SirBalon

Just had a look at the stats... Vardy's only got one more Premier League title than Walcott! Talk about overstating!!!

Well that's the end of that debate!

He's better than Vardy! Now, that means something! Anyway... Walcott stunted years ago. He has pace and his pace gets him into dangerous situations in various games but he's not a majorly talented player... Actually he's monotone based on only pace. Walcott is actually the epitome of Arsenal over the past ten years. A player that can have his day at times, but more times than not isn't reliable which is why he's never really been seen at any level as a mainstay in a first XI.

I think that favourable agent stuff is rubbish mate. As for winter signings... I can't remember an important one for Barcelona to be honest and there don't tend to be too many. I can think of other ones for other clubs like; Luis Suárez from Ajax to Liverpool. Ivan Rakitić from Schalke 04 to Sevilla. Juanfran from Osasuna to Atlético Madrid. Marcelo from Fluminense to Real Madrid.

I knew it was tongue and cheek mate. But I feel you are the moderate version of me which I love. I just used your post to display more of my dissatisfaction.

Obviously I do mate but it's all so stale and uninspiring. The worst thing as that certain sectors always come out with reasons as to why our mediocrity is normal and the more hardcore ones will tell us about FA CUPS.

A bit of a mess eh! What are you gonna do...

69 from 168 signings are from Spain in La Liga this summer Spain maintains general belief in that the most important players to play in Spanish clubs ranks come from the homegrown turf. From 168 signings by Spain's premier division in La Liga, 69 were Spanish players with incredibly 27 coming from English football at 27. Then in third place Italy with 15 and Portugal in fourth with 9 joined by France. The percentage has dropped slightly as in past seasons the Spanish national players were in a much higher position. Still, the news is good that Spanish football schools continue to produce the footballers required by La Liga's sides.

Raiola to become Xavi Simons' agent Mino Raiola is due to become Xavi Simons' first professional agent... The Italian/Dutch agent met up with both Xavi Simons and his father after today's early training session with Barça's youth team and the news is that the young phenomenon could soon have his first professional agent in the shape of Mine Raiola the outspoken football agent. Xavi Simons is now 14 since a couple of months ago and is now eligible to have an agent represent his future dealings. Up till now his father has taken care of all these issues but now he's almost at the age where he can claim a professional contract and he would be best advised to have someone that knows about these things represent him by negotiating the best deal.

I love this picture... This picture tells a thousand stories where we see the head of the technical boardroom team Robert Fernández leaving the Barcelona head offices last night. Over 3,000 member fans were waiting outside (admittedly waiting for the president and not him) with the Barcelona based press. This picture at least in Spain will make folklore. Scandelous in the way they practiced their options to sign and embarrassing on how they "negotiated". They should hold their heads in shame!

I don't know mate... With a depleted squad which apart from Lacazette is exactly the same as the failure of last season with less players, players on a final contractual year and all that. He has a perfectly good excuse this time around. Ultimately the situation at hand is his fault because he's the manager from top to bottom, but what we have is what we have and you can't knock a finish in 6th under these circumstances. Anything lower than that and he may finally have problems from those above. That's my opinion anyway.

Oh no! Now we won't be able to buy anyone for another decade and the bank will only finance it if Wenger signs a new 20 year contract.

Anyway... Had someone told most Arsenal fans at the start of the summer that we wouldn't be signing anyone, I'm sure we'd all be saying they're mad. But the way things have panned out with a couple that are on their final contractual season and other factors on sales, then this is going to be one hell of a season. It's probably the most curious season we've had at Arsenal for many a year in my view... The whole thing is a mystery and I have no idea what to expect. Will Wenger pull from the youth setup? If he does that, he could actually save himself a lot of flack because surely the fans won't turn on their own, I know I won't. But if the same old play with the reduced numbers we now have. Then it could turn into a nightmare...

It closes midnight tonight.

Yeah mate, but I don't give a damn how things are seen in the US of A. The term "World" in the rest of the world, means WORLD, as in the whole world.

I hope someone makes that fanboy eat that shirt while they record it on video. After that a shot to the head wouldn't go a miss.

I ask that question to everyone quite a bit. But even then it's not the same and you know it.

I hope he prospers at Benfica. I honestly do! It isn't his fault he was signed and he's been the butt of too many jokes in La Liga with countless mems almost every week. Hopefully he can now put many wrong and prove himself although this isn't his first loan deal.

Any country that can accomplish getting something like the WWE into being recognised as a sport should be seen as very suspicious with every single one of their sports. Anyway... What's a "World Series" when the world doesn't participate and couldn't give a shit?

Exactly... Makes for an epic story and a great Hollywood movie.

American sports are fixed.

Yeah... Obviously not heard about Aleña.

