maydrakin

I watched a documentary on Rolf Harris and the next day I found out he had died.

Does anyone know if there’s a Nigel Farage documentary?

3 hours ago, JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta said:

Oh no! Young men earning a good wage enjoying themselves! How terrible.

Let's go back to when there was no professional game and players turned up for the fun of it, and were given a sunday roast, a pint of bitter and a pack of woodbines as compensation shall we?

Jesus. 

In fairness, we are in a world where third division footballers earn hugely inflated salaries.  If Cashin, Bird and co had gone into medicine as doctors, they’d be earning closer to a tenth of what they’re earning now and if they get to the top of their game (in both professions), they‘d earn senior consultant annual salaries in a week.

Therefore, I agree with the original statement.  It’s hard to blame the players for taking the idiotic fees, however it is a symptom for why we were on the brink of extinction last year.

Let’s compare to rugby, which looks a much more reasonable salary scale for professional athletes (and this is at the top level):

In the UK, the average salary of an established premiership rugby player is around 100k-150k pa. At the top end, salaries can go as high as 500-800k pa. Academy players are on 15k-25k pa, which shoots up to 40k-100k pa if/when they make the first team squad.

1 hour ago, kevinhectoring said:

It’s particularly irritating at the same time to see our noisy neighbours cling on in the PL - there is a prospect they may be there as long as we could be in div 1)

So, promotion next season it is! 😉

Found this website, which lists all the free agents across the top four divisions, which seems rather useful.

https://footballfragmento.wordpress.com/tag/championship-released-players/

In fairness, our squad isn’t exactly looking wonderful right now.

We have a small group of players under contract, a number of which aren’t exactly perfect for the system the manager wishes to play.

We need a fair few players, all of which need to be hits, which is not guaranteed.

There’s a base to build on, but we need a very good transfer window.

If you enjoy a tasting menu, I would recommend Stones in Matlock.

It’s always been fantastic, and offers a specific vegetarian/vegan menu, which Arthur’s doesn’t, unfortunately.

http://www.stones-restaurant.co.uk/#food
 

I have been to Sat Bains in Nottingham too - that is amazing, but is quite pricey for a meal out!  Have to say, it was an experience though.

In recent memory, Festy Ebosele at home to Hull.

Their full-back, Fleming, was on toast for that whole game.

3 hours ago, angieram said:

That's what I'm expecting. 

The problem with a kit like that is that it pretty much clashes with our home kit.

On 16/05/2023 at 21:03, Dimmu said:

Here's my take on it:

As an AI language model, I don't have access to real-time data or knowledge of specific player performances beyond my September 2021 knowledge cutoff. However, I can provide you with some general guidelines on potential types of signings that English League One clubs could consider for cost-effective options:

1. Free Agents: Keep an eye on players who are out of contract and available on a free transfer. These players could offer good value, as they won't require a transfer fee. Many experienced professionals or talented youngsters may be seeking new opportunities.

2. Loan Deals: Premier League and Championship clubs often loan out young players who need regular game time to develop. League One clubs can explore loan deals to acquire promising talents from higher divisions. These loans could benefit both the player's development and the League One club's squad strength.

3. Released Players: At the end of each season, clubs often release players deemed surplus to requirements. Some of these players may have experience in higher divisions or possess untapped potential. Scouting released players could uncover hidden gems available at reduced wages.

4. Lower League Gems: English football boasts a wealth of talent in lower divisions, such as the National League or lower leagues in Scotland and Ireland. These players may be looking for an opportunity to step up to League One and could offer value for money.

5. Non-League Prospects: Keep an eye on non-league football, where several talented players emerge each season. Promising players from non-league clubs can be signed for nominal fees or even on a trial basis, providing an opportunity to uncover hidden talent.

Remember, the suitability of any signing depends on the specific needs and budgetary constraints of each club. Conducting thorough scouting, analyzing player statistics and performance data, and consulting with knowledgeable staff are crucial steps to identifying potential signings that align with a club's strategy and objectives.

So, three routes, as points 1 & 3, and 4 & 5 are the same?

I’d like something as a bit of a homage to the old Patrick kit - brilliant kit that was.

I thought I would add this beauty into the mix.  A homage to the eighties, incorporating the original colours of chocolate, amber and sky over a main body of seashell to incorporate the modernity of the new millennium, whilst tipping a nod to the current black and white on the trim and collar.

😉

I’d be willing to take a punt on Massimo Luongo - he absolutely bossed the midfield for Ipswich against us.

9 minutes ago, enachops said:

Bielik was right for us though. He was exactly what we needed. A ball playing defensive midfielder with power and strength just like Thorne. We may have over paid slightly, but sometimes you just  get unlucky.

I’d say that paying £9m for a player with one good season in the third division was absolute madness for a team in the second division.  I said so at the time.

We should have been paying a maximum of a third of that money for him - or loaned him with view to purchase, if promoted.

