Football (Soccer to those across the pond)

[Lenny]

It's been on the cards for well over a year, but Jay Rodriguez has finally been tempted away from Burnley by a bigger club. I'm sad to see him go - he's been one of our best players for the two seasons he's been playing regularly for us - but at least he's gone to the club that have been offering us a lot of money for him for quite a while (even if it is Southampton...). The fee is undisclosed, but £7million has been bandied around for quite a while.

As brilliant as he is, Jay will probably continue to improve, and I'd like to see him do well in the Prem. Heck, as a local lad, we may even see him in an England shirt before too long!

Now to see what Howe does with our new fortune. As great as Austin and Ings are, and the potential they've both shown in the few games they played at the end of the season, we could do with another forward. I wouldn't mind seeing McQuoid returning from Milwall on a more permanent basis.

[pyan]

2012-2013 Premiership fixtures are up: and we've got Man C, Man U and Arsenal in the first four games...

Interesting look to the SPL, as well - "Come on you Club 12"...

[Tillane]

Interesting listening to Roddy Forsyth on 5Live, too. I'm paraphrasing, but he essentially said there was "no chance" that club 12 would be Rangers.

We live in hope...

[mosaix]

For the second season running City are playing away on Boxing Day - this year at Sunderland. No chance of travelling that far and back in a day from Shropshire. Pity - I love the atmosphere of Boxing Day Matches.

I just love the fact that practically every single match is billed as 15:00 on a Saturday! Why don't they run the fixture list past Sky executives before publishing them? I think less than half of City's home games were at 15:00 on a Saturday last season.

[Lenny]

First match for Burnley is at home toooo... Coyle's Bolton! The fixtures computer has a wicked streak, it seems.

[Tillane]

Originally Posted by mosaix

For the second season running City are playing away on Boxing Day - this year at Sunderland. No chance of travelling that far and back in a day from Shropshire. Pity - I love the atmosphere of Boxing Day Matches.

We'll be passing you in the opposite direction, off to trounce Fergie's lot again.

[chopper]

i think we're off to Dirty Leeds on the first day of the season - a test of fings to come, methinks....

[pyan]

They may be dirty, but they're not that good - 6 teams, including us, did the double over them last year, with another 5 not losing to them. They were c**p at home, as well - they lost a full half of their home matches, with their home defence ranked 24 out of 24, even lower than Doncaster and Coventry...

[Lenny]

They've made a deal with some evil deity, is what they've done - no team should turns refs in derby matches, or beat another team in the last ten minutes against the run of play, so regularly and consistently...

I'm not bitter about owt, honest.

[chopper]

Originally Posted by pyan

They may be dirty, but they're not that good - 6 teams, including us, did the double over them last year, with another 5 not losing to them. They were c**p at home, as well - they lost a full half of their home matches, with their home defence ranked 24 out of 24, even lower than Doncaster and Coventry...

my dad might not want to go see this match then, being as how he'll be buying the tickets *and* watching his team loses at home....

[alchemist]

It's definite now that "Rangers" won't be in the SPL; the only question is how far down the league they're going to be... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18727333

How far do you want them down, Ace?

In other news, goal-line technology is about to be used. Hopefully it'll work well so that some of the other technology-deficient anachronisms in the game can be sorted out also.

[nixie]

They should go to the third division, I'm sick to death of hearing how Scottish football can't survive without the big two. I'm a Celtic fan but I'd say the same if they where in Rangers position. If it was any the other teams, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell ETC there would be no debate. Sorry just because they bring in the money for TV revenue doesn't mean they should be treated different from anyone else.

Although I hope fans from other teams will put their money where their mouth is and turn up and support the teams thus proving they don't need the big two to keep them afloat.

Oh and have to say certain members of the Celtic support need to shut up. Saying that they are going to boycott teams who voted for Gers to stay in the SPL is pathetic. Celtic's chairman wanted them to stay up, I think he was hoping that the other chairmen would vote to keep them then he could go back to the fans and say I tried but I was out voted.

P.S Dundee will be team 12 slightly ironic, they were in administration not so long ago and have managed to pull themselves back up.

[alchemist]

If they do go down to the third, it would be nice if somebody picked up the mantle and challenged Celtic, regularly and well, for the top spot. But who? And will they?

[nixie]

My money would be on Hearts or Motherwell.

[mosaix]

Wouldn't it be good for the third? In theory their teams should benefit from the extra gates. And if they get promoted the same should happen to the second and so on.

I'm with Nixie, they should be treated as any other club in the same position.