I know money is the root of all evil
Do funny things to some people
Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime
Money can drive some people out of their minds
Money, Money, Money, it is after all only funny in a rich man's world.
World football seems to be reaching a stage where it can go one way or another. This has probably been said a thousand times before but football does look as if it is at a crossroads. In ten years time I may be saying the same thing but hindsight is of no use then.
The O'Jays were correct when they stated that "Money can drive some people out of their minds."
Proof that certain people around the Eastlands are out of their mind was confirmed today, when rumours emanated that Manchester City are prepared to offer anywhere in the region of £100-£175 million for AC Milan star Kaká. Add to this a rumoured annual pay package of £25 million and it is plain to see someone forget to take their sanity pills this morning.
Is Kaká a fantastic player?
Without a doubt. He has the ability to create and score goals to match that of Messi and Ronaldo and like these players is mature beyond his years. It can be argued that on a number of occasions, Kaká has had to carry an ageing Milan side. On his day Kaká is the best in the world.
Is Kaká worth £175?
In a word—no. Yes, it is all well and good to say that Manchester City have the money to carry this out, but where would such a transfer leave football?
If Kaká is worth £175 million, how much would Manchester United seek for Cristiano Ronaldo and indeed how much would Ronaldo seek in wages?
Over the last number of years the amount of money being thrown around in world football has been quite silly. Overrated players signed on massive transfers with inflated wages to boot.
The reported reply from Kaká coming out of the Milan camp is heartening for lovers of football.
According to the Press Association, Kaká wants to "grow old at Milan. My aim is to become, at some point in the future, the captain of this team." The Brazilian has vowed that money will not play a major part in his decision whether to leave or stay at the San Siro.
In a time where footballers are constantly trying to link themselves with other clubs in order for their current club to up their paypacket, Kaká's words should be widely admired.
He has straight away pledged his future to the Italian side and shows a want to do his very best for a club that has given him the opportunity to become a worldwide superstar.
Basically Kaká has put playing at the highest level of European football over a few extra zeros at the end of his weekly paypacket.
However how many other players can refuse the lure of the green?
Furthermore, the takeover of Manchester City by the Abu-Dhabi based group came at a time when football seemed to be settling somewhat. Hit by the worldwide recession, football owners seem to be increasingly prudent with their money. The "sell before you buy" order by Roman Ambramovich at Chelsea been a case in point.
Which leads us to this question—what does the future of football hold?
Is the current Manchester City situation merely a flash in the pan? How long before the rich men from afar get bored with their new toy and decide they would rather a Formula One team?
There are at numerous clubs up for sale in the English Premier League, yet no-one seems interested in buying them. The debts that new owners would take just doesn't seem worth it to most.
Therefore is the future of football one that is based on the Arsenal method of sustainability? One where the clubs are forced to live within their means.
Arsenal fans may be tearing their hair out as Arsene Wenger and the board refuse to shell out that extra £10 million for Andrei Arshavin but if it is to secure the long-term future of the club then so be it.
I, for one, would rather wait for the talent of Wilshere, Mannone, Fonte, Simpson, Ramsey, Coquelin, Merida, Traore, and Gibbs, among others, to take us into a glory spell in the future. Better that than become the next Leeds United.
Surely Arsenal's dedication to giving youth a chance should be celebrated, as should the board's refusal to fork out money over the odds for players. While the club's method of sustainability has been over a decade in the making it is one that can be followed by many clubs although the level of success may vary.
Personally I feel that the Arsenal-way may become the future of football. Not because I am an Arsenal fan and am showing team loyalty or bias. No because it is logically the only way football can be sustained.
Chelsea thought they were made for life when Ambramovich took them over and splashed the cash. Surely they must be just a little worried that he may walk away before they can make themselves self-sustainable.
Manchester City fans should use this as a warning. The Sheiks of Abu-Dhabi will one day have to watch their money too. Green groups around the world are getting more and more vocal about our energy coming from renewable sources. Oil is far from renewable.
The Sheiks are bound to have to tighten their belts sometime, everything happens in swings and roundabouts. City fans shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that their owners care too much for the fans or the club. They care about putting as many jewels onto their necklace as they can, Robinho been the first.
After a while that necklace can lose its appeal—time for it to be thrown anyway.
Who's knows what way things will go. I can but harbour a guess.
Arsenal or Manchester City? You decide.
87 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jake Wilson 5 months ago
Change "Manchester City" and "Sheikhs" to "Chelsea" and "Abramovich" and we heard all of this five years ago. And yet the world hasn't ended. At this point City and Real Madrid seem to be the only ones spending any serious money. Good for them. Bad for everyone else -- except the clubs selling to them. I guess if I were a fan of a club that considered a Champions League spot an entitlement and stood to lose out on that essential revenue stream with the introduction of a fifth big club in the Premier League, I'd be dismayed, too. But seriously, the moral outrage angle didn't work in 2003 and it doesn't work now. Arsenal can go on doing its thing and the other clubs can go on doing theirs. Look at the bright side. You've probably got at least one more year of guaranteed Champions League football -- unless upstarts Aston Villa somehow bump you out this season.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Not the point of the article Jake.
If we lose 4th place and the CL spot then we'll lose it on the pitch. Villa and Everton are no richer than us. I don't see the CL spot as an entitlement - something I'm used to yes but it is up to us to secure it.
Man City's power won't come to true force til next season - a number of players they are after are not interested in a regulation battle.
My question is, can football survive by Man City's methods?
"You've probably got at least one more year of guaranteed Champions League football -- unless upstarts Aston Villa somehow bump you out this season." - why is it always a matter of getting one over on someone, thats not the point of this.
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Jake Wilson 5 months ago
I understand the point of the article. I'm just not agreeing.
Let Arsenal keep doing what Arsenal are doing. If you're confident it's the best approach over the long run, then you'll be fine. No need to worry about Chelsea or Real Madrid or City, since if their approach is wrong, they'll suffer while Arsenal thrive.
I'm just so, so tired of the apocalyptic talk concerning City coming out of Big Four clubs and their fans. I'm not saying this is the case with you in particular, but viewed in aggregate it just comes across as snobbish entitlement of the worst kind.
Lord knows the Premiership can use some shaking up after all these years of guessing the order in which the Big Four will finish.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
I'm not one of them - I've no problem with the big four being broken up although obviously I'd be deeply saddened if it was Arsenal.
