Manchester City

It seemed pretty straightforward at the time. A day after the transfer window closed write a column on some of the bigger moves and some that didn’t come to pass. Then yesterday came and we were hit with the equivalent of a category five hurricane. 

Who could have possibly thought on Sunday evening that within 24 hours Manchester City would be turned into a financial powerhouse and that the new owners (Abu Dhabi United Group) would mark their arrival by signing Robinho?

After all, a week ago the general consensus was that City was in financial and organizational disarray and that the best route for manager Mark Hughes was the door marked exit. Now, he has a board of directors talking instant success, and all funded by a budget that even Roman Abramovich might hesitate to sanction. (Some may argue that the best route for Hughes remains the same.)

The remarkable events of yesterday has left writers, bloggers and fans stunned and grasping to try and understand the full implications of the audacious takeover for the Premiership, as well as European and World football. It has also not stopped many resorting to received wisdom cloaked as insightful comment.  

Most would argue under more sober circumstances that joining the dots between unlimited funds, success and world domination is a tad simplistic but it hasn’t stopped some jumping on board the hyperbole bandwagon as it heads to the north-west of England.
Lots of cash + best players in world = World Domination.

If that is the case then examples should readily come to mind. Chelsea under Abramovich – not even domestic domination let alone global. Real Madrid and the Galacticos era – yeah that worked. Check out how much Inter Milan spent trying achieve success during the 90s – in terms of major trophies it was ####-all squared. Barcelona have spent many fortunes over the years and have won the European Cup just twice in over half a century.

That is not to say that the availability of money doesn’t matter. Money has always being part of the game and identifying and buying the right talent at the right price has always been a key skill set of any successful manager. In terms of British managers from Herbert Chapman and the Bank of England Arsenal side of the 30s to Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Brian Clough, all were astute buyers of talent.

For Manchester City the requirement to buy at the right price appears to no longer apply but building a team is much more than just signing “world class” players. Quite simply I would refer to a basic definition -  “a team is a group of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose and a set of goals.”

It is not a group of high priced mercenaries unwilling to sacrifice self for the common guide. Separating players with character from the imposters takes skill, experience and insight – it takes smarts.

Until Manchester City show that they have the smarts I would suggest that a Global Domination Tour 2010 (or 2015 for that matter) might be premature.


Transfers

For the last three months we have been inundated with news of transfers that were sure to be consummated, deals that only needed a signature and daring multi-million dollar raids being planned in bunkers deep below Premiership grounds.

With a lot of last minute wheeling and dealing we are told that a new Premiership spending record of around $1B has been set during the just completed transfer-window. But what of the transfers that  didn’t come to pass?


Here is a list of my top 25 non-transfers.

1.    Samuel Eto’o – Barcelona to assorted clubs. My biggest surprise when you consider that Barcelona was happy to see the back of the former African Player of the Year.  A clear indication that the top clubs believe Eto’o to be more trouble than he is worth.

2.    Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United to Hartlepool United. Forgiven but not forgotten and with cash from the Robinho in-hand we are sure to hear more in ten months time.
 
3.    Gareth Barry – Aston Villa to Liverpool. Wasn’t about the money? Right.

4.    Andrei Arshavin – Zenit St. Petersburg to Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur. You have to feel that Arshavin’s magical European Championship semi-final appearance against Spain cost him dear. Magical? He disappeared.

5.    Emmanuel Adebayor – Arsenal to Barcelona or Milan. So much press but just a reincarnation of numerous Patrick Vieira summers on a smaller scale.

6.    Xabi Alonso – Liverpool to Arsenal, Aston Villa, Juventus. Poor Rafa Benitez. Has to make do with one of the best passers of the ball in the Premiership – with both feet.

7.    David Villa – Valencia to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid. Real Madrid was going to be his destination if it was to move but Valencia decided to continue their flirt with insolvency. Here’s betting that he will have to be sold at a much lower price than Valencia might have demanded coming off the Euros.

8.    David Silva – Valencia to Liverpool, Manchester United. Similar scenario to his teammate Villa. 

9.    Frank Lampard – Chelsea to Inter. Frank demanded a five-year deal and Chelsea with a back bone of jello gave it to him.

10.    Kaka – Milan to Chelsea. Good headlines but little chance that it was actually going to happen.

11.    Gennaro Gattuso – Milan to Bayern Munich. The German club seemed genuinely interested at the start of the summer but it faded quickly. The January transfer window might find Gattuso moving but not to Bayern Munich.

12.    Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – Ajax to assorted clubs. Every year Huntelaar is rumoured to be  a target for the big clubs of Europe. And every year nothing happens. I think the message is loud and clear.

13.    Adrian Mutu – Fiorentina to Roma. Mutu opted to keep faith with the side that resurrected his playing career but with a hefty invoice arriving soon from Chelsea Mutu might have to find funds quickly.

14.    Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn Rovers to Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United. Another player showing some loyalty to a club that offered an opportunity when many would not.

