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Can’t see why Lewis would be particularly gutted - you’d hope he has a modicum of sense and can see that if Liverpool really wanted him they could have got him. If I were him I’d be more pissed off at Liverpool than anything as they’ve wasted everyone’s time.

I'd contribute to the fee to get Srbeny back, if only for the fun of watching some peoples' reaction. Mentioning no names.

🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️ Guess who's back? Thanks a million, @Farke life!

I doubt any of the three you've mentioned will leave - Hanley and Zimmermann are well liked at the club and bring vital experience. Klose will likely become a much more peripheral figure but it would probably be a struggle to find anyone that interested in him right now and I doubt the club are desperate to move him on.

Yes, let's not get sidetracked and just stick to the real issue of criticising the owners for not selling the club to a consortium made up of father Christmas, the tooth fairy and Peter Ridsdale

Can I be the first to say I’d rather have Donald Ducksch?

And the footballing landscape has changed beyond belief since then as well! We're not talking about a situation whereby back then footballers could often struggle financially despite playing for great teams, we've now got bang average players spending 70% of their time rotting on a bench earning 30k a week or more, which is a far cry from the situation when the wage cap was removed back in the day. Anyone who thinks 'restricting' players who are earning 200k+ a week is not sensible has completely lost touch with reality.

Was that the one when the 'protest' turned out to just be Smudger shouting at MWJ while he was having a fag?

The short answer would be investment that gives club a chance of staying in the EPL with owners that want to be there. That part cannot be overstated. I'm totally in favour of developing youth, as any club should, but the self funding model isn't credible if you want to be in the top tier.

I can't be bothered to read the whole of this thread, but surely someone has made a joke along the lines of 'If full funding fails then they will be backed up by parachute payments for future attempts'. No? I'll get my coat. Rubbish idea. Rubbish joke. So sue me.

All very good points and I don't disagree with any of them. £8 million plus add ons just wasn't good enough though and simply couldn't be accepted. City fans would have declared a fire sale was happening, that the club lied to us about not having to sell and branded it small club mentality if we accepted that.

I guess the hope was that the injuries were over and hadn't adversely effected him. Giving him a new contract gave the club the opportunity to see if that hope was right or wrong. He has not really pulled up any trees in league one which is probably why he's not being touted as an option for us.

It really does make a difference, especially for us. We're not the loudest or the craziest, but we create a great atmosphere and are very supportive and forgiving as a fanbase, plus when CR gets rocking it is a special place to be. It's no great mystery as to why so many players have enjoyed the peak of their career with us and why historically we've often been great at home and poor away over the years. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll be up to near full capacity again soon after Christmas when the business end of the season starts, if we can keep in touch of the top 6 by then we'll have a great chance.

Here's one I'd like to see.....

Bosman rule was passed by the ECJ in 1995. When we finally leave and renounce ECJ jurisdiction, will this still apply. Could we go back to the old system that you bought a player's registration outright and could keep him as long as you paid him? i know it would probably take a big court case but...

The teacher's union are dragging their heels on re-opening all schools by September. They have submitted a 25 page ransom note with 200 demands before they will allow classes. Demands such as bins should have kids. If you bin doesn't have a lid then the school won't open. Time to sack those that refuse to work.

Thank you Swindon🌟 on behalf of the CSF and our pan-disability boys and girls. Sorry it took me a while to find this on here the money arrived this morning. I don't really understand much on these threads but I do know this is the third donation that's been sent. So it's just another part of the best football (and non-football) forum in the world.🙃 Here are the updated totals showing £1456 has been added to our presentation pot since we presented £3,000 at lock-down.

CM, in an idle moment I found that 10 other countries (including India and Pakistan but also Vanautu and the Vatican City!) have an electoral college but none of them seems to use it in the odd way the US does, so whoever it is who wants the UK to adopt such a system is likely to be disappointed. Actually I think that's rather a shame. I like the idea of Norfolk being a key swing county with the nation waiting with bated breath to see which way its decisive electoral college votes will go.

Totally unrelated Purple as i am sure any Trust related to Tom Smith and his inheritance is nothing more than talk as yet.

Comedy Gold, the WA is now an International Treaty and was voted for, and rushed through Parliament by many high profile Brexwits. It cannot be rejected easily, if at all if the UK wishes to be trusted by anyone in the near future. It overrides WTO. If it is WTO no one with half a brain cell will be thankful.

No evidence of that yet but at least he did not try to claim I stole £1000 from my village British Legion as you/RTB did when you lost last time - or that he lives in Norfolk either (A11) ps it's not such a good idea when you post as RTB or BB, to use the same word - one that a search shows only you three (?) using, and in posts having a pop at me 😉 all too easy sometimes

No

Now you have put the cat among the pigeons .

That's basically what I mean!! Thank you @FenwayFrank

From what I’m reading he was very good a couple of years ago but at the moment nobody knows because he hasn’t played much football. I wouldn’t want to pay too much for or make him our highest earner

Unless he is as good as Chris Waddle

Deal.

I think you're spot on Purple, I think the number of people who actively oppose Delia and MWJ being in charge, that they're "pocketing the cash" etc and want them to leave right now is just a relative few, and they tend to be the more vocal and angry minority on places like the FB groups etc. Where I suspect the swell of opinion gains credence are with fans who think Delia and MWJ have done a great job, but that they should be open and encouraging to outside investment if it helps us compete at the Premier League level, that are unhappy or skeptical in the succession plan with Tom taking over despite his own lack of wealth, who will support the "Project" for only as long as it brings success on the pitch, and who would welcome new ownership if it meant investment in the club and the playing squad in order to help establish ourselves in the EPL. The way to gather and make that group of supporters heard will not be a direct attack on the current ownership, or by spitting obscenities on social media. Something less aggressive like a petition to open the future of the club up for discussion between the ownership and the fans as part of a more open and honest prospectus would be more likely to garner popular support. I've already started some designs on a website to that effect.

