SirBalon

We're having a great Sunday morning laugh on the other thread on this mate!!!

Who made the thread you moron? So fans can't criticise the club? Which fan ever said they know how to run a club? Come on... Show me a fan somewhere that says they know how to run a football club! Another thing... People criticise, people give opinions because that's the nature of things because otherwise people would go around in life without muttering a word apart from "ooooh how wonderful it all is". You want to show your support by accepting everything thrown at you... GREAT! I've never even made an attempt to censor anyone that has a different opinion to me. I am open to debate pn something I don't agree with, but I unlike you have no problem with you thinking the opposite to me. The world isn't split on halves with those that know and those that don't know. The world has many shades of grey. Next time I ask a question and you are compelled to join in with an answer... Don't give me shit about finishing above another club. Are you in some way obsessed with Spurs? If so.... SUPPORT THEM! Then frigs me off with a comparison on bloody West Ham United just to play the demagoguery card on the fact they're on the list. Bloody mollusc! Don't question me on my support because I've dipped my hand in my pocket most of my life and was born and bred 200 yards from Highbury Stadium. Like I said... You don't like my opinion and you know what's coming next... Skip it and carry on young man.

Don't come use that on me mate! I have invested in a season ticket for much of my whole life and I feel robbed in recent years. Take that statement as you will but I've lived through much harder times at Arsenal and in those times I and many fans never felt the way they do now. The state of some fans these days are the result of the stupid answer you gave me yesterday on my question on where people thought we could finish... You came back at me with fucking Tottenham! Am I a fucking Spurs fan? What are you telling me about Tottenham Hotspur for? WHat's that go to do with anything and then you belittle it with the fact that they may even finish below us not because they're not better than us, but because they're playing out the season in a stadium which isn't there's. Go sell cheap fan shit somewhere else. If you don't like fans complaining about the state of their club. Don't read the comments on those that tend to criticise what they don't like at their club. You seem to be intelligent enough to know what's coming because you said that it's repetitive. Don't read it then you twit.

That's realistic for you! We are the seventh richest club in the world We are nowhere near the seventh most competitive club in the world. We are the only club with a manager in the top 10 clubs in the world. We have a manager that's hanging onto his job because nobody else at that level wants him. We constantly lose our top players. We adhere to our shareholders foremost our "owner" who doesn't have our best interests at heart. We are the most expensive club to attend in Europe, yet get nowhere near what cheaper clubs get around Europe. We let the contracts run down on our assets (players). Many Arsenal fans feel like this. We are artificial. We are not a respected club in Europe on a level of competitiveness and we are infact a joke to most. That's realistic too!

What's realistic?

Which keeper would you realistically want to sign for Liverpool as the main man between the sticks?

Juventus and Barcelona negotiating the André Gomes move It's been the subplot for a couple of weeks but with all of the talk surrounding Dembélé it's been left in the background. But Juventus have been negotiating with Barça for the services of Portuguese international André Gomes. They are really set on trying to sign him and right at this minute both clubs are locked in talks as to the price of the player which speculation from Italy is stating that it could be €50m up front with add-ons. There should be news by the end of today if sources are to be believed.

To be honest, it's all rather boring at Arsenal now and it's even boring to complain about Arsene Wenger... Nothing is inspiring and much less all of that now almost hilarious scene of Arsenal fans being so public in their opposition towards Wenger. The club is as much to blame as him... He enables his players and the board enable him. The board won't change because they're practically all major shareholders and the "owner" doesn't give a damn as along as the club remain in the limelight. If Arsenal qualify for next season's Champions League, that will be a MASSIVE success for everyone at the club.

He loves his life and Wenger is the enabler mate. At no other top club would he be the focus.

Let's see what happens... I'd rather sell all of those players to be honest because letting them go for free next summer just sounds like damned right stupidity. Obviously it would turn us into a laughing stock to sell them and not replace them... Nobody has any idea if they can be replaced so late on or if the club have been negotiating with some big names in secret. Nobody knows anything! Just rumours... As for Özil... Loved Steven Gerrard's attack on him last week. He only said what's been said for a long time now by many, but this time it made the world's media because it was him. Who would sign Özil? The wages he would carry are ridiculous for a player that you have to carry half of the time.

Dish of the day syndrome! Not just this... An absence on understanding the sport and comprehending human beings. Anyway... As I've always said, Modrić is a brilliant player and I wouldn't dispute him winning the award for last season. We are talking about last season, aren't we?

