Irrelevant Nick KP

I can't answer for people who claim he's the all-seeing eye, though, can I.

Ask the people who claim that he is the all-seeing eye.

They were in the semi-final of the Champions League in 2008-09, and in the final in 2006. This season they've got into the Champions League, as usual. But there is a caveman mentality that says 'I can't see a nice shiny tin pot, and I'm not intelligent enough to analyse the results beyond that' One-legged cups are 50% luck.

Of course I'm Nick from Poland (but I'm not Polish, for everyone else's information). And I'm delighted that I've been proved right and that Mike Ashley certainly isn't such a bad old stick as everyone was making out.

So what? This is exactly what will happen if you pay young people 100,000 a week. It's why I'm glad that my club (Newcastle) is now refusing to let any players hold it to ransom, and will say 'you want that kind of money, find another club' no matter how good the player is at playing association football.

Do I win a prize?

Do you like coconut? LOL LOL LOL

Don Cowie (Watford) James Coppinger (Doncaster) Albert Adomah (Bristol City) Kevin Treacy (Preston) John Oster (Doncaster) Danny Graham (Watford) Billy Sharp (Doncaster) Brett Pittman (Bristol City) Marlon King (Coventry City) Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough) David Nugent (Portsmouth)

success = happiness, in my view. I have argued that money cannot buy happiness in football. For Man U fans, it doesn't get any better than winning the Champions League. For Birmingham fans, only the FA Cup is a feasable achievement to better winning the Carling Cup. I am convinced that Birmingham fans were happier when they won the Carling Cup, than Man U fans will be if they win the Chamoions League. And remember, it literally cannot get better for Man U fans, than winning the Champions League. And this is why I think money can't buy happiness in football. (for me happiness is the same as success, but that's a matter of personal definition.) So, now it's up to you? Who are happier, Birmingham fans when they are at their happiest, or Man U fans when they are at their happiest?

LOL

It's true that we've never been near where Chelsea and Man U are now. We competed in the Champions League, but never got into the quarter-final. Chelsea and Man U frequently get to the semi-final. So we WERE among the top-two in England, but we were never in the top-8 in Europe. Ashley = friend.

He's a genius. Think of how little money Arsenal have spent.

Could there come a time when the FA, or FIFA, think about putting goal difference as the first thing we look at, and then, after goal difference, points? First reaction will be to laugh the suggestion out of town, but... ...consider this... Recently, it has become popular to field weakened teams in uneven matches. Managers think to themselves, we'll definitely win the next match, so we'll play a second-string team, or, alternatively we'll definitely lose the next match, so we'll field a weakened team. If goal difference was the first consideration, Wolves would go to Old Trafford thinking "If we play very well today, we could get a very good result" (i.e. a one-goal defeat, for example) Nowadays, the difference between top and bottom is astronomical, far far bigger than it was for most of the 20th century. That is why more and more managers are fielding weakened teams in the most uneven matches. Under the goal difference system, every match would be exciting, because no matter who you played against, every minute of the match would be important. Remember, the poll isn't about yes or no to goal-difference-first. (GDF). This poll is about yes or no to the contemplation of GDF.

Should Britain introduce AV, or stick with FPTP?

luckyluke, you may think so. In my opinion, they are just proud of having a club that can be respected. I don't have any more respect for Man City than I have for Watford. Why on earth should I? Anyone can get a good team if they've got zillions. But I have huge respect for Arsenal, as a non-fan.

PaddockLad, that's exactly what I mean. Imagine wandering about morosely when your in a Cup Final. It's times like that I'm very glad I don't support Man U or Chelsea and would support any other team over them apart from Sunderland. To be fair, PaddockLad, there are some Arsenal fans who are defending Wenger, and have come round to his philosophy, whereby whatever is achieved is much more honorable if it's achieved without speding too much money. What annoys me is Chapman on the BBC yesterday, telling Wenger he should spend more money, and actually telling Arsenal fans they should stop taking pride in being excellent on a shoestring and demand Wenger spend what's available. For goodness' sake, the BBC is our state channel, we are in a recession and this state paid journalist is telling Arsenal to increase the money they pay to players who earn tens of thousands a week.

My definition of success is happiness. They are one and the same, in my view. But that doesn't mean that my definition is any more valid than anyone else's.

Happy Easter to you too, Barton7 I think Birmingham fans winning the Carling Cup made them happier than Man U fans will be if they win the Champions League, but as there is no such thing as a happiness thermometre, we'll just have to agree to differ. I've enjoyed this debate. Up the Toon!

