Sport Football Thread 2011/2012

[Rev]

Bit of luck! Two superb free kicks.

JJ looks a decent player. Very strong and fast. Great finish for your goal.

I'm just glad we managed to finally score!

They were great free kicks, no argument there. But two going in like that is a bit, well, lucky. Unless I've missed you signing Ronaldo. Have you seen Mr Do around Exeter recently?

JJ is a bit...tempremental. He's basically an old version of Walcott who falls down a bit less with all the positives and negatives that brings. He's a decent player, but he's never going to improve.

[dr_manhattan^]

Ince to Wolves?

Could happen, he wanted the job six years ago, and said he'd come back to manage Wolves one day.

I could get behind him actually, loved him when he was our captain.

[neoELITE]

Exclusive snippet of mine:

Add Benito in there. He's now Carlos Valderama. Used to support QPR and now supports some team in Exeter who play at Sid James' Park.

[Sirloin]

I don't support everyone, just (in rough order) Leicester, Shrewsbury, Rennes, Swansea, Man City, Hertha Berlin, FC Basel, Yokohama F-Marinos, FC Twente, Real Oviedo, En Avant Guingamp, Dynamo Dresden, Palermo, Lens, Lille, Hellas Verona, Universidad de Chile, Velez Sarsfield, Botofogo, Philadelphia Union, Notts County, Belenenses, Villareal, Napoli, Sheffield Wednesday, Djurgardens, Lorient, Montpellier, FC Zwolle, Anderlecht, FC Wacker, Dinamo Zagreb, Reims, Hansa Rostock, Jaguares, Millionarios, Allianz Lima and Cerro Porteno.

The rest can go suck it.

[Ork1927]

As there is now the possibility of the end of Rangers and subsequently the end of the SPL is this the time for scottish clubs to seriously look at winding up and refounding as clubs in the English league system?

It took AFC Wimbledon nine years to get into the League.

I know the Glasgow clubs fans might feel they should go straight into the EPL but frankly their teams are shit and evidently poorly run.

Anyone know much about clubs joining into the Football League at anything but the lowest level? The Welsh clubs joined in the 20s so I don't really know a great deal about how a team could go about being fast tracked into the system. I don't see a vote getting them into the EPL.

They would have to restructure the EPL and I assume get a majority vote from the EPL clubs to fast track them straight in (which wont happen as more than half wouldnt be sure enough of their place to risk two big teams joining). The Football League would go mental and I assume wouldn't have to allow either team into the FL if they finished bottom 2. There would be law suits from Championship clubs robbed of a Prem place.

Plus UEFA would have to agree it as well

I cant even see how they could let Celtic and Rangers into League Two without a load of grief.

[Petrousgyre]

I don't support everyone, just (in rough order) Leicester, Shrewsbury, Rennes, Swansea, Man City, Hertha Berlin, FC Basel, Yokohama F-Marinos, FC Twente, Real Oviedo, En Avant Guingamp, Dynamo Dresden, Palermo, Lens, Lille, Hellas Verona, Universidad de Chile, Velez Sarsfield, Botofogo, Philadelphia Union, Notts County, Belenenses, Villareal, Napoli, Sheffield Wednesday, Djurgardens, Lorient, Montpellier, FC Zwolle, Anderlecht, FC Wacker, Dinamo Zagreb, Reims, Hansa Rostock, Jaguares, Millionarios, Allianz Lima and Cerro Porteno.

The rest can go suck it.

That's demonstrates a healthy approach to football. I do like me some Arsenal but I've a soft spot for Celtic, Rangers (that's right), Ayr United, VVV Venlo, PSV, The Orlando Pirates and Al Ahli Bahrain.

[Timmo]

This is like that Barca-Inter tie but without the occasion and without any chance of Barca not winning.

[futureshock]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110825629217?ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&clk_rvr_id=315808049711&afsrc=1

[Halo]

I've long thought that the best way for the two leagues to merge, if there was the will to do it, would be to split League Two into North/South and initially put participating Scottish teams into the northern section.

Some additional wrangling would need to take place but it's definitely feasible. Don't think it'll happen mind.

[the_debaser]

Absolutely brilliant from Alves to set up Messi.

