11 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Millionaire Brady once voted in The Lords to cut tax credit benefits for the poor but is ok with excepting millions from the tax payer to subsidise West Ham United.

""Baroness Karren Brady stepped down as West Ham United's vice-chair after 16 years, but not before her latest annual salary increased by £35,000 to £1.472 million. Her pay raises drew major criticism from fans and the Fan Advisory Board, as the club recently reported a record financial loss of £104.2 million"""

That’s outrageous.

Think there is a competition going on between us, West Ham & Tottenham as to who has the worst owners and whose club is being run more badly.

But as bad as things have been for us over the last season or so and the financial situation is very worrying, still think West Ham supporters have had it far worse, largely thanks to Sullivan & Brady. Both are HATED by the West Ham faithful and nothing will please West Ham supporters more than to see these two get their comeuppance.

They have massive debt, have been relegated with a poor squad which will be worse by the time the new season starts and they are playing in a stadium hated by the home fans and visiting supporters alike.

Brady will never be forgiven for telling the supporters as they decided to sell Upton Park (and someone pocketed a nice few bob from that) that they could “look forward to watching a world class team playing in a world class stadium”.

Yes another example of people who might be great in business but should be nowhere near being allowed to run a football club.

So Silva leaving Fulham after 5 years to replace Mourinho at Benfica who is off to Madrid.

1 hour ago, strider6004 said:

So Silva leaving Fulham after 5 years to replace Mourinho at Benfica who is off to Madrid.

A Portuguese merry-go-round if you will.

15 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Millionaire Brady once voted in The Lords to cut tax credit benefits for the poor but is ok with excepting millions from the tax payer to subsidise West Ham United.

""Baroness Karren Brady stepped down as West Ham United's vice-chair after 16 years, but not before her latest annual salary increased by £35,000 to £1.472 million. Her pay raises drew major criticism from fans and the Fan Advisory Board, as the club recently reported a record financial loss of £104.2 million"""

She's vile.

5 hours ago, dermott said:

A Portuguese merry-go-round if you will.

That sounds like a sex position

1 minute ago, dkw said:

That sounds like a sex position

It never occurred to me. Shame on you.

BBC Sport

Everton ordered to pay Burnley £35m for PSR breaches

Everton are told they must pay Burnley £35m for the impact of breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

BBC Sport

Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna steps down as boss

Ipswich Town announce that Kieran McKenna will step down as manager and leave the club this summer.

The owners defended these donations by saying that as a private company they were free to donate to whoever they wanted

West Ham United used club money to make a £9,000 donation to the Conservative party in 2022, less than a month before Liz Truss was forced to resign as prime minister.

Electoral Commission records show The Hammers also made a donation of £12,500 in 2016. Sullivan attended a 2015 Conservative Black and White Ball for party donors where revellers bid for a string of luxury auction prizes.

He arrived in a bright red Rolls-Royce, while his football club partner David Gold followed in a silver Rolls with daughter Jacqueline.

2 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

The owners defended these donations by saying that as a private company they were free to donate to whoever they wanted

West Ham United used club money to make a £9,000 donation to the Conservative party in 2022, less than a month before Liz Truss was forced to resign as prime minister.

Electoral Commission records show The Hammers also made a donation of £12,500 in 2016. Sullivan attended a 2015 Conservative Black and White Ball for party donors where revellers bid for a string of luxury auction prizes.

He arrived in a bright red Rolls-Royce, while his football club partner David Gold followed in a silver Rolls with daughter Jacqueline.

And a fifteen year old in the boot.

4 hours ago, Boyne said:

BBC Sport

Everton ordered to pay Burnley £35m for PSR breaches

Everton are told they must pay Burnley £35m for the impact of breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

I don't think I like this.

"On the balance of probability, Everton's breach of PSR caused Burnley to be relegated"......On the balance of probability? in a sport that is highly unpredictable? I think this is harsh.

