Robinho at it again

[john@staustell]

We have no idea what happens behind the scenes. If he stays, it will be because Les wants and needs him to stay. If he goes, it will be because we get someone better suited in and maybe he is just a pain in the arse?

Either way he is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is (as he should've found out at Real), and when his career is over he will be seen as a 'nearly man'.

So until Jan, lets wait and see.

[john@staustell]

Right on cue for this thread, Martin Lipton (suddenly a City fan on Sunday Supp), says:

Martin Lipton's big lunchtime read: Manchester City should dump dispensable Robinho in January

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion ... 02323.html

He was the signing that represented a statement of intent from Eastlands.

Stealing Robinho out of Chelsea's clutches on transfer deadline day 14 months ago was, without question, a staggering swoop for Manchester City and their new owners.

City needed to show they were for real and landing the Brazilian ace - at a staggering cost of £32.5million - was the perfect way of doing so.

But City have proven without any doubt that they are serious now. And that is why they should dump Robinho at the first opportunity in January - and let him play his silly games somewhere else while they set about winning the title.

The latest act in the non-stop game of will-he, won't-he is unlikely to surprise Mark Hughes.

It probably won't even concern him too much, either. After all, Hughes admitted last week the Brazilian, alongside fellow countryman Elano, made flouting his authority almost into a badge of personal pride.

But the reason that Hughes will not be fussed is the best reason of all - he knows that Robinho is, rather than, as the South American believes himself to be, the best player on the planet, utterly dispensable.

City may have slipped a little recently with consecutive draws against Aston VIlla, Wigan and Fulham - a real frustration when victories would have put them top of the table and with a game in hand - but their displays against Arsenal and United were unquestioned evidence they are serious contenders.

So, how many appearances has the talismanic, vital, best player on the planet made? Three. And none of them since the Craling Cup win at Crystal Palace on August 27.

Yes, signing Robinho did make the world stand up and take notice, just as the failed bid to land Kaka - which looks even more a case of a club trying to run before it had learned to walk properly - made everybody snigger.

But Hughes' wise counsel has now prevailed, as his summer signings demonstrated.

Do you really think Sheikh Mansour wanted to see Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott running out for City at Eastlands - even if he would have been delighted with the arrival of Carlos Tevez?

Of course not, especially with his head full of visions of Robinho and Kaka, of Cristiano Ronaldo and other global superstars.

The Sheikh, however, has listened to Hughes, realised the Welshman is a potentially great manager, given him his head and already started reaping the results.

Hughes told Mansour that Premier League experience was the key, that the basis of his squad had to know how to scrap it out on a wet Wednesday at Sunderland. For that, he needed players who knew what to expect and was given the okay to go out and get them.

Failure to make a European place last season could have cost Hughes his job. Now, though, it gives him a brilliant opportunity to not only smash the Big Four elite wide open but even take the crown itself.

Where United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will be crossing Europe back and forth through the rest of the season - even if Liverpool are facing Europa League trips on the road to Hamburg rather than targeting Champions League glory in the Bernebeu - Hughes can concentrate on the next league clash.

Admittedly the squad might not quite be there yet, with suggestions that the defence could be revamped further, as doubts grow over the wisdom of spending quite so much on Lescott and the limitations of the full-backs become clearer.

But money is not a problem for City and going forward, with Barry proving himself the perfect fulcrum and Craig Bellamy reinvigorated, they are already a match for anybody.

And where does Robson de Souza fit in? He doesn't. Or at least, he doesn't have to.

Unless the whole squad pulls in the same direction, a club goes nowhere. Hughes doesn't have to be reminded of that - it was why he was so successful throughout his career as a player.

If Robinho wants to play for City, wants to be part of the great adventure that threatens to change the face of English football, then he can be a glittering adornment on a team that can become a dominant force.

But if he doesn't, then City do not need him. What they need is Hughes and the players who care for the club. It is them that will win trophies.

Robinho can try to discover if the grass is greener at the Nou Camp. And when he finally grows up, he might be half the player he thinks he is already.

[Original Dub]

For fuck sake - Robinho has been called up for Brazil's friendlies!!

Unbelievable.

[ronk]

Although I started this thread, I'm not one for sensationalism or bowing to media pressure....

However, like Edge said its getting as regular as the Anelka "mis-interpreted" quotes, and perhaps he should be giving answers like "No comment" when it comes to questions on Barca. He has already lifted his skirt and showed Barca his special talent quite a few times, so if he could just leave it at that I think I think that would be best for City.... I always want what's best for City.