15.    Thierry Henry – Barcelona to Seattle Sounders, New York Red Bulls, Manchester United. The most unbelievable rumours of the summer.

16.    Diego Forlan – Atletico Madrid to Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur. Forlan may have struck gold in Spain but he will never live down his spell at Manchester United. It would take a gutsy Premiership team to offer Forlan a second chance.

17.    Joao Moutinho – Sporting Lisbon to Everton. An on-going frustration for Everton but I can’t help but feel that Moutinho would not have filled Everton’s needs.

18.    Javier Saviola – Real Madrid to Newcastle. A summer has gone by and Saviola did not change clubs.

19.    Ruben de la Red – Real Madrid to Arsenal. Real Madrid is not so deep in great midfield players that they can afford to let de la Red slip away.

20.    Gokhan Inler – Udinese to Arsenal. Inler enjoyed an excellent European Championship for Switzerland and just signed a long-term deal with Udinese of Serie A.

21.    Branislav Ivanovic – Chelsea to Milan. Signed with a great deal of fanfare last January Ivanovic is on course to challenge Winston Bogarde as  Chelsea’s worst signings of all-time. He has been described as a versatile defender who is able to play any position on the bench if given a chance.

22.    Vagner Love – CSKA Moscow to Everton. This one enjoyed some prominence for a week or so in the form of  a loan deal or a transfer.

23.    Karim Benzema – Lyon to assorted clubs. The young man has showed a great deal of common sense by realizing that he is going to become a better player playing each game for Lyon rather than being rotated at another club. His time will come and it will be big money. (I wonder if he supported Manchester City as a boy?)

24.    Sergio Aguero – Atletico Madrid to assorted clubs. Sit back and wait for the English media to discover a player that by the time the World Cup comes around in 2010 will be regarded as one of the top five talents in the world.

25.    Luis Figo – Inter to UAE, MLS. Remember that back in January Figo was reported to have signed a contract to play in the Middle East? On Saturday there was Figo at 35 starting for Inter.



Newcastle
Whether Kevin Keegan has been fired or has resigned or will be taking training tomorrow doesn’t really matter. Newcastle continues to operate in a shambolic manner with owner Mike Ashley showing he would have trouble finding the ground if he fell out a tree – beer or no beer.

Ashley is another example of the misplaced faith that fans put in businessmen that have a “passion” for their club. It is the “passion” that causes the problem. Better to look for an owner who has a solid long-term plan rather than one who has a desire to kow-tow to the supporters.

I said in the pre-season preview that Ashley had “bit off more than he could chew” and “despite stories of how much money Keegan was to be given to bring new players to St. James’ there has been little indication these past months”.

Less than a month in and Ashley has admitted that he did not undertake any due diligence when buying the club and has been shocked at how much transfer money was owed in deferred payments. (Must have glass doors at St. James’).

Furthermore, it has become clear over the last week that the Newcastle board is willing to sanction the sale of players no matter what the manager thinks.

With Serie A and Liga finally getting underway this weekend Europe is now firing on all cylinders. Good matches in prospect in every league you might wish to turn to.


Aston Villa v Liverpool

This is the sort of game that both teams need to win. Aston Villa to regain face after last week’s loss to Stoke and to show that they can worry the big four. Liverpool to solidify their impressive start in the Premiership from the perspective of a 100% record and to flush memories of their struggle in midweek against Liege in the Champions league.

History is certainly in favour of Liverpool. After winning five of the first six home matches against Liverpool in the Premiership, Villa is winless in the last ten having lost six of them. They have also been outscored 5 – 16. Ironically the only current member of the Villa squad to score against Liverpool at Villa Park is Rafa’s favourite left footed player Gareth Barry.

Villa’s last home win came on February 28, 1998 – over a decade ago – with a double (goals that is) from Stan Collymore with a young Michael Owen getting Liverpool’s lone marker.  


Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

This is most one sided fixture in the history of the Premiership with Chelsea owning Spurs. In thirty-two games Chelsea have won 20, drawn 11 and lost only once. Considering that Chelsea is also unbeaten in their last 23 Premiership games and unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in 83 Premiership games things do not look good for a Spurs team that has once again started the season with two losses.

Last season game number three brought Derby and the false dawn of a 4-0 win. Optimists can point to Spurs Carling Cup win over Chelsea last March but since then Tottenham has only won three league games. This is a fixture with a history of some high scoring games – a 4-4 draw at WHL was a classic and we have also seen 4-3, 6-1, 3-2, 4-0, and 4-2 over the years. Another high scoring game is in prospect although it is unlikely to be one that will bring Spurs three points.


Fiorentina vs. Juventus

The Italian season normally starts off with the bigger clubs being kept apart as much as possible over the first few weeks. That is not the case here with the two teams that finished 3rd and 4th and who have both qualified for the group stage of the Champions League.

Fiorentina has made some excellent additions to their squad with Alberto Gilardino (Milan), Juan Vargas (Catania), Zauri (Lazio) and Sergio Almiron on loan from Juventus.

