havanatopia

Wow that's a new name... I shall need to look that up. ? Arhhh yess... St Julien.... And good ratings on Vivino but a little pricey. Get what you pay for of course. I shall look out for it next next time I venture to a big supermarche. Appreciate the tip.

Far too broad a generalisation. The country that gives us some of the best beef cattle in the world also happens to grow some of the best Malbec. Both are like hand and glove and you will find few restaurants of Argentine origin suggesting a somewhat light weight cab sauv over a far more full bodied Malbec. Of course it's all about personal preference as well.

Where is Bairstow?

When do the silly play offs start? And when was the last time Bristol won the title?

Parry sitting down with Morris in some Steak House in the West End this evening with a nice bottle of Malbec. Are we at all surprised?

The anger amongst us fans and other owners and players is very real and palpable and will not go away. Well I lost hope now. By which time the season will have started. Derby are going to get royally booed at every fixture. And rightly so. State of governance everywhere now is so infested with corruption and small brain syndrome... Seems more and more that this is by design not error because they simply cannot all be dim wits. But a dim wit is easier to corrupt with a lower moral compass. That's my opinion. I think a lot of us understand education has been on a dumming down crusade for decades and all over the world.

Thanks pops. Btw... When you talk about players out of contract you talk first about 2022 when mostly this will occur, later you change to 2021... Not sure if you have flipped from Stoke to Derby?

So allowable loss for season ending 2020 is 13 million. Stoke lost a whopping 88 but are allowed a 38 million covid adjustment to bring it down to 43 million. They are in a 30 million hole they are trying to get out of by selling the ground to the Coates family. Is that about right Pops?

Pops, on your earlier post, I would say few of us are anti Derby per se. We are simply anti rule busters. The rules may be stupid, they may be almost, but not quite, impossible to follow and it's up to a club if they balls up their maths to have a go at a fiddle . That's their business. But, upon being caught they must do the time. The FL are fudging the entire thing as of now. We hold out hope for justice.

The Welsh FA have had quite a bit of bad luck with their managers in recent history. He has been charged, that suggests sufficient evidence, but he has not yet been found guilty. I for one, will therefore reserve any comment on the man until the end of the trial. That is what everyone should be doing as a matter of course.

I hope we are all in for a very pleasant surprise. I believe around play off full time and they simply have to make a decision one way or other.

Morris may still get away with it though.

Quite possibly equally as effective .

Yes following those play off games GS... Would be good to see Kiel go up.

Like I said in THE Derby thread.. ?? straight 2 points deduction now, 18 to start next season and 10 million fine. If they appeal double the fine and points deduction. Stop messing about and get on with their fully deserved demotion. Adams Park is a lovely little ground and they make a decent chip.

The Nord Derby is back on next season as a result .. Werder v Hamburg; always a frosty affair. I think both will be up the top. Way too strong for most teams in that division. Both simply need a German Nigel Pearson now.

Or Arsenal as Ralph suggested.. one longest serving club to another.

Its that bad Hats? How so? You have kept quite close to their management down the years to know they have lost their way?

If you look at the various crimes of Luton it all added up to 20 points plus as I recall. Derby have also made multiple infractions. In order for the rules to be adhered to it not only has to take effect now but it also has to include sanction for the beginning of next season. In short, one infraction causes relegation, likely the least serious as it only needs 1 or 2 points correct? . Another infraction to be applied for the start of the new season. I would like to see them start in League One with -18 points and a find of £10 million. Unless the punishment is punitive it will keep happening. If they appeal and lose, the evidence of which I am told is overwhelming, the punishment doubles. -36 points and £20 million. We don't actually need football clubs who treat the game with such utter disdain. I must confess, in all honesty, that I never liked Parry; he always struck me as a bit of a whimpy smiler yes man. I suspect he will either have an epiphany and dish out the necessary or, more likely, revert to type. God help the game for the next few seasons if he does nothing other than a pathetic cowardly points deduction for next season. Simply a cop out and perhaps some inducing handover at Charnock Richard Services. Always felt it was a decent brown paper bag type place with a howling wind blowing around at that altitude. Perhaps he can have a go on the Knightmare Roller Coaster to cleanse the conscience. Maybe its his Camelot.