And while I appreciate the three or four in this thread who are trying to imply that the rest of us are raving lunatics - let me ask you two questions:

1) If you had to bet your house on it, do you think Robinho is trying to engineer a move to Barca?

2) Do you think Robinho will stick with the statement he made when he got here and said he wanted to stay for many years and win lots of trophies?

Its easy to say its all the media's fault, but I don't really believe that in this case.

And someone mentioned that I am a 'Robbie-Hater' in this thread. I've fucking heard it all now. Why would people get annoyed at the thought of Robbie leaving if they fucking hated him?

The rumours would go into over-drive if he said something like that.

ROBINHO REFUSES TO RULE OUT SPECULATION OF A MOVE TO BARCELONA

No comment can be interpreted to mean that something is actually happening and I can't talk about it.

[Original Dub]

Although I started this thread, I'm not one for sensationalism or bowing to media pressure....

However, like Edge said its getting as regular as the Anelka "mis-interpreted" quotes, and perhaps he should be giving answers like "No comment" when it comes to questions on Barca. He has already lifted his skirt and showed Barca his special talent quite a few times, so if he could just leave it at that I think I think that would be best for City.... I always want what's best for City.

And while I appreciate the three or four in this thread who are trying to imply that the rest of us are raving lunatics - let me ask you two questions:

1) If you had to bet your house on it, do you think Robinho is trying to engineer a move to Barca?

2) Do you think Robinho will stick with the statement he made when he got here and said he wanted to stay for many years and win lots of trophies?

Its easy to say its all the media's fault, but I don't really believe that in this case.

And someone mentioned that I am a 'Robbie-Hater' in this thread. I've fucking heard it all now. Why would people get annoyed at the thought of Robbie leaving if they fucking hated him?

The rumours would go into over-drive if he said something like that.

ROBINHO REFUSES TO RULE OUT SPECULATION OF A MOVE TO BARCELONA

No comment can be interpreted to mean that something is actually happening and I can't talk about it.

But do you get my POINT?

[Rag_hater]

"No comment" infers to me that someone is trying to hide something.
I think by stating the obvious about playing with players like Messi and so on he is telling the truth.
And Barca are quite highly thought of in Brazil so Robson would be making a bit of a fool of himself if he didnt say good things about them.I imagine a lot of people grow up wanting to play for them.
I think he is just being respectful to them as they are a team that is looked upto in his own country.
And I heard an interview with Becksum once while he was at Madrid at the time Zidane was there and asked who the besr player was that he had played with he replied Robson, so if he has ambitions of being the best player in the world I dont think he is to deluded.
He may not be at the moment but I think he has the potential.
He is the best player in the EPL for my money at the moment.

[Original Dub]

"No comment" infers to me that someone is trying to hide something.
I think by stating the obvious about playing with players like Messi and so on he is telling the truth.
And Barca are quite highly thought of in Brazil so Robson would be making a bit of a fool of himself if he didnt say good things about them.I imagine a lot of people grow up wanting to play for them.
I think he is just being respectful to them as they are a team that is looked upto in his own country.
And I heard an interview with Becksum once while he was at Madrid at the time Zidane was there and asked who the besr player was that he had played with he replied Robson, so if he has ambitions of being the best player in the world I dont think he is to deluded.
He may not be at the moment but I think he has the potential.
He is the best player in the EPL for my money at the moment.

He has the potential, but when you say the best player in the premier league you must mean the player with the most skill? On his day he can be the best, but there's a number of attributes missing.

[Rag_hater]

"No comment" infers to me that someone is trying to hide something.
I think by stating the obvious about playing with players like Messi and so on he is telling the truth.
And Barca are quite highly thought of in Brazil so Robson would be making a bit of a fool of himself if he didnt say good things about them.I imagine a lot of people grow up wanting to play for them.
I think he is just being respectful to them as they are a team that is looked upto in his own country.
And I heard an interview with Becksum once while he was at Madrid at the time Zidane was there and asked who the besr player was that he had played with he replied Robson, so if he has ambitions of being the best player in the world I dont think he is to deluded.
He may not be at the moment but I think he has the potential.
He is the best player in the EPL for my money at the moment.

He has the potential, but when you say the best player in the premier league you must mean the player with the most skill? On his day he can be the best, but there's a number of attributes missing.

I'd say he can dribble and beat men better than anybody else.
He can pass as good as anybody if not better than most and find that creative pass,as for the tackling,I found on the Gaurdian site that he puts in or tries about 5 tackles a match which is the same as all the others if not a bit more.Gareth comes top.
He can shoot as accurately as most if not better.
What is lacking from his game might not be the case this season.In the 3 games he played this season for us I didnt see anything lacking.

