Very easily if UAE and their allies say no more oil and gas for you Poms

Okay off to the airport Mrs Kiwi and myself flying out of Christchurch back home .

Hope the Tiger Moth is fully fueled

I'd suggest it's because Klopp has managed Liverpool superbly for the last 4 or 5 years. They are now having a very poor season, but you'd want to be some clown of a journalist to seriously question him about his managerial decisions less than a year after winning two cups, getting to the CL final and taking the title race to the last day of the season. In short, he has a fair bit of credit in the bank.

If it's a points deduction, I reckon it will be 20 or 30, not some something as small as 5 points. City won't take it lying down. That's for sure. I think the talk of awarding the titles to the teams that came second is silly though.

Again, I'm looking at this as not what's fair but what the powers that be typically do. Maybe seeing the corruption in American politics first hand has jaded me. Maybe seeing how the CL is rigged so that the most popular clubs will always have a place no matter how badly they do for a time has jaded me.

In a fair and just world, everything proposed would be done. Maybe it will but I just don't see it. First of all: politics. This is not just about City but the country that funds it. It's a political issue. My guess again, is if its a point deduction it will happen next season. My guess is that they won't just de facto hand us the title and hand Man Utd runner up probably, depending on the point deduction.

I think at a minimum we are looking at probably record fines. They have the money. I think at a minimum we are looking at multiple transfer windows. How many? Who knows. I can also see at a minimum being banned from the CL for a season or two or whatever. After that, its up to the powers that be and we must include the politics of both the governing bodies and the UK and Qatar governments. It is de facto accusing a country of cheating. And all the ramifications of doing so.

I can see titles being stripped after the fact. If that happens, and we go back 10 years which I think the charges say they have had financial malfeasance (not sure) then Liverpool gets 3 titles and Man Utd will get 2. Tottenham were runners up in 2017 but Chelsea were champions. Just imagine if they were runners up when City had won recently? Shudder the thought.

Lastly, and I reiterate, its not about what is fair its about how fair and honorable the governing bodies are both the FA and the Parliament, who will have a say I hear and this affects international relations with another country.
I don't see automatic relegation. Too much TV money at risk.

Going down the plausible deniability route

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64563546

Plenty of city affiliates are going to embarrass themselves over this btw

Hi Dec,

Whats the good in a deduction even of 30 points, they might be denied a PL title challenge but they won't be relegated and basically all their cheating over the last decade will have been rewarded with PL wins and other silverware.

If the PL really wanted to make a statement they would relegate them and put a transfer embargo on them for the next 5 seasons. Anything else is just sending a message that cheating is OK because the punishments do not fit the crimes.

Talk about running for the new manager. In all prem games Everton have played this season 5 of the 7 greatest distances ran during a game came from 5 players in the game v Arsenal.

Over 21 games that is 231 starting players - 210 if we take out the GK. And in those 210 individual performances 5 of the top 7 came against us.

Those of you with season tickets, what do you make of the 5% price rise and this being for fewer games? I haven't fully digested what the detail is, but I did read something about having more tickets available for younger fans - which feels right as we need to be able to bring through new fans as well.

Are people ok with the rise if Kronke keeps investing in the team as he has the past 2 seasons?

Cost of next years STs will actually go down since FA Cup games will be excluded. We've always paid for 26 games (then credited for any unused games) but next season, it'll be 22. The rationale is that we'll only pay for fixtures that are guaranteed, so it will be 3 European (assuming we qualify) fixtures only. Of course the price of the tickets will increase by 4% but there'll be less of them. Not sure what to make of all that to be honest but the effect will be minimal.

Dire warnings also about letting other people use your STs. I did know that as part of the conditions of sale, only the name on the ST is allowed to use it, but it's always seemed pretty daft. It's never stopped me from handing my seats to other family members or to friends if I can't go. Apparently that makes me a ticket tout and I am to be clamped down upon.

They would much prefer that any spare seats are sold through the ticket exchange, with AFC taking 15% of the proceeds. Nice little earner, that.