We've been there with Chelsea - they have got the better of us over the last few seasons but not by a huge amount. We've knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League and I'm confident we could do it again.
My question was quite simple although probably not well put - just how much money is there in football? probably a stupid question but no harm in asking.
We have two billionaires sitting in our boardroom - we could sell out to them if that is the way we wanted to go but we're trying our long term sustainable thing based on the world economy.
Guess we'll have to meet in ten years time to see who chose the best path :-)
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
The idea that somehow, having rich owners means all of a sudden City is going to
a) buy any player they want
b) have that player actually want to play for City
c) have that player and any others being 'bought' gel in to a cohesive unit
d) have that unit consistently do well in the EPL; well enough to springboard themselves in to a Top 4 place
e) do all this in one year
f) do all this and, by luck during the same time, not have UEFA change the rules about player eligibility and "homegrown" talent .vs "buy foreign"
is just the kind of thinking that proves that both City, and its fans, have no idea how to build a successful Football Club, with a decent youth system, and a decent senior team, and attract a manager who can organize and coach the team to great results.
The facts of football are
a) you simply can't buy any player you want, and even if you could, if you play the "cash" game, its a long term unsustainable setup that will ultimately run out when the money does
b) players are fickle, and the lure of money doesn't buy you happiness when you are losing
c) building a cohesive unit of players who work well together takes time, and takes the right kind of coach. Look at Chelsea. All those Billions and they are on their 3rd coach in 5 years. And each coach had a different approach, so the repurchasing never stops
d) the EPL is the toughest league in Europe, and doing well consistently is growing increasingly difficult as all the teams mature their ideology on fitness, nutrition, training and tactics. Look at Villa. Sure, many say a couple of injuries and they are done for in terms of consistency, but how many people picked them to place in the top 4 by mid season, and they have NOT spent the kind of dough that City claim to have at their disposal
e) any of this takes more than one year, likely more like 3 at the least
f) UEFA may well and truly change the rules about player eligibility and "homegrown" talent .vs "buy foreign" to insulate the rest of Europe from the spending idiocy that is the EPL and La Liga mantra
The facts about Arsenal are
a) they spend wisely, perhaps too miserly at times, but they don't buy in to the bidding and inflationary stupidity that emanates from other clubs (both here and abroad)
b) Arsenal are trying to insulate themselves from the "greed" factor and keep players, like Fabregas, because they WANT to play for Arsene, and they like the style of play Arsenal play, and everything else is incidental
c) Arsene and the Board know that building a cohesive unit of players who work well together takes time, and while many say Arsene has to purchase some key pieces instead of endlessly giving chances to players who will never likely be household names, the Club and its fans are prepared to be patient, but to a point
d) as Arsenal's own performance in the first half of the season shows, doing well, consistently is key in the EPL, and as we can see looking at the table, a bad run of not getting points in a string of games can land you in the relegation zone very quickly
e) this is the 2nd Era in Arsene's tenure; he has proved himself as a man who can assemble a great team, an Invincible Team, and now he is going to prove that he can create a youth system and a senior team philosophy that is counter to the "buy, buy, buy every season" dogma that emanates elsewhere
f) they know UEFA will change the rules, and with upcoming players like Wilshere, are poised and ready for those changes
What are the facts about City?
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Agooner - that is some answer
With us buying Ramsey and Wenger giving more of a chance to the younger English players one would have an inkling that we are banking on UEFA bringing in the "homegrown" rule.
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Jake Wilson 5 months ago
I'm not sure which Manchester City you're talking about. The one I follow has a renowned youth academy that the new owners have stated time and time again is central to their vision for the club's future.
You point to the instabilty at Chelsea. That's not the result of money. That's the result of a tinkering owner who drove away possibly the top manager in the game. Abramovich looks to be the exact opposite of what City's new owners have shown themselves to be in the months since the takeover. Do you seriously think Ambramovich would be sticking with Mark Hughes at this point?
City need to play catch-up. Arsenal can stick with the status quo because they are a massive club. Ditto Liverpool and United, though they rely far more heavily on buying players than their fans let on, as Mssrs. Torres, Keane, Berbatov, and Hargreaves -- among many others -- could tell you. At this point, Chelsea can as well. City, on the other hand, need to bring in an influx of top-level talent to level the playing field.
One thing is certain: At some point in the coming years, City will force its way into the top four and return to Europe's biggest stage. And the next morning the sun will rise, the world will continue to exist, and football will continue to be the most entertaining sport on the planet. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy it.
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
Fair play to you.
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Blessing Mangezi 5 months ago
Even though i don't arsenal i could rather say arsenal is the futureof football,considering their youth policy ,i admire it.
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Stuart Malcolm 5 months ago
I'm a City fan so somehwat biased. However, I don't agree with the thrust of your article. Events in football today need to be put into their historical context. "This has probably been said a thousand times before." yes I'm afraid it has all the way back to when professional football started. As a professional game with a transfer fee system the record transfer fees have always seemed eye-watering. That's because to persuade clubs to release their best players who play under contract takes a lot of money. Every club will have its' price. Sure the Kaka bid today in a global economic downturn looks obscene on the surface. But a music artist is rewarded with huge royalties because of the number of people who listen to their music. Is it obscene that how rich they become depends on how many people listen to their music? Footballers are artists and performers in a game that has the biggest global audience of any other activity. It should therefore be no surprise that the figures keep getting bigger.
And guess what? The football is getting better, the occasions are getting more exciting, the competition is increasing, and the popularity is still growing. I have a choice. I can get on the underground and go and watch Barnet play up the road (which I often do and have a lot of fun as it happens!). Or I can get on the train, spend 6 hours travelling, proudly take my season ticket seat, and watch some of the best footballers in the world battle it out in the most intriguing encounters. If Robinho and Kaka are playing then I'm going to turn up week in week out simple as that.
ADUG are in the process of making our dreams come true. They will provide the reward for every City fan who has been loyally supporting their club for most of their lives. And they'll make the Premiership a league of 5 or 6 top teams rather than the one we used to have with Manchester United. How boring was that ?!
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Fair comment Stuart and I agree and see where you are coming from.
Personally, I just have my doubts that football can sustain the huge transfers and wages if the current economic situation continues. Yes by all means football is getting more popular but hasn't it always been huge.
