I'll take the point, but the draw with Ipswich was a bit disappointing. Although they may make a fight of staying up, although I just doubt they have the final quality.
$100 on Everton to barely stay up again though.
Just caught up with highlights from yesterday and... wow, Everton. They're like some art installation representing calamity. On top for 80 minutes, ahead 2-0 after 86 minutes and then a complete collapse.
They looked pretty good and largely untroubled for more than an hour, but as soon as any pressure was applied the whole thing crumbled.
Ballon d'Or: Messi, Ronaldo both out for first time since 2003
I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Which one of them gets it this year then?
How much are the tickets even so I can laugh as a North American.
SAN MARINO WON.
THEY WON A COMPETITVE FOOTBALL MATCH.
Oh Good, my club has signed up with some new, shady characters hawking gambling nonsense.
The lack of due dilligence here is genuinely embarassing.
What does the expansion of the UEFA club competitions and FIFA Club World Cup mean for player workloads?
Prederick wrote:How much are the tickets even so I can laugh as a North American.
Aston Villa have increased the price of disabled matchday parking spaces on the Villa Village by a whopping 100 per cent.
The club contacted supporters - who held a disabled parking space outside the North Stand last season - to inform them of the price hike on the week before Villa's first home game of the new campaign against Arsenal on August 24. Fans were given no prior warning before being asked to pay double what they had in the previous season to keep their spot, with the price of disabled car spaces rising from £190 to £380.
Supporters were given two options, either keep their space on the Villa Village car park at the price of £380 or buy a spot on the Yew Tree Community School for the season at £228. However, the school car park - which is located off the Station Road - does not have any designated disabled bays.
"I didn’t just feel under pressure to pay the increase [for Villa Village disabled parking], I knew I was under pressure because whatever decision I made was likely one which would stick," one fan told BirminghamLive. "I had absolutely no other option than to pay the £380 if I wanted to continue watching the Villa. It is a fiasco."
Another said: "It was such short notice and while we did expect an increase, not double. How can you find that money in that time? My disabled brother relies on income from benefits and he has to pay for carers for himself. He has to use his money to pay for his carers, so to ask for another £190 to pay in a week is just unacceptable. They didn’t give us six or eight weeks to get the money together, it felt like now or never."
The new price of disabled parking on the Villa Village car park works out at £20 per league game and impacted supporters are particularly furious with the size of this season's hike as well as the lack of warning. BirminghamLive understands that the price rise for disabled parking outside the North Stand is in line with increases to hospitality parking too.
Ongoing construction work outside the stadium has reduced the number of disabled car spaces, but the club are planning to create more. Meanwhile, Villa are working on launching a software which will enable disabled supporters to sell-on their car space if they are unable to attend games.
"Many disabled fans won't be able to go to matches if they can’t afford a carer or if they are in pain," a fan who is currently unable to sell-on their space said. Another added: "There are so many matches that I can’t go to, like evening matches. I know I can’t go to some games, so I could lose lots of money."
SAN MARINO WON.
THEY WON A COMPETITVE FOOTBALL MATCH.
The last game they won was against... the same one.
Declan Rice scoring the opener against the Republic is a great moment in international relations.
Now if we can get Grealish to get the second.
Edit: I didn't realise I could just request things.
Declan Rice scoring the opener against the Republic is a great moment in international relations.
Now if we can get Grealish to get the second.
See, you spoke that into existence.
This game is like England vs Ipswich Town. Szmodics and Ogbene about the only ones looking threatening for Ireland.
Carsley acting like a Gareth tribute band, not making any subs through 70 minutes in a game where the opposition are showing signs of life.
Todd Boehly wants Chelsea resolution as Clearlake relationship breaks down
Todd Boehly has lost faith in his working relationship with Clearlake Capital, the US private equity firm that owns a majority shareholding in Chelsea, and wants to find a resolution that would prevent civil war breaking out at Stamford Bridge.
