They're at it again | Page 32 | Vital Football

They're at it again

Rasenimp said:
The entire Haaland set up seems devised to just make Raiola a killing and I'm guessing to sweeten it, hangers on like his dad. Wasn't it that the fee gets reduced in a year or two as well (like instead of £100m+, Dortmund are forced to accept about £60m)? And realistically he already had his pick of clubs, so Dortmund was always a stepping stone to the real 'elite' payers.

If they price everyone out of that move now (even suitors who would be willing to pay a ginormous fee), then you can bet when that minimum fee release clause is activated Raiola will be making the fee up with agent fees.

And I've found it pretty funny seeing Wolves crowing about winning the league in the absence of the big six. The other big super agent - Mendes - and his influence there has always seemed shady as hell to me.
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Are you suggesting that Mendes might have a conflict of interest bringing lots of his clients to Wolves, the owners of which also part own his agency? And also that Mendes sold a client from his agency, Doherty, from Wolves, who the owners have a stake in, to Tottenham, who just so happen to have Mourinho as a manager, who Mendes also represents?
 
Norfolk Imp said:
It was in jest actually .... as for the Bennell stuff, which is a truly shameful episode, if anyone is found to have turned a blind eye from within the club then those individuals are as guilty and the full weight of the law brought down on them (if they are still alive?)

I’m no advocate of the death penalty, but I’m almost tempted to make an exception in these cases 🤬
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I'm sure Bennell will receive appropriate compensation for the "right sort" of testimony on behalf of Manchester City
 
LA_Imp said:
Removing clubs from committees is no punishment at all. Clubs can still influence committees even when they are not represented on them. A simple call or lunchtime meeting with committee members or committee chairs can go a long way.

The only punishment is point deduction or relegations. Fines are also meaningless when clubs can just ramp up the debt. This cannot stand.
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I agree about fines, and poss points deductions, but I've been thinking on this and reckon the best tool would be to ban them from Europe for (say) 4 seasons, or for their first (say) two qualifications. This is a financial penalty they cannot just add to (deduct from) the balance sheet, but is a major loss of revenue, and is not a one-season blip.

This could have more implications than just money. Managers and players could leave. I've recently finished Arsene Wenger's autobiography, and when Arsenal moved to their new stadium the club had to reduce outgoings and introduced a new model whereby he would have to spend less on players and develop younger ones. He was still required to qualify for Europe on x occasions ie finish in top 4 (he beat that target), but Thiery Henry left the club because he knew they wouldn't be able to win the Champions League. It would be interesting to see if that type of action was replicated in the said 6 clubs ie when players know they will not be able to play in Europe
 
stokeimp said:
I agree about fines, and poss points deductions, but I've been thinking on this and reckon the best tool would be to ban them from Europe for (say) 4 seasons, or for their first (say) two qualifications. This is a financial penalty they cannot just add to (deduct from) the balance sheet, but is a major loss of revenue, and is not a one-season blip.

This could have more implications than just money. Managers and players could leave. I've recently finished Arsene Wenger's autobiography, and when Arsenal moved to their new stadium the club had to reduce outgoings and introduced a new model whereby he would have to spend less on players and develop younger ones. He was still required to qualify for Europe on x occasions ie finish in top 4 (he beat that target), but Thiery Henry left the club because he knew they wouldn't be able to win the Champions League. It would be interesting to see if that type of action was replicated in the said 6 clubs ie when players know they will not be able to play in Europe
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They said ManU wouldn't be able to sign the top players when they started to fail to finish top4. It made no difference in reality. They just threw more money at players.
 
Luke Imp said:
Are you suggesting that Mendes might have a conflict of interest bringing lots of his clients to Wolves, the owners of which also part own his agency? And also that Mendes sold a client from his agency, Doherty, from Wolves, who the owners have a stake in, to Tottenham, who just so happen to have Mourinho as a manager, who Mendes also represents?
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Yeah all sounds legit doesn't it?

He also replaced Doherty (as you say, his client, sold to a club managed by his client) with Nelson Semedo (one of his clients). So it's in his interests to remove and fill positions with his players, taking cuts of each move.

Totally good for the game all that. And it's often said well he's not the agent for some of the Wolves moves etc, but Gestifute/Mendes seem to be very regularly involved in brokering the deals or some sort of maneuvering to make them happen. Trincao, who isn't represented by Mendes, had his move to Barcelona brokered by Mendes and he got 22% of the £26m fee? It's eye watering.

And equally dubiously, he seems to have a lot of involvement at Famalicão in Portugal and brokers a lot of deals to move top players from other clubs in Portugal.

It's almost hard to keep track of the conflicts of interest!
 
Rasenimp said:
It's almost hard to keep track of the conflicts of interest!
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Although nobody in England seems to like the involvement of agents in clubs, as you say Mendes has inordinate influence at Wolves - and probably would at Salford too given the chance.

But in Spain it's not even considered an issue. My own club, Elche, is currently owned by Argentina's biggest football agent.

The advantage of this was at the start of this season the club signed a number of South Americans who wouldn't even have made City's bench. Though thankfully those were shipped back home in January.
 
I see Mr Parry is saying we should be using elements of "Project Big Picture" as a basis for the Government Review, chiefly no parachute payments and 25% of revenue distributed to the EFL.

Talk about completely missing "the big picture" we shouldn't be chasing an increased share of the money but root and branch reform that takes decision making power away from those top clubs and gives it back to all clubs.
 
Sincilbanks said:
I see Mr Parry is saying we should be using elements of "Project Big Picture" as a basis for the Government Review, chiefly no parachute payments and 25% of revenue distributed to the EFL.

Talk about completely missing "the big picture" we shouldn't be chasing an increased share of the money but root and branch reform that takes decision making power away from those top clubs and gives it back to all clubs.
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What are you, a communist?
 
domski2017 said:
Meanwhile details of the new Champions League (League) format pass by unnoticed. They get a lot of what they wanted anyway and for successful clubs and country's a guarantee of more places a season and more games hence condemning our cup competitions to further mediocrity.
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In The Times today it quotes both Klopp and Guardiola as being highly critical of the new Champions League format.
 
domski2017 said:
Meanwhile details of the new Champions League (League) format pass by unnoticed. They get a lot of what they wanted anyway and for successful clubs and country's a guarantee of more places a season and more games hence condemning our cup competitions to further mediocrity.
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You're right, but they don't want the convoluted format which still requires them to play the likes of Copenhagen, Krasnodar or Ferencvaros.

This is just a delay, nothing more.
 
Chesterimp said:
In The Times today it quotes both Klopp and Guardiola as being highly critical of the new Champions League format.
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And a fair few of the players as well. These plans have been on the table for a while though and it is only now that these players and managers are voicing their opposition to the new format.

Even yesterday Ancelotti, who did give a very passionate address regarding the situation, contradicted his own comments within seconds.

He gave an IMPassioned speech about everything being about how merit has to be part of sport and that you should only be in a competition if you qualify for it, then seconds later talked about how the Champions League is the best competition in the world and that it was moving forward and did not at all challenge the new rules.......where some teams will get in without qualifying and prize money will be decided, not on merit but how well you have done in the past.

He basically contradicted his first statements about merit by then praising the new rules.
 
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