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Reply | How Much Our Kid?
at 21:00 24 Apr 2025
Those who qualify for away tickets via loyalty points are by definition the most "loyal" amongst any club's home support.
While away fans also have to add the cost of train/coach/petrol etc to their day out - also occasionally overnight stays. This doesn't usually apply to home fans.
While it is reciprocal i.e. each club's fans benefit when they go away, just the same as when other clubs' fans come to them.
Or would you rather that eg Citeh charged away fans £70-odd to attend the Etihad, as well as (some of their) home fans.
Anyhow, as s.o. who really only goes to a couple of aways a season myself, I don't benefit greatly from it, but am pleased for my fellow fans who do, whether home or away.
That's it, really. |
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Reply | How Much Our Kid?
at 20:14 24 Apr 2025
By way of comparison, Celtic's ST prices for next season will be:
Adult prices start at £608, rising from £559 the previous year, with over 65s priced at £376.
Celtic have also frozen season ticket prices for under-18s, with the cost starting at £50 for under-13s.
Full-time students can renew for £374.
Though tbh, I'd want them to pay me a whole lot more than that to watch Scottish football...
While to get back to Citeh, the natives are getting distinctly restless:
A [supporters] group staged a second protest this month before their win over Aston Villa on Tuesday, with three main issues:
The capacity at Etihad Stadium increasing by 9,000 in recent years but there are fewer season tickets than six years ago.
That means fans have to pay up to £88 for an adult matchday ticket or up to £58 for a child.
Tickets are then sold through third-party sites for inflated prices, they claim.
More here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx28g5dmy0vo [Post edited 24 Apr 20:15]
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Reply | How Much Our Kid?
at 20:06 24 Apr 2025
The PL cannot tell clubs what to charge.
However they have got them voluntarily to agree to limit the xost to away fans to £30 per adult. So in that sense, it's hardly "subsiding" them, at least since we're only talking about 5% of places or 3k, which ever is the larger.
In the context of usually v.high, and often outrageous, admission prices generally, I for one think it's a grand, if rare, gesture, esp since it's only the most committed fans (loyalty points etc) who can get their hands on tickets for away fans.
Btw, my ST for the GTech works out at £26 a game, which for an excellent view in a modern stadium for top flight football, is imo truly exceptional value. Most General Admission ST's are around the same price, give or take, with matchday prices for Members etc not that much more (£38ish?) |
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Reply | How about a few “not a lot of people know thats”
at 18:50 23 Apr 2025
Thank you for that.
Meanwhile, your reference to Ostler caused me to wonder whether that came from London slang for a horse eg Harold Steptoe referring to "the os"
But not so:
The word "ostler" derives from Middle English "(h)osteler," which itself comes from Old French "(h)ostelier," meaning "innkeeper" or "steward in a monastery". This ultimately traces back to Medieval Latin "hostilarius" ("the monk who entertains guests at a monastery"), which is derived from "hospitale" ("inn"). The meaning of "ostler" shifted from "innkeeper" to "stableman" or "one who tends to horses" at inn.
Meanwhile, it may be apocryphal, but the story goes that Oliver Reed once bought a horse and named it "The Horse", as in "What do you call the horse, Olly?" [Post edited 23 Apr 18:51]
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Reply | How about a few “not a lot of people know thats”
at 18:05 20 Apr 2025
“In 1969, [Salvador] Dali was approached to design a new Chupa Chups logo, and the result became as instantly recognisable as his melting clocks. Dali incorporated the Chupa Chups name into a brightly coloured daisy shape. Always keenly aware of branding, Dali suggested that the logo be placed on top of the lolly instead of the side so that it could always be seen intact.”
While the Chupa Chups brand name comes from the Spanish verb chupar, meaning “to suck.”
(Btw, Dali got the gig because he was mates with the company owner) |
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Reply | Best Player That Each Club Has Produced
at 14:24 17 Apr 2025
Super Ray was, er, a super player, no doubt about that.
