mwj

I've seen you mention this a few times... source?

There's nothing to stop Xia gifting (or loaning or sponsoring or however City did it) the club £100m to get the silly season started while we wait for the rubber stamp, but I imagine he's a bit more risk-averse with his money than a Sheikh.

No

He wasn't even good when Tim was here... The Red Sea parting for the Arnautovic goal in the first Stoke game, and him jogging back from halfway for the Walcott goal in the first Arsenal game tells you all you need to know about his contribution this season.

I'm sure it just means that there's fiction between UK and Chinese legal processes... Not really news tbh

Everyone here realises that odds have little to do with likelihood and everything to do with the bookmakers exposure? The guy from paddy power (I think it was) said the other week someone's price moved in the next manager market from 30 something in short off the back of a few £50 bets...

Probably could have posted this in any one of about 4 threads, but Micah is probably due some http://statsbomb.com/2016/05/didnt-work-out-the-premier-leagues-worst-transfers-2015-16/ "For Richards it’s more of a sad tale having been long beset by injury problems, but his recruitment screams of a Sherwood gambit; you can envisage the conversation: “Helluva player was Micah, if we can just get him back to his best…” and boom, a four year contract lands in the post. He too was young enough to hope for but also hadn’t managed anything like a full season or even a half season since 2011-12. The possibility of his retained fitness seemed remote, and to his credit he has achieved that, but certainly he is not the player he was, and even a cursory review of his recent career and problems with injury would reveal that. He may well now continue his career at Villa and find the Championship more to his current level."

Utter BS Joint 3rd lowest points tally in Premier League history would suggest it's not mate

First time I've seen Luongo since the 2015 Asian Cup. Has improved significantly and would definitely take him in our Championship midfield any day...

Really? If no one pays our asking price then put him in the shop window for a year in Germany, France wherever and take his wages off the books. Unfortunately though, I think the relegation release clauses screw that idea right up.

The Tom Ross interview? That's the exact opposite conclusion I came to from that interview. To me it was Hollis saying "I still have to emphasise that I am Chairman for legal reasons but reading between the lines Xia is now making the decisions"

He *was* responsible for the Argentina youth setup at about the time Tevez, D'Allessandro, Saviola, Mascherano etc came through and destroyed everyone at the Olympics. Not sure if that counts for anything though

I don't know about clearing up but Pearson certainly created a **** mess at Leicester in his last year

No we shouldn't, the club was overstaffed for the Premier League, let alone the Championship. But we should give them a bloody decent redundancy.

And? Do mortgage brokers get paid for organising your mortgage?

Not my experience, but I didn't study business.

Not really. I studied with plenty of foreign students who didn't speak decent English. As long as you can write well (and someone pays the tuition fees) then you can get a degree. Writing formally and speaking informally are 2 separate language skills

Why don't you learn mandarin for a few years first, and get back us on that one... Other points are more valid though, I guess we'll find out once the takeover is complete...

I had a long commute tonight...

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May be a problem with Pearson. Case in point, the press conference where he was slated by Pat Murphy for 30 mins and sulked like a child the entire time

Would be a similar position to us then? Big fish small pond but got the job done

Took Southampton from League One to the Premier League a few years ago to great plaudits. Certainly no worse a record than Pearson or di Matteo.

Pearson is an average manager with some success, some failure and huge personality flaws. I think everyone is hung up on the idea of him strangling Gabby, Lescott, Richards etc at the first training session which admittedly is attractive but I'm sure the novelty will wear off once we're mid table and Pearson has gone bonkers from the pressure at some journalist/player/fan again, or his son has racially abused a Chinese hooker on a pre-season trip to Shanghai...

TBH its really difficult to tell from the Reading deal alone. If he is just a facilitator then its really up to Madjeski to do his own due diligence. That he or his company makes money from all the mentioned deals is neither here nor there. Everyone in modern football is out to make money somehow Time will tell.