Tinker on.

[arbboy]

we haven't had much of it either, until now

clubs end up selling (players force their hands with statements such as today's ) for less than their idea of "fair value" a fortnight previously as sticking them with the U23s is seen as corrosive to team spirit and holding them to end of contract a) still costs them the wages and b) gets less value when the contract runs down

of course we'd all like them to do it, but easier said than done. the players still have plenty of power.

It isn't a dig at Leicester or ham more a general comment amongst the clubs outside of the big boys who are privately owned (like leics/stoke/ham are) by hugely rich self made families.  They could (and should) imo for the long term good of the game and themselves being called out (think of the message it would send to future gold diggers looking at your club as a pension fund knowing they would easily be dumped in the reserves for a season).  I just think long term these clubs now have all the power if they choose to call the bluff.  I think it would massively win over cynical fans who say the game is dead and all about money as well and this is a huge longer term revenue stream as the game gets more and more corporate.

i didn't take it as a dig.

Ulloa is 30 years old. think he's got 18 months left on a contract

depreciation of value is a major issue if you want to make a stand and put him in the kids dressing room. yes the private owners can afford it, but still not straightforward

I really think it is straight forward and if you nip it in the bud you protect your club long term from signing gold diggers who are looking for a pension/contract to seal their future.  I think the owners need to see the bigger picture and take a hit short term to set the mark for the longer term future.  I just can't have it that the Coates family  (worth circa £10 BILLION) would ever be told what was happening by a footballer playing for them worth sub £20m at best.  I have worked for them years ago and left the company and they are ruthless when it comes to business but extremely loyal to people who don't fuck them over.  I think there is a reason why this type of thing has never happened at Stoke.  I am sure it is also to do with the scouting influence and how much they research players and their motives more than most clubs do.  They really don't have many big money signings/contract busts over the last 8 years.

Agent

"so you can go to club x and club y for the same deal. be careful though club x has just stiffed over player z who had 18 months left and let him rot with the kids, so prevented him getting one more contract. i think you should go to club y"

think that is a real factor in modern day football

I don't disagree with that at all but as a club owner do you really want to sign a player who thinks like that or is advised like that?  That is my point.

[TightEnd]

i think most agents will think like that, this is the problem

Ulloa is a lovely fella, good team man, never a problem. agent gets involved and its played out in the papers over weeks etc

[arbboy]

i think most agents will think like that, this is the problem

Ulloa is a lovely fella, good team man, never a problem. agent gets involved and its played out in the papers over weeks etc

Any top 10 EPL club now though is a huge club globally and most of the players they are signing this will be the 'career' contract for the player therefore the club has the power in this instance esp wages wise.  No club outside of top level champs league can compete financially with a top 10/12 EPL club contract wise (excluding China which may be funny in 2021 if anyone bumps this)  so again (imo) the club really does have the power.

[tikay]

Bad set of results for you tonight, Tighty.

Squeaky bum time now.

What a difference a year makes.

[PokerBroker]

Bad set of results for you tonight, Tighty.

Squeaky bum time now.

What a difference a Kante makes.

FYP.

[TightEnd]

He's right too. totally embarrassing

Click to see full-size image.

heck knows what is going on in the dressing room, some nasty stories. Inevitable i suppose once team spirit fractures

Massive game Sunday at Swansea

[Archer]

Hope you don't suffer the big R and  join the exclusive club of 1.

Cityitis:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/feb/04/leicester-city-premier-league-relegation-symptoms

[TightEnd]

Click to see full-size image.

we'll see!

[TightEnd]

So, we finally got a win

took extra time to do it but any win helps at the moment and we scored two very good goals in extra time when the impact of bringing on Ndidi and Mahrez was really felt, though it wasn't too convincing in the first 90 minutes

28,000 turned up at the very reasonable £10-15 a head and i doubt many expected two reserve teams, 10 and 8 changes respectively.

From the slightly older generation where the FA Cup matters to me more than it does the club i wasn't best pleased to see the whole team changed but it is a fact of life these days, suppose i had better get used to it. We face similar problems for the next round at Millwall, four days before the first leg of the CL Last sixteen in Seville.

It can be done, and I am sure making 5-6 changes not 10 might have seen it won in normal time.

Amartey played six games for Ghana in the AFCON in 19 days, got off a plane at 5.45am yesterday morning and played 120 minutes at right back last night. A fast developing player that can play three positions and quite the athlete 

This Sunday a big one, Swansea away.

[booder]

Couple of cracking goals last night.

[TightEnd]

well that was completely embarrassing

two weeks til the next league game, reckon its more than 50-50 we have a caretaker in charge for the FA Cup and try to get someone for a fortnight's time.

players just don't seem to give a toss.

Life moves on quickly, and football even quicker

[Ironside]

well that was completely embarrassing

two weeks til the next league game, reckon its more than 50-50 we have a caretaker in charge for the FA Cup and try to get someone for a fortnight's time.

players just don't seem to give a toss.

Life moves on quickly, and football even quicker

surely not, he has a job for life unless he resigns ?

[exstream]

Too much money in the PL to want to be relegated

[Killerkilsby]

Ranieri gone according to mail sport?

[pleno1]

Ranieri gone according to mail sport?

the twitter account youre referring to has 150 followers