On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[Sandperson]

Hmm, that's the question a lot of United fans have been asking, especially as, like Barry, he said he wanted European football. So, Real have another ?100M to spend. I don't know why they don't just buy a whole other club....maybe Southampton. :)

[red devil]

...rest easy Matthew, it won't be Liverpool ;-); at this rate Utd might end up with Owen on a 'pay as you play'!

[matthew123]

Arsenal's CEO is suggesting we have a salary cap like in US Sports - is this because he is American or is it because Arsenal have a bleak financial future?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/usstyle-salary-cap-worth-considering-says-gazidis-1728353.html

[Sandperson]

I thought Arsenal were doing ok. It's everyone else (apart from City) who is in the hole.

[Atila Reincarnate]

Sandperson Wrote:

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> Hmm, that's the question a lot of United fans have

> been asking, especially as, like Barry, he said he

> wanted European football. So, Real have another

> ?100M to spend. I don't know why they don't just

> buy a whole other club....maybe Southampton. :)

I want to know where all their money has suddenly appeared from, i thought they were up to their necks in debt. Something stinks to high heaven here. Would be great if all these galaticos don't gel together as a team and they win bugger all.

[matthew123]

They've thrown around a lot of money, some of which will be returned by increased shirt sales but how many fans will buy both a Kaka and Ronaldo shirt? I'm not sure the new regime at the Bernabeu really wanted Ronaldo - it seems their hands were tied from 12 months ago.

Real sporting director Jorge Valdano said the deal to sign Ronaldo was agreed before he and president Florentino Perez arrived at the Bernabeu, 'There was a contract and we had to respect the dates stipulated, when to make the signing public, when to communicate with Manchester, when to pay. All of that was established in a very precise manner that didn?t allow us to play not even with the dates.'

[Sandperson]

I have to say (for a change ;)) I agree with AG. I know there are government shananigans with Real but shirt sales etc alone cannot finance this kind of buying and it's not just the initial outlay it's the wages on top.

Matt, I assumed those comments were made by the Real because people were asking about the deal being in place already and Real not being allowed to disclose the fact.

[red devil]

Franco's Fascists can negotiate their own TV rights deal, something which the English clubs can't do with Sky. I don't know the exact figure but they can raise something like an extra ?50-100 million. This summer will prove to be a watershed, and Quidsy may get his wish for the supposed 'big 4' to join a European league whereby each club individually negotiates their own TV deal, the downside to this is that a lot of the smaller clubs will go under as the value of the Sky deal will plummet as more people subscribe to watch the new European league...

[Mick Mac]

Celtic Reach An Agreement For Nancy Duo, Fortune & N?Guemo [Allegedly]

[matthew123]

That tell's you everything you need to know about Scottish football that Celtic are signing Nancy Duo...

[Mick Mac]

liverpool are welcome to come and get another beating anytime matt. We still have big bad john from the valleys on the bench. Dont watch it again on you tube it will be too painful for you pool fans.

[matthew123]

Haha - I don't think we've lost a game in Glasgow for over 40 years! Bring it on!

[matthew123]

Michael Owen looks anxious as Agent holds last minute phone call on way to United medical.. has his TomTom failed or is it a final plea?

 

[red devil]

shouldn't that be 'Bruno's bum boy'...

[Keef]

I hadn't realised talk of Owen going to United was true until just now. Well, if any Liverpool fans didn't already hold a grudge against him, they will now. Personally, I hope he does well and revives his England career, you never know. Why should he show any loyalty to Liverpool now, when he's been booed at Anfield.

Still, quite a shock.

By the way, can someone tell me why the top story on the Liverpool section of the beeb is about the fan in jail being refused a pardon. So what if he's a Liverpool fan, that isn't sports news, I want to hear something about the football club.

Don't know too much about the story, but other than him saying he's innocent, is there much evidence to suggest he is?

[mockney piers]

I'm really no Real Fan, much rather watch Atl?tico, but don't know why you're all so mystified by their money. P?rez has a good couple of billion dollars personal fortune and presided over the previous Galacticos era, so why the mystery.

Plus I suspect it's the ayuntamiento de Madrid that bails them out when times are hard via some dodgy training ground land deal, rather than the national government.

[matthew123]

>> Why should he show any loyalty to Liverpool now, when he's been booed at Anfield.

I'd say on the 2 visits he paid to Anfield as a Newcastle player he got more claps than boos - so what about showing some loyalty to those that clapped him?

>> By the way, can someone tell me why the top story on the Liverpool section

>> of the beeb is about the fan in jail being refused a pardon. So what if he's

>> a Liverpool fan, that isn't sports news, I want to hear something about the

>> football club.

Keef, the fan, Michael Shields, was on his way back from Istanbul in 2005 so it very much Sports related.

>> Don't know too much about the story, but other than him saying he's innocent,

>> is there much evidence to suggest he is?

..Apart from some other guy admitting it was him that did it and witnesses to the fact that Michael Shields was in bed sleeping when the assault took place.

[DaveR]

"Apart from some other guy admitting it was him that did it"

Graham Sankey (the other guy) refused to testify at the trial in Bulgaria - no surprise that the Bulgarian court didn't pay much attention to his confession.

[Atila Reincarnate]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> I'm really no Real Fan, much rather watch

> Atl?tico, but don't know why you're all so

> mystified by their money. P?rez has a good couple

> of billion dollars personal fortune and presided

> over the previous Galacticos era, so why the

> mystery.

>

> Plus I suspect it's the ayuntamiento de Madrid

> that bail them out rather than the national

> government

Wasn't he also around when they nearly went under not too far back? We're surprised that a club close to being declared bankrupt suddenly has so much dosh to throw around. Why are you surprised that we are surprised? Something rotten in the state of Denmark, sorry Madrid.

[Keef]

Keef, the fan, Michael Shields, was on his way back from Istanbul in 2005 so it very much Sports related.

We'l have to agree to disagree. I could stab someone on the way back from a rock concert, I wouldn't expect to make the entertainment pages.

[matthew123]

Sankey only admitted guilt once back in he UK and after Shields had been sentenced - the coward refused to go back to Bulgaria to face the consequences.

Liverpool Echo: "What more evidence do you need, given that someone else confessed to the crime, the Bulgarian admission that the conviction was doubtful, the discredited ID evidence and Michael?s alibi?"

[Keef]

Wonder how the echo would feel if he was a Man U fan ;-)

[mockney piers]

Like Roman, P?rez can tighten the purse strings or loosen them. There will be an awful lot of political wranglings going on in that club, but f you think they're getting money from the government when Spain is suffering a worse recessio nthan here to go spending millions on players then something is rotten in the state of your cloud cuckoo land, seriously.

[matthew123]

Keef Wrote:

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> Wonder how the echo would feel if he was a Man U

> fan ;-)

Probably in the same manner as if it were me or you that had been sent to prison (we're talking Istanbul rather than your Rock concert stabbing ;-) )

[Atila Reincarnate]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> Like Roman, P?rez can tighten the purse strings or

> loosen them. There will be an awful lot of

> political wranglings going on in that club, but f

> you think they're getting money from the

> government when Spain is suffering a worse

> recessio nthan here to go spending millions on

> players then something is rotten in the state of

> your cloud cuckoo land, seriously.

Ok Birdman, but I think there is more to this than simply having a rich benefactor in tow. I guy I know worked in Madrid for the last 12 years and he says that the locals all believe it is not just Perez loosening the purse strings and that it is far more shady than that.