Barton7, I've enjoyed this season more than last season. Please answer this question, who do you think will be more happy. Birmingham fans winning the Carling Cup? Or Man U fans if they win the Champions League. I ask that question because both those situations have something in common. They are the pinnacle of what it is possible for those two clubs to reach. Birmingham fans cannot realistically hope to do better than winning the Carling Cup, while Man U fans cannot hope to do better than winning the Champions League, so in some respects, this is the acid test to our discussion. Who would be happier?

Barton7, Chelsea fans won the FA Cup in 2008-09, and yet they spent all summer bemoaning the Champions League semi-final 'injustice' when the ref made some bad decisions, including a wrongful sending off of a Barcelona player. In other words, just 6 years after Abramovicz had taken over, an FA Cup win had become something totally banale to them. And how you can say that Man U fans will generally be happier than Fulham fans, I simply do not know. I can only say that I strongly disgree with that.

Thank you for that well-thought out response. I can only speak from my own experience, and my experience tells me that happiness cannot be bought. Whether we equate happiness with success is one thing. But certainly I don't see happiness being bought in football. I don't think Chelsea fans are happier now than they were before Abramovicz (they were at the beginning, but I think that happiness has worn off). And I certainly don't think league Champions Man U were anywhere near as happy as Fulham fans in 2008-09. And Fulham did in fact spend less more money. Yes, Man City will be happy when/if they win the league. But only the first couple of times. After that, the same thing will happen as has happend with Chelsea fans, and only the Champions League will have the power to generate true deliria. So I ask you, Barton7, don't you agree that money can't buy happiness in football? I'm not asking about success now, I'm asking about long-term happiness?

No, they've not bought success, they've bought trophies. I'll call it success, when I see some genuine happiness.

In case there are still some people who aren't choking in bile... I know that most people want their football clubs to spend big on players, so that the club shoots up the table, and / or wins trophies. But my way of supporting my club (Newcastle) is this: divide achievement by money spent. For example, someone who, in a year, spends 5 million on fees/wages and gets into the Europa League is, in my way of looking at things, more successful than someone who spends 500 million on fees/wages and wins the Premier League. And thinking about it, that's the way most people think, without realising it. Abramovicz bought Chelsea, but it only took a few years, before the Chelsea fans, just like the Man U fans, could only be made really happy, if they won the Champions League. When did any of you last see a Man U fan that you know, get really delighted when they won the league? Certainly, I've not seen a Man U fan be really happy about winning the league for many years. It's always just 'oh, great'. Then I remember 2008-09, when Burnley got promoted. Their fans were so happy, it was utterly amazing. And in that same season, Fulham got into the Europa League. It was exactly the same with their fans. They were FAR happier than Man U fans who won the League, or Chelsea fans who won the Cup. Even at the FA Cup Final 2008-09, it was hard to know whether it was Everton fans or Chelsea fans who had won. The EVerton fans, even after losing, were just happy that they'd got to the final. This, I believe, is a new development in football. 20 years ago, when the financial differences between clubs was not so great, trophies were everything. Now that money has bought the trophies into the hands of your Chelseas and your Man Us and your Man City's, a lot of the happiness has left the trophies, and the happiness has been snapped up by the phenomenon called exceeding the expectations imposed by the restrictions of your outlay. In short, success = happiness, and I saw more happiness among Burnley fans in 2008-09 than I saw among Man U fans in 2008-09. So money bought Man U and Chelsea trophies that season, but not happiness. And if success = happinses, and money can't buy happiness, then I can only conclude that... money cannot buy success in football and you are very welcome to quote me on that, without giving any context. I'll repeat it loud and clear, money cannot buy success in football quote me at your leisure. Later, I will be looking through the sea of knuckle-dragging moronic abusive bile that inevitably will meet this posting, and see if there are any proper responses that address what I've said, whether it is in agreement or disagreement.

citizenread, don't make things up. There was nothing in that BBC documentary about children working in that wholesale supplier which Ashley deploys.

Whoosh. 38 Games. ........Win.........Loss........Draw........Total Points...........Ave.PPG (1).....12 ........ 12 .......... 14 ................ 50 .................. 1.32 (2).....15 ........ 18 ........... 5 ................. 50 .................. 1.32 So wots the point in points per game? That's my point. Now come on, you're not trying. I've highlighted what I already wrote to you. Totals are fine when both teams have played the same number of matches, but they aren't so good when teams have played a different number of matches. And Pardew and Hughton have not had the same number of league matches this season.