Toonpack

Two pages before someone produces Lizzy !!!!! Cap doffed PL Cowboy Song is my favourite btw

Looking that way, they obviously had no plan at all. Marvelous !!!

I'd never want another English club (outside NUFC) to win anything ever, unless they were playing someone depsicable like Real Madrid (and even then, that would depend who the English team were).

Semi-follow Hearts from years gone by via occassional days on the hoy in Edinburgh with a match to break up the drinking. My lad was there today (he paid £250 for his ticket !!!!!!), just been on the phone, he's a little bit hoarse :-)

Splendid afternoon, well done Hearts As for the Hibees And you will wait 500 years And you will wait 500 more Just to win the Scottish Cup That Hearts have won So many times before ore ore HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Isn't that criminal damage, banged to rights, marker pen still in hand

100 Million rand is £7.5 Million quid !!! Nice little earner.

As are you, if you want the real story, it's blacker than Chez's description, so various and disparate Russians have told me over a period of time. Notwithstanding his "genius".

There's a hint in the thread title

I think in that context he was talking about the "new" CB as someone who can will onto the end of dead balls etc. If my memory serves.

I really don't believe he will, his model is set, club will live within it's means and if a big offer comes in it will be considered, but it will have to be BIG to be accepted. This selling one of the crown jewels is not a one sided thing, there has to be a market for the player a,b,c etc. That market is the CL "club", the player we have has firstly to be better than what they already have, to be of interest to them, and secondly then that position has to be on their budgetted priorities to upgrade list. There's a limited number of our players (if any) who fit those parameters I reckon. That said, there are dozens upon dozens of REALLY good players around Europe (and beyond) who don't play for BIG clubs, I'd rather take a punt on 3 of them at £5 mill each than one at £15 Mill. And yes I do like what Ashley appears to be doing. He does not appear to be taking out and the club is constrained within it's means, those means are greater than most and are eminently "growable" if we keep progressing. There's a lot to like IMO.

Congrats Welcome to poverty

Hence the "ner" (in deference to those upset by said picture) That said IMO (and to many I know) even that picture isn't a big deal.

Yep he's wrong, but it should be done that way, would certainly increase the interest in the competition as a whole if the winner got into the "big one".

Which regime recognised, by it's own admission, it got things horribly wrong and was taking "bad advice". Did something about it and has since ner put a foot wrong ????

40% (I seem to recall) of the scouting report according to Carr is about the "person". I don't know where the "completely rebuild the side" notion comes from, we have rebuilt but over about 3 years (steady improvement), we didn't do it all last summer and I hugely doubt we'll majorly "rebuild" this summer either. And no I'm not being "hoodwinked" by one good year, it has been 3 years of consistent improvement both on and off the pitch, each step to a higher/better level. As for luck, consistently lucky for 3 years on a consistently more lucky basis, aye right !!! If luck came into it, it was in the selection of the manager/coaches/scouting network. The rest has been "method/science"

Personally I believe we have already stolen a financial march on the other clubs (outside the mega rich) in that we have gone through our slash and burn phase of “extreme prudence”. If you look at this (and our latest figures would be even better): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9255617/Revealed-the-financial-health-of-the-Premier-League-laid-bare.html We are in a much better state than most and the majority of the league just cannot keep going the way they are, they have to have their slash and burn, and the ownerships (Lerner/Short/Fenway for example) are making those “cut back/balance the books” noises already, not to mention the needs of FFP. Will we sell someone?, only if there is a buyer and they can offer absolute top dollar. We don’t need to sell but we will if the price is right (notwithstanding the effect of Agents and players twisting).

hmm Payments by SD via marketting budget = business expense for SD and tax deductable Said payments to NUFC = income = taxable Interest payments by NUFC = business expense and tax deductable for NUFC Interest to MA = income and I guess taxable I would guess, wonder what would happen if he just passed the interest payment to reduce the capital sum, that get out of the taxation thing ???? Even if he was taxed on the interest, he'd still be "quids in" using SD cash even if he only got half of what the interest payment was.(plus SD and NUFC would get the tax relief)

He's not used SD money at all yet though, all been from his own, not inconsiderable, personal stash. It is weird tbh, he could use SD marketing budget quite legitimately, strange he doesn't, as in real terms it's costing him personally and not the corporate entity

He could always charge us interest on his loans (that'd be about £6/7 Mill a year). Quid pro quo imo. Don't know why he doesn't get SD to pay the club and also in turn charge interest on the loans, that'd be the way to use SD corporate cash (not his personal cash) to make him some real personal cash. (if making more personal cash is/was his aim).

The Pienaar they sold to Spurs and have on loan ????

Manager of the year's fault, some people on the internet said so :D

Where's the best place to park in North Amsterdam ??

Could have had three red cards, good to see his anger management paying off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXWTQ...eature=related

Pardew looked furious just before HT, reckon he'll be borrowing SAF's hairdryer about now.