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Post by enuntio on Jan 15, 2017 14:40:21 GMT
The start of next season with fresh optimism
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Post by enuntio on Jan 15, 2017 14:38:07 GMT
Are these figures just for the players or the club as a whole?
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Post by enuntio on Jan 14, 2017 0:59:03 GMT
Plymouth Argyle -- for a Monday evening kick off early February Charlton Athletic --- London is fun Port Vale --- to see how the other half live
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 22:15:00 GMT
It wasn't that long ago that having that kind of money could lead to a death sentence in China.
He'd better be sure to pay his taxes if he goes
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 22:10:18 GMT
So Chelsea get done to them what they have being doing to other clubs for the last 15 years. Good. What offering players more money than his club can offer How do you think we sign players ? Probably by offering first team football to players of other teams that are either surplus to requirements or not playing regularly
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 21:40:35 GMT
If the likes of Chelsea, Man City, PSG, Real Madrid etc are going to lose their best players to China to follow the money then GOOD. These clubs think nothing of poaching other teams players and pay wages that can't be matched. This spat with Costa, could easily change the outcome of Chelsea's season.
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 18:52:46 GMT
Would you swap Bojan for Barihino? Sent from my E6853 using proboards If it was a choice of one or the other, then I'd take a gamble and pick the alleged striker. Tho I would much prefer to see them both play together, but not for West Brom
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 17:27:54 GMT
Is it in a worse state than the NHS? some achievement that. Good point! Although anyone who thinks that premiership footballers rely on anything other than uber-expensive private health provision needs to think again. These guys are not using state funded healthcare. Maybe get Glenn Hoddle and Maureen what's her name, to lay their hands on him
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 14:37:35 GMT
From the BBC websites about Today's press conference
reports suggesting otherwise, Stoke boss Mark Hughes says Spanish forward Bojan is unlikely to be leaving in this transfer window.
"As far as I am aware I don't anticipate Bojan to be leaving."
^^^ that doesn't look overly convincing that Bijan is staying here long term ^^^
I'm thinking Bijan had best pull his finger out and start producing a lot of good displays
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Post by enuntio on Jan 13, 2017 14:07:28 GMT
Clayton Wood or California in January. I know which I'd prefer
About the press conference, on the BBC website it says ---
Despite reports suggesting otherwise, Stoke boss Mark Hughes says Spanish forward Bojan is unlikely to be leaving in this transfer window.
"As far as I am aware I don't anticipate Bojan to be leaving."
Obviously, Bojan will be leaving at some point, unless he sees the rest of his career out at Stoke.
Is Mr Hughes implying that Bojan may well be moving on for the start of next season?
I'd have liked to have thought Bojan that would be a major cog in our wheel and I would have felt better if Mr Hughes would have said so.
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 21:54:28 GMT
I hope both Shaq and Bojan stay I think they'll both stay to the end of the season, but will both be off as quickly as possible in the summer. A new striker that scores plenty of goals in the next week or two, should hopefully change their minds
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Bojan
Jan 12, 2017 18:35:19 GMT
Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 18:35:19 GMT
Is he?
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:33:49 GMT
Hello everyone. Hope you're all well . . . What are your thoughts this weekend?? Can see this being decided by one goal either way. How many will you bring up?? A I can't believe the bookies have made Stoke favourites, tho the prices have been coming closer all week
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:22:39 GMT
Yes
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:21:17 GMT
There was one time at school (Blurton High), when we played Longton High in a League game, we lost 8-0, guess who we drew in the Cup, yes Longton High. Guess what happened? WE beat them 1-0 at there place, no tactical changes, no personnel changes, our teacher just told us, to go out there & give it all. That's all I want from Stoke City, commitment & give everything for the shirt, with bonding, blood sweat & tears, anything is possible. PS WE went on too win the cup 4-2 & I scored a hat-trick playing Centre Half. Did they let you keep the match ball?
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:17:37 GMT
I hope both Shaq and Bojan stay
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:15:48 GMT
I hope he stays.
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 17:07:28 GMT
Oh bugger, The Sentinhell What's it say?