Without doubt the crime itself; no comparison between committing one and incompetence. They lost ALL credibility when they decided to ditch 130 odd years of tradition and being known, worldwide, as THE Football League to basically ANY old football league... a massive and inept own goal if ever there was one. Pathetic cronies and 'marketing' idiots. I will always call it The Football League; because it is., it was the first. It was respected around the world and people understood it could literally be called THE Football League. They trashed that in a couple months of donut munching coffee swilling board room bollox discussions with a bunch of limp dicks as so called 'experts'. As Big Tone opined; losing interest in football is starting to become endemic.

Are the Football League hoping this will quietly disappear? Will Wycombe have to call the legal team in? Two weeks after the season has ended and the Pride Park club, via its online newspaper mouthpiece, is already arrogantly discussing the seasons new fixtures in the Championship. Do they know more than the rest of us? have they paid someone off handsomely to ensure the club remain much more attractive to a buyer?

How the mighty can fall. They escaped on the last day last season but this time they could not save themselves. Dispensing with their manager Florian Kohfeldt just before the final game of this season in a final roll of the dice. That was a tough call to make. The club felt Kohfeldt deserved another bash at improving on last season but it failed. A club known for its loyalty to managers is very admirable and, with Rehhagel and Schaaf, has worked spectacularly down the years. Not this time. For an obscure reason I have followed Werder since I was a teenager just keeping an eye on their results. Otto Rehhagel was their longest serving manager and what a incredible job he did there. He managed Werder Bremen from 1981 to 1995. During these 14 golden years for the club, Rehhagel transformed Werder from a small minnow into a powerhouse, dazzling spectators with powerful up-tempo play and a smothering defence. During this spell, Werder Bremen established themselves as one of the main teams in the Bundesliga, overtaking hated rivals Hamburg as the top club in the north and sparking an intense feud with Bayern Munich who he went on to manage after leaving Werder. In the mid-eighties, Rehhagel often fell just short of success and had a string of second places and Cup Final losses. In that time, his nickname was Otto II or Vizeadmiral ("Vice Admiral"). However, Rehhagel led Werder to two German championships in 1988 and 1993, two DFB Pokal victories in 1991 and 1994, as well as winning the European Cup Winners Cup in 1992. In this period, Rehhagel produced a host of international stars, such as Rudi Voller, Karheinz Riedle, dieter Elts, Marco Bode, Mario Basler, Hany Ramzy, Andreas Herzog and Rune Bratseth. Rehhagel's team of 1987–88 was until recently the squad which conceded the fewest goals ever in the Bundesliga (22), this record was surpassed by Bayern Munich in the 2007–08 season with 21 goals. His 14 year stint with Werder is the second longest consecutive occupation as a manager ever in the Bundesliga. It was only recently surpassed by Volker Finke of Freiburg (16 years). Thomas Schaaf also managed Werder for 14 years and was also very successful, wining the double in 2003-4 and he also managed them to several cup victories including to the final of the old UEFA cup final in 2009 where they just fell short to Shaktar. He qualified them 5 times for the Champions League from 2004-9. He left by 'mutual consent' in 2014 having finished mid table and, once again, a club failed to improve after he left as so often happens; it was a slow fall after that. Schaaf was linked to the club for four decades since his days as a youth player. During the press conference where he announced his resignation, he spoke of his admiration of the club and the joy of his time spent at the Weserstadion, saying, "I had an extraordinary time here, connected with a lot of positive experiences and great successes. I would like to thank everyone who accompanied me along the way and supported me. I wish Werder Bremen a successful future. He soon found work again for Eintracht and then Hannover 96. He returned for the final game this season when it was a do or die win; they lost and have been relegated. Werder hold the record for the most seasons played in the Bundesliga and are third in the all time Bundesliga table, behind Bayern and Dortmund. They say he is currently Interim coach but the club could do a lot worse than making it permanent for a push at an immediate return. I wish them well.

Well there is only stand up for grabs so you will just have to settle for who took City up with the most points, least defeats and who stayed up the longest. Thicket or Dicks? Terry will have to wait his turn.

It's not enough, nowhere near enough. We know it and Hodgson knows it. He's a crafty beggar, although I like him. She is already in Suffolk house hunting.

A double entendre there Noggers, how very subtle of you. Yes I have been following Nimes a tad too. Slowly but inexorably falling to the drop zone. It's a beautiful place though. Has an amphitheatre in far better condition than Rome's. Well worth a visit for anyone.. arhhh.... No Snapps has put Oz on his daft green traffic light list but not our nearest neighbour. Maybe in 2035 then.