Out of the darkness and into soccerball season 2021/22

So what exactly is happening with Kane then? Is this just Spurs doing their usual and upping the transfer fee before the inevitable move?

It's going to be an interesting season alright. I still can't see anyone other than City for the title really. Other teams have strengthened but are still playing catch up. There squad looked so strong, before they added Grealish into the mix, who I suspect will have the kind of season that will make that 100 million transfer fee look like money well spent. That City midfield is scary.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sancho at OT and how he fits in

I can absolutely believe that Levy has gone back on his word, we all know how ruthless he is, but Kane was naïve in the extreme to agree his last contract below market value with no getout clause. City have shown over the past few years they will walk away from deals, I don't think that deal will be done.

I'm intrigued by the Messi/Barca fiasco. It could see Agüero, Depay and others leave before they even start. It's weird.  It's clear now why Barca and RM will persist with the Euro league idea as it's the only way they can escape from debt the size of a national debt.

Is FFP still a thing?

Grealish is dead to me now.

Pah! I don't think any Villa fan over the age of 14 would begrudge Jack his move (as long as he doesn't do a Denis Law on us*). I was going to the Villa v Sevilla game today until the Spanish team dropped out with a sevilla case of Covid, or they wanted to kick Grealish and were sulking.

*Denis Law was a long-time Man Utd player who was transferred to Man City and scored against his old club on the last day of the season. Man Utd were relegated.
Citeh play Villa on the last day of this season. Gulp.

As an Arsenal fan, I cannot see an improvement on last season. I was so looking forward to seeing Xhaka leave. Our transfer business hasn't been great, so the only transfer in is that I'd like to see David Dein back and out of his depth Edu out.

FFP is the reason that Barca are saying they can't have Messi. La Liga are being 'sticklers' for the rules. When Barca/Real say it, it probably means they are not letting them do whatever they want.
At the moment, Barca are blaming La Liga, so there is an outside chance they can persuade them to allow an exemption for Messi, so he can stay. It's being framed as a national disgrace that the number one son is being unceremoniously shoved out the back door. The nation's argentinian, tax-cheating number one son.
I can't really get excited about the season anymore. Teams who have it spend stupid money hoovering up players, then use dubious means to hoover up more money to cover the nut, then, surprise, walk away with all the silverware. I think the game desperately needs some actual, enforced rules to stop the runaway train before it derails.

My point about FFP is how can City be buying Grealish for £100m and talking about getting Kane as well presumably for more? I mean, given they basically got away with FFP abuse last time I guess they just don't really care.

I don't think City will rest until they are the PSG of the PL and the only question is whether they will win the CL too.

The superleague was the only realistic path for barca and madrid to quickly clear their debts without years of sound financial management, and ironically the reason that la liga and uefa will now not bend the rules to protect them. Anyone with half a brain could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

@cromolly I am only 51 so don't remember a time when the richest clubs didn't hoover up the best players to dominate, maybe you are considerably older than me and can tell me when this idealised utopia you dream of existed?

Anyone with half a brain Man City supporters could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

My point about FFP is how can City be buying Grealish for £100m and talking about getting Kane as well presumably for more? I mean, given they basically got away with FFP abuse last time I guess they just don’t really care.

They are amortizing the transfer fees across the life of the contract, so expectations of future income cover it. They also moved out Aguero, freeing up 200k a week, plus Sancho, and a few other younger guys.

@MSP. Why not just make a point without being a dick?

1985. The Heathrow agreement. Sharing of gate receipts eliminated and the 4% levy reduced. Then 92 when 50% of tv revenue went to the top flight and the reduced levy was replaced by a 3 million pound payment, only 1m of which came from the top flight, the rest from the FA.
Then the move from rich domestic ownership to insanely rich foreign owners. To some degree it started with Many U but Abramovich accelerated it. Yes, big clubs used to buy as many of the top players as they could but squad size, wage bill, competitive rankings clearly show that in recent years the financial clout of the big clubs has increased. Whereas even the biggest clubs had limited ability to buy all the best players, now they can literally buy players so no one else can. Don't forget that some of the biggest achievements by domestic clubs was built on a spine of academy players. Now there is little pretence of that.