However, there are a number of empty patches in some grounds for games. I know there are many Arsenal season ticket holders who will not be renewing because they simply cannot afford to.
Just so you know - I am not as Jake may suggest worried about City. Yes you may be challenging us next year but all the best to ye, we built our stadium so that is our bed we must lie in that. Having said that as long as AW is in charge (and just cops on a bit) we'll be still there or there abouts.
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Marzia Hazra 5 months ago
Good article Maire! See your point and I have to say that I agree with you.
Money isn't everything and with Kaká being one of my absolute favorite players I'm happy too see that he has his priorities straight :)
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Thanks Marzia.
If the Kaka deal went through there are a number of things that could happen:
1) He could be absolutely fantastic and drag City up the league
OR
1) He could buckle under the weight of expectation
2) Pick up a long term injury and be out and what good is the big money signing then
3) Cause huge discontent in the City camp as he would be on such huge wages - I'm sure Robinho would be in looking for a payrise.
Also he'd need a major escape clause in his contract
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
Good point about injuries. EPL is a very bruising league, as we know, and it takes a special talent from Serie A to weather that for a full season.
Can't think of the last time an Italian league star came to England and had staying power.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Well you always take a gamble on injuries (Hargreaves at United) but £100m and £500,000 a week is quite a gamble isn't it?
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Marzia Hazra 5 months ago
To be honest, I don't think that anything good would come of Kaká moving away. He's great where he is and I'm happy he's aiming towards becoming future captain at the club! :)
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Maldini is retiring in the summer - could it be a hint from Kaka?
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Marzia Hazra 5 months ago
I would hope so, but read a news article just minutes ago with Kaká talking about some sort of hierarchy at the club so Maldini and Ambrosini are ahead of him. He's time will come soon enough :)
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
Great article Maire, and brave one at that, as so many City fans believe in the tooth fairy that will come and buy them their dreams in the middle of the night.
While I'm all for a more competitive league, with more than just the same old "TOP 4" dominating, I do think there is a proper way to achieve that, and a misguided, foolish one.
If buying your way to glory was the way, then you'd think a rich country like England or the United States would win the World Cup every time; not a relatively poor one like Brazil or Argentina.
Sport is a game. Games are played. The guy with $200 boots can get out-classed by the kid with $30 hand me downs, for one simple reason. The kid wanted it more, because he was motivated by something other than compensation he already received.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Thanks Dimitry.
I think alot of City fans see it as a Gunner whinging but let them be. Stuart gave a very good reply without getting into a slagging match fair play to him.
I just think all this throwing around of money will come to a halt. There are a lot of clubs up for sale and no-one are buying them plus City have to try and break out of the shadow of United which is going to be next to impossible.
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Andrew McNair 5 months ago
Great piece Maire.
Football simply can't sustain £100 million pound transfers....Rangers (a huge club) are looking to offload their highest earner of (a mere) 30k a week in their bid to survive. We once paid £12 million for Tore Andre Flo, we are still paying for it.
Football may be better on the pitch but it is in trouble off it...so the top four leagues in europe are flourishing. Every other one faces a struggle to survive and many top European clubs outside of the top four leagues think they are in deep trouble.
Kaka at £100 million would only come back one day and bite Man City in the arse.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Thanks Andrew - really glad you got the gist of it as well.
Arsenal and City are polar opposites at the moment so it made for a good comparsion. We're arguing over £7m difference over Arshavin and City are willing to fork out that much on ONE player.
Say they did buy Kaka and on a long term deal - what happens if he turns into a flop? Who'd buy him? Its too big a gamble and I'm sure the City takeover pretty much works the same as Chelsea's one.
Yeah £12m for Flo and that was quite an amount back then wasn't it? Living within one's means.
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CTID 5 months ago
This article is a joke and just shows a lack of knowledge of football history and utter hypocrisy and bias.
For your info Man City and Chelsea are not the first teams to be taken over by a billionaire owner who bought up talent and as such bought titles and trophies following a distinguished history very much in the past. AC Milan under Silvio Berlusconi were the first and I don't remember there being jealous judgements about that or accusations of ruining football when they won leagues and European Cups with players they could not have afforded without Berlusconis money.
No mention of the European Union tax payers money that was misappropriated to keep Real Madrid afloat with the dodgy training ground sale a few years ago allowed them to fund the galacticos.
Man Utd have consistently bought the Premiership by smashing transfer records and salary ceilings using loan money since the Premierships inception and Arsenal cannot exactly claim the moral high ground either with waving money under the noses of parents of foreign schoolboys to stop them signing professional contracts for the clubs that discovered them and trained them. At least we are offering to pay a fair high fee for a player and there is nothing morally bankrupt about that.
If you wanted fairness then Arsenal and Utd should have considered that when they voted for the setting up of the EPL to get a bigger slice of tv rights at the expense of the whole English game and then threatened to stab the EPL in the back by setting up a European Super League if you did not get their way with the destruction of the European Cup to the Champions League. This ensured an income stream that makes it impossible for any club to compete with teams that qualify for it on a consistent basis without outside investment. It turned the EPL into a 4 team cartel and even Aston Villa can only compete with the aid of a US millionaire. If you are worried about greed and unfairness I am afraid both Arsenal and Utd need to look closer to home bec City never was given a vote in any of these financial carve ups and both are far worse for the game and competitiveness than anything City can do by buying a few players.
As for Aston Villa being on a par with Everton etc, what a farce. Aston Villa are wholly owned by an American multi millionaire Randy Lerner who funds their signing of players so they do not live off their natural income either. Same goes for Everton it is just that their millionaire is not as rich as Randy Lerner.
As for trying to play the moral card with Arsenal that is just another tale of hypocrisy and one eyed vision with the way they have raped the Barcelona youth teams and almost forced them to shut youth development altogether because of it. What a horrific loss to world football that would have been. I don't think City could create that destruction.
