Smiley Culture

The City Football Group owns teams in England, Spain, USA, Japan and China. From what I can gather, it seems Fenway only own a rounders team and Liverpool.

Rather see Liverpool win the league than Brand City, who are buying clubs across the world to add to their image.

Bloody hell, that’s a massive game this weekend @Large. All the best for it, hope you get a win. Why’s this level proven to be so difficult for you? Standard?

Think the Chelsea players on the pitch at the time of the Kepa incident should all take some form of responsibility. Maybe I’m talking as a fan here and I’m showing more of an interest into the tangible side of Football over the financial side of the game but if there was an injured player on my team refusing to go off at a crucial stage of a Cup Final, regardless if it was only the Carabao Cup, I’d be dragging them off the pitch myself, whether I was the captain or not. That player, in a key position that at that point of the game looked as though he was about to play a key role in the game, could be the difference between me lifting a trophy and getting a Cup Final winning medal or not getting one and that’s what would matter to me at that stage, not whether I thought the manager was right or wrong, whether the Keeper was actually injured or it was tactical or whether I thought the manager was a miserable looking bore who stank of stale fags.

Saw you were playing Sawbo. I’ve never got over there for a game either actually. Good win that.

A few of the ladies in training whilst Brian sat on the sidelines scouting them. HBD.

Funnily enough, I watched an Essex Olympian League game the other week. It was Epping v Dagenham United in Division Four. It was 3rd v 2nd. The standard was appalling. It ended 11-2.

Apologies for my naivety but what league would you drop into if you went down?

They formed late and it was the only league that would take them, I think. Their owners (they’re fan owned) are the people that formed the “Clapton Ultras”, a far left Supporters group that would take flags, drums, stickers and that sort of thing to games. There was a big fallout because the Clapton FC owner is dodgy as hell and they boycotted the whole of last season before starting their own club in the summer.

Oh nice. Will have to come over one day. It’s on the Central Line and quite a nice journey for me from Epping. What’s the aim for the club then?

Are you involved at NFFC then Large or just a fan?

Always wondered why teams in that area don’t merge. The history of Football in that part of London is pretty messy, with most clubs being swallowed up by Dagenham & Redbridge or being phoenix clubs of various natures. Mergers would surely bring together three or four club owners, who could pool their resources together and surely create a club that’s sustainable around the Ryman Premier level, rather than lots of clubs struggling to make ends meet off crowds of 30-40.

Watched Redbridge and Barkingside at the Oakside. Decent burgers and there’s a window in the bar where you can see the whole pitch. The Essex Senior League is not a great standard though, from what I’ve seen. That area of East London/Essex is awash with clubs of a similar size that have tiny crowds, it’s a wonder how they all manage to survive year in, year out.

Can’t wait for Paddy Power to liquidate.

Think it’s fine. I’m sure the minimum capacity required is 4,000 and 500 seats and they have a capacity of 4,313 and 1,000 seats.

Most clubs in Germany tend to go to the same training camp in Austria/Switzerland year in, year out. The problem is that most English clubs, specifically the Premier League ones, go off to Asia, America, Australia or even these sort of training camps the German clubs tend to use and therefore don’t play many, if any, friendlies here in the UK. I would like to see more European sides play games in the UK in pre-season, just for the chance to watch someone different for once.

I will be amazed if he gets a job in England again once Everton bin him. Screams of a job in China followed by disappearing off the face of Football by ending up in places like Cyprus.

He’s a fraud, mate. Everything that’s happening at Everton now has happened at Watford and to a lesser extent, Hull, under him.

Disagree on Emery. Won 106 of 205 games at Sevilla and won three Europa League trophies and won seven trophies in two years at PSG.

Yep, get it on my phone too, which is awkward on a packed Tube train.

Genuinely think people despise Wigan as a club and Warrington’s fanbase. Throwing coins at the Grand Final the latest misdemeanour.

To attempt to take them up the leagues. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/no-helmets-required/2019/jan/15/toronto-wolfpack-buying-rugby-league-club-london-skolars

Their promotion has meant that they’re building, what I think is, a temporary stand, extending the capacity. I reckon games against the well supported sides (Leeds, Wigan, Warrington, Hull, St Helens) will be pretty busy as most haven’t played London for a few years and people will fancy it. Sadly, I think this is Warrington’s year. I can see Blake Austin dominating in Super League if he settles, he’s making the right noises so far but let’s see how he gets on in games. Jason Clark from the Rabbitohs is a hell of a signing too. Leeds will be improved and I fancy them for the cup. Tui Lolohea looks like he’ll standout in Super League and Konrad Hurrell should dominate the edges but he’s struggled with fitness in the past. Wigan are always there or thereabouts, sadly. They’ve not really recruited much this year, Zak Hardaker on his final chance in the sport is their key signing and if he shows the form he showed in 2017, they’ll be at the right end of the table come October. Really not sure about us (Saints). We’ve lost Ben Barba who lost form through injury, homesickness and the death of his grandmother at the back end of last year and have recruited three overseas players in Lachlan Coote, Kevin Naiqama and Joseph Paulo, so there’s a lot more depth than we’ve had before and we looked leggy and tired by August, so that’s an improvement but we seem to have a psychological breakdown come playing in a semi-final. In other news, I’ve won a free season ticket for League One side London Skolars, who’ve just been bought by the bloke that owns Toronto Wolfpack.

Harvey Barnes has been recalled. He’s got to walk straight into that team, surely?