SOCCER SPORT !

[scottjc]

Way over his market value, too. He's probably worth not more than £15m.

He scored two nice goals for us on Saturday. I think Newcastle's offer of £21m was too good to refuse but Jeremy Peace has, at least, built a financially sound football club so we're not hugely desperate for the cash.

[93EXCivic]

Way over his market value, too. He's probably worth not more than £15m.

Yeah. Personally I'd rather them spend that money on defense and cheaper striker. I'd wouldn't have minded Newcastle giving Rhodes a try in the Premier League. 13 million for a striker that has scored 181 in 337 and is only 25 seems like a decent deal.

[93EXCivic]

I am kinda excited to see what this guy can do.



167 goals in 289 appearances total and 25 goals in 33 continental competition appearances.

He has some amazing footwork but watching his CSKA highlights I wonder how much is due to terrible defending in the Russian league.

[Der Amf]

Forgot to say: when I went to St Marys a couple of weeks ago I got to sing a chant about Matt Le Tissier I had previously sung at the Dell 23 years earlier

http://youtu.be/YB9HjYmYwpk

[93EXCivic]

In other news, Villa is f$%ked.

[93EXCivic]

thankyou Gabe [i think]exciting times for next season and what players he will bring in - it is concerning for the remainder of this season how the likes of Toure and a couple others might react playing wise -however , players who might not want to try their hardest this season will only devalue themselves in the market place should they react negatively -i'm afraid though that when you have a chance to secure Pep when you can you have to take those chances - i did say many posts ago that he would come when others favoured United - maybe his own choice of club is indicative of where he sees the success coming from

I'd gladly take your cast off manager at Newcastle. Haha.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shameless]

I admire Pep's courage for taking such a step down from the likes of Barca and Bayern. Who needs glamour and history, right?

Couldn't resist. Congrats to you and the City faithful.

been thinking more about your comments Gabe - actually it is now debatable whether Manchester is Red or Blue - of course City have a wonderful history but now we have the glamour too - building up the fantastic Emirates complex in a run down East side area - they have created a mini city around them bringing hundreds if not thousands of jobs and income into the area - and new fans who were not previously committed -they have brought the most wanted manager in football and in turn will bring the most wanted players -young Mancunians will want to follow City ! they are in effect leaving Man Utd in their wake and of course United not spending any money this window i think shows they are resigned to their fate -its obvious where the glamour is now and also where the history will be in future

[93EXCivic]

been thinking more about your comments Gabe - actually it is now debatable whether Manchester is Red or Blue - of course City have a wonderful history but now we have the glamour too - building up the fantastic Emirates complex in a run down East side area - they have created a mini city around them bringing hundreds if not thousands of jobs and income into the area - and new fans who were not previously committed -they have brought the most wanted manager in football and in turn will bring the most wanted players -young Mancunians will want to follow City ! they are in effect leaving Man Utd in their wake and of course United not spending any money this window i think shows they are resigned to their fate -its obvious where the glamour is now and also where the history will be in future

I see Manchester United pulling a Liverpool and falling out of contention for the top 4 and title for a while. Their academy is a mess and they seem to have no clue about recruiting. It is becoming pretty clear that the only thing holding Man U together recently was SAF.

I wonder who will step up to fill the void left as Man U crumbles... Tottenham, West Ham, Stoke?

[OTGabe]

My comment was tongue in cheek but also with a bit of truth to it. Taking future possibilities out of the equation, a career trajectory of Barcelona > Bayern Munich > Manchester City seems like one going backwards. But the reality is City is best positioned for future glory based on the great facilities, stability (at least as much as you can have in the BPL these days), limitless money, and many exciting young players already on the squad. Pep was never going to go to a club with any real financial limitations, so there were only a few options. United has been rudderless for the better part of 3 years, and dealing with Woodward and the Glazers seems more trouble than it's worth. Chelsea has the London connection but is a club in flux and also seems to be much more of a risk than Pep would ever take. Arsenal may have been the ideal option, but given the current form there was no way to gracefully jettison Wenger. Though that club must be wary of falling into the same trap as United, where making the transition from past to future becomes a complicated mess.

Though I will say that those declaring a golden age at City that will last years or decades may be a bit too optimistic. People talk about Jose as nothing but a short-term fix, but why is there any reason to believe that Pep will be around for more than a few years? Not to mention the fact that Barca was Barca before he arrived, and has continued to be after he left. The same can be said for Bayern. His record is sterling, but he didn't exactly blaze a new trail for those clubs. But let's say he does all that is expected and takes City to BPL and UCL glory in the near future - what makes anyone think he will not become bored and move on like he always has?

For that very reason, I think United may be forced into bringing in Mourinho in an attempt to counter Pep's influence. Sure, he's not going to build a dynasty there, but is there anyone on earth who will give more in an attempt to keep Guardiola from taking ownership of football in Manchester? Maybe they are willing to take all the negatives in return for JM fighting Pep to a stalemate until he gets bored and goes on sabbatical.

[93EXCivic]

I wonder if Pep's style is going to work in the Premier League. Everyone seems to assume it will but the level of competition is a lot tighter in the Premier League then La Liga or Bundesliga and it is a lot more physical. How is he going to deal with a wrestling match against a Pulis lead team?