But there can only be one nominee from the NBN's, and that's the incomparable James Peter Greaves MBE. |
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Reply | Best Player That Each Club Has Produced
at 22:56 16 Apr 2025
George Best won the European Footballer of the Year (Ballon D'Or) aged 22 1/2, also English Footballer of the Year the same season.
Only (fat) Ronaldo won the Ballon younger, along with Messi who was a few months younger than Best the first time he won it.
Remember, too, that Best won it ahead of his teammates Charlton and Law, both outstanding footballers who had also won the award previously.
As for Scholes, he was a very fine player in his own right, but he was never even nominated for the award, never mind a contender, despite playing in a Champions League-winning side. |
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Reply | Corny Joke Warning
at 21:19 15 Apr 2025
Also known to like a virgin olive oil dressing. |
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Reply | 2030 World Cup
at 12:25 15 Apr 2025
It seems sanity may just be prevailing over madness on this 64 team idea, even in the furthest reaches of FIFA:
Concacaf opposes 64-team World Cup plans for 2030
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has criticised a proposal to expand the 2030 men's World Cup to 64 teams.
The plans, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, have also drawn opposition from Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj68ydgeweko [Post edited 15 Apr 12:27]
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Reply | Most expensive pub.
at 14:38 11 Apr 2025
A few years ago (i.e. pre-Covid), I went to a match at Wembley. A couple of my mates were staying at the Wembley Hilton, so I met them there, in the penthouse bar. (If that sounds kinda glamourous, believe me, it wasn't)
Anyhow, a pint of (anonymous) lager cost £7.05. And the reason I remember it was the extra 5p, which really wound me up. Had it been eg £6.95 or £7.00, or even £7.50, I don't think I'd have minded, but this extra five pence was clearly the work of some bastard accountant in Hilton's Head Office in Birmingham/Frankfurt/New Jersey/Wherever, possibly a teetotal Mormon who has precisely zero knowledge of beer, bars and the "customer experience".
Meanwhile, I frequently pay upwards of £7 for a beer these days, sometimes even more, and it doesn't bother me - if I can't afford it, either drink less, go home earlier, or visit a Spoons.
(Actually, cancel that last one) |
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Reply | 2030 World Cup
at 12:30 11 Apr 2025
From 9 months before the Qatar World Cup was staged:
"An investigation published by the SonntagsBlick newspaper confirmed that Infantino had rented a house in Doha and that two of his children are going to school there. The FIFA chief has been living in Doha since October 2021, the paper said.
FIFA, world football’s governing body, has always denied rumours of Infantino’s move to Qatar but was forced to admit it was the case following the SonntagsBlick investigation. The organisation claims that its president continues to work at its headquarters in Zurich and pay taxes in Switzerland. It told SonntagsBlick that Infantino spends half of his working time in Doha and that the house in the Qatari capital allows him to spend a lot of time with his family. However, according to SonntagsBlick, employees have confirmed that Infantino is rarely present in Zurich."
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-has-moved-t
How many places is he going to have to live in before the 2030 Finals?
(Btw, Infantino's chosen Qatar residence is in addition to the two official residences in Zug/Switzerland and Paris, which FIFA pays for for him) |
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Reply | Match Thread - Not on my Manor (anymore) - its the Kassam
at 21:42 9 Apr 2025
Because the club don't (have never) owned the stadium, that belongs to the eponymous Mr. Kassam, a property developer of, shall we say, a colourful reputation, esp amongst OUFC fans.
He was only ever interested in screwing the club out of as much rent as possible. He wasn't going to invest extra money on a new stand behind the goal, since even if they attracted enough fans to make it worthwhile, the payback period would be years-long.
Besides which, OUFC fans reckon his long game has long since been to get the club out, since the nearby hospital wants to expand, making his land, incl by the stadium, much more valuable.