[mcfc1632]

Although I started this thread, I'm not one for sensationalism or bowing to media pressure....

However, like Edge said its getting as regular as the Anelka "mis-interpreted" quotes, and perhaps he should be giving answers like "No comment" when it comes to questions on Barca. He has already lifted his skirt and showed Barca his special talent quite a few times, so if he could just leave it at that I think I think that would be best for City.... I always want what's best for City.

And while I appreciate the three or four in this thread who are trying to imply that the rest of us are raving lunatics - let me ask you two questions:

1) If you had to bet your house on it, do you think Robinho is trying to engineer a move to Barca?

2) Do you think Robinho will stick with the statement he made when he got here and said he wanted to stay for many years and win lots of trophies?

Its easy to say its all the media's fault, but I don't really believe that in this case.

And someone mentioned that I am a 'Robbie-Hater' in this thread. I've fucking heard it all now. Why would people get annoyed at the thought of Robbie leaving if they fucking hated him?

Well I would prefer not to bet my house on anything except a cert

And these 2 options do not seem to cover the scope - I understand all about player power - but I am absolutely confident that CITY are / will drive this matter - but if these were the only 2 options available I would definitely back number 2 ahead of 1

[Original Dub]

"No comment" infers to me that someone is trying to hide something.
I think by stating the obvious about playing with players like Messi and so on he is telling the truth.
And Barca are quite highly thought of in Brazil so Robson would be making a bit of a fool of himself if he didnt say good things about them.I imagine a lot of people grow up wanting to play for them.
I think he is just being respectful to them as they are a team that is looked upto in his own country.
And I heard an interview with Becksum once while he was at Madrid at the time Zidane was there and asked who the besr player was that he had played with he replied Robson, so if he has ambitions of being the best player in the world I dont think he is to deluded.
He may not be at the moment but I think he has the potential.
He is the best player in the EPL for my money at the moment.

He has the potential, but when you say the best player in the premier league you must mean the player with the most skill? On his day he can be the best, but there's a number of attributes missing.

I'd say he can dribble and beat men better than anybody else.
He can pass as good as anybody if not better than most and find that creative pass,as for the tackling,I found on the Gaurdian site that he puts in or tries about 5 tackles a match which is the same as all the others if not a bit more.Gareth comes top.
He can shoot as accurately as most if not better.
What is lacking from his game might not be the case this season.In the 3 games he played this season for us I didnt see anything lacking.

I know you like your stats and there is no doubt in MOST cases stats tell a good story, but there are MEANINGFUL passes that are required from an attacker and in the three games I saw Robinho this season I haven't seen much of a contribution. One of the games I'm talking about I was sitting right at pitch level with Robbie right in front of me for the first half against Wolves. He had some nice touches and flicks but overall contributed very little IMO.

I hope to God we see him play like he did against Stoke every game, or even every other game, but the ONLY AWAY GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN ROBINHO LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE PREM WAS EVERTON.
One game. Can we really put that down to bad form?

By the way, I love the little fella - the way he plays with a smile on his face and he tries to make things more exciting. I just don't like the flirtation with Barca and the fact that he hasn't really justified his price tag with us yet.

[Rag_hater]

"No comment" infers to me that someone is trying to hide something.
I think by stating the obvious about playing with players like Messi and so on he is telling the truth.
And Barca are quite highly thought of in Brazil so Robson would be making a bit of a fool of himself if he didnt say good things about them.I imagine a lot of people grow up wanting to play for them.
I think he is just being respectful to them as they are a team that is looked upto in his own country.
And I heard an interview with Becksum once while he was at Madrid at the time Zidane was there and asked who the besr player was that he had played with he replied Robson, so if he has ambitions of being the best player in the world I dont think he is to deluded.
He may not be at the moment but I think he has the potential.
He is the best player in the EPL for my money at the moment.

He has the potential, but when you say the best player in the premier league you must mean the player with the most skill? On his day he can be the best, but there's a number of attributes missing.

I'd say he can dribble and beat men better than anybody else.
He can pass as good as anybody if not better than most and find that creative pass,as for the tackling,I found on the Gaurdian site that he puts in or tries about 5 tackles a match which is the same as all the others if not a bit more.Gareth comes top.
He can shoot as accurately as most if not better.
What is lacking from his game might not be the case this season.In the 3 games he played this season for us I didnt see anything lacking.

I know you like your stats and there is no doubt in MOST cases stats tell a good story, but there are MEANINGFUL passes that are required from an attacker and in the three games I saw Robinho this season I haven't seen much of a contribution. One of the games I'm talking about I was sitting right at pitch level with Robbie right in front of me for the first half against Wolves. He had some nice touches and flicks but overall contributed very little IMO.

