The Championship 2018/19

Didn't realise Swansea were quite so screwed:

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...y-graham-potter-model-club-to-cautionary-tale

Seems like they made some awful decisions in the last 12--18 months.

 

They were considered THE model club to follow and they were. Sounds like they tore up their own rulebook and went all QPR in that last Prem season.

 

How to waste your talent:
Stoke are ready to offload Saido Berahino to anyone who will take him, after his latest arrest on suspicion of drink-driving. The striker, who has previously served a ban after being caught behind the wheel and over the legal limit for alcohol at Thelwell Viaduct on the M6 in 2014, had his collar felt after being arrested on suspicion of the same offence in London’s West End in the early hours of Monday morning following a disturbance on Great Russell Street. “When officers arrived on scene a car was seen to drive away at speed,” a Metropolitan police statement said. “The car was stopped in Bedford Square and a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving.” Berahino told police a group of men surrounded his car, attacked him and stole his watch.

 

That’s quite sad. He had a very difficult childhood but then had a terrific record playing for England at youth level. Since then it’s all fallen apart.

 

I remember there being quite an outcry when he went to Stoke, because we “should” have been in for him.

Will be a similar outcry when he ends up on trial here after his Stoke contract is cancelled/expires.

 

Yellow shirts.

All that’s wrong with football.

 

Fascinating article. Shows what insight proper journalists can provide as opposed to the undigested commonplaces uttered by Gary & the facile sofa people.

What isn’t exactly pinpointed, though, is how the death spiral started.

Clearly, Swansea were getting very flabby in their financial dealings. No relegation clause for Bony! Transfer sums & player remuneration lurching upwards.

But we see the higher player costs in the recent analysis of WFC. It’s endemic in the Prem as ever wealthier owners & more & more tv money have flooded the market.

Clearly, they were profligate & panicky but is Swansea’s main crime to have got relegated?

Or is the lesson that Bottom 14 clubs need to plan how to weather relegation, which like death, taxes & Robbie Savage, is inevitable?

 

Reg?!

 

I was thinking that Swansea never appeared particularly to push the boat out in terms of wages and fees. Worried this might happen to many clubs the time comes. Imagine being in the champo next season committed to paying Prodl, Okaka and Zeegelaar 100k per week combined for 3 more years. I hope we have some relegation clauses in the contracts but such is player power these days it is possible we don’t.

 

Never recovered after Michu.

Who was the Michu obsessive on here?

Part of the RC stable?

Just saw he joined an amateur team in Spain on leaving Swansea & retired aged 31.

 

I suspect Gino wouldn’t sign someone who wouldn’t sign the right contract.

The Swansea saga cautions that owners must never start to let things slip.

 

I’m baffled by West Brom’s decision to sack Darren Moore at this point in the season with the club sitting very comfortably in the play-off positions in 4th. We can only hope there was nothing sinister behind it.
This aspect of football, amongst many others, is getting as mad in this country as it has been in Spain for years. E.g. Real Madrid’s sacking of Del Bosque the day after he won the league.

 

Rumour has it Moore refused to throw his support behind the owners' plan to buy a death ray to help their promotion push.

 

A Birmingham fan just ran on the pitch and lamped Grealish (https://streamable.com/kq6rk). Disgusting act, surely jail time and I'd imagine repercussions for the club. Ridiculous that football is seeing this - never been searched that much at football matches (other than the rare occasions i've had a backpack) so could've been much much worse.

 

I’m actually surprised that this happens so rarely. Should be jailed for this in the hope it stops others

 

If that had been a Man City fan attacking a Watford player last night Paul Tierney would have allowed play to continue and probably booked the Watford player for play acting

 

Just scored. Well done him.

 

They should lose points and at least 3 games behind closed doors. The idiot should get at least 5 years.

 

Looks like he borrowed his dads clothing and grandads cap!

 

The Peaky Blinders strike again.

 

More likely just taken away and told to calm down.

 

Agree. The way to really hurt a tool like this is to deduct Brum 30 points so all the other Birmingham fans hate him for it rather than him have hero status with other morons.

 

Outrageous... disgusting... appalling.... shameful... quite amusing

 

Joka is a strong favourite. Very happy for him but it normally takes him a few months to stamp his authority and start to get decent results - WBA are looking for a very very quick payback....

 

I suspect it's entirely likely that this bloke is not a 'fan' who goes to all the games. He wouldn't dream of going to Birmingham v Rotherham but is the sort who likes a tear-up outside a pub on a Friday night and fancies the confrontation that is available at a local derby. A points deduction would mean nothing to someone like that.

 

The article says he's been a season ticket holder for 20 years since the age of 7 !

 

I really don't see how you can punish a club for the actions of one "fan". How are Brum to blame ? And if they were punished it just sets the precedent for fans to dress in rival clubs kit and then cause trouble.

 

Yep, absolutely fantastic telly.

Where to start with it. The bizarre period drama clothing that I had no idea was the norm in brum. The astonishingly bad punch that connected with his wrist, the OAP steward delivering some swift kicks later on.... it really did have it all. Wonderful scenes.

 

It's a fair point until you notice the standing ovation they gave this idiot