Saudi

[Tonge moor green jacket]

21 minutes ago, DazBob said:

He's probably already got more money than he or his kids can ever spend. Why be unhappy for 2 and a half more years for extra money?

No doubt he had a palatial home, but his missus, for example, wouldn't be able to live a life anything like she can do in Europe.

Living out in the desert for 3 years sounds thoroughly miserable to me.

Aye.

In a way you can't blame him for going when such riches are available at the twilight of his career.

Certainly wouldn't criticise him for sacking it off if he or the family aren't happy. 

[Zico]

1 hour ago, DazBob said:

He's probably already got more money than he or his kids can ever spend. Why be unhappy for 2 and a half more years for extra money?

No doubt he had a palatial home, but his missus, for example, wouldn't be able to live a life anything like she can do in Europe.

Living out in the desert for 3 years sounds thoroughly miserable to me.

If it's anything like Dubai they'd be absolutely fine 

Presumably it's nothing like Dubai

[Eddie]

Strange thing for me in it all… it surely can’t be a surprise. It’s not hard to understand what living conditions in Saudi are like and what kind of standard the football is.

Maybe he thought it was all worth it but the reality just wasn’t. He’s made himself look a right tit whatever’s happened.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

8 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Strange thing for me in it all… it surely can’t be a surprise. It’s not hard to understand what living conditions in Saudi are like and what kind of standard the football is.

Maybe he thought it was all worth it but the reality just wasn’t. He’s made himself look a right tit whatever’s happened.

I suppose he's in a position that he doesn't have to worry about what it appears like.

He'll go and play at his new club for a while and likely be happy.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

22 minutes ago, Zico said:

If it's anything like Dubai they'd be absolutely fine 

Presumably it's nothing like Dubai

I think his family were living in Bahrain

Al Ettifaq play in Dammam, on the coast and miles away from the major Saudi cities

[Marc505]

They'll probably do away with Gerrard soon and get Mourinho in. Wantaway "stars" and an absolutely abysmal Lampard-ish manager was probably not in their plans for world domination 

[Jol_BWFC]

5 hours ago, tomski said:

Probably missed bumming guys 

Big E or Jords?

[Eddie]

3 minutes ago, Marc505 said:

They'll probably do away with Gerrard soon and get Mourinho in. Wantaway "stars" and an absolutely abysmal Lampard-ish manager was probably not in their plans for world domination 

I can understand their thinking with sports like golf, boxing, F1 - they’re played by individuals and fans tend to follow an individual or the sport as a whole, therefore if you buy the right individuals then the support and money will generally follow.

I just don’t see how it works with football though. There’s too much history, too much rivalry - people support clubs and not players. If a player moves on then you might have a cursory glance at how they’re getting on once in a while (Dapo etc.) but otherwise you just carry on supporting your club and the players that are there. Buying some of the best players in Europe (Neymar, Ronaldo) will just mean that people will consider who is now the best player in Europe, football fan’s attention will turn to Mbappe and if he goes it will be Bellingham, Haaland etc..

At best, you’ll get some eyes from those weirdos on twitter that idolise anything to do with a single player - they tend to be bot account in Africa or some kid that’s not really a football fan and unlikely to ever spend any cash that would benefit the Saudi’s.

Clearly money is no object, so they won’t really care whether they’re wasting it on some football players, but they aren’t stupid and are looking for returns on these sporting investments and I just can’t see how they ever thought that football was a viable option.

[Traf]

1 minute ago, Jol_BWFC said:

Big E or Jords?

Jords

Big E's still busy.

[Marc505]

5 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I can understand their thinking with sports like golf, boxing, F1 - they’re played by individuals and fans tend to follow an individual or the sport as a whole, therefore if you buy the right individuals then the support and money will generally follow.

I just don’t see how it works with football though. There’s too much history, too much rivalry - people support clubs and not players. If a player moves on then you might have a cursory glance at how they’re getting on once in a while (Dapo etc.) but otherwise you just carry on supporting your club and the players that are there. Buying some of the best players in Europe (Neymar, Ronaldo) will just mean that people will consider who is now the best player in Europe, football fan’s attention will turn to Mbappe and if he goes it will be Bellingham, Haaland etc..

At best, you’ll get some eyes from those weirdos on twitter that idolise anything to do with a single player - they tend to be bot account in Africa or some kid that’s not really a football fan and unlikely to ever spend any cash that would benefit the Saudi’s.