I think the credit in the bank is a good point although I don't know how much leeway was given by the media to Wenger. Wenger went longer without a trophy of course but never tanked a season as bad as Klopp has right now. I'm seeing a lot of defence of Klopp for his spending - and that is quite right, but Wenger making a £10m profit every year on average for 8 years and still making top 4 is a massively overlooked achievement.

BTW I live near Leeds so do get plenty of Northern press

If I'm reading this right it will be more severe than that. I expect City to lawyer up and drag it through the courts.

OK, thanks. That makes sense and brings us more in line with other clubs. We always used to top those headlines about 'highest priced ticket in the prem' and it would routinely be ignored that our cost was for 26 games so the cost per game was less than the likes of Spurs for example.

Like most rises I’m not sure where I stand on it. Excluding fa cup games from my season ticket makes sense for me personally as I live outside London and need to balance the Arsenal with parental duties and work so I have no problem on that as I like the flexibility.

Not too bothered really in summary I suppose. The team are competing right now and everyone in the ground is enjoying their football. I can't really complain.

When the club have a real dilemma though is when safe standing is re introduced. This may bizarrely push our season ticket prices up if we adopt it. The club did a survey of fans and 70% want it but the truth is apparently it will reduce our capacity if adopted and the ground can’t be expanded as it was designed for the current capacity being seated and is next to a railway line. What ever happens will be a difficult decision because fan opinion will demand it but it’s not really logical

My Liverpool supporting friend, when I told him if City's titles are rescinded over the past 10 years, he'll have 3 more titles he was happy to hear it and accept it but there would be an asterisk in his view.

He asked me if point were deducted this season and enough where us winning the title is a forgone conclusion how I'd feel. I'm not so sure. I will take it but can see sperz supporters making all kinds of joke and memes.

I don't think Safe Standing will make much difference at all. 70% of those who responded might want it but that's not 70% of the attendance. Contrary to the popular view, it doesn't increase crowd density so therefore it's entirely neutral in terms of capacity. All it involves is an additional waist-high rail to guard against surges forward. The steps can't change and there'll still be seats. There's Safe Standing at Spurs but I can't say it made much difference to anyone's experience or enjoyment because that would always have been a standing game, safe or not. Most away games are standing for away supporters - it's just a universal fact throughout football in England. Becoming a pain in the arse for some!

The real issues in regard to Safe Standing areas is how they affect adjacent areas where people would rather sit. We've been told to sit for 30 years now and most of us have got used to it. Over the years, people in front who stand and block your view have become much less of an issue. If there's no advantage like cheaper tickets or more availability, I doubt whether many will see the point.

The great advantage with standing, for those of us who are old enough to remember, was the freedom of the terraces. You could stand with whomever you liked. As soon as you issue a ticket with a seat or a 'standing stall' number, you lose that forever.

I would be absolutely gutted if we sold Balogun in the summer. I just see so much potential in the boy and he is only 21.
Rumours with 18 months left on his contract we may consider selling him for 40 to 50 million in the summer.
I understand that but surely he will get a run to see if Arteta fancies him or not.
However how much of a run with Eddie and Jesus ahead of him?

Question for the forum.
Would you keep Eddie or Balogun because i dont think 3 into 2 will go sadly..

The club did say specifically though it would introduce segregation within the stadium bowl, separating designated safe standing areas and seated areas. This would result in a net loss of seats and a reduction in overall capacity. They said as capacity will not be positively impacted by introducing Safe Standing, it is unlikely that Safe Standing areas will be priced any cheaper

However fans are emotive on the subject of standing and will advocate for it regardless for the reasons you mention in your last point. It’s just not going to be the same as the north bank we all knew and the stadium wasn’t constructed with standing in mind.

The asterisk would apply in seasons where the chasing pack had given up, so who came second was a bit arbitrary.

Liverpool would fully deserve the title last year and in 2019, just as Lewis deserved the 100m gold in 1988. Cheaters don't count and Liverpool were excellent.

United getting the title with 74 points in 2020? Yuk!!

Liverpool with three more titles and Man United with two more would slick in the throat a bit, especially Manure who were mediocre. But Liverpool really have been the ones who were robbed .

Just as important, if not more so, as who finished second are the clubs that were starved of success due to the rampant inflation city’s mad spending in the transfer market caused.