As claims that the club’s owners do not see eye to eye gain momentum, it is understood that Boehly is confident that investors are ready to provide him with sufficient capital to complete a full takeover. There have been strong denials that the American billionaire is hoping to sell his 38.5% stake, which is split equally between him, Hansjörg Wyss and Mark Walter.
But Clearlake, which is owned by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, say that it has absolutely no need, desire or plan to sell any of its 61.5% shares to Boehly or any other party. Clearlake sees its ownership of Chelsea as a decades-long investment and is prepared to explore buying out Boehly, who was the face of the consortium that bought the west London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. Under the terms of the ownership agreement, Boehly cannot sell to a third party without permission from Clearlake.
Although there is a belief in some quarters that Boehly is looking to bide time while he plots an exit route, the insistence remains that he will not be forced out against his will. At the same time Boehly, who has operated in the background over the past 18 months and allowed Eghbali to take a prominent role, recognises that Chelsea’s management structure is untenable.
A cultural divide has developed between the two sides and Boehly, who used his own money to fund his part in the takeover, believes a resolution must be found as soon as possible. It is understood that no talks over either side buying each other out have taken place yet. Boehly would only be prepared to sell if he receives a compelling offer, but his preference remains to lead Chelsea forward. He sees this as a project spanning 20 to 30 years.
Boehly’s position is that he spent the first year of the new ownership helping to put in place a new sporting structure. He was thrust into the role of interim sporting director in the summer that followed the takeover and was criticised for Chelsea’s spending spree, but it was never his plan to be so hands-on.
Eghbali has been a prominent presence over the past 18 months and has worked closely with Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. Chelsea have spent heavily on new signings and believe the new head coach, Enzo Maresca, can lead them back into the Champions League.
There has been much upheaval behind the scenes since Abramovich’s departure. Chris Jurasek has become the latest high-profile departure after leaving his role as chief executive. All major decisions have to be signed off by Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano. Chelsea have made little progress on plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea,
What a cluster f*ck. Tbh I didn't pay attention when Boehly took over so didn't realize he was actually the minority owner in this. Just assumed after the fact he was the clear head honcho as his name was most prominent and the lightning rod for all the laughs whenever Chelsea signed another player.
I'm for whatever party who will be equally hilarious getting full control.
Clearlake hopes to buy out Todd Boehly or remove his power in Chelsea civil war
Chelsea’s civil war has led Clearlake Capital, the US private equity firm that owns a majority shareholding in the club, to consider buying out Todd Boehly or striking a deal with the billionaire that would remove his influence and keep him in little more than a ceremonial role.
The atmosphere in Chelsea’s boardroom has deteriorated since the weekend and Boehly, who wants the situation resolved as soon as possible, is confident he has investors ready to provide the £2.5bn that could allow him to buy Clearlake’s 61.5% stake.
Clearlake, owned by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, is believed to be sceptical about the likelihood of Boehly making a suitable offer and is adamant it has no plans to sell. Its view is that Boehly should sell up or accept changes to the club’s governance that would remove him from the board and strip him of any say over decisions in exchange for economic concessions.
It feels that Boehly should consider stepping down as chairman. Under current rules the American will be replaced as chairman by a Clearlake nominee in 2027. The suggestion of an immediate change was deemed a nonstarter by the Boehly side.
One of Clearlake’s main aims is for minority shareholders to have no say over governance. Decisions currently have to be signed off by Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano. Any sale of shares or outside investment would have to be approved by all parties.
The prospect of Boehly, who has used personal money to fund his investment, agreeing to dissolve his power is understood to be nonexistent. A source pointed out that the ownership structure means he would have to sign off on a deal that would hurt him.
The latest noises underline splits that have developed since Boehly fronted the consortium that bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in 2022. There is little prospect of relations being repaired. A 38.5% stake is split equally between Boehly and his partners, Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss.
