OTHER FOOTBALL - News and Views.

Much more interesting, Sluffy, is Evraz PLC. Check out a few of its directors. It might provide an indication of the complexity of the some of the personal relationships that might be involved.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07784342

I see that Messrs Rutherford and Stash both relinquished their directorships last week.
Rutherford is a banker and a member of Waverton Property LLP which also lists Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce as members.

I expect that joining in might have seemed like a good idea at the time but times change, don't they just?

Hopefully both Abramovic and Chelsea will finally get their comeuppance? Chelsea were just a middling “other” London club before Abramovic bought in and created the PL greed fest. Everything they’ve won has been bought with questionable income and despite their obvious success, I still don’t rate them big club status like Spurs and Arsenal. Maybe it’s just my age but they will always be just average and hopefully without Abramovic’s largesse they will sink back to mediocrity. Their fans chanting in praise of him, despite what’s going on in Ukraine sickens me to the back teeth. Sadly they won’t go bust because there are other mugs out there who’ll buy them but I doubt whoever that is will spend anything like what has been spent to date and I can see many of the current players contracted doing one as soon as they can. Quel dommage!!

Ten Bobsworth wrote:Much more interesting, Sluffy, is Evraz PLC. Check out a few of its directors. It might provide an indication of the complexity of the some of the personal relationships that might be involved.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07784342

I see that Messrs Rutherford and Stash both relinquished their directorships last week.
Rutherford is a banker and a member of Waverton Property LLP which also lists Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce as members.

I expect that joining in might have seemed like a good idea at the time but times change, don't they just?

It's all about money for some (most?) and isn't that supposed to be the root of all evil?

To be honest Bob, I've not really looked at Evraz or much else really as it is far too big a picture and much too complex for me to comprehend.

Today's breaking news about Chelsea and Abramovich is this -

Roman Abramovich: Premier League disqualifies Chelsea owner as director of club

The Premier League has disqualified Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as a director of the club after the oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government.

Abramovich had his British assets - including Chelsea - frozen on Thursday as part of the government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The move put the Russian's prospective sale of the club on hold.

The Premier League said Abramovich's disqualification would "not impact on the club's ability to train and play".

More to follow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60720343

I've obviously missed this but Mark Hughes was appointed manager of fourth division Bradford a few weeks back -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60506546

What caught my eye and made me laugh though was this tweet picking up on the comment by the Morecombe manager when Bradford sacked him!

Derek Adams, 12 Feb: "If they get a new manager in, they're not going to get someone as successful as me"

Bradford City sacked Adams shortly after, appointing Mark Hughes. Adams returned to Morecambe.

Tonight:

Shrewsbury 5-0 Morecambe
Hartlepool 0-2 Bradford

#BCAFC pic.twitter.com/V5vSGZaVaf

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) March 15, 2022

There's a lot of joy throughout the land after Manure got knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico.

This is the first time Cristiano Ronaldo will finish a season without a club trophy since 2009/10

wanderlust wrote:There's a lot of joy throughout the land after Manure got knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico.

This is the first time Cristiano Ronaldo will finish a season without a club trophy since 2009/10

Funny bit near the end when Maguire nearly knocks Ronaldo's teeth out.

I don't really get the hatred of United?

Yes some moronic fans threw bricks at the Bolton bus celebration after the 1958 Cup Final but that's a really long time ago to still be holding a grudge isn't it?

Anyway for you United haters I think you might well like this!

Manchester United are no longer the commercial powerhouse they once were. Step forward Manchester City.

@KieranMaguire
@telstardesigns

Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: https://t.co/6RsesJ3ohP pic.twitter.com/wJcgMjuHrC

— Tifo Football (@TifoFootball_) March 16, 2022

I was slightly perturbed about the radio interview with the United fan who when asked who should be the next manager said "If you'd asked me that at the beginning of the season I'd have said Zinadine Zidane, but what we need now is a someone like Ian Evatt at Bolton"

Two fabulous goals from Bale as Wales beat Austria but the highlight of the evening has to be North Macedonia beating Italy - in Italy.

Incredibly, Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup finals again. The look on Mancini's face was priceless.

They were beatable last year in the Euros final too Lusty until Southgate, that idiot manager of ours decided to change a winning team and leave out the pace. It was a team of old men and we would have slaughtered them if he hadn’t tried to be clever. Actually, it reminds me a bit of Evatt on that score. Why do these managers think they need to prove they’re clever that way when they’re obviously not? Just stick with your best and proven eleven.

Sluffy wrote:I don't really get the hatred of United?