[V3zna]

Absolutely brilliant from Alves to set up Messi.

You saw his head going up and he picked out Messi as perfectly as possible with so many defenders around. Messi was sensational in the 2nd half. Barca still look a bit dodgy at the back though.

[Elseb]

Good point for the Blues tonight against a good Hull side, awful game though. Really good result for Coventry tonight also...

[Petrousgyre]

Unbelievably good pass from Alves there.

[DeadRussian]

So, Luis Suarez hands in a transfer request. He does know he can't leave until June, right?

[futureshock]

Twitter folk say that's a fake report.

[DeadRussian]

"SkyNewsFeed" is indeed fake. THOSE TRICKSTERS. I've been Beadled.

[Calashnikov]

I'm really not sure what to make of Whyte yet, either.

OK, my mind's finally been made up about Craig Whyte. We've gone into administration over non-payment of £9m in PAYE and VAT since his takeover. Not the £49m-75m tax dispute with HMRC accrued by his predecessor, "Sir" David Murray. That dispute is still to be settled, and it will inevitably (and fairly it must be said) end in HMRC's favour. There's no way we'll be able to fund it when they finally come calling. We're absolutely fucked. Total shambles

What I don't get is why there are so many Rangers fans still giving Whyte the benefit of the doubt even now. On top of effectively mortgaging the next 4 year's worth of season ticket sales (in order to fund his own takeover, FFS) we now hear about this further £9m PAYE dodge, carried out when he knows that HMRC are already taking us to court over the 'big case.' Sociopathic fucking loonball! I tell you, we'll be lucky if we're still around four years from now to finally pay off that season ticket money. I'd say our chances look a lot worse than 50/50. What a bastard. Him and Murray

[the_debaser]

The bloke is an absolute shyster. There was grown men crying on the news earlier about what's happened to Rangers.

[Pat Mustard]

Whyte is a peice of work no doubt. Up until the administrators came in he rubbished claims about the unpaid Vat, he also denies that he used the season ticket money to bankroll the takeover (transfer of 18 million fron lloyds to one of his companies which he renamed to rangers holding ltd.

The ticketus money is still an unknown.

So if everything went against Rangers they could be looking at

75 million to hmrc for the big tax avoidance case

9 million to hmrc for unpaid vat and paye

18 million to whytes own company

22 million to ticketus

1.5 million to rapid Vienna for jelavic

Perhaps mr whytes end game may be to liquidate and transfer assets to rangers holding ltd or another company and hope that the spl/sfl allow them straight back in to the spl.

Looking at the figures it occurs that maybe this was his plan all along and whyte has been playing the long con with hmrc

[Calashnikov]

18 million to whytes own company

Oh aye, you betcha! Fucking snake, man.

Looking at the figures it occurs that maybe this was his plan all along and whyte has been playing the long con with hmrc

Certainly seems that way. Crazy son of a bitch.

[Pat Mustard]

Pretty much, although I'm not sure if they owed HRMC quite so much?

Also does anyone know of they stopped paying employee paye and vat for months?

Just checked the Leeds case, they owed 35million in 2007 and £6million was to hmrc. Looks like hmrc never challenged getting more than 8p in the pound Straight away and a further 30p if they gained promotion to the premiership within 10 years.

So hmrc still have legal recourse if whyte goes down the Phoenix route

[Daley]

Isn't the tax case relating to this off-shore payment system that some clubs used to pay players? I think six PL clubs are also being investigated too.

Football's finances are a mess.

[SMD]

Does the SPL have a 'fit and proper test' for owners or is it just the Premier League that rubber stamps idiots and con men?

[Dudley]

I *think* it's an FA thing rather than a UEFA or FIFA thing.

For all the good it's done Portsmouth.

