ftaylor

no... it was called snatch

Good ole Martin resigned over this deal too!

Did he really complain about not getting enough backing? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1301712/Buy-buy-Martin-How-ONeill-spent-120million-years-Aston-Villa.html

i thing baesly is a terible plyer and we shud at most offer him too pounds a weak or somethink

The reason we can't afford to sign him is there will be no way to recoup the money we splash on him. If we drop the 11M and he signs a 4 year contract by the end of that contract he will be 32. Lets say we pay him 40 K a week so thats roughly 2M a year. All in all thats almost 5M a year we have to pay to bring Donovan here. Unless ESPN decides to step up its coverage of Everton or increased shirt sales it doesn't make business sense. Obviously if we qualify for Champs league with him being the difference than its worth it... otherwise we come out poorer than before (which was pennyless to start with). We can afford to pay for Fellaini because we bought him before his prime and then either hold onto him for longer (the transfer fee is essentially distributed over a longer period) or sell him at profit when he enters his prime. I would love Lando here more than anyone (His Algeria goal is unforgettable for me). But I don't think this move makes us financially stronger. Admittedly by the same logic we can't afford to hold on to Pienaar in his prime.

Does the city of Liverpool pay Everton and Liverpool FC for the income generated by its businesses due to the football clubs being there? No. In the US citites actually fund a lot of stadia because they generate a fantastic amount of wealth for the surrounding community. The New Yankee Stadium (2.3 billion USD price tag) actually received 1.2 billion in taxpayer subsidies. I'm not justifying this, its actually quite controversial, but surely the city of liverpool would take responsibility for the safety of its residents. I think profiting off of the football clubs without excepting the costs they bring is slightly unfair.

Watched the yanks lose 2-1 to Ghana yesterday in a bar in cape town. Ghana had all of Africa behind them and after the first 30 mins I thought we were going out with a whimper. I have to say I am quite proud of our boys after their second half fight back. Sure we should have progressed from the group stages and probably even made it as far as the quarter-finals but I think American SOCCER has progressed leaps and bounds and seeing quality players young players like Bradley, Edu, and Altidore really show glimpses of brilliance and to see the old guard, Donovan and Dempsey finally really live up to their potential in a major tournament was a joy to watch. I never have been able to be really proud to be an American there is just too much f-ed up shit we are responsible for but for the past 2+ weeks I forgot all of that. I have always envied other nations citizens as they sing their anthem with complete pride. I think I have only spoken the national anthem before... never yelled it as loud as I could and to do that was awesome. I was just wondering if any of you Americans had a similar experience and at least writing this makes me feel better after that tough loss.

From what I heard the plurality of travelers to South Africa are yanks like myself (I am going-Capetown). Airfare is pretty bad cost me 1.4K US round trip and I booked 8 months in advance. Can't imagine what the price is like now. I also heard that many of the innitial ticketing phases offered to South African's weren't successful because of the lack of internet access and now they are selling tickets in supermarkets and other over the counter operations. Despite the negative press I am still very excited. Some may get a kick out of this interview with the mayor of Johannesburg. http://i.imgur.com/yDk8C.jpg

