Summer window

Aji's injured.Luke and Lynden are makeshift....it's not their best positions,although they're not incompetent there..I know Huggins has played LB,but I see him and Hume as our RB options,particularly if we have to move Trai inside.

 

Bishop I’d imagine, not confident on any others until the premier league loans become available

 

our reidy years, while excellent, were a little bit easier to be honest, the 'big six' are still there but now there are a further 4 or 5 on the fringes...but as leicester showed, with a good solid team working hard together the odd surprise can still surface.

the premier and sky do not want things to change, the 'big six' have the media following and a world wide fan base, ensuring they get the viewers...those teams (in many peoples opinions) also seem to get the vital decisions going for them and VAR is just making it easy for them now 'take it back further, sure to find an earlier foul'.

why do certain teams not get hammered because of breaking FFP and others get ridiculous fines/points deductions, because as well as dominating the league those teams have to be in euro competitions, they can usually survive at least one season out of the top six but two or more could spell problems, big players would want to move reducing the appeal...world wide fans will simply move onto the next champions league winners and if that appeal drops too much they will probably find themselves on the 'losing side' of VAR.

saudi will have control over football as right now there are a few teams that can trade freely with the groups and will gain an advantage (buy a player for stupid money, gives a club much more spending power, player could be loaned to another member of the group etc) and more will want a part of it, sky and the FA will welcome it as it increases the audience...until they get bought out as well, saudi will not bother about throwing a few million around but they will bother about wanting full control.

...and i think that is the reason that breaking into the top teams is getting harder and harder and will be almost impossible without saudi ownership, and that is what bothers and worries me.

 

Thoughtful post mate. So,is the next step that Al Hilal get to the finals of the Champions League do you think?

 

Careful, you in talking sense, might get accused of being a 'void' whatever that is, by newbie woke snowflakes.

Looking back in history of the football leagues money has always ruled. Except the amounts needed to dominate were relatively less, so a lot more owners could afford to do it.

KLD, is a billionaire but not hundreds of billions. So the buy cheap sell dear and hopefully improve the teams quality into the Premiership, is the plan. Then the aim will be to survive and have a couple of good cup runs, even get into Europe?

Silverware and winning the league,(Leicester being the exception to the rule) is unlikely.

Bur if we manage to play attractive football that is worth watching, that will be good.

Of course the mega-rich clubs might disappear up their own fundament, and have their own pan- European (+ Middle East) league.

That would leave us and the other clubs in our price bracket a fairer fight for the spoils. Atm my crystal ball is hinting that is the direction of travel, but who knows.

These days I get quite a bit of enjoyment by watching Spennymoor.

 

Love how a certain brand of people use the word "woke" as if it's an insult. It's almost as if those people don't understand what woke means

 

That’s an excellent post, apart* from the first paragraph!

* Edit - ‘apart’ is more appropriate than spoiled

I suppose there has always been a divide between generations. Both sides not being able to fully ‘get’ one another.

 

As far as I'm concerned anyone using the word as an insult is signposting themselves as a cretin.

 

Not sure it's a generational thing mate, I've seen plenty, young and old alike (mis)using it.

 

Aye, fair mate. You could say that younger people misusing the word have outlooks more aligned to older generations.

 

Ah yes there it is, the words of a person who can’t keep up with the times. Go and enjoy Spennymoor games, it’s always good how their fans cheer when Sunderland concede.

 

I couldn’t care less if they all go, it doesn’t take that long before you are pissed off watching the Harlem Globe Trotters.

 

If you look at teams follows our alleged ‘model’ the ones it’s collapsed on there’s been a major event.

Southampton we’re doing great - owner died
Leicester similar, the owners son just doesn’t have same passion.

Brentford absolutely punching.

Brighton absolutely vibrant and arguably best side in league to watch, making profit.

We also are seeing on top of discoveries a real uplift in what’s coming through the academy, which was dying a couple years back.

We in great shape. We not gonna like every sale but then have we ever?

If we got to a level similar to Brighton the size of the club and fan base would give us a far greater chance of kicking on further.

On Sky/PL/Saudi. People forget the game was almost bankrupt in this country prior to the PL being formed. There’s some great documentaries about on this and how messy it was.

The Premier League was brilliantly marketed and the national team and grass roots has hugely benefitted from the PL. It’s actually only the EFL that’s potentially missed out and they are now negotiating better deals themselves.

I remember as a kid seeing the original PL adverts with Alive & Kicking playing and even as a 6-7 year old I wanted to watch the PL.

 

As a Spennymoor lad, that used to get on my nerves. Definitely seemed more mags going to Spenny games than mackems.

 

Is it ****. It's Downie being the ****-stirring arsehole that he is.

 

A lot of what you are saying is right but if we do have some moderate success then it is about building a brand and not just a club, STID has brought the club to the attention of a world wide audience and I am sure KLD will be aware of this. Not all the money a football club generates comes from shirt sales and season tickets and tv money there are also things like image rights and social media following which can bring in huge advertising revenues, as a club we need to current and diversive with a clear off field strategy to accompany the on field and I am not just talking shirt sales and club shop but becoming more geared to a global shift in years to come to maximize the club earnings and appeal to foreign fans who follow from around the globe.

 

If bishop comes on, lets get mentally ready for patto leaving next year.

 

Couldn’t agree more mate. I personally think the socials are well ran by the club.

The only way they really grow is promotion. We have to do better with things like the club shop etc but it’s a drop in the ocean to running the club.

The kit deal and short sponsor are the biggies coming around soon.

 

Unless we're promoted, no point worrying .

 

Just as a matter of interest re Tom Cannon althoughEverton had two games at teh weekend, Cannon was in the director's box at Deepdale with his agent, he's also currently injured