The question here (if true) is why Klopp is choosing players? Isn't there a technical team at Liverpool FC? Klopp is a head coach! He isn't a manager... Infact the only manager I know exists to this day at top end football is Arsene Wenger and the proof it doesn't work anymore is him and his decisions over the past decade. Football has moved on... Maybe Liverpool should be looking to within where the problem lies because I saw some figures yesterday where Liverpool come in the 6th in the biggest spenders over the past 10 years in European football. That means errors at the point of selecting recruitment and the errors come from those making decisions. If you're gonna contract a coach and then listen to him on recruitment when his experience is one league, then that's foolish.

By the sounds of things, he may not even have a registration to be on the bench this season. The registrations have to be handed in by next Friday and the rumours are he may not get one amazingly.

Arda Turan's situation is unfortunate to be honest. He like Diego Costa are apparently doing everything possible to return to Atlético Madrid... Apparently Arda doesn't want to leave Spain as his children are totally settled in Spanish culture. It's going to be difficult times for him I think and I'm even hearing he may not even be registered for this season so as to force him out and into a decision. The thing is he's had serious big offers from all over Europe and the club want to cash in. André Gomes unfortunately should leave too and Barcelona would get a decent amount of money for him. He's just not a Barça type player and even though I rate him extremely highly when he's on song, he's too slow and his transitional game is totally out of sync with what the team requires right now. Juve really want him! Let's see what happens. Munir needs game time and he should be loaned out... There's no way he's going to feature unless a disaster in terms of injuries occurs. Paco Alcácer is much better in that sense as he's a total predator. I would also love for Iñigo Martínez to come but the possible arrival of Yerri Mina in January seems to have scuppered that deal... Why they prefer Mina to Iñigo is beyond me although I don't know enough about the Colombian to make a proper comparison judgement. What I do know is that Iñigo Martínez is for me one of the best centre-backs in European football.

They'll break the door down at the Camp Nou, find Bartomeu, drag him out into the forecourt by his ears and hang him off the tallest lamppost by his pubic hair if he uses Sergi Roberto in a filler deal. Sergi Roberto is way too valuable and can't go.

Bernd Leno for me mate.

I personally think Mignolet is mediocre and not a goalkeeper for Liverpool's stature and for me the most important part is looking at successful periods in the club's history. If you look at that, Liverpool have always had a very good keeper or at least a massive character than had respect from it's team. Mignolet is small in that aspect! Who could replace him... There are various keepers around the world you could do this with and keepers aren't as expensive as outfield players (except for the elite keepers obviously and there are only 3 or 4 of those). As for Alberto Moreno... He's been given plenty of chances and he doesn't seem to be able to be balanced enough in his football which isn't good for a team vying to compete for honours. I thought at one point that he was going to be the business as many also thought this. But that's why football isn't a science in that aspect! There aren't too many elite full-backs in the world today in my view and the few that seem to be more complete will cost a hell of a lot of money. What's for sure is that those details need to be addressed at Liverpool for them to take the next step up because it's not just about scoring goals and way too much focus is put on that these days. Liverpool are pretty fine in the attacking sense and Klopp does have a vision on how he wants his teams to play in that sense. As for his building process on the defensive side of things, he seems to be a bit of a charlatan in that aspect... There is no plan, there is no tactic because the tactic is to press like mad and hope that the massive energies spent in those high energy pressing moments have paid off and have almost won the game. I've seen way too many games with Liverpool where they've done this, looked like having the game won and then collapse. Also in my opinion their holding side of midfield is mediocre. A top quality player is needed in that area and they are also expensive... Every club looks for players like these and the potential selling club knows this as well as the player and his agent. This is why it's difficult to sign players right now and to do so you have to spend a hell of a lot of money with overvaluations.

First of all... The Jean Seri deal is dead unless something otherworldly occurs! Read my report some posts above! I don't think there's much to do to this side and more time has to be spent on blooding the youth... But in saying this, there are names that still have a lot to offer and I don't subscribe to anything pre-ordained in life neither do I believe anything is that clear for us mere football fans to ascertain from putting names on a sheet and thinking that this is the winning formula. Real football isn't the EA FIFA game or the PES. But I'm all for playing around with teams and debating where weaknesses may lie in assessing the team and not by comparison with others. Football is won on the pitch with 11 against 11 and not always do those that the media have us believe are the winning formula end up being so. Barcelona are now officially in a transitional period because the second from last of the original golden era (Busquets is younger and in his prime which doesn't count) with Iniesta and then Messi still playing... They both have a lot to say! Messi still has a hell of a lot of football left in him and Iniesta can offer stuff almost no other player on the planet can offer if his minutes are shrewdly used. My team doesn't have drastic changes! There is a team to compete while the transition occurs during the next few years and then we can talk further about these things. Barça are no longer the team to beat but there ain't any that compete as hard as them or that won't be there or there abouts saving a shock. Ridiculous things happen in football but what's not in doubt is that this club uses its resources not to make money for shareholders, but to use every cent to invest in the attempt to win. Here's my team...

