rosenthal

Good to see Spurs best midfielder yesterday being a free transfer after spending so much on midfielders over the last 2 seasons. Although I feel better knowing that Bentaleb had a trial at the Blues and they didn't sign him.

Kyle Walker has become so shit it's ridiculous

 Been perhaps Spurs' best players this season.

Was shocking today, but seemed to play with injury and had to go off before second half

Surely Long isn't 8m, isn't his contract expiring in the summer?

A West Ham fan I work with has just revealed on Facebook that he had already bought a ticket for the second leg.  £43 in case you were wondering. 

 Their owners knew what they were doing. " Come See City's Superstars at the Boleyn "

Don't think Everton fans would want him back, they were tired and fed up with him - fresh new start for them under Martinez having one of their best seasons for decades.

They certainly wouldn't get rid of Martinez for him.

I could still see Moyes working well at United, but him and everyone else there must get to terms with the fact that Ferguson is gone and that everything United had with him has collapsed.

Never say die attitude, the safiety of knowing things will go their way, other clubs fear factor and often playing weakened teams or coming with defeatiest attitude.

All that is gone, what remains is the fact that United are HUGE, they get in sickload of cash and they must use it if they want to remain competitive.
Moyes need to get rid of everyone that is Ferguson men and big enough at the club to challenge Moyes (Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra. Giggs - sadly for them possibly also their big stars Rooney and Persie),

and then start building his own team. The question is whether great talents would want to come and play for Moyes if they have offer from other top clubs, but United's name is still strong and they have the money.

United has had it easy in the past. I remember my team going up again poor Premier League teams, who come with full strenght and fight for their lives. Then next week they've gone to Old Trafford, rested players, not given enough effort, and even their manager saying that they have no chance to pick up points at Old Trafford so why should they go all out and risk tiring out players. Games against United has often been chosen as games to rest players at the chance for points have been slim.
They won't get that benefit anymore.

Expect OGS to try sign Orjan Nyland, Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Mats Moller Daehli and Mame Biram Diouf

Reckon that's one down, Wolff Eikrem at their game today and left with the team bus

Apparently one of the most talented at his age in the world, according to mou that is. They have tried getting him since he was 15.

 Same he said when they signed Mikel. Remember the "we've struck gold" line

Palacios had a fire and drive that raised his game to a level far beyond his abilities.

That died with his brother, hasn't looked hungry since. You never know, but I wouldn't risk signing him.

Strikes me as similiar case to Alan Hutton, Darren Bent and Charles N'Zogbia, they've all been quality players at a point, but aren't delivering or looking interested anymore.

Just going through the motions to pocket their wages.

Wasn't there something about the Owner/Bank roller of Molde threatening to pull out if he left? 

 

Will be interesting to see how he does. I've not watched any Norwegian football to know what the standard is, the only name I recognise is Rosenborg. That said, Molde finished 6th last term, 19 points off top.

 

http://uk.soccerway.com/national/norway/eliteserien/2013/regular-season/r19871/

That's why he turned down Villa back then, it was too early for him due to his obligations to Molde and their owners.

Pretty sure he'd prefer to have become Villa manager, despite probably handed more money at Cardiff.

Molde started the 2013 season poor, had to turn it around and they did from summer. Were arguably the best side in norwegian football again in second part of the season, but too much ground to catch up.

They did however win the cup instead.

Expect OGS to try sign Orjan Nyland, Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Mats Moller Daehli and Mame Biram Diouf

Definitely think that Villa finances are going in the right direction, with wages lowered and players moved on.
Coming financial records will be interesting.

It's often wages that are mentioned as the financial problem at Villa, but another issue that I think have been hampering the club in recent years is that transfers tend to be paid over the length of the player contract.
This mean that transfers as long as 5 years back in time is still being paid for. The club is still weighted by the transfer activities done 2 years back into O'Neill's tenure, plus the Bent signing etc.

There'll be brighter days ahead. Old fun will soon be paid down, leaving an opportunity to raise the ambition level again.
If I'm not mistaken Aston Villa is around 7th-9th in Premier League financial size, although there's a big step up to no.6 and you have to consider clubs that are backed by owners like Southampton.

Monaco will not be affected, while PSG will pay their superstars in other ways - I believe Zlatan is paid from Qatar.

Rest of the teams though ... can see many players seeking a foreign transfer.

 

.... how are Molde doing this season?

Rotten

 

 Not really true. They had a poor start to the season which made it impossible to catch the top teams, but they did turn it around and was the best team in second half of the season - in which they won the cup.

So in three seasons OGS has picked up three titles. Half a year left on his contract, looking to move to the Premier League, his agent is over in England trying to find him a club. Linked every time a job is available, he'd take the Villa job this time.

De Boer is 8/1 that could be tempting move for all

 Looking through the forums, he's by far the fan favourite

Aim is 4th, but i hope no one loses their head if we should edge out of it.

We've only reinvested the money earned by losing our best players,

signed players to remain competitive with the teams around us.

If we had kept hold of our stars (Modric, Bale etc.) and still invested big,

or signed a world class player on top of the replacements we got.

Then I'd understand the pressure and demand to improve.

Fact of the matter is there's 5 clubs using more money than us overall, some by far.

and every time we do better than 6th we're doing well and overachieve.

Our board might demand 4th, but they are then being unrealistic if they don't back the management more.

Two issues I'd raise if I was the board, are to ask when signing so many players and spending big on a striker,

why did we go into the season with only one left back which has disrupted the team immensely after Rose got injured,

and why did we sign a striker that doesn't seem to fit neither the league nor the team.

