Whoop! FA Cup final day! Disgusted that Pep isn't wearing a suit. Hope the Sun do a suitable level of outrage for it.

predictions? 10-1?

Hmm, I'm gonna say 2-1 City. Could be a close game. K hope it is anyway.

Tsk at Gomes, if Foster had been in goals for both them goals they simply wouldn't have been goals.

ah.. hope! lol

(im just keeping an eye on guardian updates)

Eep. Well this is a tad embarrassing so far. Deeney? See more cojones on a bloody panda

5 :D

—

i mean 6 XD XD XD

I missed the game. Anything remotely interesting happen or does the score tell me everything I need to know?

a nice read

https://www.economist.com/britain/20...premier-league


some details not true like “wolfsburg mediocre.” wolfsburg is mediocre now, and historically as well, but it was glorious that year actually.

there’s a paywall but if you register your email you get a number of free articles per week/month (that is how they hooked me, lol)

I'm not giving the Economist my email address but if you don't mind cut and pasting the article I'd like to read it.

you need a fake address or two in this world but sure gimme a minute

Scouts’ honour

How Manchester City came to dominate the Premier League
Along with Liverpool and Spurs, City have used clever hiring to eclipse Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea
Print edition | Britain
May 16th 2019

If you had told football fans in a pub 15 years ago that Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur would one day dominate the Premier League, they might have told you to make it your last pint of the day. In 2004 City finished 16th, Spurs 14th and Liverpool a distant fourth. The ruling triumvirate of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were the only clubs to win the competition in 1996-2011.

Yet today the league tables are turned. The Premiership’s new sultans are Manchester City, who on May 12th sealed their fourth title in eight seasons, to the delight of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, who bought the club in 2008. One point behind were Liverpool, whose tally of 97 made them the best runners-up ever. On June 1st the Merseyside team will face Tottenham in the final of the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious tournament. What has allowed this new trio to dominate?

Money is part of the answer. In 2008-12 Manchester City splurged £520m ($675m) on transfers. Fenway Sports Group, an American firm that bought a near-bankrupt Liverpool in 2010 for £300m, now spends that much a season on players’ wages and transfer fees. But lots of English clubs are wealthy: nine of the world’s 20 highest-earning clubs are English. City spend only 8% more per year on players than United, and Spurs pay 20% less than Arsenal.

In the past, Premier League clubs squandered their wealth. When 21st Club, a consultancy, plotted European teams’ spending against their results, 16 of the 20 English sides sat below the trend line. Continental clubs charge higher transfer fees to affluent Premier League sides, who spend 80% more than their rivals for the same level of talent. What’s more, English clubs have a habit of buying ageing stars rather than nurturing talented youngsters.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham have learned from these mistakes. Since 2016 the players they have signed have been younger and from less flashy clubs than those bought by their rivals (see charts). City paid £55m for Kevin de Bruyne, a midfielder for Wolfsburg, a mediocre German team. Liverpool bought Mohamed Salah, an attacker for Roma, for £37m. Now in their peak years, each has become his team’s best player. This season Spurs became the first club in Premier League history not to sign a single player, after years of recruiting young talents from lesser clubs. Many have matured into stars, such as Son Heung-min (from Leverkusen) and Dele Alli (from Milton Keynes).



Meanwhile Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have made costly errors. United made 30-year-old Alexis Sánchez the league’s highest earner, on £25m a year. But the striker scored just five goals in 45 games. Chelsea got rid of Álvaro Morata, a £60m striker from Real Madrid, after just a year. Arsenal have purchased several woeful defenders.

Challenges remain for the new trio at the top—not least an investigation by uefa, Europe’s football authority, into claims of financial irregularities at City, which could mean a season-long ban (City deny it). Either way, on June 1st an English side will win the Champions League for the first time in seven years.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Scouts’ honour"

so basically i think what it means is those clubs have adopted the bundesliga model hahaha

(but in doing so they have undercut the bundesliga. yeah...)