For me the fact two possible candidates for presidency I know of are taking their time is very good news. It means they're taking whatever board they'd bring in to replace this riff-raff is serious and there to put back in place what was. I don't think it will be long past Christmas before the censure is activated.

I'm actually hoping more things happen early on but that it doesn't affect the performance of the team. The sooner elections are called the better. The only shame is that this board will probably spend all of the money received from Neymar going to PSG.

Now Neymar puts in his own law suit against FC Barcelona on his honours (€26m) that Barça don't want to pay for not honouring his contract.

FC Barcelona and Juventus are apparently currently in talks for the move of André Gomes...

Frankin Mala: "PSG want Seri just to fuck Barça" Frankin Mala is Jean Seri's agent and he was on RAC1 a Catalan radio Station last night where he came out with some interesting stuff but none more so than the quote in the headlining title. They obviously had him on there to quiz him over the Jean Seri situation so as to be able to understand what occurred because everyone knows that the deal was done for Jean Seri to move from Nice to FC Barcelona. We also have to understand that RAC1 have been doing a series of interviews with certain personalities that have been very outspoken about Barça as there is a current campaign by various sectors of the sports media in Catalonia to force a big enough movement from the Barça fans so as to force a presidential election at the club. This is the essence of what Seri's agent, Frankin Mala had to say; "The moment FC Barcelona backed out of the deal at the last minute and it became public, I got a call from PSG where they told me that they were interested in the situation surrounding Jean and that they would be willing to negotiate with Nice as to acquire his services. I was rather surprised at this because I've never had any interest whatsoever coming in from PSG, so I told them that more had to be spoken about this in person as I wanted to know where the work had been done in the past on Seri as I've never had any approach from their club at all. At that moment I was asked many questions as to how the deal had evolved with Barcelona and why the Spanish club had backed out when from what they knew, it was done. This for me in my experience, you get when another club wants to either fuck the side that had been interested in the player in the first place or because they don't really have too much of an idea on analysing players and just go for players that are in the limelight with interest from big clubs." Even though the RAC1 presenter was shocked at what Seri's agent had just said and wasn't expecting that at all. The presenter still went on to quiz him on the priority which was to find out what had happened with Barça backing out at the final minute... "I don't know! All I can tell you is that the deal was done. I had been holding conversations with Robert Fernández for about a month where they went through various documented attendances from their scouts and their assessment. It was a serious planned out move, the move an agent wants for his player because you know he is in the plans of the technical staff and that it's not just acquiring a player because others are talking about him." "Jean from the first moment he was informed of the interest from FC Barcelona, he was enthused and really wanted the move, it was his dream for something like this to happen." "The only notice we got was Tuesday night at about midnight when I got a call from Robert Fernández telling me that they were going back to Barcelona and that unfortunately the deal had broken down. I asked them why and if it had been a last minute negative from Nice, but they told me that Nice had accepted all the terms and the wishes of Jean, but that due to technical decisions at the final moment, FCB had decided against the signing at this point but will be maintaining it as a priority for the future and that the player will continue to be followed with a personal scout at all of his games. I couldn't believe it, I was stunned! Nothing in the whole negotiation for Jean had pointed to this outcome and at that moment I was more worried about what I was gong to say to Jean and when to call him with this very bad news." "In general when clubs come in for players, they have a project and they show you the whole planning behind that project. On other occasions you get a situation where a club approaches you and the first thing they tell you is that the club are interested in your client and that even though they've never contacted you as an agent, that they've had information from elsewhere on how he could fit into their plans. This as an agent you know will be influenced by a lot of money and the negotiating will always be centred that way. But with Barcelona in this case, in my experience with them, it was all planned out and that's why Jean was so enamoured by the situation. Not only was a club of the stature of FC Barcelona coming in for him, but they'd done their homework." "At no point did they receive any negative from Nice. They knew Jean's position and they were willing to let him go for the price of his buy-out clause." "Whatever happened in the final minutes, I have no idea, but in my experience it's one of the strangest situations I've ever been involved in and it really brought down Jean. He just doesn't understand what happened and his dream has died for now."

Arda Turan has had various offers from Italy, the Premier League, Germany and even China. The club (FCB) want him to leave and bring in a decent transfer fee, but he doesn't want to go because he thinks he can still offer Barça something... As for Rafinha, he's got a few clubs enquiring after him but Barcelona don't want to let him go as they don't want a repeat situation with what happened with Thiago Alcántara.