All of which is why OUFC are moving to a new stadium in Kidlington, to the north of the town:
https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/oxford-united-stadium-planning-update
EDIT: Just seen the final score - you're definitely safe now. [Post edited 9 Apr 21:44]
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Reply | Tamworth v Spurs
at 20:04 9 Apr 2025
Not so. I mean, MU aren't the first team to swan off on one of these end of season tours.
The actual reason is/was UEFA extending (extra) European club Group games beyond Xmas/New Year, meaning that there were no longer enough free midweeks to accommodate replays.
Remember, it is the FA which organises the FA Cup, and get a cut of the income from games, incl replays, so it's not in their interest to restrict the competition.
But I agree completely that this sort of tour by Man U is ridiculous in its own right. |
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Reply | are we safe, yes or no....
at 20:14 6 Apr 2025
After yesterday's point, Yes.
For you to go down, it would require six teams below you ALL to overtake you.
And if Oxford and Hull wins y'day helped them in that respect, Pompey and Derby both lost ground with defeats. While by drawing, Stoke and Cardiff (or Luton) made no progess either, and now have one game fewer to do so.
It could be close (maybe even GD?) but it would require too many things to go against you - and that's without QPR picking up a couple of unexpected points somewhere. |
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Reply | Turkish Delight
at 15:04 3 Apr 2025
With all the crap that JM has been dishing out lately, and with Fenerbache not dominating everyone else in Turkey, I suspect he's actually angling to get sacked.
And for where he'll turn up next, here's a bookie-battering tip: Glasgow Rangers!
Crazy? Probably, but bear (sorry) with me.
He's shat the bed in a few places now, so may be short of offers from top clubs in top leagues. Rangers are about to be taken over by some consortium with (presumably) big money, who may wish to make a "statement" signing. Ferguson is only on a temporary contract (and is pretty crap). Rangers are guaranteed European football next season. JM was unusually complimentary about them when FB played at Ibrox recently.
And after taking a season or two to knock Celtic off their perch, he'd be putting himself in the shop window for a move to England, like eg Postecoglu.
You heard it here first!  |
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Reply | Eustace
at 14:48 3 Apr 2025
"Non-entity" is a bit unfair on Fulham - they've spent 29 seasons in England's top flight vs QPR's 23. And if you have won a (domestic) cup, they have been to a European final, plus an FA Cup final. Also a bigger/better ground.
Wouldn't argue about the others, incl you-know-who, but just give it time... [Post edited 3 Apr 14:49]
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Reply | German Football
at 13:05 3 Apr 2025
Fair point.
As against that, eg Leeds, Sheff U and Sunderland replacing Ipswich, Leicester and Soton would add over 20k to the PL's capacity next season.
And at considerably higher ticket prices, too. |
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Reply | Injury hit, on the beach and checked out, QPR soundly beaten – Report
at 16:18 2 Apr 2025
No doubt. But Warburton wasn't operating under "joke" people at Brentford - far from it - yet he still left on bad terms. (The club honoured his contract to the end of the season, where others might have binned him straightaway)
He's a very good coach - with his "own" players, at least - but at Brentford he wanted full control over signings and departures etc, i.e. a Manager, rather than a Head Coach. Whereas the club said he could have a say, but not the final say i.e. he was to work with the players he was given.
And I don't think it's my own bias talking to say that the club has proven pretty good at giving their coaches good players to work with, both before and after Warburton. |
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Reply | Injury hit, on the beach and checked out, QPR soundly beaten – Report
at 16:07 2 Apr 2025
Admittedly it was a few years ago, but I remember reading a comparison of injury rates in different European leagues and it basically said that differences between countries when it comes to style of play, training methods, lax/strict refereeing etc, didn't have a huge effect on injury rates.
But the one very definable factor was climate. That is, cold, northern countries like Germany and England pick up more injuries, esp soft tissue ones, than is seen in Spain and Italy etc.
Beyond that, it is inevitable that fans will look to the injuries at their own club and consider them worse than others, esp when the team is struggling.
But are QPR really suffering more injuries than other clubs? (Genuine question) [Post edited 2 Apr 16:09]
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