Citeh will probably just announce a billion quid a season shirt sponsorship deal with the Mansour Coffee Company or Mansour Hotels inc or something 😉

I see they’ve attracted their usual capacity crowd 😂

@MSP. Why not just make a point without being a dick?

FFS you do love claiming a bit of faux victim status so you can do some name calling.

Anyone with half a brain could always see that the implementation of FFP was about protecting the established elite and had nothing about ensuring financial probity.

Thing is also, what's wrong with protecting the established elite? The reason clubs like Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool are big/wealthy is largely because they built up a loyal following in areas with a large potential fan-base over decades of success. I'm sure you think it's great for a petro-state to just come in and splurge wildly and completely unbalance the league but not many people other than city fans do.

But yes, I'm sure the Kane transfer money will be fiddled somehow.

Back to the actual football: Leicester we’re good for the win there.

Looks like they’ll be causing trouble up and around those top four places again this season

Hopefully cash-strapped plucky outsiders Manchester City of Manchester will bounce back from today’s disappointment to at least attain top four to qualify for the UCL which they’ve tried so hard to win despite everybody doing what they can to stop them.

Back to the actual football: Leicester we’re good for the win there.

I think it was the expected result with so many youth players in the Man city team. Leicester defended quite well considering their injuries, but their attack was scrappy they showed their potential in bursts but lacked control against a poor showing from the man city defence.

The man city senior players looked well of the pace, I think they are in for a difficult few weeks, I just hope the other contenders are in the same place.

The number of subs by Rogers in the second half showed it was a less competitive match than even the usual shield, both managers were just trying to get game time in players legs.

I wish we could stay in the darkness.

How can City afford it?

They won over £200M last season in prize money alone, before you even start adding in sponsorship and all the rest of it...

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-city-season-prize-money-20709335

As big a footie fan as I am I always think it comes back too soon.
Would love to have seen Messi in the premier League, have a feeling he'd do ok in a cup game one rainy Tuesday away to Stoke.

I'd like to see how Messi would do. But I think he'd really struggle due to the physicality of the game here and not being given too much space like in Spanish football.

With the Grealish stuff, the fans are more annoyed at the statement last year my club my home stuff but purslow made it clear Jack wanted the release clause and he wanted to go the previous year, that’s annoyed a few. I feel Purslow threw Jack under the bus and while it’s great to see the club being open and honest I think we didn’t need to know. Lots of references to Benteke who never said any of that he just wanted to go every season as he thought he was going to Arsenal when he first signed.

I hope Jack does well and the Villa team look better equipped this season, some very good buys and more to come, not relying on Jack every game means others will step up which took time last season when he was injured. Would love to see a cup run and maybe finish 6th…

I’m a season ticket holder and missed the football last year, was lucky to get a ticket for the last game of the season and when I was sat there it just hit me how much I’ve missed football, I go on my own but there’s a good group round me, kept in touch via WhatsApp be good to see some familiar faces soon!

FFP I thought they had parked it for a few seasons due to covid, allowing owners to invest to clear debt and invest for after covid. I could be wrong but while others are shouting about Man City other teams are doing the same, until we sold Grealish villa have invested £100m each year since promotion and again on target this season to spend that sort of money again. Grealish money will balance the books if FFP is an issue.

mrwhyte…..seriously?! Granted he’s not at his peak but one of the best players ever will stroll through the Premier League season and make mugs of the majority he plays against.

OK, perhaps struggle was the wrong word. I don't think he'd have the same impact like at Barca due to the nature of the game here, it is very different to Spain. I think he'd get clattered as way of stopping him as that would be the only way to stop him. In his hey day yeah I think he may have done well.

As an aside, is the STW fantasy league still running?

Yeah, I was auto enrolled into it.