I honestly don't blame anyone who wanted to leave when we got relegated from The Championship. Something really went badly wrong that season. I don't know whether it was Roeder driving it, Doncaster or both but the heart and soul was ripped out of the team. The over reliance on loan players to even put a side out was a huge factor in that. I won't hold a grugde against any player who looked at that situation and wanted out.

I think honestly, if someone came up with a viable option as a purchaser, be it a fan group or wealthy investor, there would be less resistance. The problem, for me at least, is that the solution is always some ethereal entity that doesn't exist should buy the club and would do a better job running it. You can't sell a club if no one is serious about buying it. Then when I see people making unfounded claims that Delia is using the club as a pension fund etc it annoys me and I can't help but rally against it.

Marshall was not the first and will not be the last to want to jump ship when a sides fortunes change for the worse. I think we need to be pragmatic. He is a good keeper and has done well at the clubs he has been at. If he came here he would know that initially he would be second fiddle to Krul, but it does not hurt to have decent competition and cover for injuries. I would have no problem if a satisfactory deal could be done, it is a key position and having two good players to fight for the spot make sense, his wages would be a fraction of what we paid Farhmann

That was indeed a hard watch but well worth viewing . Thanks for the link.

Popcorn out. Jolyon Maughan has a lot more revelations out about dodgy government contracting.

Definitely random thread of the week so far. 😂

The bloke that bankrupted a casino? 😮

Ed Balls. 😀

Louis Thompson is a potential top quality player Just needs to stay injury free for some longer game time, to help him build up his fitness for the Championship I wish him well ...

Good news though is that the young are building up their own immunity in the crowded pubs, protests and beaches....

Agreed on both counts. But a free agent is obviously going to be far cheaper, and it would be interesting to know if Liverpool, Chelsea or Man Utd fans kicked off about a lack of ambition over getting someone who is unlikely to play much on a free transfer. Fährmann allegedly cost a loan fee of €3m plus wages. It's all relative. A top level club would get an older, experienced keeper who had played at the top level for most of their career, so a good Championship club should look at someone who played at that level for most of their career. So someone like Marshall.

Best ask Vic Reeves or Bob Mortimer😀

that's the one. It was made in 2016 and my favourite bit is they haven't even updated the about section which says we would "never get promoted again". Its like they want to start off being spectacularly wrong before even getting started. 😅

That's the reality, even the Premier League champions have a backup keeper that was free yet somehow City are being cheap if they do the same. The only way I could see City paying a decent fee for a number 2 would be if it was for a young goalkeeper they feel would become first choice in a few years. That depends on how highly they rate our own youth players in that position.

The state of Liverpool fans. If this were Barcelona bidding on Sadio Mane, they'd be up in arms if they came in with an offer 50% of their valuation. They'd accuse Barcelona of trying to upset their player and get him on the cheap. But the shoe on the other foot, it's "look at Norwich getting in the way of poor Jamal's career". Not one person should feel bad for him. I bet you he pocketed a nice little sign on bonus when he signed that new contract in October 2018. And I bet he earns a heck of a lot more than any of us likely do, even with the relegation reduction.

We're usually away on opening (and final) games of the season and often to a northern team. I'm guessing Stoke or Huddersfield away. First game of the season is always an anomaly and reveals absolutely nothing about our prospects for the season so tbh, I'd be glad to get a horrible fixture like that out of the way.

Your bike was in a mess Wolfie but it's okay now and all straightened out. Hope you're recovering well. I got the bike fixed close to closing time today so I'll take it out for a test ride in the morning and then you can get back out on the road 🙂🙂

If they let us play with thirteen players we may just sort out the defence

Who would we buy for that sort of money, that would be on the bench for a Championship club? I say that because there is no way you can drop Krul atm. I know we had Farhmann in last season, but that was a loan, so that was an easy out, if it didn't work out. I get that Krul hasn't got many great years ahead of him (he and Farhmann are very similar in age) , and if we get promoted next year, I seriously doubt he would be our no 1 keeper for that campaign, so I feel we just need someone for just this season , as a good back up for Krul. McGovern isn't that man, for me though.

The issue for Jools, Swindon and others of their ilk is that Brexit is a pure faith - beyond any rational argument. However, as with any blind faith reality does creep into their subconscious time to time giving them dark anxious moments such that they have to resort to 1/2 truths, lies and distortions to bolster their faith, tell themselves it will be alright, echoing back their beliefs from others to convince themselves, if only temporarily, they are right and soothe their minds. Hence all the daft pages Jools posts - Jools trying desperately to convince non other than himself and similar Brexiteers of their faltering beliefs in the face of the overwhelming evidence and facts to the contrary. It's not targeted in reality at 'Remainers' or even the rational undecided. Its targeted at themselves. Even the much modified title of the 'other' thread - the 'Positive' Brexit thread rather proves the point. Hence in summary - no point really in discussing the subject with Jools - they are actually only arguing amongst themselves as to how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. No more and no less. The only way they will ever change as with all faiths is when sadly everything totally falls apart around themselves - their Brexity 'God' doesn't save them and even then there will be some martyrs. Here endeth the lesson 🙂

Let me guess, W88 is an online gambling company? I've just checked and surprise, surprise, it is.

How is it a step in the right direction? How can it be fair that a club like Accrington with an average attenence of 2000 have the same wages as Sunderland with 30,000? This is really going to screw up the bigger clubs.