Minguella rips into the Barça board For those that don't know him or haven't heard of him, José María Minguella is an important figure in the history of FC Barcelona. Few know the club better than him, few know the insides and outsides of everything that goes on at the club like he does. One of the first professional player agents back in the 70s and 80s, assessor to Johan Cruyff, Joan Gaspart (ex-president of Barça) and at one point part of the board in the 70s with the then president Josep Lluis Núñez. In an interview for Spanish radio station CADENA COPE he went into a monumental charge of criticisms aimed at the present FC Barcelona board. Mingeulla is a very vocal person but in general has always kept his words down to facts and important details that may or may not be happening at the club. But yesterday night he brought out some truths, facts and personal opinions on what's been occurring at the club for some time and especially this summer. Here's a summary of what he said; On the Neymar departure: "At the club they've been selective with the information regarding the departure of Neymar and how it occurred. The club knew of Neymar's intentions to leave since the 10th of May. How is this the case? Because I was the one who personally told them about what could be about to occur. But there are many arrogant and over inflated egos at the club, people that don't listen and have no idea about how this sport works. I went to Albert Soler who's the director for professional sports at the club and made sure I put my point across on what could happen. He told me that he would advise those that needed to but that I knew full well what the situation was at the club and that coming from me they would be sceptical." On the Philippe Coutinho saga: "On Coutinho I will only speak my own personal opinion as a 'Socio' (club member) and that is that I wouldn't sign the Brazilian. I really am hoping the deal fails, that Liverpool don't cave in. I know he's important for Klopp's manner of playing the game but the player doesn't fit in at Barça and for me there are lots of factors missing from his game to succeed at Barcelona. He looks so fragile that if you blow, he falls over. He isn't worth a quarter of the amount of money being quoted from the speculative press." On the amount paid for Dembélé: "I don't know how many people know this, but when Ousmane Dembélé was at Rennes, I personally sat on a meeting at the club where he was discussed. He was 16 at the time and the club had been following him since cadet level... A member of the board at Rennes was sat in the meeting and he told a director at Barça which I won't name, that he would sanction the move of Dembélé to form himself at La Masia for €1.5m on the condition that if certain objectives were met that bonuses would be received by Rennes or any future sale of the player. I couldn't believe what the board member at Barça answered, the same people that have ruined this club's respectability and spent stupid amounts of money on players that aren't at the required level and even if they are fantastic players, they don't fit at the club. To spend the amount that's been spent on a 20 year old that isn't totally formed yet is the stuff of a mad house. Everything is relative and I'd like to ask them that if they had implemented a €222m buy-out clause on Neymar, then where is the relation to spending €160m on Dembélé? Their faces should be cast publicly in the city square because of the shame in it all." Terrible negotiators and problems to sell: "Like I said, unless something is done about it, this board are going to totally put the club in ruins. How can you sign players that aren't of the level required? What do you do with them one or two years down the line after what you spent on them? Digne, André Gomes, Arda Turan and Alcácer! Where do you sell them to as their contracts run down? Where do you recoup money spent on players that aren't good enough to be in the first team and when they play they're nowhere near the level required at this club? Barcelona is being run like a Premier League club, a club with no brains, like a headless chicken working for the moment. This is all down to terrible negotiation when the player is looking to be signed and then when it comes to selling nobody seems to be assigned to work in that department at all. Where does Paulinho go next year? Paid €40m for him where he's failed for 9 years as a professional at club level and Matuidi cost €20m from PSG to Juve." On a comparison with how Real have been recruiting the past two years: "We don't and shouldn't really go there because here is the reason this board have nothing to do with how FC Barcelona have worked in the transfer market historically. The tables have turned on 100 years of how Barça have done things from our east coast to the capital of Spain. Isco, Asensio and three others I can mention should've all moved to Barcelona. The deals were easy, the players wanted to go there and the club ethics on how we have always done things at Barça pointed to those deals being done. Barcelona have always signed some of the greatest players in history, but they were always compliments to the side, to how the club works. It was never a case of basing the club's future on total signings when we have what's required at home. Any bulk additions should come from other schools in Spain. This board have ruined the club!" Again on Coutinho and his worth: "What would Coutinho bring the team for the value of €150m? Answer me this! Have you guys seen him play? He measures 1 metre 60 centimetres and when you blow, he falls. He hasn't won a championship and when a player costs that amount if he hasn't won anything it's because he's ripped a league apart as a protagonist. Ronaldinho cost €23m and now it's not about what they cost because of inflation, something the sport will collapse with. It's now what a player brings to your side... Dembélé is a mystery, he's very talented, over priced but he covers Neymar's departure. Who does Coutinho cover? Iniesta? Don't make me laugh, wash your mouth out with Holy Water and say 100 Hail Marys." Di María: "There's a lot of stupidity in this world but it seems that most of the stupid people are working for Barcelona these days. You want to negotiate with a club (PSG) that robs you, makes you look ridiculous, doesn't pick up the phone when you want to enquire about one of theirs, their arrogance based on absolutely nothing, the fact they're shrouded in some of the most despicable associations on the planet. This Barcelona board were in power when Manchester United were looking for any manner to get rid of Di María before PSG came in... Why didn't they sign him then if he was an option for Barcelona? Oh, yes, Arda Turan was the answer!" Arda Turan: "I said at the time that Arda Turan was an error. Luis Enrique is no longer at the club and Arda was his signing... A signing he practically never used. Arda now has 3 years remaining on his contract and he doesn't play. Why doesn't he play? Because Barcelona have never played any of their brands of football in 100 years where Arda's position is required. He hasn't got a slot on the field, he's talented but he can't play. This is just one of the starting basics on an analysis of what's needed when recruitment is in question. A project is designed from those basic ideals and even that hasn't been implemented properly. My grandson could've done a better job than they have, infact he does on a popular game on PlayStation." Ariedo Braida: "How Ariedo Braida, the only man in the present board that is a professional in the department and has the knowledge on all of these things... How can he be on holiday for the summer? Who decided this (laughter)? Why did they send him on holiday? He didn't go off his own accord, I know. I know and some others do because he would've opposed what is being done. This is why I'm so angry! There's only one thing that can happen from now on and hopefully those that can work to Barcelona's ethics need to stand, come forward and take control. It has to be done as soon as possible because everything about this club is going to ruins."

André Gomes and Arda Turan! Both of those are always being mentioned in these things. I don't know what to believe anymore mate... There's all sorts of confusion at the moment and even very reliable journalists I follow where it concerns Barça are saying that as far as they're concerned the technical team don't know what they're doing or what they really want which is creating all this confusion.