For all your information, Kaka has not turned City down. Kaka said it is up to Milan if they want to sell as he sees his future there if he doesn't hear different. If they don't agree to sell him he would be happy to stay and capt Milan one day as he is happy there (he has a contract to 2013). So he has not turned us down at all but put the ball in Milans court which is the correct and honourable way to behave when under contract. We have not tapped him up (as most teams would) and are doing everything in accordance with the rules negotiating up front with Milan to get permission to approach the player by offering a fair transfer fee and he has confirmed this. Milan’s owner is the Prime Minister of Italy and a billionaire in his own right (which is how they paid for Gullit, Van Basten, Rykaard etc and started their climb from many years of obscurity to where they are now). Another example to City of how it can be done. I doubt Berlusconi needs 100M but it sure has made him think lol.
What an exciting day!
Shame there is so much bitterness and jealousy around.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
"Man City and Chelsea are not the first teams to be taken over by a billionaire" - what, they're not?!!! Gosh I never knew that wow, you are so, so clever!!
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
"[Arsenal] have raped the Barcelona youth teams and almost forced them to shut youth development altogether because of it"
There is no basis for this comment. Barca have always had the initial option of signing their young players, the majority of whom do go on to play for the senior squad (Messi, Puyol and Xavi just to name a few)
Actually, La Masia has always flourished and has allowed Barca to produce such talents as dos Santos (who was sold to Spurs), Arteta (who failed to break in to the first team and was loaned out before being sold to Rangers [he is now with Everton]). In the case of Merida and Fabregas, the player's agents alerted many clubs, not just Arsenal, of the player's intentions and contract status. I would hardly call a player's decision to quit a youth system (that had the likes of Messi and company in it at the time) for a chance at a club in another country in another climate anything but brave.
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Andrew McNair 5 months ago
Well you only have to look at Chelsea, they have stopped signing big money players with gay abandon. Because not even Chelski can sustain it....
It is a bit like Kids (Man City) having to make mistakes for themselves instead of learning from (Dad- Chelsea) their parents or older siblings mistakes...
To be honest though, they have been pretty sensible other than this Kaka story.
Lol it wasn't so much the fee as the fact he was shit lol..10 years ago we had fantastic players and not forgetting the likes of Gazza and Laudrup but I like the new side, 70% Scottish is brilliant and even a few kids coming through...but obviously I wish we had an owner like ADUG...
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Fair point - the Bridge signing was a good one but I suppose they want that other superstar to add to Robinho as well.
I'd only like owners like ADUG if they promised to stay forever and ever :-)
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Guido 5 months ago
Have these numbers been confirmed or are they just rumours?
Either way, that money goes around anyway, as the other clubs will invest in other players, ensuring that eventually more and more teams will benefit from the money these big spenders initially invest.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
People have been reporting between £100 - £175m for a transfer fee and then £25m for annual wages seems to be the general agreement in the media.
Definitely Milan would benefit too - but they have never had to sell big to bring in players. I'd reckon they'd rather keep Kaka.
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Guido 5 months ago
Berlusconi is their sugar daddy, so they're as bad/good as the rest of them ;-)
If the fee is true, it's a ridiculous one, but that's the free market for you... I don't like it one little bit, as it ruined the best team ever from my childhood (Ajax '95).
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
I used to be a huge Milan fan growing up - know all about him :-)
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Guido 5 months ago
Those bastards stole Kluivert, Bogarde, Davids and Reiziger from Ajax :-(
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Willie Gannon 5 months ago
Kaka did not turn City down because he is loyal to AC Milan Mary, he turned them down because they're City. They're below a player of his stature, if Barca or Utd had offered him the same deal he would have jumped at the chance.
As far as comparing City to Arsenal I think you're being a little unfair.
I think you should have compared old City to new City. Old City have the best youth system in English football, over the last 3 seasons, 26 players have graduated to play first team football, all of them from the British Isles.
How many will graduate now they have bottomless pockets?
I think you're right though on the Arsenal system being the future...unfortunately. Arsenal have not created many players over the last few seasons and I think it's a spreading trend (buying in youth), in the end it will mean that the majority of home grown talent will play in lower leagues as clubs like Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and even Utd mimic the Arsenal system.
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Guido 5 months ago
Academies are not everything though... I'm working on an article about the famous Ajax academy now, so just let me reassure you that a good academy means shit all. It can help, but it's not everything.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
"Kaka did not turn City down because he is loyal to AC Milan Mary, he turned them down because they're City." - I think he is loyal to a degree to Milan but I'd get a worse slaughtering for that LOL
I can see what you're saying about comparing the "Old" and "New" City but I don't know enough about the club to do that so I wrote what I know and that's Arsenal. Basically I looked at it from the way the two clubs appear to be going two different directions. Did the best I could.
Also will this supposed 6+5 rule not have a big effect?
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Willie Gannon 5 months ago
I think you grabbed the wrong end of the stick Guido, there are Academies at all clubs, in various forms, and like Ajax they're all ruthless.
Ajax take in thousands for trials as children and they're whittled down each year, but the vast majority are home grown and are created at the club. That was the point I was trying to make.
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Willie Gannon 5 months ago
The 6+5 will have a big effect on the English game, eventually the rule will morph into a 5(foreign)+3(english)+3(home grown at the club) , there is already a similar rule in the CL for when you name your squad, so this new ruling is the next step.
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illya mclellan 5 months ago
What the hell are they trying to buy him for anyway, they need a decent holing midfielder and another good couple of defenders, its ridiculous.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Yeah they should be more concerned with filling those positions.
I reckon though they could afford the Kaka deal and to get 4-5 other players as well LOL
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Oli H 5 months ago
Firstly, Kaka hasn't rejected City. His agent has stated his willingness to negotiate if both clubs agree a fee. The supposed quotes from Kaka are not recent. So anything could happen.
Secondly, City have one of if not the best youth academy in the country right now. Winning the FA youth cup last season and finalists two seasons ago. We've produced the likes of Ireland, SWP, Johnson, Sturridge, Onouha, Richards, Barton, Evans and have other talented players ready to break through like Vlad Weiss. The owners have stated their desire to ensure this academy produces these talents and in turn provide quality world class players to mix.
Your article stinks of jealously, i'm sure if Arsenal were taken over by owners with money you'd have a different opinion, but as its Arsenal out of the "big 4" who are most likely to suffer in the coming seasons I can understand your deep concern for your future.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
The first half of your comment is fine the second half is stupid.
Jealous of what? We have kept competitive without forking out huge money - yes we are waning lately but I believe we will be back on form. Arsenal have two billionaires on our board and the fans don't want the club to be bought out. We could be in the pocket of Kroenke or Usmanov not but the Arsenal fans, board and manager are dead against it.