Juventus has also been busy with big money spent to bring in striker Amauri from Palermo. Defender Olaf Mellberg is another arrival on a “Bosman” from Aston Villa together with midfielder Christian Poulsen (Seville). Poulsen could be as important addition as Amauri.


Deportivo La Coruna vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid is going for a third straight title but a visit to Deportivo La Coruna is one place where the words success and Real Madrid ring very hollow. Real has not won there since 1991 and hasn’t earned a point since 2002. It will be a somewhat depleted Real Madrid squad with the Dutch trio of Wesley Sneijder (injured), Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rafael van der Vaart (both suspended) all missing.

Last season really was a story of two halves for La Coruna. Over their first nineteen games they took only 14 points; the second half of the season a very respectable 38 points and only lost once at home. The reason was simple – a defence that improved considerably going from 31 against to 16. We might find out how much of that improvement was down to Fabio Colocinni who has since moved on to Newcastle.


St Etienne vs. Lyon

A fiercely contested derby game in prospect (is there any other kind) although one that has been very one-sided for a long-time. It is fourteen years and sixteen games since St. Etienne tasted victory over rivals Lyon – a 3-0 win in April 1994.

St. Etienne came awfully close last season with Lyon needing a very late strike from Benzema to grab a share of the points. Lyon has made a good start to the season with seven points from three games and has yet to let a goal in. However, the attack has stuttered somewhat with four of their five goals coming from set-pieces.

For Saint-Etienne their start has been less than impressive. A 2-1 win over Sochaux has been bookended with 1-0 losses to Valenciennes and Le Mans, leaving them 15th in Ligue Une.


Celtic vs. Rangers

And taking of derby games we finish with one of the biggest of them all.  While Celtic and their supporters can look forward to epic European nights at Parkhead against Manchester United and Villarreal, Rangers are left on the outside looking with no place at the European Inn for them.

Celtic beat Rangers twice last April as part of their SPL run-in. Ultimately Celtic overtook a rapidly tiring Rangers to make it three SPL titles in a row. The two wins brought to an end a run of four straight Rangers wins and Celtic being held scoreless. 

However, Celtic has a solid record against Rangers at Parkhead with fourteen wins in their last nineteen meetings.

There will be a number of players making their Old Firm debut (possibly Maurice Edu) or first appearance at Parkhead (DaMarcus Beasley). But the most attention will be paid to the man who has not only crossed the great divide but re-crossed it as well. Kenny Miller is a man of many clubs but no other player has moved to Rangers (from Hibs) then to Celtic (via Wolves) and back to Rangers (through Derby County).

To say Miller’s arrival is controversial and divisive for the Rangers faithful is an understatement but it is not stopping Bet365 offering odds of 25-1 that Miller will score and kiss the badge in celebration.

"Does anyone else reckon Gareth Barry is starting to feel like a bloke who's told his missus that he's leaving her only to find out the blonde across the road isn't interested anymore?" - Jason Tew in an email published in the July 17 edition of The Fiver.

As three of the summer’s transfer sagas drag on there seems to be a very good chance that at least one or more of Ronaldo, Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor will find themselves playing for teams next season that they presently seem so desperate to leave.

You can’t hold on to an unhappy player is common enough wisdom and on a basic level it is largely true. If a player is truly unhappy with his life as a professional player he is entitled to walk-away and take up another career.

In a very different era high profile mid-career retirements from the game include Celtic’s George Connelly. Connelly could have become a Celtic great but he packed in the game when he was only 26. Before that we had Peter Knowles leave Wolves to become a Jehovah's Witness. (So the next time you get a knock on the door it might be from someone who almost played for England.)

But that is not the case with our transfer trio. All want to pursue their careers with other clubs even though they have valid long term contracts with their present clubs. There is nothing new about such a situation.

But it seems that over the last five years or so the market for such players has shrunk dramatically to the point where there are very few teams willing and able to meet their demands. That has led to lengthier transfer sagas.

In days past players would complain a bit, there would be a bidding war of sorts with a few clubs putting in bids and within a week or so the player would be mugging it for the press wearing a new strip and holding a scarf.

But things are not happening as quickly as before and some players are placing themselves in more precarious positions. Once they have gone public with their complaints and two or three weeks pass without a move ensuing they are forced to escalate the war of words.

That usually serves only to entrench the position of the potentially selling club – don’t want to be seen knuckling under to yappy, whinging player after all. Contrast Ronaldo, Barry and Adebayor with that of Frank Lampard who has been close to the essence of public discretion so far in his dealings with Chelsea and any potential move to Inter.

If Lampard stays at Stamford Bridge rather than moving to the Giuseppe Meazza then there is little to indicate that he will have to rebuild any bridges with the Chelsea support. The lesson perhaps – the less said the better.

On the other hand the three transfer stooges will have their work cut out if they are forced to survive at their present clubs on their meager weekly pittances. You really have to wonder about who has been advising them to take the “help get me out of this hell” position that ostracizes fans and management alike. There again maybe fans are so fickle that a couple of goals out of each of them and the crowds will chanting their names just like before.