Editor's Blog

The new The subscribers section is now ready. If you would like to subscribe please visit the below URL:
http://www.football-rumours.com/vipforum/ucp.php?mode=register

Now the transfer window is shut for a few months once again, I am looking to add some more features to the sites.

First off will be a live chat page on the individual club pages, the page will start about half an hour before a match and continue to run until an hour after the game for people to discuss the team's performance during a match. That will be tested on the Man Utd site first of all and if it is successful we will add it to other team's in the future.

Following that I am looking to add matchday info pages to the club sites, with info and reviews on hotels, b&bs and night spots in the area. If anyone wishes to contribute a review or info regarding good night spots or places to stay they can send it to editor@football-rumours.com

Just a quick update to let you know where things stand with regards to the subscription site. It is now up and running and accepting members, the forum is there for you to discuss football, post your rumours and discuss other peoples rumours. There are like and dislike buttons on every post, hopefully that will cut back on the inane comments that make it difficult to read some threads on most forums.

There will be more updates to come in the future, hopefully sooner rather than later, but it does depend on how long it takes us to build them and test them. Any ideas you do have to improve the subscription area would also be very helpful, we want to provide the best service we can for you.

Also, my apologies for the forthcoming months on the main site. I won't be able to spare as much time for updating the main site as I have been of late, unless the subscription site ever earns enough I can make it my only job! I will be especially busy during the school holidays spending time with my daughter, so updates will be less often, though those on the subscriber section will have a moderated forum which will not need to wait for me to read through the posts before they are placed on the site.

7th June 2010

There are a lot of additions I want to add to the site, but, unfortunately, due to having to earn a living, I currently don't have the time. However, I still want to add parts that people have been asking for on the site. So I am now looking into the idea of a creating an additional part to the web site which would be a subscription area to the site, don't worry nothing will be changed to the rest of the site, The rest of the site will remain free to everyone like it is now, it will still continue as it is, but the subscription area will just give people more. Before I start work on the creation of the subscription area, I would just like to gauge interest in it, if there is sufficient interest I will get started on it right away, if not the additional subscription area will not be implemented and the site will stay as it is.

The basic site outline:

* All pages of the current web site to remain exactly how it is now, free to everyone, all posts having to wait for me to read them before being posted and so subject to delays, or even being left out at my discretion. Also all posts being anonymous, so that you have no way of knowing how 'in the know' the poster really is.

* The Subscription area will be advert free.

* Each subscriber will have their own profile ID which will allow you to get to know them and see who really knows what they are talking about and whose voice is muffled when they are sat down.

* When a subscriber gets a rumour right they will be given a mark to show on their profile. This will, hopefully, also help people to see who is 'in the know'.

* Those that show themselves to be truly 'in the know' will be given free access. The more 'in the knows' the better for all of us after all!

* The main page will be a moderated forum, allowing better organisation of the pages so that you can ignore subjects you have no interest in and make it easier to follow the conversation on subjects you are interested in.

* I will produce a list of rumours from the site which have come true, and crediting the subscriber that got it right, and keep that as up to date as possible.

* Subscriber's posts will appear in the subscription area immediately they are posted, no more waiting around for me to get round to reading them!

* All of this will only cost £2.99 per month paid via paypal subscription, with more benefits for subscribers intended to come in the future without increased cost!

If you wish to register your interest in subscribing you can do so below, your email address will not be used for anything other than to let you know when the subscription area is launched. It will not be sold to marketing companies or used by ourselves to push any other products or services.

Any ideas for extra benefits or services you would like to see in the subscription area can be sent by clicking here and going to the register interest form

7th June 2010

I am using this blog post to answer a few questions put forward about the subscription area of the site:

1. Would non-subscribers be able to view what the "in the know" subscribers have posted? IMO, the whole purpose of giving inside info is to inform as many people as possible.

A. The plan is to give subscribers the option as to whether their post is just for other subscribers or placed on the whole site for everyone to read.

2. Would a person be tied in to a minimum period for subscription?

A. The subscription will be monthly, but there will be no tie-in to subscribe for more than one month at a time.

3. Traffic on your site increases during the transfer windows. If someone paid only for the transfer window months, then would their I.D. still remain valid until they re-subscribe?

A. The I.D. they created will remain valid, any posts made using it will still be there, they will just not be able to use it until they re-subscribe again in the future. So yes, someone could just subscribe for a transfer window, unsubscribe until the next window and then resubscribe.

You can register interest in the subscription area by clicking here and going to the register interest form

25th May 2010

Reading the official Liverpool site earlier (after a poster pointed out they mention the site on there), I realised that people just haven't realised the point of the site at all. I admit that is partly my fault, I expect people to have a sense of humour and laugh at the stupid rumours that get sent in. But instead it is all taken far too seriously. That is why I set up the newsletter for just the funny stuff and I am filtering the rumours a lot more thoroughly. But it seems like people still think the site is for their wishlists, when that is not the idea at all.

Back when I started the site it was because I was always hearing rumours about players that my team would be signing, but had no way of verifying those rumours from the viewpoint of the selling team. So I decided to set up a site where people can send in the rumours that they had heard and then other readers could tell them if it was a load of rubbish or if, in fact, the rumours did have some substance to them. That is still what I want the site to do, to give people the chance to not only find out who is connected to their club, but also what the likelihood is of the selling club selling them.

24th May 2010

I have to say I am thoroughly disappointed with England's performance tonight, despite the 3-1 win. The players looked like they were on holiday rather than playing for a place in the World Cup finals squad! Ferdinand looked fat and slow, really sluggish and vulnerable. He really doesn't look close to fitness at all, that must be a big worry for Capello. Carrick looks a shadow of the player he was, his confidence looks shot to pieces, I think he has just booked himself a month off after that performance!

There were a few positives, Hart looked very confident with what little he had to do, Glenn Johnson's goal, Lennon's threat, Milner's work rate, Adam Johnson's confidence (though why he deferred to Baines for the free kick I will never know - he has much more ability than Baines from a dead ball).

Overall, though, the performance was poor and England were lucky enough to face a Mexico side that, for all their pretty football, can't defend set pieces to save their lives. Based on that performance, neither team are a real threat to win the World Cup, but I bet the tabloids will see it differently in the morning!!

24th May 2010

Am I the only one who finds European football a disappointment every single season? Case in point the Champions League final, following on from such a fantastic play off final, with exciting end to end attacking football. To be fair I didn't really expect excitement, well you don't expect a Jose Mourinho team to throw caution to the winds and play open attractive football. But I allowed myself to get my hopes up after watching Blackpool win the biggest prize in world football.

Come to think of it, how sad is it that the biggest prize in world football is to win promotion to the English Premier League? I understand why they give the parachute payments to relegated teams but I, personally, do not think they are a good idea. If the teams that get relegated aren't run well enough to survive relegation then that is their problem. It gives them such a huge advantage when they do drop into the Coca-Cola Championship, that it is unfair. Wouldn't it be better to spread the money out a little more amongst the lower leagues? I would like to see the prize money awarded to the clubs increased, make each and every league place worth fighting for. Then there would be none of this talk about Liverpool not bothering to try against Chelsea at the end of the season, it would be worth too much for them not to try. Lowering the amount teams get just for being in the league and increasing the difference in prize money for places would make a huge difference to the league's competitiveness, I believe.

I know people will say that the title went to the last game of the season, and so it must be competitive enough. But until teams like Fulham, for instance, feel the league is too important to rest players, then it won't be competitive enough for my liking. We all want to see the best players showcasing their skills.