19 minutes ago, Slojo said:

I think I was the only one who brought it up but Van Anhalt a f**king fullback scoring against us summed it up really. That's about 5 ex-players who have scored against us this season (Salah, KDB, Lukaku, Ake, PVA), the football gods certainly don't like us.

It's certainly been a season to forget that's for sure, I'm past caring about how well others are doing though quite honestly. It's the hand we are dealt, you can only try and improve, worrying about how good our ex's are is not going to make our situation any better.  

I care less about our past players now that we have a few youngsters with high ceilings. Loftus-cheek I hope returns from injury and kicks on, then we have ampadu and hudson-odoi too. Maybe another loanee too who could return next season.

If we buy a couple good players in summer and keep our players then I think we will be set for next season. I think winning the league has become so random over past few years there's no guarantees who will be in form next season. 

I care less about our past players now that we have a few youngsters with high ceilings. Loftus-cheek I hope returns from injury and kicks on, then we have ampadu and hudson-odoi too. Maybe another loanee too who could return next season.
If we buy a couple good players in summer and keep our players then I think we will be set for next season. I think winning the league has become so random over past few years there's no guarantees who will be in form next season. 

I have little faith in any of these players getting the chance they deserve and most likely be sold and succeed elsewhere.

I wonder how many boxes of tissues got used up over the weekend by members in here, given that some Chelsea rejects managed to score in other games :)

12 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I wonder how many boxes of tissues got used up over the weekend by members in here, given that some Chelsea rejects managed to score in other games :)

Don't encourage them, there's already too much wailing and hindsight going on here 

5 hours ago, Valerie said:

Don't encourage them, there's already too much wailing and hindsight going on here 

But if we hadn’t sold Greaves in 1961...

did anyone hear about this qpha fan's tattoo?

funny story - I guess he thought Qpha would give up more than 3 goals vs Fulham - they didn't & off the the tattoo parlor he went - props for following through on the bet though

4 hours ago, robdog said:

did anyone hear about this qpha fan's tattoo?

funny story - I guess he thought Qpha would give up more than 3 goals vs Fulham - they didn't & off the the tattoo parlor he went - props for following through on the bet though

If this is real, "props" must be slang for "incredible stupidity" 

 

David Squires's latest:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/mar/20/david-squires-on-the-fa-cup-and-football-heritage 

Salah rumoured to break the world record transfer set by Neymar come summer. Bidding war between Barca, Real and PSG. 

It is becoming unethical to follow this sport.

8 hours ago, Valerie said:

If this is real, "props" must be slang for "incredible stupidity" 

 

dude is definitely in the running for the loser of the week, but I am sure he doesn't care cause qpha didn't lose the match vs Fulham

Like always, all big clubs chasing big stars and we will end up with a 31 years old Candreva or Ribery. 

20 hours ago, Munkworth said:

But if we hadn’t sold Greaves in 1961...

I think Del Boy said something along those lines to Rodney. 

Salah going to Madrid could be perfect.

Why would they risk spending over a 100 million on Hazard when Salah is right there for them. 

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by Slojo

3 hours ago, Stim said:

It is becoming unethical to follow this sport.

Certainly the top level has become an odd fantasy land that's totally out of context with the lives of us who do follow it. There's seems to be no sense of the value of money and what that could do if used differently. 

25 minutes ago, IliyaKrostin said:

Like always, all big clubs chasing big stars and we will end up with a 31 years old Candreva or Ribery. 

Which is why an unashamed youth policy would be good. Bayern never let the team get stale, they just regularly feed in new blood.

Christensen is the first example of us doing that in about a decade.

11 minutes ago, Slojo said:

Salah going to Madrid could be perfect.

Why would they risk spending over a 100 million on Hazard when Salah is right there for them. 

Good...let them have him.......Eden is only 100 times more talented though we havent seen much this season......man what an uneven and difficult season we have had so far. Yeah let them fight over salah kane naymar etc.....I hope we keep our good players and f**king build upon it.

The more interesting one will be if someone comes for £150m or more for Kante.

He says he is happy at Chelsea, hopefully it stays that way.

What worries me now is if Salah does go for £200m Liverpool are actually buying good players. Gone are the days of wasting it on Carroll and Downing. They'll probably invest it in Bailey for a quarter of the price and he be twice as successful. Then have money left to buy a proper defense and keeper.

3 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

What worries me now is if Salah does go for £200m Liverpool are actually buying good players. Gone are the days of wasting it on Carroll and Downing. They'll probably invest it in Bailey for a quarter of the price and he be twice as successful. Then have money left to buy a proper defense and keeper.

I'm not sure about Bailey, he looks good on some clips yet they are just highlight clips. Have you seen him in any matches?

I take your point about club investments yet wonder if this was due to Conte rather than not wanting to invest properly.