Barnsley v Hartlepool or Coventry
Yeovil v Leyton Orient
Liverpool v Oldham or Mansfield
Nottingham Forest v West Ham
Bristol City v Watford
Southend United v Millwall
Middlesbrough v Hull
West Brom v Crystal Palace
Kidderminster v Peterborough
Doncaster v Stevenage
Stoke v Leicester
Southampton v Burnley
Newcastle v Cardiff
Rochdale v Leeds
Wigan v MK Dons
Charlton v Wrexham
Man United v Swansea
Port Vale v Plymouth
Norwich v Fulham
Aston Villa v Sheffield United
Macclesfield v Sheffield Wednesday
Sunderland v Carlisle United
Bolton v Blackpool
Blackburn Rovers v Man City
Everton v QPR
Brighton v Reading
Arsenal v Spurs
Birmingham v Bristol Rovers or Crawley
Grimsby v Huddersfield Town
Ipswich Town v Preston North End
Derby County v Chelsea

Kevin de Bruyne seems like a good idea, think Chelsea would prefer him to adjust to the Premier League rather than sending him abroad again.

They also like to to loan to other clubs from same league that aren't pushing them, as he wouldn't be allowed to play Chelsea but would play against their rival.

Same benefit as they get from having Lukaku at Everton.

Tom Ince. Only half a year left on his contract, he'll be difficult to land, but the trick could be to both provide Blackpool with money while also allowing them to keep the player for the rest of the season.

Could be a very good long term signing for Villa, possibly a new Ashley Young case.

Per Ciljan Skjelbred, attacking midfielder that can play across the midfield.

First of all a creative player, but he also has great work ethics a combination I think Lambert would like and that make him a success in the Premier League.

Hamburg are looking to sell, he's stayed there for some years without holding down a regular spot in their team, having gone through some injury and fitness issues.

Out on loan at Hertha Berlin he has shined, in great form. Closely followed by Newcastle.

Kevin Kampl. Not sure how easy it is to sign players from the Red Bulls franchise,

but the Salzburg midfielder need to move to a far better league than he's currently at.

With his pace and ridiculous skill level he's a handful for anyone.

I have to say, just watching Man City game on MOTD, that Osvaldo goal, for me is probably goal of the season. Exceptional.

Up there with the Kasami volley and Wilshere team pass and move goal.

We'll see how they fare against you guys today, but Spurs recently played Fulham and they looked a far more balanced and fighting team under Meulensteen than Jol.

I think they'll stay up, they have both quality and fighters in their side, Jol had just gotten stale and put out a far too soft team game in and game out.

Can't play with Ruiz, Taraabt and Berbatov at same time - all while a poor form and lazy version Darren Bent stand still up top.

Only team i'm confident is going down are Crystal Palace. Sunderland has a lot of work ahead of them as well, big risk there with a very weak midfield.

Hull, Norwich, Cardiff are others I can see involved. Newly promoted tend to fall down the table as the season progress.

 

Apart from Paulinho and Eriksen the new players haven't done much at all. Soldado has been nothing short of a total flop so far, Defoe showed today what movement gets you even though his finishing was slightly off he could have had a hat trick on another day.

He might have spent 100m but they got back about the same from the sale of Bale and other players.

Doesn't matter how much they got back, he's had the chance to revamp a whole team.

This is a team that finished 5th by a whisker last season. They've outspent every club bar man city this summer. You don't spend that kind of money and be happy to finish in the same position.

 

When you revamp the whole team it's not uncommon that it takes time for the team to gel and with many new to the Premier League it's no surprise that the individuals take time to find their feet as well.

Gareth Bale was so extremely good and the focus of all play, when he leave it's pretty much like starting from scratch in finding the team's way to play.

2 points behind 4th, 3 points behind 2nd - Spurs can still finish anywere in the upper half though. There are already positive signs and hopefully january transfer window will land a left back so that a back four can be balanced and settled for second part of the season.

You don't spend that kind of money and be happy to finish in the same position.

 

 Why not? Perhaps that kind of investment was what's needed to remain fifth with the rise of both Arsenal and Liverpool,

We're after all competing with two clubs that can hoover up all the best players in the market as well.

Climbing further up the table is extremely difficult, although still achievable even this season for Spurs.

Made a profit, ok broke even more or less if you include agent fees. Incoming players on equal wages to those who left.

A squad revamped to keep Spurs competitive not only for this season but also the coming years.

Martin Jol and Juande Ramos both lost their jobs unhappy about the signings of the Director of Football,

in hindsight though there was a lot of quality in those players signed and Harry Redknapp reaped the benefits when Bale, Modric etc. blossom.

4th or a trophy and this season is a success, but we're not a club in position to pick that up every season. We'll manage it some seasons and lose out in others.

Just the way it is in competition with money doped clubs and giants that have two decades of champions league money behind them.

So, this Wembley stadium they have been given is going to cost £200million to convert to a football stadium, of which west ham are paying........ £15million. A **** joke.

All while Spurs were willing to take the entire expense themselve plus pay for an upgrade of the athletic stadium at Crystal Palace.

Now I'm very happy that Spurs aren't moving into the olympic stadium, but it show what an incredible decision that have been made and how much money people in London and Uk will have to pay for it

If they can agree with the english FA to join the english league system,

they should start a Red Bulls Dublin.

That would have insane potential.

Fastest player in the game is from Bundesliga 2, so don't think that matters too much.

Looking through the list I think they struggle to pick up that players age and get slower,

a lot of 30+ players are set with the pace they had at the top of the game.

AVB not happy with the Villa cup game scheduled with just one day of rest after another game.

Think he's got a point, should have been easy enough to make sure teams with sunday games are placed on the wednesday schedule.

Good chance there'll be a weakened side

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24150719

ooiii! Cardiff! Keep your scouts away from our training ground

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/339474/Man-tried-to-have-sex-with-sheep-next-to-Tottenham-training-ground