As far as a business ventures go in the current financial climate in the EPL putting dollars into a football club probably yield on average pretty low returns if the investor ever does recoup their investment. There are an array of more attractive investments if someone is looking to invest some money and then sell their shares on later. So why would someone invest in a club? There are only a few reasons I can think of and all of them have to do with a takeover. 1. Play thing (examples Chelsea and Man City)- Currently given their stadium situations even turning themselves into global brands I don't believe will offset the costs of the salaries and transfer fees they dish out. Its not a sustainable business model. Maybe the money dries up maybe the investor gets bored but either way it doesn't end well. 2. Change the business model of an existing club. This is what the Americans have tried to do with UTD and the Shite. Hicks and Gillette seem to have failed- too much debt- can't get their new stadium up- and if your team isn't winning you can't capitalize on your brand name. I think only time will tell with the Glazers. Revenues are way up at UTD but they saddled the club with alot of debt and its tough to see if they will be able to get out from under that. Either way the fans aren't happy. 3. Buying a club to pull something out of it- I suspect this had something to do with Pompey mess buy I am not sure. Why anyone would buy a sinking ship is beyond me unless you think you can sell off the assets better than the previous guy. Anyways nobody supporting EFC wants this to happen either. 4. Someone puts in enough money so that we are perennially in the Champions League and increasing revenue that way. However with our low revenue stream we would be reliant on the Champions League dollars to pay the increased salaries that champs league players receive which again doesn't take the club to a place where an investor will see a return on their input. So I think what we have been hearing all along has been true. The stadium situation needs to be sorted (and attractive stadium mind you) before any investment comes in.

As an American, unable to see any matches live, I thank you gents for funding our transfer kitty!

Love Dave's posts.

I really appreciate his frankness and honesty though. I have nothing but respect for him.

We waved to the fair maiden leaning against the Millwall We PRESTONregardless and eventually met a group of Rangers dressed in LINCOLN green. That night we ate some DUNDEE cake and some CHELSEAbuns for tea, also some Oldhamwhich made us feel ill

I believe the cows were objecting to have the huddersfield bill

The only difference is that the MLS, not the galaxy, own the rights to Landon Donovan's contract since the collective bargaining agreement governs player contracts. Since the MLS sees Donovan as their golden boy and ambassador for the league, maybe even more so then Beckham, I don't believe they would ever let him go on a transfer since he is worth more to them than to us. That being said Donovan has openly criticized the CBA and if it all falls apart on Jan 31 who knows?

Step 1. By struggling club on the cheap. Step 2. Resolve oustanding debts through sale of players. Step 3. "Bravely" fight against relegation (and lose) Step 4. Cash in on relegation parachute payments. Step 5. Liquidate remaining assets-or sell off a debt free championship club to someone interested. Its just good business

Field turf is radically different the astro turf. I have played on field turf quite a bit and always with hard ground boots. I have always had much more ankle trouble on hard uneven ground then the soft flat field turf. However, if you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with field turf it may be safer to play with flats until you can acclimate yourself.

If Atletico bow out in the first round then heitinga will not have played in the same competition with another club and will not have played for another team currently in the competition. Or will it be too late to register players?

Only saw him play when he was with the galaxy... absolutely terrible

A year ago I would have agreed with you but I think he has changed. I haven't been able to see his games with the Galaxy (nor would I want to) but from what I have seen from the national side he has turned into a dependable leader who delivers in big games where not so long ago he would completely go awol. I think his time at Bayern (or was it Leverkusen?)humbled him and he realizes while he may have looked a world beater in the MLS and playing sides like Trinidad, Jamaica, and Canada for the national team that he is no more then a decent player on the world stage. Did you see the confed cup? He made the US team his own. If Dempsey, a player who dives, and occasionally dogs it can thrive at a hard working team like Fulham, I think Donovan can be fantastic for us.

they do in fact show EPL games in the states. ESPN shows a game or two a week Fox soccer channel another 2 or 3 and then Setanta Sports still shows 3 or 4 games a week (though I don't know how much longer) certainly you will have to pay a fair sum for the whole package but its avaliable. Also on match days just come by the forum and people will post links to online streams for the game. Its alot more enjoyable to be able to watch the team you support.

We are 4 points back with a game in hand of the Shite. If they draw or lose against city and we pick up 3 or more points against United and Hull then a Derby win puts us ahead of them. Am I getting ahead of myself... yes. Can I help it... no.

Zavon Hines. Broke down more of West Ham's attacks then Yobo or Distin.

Unless we invent something like the AIRPLANE and then we get to call it whatever we damn well please.

Has anyone ever had chang beer? I hear it tastes like Horse piss