Also, what does that mean for us and City? We're f**ked. We've already admitted guilt, so whatever punishment we get, you can bet those teams competing against us for a top 4 finish will be all over us looking for compensation. I hope Everton win their appeal, because if they lose, then it's going to set a precedent.

2 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't think I like this.

"On the balance of probability, Everton's breach of PSR caused Burnley to be relegated"......On the balance of probability? in a sport that is highly unpredictable? I think this is harsh.

'On the balance of probability' is a civil legal test, one step below the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. It simply means that based on the available evidence, something is more likely to have happened than not happened.

I have only briefly read the decision. For context, my job involves both investigation and statistical analysis, and my academic background is actually in cognitive psychology, so these sorts of situations are my daily work. I am utterly mind-blown at the conclusions drawn by this panel. The entire judgement against Everton appears to be based on mathematical and logical fallacy and an unreasonably literal interpretation of "balance of probabilities". It relies on what is essentially astrology for grown men and it is absolutely farcical that a professional body engages in this sort of decision-making. I haven't bothered to read the parts determining the amount of compensation payable as the decision on causation itself is so laughably ridiculous.

The Panel decision gives a lot of weight to two competing 'mathematical' analyses that are based on the idea that increased spending = better performance. Everton, to their credit, did not dispute that the PSR breach led to a sporting advantage, only that sporting advantage was the reason that Burnley specifically were relegated. I cannot emphasise that second phrase enough to show how utterly insane the Panel's decision is.

Burnley's analysis claimed that Everton's PSR breaches resulted in a measurable increase in likelihood of avoiding relegation over Burnley. Everton's analysis found that the probabilities were likely unchanged. However the Panel was not sufficiently critical of Burnley's analysis, nor the credentials of the analysts themselves. Burnley's analysis was done by an academic in 'sports finance' (who appears to have a Wenger-sized hard-on for 'competitive balance') and a statistician who works for betting companies, both of whom were allowed to uncritically assert the value of betting markets as a predictive tool for sports results. Everton's analyst, by contrast, is an actual expert witness with serious credentials in assessing the impact of competition. The Burnley analysis was able to access propietary commercial betting data (Spreadex) whereas the Everton analyst used indepedent betting data.

The Panel accepted criticism of Everton's analyst because he didn't have specific experience in football, but uncritically accepted the evidence of another Burnley witness who merely asserted he had "lived experience" of working in football. It is actually so f**king stupid and unserious that it is painful to type this out:

"Mr Baldwin was an important witness. We recognise that Mr Baldwin had a history of close involvement with Burnley, but we are satisfied that that did not colour his evidence. He was a straightforward, forceful witness who we consider was giving unvarnished evidence of his true opinion."

Burnley model's relied on betting data set by the analyst themselves, and rankings and predictions of performance (xG) set by the analysts themselves.
"For their stage 3 analysis, Professor Wilson and Mr Daniels place great emphasis on the robustness and credibility of [the] gambling industry"

In no rational way is that a reliable or valid analysis. When Everton's analyst ran Burnley's metholodogy on his own data, over 100,000 simulations, there was no clear evidence to suggest that Everton had obtained an advantage.

But the worst and most fundamental issue is that you cannot reduce football results to statistical simulations involving expected goals. When West Ham had similar issues because of Tevez/Mascherano, at least it was for the obvious reason that both players were physically on the pitch contributing to games. This is the kind of nonsense ridiculed on football forums everywhere yet the governing body of the PL sees fit to accept this as evidence to impose a historically significant sanction.

I am rarely a conspiracy theorist but the incompetence accepted by the PL is just breathtaking in all domains. With everything happening between the PL, FIFA and the state of football more generally, maybe rejecting the ESL was a bad idea.

Also, what does that mean for us and City? We're f**ked. We've already admitted guilt, so whatever punishment we get, you can bet those teams competing against us for a top 4 finish will be all over us looking for compensation. I hope Everton win their appeal, because if they lose, then it's going to set a precedent.

