Manchester City Thread

gerd said:
Oh Rune, i'm sure you will not agree (do we ever ???) but i'm sure Man Utd will be stronger without Cristiano Ronaldo....and with the money they can get for him, the ycan reduce their deficit and buy some decent players...Man Utd is bigger than Ronaldo...
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Looking back on the whole Ronaldo saga, I'd probably agree with you. But if this was Rooney we're talking about then forget about it. :P

Milanista said:
It would be funny if we spent £100 m to buy a country and call it Milanopia!!!!
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That would be awesome. :COOL:
 
:LOL: No Kaka and apparantly Robinho's stormed off aswell and told Kaka not to join.

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Oh dear..Dont worry you've got Craig Bellamy.
 
This confirms what i'm thinking about Robinho.
He maybe a brilliant player but just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan (see also the Serie A thread) i would not have him in my team...he's not a team player (and by this i mean more off the pitch than on the pitch). Good riddance...if his departure is handled correctly then his departure maybe a good thing for Man City.
I also think that Mark Hughes isn't the appropriate coach for all those super flair players that the emirs want to buy...Hughes is a typical English coach who likes to play "English" (and he's good at it). So let Hughes make his own choices of players and maybe Man City will be a better team than they are now.

On the other hand, it's not with Hughes football that Man City will win the premiership or the CL...but this club is becoming some sort of Frankenstein monster...you do not need to be a big football expert to see that things are going wrong there...

Last year they had a pretty good team with Elano and Petrov among the best players of the first half of the premiership...Elano hardly makes the team and i don't know what happened with Petrov, i guess he still is at Man City but i don't think he played a single match...
 
@ Nick Cave - I really hope the history thing is important to players. I'm not overly convinced. I mean, no offense to Chelsea but they pale in comparison with some English clubs for history, however they were able to bring in some of the very best players in the world, often beating much more 'established' clubs by simply offering more £££. Perhaps that was the lure of the Capitol, but it seems to me a lot of players think with their wallets, not their hearts.

Hopefully Kaka will inspire others, but I somehow doubt it :(
 
I think this "history" thing is bullshit...if you take history in account then football will evolve around 20 or 30 clubs worldwide...the millions of other clubs will be merely feeder clubs for those 30...that is bad for football...

And speaking about "history", historically Blackpool, Pro Vercelli, Nottingham Forest, Rapid Wien, Stade Reims,Crvena Zvezda and dozens of others are massive clubs...i bet among those that i mentioned there are many people who don't know them...

I also hope that Kaka will inspire others but not in a way that massive players like Kaka will only go to "massive" clubs...let's be fair if Kaka would have gone to Man Utd or Real Madrid, the only outraged football fans would be the Milan fans...What Man City tried to do is only outrageous if other clubs do it...not when your favourite club does it...
 
My take was we went for the "Kaka type player" to early, although im not saying i woundnt have wanted him here! Im still sure in the end Milan would have been better off with the 100m! Ah well....

Dont know where this its all going wrong stuff is coming from, we have a new manager who is trying to shape the team from the lazy days of Sven is hasnt helped that we have missed Petrov, johnson and the Boj all season through injuries and Elano just hasnt done anything this year to be in the team!

The history thing is Bullshit if that was the way every team that hasnt won anything mighgt aswell give up now!
 
Good article form the M.E.N aout t all:-

SO the deal that would have turned world football order upside down is off{hellip}a bombshell development that no doubt will please all those critics of the Blues whose only crime was to compete with the so called top four and bring some glory to what has become known as Middle Eastlands.

It had become open season on City and their Abu Dhabi owner - and it reeked of prejudice.

Never can a proposed football transfer even one at a world record £100m have attracted so many acres of negative newsprint, hours of carping television footage and ranting radio air time as the now concluded Kaka saga.

Abu Dhabi's approach to business is quiet, considered and determined. They are low key and low profile and like it that way.

There is none of the brashness that sometimes comes with super wealth and power, but a firmness of resolve and recognition of local sensibilities.

They plan everything to the last detail and the move for Kaka is no different.

They knew and understood that they are were not trying to buy just a footballer, but a philanthropist and business whose interests can be jointly expanded globally.

The Abu Dhabi owners have been privately stunned by some of the reactions to the audacious bid that they almost pulled off - and remember that not once had they publicly commented on a transaction that was leaked from Milan not Manchester or the Middle East.

The Abu Dhabi owners are correct to feel aggrieved as much, if not most, of the coverage of the Kaka bid has been relentlessly negative. Ignorant at best - jealous at worst.

Nonsense

Most of the arrant and arrogant nonsense came from uninformed sources and commentators that know little about City and their owners. Even less about the ins and outs of the detailed now doomed efforts to bring Kaka to Eastlands.

