[Shadowthrone]

Okay so they just lost today, another disappointing result in a month of disappointing results but what do you all think? Who will they sign in January? Will they be competing for a CL spot by the end of the season?

I certainly think so. They have one of the brightest talents in the world in Robinho and I think if they find some consistency soon they can challenge the top four.

[caladanbrood]

Depends who they aim for. They wont get the huge name they've been linked with, as chairmen have been seriously pissed off by Robinho's mercentile behaviour, and will simply refuse to sell to them. They'll buy some, sure, but not as many as they will be aiming for.

[Shadowthrone]

Meh I personally think they will sign either Kaka, Ronaldo (Cristiano), or Villa. The money the new owners will offer will make it worth team's while to sell their premier players.

[polishgenius]

I'll eat my hat if they get any of those three. It's just not going to happen. Players play as much for glory as for money and City can't guarantee European football - they certainly won't be in the CL next season.

Apart from maybe a strong holdup striker though, they don't need any attacking superstars, they need a bit of cover. What they do need is basically an entirely new defence, because it's not of the class they want it to be. If they buy smart and solidify that they'll have a shot at UEFA, especially now with Pompey's troubles (because before Harry left the top six was I think a lock, frankly, despite Hull's awesome start). But it's not guaranteed, and I think there's a chance they'll finish below Spurs.

As for it being worthwhile for other teams to sell - it's all well and good saying that, say, 100mil is a good price for Ronaldo, but there isn't anyone as good as him and we don't need 100mil worth of players. We need, at most, a right back and a left winger and even then we're hardly weak there. Similar goes for Milan. Less so for Valencia but they're challenging for the title, he's not going anywhere.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 30 October 2008 - 02:11 AM

[Obdigore]

I have never heard of a place like Man City, and I wish to never live there. Although it would be better designed than woman city, I am sure.

[Shadowthrone]

Obdigore, on Oct 30 2008, 10:16 AM, said:

I have never heard of a place like Man City, and I wish to never live there. Although it would be better designed than woman city, I am sure.

Haha very witty of you. But isn't that considered spam as that had nothing to do with the discussion at hand Don't worry I won't tell

So you are telling me that Man U wouldn't accept a $100 m offer for Ronaldo when they were so close to selling him to Real over the summer for probably less than half of that? I think every team has its price no matter how good their star player. It wouldn't be the first time Man U lose its star. Look at Beckham (even though he wasn't a quarter as effective as Ronaldo is) or even Van Nistelrooy.

[Obdigore]

Perhaps this whole thread is spam and should have been discussed in the other euro-football thread.

[Shadowthrone]

Perhaps but that thread is busy enough as it is. I thought this was a worthy topic for debate and others seem to as well.

[polishgenius]

Shadowthrone, on Oct 30 2008, 06:15 PM, said:

So you are telling me that Man U wouldn't accept a $100 m offer for Ronaldo when they were so close to selling him to Real over the summer for probably less than half of that? I think every team has its price no matter how good their star player. It wouldn't be the first time Man U lose its star. Look at Beckham (even though he wasn't a quarter as effective as Ronaldo is) or even Van Nistelrooy.

For one thing, Ferguson didn't regard RVN or Beckham as required for the team. For the second, selling to Real Madrid and selling to your closest rivals is an entirely different thing - look at Heinze, who was barred from moving to Liverpool.
And I don't know where you're getting from that Ronaldo was nearly sold - at no point did the Manchester United people-in-charge move from a stance of "he's not going and that's bloody final". The only possible way I can see us selling Ronaldo is if it's for a price that'll settle or close to the club debt, and even then it wouldn't be to City.


I'm pretty sure City have come out and said that they won't be doing that sort of thing anyway.

[Shadowthrone]

The fact that the people in charge at Man U said that there was no way that they would sell Ronaldo added to the speculation. I remember days before the Beckham deal, Sir Alex said that Becks wasn't for sale, this is the same for the Nistelrooy deal. Ronaldo wanted out of Man U (whether that means he wants out of England or not is another story).

I don't care that Man U and Man City are rivals; $135 million is enough to prise any player from any club. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jAQWD0...fiSza7J-KkeEmIg . Look at the Figo saga around 8 years ago. They are arguably fiercer rivals than Man U and Man City and Figo was the top player in the world then and a record deal pried him away from Barca.

