Recent content by TheMagicFoolBus

  1. NBA 2023-2024

    Sure refs get called all sorts of things - but there's a level of plausible deniability involved where it doesn't entail calling them unacceptable slurs to their face. Draymond's treatment of refs has been way out of line for years now, so more power to them if they start cracking down on it on...
  2. NBA 2023-2024

    Likely in part a make-up call given he got away with a pretty bad foul on Patty Mills yesterday EDIT: whoops, never mind, he called the ref a "pussy ass N-word" as he walked away, so much for that being a soft call. Maybe he needs another stint in therapy to sort himself out...?
  3. FA Cup 2023/24

    Don't see a world where both Bruno and McTominay can coexist in a functional midfield unless you have a top class fullback moving centrally to make up the numbers.
  4. Manchester United vs Liverpool

    Feels a bit harsh; you'd expect Varane to deal better with Liverpool's 21 year old 5th choice CB carrying the ball into the box. AWB leaving Salah unmarked given who was on the ball would have been shortsighted
  5. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    Again though this is the point of the strategy - they went after a specific profile of player, for whom a middling wage at a top PL club would represent 3-5 times what they were on previously. By signing these players to long contracts, they effectively guarantee a life-changing amount of money...
  6. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    Can't get into too many specifics but I was previously a consultant in the realm of American PL takeovers and still know people who know people.
  7. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    Well no - the point is that there's been a clear pivot in strategy that took place during the World Cup in 2022. Players recruited during the January 2023 window onward signed these types of long escalating deals - but there are still older deals committing huge wages like Sterling, James'...
  8. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    Oh certainly - I don't disagree with you there. Will be an interesting one to revisit. I think I just took issue with the assertion that there's no way a player with ~1000 professional minutes could be on (only) 80k per week. If it's another Pogba situation then of course that changes things -...
  9. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    Oh well this is just a difference between gross and net. 360m gross is ~200m net. Perhaps you're right that I'm off base - but we did get rid of 9 of the top 15 earners at the club over the summer, so the drop YoY for us will be pretty significant.
  10. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    No I haven't - but this is part of the broader problem with the way footballers' wages are reported. Didn't intent to cast any aspersions your way. Just some back of the napkin maths - we shed more than £50m in salary compared to last year when as you rightly say we were slightly ahead of you...
  11. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    True - that would be better reported as his wage floor.
  12. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    All the long Chelsea contracts for young players have escalating percentage-based compounding clauses year over year based on individual and team performances - so his wages will definitely increase next season. This is why it was attractive for younger players - continue to play well and your...
  13. Cole Palmer | Chelsea Player

    But the point is he wasn't a first choice player when he signed. This is the whole crux of the strategy Chelsea pursued in the summer - going after highly rated young players who hadn't yet signed a second lucrative professional contract. The wage bill dropped by more than £50m per year between...
  14. Chelsea 2023/24 season thread.

    Yep nail on head. The contrast with Liverpool who have had one style of play that has filtered from the top down through the academy is especially stark.
  15. Thomas Tuchel | Gone to & from Bayern (In Summer)

    People who didn't watch matches closely will say it was dire because of total goalscoring outputs but it ignores the fact that we were a chance-creating machine. This is why Lukaku was thought to be a game-changing signing at the time - all we lacked under Tuchel was consistent finishing.