Footie Random Thoughts

[Bigpapa42]

I guess it works for him but if I had that much talent I would not stay on a team where I'm on the bench regardless of what I was being paid.

A lot of people could have told him that when he chose City. Maybe they did. Maybe its just the self-confidence of players like that who believe they are good enough to be automatic selections for an incredibly deep and talented squad that has very few automatic seelctions..? But hey, it wasn't about the money at all, right?

If the money isn't enough to keep him happy, it gets interesting. Same for a few of the players that City have who aren't regulars right now. Its not like most of them are good solidiers who will happily sit on the bench and come as a sub every second match. They wanna play and if they don't get that, they wanna move on. Much like Adebayor. But much like him, how many clubs out there will take on that wage? There is maybe a dozen clubs in the world that can realistically afford to pay a player what Nasri is making.

[Lanteri]

Well, let's not get carried away with how "little" Nasri is playing though. He has 4 starts and has come on as a sub 3 times for 7 league apps, and he has 3 starts in the Champions League, so it's not like he's being frozen out of the side or anything. Hard to blame Nasri for wanting out of a situation where he's not likely to win trophies anytime soon. I'd be inclined to be a rotation player for a lot higher wages and a chance at silverware, rather than take less to be a key player for a side that hasn't proven a commitment to winning in recent times.

I mean, to be frank, Arsenal has seemed to rely heavily on their system and their strict wage structure to go about things. It's asking a lot to take less money to stay with a squad that doesn't appear to be moving forward anytime soon.

[1ke]

But for Sami it WAS all about money. United wanted him. Patrice Evra recruited him hard. United were first to the scene, but when he said we wanted over 150 a week. United told him to fuck off.

Meh, he can do whatever. The exodus is already starting with Kolo saying he wants to go to PSG in January. Tomorrows UCL game is huge, they are already behind a lil bit, and anything other than a win puts immense pressure on them to miss the next stage.

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah, if I honestly believed that desire to win trophies was the greatest factor, it would bother me less. I don't really believe any of the other factors that a player would/should consider in making a move - the history of the club, its global status in the sport, the culture of a given club, the tactical approach of the manager, the players role in it... I don't believe that any of those were truly considered or a factor.

In basic terms, yes, joining Man City is more likely to result in trophies. But in a bigger view, it is an unsustainable project. Look at the numbers - last year, Manchester City had a turnover of 125m pounds and the club wages account for 106% of that. Arsenal had 382m in turnover, with wages accounting for 29% of that. Arsenal has significant debt, much of it from the new stadium, but it is proactively working to eliminate that debt rather than adding to it. These numbers are for last season, which means it doesn't even take into account the monies spent on signing and paying the new additions for City. Its this simple - if the sheik stops funneling money into Manchester City (by choice or due to FIFA changes), Manchester City doesn't make enough money to pay its talent. The easy answer is to develop new revenue streams. It took Manchester United and Real Madrid a sustained run of success and focused brand-building to get where they are in that regard. Despite what some people believe, winning a Prem title or even a Champions League title won't put Man City in that position. In the big picture, which seems like the smarter choice - the fiscally responsible club that is working to eliminate debt and has a history of success over the past decade or the club that uses an unsustainable model based entirely on the generosity of a rich owner?

What Manchester City is choosing to do to Kolo is strange. Maybe there's more to the story than is being released, but it hardly looks like they are supporting the player at all, given that he was already punished by the FA and its accepted that he simply made a mistake. Its like Citeh doesn't realize that showing some loyalty to the players is pretty important if you expect them to do the same...

[kyhadley]

uhhhh, not even close.

Van Persie and Walcott each had squandered chances in the first half too. You're lucky we didn't put 8 total on you

By first half I meant first 25 minutes. We had far more chances that could have put the game nearly out of reach far earlier. But I'm not one to not admit defeat, we didn't finish our chances, and you guys actually played defense in the second half, which was clearly the difference. Except for fucking Malouda of course.

Also we are still most likely to advance, I wouldn't call our match against a Genk a "confidence booster". The goal conceded was still due to poor marking.

[BigHouseUSA]

Valiant comeback attempt by Seattle. Would have liked to see them pull it off, but only themselves to blame after the first leg.

[Sharkweather]

Damn, £53 million.

[calgaryballer]

Damn, £53 million.

?

[Sharkweather]

?

Neymar to Madrid apparently.

http://www.rotowire.com/Neymar-daSilva-googid12516-spsoccer.htm

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2011/11/03/neymar-to-join-real-madrid-but-why/

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/978467/santos-star-neymar-to-join-real-madrid-for-L53m?cc=5901

[calgaryballer]

Neymar to Madrid apparently.

http://www.rotowire.com/Neymar-daSilva-googid12516-spsoccer.htm

http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2011/11/03/neymar-to-join-real-madrid-but-why/

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...r-L53m?cc=5901

Not worth it IMO. The kid is crazy talented, but for some reason I expect him to be a flop

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah, not sure what to expect of him. Wouldn't bet 50m on him being a megastar.

[calgaryballer]

Second place

[calgaryballer]

Heard Steve Coppell is in talks to become Pompey's manager. I like him, but he flaked out hard at Bristol. Hopefully he can stick around and get back to the Premier League. One of my faves from his days at Reading

[mgoblue2290]

We need to learn how to put the ball in the back of the net.

[CaribbeanJoseph]

Meh, was working so didn't get to see the match, will post thoughts once I see the highlights.