Football Focus

[south_tyne]

21 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

And LEGO etc. But there must be a trickledown effect. If you get a few kids interested then it could become the next trend.

 

 

 

Jason

 

You're right there. As a result of this chatter I dug my old Subbuteo stuff out of the lift at my parent's house. Hasn't been touched for 20 years but there were a couple of boxes of stuff, dating from the 1980s  (which were passed down to me) and the '90s. I've decided to donate it to the youth club that me mam runs at her church - you never know they might give it a go once they tire of the more fun toys!  

 

18 hours ago, micklner said:

Performance based contract ? sack after so many defeats ?

 

I had never thought of that. Mind, it still smacks of a club without a plan even if that is the case. 

 

12 hours ago, DavidLong said:

This is becoming a carbon copy of many European leagues with one team, in this case Dundalk, dominating the division.

 

The rise and domination of Dundalk is interesting. Do you know whether they have a lot of financial backing behind them? They've obviously stepped ahead of the traditional Dublin heavyweights - Bohemians, St Pats, Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers etc - and teams like Cork City who have done well in recent times. 

 

[caradoc]

36 minutes ago, Hobby said:

 

Naw, Liverpool just need to win all their remaining matches...  

 

They'll have to get Allisson back in goal PDQ for a start !

 

[peanuts]

12 hours ago, DavidLong said:

Not a great weekend for my teams with four points from a possible fifteen. Arsenal managed to bundle their way past Burnley with the usual whinges from Mr Dyche afterwards. Sets up a first v second at Anfield next weekend but with our terrible record there I'm not confident. 

Atherton Collieries took a point from Ashton United in their first game up in the 'big league'.

BWFC's young lads felt the strain and got hit for five by Tranmere, reinforcements are desperately needed.

Southport's good start of two wins and two draws and no goals conceded took a 2-0 reverse to Darlington but stay in the top six.

Finally Waterford blew a six-pointer in the Munster derby by losing 2-1 at home to Cork City and are now third bottom in the Irish Premier with only Finn Harps and UCD below them. A real disappointment after a great season last year back in the top division. This is becoming a carbon copy of many European leagues with one team, in this case Dundalk, dominating the division.

Big decision for Mrs L and me on Tuesday evening. Is it to be BWFC v Doncaster Rovers or Atherton Collieries v Warrington Town? Just call us glory hunters . . .

 

David

listened to the Bwfc kids getting mauled on local radio commentary and it was clearly men against boys and will remain this way until the whole sorry shambles is sorted out saddly . the commentry team did make a point of saying how long can it be allowed to go on in view of the integratory  of the competition is it right that Bolton are sending out to all intents and purposes a youth team for first team matches at the moment what then happens when the take over is complete and they are then sending out a proper first eleven ? 

[DavidLong]

39 minutes ago, south_tyne said:

 

 

The rise and domination of Dundalk is interesting. Do you know whether they have a lot of financial backing behind them? They've obviously stepped ahead of the traditional Dublin heavyweights - Bohemians, St Pats, Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers etc - and teams like Cork City who have done well in recent times. 

 

 

I think that it is our old friend the  Champions League. In a league with very little money any team that benefits from a even a small run in that competition can find itself at a considerable advantage. Participation in European competition also attracted the attention of a group of American investors who bought the club in January 2018.

 

As to Waterford, Debra and I will be at the home fixture against Sligo Rovers on 11th October which is the third last game of the season. The final two will also be critical with an away game at Finn Harps and a home fixture against UCD.

 

David

[DavidLong]

33 minutes ago, peanuts said:

listened to the Bwfc kids getting mauled on local radio commentary and it was clearly men against boys and will remain this way until the whole sorry shambles is sorted out saddly . the commentry team did make a point of saying how long can it be allowed to go on in view of the integratory  of the competition is it right that Bolton are sending out to all intents and purposes a youth team for first team matches at the moment what then happens when the take over is complete and they are then sending out a proper first eleven ? 

 

Sad times at the Wanderers. They do have four or five free agents who have been training with the club and who are expected to sign as soon as the sale is finalised. This can't come soon enough as the youngsters are already running on empty. They may have the enthusiasm of youth but they just don't have the physical strength and experience to cope at even third tier level.

Even if the club do emerge safely after the trials and tribulations the one key player that they need to find is a reliable striker. Their inability to score has blighted them for the past several seasons. Even in the days of Kevin Davies he wasn't a prolific scorer; I just checked and it was 85 in 407 games. I've been lumbered with them by the second Mrs Long since 1996 and I've only seen two reliable strikers at the club in John McGinley and Nicolas Anelka. The least said about £10m Johann Elamander the better . . .