edit: oo, not that bad, says bugger all really
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 10:11:22 GMT
Nzonzi went because he didn't want to stay at Stoke. It was either sell him or lose him on a free
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Post by enuntio on Jan 12, 2017 9:57:13 GMT
If they want a 48 game tournament just do it as a straight knockout with no seeding at all, path to final is defined at the draw (otherwise hotels and flights would be a tfn). That would make it interesting Agreed, Its seeding that kills most competitions 48 would lead to an odd number in a straight knockout. Why not have 48 teams in 8 groups of 6 - the top 2 qualify having played 5 games on a normal league format of points, goal difference / goals scored. Then it's a further 4 games knockout for the eventual finalists
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Post by enuntio on Jan 11, 2017 10:20:05 GMT
It's a shit idea, countries will be able to qualify from the group with 1 draw which is going to mean no interest in attacking, 2 draws will guarantee progression. There will be way too many shit teams in it. Fifa talk of giving more slots to Africa and Asia but those sides that do qualify currently generally aren't doing that well and they are out qualifying the additional teams fifa now want there. Is Mr Basingstokie opposed to extra teams in the finals or just to the ridiculously low amount of group games? I'm guessing that more group games equals more revenue for TV and fewer group games equals more chance of upsets and as you say. More draws I'd like to know what the bigger/richer fooball associations and the TV companies think of this. I'm thinking it's going to lead to less entertaining and unexciting World Cups
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Post by enuntio on Jan 11, 2017 9:53:06 GMT
Countries come and go, maps redrawn, rules changed. Belgium predates the World Cup. Wales and Scotland both predate Belgium. My point being that the United Kingdom is historically and factually an amalgamation of several countries. These countries have not combined to form a larger country, in essence the U.K. Is something of a precursor to the EU. There is no logical assumption of what is and is not a country according to UEFA, indeed UEFA changed its rules on the criteria for membership after Gibraltar was admitted, which must have really miffed the Spanish. As it stands now Gibraltar is here to stay as are England, Scotland and Wales, (2 of which even have their own parliamentary elections). Internationally recognised is now what is needed to be a new member of UEFA To call a Taffy, British, or a U.K. citizen, is one thing, but to call a Taffy English is a whole different ball game. The fragmentation of countries is an ongoing issue, I'm sure there are some people who want their part of Belgium to become French or part of the Netherlands again, or how about letting them play under the EU flag, now that would allow for a larger share of World Cup places to Asian and African countries I'm sure sure I follow you now, and think we are talking at cross purposes. I think you are mixing the terms country and nation. We British know we are a group of nations, we expect that each nation will have its own football team. Many foreigners, don't see it that way. They think of us as one country, as many have a mix of nations in their own countries, and some of them think we should only have one football team. I don't think there are any fast rules on what constitutes either a country of nation. I would point out that the Isle of Man has its own parliament (the oldest?) and the Cornish do not regard themselves as English. I return to my original 2 points on this subject: 1. Increasing to 48 entries will result in very low ranked countries from Asia and Africa qualifying, and higher ranked countries from Europe and South America will not. 2. I expect a lot of countries will try and stop the UK having 4 entries, if it improves their chances of qualifying. For example, Russia, China, Finland, Norway are very lowly ranked currently and may not qualify and would not be happy to see UK having, in their opinion, 4 teams qualifying. I'm saying don't be surprised if they use their political clout to try and reduce the UK to "one country" and only one team can enter. If I remember correctly, it was once proposed many years ago that the UK country teams would constitute one qualifying group. naturally Scotland objected. If they were to dissolve the Home Nations football teams then I'm thinking BrUKit will soon follow and I'm pretty sure the Jocks won't be REMOANERS on that vote.
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Post by enuntio on Jan 11, 2017 1:32:44 GMT
Mike Dean - Games 15 Red 5 Yellow 64
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Post by enuntio on Jan 10, 2017 18:30:49 GMT
Has Mr Coke ever seen a Jock of Taffy's reaction when they have been called "English" by someone from abroad?They most definitely don't like it The U.K. Is a group of countries, not counting Northern Ireland for a minute, England, Scotland and Wales have their own languages and borders which makes them 3 separate countries. How could we not have a Wales football team when we have the likes of Lichtenstein and San Marino playing international football? Another issue regarding future World Cups is why can't these 3 nations get together and stage a combined World Cup? I can think of at least 4 Scottish grounds and only 1 Welsh ground that are currently upto the standards, plenty of English grounds are readily available and the travel time between the 3 countries isn't overly long Yes - I have relatives and friends who are Scottish and I've lived in Wales 3 times in my life and fully aware of their nationalism and patriotism. I have also spent years chairing a European committee and highly conscious that many Europeans believe we are one political country, the UK (unless we split up/devolve), and as such they feel we should have only one voice/representation. To use your analogy they believe on political national issues (as opposed to cultural national issues) that Lichtenstein = San Marino = UK (the U stands for united). There are some European countries who don't want to see Scottish devolution or separate rights for (e.g.) Scotland like a football team, because they can see a precedent for separate rights in their own country, e.g. Basques in Spain and France are most often quoted but there are scores of others: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_separatist_movements_in_Europe As has been correctly pointed out above, the Welsh and Scottish FAs oppose a Great Britain