Thanks

The main thing there is that the successful teams are ones that trust their managers with the transfer budget whereas Chelsea and especially Man U are very boardroom-driven. Spurs not buying anyone was clearly dictated by the owners but at least Poch is in charge of whatever money is made available. Arsenal are an anomaly. They give their managers a big say in transfers but (whether it's Wenger or Emery) they don't spend it well.

it’s funny in this context that i was saying the other day liverpool should buy hazard haaa haa haaa

Don't know anything about them but they're apparently being linked to Ajax's Ziyech and Inter's Icardi. But Klopp has warned fans not to expect any big blockbuster signings.

Also rumours that Sane might be leaving Man City for Bayern. Great player but I get the feeling Pep doesn't fully trust him.

oh, that would be great for bayern and german football who are in an international slump

in small transfer news (it’s old news) benjamin pavard of france & world cup fame is transfering from stuttgart to bayern this summer

you might remember him for this

West Ham, Wolves and Everton all apparently in for Newcastle's Rondon.

West Ham also linked to Fulham's Mitrovic.

Not the sexiest of signings but a front line of Mitrovic and Rondon would be an improvement on what we currently have.

bit of nostalgia. holy shit how time flies

https://www.transfermarkt.us/ribery-...ew/news/335888

oh, wolfitos bought raúl jiménez outright from benfica from a loan option for almost 40mil euros

benfica must be swimming in money.

and frenkie dejong from ajax to barcelona... 85 million euros!

-x

lucas hernández from atleti to bayern 91mil

wow

shaping up to a very french defense. and good buys!

Also, sad that Kompany's leaving MC/the Prem.

I don't think even the biggest City hater could have anything but respect for him. One of the classiest individuals of the Prem League era.

he’s probably my favorite human in that team

trying to think of another...

nope.

sad to see him go but great that he goes out on such high—that goal the other day... (vs. lester)

well theres still the champions final yes? one last chance to see him?

What's the champions final? Do you mean the champions league final? Liverpool v Spurs?

No, I think the FA Cup final was the last we'll see of him at MC.

oh lol was not even 420 am here when i wrote that

dream logic haaaa haaaa

—

adios vincent

may you coach

He's going to Anderlecht as a player/coach, where he started his career. Really hope it works out for him.

should work out for anderlecht haha. i mean, what experience to bring them. how many years under pep? 3? plus all that he’s seen before?

scouring the interwebs for some teevee fútbol, so scarce these days lol

copa del rey, barcelona vs. valencia
dfb pokal, bayern vs. leipzig

the sub-20 world cup going on? somewhere?

sarri to juve? allegri to... where?

Sarri wants to stay put but it's up to the owners. No one knows about Allegri but some are hinting he may just have a break from the game altogether and see what's out there in a season or two's time.

he wants to stay put?

damn...

He's on the eve of a final and due to meet the owners soon after so he can't really say anything else at this stage. I'm sure he's privately looking at his options.

he’s been so humiliated so often, i dont know why anyone would want to hang on to that position. yes, tolerances vary, but i think his has been already exceptional.

lewandowski just scored for bayern at 28’ vs leipzig

1-0

Not wanting to state the obvious but he's contracted until 2021 and if he walks away he walks away from a lot of money. Better just to wait for Chelsea to pull the trigger and pay him off.

that wasnt obvious to me, my assumption was he’d walk from one big salary to another, but i get he’s willing to get reamed a little longer for the severance pay

coman awesome goal bayern 2 leipzig 0

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now lewandowski solo run 3-0

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the end

So Villa make it to the Prem. I wanted them but have to feel for Derby fans. I remember the year West Ham lost a play-off final. I don't think I've ever felt so low as a football supporter. Worse than relegation.

perhaps uncannily i just ran into this book a little while ago



does it apply here?

i have no idea, but now i’m extra-curious

If fucking West ham end up signing fucking Gomez I'll so fucking pissed off. Have a word with them, Demo