**Official** English Football Season 2024/25

[wpdavid]

Maybe Mark Noble for midfield?
Ultimate hard-luck story, pretty much his whole career with the Happy Hammers and retired the season before they finally won something.
Failing that Rob Lee?

The bloke I subsequently considered for the third midfield spot was Gerry Francis, who was good enough to be England's captain for a while until injuries did for him. But, at his peak, he was very good.

In goal, Pickford may be better than Springett.

 

[GIMH]

I don’t care that he played for Wales, he’s a Wirral boy and the answer is Jason Koumas

 

[Skipper Pup]

Leighton Baines?

Stan Collymore?

 

[Skipper Pup]

Bit late but the Trent news is now official.

Not much to say about it just gutted. Sort of accepted it a while ago but his behaviour recently made me have some hope he might change his mind. In the end he's made the same decision about 99.999% of people would make.

It'll take some time to get over it. I hope the parade goes well and is a celebration but I expect our fans will let him know how we feel and the negativity will get plenty of media attention.

The whole situation sucks.

 

[Molehill]

Don't really understand the bitterness towards him. Won everything he could with Liverpool, been a great servant. Offered the chance of presumably a big pay rise and to play for the biggest club in the world. What would anyone else do?

 

[Skipper Pup]

Don't really understand the bitterness towards him. Won everything he could with Liverpool, been a great servant. Offered the chance of presumably a big pay rise and to play for the biggest club in the world. What would anyone else do?

We offered him a bigger contract so the pay rise thing isn't accurate.

Madrid and Liverpool aren't comparable in terms of livability and lifestyle. I absolutely would have done the same thing in that situation.

All that said, no one else should really be telling Liverpool fans how to feel about it. The situation is extremely unique.

 

[Furball]

I didn't realise you were in a position to know the intimate details of player contract offers.

 

[Skipper Pup]

I didn't realise you were in a position to know the intimate details of player contract offers.

There's enough info out there for anyone who wants to do the research*. We offered him the higher wages, they offered him a sign-on fee. According to credible sources the packages were very similar. If there's one thing I believe about the entire thing it is that money isn't the driving factor.

*Don't expect you to want to. As an LFC fan I am probably more invested than most .

 

[Molehill]

We offered him a bigger contract so the pay rise thing isn't accurate.

Madrid and Liverpool aren't comparable in terms of livability and lifestyle. I absolutely would have done the same thing in that situation.

All that said, no one else should really be telling Liverpool fans how to feel about it. The situation is extremely unique.

Do me a favour!! Extremely unique in that a player who has done well for a club then decides to further his career elsewhere? We've always welcomed back those players to Portsmouth with open arms, as I suspect the vast majority of teams do.

He's not leaving to go to the Norwegian 2nd Division, he's going to Real Madrid.

 

[Uppercut]

I had a long conversation about it with a Liverpool-supporting colleague. There are a lot of rationalisations out there, but I think it's just that every non-Liverpool fan fully understands that Real Madrid is a step up from Liverpool, but there's a contingent of Liverpool fans who refuse to accept that.

 

[Skipper Pup]

Do me a favour!! Extremely unique in that a player who has done well for a club then decides to further his career elsewhere? We've always welcomed back those players to Portsmouth with open arms, as I suspect the vast majority of teams do.

He's not leaving to go to the Norwegian 2nd Division, he's going to Real Madrid.

A player who grew up supporting the club...
A player who's been in the academy since he was 6yr old...
A player who said it was his dream to captain the club...
A player who said he doesn't want to play for any other club...
A player who said 'it means more' to win trophies at Liverpool than anywhere else...

Pretty unique, yes.

I fully appreciate wanting a new challenge, going to a 'bigger' club, furthering his career etc. It just flies in the face of everything he's said over the last 5 years or so. It wouldn't matter if it was Madrid, PSG, Juventus, or Saudi - the principle remains the same.

There are a lot of fans who are more sensitive to the issue than I am. We've seen many great players come and go in recent times but everything around this situation is different given his attachment to the area and the things HE has said. That's before we go into the whole free transfer thing (not worth bringing up imo but causing frustration for some fans).

I just hope he gets the send off he deserves. I don't watch as many Madrid games as I used to but he's going to be a massive target for all sorts of abuse if he doesn't hit the ground running. That bit I do worry about.

 

[Skipper Pup]

I had a long conversation about it with a Liverpool-supporting colleague. There are a lot of rationalisations out there, but I think it's just that every non-Liverpool fan fully understands that Real Madrid is a step up from Liverpool, but there's a contingent of Liverpool fans who refuse to accept that.

Anyone who thinks Liverpool is even remotely close to being as big as Madrid is delusional

 

[Molehill]

A player who grew up supporting the club...
A player who's been in the academy since he was 6yr old...
A player who said it was his dream to captain the club...
A player who said he doesn't want to play for any other club...
A player who said 'it means more' to win trophies at Liverpool than anywhere else...

Pretty unique, yes.

I fully appreciate wanting a new challenge, going to a 'bigger' club, furthering his career etc. It just flies in the face of everything he's said over the last 5 years or so. It wouldn't matter if it was Madrid, PSG, Juventus, or Saudi - the principle remains the same.

There are a lot of fans who are more sensitive to the issue than I am. We've seen many great players come and go in recent times but everything around this situation is different given his attachment to the area and the things HE has said. That's before we go into the whole free transfer thing (not worth bringing up imo but causing frustration for some fans).