Clearly money is no object, so they won’t really care whether they’re wasting it on some football players, but they aren’t stupid and are looking for returns on these sporting investments and I just can’t see how they ever thought that football was a viable option.

I think there's that much money available, an almost bottomless pit of it, that they can chuck it at anything and see what sticks.

In terms of the football, from what I can see it's not had the huge changing effect that maybe they thought it would when all the stars went over - nobody's exactly busting a gut to keep up to date with results. Their next batch of players on the list is meant to include Salah and De Bruyne, and yet even if they went I don't think I'd be interested in seeing how they get on. (KDB would be fucking glowing in that heat!)

But they'll keep pushing and pushing and I'm still convinced money will eventually talk and they'll be in the champions league before long.

[Traf]

28 minutes ago, Eddie said:

If a player moves on then you might have a cursory glance at how they’re getting on once in a while (Dapo etc.)

Do people do this?

Is it not like watching your ex get fucked by her new bloke?

[Eddie]

11 minutes ago, Traf said:

Do people do this?

Is it not like watching your ex get fucked by her new bloke?

Personally I haven’t but there has been the odd mention on here as to how he’s getting on. Suppose the same could be said about Trafford and Bradley.

The point was more that just by buying players it won’t attract more eyes as you don’t support the teams they are playing for in Saudi.

[FrancisFogarty]

3 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

In a way you can't blame him for going when such riches are available at the twilight of his career.

I could do a year in an air conditioned desert Hilton, just sitting there watching my bank account clocking up.

I did six months in Haslingdon once and it seemed much longer. And the money was nowhere near as good.

[tomski]

3 hours ago, Jol_BWFC said:

Big E or Jords?

Both

[tomski]

8 hours ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

I understood that he got £700k pw (!!) tax free so long as he saw out his 3 year contract. There were tax-free bonus payments for signing & performance which he may find are now immediately due tax.

Not fulfilling it means he owes 'normal' tax rates for that money*.

Of course tax rates in Holland may be higher or lower than UK ones but certainly not Saudi type rates.

*it's 49.5% for income over €75k pa. 

Unless he has complicated non-dom plans which wouldn't fit his self-styled holier-than-though image.

£700k pw for 3 years. Jeez. You'd find a way wouldn't you ! £36.5m pa. Over £100m in 3 years.

Ah sorry. I’d read he’d have to hand over a big chunk of his current Saudi earnings if he moved back to the uk which is why I thought Ajax seemed a solid idea

[tomski]

3 hours ago, Traf said:

Do people do this?

Is it not like watching your ex get fucked by her new bloke?

I’ve been keeping up with Dapo. Think it’s mixed in with a love of Hamburg the city though

[Traf]

2 minutes ago, tomski said:

I’ve been keeping up with Dapo. Think it’s mixed in with a love of Hamburg the city though

And Astra Pilsner?

[tomski]

5 minutes ago, Traf said:

And Astra Pilsner?

That plays a small part. Though now number 2 beer after Augustiner 

[Traf]

10 hours ago, tomski said:

That plays a small part. Though now number 2 beer after Augustiner 

Is there a league table?
Can beers change positions?

[tomski]

29 minutes ago, Traf said:

Is there a league table?
Can beers change positions?

Yeah of course. None of this closed shop super league bollocks. I was a lover of Hamburg beer but now I’m a self confessed Munchener when it comes to the beer

[Marc505]

Gerrard to sign a 2 year extension, wow.

[Steejay]

5 minutes ago, Marc505 said:

Gerrard to sign a 2 year extension, wow.

Anything to stay away from Merseyside.

[Casino]

14 hours ago, tomski said:

That plays a small part. Though now number 2 beer after Augustiner 

my two fridge fillers are

 

kronbacher

schneider weisse

 

arty farty for a treat

[BeeversLeftPeg]

17 minutes ago, Casino said:

my two fridge fillers are

 

kronbacher

schneider weisse

 

arty farty for a treat

Most of the German stuff is brilliant, remember having Binding in Frankfurt a few years back and not seen it anywhere else.

 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

17 hours ago, FrancisFogarty said:

I could do a year in an air conditioned desert Hilton, just sitting there watching my bank account clocking up.

I did six months in Haslingdon once and it seemed much longer. And the money was nowhere near as good.

Seems like his money wasn't rolling in?

Anyway, like I said, he's in a position to say fuck this for a game of soldiers.