The Football News Thread 2014/15 - Everything not Wolves News Related

[Lord Knows]

If your an Ex Wolf your in.

Scotland squad to face Qatar and Republic of Ireland

Goalkeepers

Scott Bain (Dundee), Craig Gordon (Celtic), David Marshall (Cardiff City)

Defenders

Christophe Berra (Ipswich Town), Craig Forsyth (Derby County), Gordon Greer (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic), Mark Reynolds (Aberdeen), Andrew Robertson (Hull City), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City)

Midfielders

Charlie Adam (Stoke City), Ikechi Anya (Watford), Barry Bannan (Crystal Palace), Scott Brown (Celtic), Darren Fletcher (West Bromwich Albion), James Forrest (Celtic), Shaun Maloney (Chicago Fire), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), James McArthur (Crystal Palace), Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth)

Forwards

Steven Fletcher (Sunderland), Leigh Griffiths (Celtic), Steven Naismith (Everton), Johnny Russell (Derby County)

Looks like Scotland could choose the smallest team ever to play International football, so many tiny players in this squad.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

English referee Martin Atkinson will referee the Europa league final.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Bournemouth confirm they won't be increasing capacity for next season (they have to upgrade their media areas etc as is enshrined in the Premier League's rules). So we will have a top flight ground that holds less than 12,000.

 

[Alan]

Bournemouth confirm they won't be increasing capacity for next season (they have to upgrade their media areas etc as is enshrined in the Premier League's rules). So we will have a top flight ground that holds less than 12,000.

I mean I understand that this is annoying but is it really that big of a deal?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Not unless you are wanting to get a ticket at Dean Court next season. They will be gold dust.

 

[Alan]

Is the club allowed to jack up the prices accordingly or is there a ceiling for what they can charge?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't like them and their tinpot infrastructure. Some leagues require a club to have a minimum capacity before they can enter, clearly the PL never thought it would be an issue these days so never wrote such a rule.

Loftus Road is tiny by modern standards, Dean Court is under two thirds the size. It's shit for people who go to regular away games. I hope Man Utd, Arsenal etc give Bournemouth the same allocation that they'll be granted for the reverse fixture.

Even Blackpool increased their capacity (in a ramshackle way) when they went up. Blackpool.

 

[Alan]

That's almost like punishing a team for its achievements though. "Good job on earning promotion, now we're going to force you to spend a fuckton of cash on expanding your stadium. Oh, and you'll probably never need all that space again if you get relegated."

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

So what? Everyone else has had to spend money on their grounds at some point?

 

[Alan]

But then they go down and people say "look how empty the stadium is". It's putting them in a lose-lose situation to force them to expand a stadium with money they may not even have.

If they stay up for a year or two and get the extra cash in the bank, then sure, set a minimum capacity. But for the first season in it's an unreasonable expectation.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

They do have the money, they are owned by a billionaire and are about to receive a minimum of around £65m purely in broadcasting revenue next season even if they finish bottom on 0 points.

 

[Alan]

Not as if they can spunk all that money on the stadium, though. And then there are municipal approvals and the like.

As I say, if they stay up this year, by all means, lay into them. But as a one-off, it seems like it's asking for trouble.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Who says they have to spend all of it? Or even most of it? Temporary seating costs pennies in the grand scheme of things, they could go down that road.

They've clearly had designs on going up in the last two years, hence the sums spent on the squad while the club runs on a tiny turnover. So they should have been improving their facilities as well. There are bigger grounds in League Two.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

They have also turned the ground through 90 degrees if I remember rightly. Purely just to make it easier to extend.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Temporary stands will pay for themselves in ticket revenue.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Think that they've even got plans drawn up for an increase to 20000 already - read somewhere that Howe doesn't want it so they can limit the number of away fans and not have to give them an end behind one of the goals.

When I went there for the Wolves match this year away fans are tucked away at one end of a side stand

 

[Alan]

CIES Football Observatory have made themselves look right foolish by rating Dejan Lovren as the best CB in England (12th best in Europe).

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Lovely little Bournemouth have followed announcing no increase in capacity with bunging up season ticket prices when they are guaranteed one year of premier league gravy train TV money.

Glorious.

 

[Kenny]

Blackpool release 17 players and 3 players who they have taken up the year option might all leave - One due to the fact he hasn't been seen at the club since November, another due to work permit issues and a legal challenge as the contract stated a free transfer upon relegation.

New manager at Blackpool is set to have 6 players and no keeper. Its like 2014 all over again.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

The Hunt brothers have been released by Mick

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32788165