I just hope he gets the send off he deserves. I don't watch as many Madrid games as I used to but he's going to be a massive target for all sorts of abuse if he doesn't hit the ground running. That bit I do worry about.

You could've just said that he's changed his mind about his career. It's not a crime (there's a stereotype gag in here somewhere).

 

[wpdavid]

Leighton Baines?
Stan Collymore?

Baines is a good shout, and I couldn't honestly begin choose between him and Derek Statham.

Collymore vs Worthington? Who knows. Unless both played in a very old fashioned formation.

 

[Furball]

A player who grew up supporting the club...
A player who's been in the academy since he was 6yr old...
A player who said it was his dream to captain the club...
A player who said he doesn't want to play for any other club...
A player who said 'it means more' to win trophies at Liverpool than anywhere else...

Pretty unique, yes.

I fully appreciate wanting a new challenge, going to a 'bigger' club, furthering his career etc. It just flies in the face of everything he's said over the last 5 years or so. It wouldn't matter if it was Madrid, PSG, Juventus, or Saudi - the principle remains the same.

There are a lot of fans who are more sensitive to the issue than I am. We've seen many great players come and go in recent times but everything around this situation is different given his attachment to the area and the things HE has said. That's before we go into the whole free transfer thing (not worth bringing up imo but causing frustration for some fans).

I just hope he gets the send off he deserves. I don't watch as many Madrid games as I used to but he's going to be a massive target for all sorts of abuse if he doesn't hit the ground running. That bit I do worry about.

Man changes mind shock horror.

 

[sledger]

People change jobs all the time.

 

[Skipper Pup]

Haha respect to the trolls in here, even those who 'ignore' my posts yet happen to chime in. Got to get something back on LFC now we've got number 20.

I shall not be biting on this topic any further

This Inter v Barca game is awesome. Cya later Barca

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Colchester United Chairman Robbie Cowling has today confirmed that he is in advanced discussions to sell the football club to a United States based consortium, Lightwell Sports Group, led by businessman Tim Foley.

Cowling, who has owned Colchester United since August 2006, stated:
“After nearly two decades at the helm of this wonderful football club, I can confirm that I am relatively close to finalising a deal to pass ownership to a US-based consortium led by Tim Foley. These discussions have been ongoing for some time, during which time I have grown to believe that the prospective new owners not only share my passion, and respect for the community but are much better placed than I am to take Colchester United forward.”
“It has been an incredible journey, and I remain committed to ensuring a smooth transition that secures the best possible future for the club, its supporters, and everyone connected with Colchester United. I will provide further updates as soon as I am able to,” Cowling added.
No further comment will be made at this time while the legal and regulatory processes are ongoing.

~~~~

Very sad about this. Cowling has been unfairly maligned by Colchester fans as he hasn't spent tons of money on players over the years. However, unlike many peers over the past 20 decades - peers of similar or slightly larger size, let's say - Cowling's spending has been sustainable. No financial crises in his time. No idea who Tim Foley and his Lightwell Sports Group are, but I think this would be a sad state of affairs. Colchester aren't a big team, the very idea that international investors might see 'value' in investing in such a team is anathema to me.

Not much detail behind this Lightwell group, other than property investment in the US. Foley used to work in media for the United World Wrestling group, otherwise there's not much to find on him either.

 

[Molehill]

Colchester United Chairman Robbie Cowling has today confirmed that he is in advanced discussions to sell the football club to a United States based consortium, Lightwell Sports Group, led by businessman Tim Foley.

Cowling, who has owned Colchester United since August 2006, stated:
“After nearly two decades at the helm of this wonderful football club, I can confirm that I am relatively close to finalising a deal to pass ownership to a US-based consortium led by Tim Foley. These discussions have been ongoing for some time, during which time I have grown to believe that the prospective new owners not only share my passion, and respect for the community but are much better placed than I am to take Colchester United forward.”
“It has been an incredible journey, and I remain committed to ensuring a smooth transition that secures the best possible future for the club, its supporters, and everyone connected with Colchester United. I will provide further updates as soon as I am able to,” Cowling added.
No further comment will be made at this time while the legal and regulatory processes are ongoing.

~~~~

Very sad about this. Cowling has been unfairly maligned by Colchester fans as he hasn't spent tons of money on players over the years. However, unlike many peers over the past 20 decades - peers of similar or slightly larger size, let's say - Cowling's spending has been sustainable. No financial crises in his time. No idea who Tim Foley and his Lightwell Sports Group are, but I think this would be a sad state of affairs. Colchester aren't a big team, the very idea that international investors might see 'value' in investing in such a team is anathema to me.

Not much detail behind this Lightwell group, other than property investment in the US. Foley used to work in media for the United World Wrestling group, otherwise there's not much to find on him either.

I'd try to look on it as a positive. My club was sold to the US in 2017, and during that period we've seen steady and sensible growth. Often not fast enough for many of the fans, but very few are complaining about where we find ourselves now. Hopefully, Colchester can do likewise.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I'd try to look on it as a positive. My club was sold to the US in 2017, and during that period we've seen steady and sensible growth. Often not fast enough for many of the fans, but very few are complaining about where we find ourselves now. Hopefully, Colchester can do likewise.

I mean, it could work - I just want to know more. I just question why an overseas consortium would be interested in Colchester. The highest we've ever been was the Championship - briefly. Nowhere near the household awareness or crowds that Portsmouth achieve.