Jesus not every club wants to be a richman's plaything!!
I'm not at all concerned for our further - in fact I think it is quite safe.
Yeah of course we're all looking at City's money and say I'd like some of that but not sell our soul to the devil. In the coming seasons City may well surpass Arsenal but Manchester United ... I think not!!
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
Don't you just love all these lower clubs pointing at us being in 5th place and making it out to be a huge deal.
Need I remind everyone that a few years ago, even with the likes of Henry in the ranks, it wasn't until the very last game of the season that Arsenal sprung from 5th to 4th, much to the dismay of Spurs (and Adolph Hitler, if youtube videos are to be believed).
So quick to cast venomous ire; so quick to claim future victory because of a potential signing. Guess if my club had nothing to show for itself, I'd be a deluded muppet too.
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illya mclellan 5 months ago
city are coming for your beloved gunners Kenny, it may not be this season, but it will be next, it looks like you are feeling the strain. Apparently Kaka may still be going.....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7830199.stm
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S B 5 months ago
I don't really understand your poll.
Is anybody who plays for Arsenal actually English?
What's your point? They buy cheap players? They still BUY.
Also as far as worth goes....nobody is offering anything for Cristiano.
Kaka really is good. That's the difference.
MONEY speaks louder than made up prizes.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
If Kaka wasn't Brazilian would your answer be different?
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kenny smith 5 months ago
is anyone in cities team still English???
City are shite! you signed robinho and look where it got you. hovering above the relegation zone the whole season.
The sad thing is you are the richest club in the world an no one wants to come to your club. Not even kaka and you offered to pay hin £500,000 a week!,
I would reject that wages to go to city. id want £1million a week to embarress myself enough to pull on a man city club
Man city is just a team for man utd rejects.
If you dont remember |City were going to be offering 100 million for Cristiano not long ago!!!!
Your youth system is horrible!. your first team cant even beat Nottingham Forrest.
Stop slagging arsenal fans off and be concerned that you are the richest club in the world with one of the most expensive players in the world going to be playing coca cola championship football next season!
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S B 5 months ago
Messi isn't Brazilian (he's actually the anti-Brazilian if there ever was one)
and I think he's worth a bundle as well.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Kenny - SB is just Brazilian (Robinho is at City) but I must say I do feel his response has a huge amount to do with Kaka being Brazilian - might be a far different answer were it C.Ronaldo we were talking about
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S B 5 months ago
Thanks for sharing Kenny.
I feel so complete now.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
SB - Do you honestly believe that football can continue to be sustainable if all the top clubs that could afford it (or not) were forking out £100m+ everytime on a player?
"Is anybody who plays for Arsenal actually English?" - Yes, but what in the name of god has that to do with anything?
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S B 5 months ago
Well if an English club does not have English players it shows that BUYing talent is nothing new.
The only thing that is new is that finally a figure considered large in Europe is offered.
Poor clubs like LDU who pay an average of $5 thousand a month think that $10 million is an obscene amount of money.
Everything is relative. $150 million... $10 million...what's the difference?
Why all the fear? Well everyone can rest easy...he's turned down the money.
Kaka is truly fantastic on and off the field.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
We BOUGHT Walcott and he's English - in fact you generally pay more for English players in the EPL
Why is everyone getting their knickers in a twist over all this. To be quite honest I don't particularly care if City fork out the money for him that is up to them. The simple question I'm asking is "will football be sustainable if this continues?"
Afraid of Kaka in the EPL? Senderos did a fine job in keeping him quite when we knocked Milan out of the Champions League last year :-)
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S B 5 months ago
I'm still trying to figure out what this article actually says.
Tell me which one is correct :
1) No player should be sold for more than Zizou was.
2) No player should be worth that much ....unless he's English and dates someone important.
3) No player should be sold for that much unless it's to my club.
4) The practice of buying players should stop.
5) Clubs like City should know their place and not try to become like the big four.
6) Only the top 4 EPL clubs should be allowed to buy players of quality.
7) Only under 18 children should be bought.
Which is it? What's the real point to this article other than a big jealous, horrified rant?
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kenny smith 5 months ago
the point is.... is football sustainable with the money that city are paying players and on transfers....
If city pay every player in the team wa spaid £500.000 a week then the wage bill will be about £600million a year.
No ther team in Europe can compete with that at the moment. And even if City won all every competition there is the prize money, merchandising, tickets sales etc etc still wont touch the wage bill costs.
So even though you are the best team in Europe your owners will realise that they are just throwing large amounts of money away. Hence it wont be sustainable and once they realise how much of their fortune they are actually just throwing away then they will leave and leave your club in the shit!
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Jesus SB sometimes I'd feel I'd have more of a mature conversation with a two year old that can stretch as far as "mammy" and "daddy".
Right Kaka is Brazilian so he's worth a £10000000000000000000000000000000000billion dollars cos that is clearly the point of this article. Brazilians walk on water - there you go you've heard what you want.
Just incase you can unblinker your brazilian eyes what Kenny said is the point of the article.
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S B 5 months ago
Thanks Kenny and you too Maire.... Meow!!
Well I'm glad you cleared that up.
The thing is that City are not just buying a football player.
They are buying Kaka's image as a good lad very much liked by all.
Right on this site you'll find 50/50 or worse about Cristiano for example but with
regards to Kaka it's pretty close to 90 or 100% of people who like him either as a person or player.
So the purchase has to do with the whole package. In the Sao Paulo youth program players are tought from the age of 6 or 7 to deal with crowds, pressure, opponents etc. so a real pro is moulded.
Obviously peopel like Cristiano for example never received the proper training and just can't handle fame and end up worthless or worth nothing much as their good phase passes.
Kaka even at his current lower standard of play is still worth a lot cause the brand Kaka is loved worldwide.
As for winning Euro tournaments well this is fine but I believe the owners of City (who are not Europeans) have a far more global vision for the club. Who knows what their ultimate plans may be regarding tours, world tournaments or friendlies, hyping up the Manchester derby etc.
If they are investing they must have a business plan and neither you nor I are in a position to question their plan at the moment for lack of insight into the facts.
And as for the amount well like I said before 10million 150million 600million ...what's the difference?
Is there any limit to what movie stars earn? How about singers?