Yeah. It messes up the whole sport, not just who wins.

I would keep all three ....in my opinion you can never have enough strikers. They are a rare and special breed. We do not know how strong Jesus will come back, nor can we predict injuries, suspensions etc. next year. Hopefully we play 60 plus games next season....if so we need all the firepower we can get.

Absolutely.

Also please remember what happened to Sheffield united when they won 30 million in compensation from West Ham when they breached FA rules for mascherano and tevez. The premier league balls up the decision to not deduct points at the time from West Ham but city could face an untold amount of claims for compensation from other clubs,

Honestly if found guilty I think you may not see a points deduction but they could even just drop them a couple of divisions. This isn’t a small thing it spanned over 8 years.

Evening Andy
Hope you are keeping well.
If we play more than 60 games then could be a successful season!
I'd love to keep all 3 as well.
Jesus can also play off the wing as well.
Could be a straight fight between Eddie and Balogun to be the next in the pecking order.
Will be interesting that's for sure.

https://twitter.com/viparsenal/status/1 ... SxGndEIHHA

Martinez knows exactly what he’s doing here. Your foot just doesn’t do that the way he falls, and if it’s a genuine accident your natural reaction would be to hold a hand up to show you didn’t mean it. That is a cheap shot and for my money could easily be a straight red

I saw it live and I thought it was snidey and nasty
Don’t understand why VAR didn’t pick up on it … red for me
Nasty piece of work …
And as I type those scummy Utd equalize

Hi Soc,

I really don't know what will happen. I'm just guessing that a 20 - 30 point deduction is the most likely if it is to be a deduction. 5 to 10 seems pointless and I'm not sure they will look to go so far as relegation.

Man U drop 2 points at home to Leeds. We’re 7 points in front with 2 games in hand

He’s a Man U player and is a protected species.

Hi David, Balogun signed a long-term contract in 2021, which various sources said was a four-year deal. So, it looks as if he's got 2½ years left on his current contract.

This will be a bellwether test if FFP will be enforced in the future.

Between Eddie & Balogun, I would keep Balogun

If for whatever reason the club decide it is an Eddie v Balogun decision then first of all they need to see what Balogun can do in the premier league! He’s done brilliantly in France but it means little if he can’t do it in the Prem.

If it works out I’d love to get him to sign a new long term deal and give him a loan to a Prem side next season.

I’m not sure you can keep 3 strikers happy unless they are able to play together in matches. Arteta rarely used a front 2 so it means them being able to play wide as well. I’m not convinced Nketiah and Balogun can, Jesus can play wide right so it may be an option

I'd love for us to have at least big man option at striker. I know its not necessarily the way Arteta wants to play but a Rashford type, poor man's Haaland or the like. At least as an option, not to build an attack around. In some games, especially late, I'd like to us at least have that option when I see some sizeable opposition central defenders who can muscle our players out of the way.

Is this real?

Not really buying it but hoping every little bit helps us win.

Here was me thinking Man U dropped 2 points at home to a relegation threatened team.

No team plays the same level in every match but Man Utd seems to vary to extremes. They played us at home very tough. They beat City at home. The Man Utd I saw in both matches looked good enough to challenge for a title. Yet, they go 2 nil down at home to Leeds. A club that, although not to their prior level of the late 90s, early 00s or early '70s, is still a big game for them in terms of traditional rivals.

They lack consistency, a lot of it. They have had to get late equalizers or winners against too many mediocre sides.

Media BS because Man Utd is a nationally (and internationally) followed club. Trying to convince people there are in it is good for the media if anyone buys it...and even Man Utd fans probably not unless they are just completely out of it mentally.

Gary Neville is at it again. After predicting we’d finish outside the top 4, that Zinchenko isn’t a leader, that he couldn’t see the direction and strategy Arsenal we’re applying in our transfers and even just a few weeks ago confidently saying Man U will finish above Arsenal…..now he’s saying if Arsenal win the league it will only be because it’s a poor City team. He said if City were really on it then we’d have no chance.

Well if you take the best ever City team and best team the prem has ever seen they got 100 points in the season. We got 50 at half way! There’s no logic in his arguments