Let’s not forget the Scottish accomplishments too.
St Johnstone seem to be extending the amazeballs season they had last term with an away draw at Galataseray.

Mine hasn't automatically joined again. Is there a code knocking around MSP?

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/fantasy-premier-league-re-activated/

On Messi, the same argument was used about the diminutive Zola, and he did ok.

It doesn't have the glitz of the Premier League but I think this is going to be a really interesting season in Scotland. For the first time in years we have both Dundee teams and both Edinburgh teams in the SPFL. Celtic have hit self destruct and have a major rebuilding job to do. Rangers were unbeaten in the league last year but have lost their second game and may lose some of their best players, if it gets nasty will Stevie G stick around? Time for the Stephen Glass/Scott Brown inspired second coming for Aberdeen?

Ah yes, I did think of Zola. I admit then, I am wrong. I think I just couldn't imagine Messi playing at Wolves for example on a very wet and cold Tuesday night in December.

Thanks MSP. I did search but only came up with old fantasy league chats. I should've just looked at the current forum threads. Doh!

Re Messi leaving Barcelona. From what I’ve read essentially this is because they can’t afford to keep him due to his, and other players, wages exceeding the salary cap/financial fair play.

Apparently his new contract halved his £123m a year previous one! Wow! He is rich beyond his wildest dreams, if he was desperate to stay could he not have considered say, £5m a year? Mind boggling figures.

Zola was four years younger when he signed for Chelsea than Messi is now though.

His barca deal would have been 50+ million a year for 5 years, although they only expected him to play a further 2 years, basically they kept his current salary but spread it out like loan payments, insane.

Now he has only (****ing only!!!) been offered 40 million by PSG for 2 years, so I think there is still a game of brinkmanship going in in the Spanish league. But with them still proclaiming they are going ahead with the superleague, I don't think La Liga will back down.

FFS you do love claiming a bit of faux victim status so you can do some name calling.

Well, let's try and experiment, you go against your nature, make a point without being a dick, I'll see if I can survive.
What are your thoughts on the impact on competitiveness of the Heathrow Agreement?

edit

**** it, lets just try to ignore each other.

Zola was four years younger when he signed for Chelsea than Messi is now though

And not half the player Messi is. Messi would be awesome the EPL, I do agree though with the point above, if he's so desperate to stay, take massive paycut. It's not like he's short of a shekel.

Kyogo Furuhashi, there's a name youse englandshirists will be hearing in a year or 2s time. Boy's superb.

I'll start the bidding at 50 million. 😆

@cromolyolly - are you aware that Sancho didn't leave Citeh recently?

Anyway Messi crying for his Barca audience..'tis a  load of bollocks. He could have played on minimum wage. He's worth hundreds of millions.  Very advanced ****hattery  from the terrifically talented tattooed tit.

I see what you did there.

For those saying Messi could have dropped his salary further etc, there was a good explanation from a Spanish journalist that explained (I know I have the figures wrong here, this is just off top of my head) but basically to satisfy La Liga rules the salary paid needs to be no more than (for example) 90% of total income generated (again, sorry, bit of a guess but along those lines). Barca are currently at 117% with Messi's salary. If Messi played for free it would only bring this figure down to 97%, so its not a matter of bringing his salary down.
I dont think I have explaned this very well at all - it made perfect sense when I read the tweet, Guillem Balagué was the journalist

He's always welcome at Reading, but I fear he'll end up at the Mickyest of Mickey mouse clubs in a Mickey Mouse league in France.

Thanks iancity1 for putting it in laymans terms! No wonder they’re still keen on on a Euro Super League. Only got themselves to blame though regarding the parlous finances given the money they spent on Dembele, Coutinho, and also Griezeman, to a lesser extent.

Not just the transfer fees either, Griezeman is on 800k per week. They have been desperate to sell him, but no one is going to come close to those wages. Is he going to become another Bale paid 10 of millions of year to play golf instead of football.

I saw somewhere as well that the salary cap in La Liga is for players registered in the squad, so barca may have players contracted and still have to pay them, but not register them in the squad to get inside the La Liga rules.