A footballer is an entertainer like any other.
You pay to go down to the stadium and scream your head off don't you?
The EPL opened the door pumping all those American dollars into their league.
It was only a matter of time for the best players to start cashing in.
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S B 5 months ago
Oh and Maire...I know I'm good but you really don't have to call me Jesus.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
I'm not in the slightest doubting his ability - he is a fantastic player, clearly one of the best in the world. Personally I think he is one of the greatest in the world, right up there with Messi for me.
I was just questioning can money be continually be thrown around football like this or will the bubble burst that's it really?
If Man City was to fork out £150billion zillion for Craig Bellamy that's up to them. I'm just trying to consider can one sustain a club through splashing out this much. If they can fair play to them, if not they'll have buddies in League One.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Agh you were winding me up by not getting my point :-)
I ain't jealous of City. Maybe 5% healous cos they've money but other than that - not at all. They can have Kaka cos we have Cesc Fabregas :-)
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S B 5 months ago
Yeah I hear you.
But that point you are making goes back to the City owners business paln.
I do not think that anyone on this site is qualified to judge their business plan for lack of info.
I am confident that people who have 150 million to throw around are very well advised financially.
Manchester United invested in their club for the last decade or so and it seems to have paid off.
Why is it that people think City cannot do the same?
I am one of those who always thought that the purchse of Manchester United was a mistake as cheaper clubs could be bought and made to be even better. I wrote comments to this effect more than a year ago before all the City fuss.
I'm loving every minuite of this. It shows that any second division club can be world champion all you need to do is spend or have a genuine youth program like Sao Paulo (but that's another debate)
A GENUINE youth program can only be claimed by a club who sells players not one which buys.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
We'll just have to wait and see.
Seems today that the deal may go through - suppose Milan cannot believe their luck, it is a helluva lot of money to turn down even if they already have money.
QPR are loaded too and they've not set the world alight - it seems their owners are a bit stingy really.
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kenny smith 5 months ago
a man with no head could figure out that this business polan wont work......
The guy who own city now hasnt got where has has today by throwing money away!!!!!
So once every player that comes to man city demands the same wages as Kaka then no one will bother coming... you willhave kaka and robinho and thats it
Or if you do decide to pay all of your players £500,000 a week then it will come to a point where the money you are taking in is substantially lower than the money going out.
Your shiek hasnt got to where he is now by doing that and i cant see him doing it now. So once he realises that paying these players what they are and what he gets back from t.v money, winning competitions is nowhere near what he shelves out then he will stop!
Dont care how rich he is he wont carry on once he realises the rewards arent worth it.. You dont need a degree in Business Management to figure that out!
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S B 5 months ago
Hey KEN ...have you given thought to sending your CV to City as new financial adviser.
I'm sure they'll call the deal off once they've heard your compelling arguments.
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kenny smith 5 months ago
Hey BRASIL.
Maybe i should because it seems like they dont have a financial adviser..
You have got to admit yourself that by the time Man City are the finished article their income will be considerably less than their expenditure.
Business men do not throw money away for fuck all no matter how rich they are. Once they figure it wont work and the financial rewards arent there then they will cut their losses. Ok you may say he has got however many billions but the thing about people with that much money is they invest wisely and look after the penny's. That is how they become so rich. And they know when to cut their losses on an investment.
I do not think anyone can deny that fact. And you do not need to be a financial expert to see that.
Its no use saying "o your not qualified to judge finances of City" becuse there is nothing complicated about it.
No business in the world, which is not funded by bank loans, is able to run on higher expenditure than income
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Feed the Goat 5 months ago
Pass the sick bag there is a real stench of sour grapes .
MCFC have the finest Youth development policy in Europe, F A Youth Cup Winners last season humbling Chelsea and very narrowly beaten finalists the season before against Liverpool.
Unbeaten and top of thier League this season and marching to another Youth Cup triumph.
People have forgotten that the pretend manchester club only took off on the back of a major capital injection in becoming a PLC early 90's and never looked back. Chelsea soared only after a dodgy gained rouble injection.
So why the wailing and breastbeating about City ?
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
City and Arsenal are examples
City for the - we'll spend loads of money through our rich owners
Arsenal for the - we'll be a stingy as hell in the transfer market and resist a take over instead
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Colinski Manchester 5 months ago
Maire, i`m a Manchester City supporter to the core. From the off i`ll go on record in stating that i think Arsene Wenger is by far and away the best club manager i have ever witnessed at work. I`m full of admiration for his ethos but Manchester City did not change the rules for being successful. Football, for those of us old enough to remember, lost it`s charm many moons ago. As supporters of less affluent clubs (City included) we have watched the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea disappear over the horizon, along with our hopes and dreams due to over inflated transfer fees and wages offered. We all knew the playing field would never again be level for us without the intervention of insanely rich benefactors as these clubs monopolised all the success due to cashflow. Arsenal under Wenger, to their credit, have tried to retain some of the romance we all miss so badly. Saying that, they have still on more than one occasion spent extraordinary amounts in transfer windows when they`ve seen fit to because they could. I agree the figures bandied around regarding Kaka are unfathomable, but let`s be honest here. Football went insane before Sheikh Mansour joined the circus. 6 years ago Chelsea spent £153,450,000 just trying to level the playing field with the clubs that had had everything their own way for too long. They followed that with £56.85m and £92.4m in the attempt to be taken seriously on the pitch. To date they have spent approx £520m on players alone since the premier league began back in 92/93. Granted they have enjoyed success domestically, but on a wider stage trophies continue to elude them. Thus far City have spent £77.5m of the Sheiks money and it`s plain for all to see we are only at the start of attempting to be competitive. Whilst great on our day, we are woeful otherwise. I fell out of love with football some time ago when the governing bodies did nothing to stem the influx of billionaire playboys, and more importantly a wage cap to ensure it would have a less detrimental effect upon lesser affluent clubs. But they did nothing Maire. They stood by basking in the exposure it bought and subsequent riches that inevitably followed from TV and sponsorship. Uefa and Fifa are to blame for the current predicament football finds itself in, not Manchester City. Platini fights valiantly to address this issue, but with the EU and freedom of movement, along with Bosman situation, his fight is a hopeless one. If i`m completely honest there is an inner revolutionary in me that wants this for no other reason than to see the status quo in football upended and pitched into turmoil for their disgusting arrogance. These clubs have all geared themselves to Champions League revenue, safe in the knowledge it would be theirs again come May. They strut around like they have a right to everything without earning it properly. I`d even go so far as to say the F.A shows a bias towards them knowing they are our "famous" brand names, and so very marketable to the wider paying audience. Villa are proving an exception under the outstanding O`Neill, as they have no "names" as yet, although i suspect the likes of Young and Agbonlahor particularly will soon be well recognised across Europe. City with the likes of Robinho and perhaps Kaka will offer another easily marketable option for the premier league product. I`m afraid everyone is simply going to have to get used to the idea that the goalposts have shifted a little more. As for your beloved Arsenal Maire, i suspect this will not be your year as O`Neill has before demonstrated the ability to keep his team focused and consistent. Unfortunately for the gunners they are in something of a transition and suffering key injuries to boot. Fortunately for you they are as rich as most so will be able to come through a season or two without Champions league revenue mostly unscathed. I for one wish your club much luck. When fully fit and in full flow there is no better side at present to watch play this game we all love so well. Hopefully some day soon people will talk about the football that City play rather than what the cost of being competitive was.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Very good answer Colin and cheers for the level headed reply.