How easy it was for so-called Fleet Street experts to sit in their ivory towers and sling poisoned barbs at the newly-rich Eastlands.

Blues owner Sheikh Mansour, who saved a proud old top flight club from the jaws of administration when he bought it for £210m in the summer, was being summarily accused of everything from being morally redundant to ruining football - selling its traditions down the river, presumably in a burning Dhow.

"Look how many hospitals and schools you could build with that kind of money," is the tired refrain from those who have suddenly found some hitherto hidden morals.

Well, shock horror, it was not an Abu Dhabi Prince's job to improve the infrastructure of public life in this country - that is our government's duty and god knows they are experts at wasting cash.

In any case, everyone can rest assured that his billions do untold good for the people of his homeland.

Where was all this moralising and pontificating when Madrid were willing to pay £80m for Ronaldo who, whatever this year's poll may say, is an inferior all-rounder to Kaka who won that award himself in 2007.

Where is the rule that says only the English big four and Barcelona and Madrid can buy the best in the world?

Instead of carping and moaning about Sheikh Mansour and the use of his own private funds - there is no debt at City, unlike most of their gaping-mouthed rivals - perhaps all the naysayers should spend a moment or two thinking about the positives.

For a start, Milan were ecstatic that they may have been receiving £100m to rebuild an ageing team that is currently little better than City's and Sheikh Mansour was happy to hand over the fee.

Entertainment

The English game would have got yet another huge shot in the arm, every ground in the country where Kaka plays would have been full to the brim and the rights for the next television deal would have gone through the roof as fans all over the world tuned in.

Others big stars would no doubt have followed, making England the undisputed home of football.

Football is in the entertainment industry and all entertainers, whatever the sphere, know that leading men and women get more than the rest of the cast.

Those who poke fun at the manager saying he has no control over who is coming into City are speaking through their backsides.

Mark Hughes has been an integral part of a process that dates back months. Now the word from Eastlands is that Kaka was a one off so don't expect any further moves for a world-ranked superstar{hellip}not untilthe summer anyway.

He was at the meetings that set up the plan to build a side long-term that included seasoned internationals, home grown academy products and a sprinkling of superstars. He has had a voice at all stages since then.

City have a clear vision of how to develop a team that will find success and more importantly be able to repeat it year after year in the long term.

That is why top-class internationals Wayne Bridge and Nigel de Jong have been on their list of buys and why there will be huge on-going investment in the academy.

The Blues plan was to add Galacticos at a future date until it became clear that Kaka might be available earlier than expected so sparking a unique deal for a unique player.

Silly

Talk of City driving up prices to silly levels and travelling the world cherry-picking who they want are pure fantasy.

They have already walked away from deals where they have been asked £80m for players they think are worth less than one-third of that amount.

And to those who say there is no worth in buying your way to the title there is a two-word answer - Blackburn and Chelsea.

It is nothing new for clubs with rich owners to spend their fortune on their teams.

Not so, say the anti-City brigade that begrudges the Blues bettering themselves.

City should sweat, work and build to win anything they say.

Well, what do they think the club has been doing for 32 years?

No other side has sweated longer or more profusely and the jealous should stop carping at their current good fortune in having an owner that wants measured and sustainable success. City should be applauded for giving it a go. This time fortune didn't favour the brave.
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I agree with most of what is said in the article.
I don't agree with the fact that it would be great if other great players would come to English clubs. IMHO that would be great for English football and it's fans, but not for football in it's totality...

I hope City can buy other great players...and i hope that they can challenge the top four (just as i hope every single club can challenge the top four clubs).

That said, i think Nigel De Jong will turn out to be aa very bad signing and Bellamy a disastrous one...while Bellamy is a good player, he is a curse for dressing rooms...considering the fact that City have plenty of good forwards it will not be long before Bellamy goes in overdrive and accidents will happen...
 
Yeah it's not a bad article, although as usual, it's ruined by the MEN's City journalists being overly biased and blinkered.

'Milans ageing squad little better than City's' :LOL: That's bull.

You can see what they're saying, they're just trying to show the otherside of the coin but it's all a bit defensive and desperate.
 
The History is only relative, Liverpool of the Eighties etc, players will always talk about wanting to play for the "greats", teams like Man City or Blackburn are not going to fall into that category.
Maybe in ten years time who knows, It's certainly not bullshit... ;)
 
Firstly, Galliani confirmed that around £60/70m of that fee would go straight to cover our debts, and aging squad is an overstatement. Its aging center backs, considering our transfer targets would have been a new attacking player and a strong center back.
 