The test of this will be how we support the next manager.

I've been banished from the random chat thread, this seemed the next best:

Interesting article on Brian Clough - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Even Mourinho was surprised when he went there.

http://www.football365.com/news/portrait-of-an-icon-brian-clough

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43488055

West Ham are in the middle of a £6m legal row with their landlords over who should pay to make the London Stadium more supporter friendly.

The Hammers pay the London Legacy Development Corporation £2.5m a year to use the stadium as part of a 99-year lease, a sum that will halve should they get relegated to the Championship.

However, they have identified a number of areas - including the sale of draught beer and availability of Sky TV - that do not meet their requirements.

The two parties, who are already in one legal dispute over the capacity of the London Stadium, are going to have the fresh case heard by a mutually agreed independent legal expert, who will make a decision both sides have agreed to abide by.

• Brady apologises for West Ham trouble
• Fans to consider protest march
• Detail on stadium deal revealed
• Taxpayers to meet running costs

News of the legal wrangle comes before a meeting on Monday between West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan over the future of the stadium and its financial viability - it is currently set to lose £140m over the next 10 years.

In December, Khan said he was taking direct control of the stadium "in order to renegotiate deals and minimise ongoing losses" after publication of a damning report about the financial planning around the London Stadium.

Vice-chairman Karren Brady, will meet with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, over the future of the stadium

What are the issues?

For their £2.5m annual payment, West Ham believe the LLDC should meet all the running costs of the stadium, including stewarding, catering and policing.

The LLDC counters that the payment actually only covers what could be regarded as a 'bronze' level of service and that West Ham should pay for the 'platinum' option being demanded.

West Ham's demands include:

• The sale of draught beer at all bars, currently impossible because of the lack of pumps
• Sky TV on all televisions at the ground. West Ham pay for the licence but the London Stadium has adverts on some screens
• That the LLDC, not the club, should pay for hospitality staff who work in the corporate boxes at the stadium

While these sums on an individual basis are quite small, it is estimated that over the length of a 99-year lease they would exceed £100m, which is why they are being contested by the LLDC.

The joint cost of the current legal dispute is expected to be £6m.

Changing the colour of the carpet behind the goal could cost an estimated £140,000

Behind the goals

There has been an ongoing dispute between the club and the LLDC over the carpeted area behind each goal.

It is presently green. West Ham want it changed to claret, so it is more in keeping with the club's colours, and have their crest on it. They say they are willing to meet the estimated £140,000 cost.

The LLDC is resistant because it feels this would impact on other events. A West Ham source has told the BBC the LLDC wants an additional £150,000 to agree to the change of colour, and claims the carpet will need changing soon anyway because it is starting to become worn.

Security

The one area of agreement is that a repeat of the scenes witnessed at West Ham's last home game against Burnley should be avoided at all costs.

A number of fans invaded the pitch, supporters unhappy with the club's board protested in front of the directors' box and joint owner David Sullivan was hit by a coin.

A West Ham source has said the stewarding for that game, and others, was "inadequate", a view shared by many fans.

The LLDC believes it has fulfilled its requirements in terms of stewarding. A safety advisory group report specifically into the trouble at the Burnley game said the level of disorder "would have been almost impossible for any security team to manage".

However, the group has warned the stadium could be closed if there is a repeat and additional police and stewards will be present for West Ham's Premier League game against Southampton on 31 March.

West Ham are currently 17th in the Premier League, one place and two points above Southampton and the relegation zone.

 

West Ham: How pitch invasions unfolded

What they say

A LLDC spokesman said: "We believe West Ham is claiming rights under the concession agreement that are not theirs. West Ham has initiated all of the legal action but we would much prefer to resolve these matters through negotiation. There is great value in these rights over the lifetime of the agreement and we have a duty to defend our rights in order to protect the public purse."

A senior West Ham source said: "We have bought a new house but it doesn't feel like a home yet because we can't get all our stuff in it and get it the way we want it. Also, if you buy a house and agree a price, you don't expect to start getting charged more once you have moved in."

There are a number of different West Ham fans groups but in a recent survey by the West Ham United Independent Supporters Association, only 19.79% of respondents said their match tickets were better value for money, taking into account stadium experience and transportation issues, than they had been at West Ham's former home Upton Park.

Real shame to see West Ham having all those problems he....... 

 

Ha ha  ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..... 

That 99 year lease is going to be a complete weight around their necks for the foreseeable future. 

Spurs were right when they said the whole thing needed ripping down and rebuilding if the site were to be used as a football stadium. 

It's painfully evident it isn't fit to serve as a modern football stadium the gaping chasms behind the goals between the pitch and the goals is horrendous.  

Almost makes you feel sorry for West Ham fans.... Almost... 

Good bit of business by the owners though. Sell the old stadium. Get a new one basically for free. Make their shareholders even richer.