aaid

There is nothing at all unusual in what is happening at Salford City in English non-league football. There are numerous examples of wealthy individuals buying clubs, pumping in money and clubs moving fairly rapidly up through the leagues. The only difference with Salford City is the fame and celebrity of the owners. Generally they all end up badly when the "wealthy" owner stops investing for whatever reason. What then happens next in the short term is usually the same. The budget is slashed, the better paid - and usually better - players leave, the team starts to lose heavily and is relegated. What happens in the long term is largely dependent on the level of debt the owners have placed on the club. This usually leaves the club bankrupt and they go out of business. I'd say that Salford City have a few things going for them. Firstly, its pretty clear where the owners money is coming from - there have definitely been cases of dodgy money being used to fund non-league football teams, essentially a money laundering operation. Secondly, the owners actually know something about football and so should be able to generally make the right sort of decisions as regards player and manager recruitment. They'll also have unparalleled contacts and connections. Finally, unlike Gretna, at least in Salford there is potential to build a heartland support. Salford must be the largest city in the UK without a senior football team. Obviously they have two of the biggest clubs in the country on their immediate doorstep and numerous lower league teams in the immediate vicinity however I would have thought that a combination of local pride, a winning and successful team and also the Manchester United connection could easily see them have average attendances in the low 1000s, their current average attendance is 478. Could they make it to the Football League and establish themselves there - I doubt it but stranger things have happened. Personally, I have a lot less issue with what is happening at Salford City than I do with FC United of Manchester. I can fully understand why Man Utd fans became disillusioned post the Glazer take over however a much better course of action would be for those fans who wanted to watch grassroots football and have some real connection with the club to support their local non-league sides - this would almost inevitably have meant that Salford's support would have gone up and maybe they could have started to go up the leagues without the need for wealthy owners. All they've done is to reconstitute Man Utd in Non-League, a club that dominates by its relatively large support. For people that are concerned about Non-League sides being taken over by outside "agents" who are bent on changing their character then you should look at Dulwich Hamlet and Clapton FC. That to me is a lot more insidious.

I'll just leave this here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29153022

Would have been better to have him stepping up than Robertson stepping down. Youth development.

I never had any problem with Gary Neville as a player, a very good example of a player who made absolutely everything out of the ability he had. An attitude that a lot of our players could aspire to. Phil Neville on the other hand I had an absolute irrational hatred of as a player, couldn't stand the sight of him. The worrying thing is that since he's retired I find myself liking him more and more. The pair of them are clearly both very driven - they wouldn't have achieved what they have done if they weren't - but they both come across as very grounded.

That may be true but are you seriously suggesting that their colour has anything to do with that?

Nail hit on head

Taxi for Delia?

It almost certainly does - although about 20 years out of date.

I think the difference is that footballers are employees on fixed term contracts and should be subject to PAYE, rather than subcontractors who are responsible for their own tax arrangements.

Kaunas is a complete shithole populated by scumbags. By far the worst place I've ever been following Scotland.

Been wearing one of these a lot recently. Unfortunately it's a reproduction not a real vintage but it still looks the business. I bought it about 10 years ago from the TAG outlet at Gretna, cost about a grand from what I remember.

He's started all bar three of Hull's games this season and played 90 minutes in the vast majority of those. He's had *one* substitute appearance. Then again, facts aren't really your strong point are they?

It would be incredibly stupid to think that Strachan isn't aware of every player in the system and what their strengths and weaknesses are - obviously the further they are away from being involved in the A squad, the more he will be reliant on reports from scouts and age group management than his own personal assessment. What he hasn't been able to do is have an opportunity to be able to get to know the young players by being directly involved with them, i.e. through training and just in general being able to spend time with them as part of a group. It's also an opportunity for him to lay out exactly what players need to do to make the step up and it also gives him an opportunity to observe what is going on in general with the U21s, how they are organised, coached, etc. If this was the reason why we don't have any A games in November then it would be right to have a go at him but its not and given we don't have a game, I think its a great move that should be welcomed.

I went to Bratislava before the friendly in Vienna in May 2007. I thought Bratislava was okay but nothing special, would be happy to go back though. Apparently back in the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, there was a tram line between the two cities. If you are flying to Vienna, the airport is between Vienna and Bratislava although closer to Vienna than Bratislava, a direct bus to Bratislava from Vienna airport only takes 45 minutes, probably not much longer than getting into Vienna itself. I took the boat up from Bratislava to Vienna and to be honest it was a complete waste of time. Apart from the first 15 minutes or so as you leave Bratislava, the scenery - and that's the only reason to take the boat - is unbelievably dull. The best way I can describe it is spending two hours on a tree lined canal with no change in scenery. If you are going to Vienna first, take the train, its quicker and cheaper.

Got any recommendations on beans? I see that Steven Naismith is paying for the Christmas lights.

Like about 90% of Glastonbury attendees these days.

I'm going to Crewe on Saturday, I'll keep an eye out for him.

Gaggia Classic and De Longhi grinder for me. Illy beans.

Out of interest, who is being dropped to accommodate Robertson?

He's playing against European players - proper experienced ones - every week for his club. The Under 21s should be about youth development first and foremost.

I don't see the logic in this one whatsoever. Robertson is an established A squad member and is playing regularly for his club. He will gain absolutely nothing from playing at this level, he's moved way past that. Once a player has stepped up a level he shouldn't go back, that should be a point of principle. Clearly I'm not talking about Strachan's policy of calling up promising young players to give them a feel for being part of the A squad, I think that's a positive move. It's also the wrong thing for the Under 21s as it means a player who might benefit from playing won't have that opportunity.

Was it on youtube though?

This was getting big licks at the marina in Faro on the Saturday night.

Looked up the records and he had six caps between 1980 and 1983 and I honestly don't remember him doing anything of note. Of course, the interesting thing was that Ferguson was Stein's assistant manager after that which would tend to suggest he wasn't overlooked.

Cooper's caps in the main came in the second half of the 80s not the first.