 

David

[south_tyne]

5 hours ago, DavidLong said:

 

I think that it is our old friend the  Champions League. In a league with very little money any team that benefits from a even a small run in that competition can find itself at a considerable advantage. Participation in European competition also attracted the attention of a group of American investors who bought the club in January 2018.

 

As to Waterford, Debra and I will be at the home fixture against Sligo Rovers on 11th October which is the third last game of the season. The final two will also be critical with an away game at Finn Harps and a home fixture against UCD.

 

David

 

Cheers David, I hadn't thought of that. I have been fascinated by the League of Ireland since I was a kid, I like to follow it closely, and I always played it on Football Manager as a youngster (I've always been very strange!! ). It's always been one of my aims to do all the LOI grounds and tick them off my list...... one day!  

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Right, I've sorted the VAR time lag issue.

Don't have the 3 conventional officials on the pitch making any decisions themselves, just have 6 or 8 (or more or less depending upon needs) VAR officials watching the match, if any one of them sees a transgression then they operate an automatic stadium whistle and the decision is relayed to the on pitch officials to implement the it. Whether an announcement to the crowd a la American football is necessary is a debatable point.

 

Mike.

[caradoc]

21 hours ago, peanuts said:

listened to the Bwfc kids getting mauled on local radio commentary and it was clearly men against boys and will remain this way until the whole sorry shambles is sorted out saddly . the commentry team did make a point of saying how long can it be allowed to go on in view of the integratory  of the competition is it right that Bolton are sending out to all intents and purposes a youth team for first team matches at the moment what then happens when the take over is complete and they are then sending out a proper first eleven ? 

 

That's a very good point, it is clearly a benefit to any club playing Bolton just now, which may well not be the case later in the season (said with a degree of self-interest; My team, Oxford Utd, play Bolton in mid-September, what will the situation be then ?). BTW Best Wishes to fans of both Bolton and Bury, their clubs (through no fault of theirs) are in a bad place.

 

[Rob F]

On 17/08/2019 at 21:47, DavidLong said:

Not a great weekend for my teams with four points from a possible fifteen. Arsenal managed to bundle their way past Burnley with the usual whinges from Mr Dyche afterwards.

 

David

Mr Dyche, in my opinion, is an honest man who doesn't like cheating. If there were more like him in football the game would be in a better place.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

I don't understand or comprehend the amended hand ball law.

If a goal is "scored" but it touches minimally or accidentally the arm of a fellow player on it's way in, the goal doesn't stand and is pulled back for handball, but if it minimally or accidentally touches the arm of an opposing player it is not necessarily a penalty, how does that work?

 

Mike.

[peanuts]

this pretty much sets out the mess at Boundary Park hopefully something can be done soon or i fear the current Bolton & Bury debacle will be just the overture to a s*%t show of monumental proportions ending  with the death of our club 

 

https://d3d4football.com/oldham-athletic-the-next-crisis-club/?fbclid=IwAR01jdAK_y2BIiYX51TOyvgcwy5jbSoj7NghWSVlglKhGkL0nrwsiL9EFeg

Edited August 19, 2019 by peanuts

[Gareth Collier]

I'm beginning to hate VAR. Wolves score a screamer, the crowd and players go wild then all stop and stand around twiddling their thumbs so VAR can see if there's a vague chance an attacker may have been a couple of mm offside in the build up. He wasn't, he was 2mm onside. Can't see why there are linesmen anymore.

[pH]

5 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

I don't understand or comprehend the amended hand ball law.

If a goal is "scored" but it touches minimally or accidentally the arm of a fellow player on it's way in, the goal doesn't stand and is pulled back for handball, but if it minimally or accidentally touches the arm of an opposing player it is not necessarily a penalty, how does that work?

 

Mike.

 

Exactly as you describe, I'd say . Now, whether it should work that way or not ...

 

IMO, the 'intentionally or unintentionally' test should apply in all cases.

[Ohmisterporter]

More optimistic for Bury FC now but seriously worried for Bolton. 

[Torper]

8 hours ago, Ohmisterporter said:

...........but seriously worried for Bolton. 

 

According to the BBC, "the deal to sell the club collapsed after all parties involved agreed terms to complete the sale, other than former owner Ken Anderson". I'm not sure how a "former" owner can have a veto.

 

DT

[lightengine]

A stunning performance from Spurs at the weekend.

I don't think something is working.

Maybe Kane needs to leave.

[andyram]

Thoughts with all fans, players and staff of Bury F.C tonight. Such a crying shame that a solution could not be found. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Let's hope the Bury and Bolton sagas act as a wake up call to all concerned with the running and administration of British football, somehow I doubt it will regrettably.

 

Mike.