Look all power to Manchester City and if they wish to pay out £100m on Kaka it is their money and all the best too ye.
My view on this though is that if you look at Chelsea - Ambramovich to me anyway looks abit bored by it all and seems unhappy that they have yet to win the Champions League. No one is certain but the rumours are gathering pace that he will may walk away on Chelsea. If he does this before they become self-sustainable could it be that Chelsea will be in worse problems before he took over?
Same goes for City - do you not have a small fear that it may go belly-up and ye may be left in huge debt and unable to cope?
They are making the Champions League qualification harder anyway - I think it may well be a case that the 4th place team in England will face a 4th place team from Spain/Italy/Germany making it far harder to get it in.
If Arsenal don't qualify for the CL I will be looking at our manager and board for answers not Aston Villa. they are doing what they have to do and we need to do the same.
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Anthony Sanchez 5 months ago
Players are worth whatever people will pay for them. That money will trickle down to other clubs so to my eyes how could be anything but good for football. Its definately better than stealing players at a young age like Manchester United and Arsenal have done with the likes of Rafael and Fabregas. They only hope for true integrity in those clubs are local players like Jay Simpson and Danny Wellbeck. Youth system are not enough they still only add up to nothing but theft. At least City are paying for their talent.
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S B 5 months ago
Good points.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
That is another point that the money will trickle down - with £100million Milan could get 5 very good players, although again I doubt they are short on money
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Jordon Tefft 5 months ago
I think both can succeed at great heights and both can fail miserabley.
I think the better idea is what Real Madrid are "supposed" to start doing. Star players fused in with youth products. Think it was referred to as "Kakas and Torres's" Torres being on of the right backs at the club if you don't know him. =)
A cross breed of Arsenal and City.
Of course, RM were the original "City" and it worked great for about 4 years. Up until Beckham was bought and Makalele was sold.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
I must admit that Manchester United are doing a great job at the moment mixing young and old players.
It just goes to show what one bad move can do to a club - when Madrid sold Makalele they just didn't look the same team at all. It was only after Madrid sold him that I realised what a huge player he was for them.
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Shyam Parthasarathi 5 months ago
"Whatever goes up comes down." - a wise, wise man said this.
When you rely on one benefactor for all the money, you're doomed.. now Abramovich doesn't want to bankroll Chelsea's transfers at all - and they're in a spot of bother - the same could happen to Man City soon.. the competition is very high atop the Premier League and Man City have to compete.. if they don't - nobody can save them and they'll go down faster than Leeds Utd did.
Every business has to be run in a sustainable manner - be it football or otherwise.
Otherwise whatever goes up so fast will come down as the same rapidity.
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Shyam Parthasarathi 5 months ago
**at the same rapidity!
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Point I was trying to make Shyam - but apparently I'm only been a jealous Gunner!!
I think we Arsenal fans have given up been jealous of other people bringing in huge money transfers. Funny how anyone could think we'd be jealous of a club just cos they have a few bob in their pocket.
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
I looked in to City a bit more after this article was written.
ADUG bought City for £210m from Thaksin Shinawatra. He had purchased City for £81.6 million after failing to buy Liverpool. Thaksin had his British visa revoked after being found guilty of conflict of interest and sentenced to 2 years in ail in his home land of Thailand, where he was President until he was overthrown in a bloodless coup.
Immediately following the purchase of the club, ADUG had a last-minute bid put in to Dimitar Berbatov before the close of the transfer window which Spurs apparently accepted. But we all know where Berbatov is playing today.
Fantasy transfers and shaky foreign ownership. Good on you City :(
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agooner from goonerTV 5 months ago
So the club is worth 2 Kakas
What a bunch of caca.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Ha ha wasn't that where Spurs flew him to Manchester and United kidnapped Berbatov?? Whether the story is true or not I like to believe it - Berbatov was in fergie's car LOL
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Saraswathi Siriginia 5 months ago
Mary, I am with the Arsenal way, waiting for budding young talent to manifest rather than spend millions of dollars on a lone costly proposition who might perform to his best or not!
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Well its not really picking a way Sarah - to be quite honest I'm not 100% happy on the Arsenal way as it is gambling on a)these kids been good and b)these kids been loyal but i'm willing to go along with it for now if it means we'll definitely have a club to support in 10 years time
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Amin Malik 5 months ago
If this transfer doesn't go through all three parties involved will have made a stupid decision. Man City for offering such an obscene sum of money in the first place and Milan for not accepting the money which could buy them 3-5 first team class acts and Kaka for turning down the chance to make A MILLION DOLLARS EVERY TWO WEEKS!! Great Article POTD :)
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Cheers Amin
I must admit you can't blame either Kaka or Milan if they accepted the deal. Why he'd come now I don't know because they are in a relegation battle but maybe he'd rather that to the CL :-)
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Jamie Ward 5 months ago
Hi Maire, I see you have generated some interest in this article ;-)
I dont know too much about it but surely.....is it wise for wenger to rest the future of the club simply on the "potential" of youth players? He is fantstic at finding great young players, but he doesnt have a crystal ball so surely he will make mistakes, as he has don in the past.