Yes some moronic fans threw bricks at the Bolton bus celebration after the 1958 Cup Final but that's a really long time ago to still be holding a grudge isn't it?

If you thought it started in 1958, Sluffy, you are nearly twenty years out. The headline in the BEN in 1939 'Wanderers soldiers to play United munitions workers' said it all.

No-one should need reminding, least of all only shortly after they tried to engineer the breakaway European Super League, that the Rags is a club that would always put financial self-interest above all other considerations.

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

If you thought it started in 1958, Sluffy, you are nearly twenty years out. The headline in the BEN in 1939 'Wanderers soldiers to play United munitions workers' said it all.

No-one should need reminding, least of all only shortly after they tried to engineer the breakaway European Super League, that the Rags is a club that would always put financial self-interest above all other considerations.

I always begrudgingly accepted that richer clubs could buy better established players - and even so, less rich clubs always felt they were in with a chance by producing their own - but the arrival of Ferguson at United changed the football landscape completely when he massively expanded the practice of raiding the best youth players from other clubs at increasingly younger ages - a practice since widely copied -and that was the beginning of the end.
When they got the best players AND the best prospects the power was firmly locked into a handful of clubs. Admittedly a winning business model but terrible consequences for the game.

World Cup draw this weekend. Peru just qualified despite having more losses than wins.

England are in Pot 1 but there are some beasts in Pot 2 including Germany, Croatia and the Netherlands so the traditional "Group of Death" is on the cards.

Just watched the Old Firm derby - a full throttle throwback of a match that stirred the blood and had everything, the Hoops claiming a narrow win at Ibrox that will probably give them the title.

When we talk about what we need to be serious contenders, these teams were littered with warriors of the type we need - not that we could get or afford these particular ones.

I picked out Carter-Vickers (on loan from Spurs) who was absolutely immense at the back, old favourites Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic who added class to their battling qualities (all Celtic) and Rangers left back Calvin Bassey (surely not )a Nigerian international who is not only a beast at the back but gets forward and delivers an excellent cross.

These are quality players, out of our reach but if we can find athletes in their mould we'll be laughing.

Everton beaten again last night and really struggling, are they going down? Is Lampard a bad manager or just a very poor team?

I've seen a few tweets showing the table from when we went down and they stayed up on goal difference and quite a few Bolton fans wanting them to go down. I'm sure Nat will be on with the still from the Taggart "goal" never given 

It was always going to be a risky appointment. The signing of Deli Ali should have raised alarm bells though, he would be the last player I'd want on my team facing a relegation battle.

I'd love to see them relegated, it's definitely overdue.

Norpig wrote:Everton beaten again last night and really struggling, are they going down? Is Lampard a bad manager or just a very poor team?

I've seen a few tweets showing the table from when we went down and they stayed up on goal difference and quite a few Bolton fans wanting them to go down. I'm sure Nat will be on with the still from the Taggart "goal" never given 

I would say he is.

Look what Thomas Tuchel achieved with the same players at Chelsea following Lampard's sacking!

Everton have been a basket case of a club in recent years and nobody with any sense would manage them but Lampard did!

Not as though he needed the money, he could easily have waited for a better opportunity at another club to come along if he wanted to build back his reputation.

And also the mind blowing signing of Dele Ali for £40m!!!

Lampard has clearly got nothing like the best out of his players at one club and shown at least two massive errors of footballing judgement since, so I'd rate him at the Owen Coyle level of football managers - exceedingly poor.

I don't normally listen to TalkSport but I had it on the car radio this morning whilst going for my COVID booster. It sounded like Neil Warnock on air who was saying what a great recruitment job Dougie Freedman was doing at Palace.

Everton have had the lives of many cats over recent years in avoiding relegation but like most Wanderers fans I’d absolutely love to see them relegated this year. Unfortunately the teams below them are weak and I can’t see them picking up enough points to overcome the toffees so I expect them to succeed again. Burnley could do it and with a better GD it would be even better if that was how Everton did go down. I can still hope though!!

Whitesince63 wrote:Everton have had the lives of many cats over recent years in avoiding relegation but like most Wanderers fans I’d absolutely love to see them relegated this year. Unfortunately the teams below them are weak and I can’t see them picking up enough points to overcome the toffees so I expect them to succeed again. Burnley could do it and with a better GD it would be even better if that was how Everton did go down. I can still hope though!!

I wouldn't love to see Everton go down. It would just make Liverpool supporters even more smug than they are already. But I would rather see Burnley survive than the Toffees.