[Owd Bob]

My heart go's out to Bury, its fans and the whole town and community. Really hope my team Bolton get things sorted out but i fear the worst as the administrators said only yesterday they had not enough funds to last another day. This is Just the tip of the iceberg and unless something changes to the whole structure of football in this Country then i fear for more clubs. 

[BoD]

23 hours ago, Torper said:

 

According to the BBC, "the deal to sell the club collapsed after all parties involved agreed terms to complete the sale, other than former owner Ken Anderson". I'm not sure how a "former" owner can have a veto.

 

DT

 

I understand that he still does hold shares in the holding company that owns Bolton and was refusing to sell unless the layers could agree a clause that would protect him from future claims in a civil court. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

16 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

I understand that he still does hold shares in the holding company that owns Bolton and was refusing to sell unless the layers could agree a clause that would protect him from future claims in a civil court. 

 

To me as a layperson, that is an amazing statement.

How can he expect to have a "get out of jail free" card?

If he has done things which would in future be brought up in court by due diligence, how the hell can he try and absolve himself of all responsibility/liability to the detriment of the football club.

[Torper]

Back in June 1939 Forfar Athletic were in severe financial difficulty and on tjhe verge of collapse.  Then they received a "substantial donation" (not a loan) that ensured their survival.  The donation came from Aberdeen Football Club and while there may have been a string or two attached, the donation nevertheless came in the realisation that the collapse of one football club was not good news for another and that they were all in this business together.  I can't help thinking that there is a lot of football wealth in Lancashire and it surely would not have been impossible for one or more of the area's big clubs, or indeed big players, to have come to Bury's assistance in some way.  However, these are changed days now.

 

DT

[Kingzance]

Ultimately, the lower leagues will all collapse as the impact of huge wage demands has to be met and even Sky / BTSport have ultimately only finite pockets. These two companies have caused much of the problem by their bidding wars to show matches and these bids are paid for by their subscribers and their advertisers. Advertising income is falling, subscribers have realised they are being milked dry so the wheels will fall off.

 

As for paying a player north of £5M a year or a manager even more, tell that to the very same citizens who support these struggling clubs and (rightly) want more money spent on schools / hospitals / social care etc! Money and globalisation has corrupted this sport, just as it has with so many others (Formula One, Horse Racing, Rugby, Cricket and Golf are a few examples). As Rory McIlroy pointed out a few days back, the prize for him winning the last tournament (Fedex) is really an embarrassingly large amount of money.

[Joseph_Pestell]

25 minutes ago, Torper said:

Back in June 1939 Forfar Athletic were in severe financial difficulty and on tjhe verge of collapse.  Then they received a "substantial donation" (not a loan) that ensured their survival.  The donation came from Aberdeen Football Club and while there may have been a string or two attached, the donation nevertheless came in the realisation that the collapse of one football club was not good news for another and that they were all in this business together.  I can't help thinking that there is a lot of football wealth in Lancashire and it surely would not have been impossible for one or more of the area's big clubs, or indeed big players, to have come to Bury's assistance in some way.  However, these are changed days now.

 

DT

 

That would indeed have been the sensible option. But it would contravene EFL rules and when it comes to being flexible or creative, the EFL makes ostriches look bright! EFL could have saved these clubs temporarily to enable new purchasers to be found with viable business plans. You don't sort out messes like this overnight.

 

The Bury situation seems rather different from the Bolton situation, so the solutions would probably have been different for each. As and when Bolton's administrator actually decides to go for liquidation, that opens up some opportunities. At least, it would for a normal business. But this is football and, once again, the EFL "system" interferes with normal business practice.

 

Let's just hope that this awful situation leads the EFL to take major reform action. Without that, many other clubs will go under. The current business model is just not sustainable for small clubs.

 

I have said before, on this thread, that EFL should follow the example of France (and other countries) and merge/regionaliise the current tiers 3 - 5. It would hugely reduce clubs' costs but also make it easier for supporters to go to away games and thereby boost revenue.

 

Meantime, I would not be surprised to see a new third "Manchester" club emerge from all this and take over the Bolton stadium as it's home. What shall we call it, Burtonford?

[Joseph_Pestell]

53 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

To me as a layperson, that is an amazing statement.

How can he expect to have a "get out of jail free" card?

If he has done things which would in future be brought up in court by due diligence, how the hell can he try and absolve himself of all responsibility/liability to the detriment of the football club.

 

I don't consider myself as a lay person when it comes to insolvency law. But I too find it a remarkable situation and I think that he is being very poorly advised (or perhaps not being advised at all).

 

Any such clause would be very unlikely to be enforcable. If he has, in the past, given false information about the company (publicly quoted???), he has to take responsibility for that, civil and criminal. whether he likes it or not. Not selling the Club won't help him change that.