Kowalski

It'll be just the weather for an ice cold drink!

Buried in the P&J this morning...

Sums it up nicely for me.

My money's on Velicka, Ifil and Paton shown the door.

Some Fulham fan you are!

Always good to see a signing that hasn't been a will he/won't he situation dragged through the press. Welcome aboard Presumably manc_don knows all about him?

A cretin of the highest order and doing so much damage to the USA:

Tickets bought. West stand, £15.

The Retard story is lifted straight from the EE (surprise surprise). Sounds like he's off, we need to get a fee for him.

Out of the three, that's what they are least likely to be called in Aberdeen. I've never heard anyone call them that.

Ben Foster and Joe Hart are making a good case for Craig Gordon being the best British goalkeeper currently!

They're called rolls in Aberdeen!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9355081.stm I heard they were going to replace Legard with Charlie Cox but obviously not now. Hope they know what they are doing, as Brundle is excellent as a co-commentator.

Might have been better asking "When will the funding be in place?" and keeping the same options on the poll.

It's a car crash mate. That's two you've been involved in this week.

From the AFC Trust... SPL Meeting – Greig Ingram, AFC Trust Board Rep & Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive SPL – Hampden Park – 2-00pm – Thurs 6 January 2011. All of the following points were put to Neil Doncaster in a 40 minute meeting. Review Process to date – The current Steering Group Report was drawn up without supporters’ involvement or consultation. Fans feel that they are treated as customers rather than stakeholders in their clubs and football in general. The Steering Groups’ approach comes across as a ‘We know best attitude’. An approach which is common amongst Club Directors and SFA officials. This has resulted in supporters feeling that restructuring is being done to them rather than with them. There is a general consensus that there are many good aspects to the current proposals – The introduction of promotion and relegation play-offs, an earlier start to the season, the two tiers SPL, the regionalisation of lower leagues, the introduction of a pyramid system and the inclusion of Colts Teams in lower leagues. Reasons for change – A dichotomy between those who run the game and the supporters is evident. The SPL Steering Group appears to be driven by considerations of finance, whilst supporters are more concerned with entertainment, something fresh and genuine competition. Current set up is uncompetitive – The current SPL is Old Firm dominated. It is an uncompetitive farce. The new proposal will simply see this continue. The 4 games format contributes to this. A team outside the Old Firm may be able to beat Celtic or Rangers once or possibly twice but to prevail on 4 occasions is very unlikely. Attendances are diminishing and the Old Firm are not the draw they were and practically every Rangers and Celtic away game is on TV anyway. Distribution of income – The issue of income distribution is not really being addressed. The current formula for income distribution It gives advantages to the Old Firm (because they always finish 1st and 2nd) and this will continue. 16 team league – Would provide greater variety. The 2 games means a less congested calendar and addresses the familiarity and tedium of the current format. The loss of 4 home games may be mitigated by a more attractive product and an increase in attendances at fewer games because it will be more financially viable for supporters to attend fewer games. In this format Old Firm games become a bigger occasion. Martin Richie, Falkirk FC disputes the assertion that the loss of the 4 game format would result in a huge financial reduction for clubs. His calculations puts the loss at 1% at best and 6% at worst. Revenue/Finance - Is the influence of TV really beneficial or could it be malevolent in the long run? Football is a spectator sport but fewer and fewer are attending games. Why sit in a freezing stand when you canwatch the game in a warm pub or the comfort of your own home. Why travel a distance when you don’t need to go over your own door? Why pay out considerable entrance money when a TV subscription is far more cost effective? You (Neil Doncaster) were quoted in the press as saying - ‘If we want to see better players and more excitement then we need to bring more money into the game’. At present bringing in money and getting better players often means buying foreign players and this in turn is detrimental to development of Scottish players. There have been positives come out of reduced revenue because clubs are putting a greater emphasis on youth development. Should there be a cap on the number of foreign players in a club’s first team pool? Change to configuration of the Season - Why not be more radical and change to Summer football. March to November. Could help with the TV deal, taking Scottish football away from direct competition with English football. Radical options - Reviewing the points system for win/lose/draw. Points awarded for goals scored. A no draw policy with penalty shoot- oust at the end of drawn games. A greater focus on football being a form of entertainment. Better marketing of games. Reduced prices for games and especially televised games. Main responses from Neil Doncaster Neil Doncaster accepted that involving supporters representatives at an earlier stage in the process would have been beneficial. He accepted that the major driving force for change was, for the Steering Group, financial implications. No one within football was advocating a bigger SPL because it was not financially viable. A TV deal was dependent on 4 Old Firm games and 4 Edinburgh derbies. Scottish football is dominated by two large clubs, which is not unique in European leagues, and this will not change no matter the structural arrangements. There will be an element of redistribution of revenue with the introduction of an SPL 2. A total change to Summer football was not being considered but the earlier start to the Scottish season will take Scottish football away from direct competition with the English leagues during June and July and will mean that the climax of the Scottish season will be at a different time as well. This should prove attractive to the TV companies. Some of the more radical options are being considered but this will be done at a later stage. Greig Ingram AFC Trust Board

Any word on AFC-CHAT coming back?