It would have been different if a team that is consistantly in the champions league and fighting for the premiership title year on year bid that amount. I think that he would have gone then.

But he could have never justified going to Man City as a footballing decision. It would have been totally a money decision.

A team fighting against relegation - with no consistancy and no recent success? why would any of top players in the world move there?

The only people City will attract are money hungry ones with no loyalty - like Robinho and Bellamy. This is no basis to build a club on.

Kaka made the right footballing decision. He is at one of the best teams in the world - 3rd in seria A and fighting for real honours at a club that worship him. His loyalty is also very rare in todays footballing climate.
 
I don't think Kaka ever wanted to go. It was just a question of how hard Milan were gonna push him out. I wouldnt say moving to City would have been a money-only move. Theres still the thought of how much potential you might see in the club and what direction they're heading in that needs to be taken into consideration. Chelsea made the right move at the right time and it earned them a top 3 position the first year and then the title in the second season. City need to be in a similar position before they could start looking at players like Kaka. IMO, this saga has kinda ruined their chances of signing him in the future. If they had improved this year and got off to a flying start next season. They'd be a more convincing offer this time next year.

gerd said:
This confirms what i'm thinking about Robinho.
He maybe a brilliant player but just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan (see also the Serie A thread) i would not have him in my team...he's not a team player (and by this i mean more off the pitch than on the pitch). Good riddance...if his departure is handled correctly then his departure maybe a good thing for Man City.
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The reason why these players are like that is because they're all driven by individual personal goals. I'm sure all those players wouldnt mind being world player of the year if the condition was that their teams had to be relegated that year. But I think (I know I'm biased) things might change for the better for Ronaldo now cuz he has won every individual honour there is, and now pretty much every club competition we have to offer. He's already rich, so he now only plays for either the team and the fans (at United) or convenience (at Madrid). But which ever team he plays for out of those two, I'm sure it'll be his last club.
 
I admire Kaka for his loyalty towards Milan (the question is if Berlusconi and Galliani deserve that loyalty, but Milan the club is much bigger than both these individuals).
But i fully agree with the article when it says that reactions are outrageous because an other club than the usual suspects tries to lure away absolute top players...
I think English fans should get used to this. In my opinion it is only a matter of time (5 years, 10 years ???) before all these (so called) big clubs will be outbid by Russian teams...they are the next big thing...i think the outrage about "money being a decisive and regrettably factor" is rather selected...these fans of Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea or other big teams are never outraged when their clubs do the same with young promising players from lower divisions...then the massive difference in wealth is taken for granted and seen as perfectly normal...
Like i already said: money is bad but only if it is used by other clubs...there aren't many fans who will be outraged it their club would have an Abu Dhabi sheik to fund them...
 
Good post Rune...
Personally i think all those personal awards in a team sports are useless...
Last season Man Utd were the best club in the world and Spain the best national team and all the rest does not matter to me...Who knows if Ronaldo is really better than Kaka or Messi or an unknown African boy in some savannah game...for all i know the unknown player maybe the best one....
As an old man and a music freak i remember all the fuzz about the best guitar player in the world. I'm not a big fan of Clapton but when he was asked that question for the umptieth time he answered with a name of a complete unknown japanese guitar player who never made records ans supposedly was a street musician...i always liked to think that he made that answer up because these sort of discussions are fun to have in a pub (and i love them too), but are totally irrelevant.
I think good managers don't like those awards...this week here in Belgium the player of last year will be elected. There are five candidates: 4 current Standard de Liège players and former Standard player Fellaini...If i was Standards coach i would hope that Fellaini gets the awards. Then i would have 4 motivated players. Otherwise i would have one player who will want to go to a big club and 3 who are pissed off and on top of that a bad vibe in the dressing room.
 
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Even i found that amusing! lol

Anyone remember when Marodona went from Barcelona to Napoli for a world record fee, were the all the same observations as with us and Kaka...?
 
But Maradona was never seen as a Star in Barcelona, in those days he was marginalized for being a poor south american pursuing money and fame, that lead to all his problems cous they started to abuse his ingenuity, but thats another story.. The point is that Kaká is more then Loved (now its beyond this world the fans love for him) in Milan in comparision to Maradona, a case that could work is Robinho, always underrated in Madrid never really did mark his spot in the team but he is still ages away from brilliancy, yet he may well, in some years and if he works his ass off, achieve a notorious spot.
 
Mack said:
Even i found that amusing! lol

Anyone remember when Marodona went from Barcelona to Napoli for a world record fee, were the all the same observations as with us and Kaka...?
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There is a world record fee and then there is 107 million pounds!!! which blasts any fee previously out of the water!
 
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