What if the club's future is being rested on the potential of players and they just dont come up to scratch/or suffer serious career threatening injuries etc if you had lost fabregas to an eduardo injury and he wasnt available for a whole season or two, what would you do to fill his place when your still waiting for young players to develop and you need them a season or two before they are ready, they cant deal with the pressure so soon in their career, lose confidence, play badly, and in the mean time the team are struggling in the league because they are mssing aa key player with no back up for him bcause wenger doesnt want to spend a great deal of money to fill the gap.
Its all well and good building for the future with youth that will save you money, thats exactly how it should be done and wenger deserves a lot of respect for building the team that way, but I feel that you need playersto keep the team in the running until those players come through the ranks at the speed they need to develop comftably.
I think he has sold a few great players a little too early and should have held on to the team a little longer until the likes of the young players are ready.
I think rafa has the right idea at the moment, we are getting a great team with experienced players to fight for trophies that will earn the money or the club so that when the youth players come through the ranks they will have a team to play for.
Regaurdless of how great arsenal play football, we both know this game is about trophies/income, how much longer will wenger be giving, if not by the board, by the fans themselves, if he continues to not win anything? It has been three years since a trophy and to be honest, this season looks to be another.
You have mentioned many times wenger cant spend because of the sustainablity of the club and the stadium repayments, if your not winning trophes on a consistant basis, (and not one or two every few years before going thru a trophyless patch) how is wenger going to maintain the sustainabilty of the club?
I think arsenal will get 4th place but to be honest this is one of the best chances for 5th place to take arsenal over resulting in the loss of a champions league position which could have huge repercussions for income and inturn for the pressure of wenger.
I think sometimes wenger justs needs to spend a little more than he wants to every now and then to get players he wants to maintain the present success in order to bridge the gap untill the youth team come thru and prove their worth on a consistant basis over a whole season and not just against some weak teams in the carling cups.
There is no denying wiltshire and co are very talented and have the potential to be great, but its still just potential and they still need to prove they can cut it over a whole premier league season and in europe.
However, I do feel arsenal have been incredibly unlucky with injuries this season and that has had a major affect on the potential of the team he has built the last few seasons, they where after all only four points off of first place I think last season.....but then...you did have experienced players like hleb etc that have now been sold.....so who knows.....
To the point of the article, I certainly dont get any form of jelousy from what you have written, anyone who reads ure articles on a regular basis would know that I thnk.
I do think you are wrong, just because a couple of clubs want to pay 30 million plus for players, doesnt mean the whole of football will start following suit, 97 percent of the league are still going to work as a sustainable business and go about their daily business, I dont think it will have a major affect on football, I think the infalted transfer fee WILL distance supporters and their views about players wages. Except 99 percent of supporters of the club the transfered player goes too, who will only be thinking about that great player playing for their club.
Me personally, I would HATE to have someone playing for the club who earns so much money, not thru jelousey, simply the ridiculousness of it. I am happy with the ideaology rafa has in finding players who want to play for the club because its liverpool(much the same as wenger at arsenal) and not buy players simply because they are the biggest names in football and they want to play for the club for the money being offered.
Just because city are offering all this money, doesnt mean 95 percent of the players being chased are going to want to leave, think about it, practically every player they want plays for one of the worlds biggest clubs and winning trophies on a regular basis, no disrespect to city, but no one is going to want to leave a club like milan, united, barca to come and play in manchester on the "possibility they might be a big club in 5 years time.
The 100 million offer doesnt remotely suggest to me that football is heading down that road, its just some very rich people are being a bit silly with their many billions and the majority of football teams are certainly not going to follow suit, not for a bloody 15 odd years yet anyway.
Sorry, I have rambled some what.
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Ha ha took me a while to read that.
You raise a lot of vaild points. The thing is as you mentioned we are putting paying for the stadium over really building the squad - the board have decided to do this and not take out loans to but players or pay wages so we must live with that for now.
I'm by no means say the Arsenal way is the only way - as I mentioned above Arsenal are gambling on a)the kids been good and b) the kids been loyal. Everything is a gamble. I think in an ideal world Wenger would love to keep Toure, Sagna, Clichy, Rosicky, Fabregas, Adebayor and RvP as the core of the squad and then the young guys like Walcott, Vela, Djourou, Bendtner and Ramsay would fill the squad and some of the younger guys still on the bench. I believe wenger doesn't just want a bunch of kids in his team and its not as if we are not spending at all - our main target this window has been Arshavin who is 27.
The thing Wenger and the board speak of is "living within our means". Anyway Wenger will never be fired or put under huge pressure by the board - as long as he's keeping us up there and saving the money the board are happy. Wenger's contract is til 2011 and he will be at the Emirates til then and will either move back to France for a while and coach there or else move upstairs at Arsenal (yes we want our cake and eat it - he's too smart to be letting him go).
I've actually no problem with £30million transfers, used to the likes of Barca, United, Chelsea, Real, Inter, Milan etc doing these deals and I've no problem at all with City joining that group but when you see what they're offering for Kaka you wonder how much Barca would want to get for Messi :-)
I'm not in the slightest worried about Arsenal - if ye can go 18 years without the EPL we can go another one or two ;-)
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Abhimanyu VINAY RAJPUT 5 months ago
Well being a Liverpudlian makes me not to choose other teams but being a football fan wouldn't hurt otherwise.
Money might be the solution but not always..Chelsea after 4 years of big buck splash realize they are still hobbling along and in case they haven't then it's the end of it.
Going by the nurturing the talent method yields rewards...
Why ??
First of all there's no pressure.They haven't been slapped a price tag to play for nor do they have to play for their transfer fee reputation.
Secondly it's quite an experience when your a nobody and becoming a somebody.Believe me you tend to enjoy football much better...
Even at the most infinitesimal level of football play I sometimes find myself burdened with unnecessary pressure when goalkeeping because I have got to live up to the no.1 tag.
Pressure is pressure even if your a superstar or a nobody like me living in the same world....
My pick being Arsenal and I am quite impressed of Wenger's method.
Kudos to the points !!!!!!!!
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Maire Ofeire 5 months ago
Thanks for the comment Abhimanyu...
Indeed pressure is pressure regardless of who you are but being the first player to have a price tag of £100m+ is going to put immense pressure on Kaka.
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