I don't know for sure that Ronaldo will move (obviously) but if he does I wouldn't be surprised if it was to City.

[caladanbrood]

You're getting way ahead of yourself here. Ronaldo said he wanted to move to Real for a number of reasons, primary amongst which was that it was always his lifetime ambition to play for them, and his family all begged him too. MancIty hardly holds the same glamour, and it's not like United won't match any wage demands he cares to make. No, you're barking up the wrong tree with that one I'm afraid.

[polishgenius]

There's differences there though - Ferguson hates City and knows he'd never be forgiven for selling his best player directly to them.
I can't remember anything about Fergie saying things before selling Beckham, but I do remember there being the distinct sense for the whole season that he wasn't part of the plans any longer - Solskjaer was performing well on the right and Becks was becoming more and more a spare wheel. Plust the boot incident. Not quite the case with RVN, but he'd had the fight with Ronaldo and that row over the Charlton game. I'm pretty certain Fergie never said he was staying either, not that season anyway.

Ferguson hasn't fallen out with Ronaldo, so he's got no reason to let him leave. And, as Bruud says, he's a Madrid fan, not a City one.

Also, that link, they've gone back on that and apparently removed the guy who said it from the position. They're rich, but they want to build a club, not an easily-broken toy, apparently.

This post has been edited by polishgenius: 31 October 2008 - 01:11 AM

[Sir Thursday]

I don't think Ronaldo would want to move to City. Madrid, he said, was his dream, so I could see him moving there, but he's already earning large quantities of money, and, more importantly, he has a shot at winning another Champions' League this season with Manchester United. What can City offer him for Christmas? Lots of money, but no Champions' League, and the hate of pretty much every United fan there is (and there are an awful, awful lot of them).


Kaka or Villa? Perhaps, although once again, no CL this season is a major major drawback.



Sir Thursday

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Mind you, its not like Kaka's in the CL this year either...

[polishgenius]

Does anyone believe that he won't next year though? Because that's as important as this, and I don't see City getting close to a top 4 slot this year.

[Shadowthrone]

Fair enough. I must have missed that whole firing of the guy who said that Ronaldo thing... I stand corrected. As for Kaka, AC Milan are close to becoming Real Madrid of 5 years ago. Signing a bunch of star players and then underachieving. Kaka has said from the beginning that he would love to play in the Prem. one day and with the other young brazillians on Man City and think there is a strong possibility of him moving to them.

[polishgenius]

If they make UEFA and Milan don't make the CL, and City buy strong beforehand, I can see him possibly going there in the summer, although it's an outside shot, Kaka doesn't strike me as all about the money.

[Cougar]

Kaka also quite categorically said a few months ago that he didn't want to play for anyone else other than AC, I wouldn't believe anything footballers say as they are often asked leading questions and then subtley mis-quoted. What I do know about Kaka is that he is a strict evangelical christian who tithes his pay to his chruch in Sao Paulo and has a heavy sense of morality, I doubt money would sway him to go to city.

My expectation is that city may get one or two people who are regarded as top quality. A player like Villa could be a candidate, the rest will all be has beens, those who have never lived up to their billing and people who are a grade below the very best, also watch out for the odd over rated and overpriced south american and some youngsters billed as the next big thing. There is no way they will be able to attract the likes of Ronaldo, Torres, Messi, Gerrard, Terry, Ferdinand etc.

This post has been edited by Cougar: 04 November 2008 - 10:37 AM

[polishgenius]

I can see them getting Andrei Arshavin, although I'm not really sure they need him he's probably better than Petrov, if inconsistent. But they do need to focus on defence.

[caladanbrood]

polishgenius, on Nov 7 2008, 08:43 PM, said:

I can see them getting Andrei Arshavin, although I'm not really sure they need him he's probably better than Petrov, if inconsistent. But they do need to focus on defence.

This is probably the first realistic target I've heard... that level of player, just above what they have now and easily seduced by splashing cash, is exactly what they will be going for, I suspect. Agree also they need a better defence, though hopefully they will stick with Joe Hart, who I seriously rate If not maybe we can steal him