http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-categorization_theory

I have to admit that does erk me. I always want to say "No, you did not lose, an assortment of various skilled strangers who you watch on TV, lost!"

It's sheer force of habit for me. I just find myself naturally saying "we" rather than "they" even though it should really be the latter. I guess it's just my way of expressing solidarity with Chelsea Sometimes these quirks just slip in, a few months ago I started noticing that I was now saying "Can I get a Big Mac" instead of "Can I have a Big Mac" at McDonald's so I made a conscious effort to change it. I'll do my best to catch myself saying it on here and replace it with "they" in the future!

It's "we" because the club wins, not the players. Modern day football clubs wouldn't exist without direct and indirect financial support from fans, who are as much a part of the club as the board of directors, the kit-man, or the players.

Also, that tonight might have been the most incredible, incomprehensible, tension-filled football match I've ever seen. And a massive "**** you" to all the Barca ****riders over the last few years, they choked harder than a whore in a frat house.

Unless you have a wealthy owner like Chelsea or Man City (if either of their owners left they would be in trouble with the wages they pay).

imo there is no way those guys would invest in football clubs if there wasn't so much money already in the game, all generated in one way or another by global fan interest, but they could support a very small, concentrated version of the current setup if they really wanted to (a la horse racing, which is kept alive primarily by the money that the horse owners put into the sport).

That might be the case but in Chelsea and Man City it is the owner's money that is keeping them running - Chelsea paid around £15m transfer fee for a new manager at the start of the season and sack him before the end of his first season - how many other clubs do that*?

Do you think clubs like Chelsea & Man City meet the financial fair play rules?

* Don't forget that compensation has to be paid for sacking him as well.

Do you always have to find fault with this thread? Stop questioning every little thing for the sake of looking for an argument.

I politely asked a question, which in turn was politely answered by others. If this is a problem for you, I suggest you take your concerns and shove them back up your arse. Stop trying to cause more trouble. Go bother someone else.

Bayern Munich v Chelsea it is then. Guess Jose Mourinho was spot on when he predicted that it wouldn't be a Real Madrid v Chelsea final.

In such a good mood right now. Haven't had a night this good in a long time. Hanging out with the favourite uncle, watched the girl with the dragon tattoo, had a great cheeseless pizza, had german beer and watched the football team I love get through to the champions league final!

Tonight has been fantastic

This is a pretty interesting discussion, it is all too regular to see clubs doing things to get around financial restraints if they can. You see it all the time in US sports which have theoretically quite rigid pay structures and such, although they are constantly making rule changes (the most recent one being in baseball to rule out payments being guaranteed to players after they retire to bump up the value of their contract) to try to keep the playing field as level as possible. I do wish there was some sort of salary cap in the Prem.


I see what you did there.

Was I seeing things or did I read somewhere this morning that El Hadji Diouf could be on his way to Leeds United?

Who's the Leeds manager these Days?

So, Middlesbrough are staying in the Championship. Probably just as well. We kept giving away matches we should have won.

On the plus side, at least Middlesbrough is going to be the home of a footballing first, as the first Team GB warm-up matches are taking place at the Riverside Stadium (Brazil for the men, Sweden for the women).

I've just learnt that Darlington, who were relgated from the Blue Square Premier League, are now playing in the same division as Norton and Stockton Ancients, which now means there is a Stephenson's Rocket derby. I find that strangely pleasing.