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Whatever the end result is with Palmer, from my perspective; he will go down as the worst signing ever in financial terms since I started supporting the club (1978). His lack of end product on the pitch just exemplifies what a truly awful deal it was. Even before his permanent signing, we must have been paying his wages, and a loan fee to Chelsea. By the end of his loan he wasn't even in the first team reckoning. Absolute madness to then buy him, and put him on those wages. That crazy summer of 2019, just keeps coming back to bite us financially.

I've kept my shares as well. But i'm pretty sure when Pula sports wrote to all the shareholders a while ago; it was with a one off offer of £10 per share on some sort of compulsory purchase order thing? I'll have to dig out the paperwork, but if we didn't sell, the club would still consider the shares worthless; and donate £10 to a charity, or the academy (or something like that). So I'm not sure technically our shares are actually worth anything anymore. Still the certificate looks nice in a frame of course.

So you end up loaning yourself money, then charging interest back from the club to repay your own investment? This is why the rich are rich.......?

@ExiledAjax Many thanks for this. Do you know what the loan repayments to Lansdown shown on our accounts covers then?

Underneath the spoons?

@GrahamC good shout on both of those. But the transfer fee, probably loan fee before that; and the subsequent wages pushes Palmer into a whole new level for me. ?

Can't help feeling that maybe the relationship between Palmer and the club has broken down now, to the extent that he may well just see out his contract. He was always going to be the most difficult to shift from our long list of players we want to move on. A combination of lack of playing time, high wages; and "injuries". Either way, that's QPR, Birmingham; and Cardiff that have all looked as to whether a deal can be done. If KP was interested for footballing reasons he would have gone out on loan/perm long ago. It is now a question of who backs down first, the club or KP over taking a hit. His current stance just reminds me of Bogarde at Chelsea all those years ago. Either way the Palmer deal must go down as potentially the worst deal in my time watching city ,(since 1977).

To be fair @Lew-T that is an outstanding post today. I doff my hat to you. Great signing on a free. With Moore, Vyner possibly going. Baker retiring? And Klose, Cundy not resigning; it would be easy to be caught short around defensive positions.

Thanks @Sheltons Army Really nice guy Chris. Doesn't give it the "I know best, because I'm an ex-professional" nonsense.

Salary - "Competitive depending on experience". I.e we hope to get someone as cheaply as possible who doesn't understand the market rate pay wise. Standby for someone who's just finished their degree or masters; and in need of any job to pay off those loans.?

For me nothing will change until they resolve the issues around FFP and PPs. Just like the Accrington Stanley chairman (Holt) said on Twitter. How can you limit losses at one club to £39m over 3 seasons, and then give a relegated club £90m to play with over the same period? Absolute madness, and completely devaluing the Championship as a credible sporting competition in my eyes. What is the point of PPs anyhow if generally 2 out of 3 relegated clubs go straight back up anyhow. Either they increase the amount existing clubs are allowed to lose over the 3 year period, or reduce the PPs. That's the only way realistically the divison will get back to 24 clubs fighting for 3 promotion places each year, rather than current approx 20 clubs all fighting over the 1.

The Massengo conundrum.... He's had 3 years, and we're still talking about potential. Semenyeo, has had a similar amount of time; and we are seeing the development. I just don't see it in him unfortunately. Also unfortunately for him, the best young talent to come through in a very long time has overtaken him in my opinion, and taken his spot moving forward (Scott). All about opinions @Davefevs ???

Bristol Rovers release retained list with Glenn Whelan among 13 to depart https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-rovers-retained-list-2022-7103447#ICID=Android_BristolPostApp_AppShare So there we go then. Gas going into next season with 13 players under contract (that will include the two kids from the development squad that they just gave pro deals to. So, as stated @In the Net. JB will have to start next season in L1 with a completely new team, losing any momentum; and hope lightning strikes twice.

Some real names from the past there. Fantastic effort to get those teams together.

Lived in Jersey for 5 years, 20+ years ago. Lovely island, wonderful tax regime ?

I know we've all gone back and forth for a long time now. But for me, doesn't the whole Derby case boil down to the fact that Mel Morris could sort out this financial situation tomorrow if he was so inclined? Whilst the club itself are insolvent by the looks of it. The owner has plenty of assets (including the stadium), but is now unwilling to in essence pay the bills? All of these conspiracy theories about the EFL that Derby are putting forward about being treated harshly look completely at odds with the simple truth. Which is Morris wants to sell the club whilst not paying any of the outstanding bills, or fund ongoing commitments? Basically one man has pulled the plug, and called everyone's bluff?

100% @Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan I've spoken about this on the podcast numerous times. City are not "skint", or in financial difficulty that would lead to fire sale of players. What we are, is at the threshold of the current FFP system due to decisions made 3 years ago. People that complain about Lansdown not putting money in, fail to understand that he is already at the limit of what he can invest/loan. What he did do though is oversee an unsustainable level of operating costs, and wages; and for that he does have to accept some culpability. After the Sports Quarter I can see the Lansdowns bailing out. That is their legacy though, so i think they're here for a few years yet. Hopefully the FFP will be revised this summer (as per RG's comments). If not, we may have to make some hard financial decisions, or cut playing budgets accordingly.

Thank you, great response. Interesting summer for Rovers, huge turnover in staff again; manager of course linked with other jobs; and playing in a league where the standard is a huge increase on last season. I think Barton can't afford to have a poor start, like last season though. The ability to rise Phoenix like, will be so much harder. We've been fortunate in the past 2 seasons to have pretty solid starts. Which has laid the groundwork for Operation survival at times.?

@In the Net many thanks for coming on the forum. I might not agree with all of your points, but it's good to have other rivals views on them anyhow. I have a question for you though. Do you think that Rovers getting promoted back to the league they were relegated from a year earlier is a "Massive Achievement"? For me, you were always one of the 3 biggest clubs in the division with probably a budget to match. With 4 Teams going up (still have no idea why) from L2, it is in essence one of the easier divisions to get out of. Isn't the "Massive Achievement", the fact that you were able to get promoted from the division after such a catastrophic 4 months that saw you at once stage 23rd in the bottom league of EFL, only 18 months or so, after being 3rd or 4th in the division above? So in essence you are back now where you were 2 seasons ago?

Absolutely, the new stadium fiasco showed that 10 years ago. But Bristol Sport made headlines June 2021 by promoting it. Saying end of the year for the decision, then building starts end of 2022. Completely understand there will be the usual delays. But communication is somewhat lacking a year on. Exile posted the application earlier, and there was no closing date for comments (unlike the HPC application). So who knows at the moment.

This is turning into an episode of our old Viz favourite

Brilliant....? I think we can put that rumour to bed....

I love the way on any given road (say Smyth road for example). No .99 says "fantastic, No.95 "Awful". The wonders of a local planning application. It's all gone to pot since @GrahamC left the department. @CyderInACan have a word with your neighbours for god sake....

Ah, got you. Enabling as in, without the housing application at Ashton Vale it's a non starter. Or will SL just get pi##ed off again;a nd go ahead regardless?

Thanks @ExiledAjaxand @Davefevs So we haven't got any Nimbeys as yet ? ? But also it doesn't seem to have gone before any planning committee either, am i right there? When Bristol Sport put the application in just under a year ago. They were quoting end of 2021 for the aforementioned committee. If people are still submitting comments, with no end date to make those comments (unlike the HPC in Failand application); then we must be some way off in terms of any form of approval.