scram

I think you're wrong Leicester haven't a clue if they'll ever regain any outlay on him - so it makes sense for them to try to circumnavigate any payment for him to minimise any potential loss and maximise any potential revenue I think the trail is quite easy to navigate - apparently Leicester wanted him and it was turned down - then as a free agent Hirst pitches up at a club which is basically twinned with Leicester as a feeder club I was told over a year ago the Hirst was leaving - i was told (and posted on here) earlier this year that he was going abroad - both those have come to pass I think you're displaying a good deal of confirmation bias coupled with cognitive dissonance tbh I know you have tried to be rational and looked at both sides of his leaving - and generally not come down on the side of DC - but this is the endgame Not Man U, not Everton, not Leicester...hell, not even a club in the championship - but the 2nd division in Belgium... With concrete links to Leicester and an old pal of DEH - pretty convenient...

I think i can answer that on Geoffrey's behalf... Who was it that prevented George from training and playing with his peers?

Don't see the point in going for Cat 1 - especially now as the next cycle of audits starting next season will be based on new criteria It doubles the outlay per season - it doesn't increase compensation necessarily but it does increase the standard tariff fee applicable for players Also, we can "nick" players from other academies now - we just have to get the player to agree to sign and then we stump up the cash

Dunno if this is a wind up but that wouldn't be allowed to happen

Same place they did in the 150 years before the inception of academies? Some clubs will always have academies - or a large pool of young/youth players at all ages But clubs like Bury and Oxford for eg? It's a big commitment a (relatively) large outlay and in general without any return

I think more clubs are looking at doing this It's not hard to see why

David de Gea better shelve any thoughts about doing coaching after he finishes playing

All the very best Ricky

I think that's very unfair on KP He has proven himself a very capable GK coach and Millwall are renowned for having some of the best young keepers - and he has a very good reputation That alone shouldn't qualify him for the job of course (although apparently nostalgia seems to be one of the reasons to give George Hirst whatever he wants...) It's academic anyway because i'm fairly sure Nicky Weaver will step up - probably been much more instrumental in the development of Wildsmith and Dawson than Andy Rhodes was Knows the club, knows the keepers, has done an excellent job and deserves promoting to the top job

He plays 32 out of 38 games in the premier league and his club decide his body can't handle the strain any more Getting rid obviously nothing to do with a change of manager and coaching staff then...

The same Abdi who had just played 32 games in the premier league and was in full pre-season training and had played a match before joining? Seems his body handled the physical strain (at greater intensity) immediately prior to joining How else did he get injured if not in the service of the club when training or playing?

Clubs can't do it and the contracts are different from standard employment contracts - and it's blatantly not the same as the average person being off sick from the average job Injured players don't just stay away from the club (their place of work) until they are uninjured - they often have to work harder and put in much longer hours And players will always have a choice - and there will always be clubs that accommodate them therefore there is less than zero chance of clubs introducing a policy of not paying players who get injured - it's probably against even our ridiculous lax employment laws I'm not taking a narrow minded view - i'm taking a pragmatic view that not only is it very different from a "normal" job - but it can't work in practice

Good luck getting any players to sign with that nonsense

Just to clear up a couple of bits Players cannot be forced to play, they can't be forced to have any medical treatment such as injections or surgery They can however make their own decisions on such matters and can play/train against medical advice if they wish Nobody else can make those decisions against the players wishes

I never said premier league clubs waste money - i said they cast a wide net and only need to catch the odd gem It's a calculated gamble - they don't just invest in "guarantees" - if it were so straightforward they'd never get it wrong And you don't get to hear of many young players taken into the fold of premier league clubs