air dissipation and a smaller succion effect behind them, meaning faster turns and the overtaking effect is essencially negated. What these 3 teams did was, by a now clearly visible flaw in the lettering of the law, circumvented it altogether. But don't worry, teams like ferrari, mclaren and renault will pretty soon have their own copied dissipators, smaller teams won't, because they don't have the proper funds for a fast introduction, but by then it'll probably be too late. I like Button, a lot more than I like Hamilton, that's for sure, but the fact is, that simple piece of technology allows pilots to go 0,5 to 1 second faster, and the laws FIA introduced were to level the playing field. Of course, the big guns that are complaining, I don't doubt for a second they'd have used it as well, if they'd come up with the idea and had it legaly tested to the limits, like these did, so yeah, in that regard, it's hipocrisy on their part, but the effect it has on the sport is not.

If it works like ours (which is a pretty good setup), the FA takes about 10 or 20%, to give out to certain people, and the rest is equally divided between the 2 clubs. Any leftouts will be sent to whomever asks for them, or maybe sold at the stadium...

Nice, guys! Totally deserved Final, imo! This season deserved a trip to Wembley, and now let's take down Chelsea!!! :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim:

Guys, forget that up for sale bullcrap. Like I said before, those reports and their origins have as much reliability as goal.com. There's gonna be elections at Sporting, so a lot can chance by summer time, and only then will we know if we're gonna have to sell players or not, and by what values. Given Everton's connection with Zahavi, I think you're in the front of the race, if there is one, unless city come up with a millionaire's bid, which I doubt. So until then, there's no real proof about anything. And about him leaving, it's not quite so simple. He has a contract, signed last summer, and he can't just unnilatery decide to leave. If the club isn't happy with the offer, he goes nowhere, it's the same pretty much everywhere...

If none of the big 4 make a move (and I doubt it, they don't need a midfielder like him), Everton does seem the logical choice, given Zahavi's relationship with EFC and all. But Dark, he already plays European games, and Champions League at that, something Everton can't deliver next season. I heard someone talk about him moving for £8m, because his contract is up, or something, and I've said this before, his contract lasts until 2013, so in order for the club to let him leave bellow his release clause, we'll need the money, otherwise he should stay put, I'd wager... But like I said in my other post, there's elections coming, so things might change. Last night a big step was taken against our current board by saying no to one of their propositions to further aliennate club possessions. Hopefully we'll get new people on the helm, and a brighter future. But what that might mean in terms of player's contracts, I have no idea...

Best of luck tomorrow, lads. God knows, after all the hardships EFC had this season, the FA Cup is justly deserved, since the boys never gave up, fought will all they had (and sometimes with what they didn't know they had), and this season clearly is worthy of a trophy. :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim: :thumbsup_anim:

I know about hte economy, I live here As for hitting the club, it does, in a way. The thing is, there's a lot more going on than merely money, there's a lot controvercy about having the club members pretty much set aside in the decisions about the club's life. There's an election this year, and hopefully we'll get new blood in, and get the group that have been undermining the club in favour of the club's companies for a lot of years. Therefore, any sort of talk about players leaving and values beeing greatly lowered is complete conjecture at this point. Reports coming from papers with ulterior agendas, and keeping the flame alight with quotes from 4 months ago is clearly designed to affect the group, nothing more. Both Moutinho and Veloso have contracts until 2013, both have a high release fees, and frankly, I see Veloso leaving sooner, since we have already someone that can play on his position, Adrien Silva. But like I said, I don't know what's gonna happen, the next tew months are decisive for Sporting's future.

I think he was glaring at porto's bench... As you know, Ronaldo was a product of Sporting's academy, and, since his performances in our national team haven't been on par with his quality, porto and benfica fans aren't really big fans of him. I know he's quite happy having knocked out porto with that shot I remember him beeing subbed against benfica a couple of years back, where he gave their fans a "parting gift", showing them that their feelings for him are reciprocated:

I don't want by this comment to deny any potential deal that might be made. Like I've said in the past, hopefully we'll have a change in the club's leadership, so this might happen or not, can't really say. HOWEVER, to put things in prespective, A Bola is regarded as benfica's unofficial newspaper. Last weekend, benfica lost at home, and is now 4 points behind Sporting, and 8 behind leaders porto. It's a given that benfica won't be champions this year, and most likely won't even make it to the CL qualifying round (only 2 teams from Portugal qualify next year), so this is clearly one more attempt to destabilize Sporting, to see if it helps them do the ONLY thing they try to do these past seasons: Beat us... Last season, Everton ofered as much as what you payed for Fellaini and we didn't sell, I don't see us going lower this season, poor economy or not...

You had that dipshit of ours, Stojkovic, but he left after beeing there an hour (!!??). I guess he heard you wanted a sub, and wouldn't have it. He's now on loan to Getafe, made a good game this weekend, because the other guy is injured or something, because he's been in their bench as well. He's a quality keeper, better than Howard, but his ego, jeez... He's the Serbian keeper, if you want to check him out, but I doubt Moyes would want to try him again, after what happened last summer, and that is if Getafe don't take him.

Villa are demoralized, after their trashing at anfield and their loss in stoppage at old trafford, they've seen their efforts to focus on defending their 4th place by negletting the UEFA, which they might have even won, given the competition, and now they have Everton breathing on their necks. The pressure is definetly on them.

Possibly, but what about the others? While I see the advantages of having alternatives, unless someone leaves, I think it's too many midfielders in a squad. And I know, we have Moutinho, Veloso, Romagnoli, Rochemback, Adrien Silva, Pereirinha Izmailov and Vuckcevic. and while there's a few that play on the wings, or can play, there's 4 or 5 that are at their best in the center...

I'd say so, but if liverpool go out of the CL, they can focus their force on the PL, while united has to manage 3 competitions still, if they win at dragão... As for chelsea, they might just focus on that previously elusive CL. Quite an interesting semi they have, against Barça. IF they get through, we'll possibly have a repeat of last year's final.

Sorry to say that £18m probably won't get you both... The GBP is weaker against the euro, and their release clauses are €25m and €30m, and both have contracts till 2013. Also, Veloso is, from what I've seen, very similar to Fellaini. Powerful DM, inteligent when moving forward, both have hair issues , both score goals, Fellaini more of a header, Veloso has a pretty good left foot, so unless DM plans on playing with 2 DMs, seems to me that it's a lot of cash to pay for a potential sub... As for JM, he's a box to box. He can play DM, LM, RM, playmacker, but he's at his best as a CM, with liberty of movement. He's a decent playmaker, but lacks more experience, namely in reading the game, he plays well in both sides of the pitch, decent crosser, but his strengh is his versatility. I think he'd fit in best in a classic 4-4-2, with another box to box CM along side him, but a stronger CM, with a bigger defensive presence. JM is good defensively, is a good tackler and recovers a lot balls, but he's small, and he'll lose most physical disputes, ence my view of him having a stronger CM (Fellaini or Veloso) along side him. If you go for 4-5-1, your LM and RM would have to be almost wingers, so you could quickly change into a 4-3-3, otherwise it's too many people in the middle, I think... Pienaar, Arteta, Fellaini, Moutinho, Cahill that's a lot of people in the middle...