[PinkMoon]

OK, my mind's finally been made up about Craig Whyte. We've gone into administration over non-payment of £9m in PAYE and VAT since his takeover. Not the £49m-75m tax dispute with HMRC accrued by his predecessor, "Sir" David Murray. That dispute is still to be settled, and it will inevitably (and fairly it must be said) end in HMRC's favour. There's no way we'll be able to fund it when they finally come calling. We're absolutely fucked. Total shambles

What I don't get is why there are so many Rangers fans still giving Whyte the benefit of the doubt even now. On top of effectively mortgaging the next 4 year's worth of season ticket sales (in order to fund his own takeover, FFS) we now hear about this further £9m PAYE dodge, carried out when he knows that HMRC are already taking us to court over the 'big case.' Sociopathic fucking loonball! I tell you, we'll be lucky if we're still around four years from now to finally pay off that season ticket money. I'd say our chances look a lot worse than 50/50. What a bastard. Him and Murray

Don't worry, Cal. I'm more than likely moving back to Glasgow later this year and can probably get you in at Queen's Park with me on a Saturday afternoon.

[Sportello]

I tell you, we'll be lucky if we're still around four years from now to finally pay off that season ticket money. I'd say our chances look a lot worse than 50/50. What a bastard. Him and Murray

I think it was telling when Whyte said 'there will always be a Rangers'.

No idea what's going to happen in the short-to-medium term, but in four or five years I'd bet the mortgage we'll have some form of Rangers playing in the SPL. Maybe they'll be renting Ibrox, maybe it'll be Govan Rangers 2012, but with the amount of fans of the huns there should be enough turnover to get them to the top of the SPL or thereabouts - although the days of just buying players and just not paying pesky things like tax will be long gone.

Even the most die hard tims don't want Rangers to disappear completely. I'm sure most would settle for them having a few years in the grubber signing (more) diddies.

[Sportello]

Does the SPL have a 'fit and proper test' for owners or is it just the Premier League that rubber stamps idiots and con men?

I think it's the SFA that handle it but, as with all of these 'fit and proper persons' tests they're all a bit vague. Whyte was previously banned as a director for seven years, but the SFA rules say that you can't buy a club if you've been banned in the last five years. There's a bit of debate as to when the SFA ban would apply.

Craig Whyte has an incredibly dodgy history of screwing companies over. The BBC made a documentary about his past in October, where it was revealed he had been banned as a director and left a string of floundering companies in his wake; Rangers fans protested against the BBC as a result.

[Hawkeye]

Rangers have been bankrolled for years under Murray on a financial scheme that was pure fantasy. How many fans complained during their domination of the league based on that? The guy Whyte is a cunt as well. Although when you have one cunt selling up they often pass the club off to another cunt. A scenario I know well as a Bankies fan and seeing what old cunt Steedman did to us when selling to that prick Hall.

I feel it hard to have much sympathy with the situation though. Too many old firm fans over the years moaning at the smaller clubs and how they need the Old Firm to survive. Lot's of them happy to watch the smaller clubs get in trouble with a so what attitude. All this while Rangers bankroll their grand plans with monopoly money.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the SPL make an exception and no matter what and some new FC Rangers start in the SPL. No way in hell do they have to enter the Scottish League in the third division, or even have to reapply in anything other than a certainty. No dropping to the Junior ranks for them, or having their membership bought up by a bankrupt bunch of cunts like Scumdrie (maybe Third Lanark could give it a shot!).

It's also noticeable that much of the Scottish media lets Murray off very lightly on what has happened after being part of an old pals act with him and all the stories he fed them. I did read an article from 2002 that someone posted from the Daily Record about Rangers and Murray grand plans and how Celtic would never catch them and they'd be major players in Europe!

Although isn't this the chance every old firm fan wants. Is there anything blocking a new FC Rangers starting up and entering the lower English Leagues and applying for FA membership, ala AFC Wimbledon?

One last thing. If you don't want your club to be run by cunts that don't give a shit. Start a trust and get that to purchase the club. You may not have the playboy millions to fritter away, but at least the club is truly yours and with people with it's best interests at heart.

[Blooming Marvellous]

fan ownership was mooted before, and some fairly wealthy people said they'd help with the organisation, but it was decided against pursuing for now when the enormity of the tax bills came to light.

[Daley]

One last thing. If you don't want your club to be run by cunts that don't give a shit. Start a trust and get that to purchase the club. You may not have the playboy millions to fritter away, but at least the club is truly yours and with people with it's best interests at heart.

Yes. I don't see why all clubs shouldn't be owned by the fans. Not everything has to be about profit or even worse a rich man's plaything.