There was an article in the Guardian not long back saying how these players are albatrosses around their clubs necks. They can’t move them on as nobody can come close to matching the insane contracts they signed so they stay on the books and the clubs sink further into debt

But it also means there’s no money to sign younger players to refresh their squads, so they end up with a team of ageing players at the end of their careers all getting paid mega-bucks

It’s absolutely insane, but then the economics of modern football is completely insane

It’s a situation these clubs created, so they don’t elicit much sympathy

So what are the predictions, is it too soon with transfer business still to be done? I will go for

Man City
Chelsea
Man Utd
Liverpool
Leicester
West Ham
Aston Villa
Tottenham
Leeds
Arsenal
Everton
Southampton
Wolves
Brighton
Newcastle
Crystal Palace
Burnley
Norwich
Watford
Brentford

Assuming chelski get Lukaku which looks like a done deal and city don't sign a striker the first two could switch, still not sure Lukaku will be as good in the prem as he was in serie A. Liverpool still look thin with squad depth, but if they are lucky with injuries could go up a place. United to continue playing well or badly depending on how the team feel with Ole making no difference either way.

Burnly shouldn't expect Dyche to keep repeating what he does every year with their squad and could be the one that gets bumped below the promoted 3 to get relegated, but it is a struggle to make a case for any of them surviving.

Wolves time on the rise is and challenging the top 6 is probably over but still should be mid table. Benetiz to have a underwhelming season at everton, and will be his only season at the club.

Leeds to still be delivering the most insane games.

I'm hoping some common sense starts coming in to play. I think Liverpool are being sensible with contract offers by not renewing Wijnaldum and also seemingly Henderson. A lot of clubs seem to panic about losing a player so give them a huge new deal without thinking longer term, they are then stuck with a huge wage bill for a player they don't want and can't sell, it also happens with free transfers where it becomes a bidding war (like Bale, Ramsay, Willian)

Looking forward to seeing Man U actually - couple of excellent additions in Sancho and Varane. They have some great options going forward now - Cavani, Greenwood, Sancho and Rashford - and can move on Martial surely. Only area of weakness I can see is right back, and maybe defensive centre midfielder.

Chelsea also have a great squad as of course do City. Reckon Klopp will be trying to channel a bit of underdog spirit if they can keep players fit. Interesting to see if Thiago is better for having had a season under his belt, disrupted though it was, and if Firmino and Mane find form again.

Down the bottom it’s hard to see past the promoted clubs for relegation but Southampton might be at risk, given Ings has left clubs sniffing around Ward-Prowse.

Someone mentioned above but that Japanese striker is already looking v good for Celtic. 3 yesterday and could have had more.

Difficult to see anyone beating City again but Man U have strengthened pretty significantly and Chelsea already look much better under Tuchel with all the new players from last season.

I think Liverpool will defo come back but as mentioned they need to be lucky with injuries to key players again really. Alison was looking a bit sketchy at times too so hopefully he benefits from VVD coming back also.

I’d like to see how Messi would do. But I think he’d really struggle due to the physicality of the game here and not being given too much space like in Spanish football.

Have to say I also disagree with this - his record against English clubs in Europe is superb (26 goals in 34 games against the big 6). If he came to City, and played every game I would be astounded if he wasn't both top goalscorer and top assists (plus all the other metrics, successful dribbles, goals from free kicks etc). He's the only player I've seen come on as a sub against my team, where I've been utterly terrified (in a sporting sense). When he's half on form, you just can't stop him.

This is where stupid tribalism takes over. We know the baggage associated with the very greedy Mr Messi yet every fan would want him at their club despite him bankrupting the club they claim to love so dearly.

Man U need a Keeper, the right back is average, the midfield is below par (Pogba only deciding to bother playing 1 in 4 games… he might be on the pitch for all 4 but only plays 1) the attack is exciting.