Despite most outlets insinuating otherwise, we will be fine from a PL perspective. The Sanction Agreement explicitly states that the PL found we did not breach PSR, and no sporting advantage was gained as a result of our breaches.

Wolves have now sacked Rob Edwards.

Very strange decision, as he seemed the right guy to get them straight back up. Bet he's wishing he had stayed at Boro now.

1 hour ago, Nibs said:

Wolves have now sacked Rob Edwards.

Very strange decision, as he seemed the right guy to get them straight back up. Bet he's wishing he had stayed at Boro now.

No doubt. And only recently publicly supported by the club despite him saying they just weren't good enough. Speaking the truth. It's pretty much typical Wolves whose achievements - such as they are - come about despite the incompetent ownership. Jorge Mendes has had them in his pocket for years. And surprise surprise: Edwards' likely replacement is a Mendes client. Edwards is a more than decent manager, he deserves better than Wolves and won't have any trouble getting another gig.

Fantastic to see Spurs are just as "Spursy" at basketball too.

BBC Sport

NBA Finals 2026: New York Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs i...

NBA legend Charles Barkley brands the San Antonio Spurs "the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation" after the New York Knicks move 3-1 ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.

10 minutes ago, just said:

Fantastic to see Spurs are just as "Spursy" at basketball too.

BBC Sport

NBA Finals 2026: New York Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs i...

NBA legend Charles Barkley brands the San Antonio Spurs "the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilisation" after the New York Knicks move 3-1 ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.

Watched the 2nd half; it was a ridiculous game. Spurs froze in the 2nd half after leading by 29pts.

FIFA will require fixed release fees in every professional contract starting January 1, 2027. Players also get a 5% cut of their transfer fees, with protections for lower earners, and disputes head to FIFA's tribunal

Not sure this helps anyone, clubs will just start sticking 9-figure release clauses in contracts.

13 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I don't think I like this.

"On the balance of probability, Everton's breach of PSR caused Burnley to be relegated"......On the balance of probability? in a sport that is highly unpredictable? I think this is harsh.

Also, what does that mean for us and City? We're f**ked. We've already admitted guilt, so whatever punishment we get, you can bet those teams competing against us for a top 4 finish will be all over us looking for compensation. I hope Everton win their appeal, because if they lose, then it's going to set a precedent.

I tihnk that statement is the reason they will appeal and win, its just nonsense.

58 minutes ago, markpitts said:

FIFA will require fixed release fees in every professional contract starting January 1, 2027. Players also get a 5% cut of their transfer fees, with protections for lower earners, and disputes head to FIFA's tribunal

Not sure this helps anyone, clubs will just start sticking 9-figure release clauses in contracts.

Whatever source that is, is inaccurate. FIFA can't require such a thing. Release clauses are illegal in France, for example, but mandatory in Spain; the ECJ decision held that FIFA rules must be subordinate to national law.

Release clauses also need to be proportionate, UEFA has already indicated it will limit such clauses to liquidated damages based on the remaining value of a player's contract.

Clubs can no longer demand a transfer fee under the new rules, except during the protected period of a contract. The 5% thing is interesting as it will incentivise players to request a new club to pay a transfer fee.

Bless Newcastle's heart getting so so so literal with their new home kit:

Thats absolutely hideous.

5 hours ago, dermott said:

Bless Newcastle's heart getting so so so literal with their new home kit:

It’s a barcode top! 😀😀😀

5 hours ago, dermott said:

Bless Newcastle's heart getting so so so literal with their new home kit:

If you scan the shirt in takes you to SportsDirect.com.

51 minutes ago, Scott said:

If you scan the shirt in takes you to SportsDirect.com.

That’s strange. When I scan it it says: “Which dumb c**t decided to sell Elliot Anderson instead of Dan Burn?”

48 minutes ago, dermott said:

That’s strange. When I scan it it says: “Which dumb c**t decided to sell Elliot Anderson instead of Dan Burn?”

Oddly it takes me to the Hugo Boss website