football team entering the Olympics as they are afraid FIFA will strip them of the right to have a national team. www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/31/fa-disappointed-great-britain-olympic-football-teams-rio-2016I repeat my original post, many in FIFA would like to put an end to the UK have 4 national teams entering competitions. You seem to assume this is my desire, it is not. It is my belief of what a lot of other foreign nationals desire having spent a a great deal of time with them. Countries come and go, maps redrawn, rules changed. Belgium predates the World Cup. Wales and Scotland both predate Belgium. My point being that the United Kingdom is historically and factually an amalgamation of several countries. These countries have not combined to form a larger country, in essence the U.K. Is something of a precursor to the EU. There is no logical assumption of what is and is not a country according to UEFA, indeed UEFA changed its rules on the criteria for membership after Gibraltar was admitted, which must have really miffed the Spanish. As it stands now Gibraltar is here to stay as are England, Scotland and Wales, (2 of which even have their own parliamentary elections). Internationally recognised is now what is needed to be a new member of UEFA To call a Taffy, British, or a U.K. citizen, is one thing, but to call a Taffy English is a whole different ball game. The fragmentation of countries is an ongoing issue, I'm sure there are some people who want their part of Belgium to become French or part of the Netherlands again, or how about letting them play under the EU flag, now that would allow for a larger share of World Cup places to Asian and African countries
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Post by enuntio on Jan 10, 2017 14:54:35 GMT
Apart from developing the game globally I think FIFA are desperate to ensure China make the finals so they can enjoy all the new revenue opportunities that would bring Just imagine one and half billion cheery chinamen tuned in (that's a mouthful !) but it's over a quarter of the frigging planet and they have a fast growing consumer class. Exactly right. It's also the power of democracy with so many countries wanting in from Africa, Eastern Europe, etc. FIFA is turning into football's version of the European song contest. It will result in a number of top 25 countries from Western Europe not qualifying and African countries outside the top 50 getting a place, and officials from countries you have never heard of officiating matches at a level way beyond their ability. There will be more cases of countries sharing holding the competition and ridiculous travel demands on fans. The only surprise to me is they still allow the UK to have 4 countries teams enter. Apologies if this sounds xenophobic but I'm "they" will make moves to cut the UK entries. Has Mr Coke ever seen a Jock of Taffy's reaction when they have been called "English" by someone from abroad? They most definitely don't like it The U.K. Is a group of countries, not counting Northern Ireland for a minute, England, Scotland and Wales have their own languages and borders which makes them 3 separate countries. How could we not have a Wales football team when we have the likes of Lichtenstein and San Marino playing international football? Another issue regarding future World Cups is why can't these 3 nations get together and stage a combined World Cup? I can think of at least 4 Scottish grounds and only 1 Welsh ground that are currently upto the standards, plenty of English grounds are readily available and the travel time between the 3 countries isn't overly long
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Post by enuntio on Jan 10, 2017 14:03:38 GMT
If I've read it correctly it's 16 groups of 3 and then ko stage involving 32 countries So 2 qualify from each group of 3 ??? Absolute bag of horse shit Yes I think so. For the top nations the 2 group games should in effect be little more than warm up games to get acclimatised since each group should have one really poor team who won't go through. The upside is that FIFA is doing its job of developing the game globally by bringing 16 new nations in to the fold or if you are cynical there are 16 more nations for potential sponsors to reach. I'm actually fine with it, it shouldn't be like some cosy club. I'm all for having more teams, but giving those teams just 2 matches is lacklustre. Having to play 4 games in the group stage keeps the fans more interested as well as giving the "weaker" teams more opportunity to gain experience and potentially cause more upsets
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Bojan
Jan 10, 2017 13:42:25 GMT
Post by enuntio on Jan 10, 2017 13:42:25 GMT
Bojan has lost his form. He needs nurturing back into being a star player. Perhaps we should all send him lots of love, hugs and sloppy wet kisses and roar him on, so loudly that he will play his games wearing ear plugs.
It's never a good idea for fans to turn against their own players, they get handsomely paid regardless and they can put two fingers up without moving a muscle
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Post by enuntio on Jan 10, 2017 13:27:26 GMT
Disappointed. I was hoping for 5 teams per group, which would be 4 matches and then onto the knockout stages. 2 games and then home, is much less coverage for the 16 nations that finish bottom of their group. Another issue is the amount of stadiums and infrastructure that will be needed. Although England has plenty of both, I can't see us becoming the host nation any time soon. After the Brexit vote, there will be a large block of EU teams wanting the competition to be held in €uroland
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Post by enuntio on Jan 7, 2017 16:16:14 GMT
As much as I love the little fella he won't be missed in regards to his stoke city performances since his cup injury. I think Stoke's problems are deeper than Bojan's form, though. Did Hughes send Allen and Adam on before the rest of the team to make a point to the fans? Not sure what to make of that if he did! He read my post on the Bojan thread ;-)
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Bojan
Jan 7, 2017 16:06:50 GMT
via mobile
Post by enuntio on Jan 7, 2017 16:06:50 GMT
Ignore the fans at your peril Well, he's given them the team they were begging for against Watford and look what is happening. Leave the manager to manage and our fans to moan their fucking spoilt bags off. H Maybe it's time for the manager to be brutally honest in his press releases and not to pussy foot around players or agents feelings
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