Unfortunately, I can't open that link - it might only be available in the UK. Agree 100 per cent about Van Nistelrooy, though. Charmless nurk.

Have you got youtube on the computer/phone you are trying to view the clip on?

It also doesn't work in SA. The message is "The uploader has not made this video available in your country". I have got youtube.

It’s a handball that I’ve seen given and seen waved away. It’s the sort of decision that goes both ways. Much bigger complaints can be saved for the decisions which are 95-99% always given the same way and then you get one the other way against you

Man City have won their legal battle against the Premier League on the lawfulness of the APT sponsorship rules. I don’t read or understand all the legal reports or jargon but you have a set of rules that one club in particular challenged vigorously- 16 clubs recently voted through the new set of similar rules and now the one club has won.
And what they are arguing about is basically the ability to over inflate your sponsorship deals of your club - which essentially boils down to an owner being able to pump false money in to the club.

Forget the loopholes and legal talk does anyone actually think it’s a good idea for a state owned team to be able to sponsor their own team via some sham company so they have a transfer budget that could be 10-20 times bigger than anyone else in the league when that deal has no basis for their standing in the game.

Basically Arsenal or Liverpool or Man U could go to 50 different sponsors and get similar value deals. Time to test if Man City can - easy way to test the validity of any sponsorship deal - even just one other sponsor.

Football is basically eating itself with greed

I don't disagree but football has been like that for decades now. I'd have a much bigger grievance with Chelsea than City. Chelsea should have been relegated at the very least when Abramovich was sanctioned. But, we are part of it. We are American owned. Look at our stadium sponsors. The ship has sailed.

But it is a matter of degree. Football is big money, and with that comes creative accounting, pushing boundaries, etc. However, there is that, and then there is taking the P*&s entirely. Its not easy but you have to draw a line somewhere short of running things on the same basis as the Zimbabwean economy.

Otherwise you end up in 'Biden/Clinton/Harris just as bad as Trump' or 'who cares if Putin takes over the UK because he can't be worse than Starmer' (people are literally phoning up talk shows and saying that) territory.

Hi Rich,

If 16 clubs agree with the rules and four don't then can't the league basically say "these are the rules, if you are unhappy with them then you are welcome to withdraw from the competition and play somewhere else".

If clubs are allowed to artificially inflate sponsorship deals where does it end? £1 billion a season shirt deals. £10 billion stadium naming deals?

In itself artificially inflating sponsorship deals is inflationary and leaves other club not just struggling to compete but makes a mockery of the competition.

I maintain that Liverpool would not have coped with our injuries. They simply do not have a deeper squad than us and couldn’t have coped with a set of injuries - particular cluster injuries. I’ve matched up similar players, go down the list and take out the Liverpool equivalent for the same injury time we’ve had and then look at the team that is left. If we had their relatively injury free season and they ours there is no way they’d be just 7 points behind us. To start with a front 3 of Gakpo/Chiesa/Elliot for the next month - the equivalent of that front 3 lost to Plymouth for goodness sake!

Raya / Allison
Neto / Kelleher
White / Trent
Timber / Bradley
Tomiyasu / Gomes
Gabriel / Konate
Saliba / Van Dijk
Calafiori / Robertson
Kiwior / Quansah
Zinchenko / Tsimikas
MLS / Morton
Partey / Gravenberch
Jorginho / Endo
Rice / Mac Allister
Merino / Jones
Ødegaard / Slobaszlai
Saka / Salah
Martinelli / Dias
Trossard / Gakpo
Sterling / Chiesa
Nwaneri / Elliot
Jesus / Nunes
Havertz / Jota

They can though, the league operates on a 2/3 democratic vote for rules, if 14 clubs vote something in then that rule stands.
Of course clubs can legally challenge those rules which it appears City have done but I feel like people get so caught up in the detail without realising what it means if City win. End of fair competition

Important to win the next 2.
Today play before Liverpool we could cut their lead to 4, ok they only play wolves at home but pressure they haven’t had yet. But then next week we play West Ham at home before them again when they go away to City.

This time in 2 weeks we need to be 5 points or better behind them

Just saw the Chelsea result. Not a single shot on target.

We play Chelsea at home on March 15. Likely too soon for Martinelli and Saka, and Sterling can’t play v Chelsea. Arteta is going to have to get creative. A midfielder or defender in the front 3 or a 5-3-2 formation with twin false 9’s of Trossard and Nwaneri!

Has every team on here under achieved given their transfer spend?

Team exactly as expected. White back on the bench.

Butler-Oyedeji the only attacker on the bench along with 5 defenders and Jorginho and Merino

We don't have any attacking midfielders other than those on the pitch.

It’s been woeful. The style of play is so slow and midfielders have shown limited ability to produce creative passes.

This is absurd. No outball. Slow, one paced. Everyone offside.

Get a pair of eye glasses for Sterling

Being able to stay onside would be a starting point.

4 Degrees there at KPS. Bit nippy in the rain ...

Trossard is not a CF.

A couple of fresh air shots. Hopefully he'll connect with one soon!

Air shots just like my golf

Same principle. Keep the eyes open and on the ball, and the head down

Sterling? Sacred heart of Jesus but he has been rubbish. They need something strong in the half time cuppa.

When Nwaneri has the ball out wide, Rice has to be prepared to make a run to the near post. Trossard isn't going to win many of those.

How is it Leicester with a 38 yo cf shut down our defenders but we are unable to put pressure on them. There was so much wrong with our method of play in the first half I could have a stroke just putting it up on the forum. Make no mistake we will give them 1 or 2 chances before the end of the game. This is down to Artetas style of play which he needs to change for the second half. There are players in our team going thru the motions. They don’t believe they can win. The culture at our club has serious questions over it at the moment. I’m going to bed as I need to walk the dog before sun up : it’s heat wave tonight. *%^@ the heat and *%^@ Arteta.

Nwaneri giving off vibes of a young Messi (not even joking here).

The rest of our attack is embarrassingly poor.

How can the club have let things get this bad offensively. It is total mismanagement.

Get the ball to Nwaneri and let him do his thing....that's our only hope.

Leicester attack with pace and purpose and nearly got their goal in the last few minutes

We slow-mo for 45 odd minutes with no output

Sterling is no longer able to play at this level. Arteta took on a useless player.

honestly get Tierney on. let him whack some early crosses in.

sterling absolutely useless

Ødegaard needs to step up here. He’s the captain and our main threat

Agreed, he's also got a good shot on him

Please tell me we aren't going to toss away 2 points here.

Injuries are killing us.

Almost every time he gets the ball. One can see the case for him playing up front. Need to get it to him quicker.

Merino !!!!!!!!!!!

Arteta is a very happy man, relieved as well

Woohoo !

Injuries and 12:30 away games. Merino!!

Pace down our left has been much faster since Sterling left the pitch.

I'm not sure I can bear to watch the last 5 minutes. Our luck has been so rotten.