Claims that Boehly is looking to sell have been denied, although it has been pointed out that he would consider a “compelling” offer. He views his involvement as a 20- to 30-year project and sources have indicated he is plotting a full takeover.
Clearlake remains unmoved, though, and believes the power resides in its corner. Although no moves have been made yet, it is thinking about increasing its stake. It could look to negotiate with Walter and Wyss but the main focus is on Boehly.
Boehly, who has extensive experience of sports ownership through minority investments in the US, took on major responsibilities in the summer after the takeover and stepped up as the interim sporting director. But Chelsea’s heavy spending backfired and many of the signings made by Boehly did not work out. His position is that he never intended to be so hands-on and spent the first year putting in place a new sporting structure. He is focused on establishing a culture of winning.
Boehly has stepped back in the past 18 months, making space for Eghbali to take a prominent role. Chelsea have revamped their recruitment department, which is led by the co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and Eghbali has been heavily involved in day‑to‑day matters, particularly when it comes to transfers. Boehly’s position is that Eghbali should be less involved. There are also understood to be differences of opinion over the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge.
The feeling within Chelsea is there would be no benefit to the disruption that would come from Clearlake selling. Clearlake is aligned with Enzo Maresca, the head coach, and believes the strategy of signing young players on long, heavily incentivised contracts will pay off. There is full support for Stewart, Winstanley and other members of the recruitment team.
There has been much upheaval behind the scenes since Abramovich’s departure. Chris Jurasek has become the latest high-profile departure after leaving as chief executive. A new management committee has been installed, with Boehly understood to be supportive of Jason Gannon stepping up as the chief executive.
I've been checking and I can't find any English players who would also be eligible for Finland, so it's going to be a big test for Carsley tonight.
Now if we can get Grealish to get the second.
Giving a nod to my superpower, I'll say that if this England-Finland game was in FM, the Finns would 100% spawn a 1-0 win with an 87th minute own goal.
The Finnish Goalkeeper and Defenders are playing out of their minds, blocking and saving shots.
Life != FM it turns out
Maybe it's just me typing a thing that leads to a goal, regardless of the thing
I know England fans had come to hate Southgate, but I really can't find a better way to underline how one-eyed and cyclical this stuff is than claiming that the 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland represent some kind of amazing change and it's nothing but Champagne Football now.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Lee.
Odegaard got hurt before the north London Derby.
I hate international breaks.
The current running Arsenal memes are is it possible for Arteta + Edu to play this weekend.
I know England fans had come to hate Southgate, but I really can't find a better way to underline how one-eyed and cyclical this stuff is than claiming that the 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland represent some kind of amazing change and it's nothing but Champagne Football now.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Lee.
I've not actually read that anywhere - but I don't read the tabloid press so quite possibly I'm missing it. Both games were much quicker paced by England, who were a lot more positive on the ball than they were in the latter parts of Southgate's reign. It's no masterclass of tactically superior football, but at least Carsley has shown that playing the right players in the right positions actually makes quite a difference. Especially for Kane.
That said, outside a handful of players - Gordon, TAA, Guehi - I'm not sure any of the rest have shown why they should play ahead of those who are absent, especially Palmer, Bellingham and Foden.
It's official:
It's official:
So my North American friends what does success for Poch at your home World Cup look like? Qualify for the knock outs feels like a minimum but maybe he needs to get to the quarters? Back at the home of football it’s time for Stevie Clarke to go I’m afraid he has done a great job and I will be forever grateful to him for pulling us out of a decades long mire but we just aren’t moving forward and I don’t think he has a plan to do so.
With the expanded format, anything less than the Knockouts is a colossal failure of epic proportions.
I do think the QFs is a reasonable expectation. Based on who we draw, Round of 16 would be VERY disappointing but understandable, but yeah, I want QFs.
USA in the Semis is the greatest success since 1930, which technically shouldn't even count becuase some of those dudes weren't wearing shoes. (That's not true, but you get what I mean.)
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