Razak

[Goaters 103]

Razak has genuine potential, so lets see how the entire loan plays out and how he looks in 2012/13 pre-season.

I tend to think Mancini has him in our long term plans, but 2 good games on loan in the Championship do not "the new Ya Ya Toure" make.

Good to see him and Guidetti doing well; they will both get their chances at City, and at worst they have both enhanced their transfer values if Mancio decides they cant cut the mustard.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Just a point of realism about the Yaya who some are saying he is not.....no doubting that the Yaya Toure who played for Barcelona was an excellent, top level player but I would argue that the Yaya people are saying Razak will never become is the Yaya who has developed (or been allowed the framework to demonstrate this side of him) at City over the last couple of years.

Yaya is 28 years old and over the last 18 months now looks like the "new Vieira" the Premiership has been clamouring for since the old one passed his peak at Arsenal. I would contend that very few players who have the raw talent (strength, vision, on the ball ability, passing, stamina, goal threat) would ever blossom into the real full package until their mid-20's.

If Razak can fulfil a De Jong role to a good level in the next couple of years I would say that is a realistic goal. The next Yaya Toure at 21 is laughable...even Yaya wasn't the Yaya we all drool over at that age

A nice, well thought out post Ant.

Well done to you.

[bigblue]

Here's a nice quote found on the earlier linked forum from Neil. Nice to hear how highly he rates Abdul and anything that pisses Mr. Warnock off is good in my book. Well in City!

In his column for the Independent, Warnock revealed: "We had a young lad there (at Crystal Palace) who had come over from Ghana [sic] to play in a junior tournament and clearly wanted to stay in Britain. He told us he was 15 years old, though he was very reluctant to tell us anything about who he was or where he had come from. He had no passport. What he did have was bags of ability. In fact, I've never seen such a talented 15-year-old.

"Palace helped him in a way that I've never seen any club support a young player. They spent a year coaching him and giving him all the support he needed. They made sure he was living in a safe environment and had money in his pocket. When Palace played Manchester City I went out of my way to introduce him to Emmanuel Adebayor.

"However, without a passport he had problems staying here. The club worked tirelessly to help him. I went to four meetings with the immigration people in Croydon to speak on his behalf.

"Then one day, without even telling us, he vanished. We couldn't get hold of him at his home and never saw or heard from him again. His name was Abdul Razak.

"I read the other day about an 18-year-old African player who made his debut for Manchester City earlier this month.

"You can imagine how the steam came out of my ears when I read this, after all the time and help we had given him."

[Moonchesteri]

Here's a nice quote found on the earlier linked forum from Neil. Nice to hear how highly he rates Abdul and anything that pisses Mr. Warnock off is good in my book. Well in City!

great story, just because of the highlighted part.