I hate to say it, but it could be a more difficult season for West Ham. It's a thin squad and will now be playing Europa League games... Lingard has gone back to Man U and Rice didn't exactly stay under the radar at the Euros. We will once again be praying for Antonio's hamstrings...

As long as Coventry finish the season safe from relegation more comfortably than last year nothing else matters to me. I would like to see Man City implode though, as unlikely as that is.

Football folk need to check ITV4 6pm daily, if you haven't already. The Big Match Revisited. Proper entertainment 😊

Plenty of reducers I’m sure DezB!

Disagree United need a keeper. Dean Henderson looks quality, especially if he’s half as good as he thinks he is. Their season could hinge on Pogba bothering or not.

Arsenal starting the season as they finished the last one, I see. An absolute shambles at the back.

If Arteta carries on like this, he’ll get sacked in 4 or 5 seasons time 😂

Brentford topping the table. Worth a punt to see if they can hold on until May?

I think you'll find Binners, despite our poor league finish we had a better defensive record than Utd 😉 But yes, some times last season our defending was comical, it was silly mistakes when we conceded.

Brentford seem far far sharper, want it more. We just look lacklustre, lack leadership and pretty much any attribute you need to win a game.

Having a better defensive record than us isn’t a high watermark. We always try to concede at least two before half time.

I just don’t get why Arsenal insist on trying to play it out from the back when they’re so absolutely bloody awful at it.

They nearly gift wrapped them a second with a typical howler

It is awful watching it! Really do not know why we insist on it despite us doing it all season and not getting better at it.

At least Utd have players who are capable of making up a two goal deficit.

It’s just a pity that it takes the second to go in before they wake up

Leeds was one of our first games last season and it was mental. 6-2 and McTominay scored 2 in the opening 3 minutes, one of which was an absolute screamer, to which the only reaction was “hang on a minute… WHAT?!!! “ 😳

Oh dear.

Even by Arsenal defensive standards…

Fair play to Brentford. They thoroughly deserved the win. Seeing the fans going mental at the final whistle is what footballs all about

Loved the chant “we’re just a bus stop in Hounslow” 😂

It looks like they could be another Turf Moor, where everyone hates to go

Messi couldn't play for Barcelona for free - illegal to take more than a 50% pay cut, which still didn't work, so off he has to go. They have horrible squad problems now which is why they all hate the ex president

I was surprised Arteta survived last year and I hope he doesn't have a long lease on where he's living. That was poor. But great work by Brentford

I think the gooners transfer policy is more responsible than Arteta, not that he is doing a particularly good job either. But the sale of Wilock doesn't make sense to me, similar to selling Martinez last year. Young players in form who look to have promising futures. They should have kept those players and taken a hit getting some of the expensive anchors in the squad out the door.

Arsenals transfer policy has always been bonkers. Letting players run down contracts and go on free's or for next to nothing in the final year of their contracts?

And just buying lots and lots of mediocre squad players. Didn't they famously have more defenders on their books than any other team in the league, all of whom were shite?

Ian Wrights face last night told you everything you need to know about Arsenals performance

https://twitter.com/IanWright0/status/1426316425694691328?s=20

As a United fan, Arsenal have provided some comfort over the last few years. No matter how bad things have got in the post-Fergie era (and under Maureen it got pretty bloody bad) you could always look to north London and think "well... it could be worse..."

Leeds getting a bit of a kicking here.

I rather enjoyed that 😃

Had Bruno as captain in my fantasy football team too

Mo Salah missed a trick. He would have probably won a gold if he’d have chucked a leotard on and competed at the Olympic gymnastics

^ Do you mean he is cut like a gymnast???

Deffo your year binners!

Mo Salah missed a trick. He would have probably won a gold if he’d have chucked a leotard on and competed at the Olympic gymnastics

Trust binners to start dishing it out on the one day where Fernandes doesn't get a dodgy penalty or two.

Fernandes will be well rested for the prem season after not turning up for the Euros.

Fernandes will be well rested for the prem season after not turning up for the Euros.

Missed that. Did he refuse to play/feign injury/become Roy Keane?