I hope to God we see him play like he did against Stoke every game, or even every other game, but the ONLY AWAY GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN ROBINHO LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE PREM WAS EVERTON.
One game. Can we really put that down to bad form?

By the way, I love the little fella - the way he plays with a smile on his face and he tries to make things more exciting. I just don't like the flirtation with Barca and the fact that he hasn't really justified his price tag with us yet.

I think the positive publicity he has bought us and the recognition he has got us has justified his price tag.There was a stage last year when Cheski were prepared to pay 30 mil for him so I dont think that we were ripped of to much.Also the good players we have gave some consideration to the fact we had Robson before they signed for us.The only thing I think is lacking from his game is that he doesn't appear to be very good with his head where Tranny seems to head a few goals in with his bonce.
As for seeing his performances live and not being to impressed I'd put that down to not seeing all he does when one is at the match.
This is a debate that I'm in fear of having because undoubtrdly the atmosphere and the general enjoyment of going to a match and meeting friends and socialising cannot be beaten.But as for actually seeing what is going on on the pitch I think TV coverage is better.I've been to a few matches in my time not hundreds but about 12/13 and the experience is great,however there are things that i miss.More than watching on TV.
Thats why I think the critisism of Robsons away performances is not fair.

[Original Dub]

I think there is a much much bigger difference between Robinho and Ronaldo than just his heading ability mate, come on!! Ronaldo is the finished article - more powerful, faster, as skillful, great in the air, fantastic free kick technique, better finisher. In fact at the moment the only thing I think Robinho has over Tranaldo is honesty. He's not a cheating diving cunt.

I agree that the publicity he gave us was a big help, no doubt.

And as for the whole thing about whether football is better live or on the box for analysing.... I think you need both ideally. To be able to watch players live captures a lot of off the ball running, closing down and exact technique with fast flicks etc. Then to watch the game afterwards on the likes of football first helps to analyse overall contribution and game flow.

But I watched Robinho 3 times last season - once right in front of me which I was terribly excited about and ultimately let down. The other two on TV.

For all the stats this season in his three games, you have to say, as an attacker he hasn't contributed greatly YET. I can't wait to see him come back and click with Ade and hopefully Superman because they seem to have an already telepathic understanding but are now surrounded by better calibur of attack.

[mcfc1632]

Lets see him a central role behind Ade and supported by Tevez etc - I would guess after a few games all on here would be drooling over how good he is.

[mcfc1632]

Comments lifted from an interview with Hughes on BBC site:

Manchester City forward Robinho is closing in on a return to action after a two-month absence.
The Brazilian, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona, suffered a stress fracture of an ankle on 5 September.
He is not fit for Wednesday's Carling Cup tie against Scunthorpe but City boss Mark Hughes said: "We hope it will resolve itself in the next week or so.
"It is about him getting back playing and enjoying his football - and that takes away any other focus for Robi."
Robinho picked up the problem in a World Cup qualifier but Hughes stated last week that the injury had not healed as quickly as he was initially hoping.
"He could join in with the group but if he got a direct bang there's a chance he would re-break the leg," said Hughes on 22 October.
However, the Brazilian could now potentially feature in the game against Burnley on 7 November or against Liverpool on 21 November after the international break.
But his return to action could come for Brazil after the 25-year-old was named in his country's squad for the friendly matches against England in Doha on 14 November and Oman three days later.


In his absence, Craig Bellamy has hit a rich vein of form for City, scoring five goals in seven league games.
While Robinho has been recovering there has been speculation that Barcelona will try to bring the former Real Madrid star back to La Liga in the January transfer window. However, Hughes insisted Robinho would not be sold.
"It doesn't really surprise me because I knew that was the case anyway. It's a non-story from our point of view," he commented.
"Nothing has changed in respect of Robi. He won't be leaving us, and that's the top and bottom of it."
City meet Scunthorpe at Eastlands in the Carling Cup and the City boss added: "We hope to do well in the domestic cups if we can. The Premier League is a huge ask for anybody to overcome some of the best teams, not only in Europe, but the world.
"That's the challenge every club in the Premier League has if they are to aspire to the top title."

[paulmclaren]

I couldn't give 2 fucks if he stays or goes.

[sky_blue_stew]

Now this story comes out, without a single quote at all, claiming that Man City insist Robinho is going nowhere. Not even bothered making up fictional stories. I mean, this isn't reporting, it is literally someone getting paid to write about reports of "reports", without citing anything. Sports journalism makes me despair. I can see why the site is called All Headline News though, cos there's sod all else there besides headlines.