Recruitment shouldn’t be that hard.

You design your model and then only bring in players that compliment that system.

Our strategy was to buy every shiny object we saw for exorbitant prices.

They weren’t bad players, they were just not right for us.

Just like Stephen Hawking was a fantastic appointment for Cambridge University, but if Mel Morris was recruiting for Oxford’s boat race team, you could guarantee he’d be throwing money at him to bring him to Oxford.

Falcons in London in October!!

1st Falcons @ Jaguars

8th Jaguars @ Bills

15th Titans @ Ravens

On 08/05/2023 at 22:50, Arsene Titman said:

https://therealefl.co.uk/2023/05/08/derby-county-eye-summer-move-for-league-two-team-of-the-season-entry/
 

 

 

I do have to take rumours like this with a pinch of salt, when the journalist in question can’t even employ a spell checker…

I have always thought that young players in the team of the division below is a good place to pick up some potential gems though.

5 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

Anyone who isn’t playing football in the EFL or Premier League perhaps, there are strict rules about it within the EFL;

76.5  Subject to the provisions of Regulations 68 and 76.6 a Registered Player shall not directly or indirectly communicate with or approach another Club or any Official or Player of another Club with the object of negotiating or arranging the transfer of himself or another Player to such other Club during the currency of a contract. Any infringement of this Regulation shall render the Player concerned and any Club, Official or other Player who enters into communication or negotiation shall be guilty of misconduct.

76.6  Notwithstanding the provisions of Regulation 76.5, after the third Saturday in May in any year (or as determined by Regulations 68) and before the 1 July next following, a Contract Player to whom Regulation 76.2 applies or any person on his behalf may make such an approach to a Club (or club) with a view to negotiating a contract with such Club (or club).

Taken from the EFL site here https://www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--regulations/efl-regulations/section-6---players/

Essentially I think it says we can’t approach players with expiring contracts until the third Saturday in May, which I make out to be the 20th. Players from Scotland and abroad (pending the appropriate work permits post Brexit) could be approached from January, not those registered in England.

Yes, you’re right.  I was reading FIFA regulations, which state: "A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional must inform the player’s current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him.

"A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months.

"Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions."

However, the domestic rules are as you have pointed out.  Apologies.

4 hours ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

June 10th I believe. Should be able to officially start negotiating with players who have expiring contracts soon as well, though I suspect some talks with agents will already have taken place. I’d really like to see us do some business early on in the window so the majority of the team can start pre-season together and build from there for our assault on league one.

It’s a moot point, really.  We can sign players at any point, we just can’t register them to play.  However, as we have no games until next season, it doesn’t matter.

Anyone who is out of contract in the summer can negotiate and sign a pre-contract from last January.

Additionally, as the split is 80% to the Championship, 12% to L1 and 8% to L2, this means if all of the £179m per year is split between the clubs without the EFL having a cut, in this division we will benefit from £895,000 per year, compared to £6m per Championship team.

9 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

Why does the time matter so much?

For me, my son plays football on Saturday morning (which I also coach), and rugby on Sunday morning.

I take him to that, followed by home for lunch and a shower and then on to the match.

As the EFL Q&A expressly suggests that kick offs will be “five weekend matches at Sat 12.30” of the 10 games selected, and this occurring on average 16 times a season (for L1, for Championship it could be every other week), this will be massively inconvenient to me and many more people involved in grassroots football.

Additionally, the share of the pot means that the EFL are trying to shorten the gap by awarding 80% of the money to the championship teams, which will actually a drop in the ocean for the Prem, so all it actually does is widens the gap between League One and the Championship, making it much harder for the Plymouths, the Wigans and eventually the Derbys to compete should we get there…

This sort of crap is permeating into grass roots football too.  My lad’s team had a game the other week (where they have roll-on/roll-off substitutions) and had the opposing team making a sub every time the ball went out of play, with these kids stopping to pull their socks up and shaking hands with each other every time.  Must have been near 30 subs made - effing did my head in!

How I long for sportsmanship and a bit of honour to come back to football.

I do wonder why we don’t give Barkhuizen or Dobbin a try up front.

They have both previously had games in that position, and can’t be any worse…

3 hours ago, David said:

Front office heard me

Quality back up, should Ridder flame out…

Falcons have added a bunch of good signings.

Onyemata and Elliss from the Saints

Bates from the Bengals

and Jonnu Smith from the Patriots.

We might actually see them get a winning record, which they haven’t had at any point in the last 5 years! ?

I’m banking on playoffs this year!

8 hours ago, JPRamFan said:

They still have Forest Green, MK Dons, Cambridge, Cheltenham and Morecambe still to play. They could easily win all 5 of them or at least take 12-13 points from them realistically. Their fixtures are kinder than ours but I'm not suggesting I'd swap our place with them, but just expressing caution.

I’ll be amazed if they beat all of those five.  We’re at the business end of the season and these teams are now scrapping for their lives.