Lavezzi to PSG

[dazby]

Last Olympics we bought Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta. That's a pretty good track record.

[Slim]

I really don't think we're looking to sign anyone this summer

I do, all in good time though. Rather than the supermarket sweep dash of years gone by, this is more like the careful purchase of an exquisite timepiece to add to an already fantastic collection. Take time, do the research and choose wisely.

Careful, considered, planned, like getting any player we are signing in for pre-season training?

Don't get this fucking idea that we are in control when we seem to be missing a fundamental component and no-one seems to give a shit.

[DoomMerchant]

I really don't think we're looking to sign anyone this summer

I do, all in good time though. Rather than the supermarket sweep dash of years gone by, this is more like the careful purchase of an exquisite timepiece to add to an already fantastic collection. Take time, do the research and choose wisely.

Careful, considered, planned, like getting any player we are signing in for pre-season training?

Don't get this fucking idea that we are in control when we seem to be missing a fundamental component and no-one seems to give a shit.

i feel this summer has been catastrophic.

Marwood needs to have his ass handed to him and shown the door. End of story. This isn't acceptable unless he pulls a fucking rabbit out of the hat next week. i dunno who's fucking with who, but this smells really badly to me.

cheers

[Kiss_The_Goat]

imo if all we get is a center back as cover for Lescott an Vinnie and we keep all of last seasons CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING first team squad then, that's alright by me...

[Wonderwall]

imo if all we get is a center back as cover for Lescott an Vinnie and we keep all of last seasons CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING first team squad then, that's alright by me...

True it's not like any of the squad is on a downward spiral. We should be strong after coming through last season as a squad. However, we do need a little bit of extra quality brought in if we are going to go for the champions league.

[Crossie]

I still think that Lavezzi, Cavani & Hamsik were a quality front three, but not sure singularly if they'd have the same impact - ala Shevchenko - Rebrov

Spot on.

Suited a system in an Italian counter attacking team.

Not the premier league, happy to not bother.

[ant london]

I still think that Lavezzi, Cavani & Hamsik were a quality front three, but not sure singularly if they'd have the same impact - ala Shevchenko - Rebrov

Spot on.

Suited a system in an Italian counter attacking team.

Not the premier league, happy to not bother.

Out of the three of them I think Lavezzi would have just offered us "more of the same" in terms of what Kun and Carlos bring to the team. I don't think he would ever have been on the radar for us unless Tevez had been for the exit.

Hamsik has never really wowed me. Out of the three of them it is him that benefits most from the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

Cavani I really do rate but I don't think it's worth the risk of bringing in a striker from Serie A who may or may not do a job here to replace what would surely be Edin who, although capable of ridiculous "hot and cold" performances has shown that he can do it in the PL.

For me in terms of ability to do it in the Prem, Van Persie is a different matter but against him he has age and injury record.

All in all I'd still be happiest if we keep all four strikers and bring in some new midfield threat, pace and ball delivering ability

[OliverHardy]

i feel this summer has been catastrophic.

Marwood needs to have his ass handed to him and shown the door. End of story. This isn't acceptable unless he pulls a fucking rabbit out of the hat next week. i dunno who's fucking with who, but this smells really badly to me.

cheers

Marwood has overseen the purchase of players that have just won the Premier League! With the eyes of Platini ever fixed upon the club and the 'city price' we get asked for buying players, we can't just go out and spend anything we want on any player now. The more better quality squad we have the more difficult it will be to find players that are better than what we have already. It is certain we will buy 1 or 2 quality players but, as the relative lack of transfer activity anywhere at the moment shows, teams are focusing more on getting value for money.

"i feel this summer has been catastrophic" - only this comment could have come from someone called Doom Merchant

[DoomMerchant]

Marwood has overseen the purchase of players that have just won the Premier League! With the eyes of Platini ever fixed upon the club and the 'city price' we get asked for buying players, we can't just go out and spend anything we want on any player now. The more better quality squad we have the more difficult it will be to find players that are better than what we have already. It is certain we will buy 1 or 2 quality players but, as the relative lack of transfer activity anywhere at the moment shows, teams are focusing more on getting value for money.

"i feel this summer has been catastrophic" - only this comment could have come from someone called Doom Merchant

Honestly are you really feeling that it's Marwood who's done a job fielding the squad to win? I think he is riding the coattails of a manager who has vision and Marwood struggles to supply the components for that vision.

We just barely won the league. With a CB and width and pace we'd have walked it by 10 pts. Everyone's improving and we are standing pat.

I'm not panicked but I'd think the league champions and richest club in the world ought to be building the dynasty now need to pull out finger out and sign a few players. Getting our business done early has been our MO which can only mean we are struggling.

[john68]

Sorry Doomie but you may not like this but maybe we are being forced to think FINANCE (particularly FFP) not FOOTBALL at the moment.Like it or lump it mate, we have to make some effort to comply.

Target 1...qualify for the CL and push ourselves up the Coefficients table. thus opening the door to massive increases of income. Prem Champions increases our global marketability but the CL is the path to global income.

I can see our owners believing we have enough quality to guarantee a top four place and I think a decision has been made this summer to mark time and focus on the balance sheet rather than the pitch. Top four and a decent run in Europe, coupled with a healthier balance sheet...job done.

It would be silly to have the best team possible and be penalised so we can't use it.

Please don't shoot the messenger,

[DoomMerchant]

Sorry Doomie but you may not like this but maybe we are being forced to think FINANCE (particularly FFP) not FOOTBALL at the moment.Like it or lump it mate, we have to make some effort to comply.

Target 1...qualify for the CL and push ourselves up the Coefficients table. thus opening the door to massive increases of income. Prem Champions increases our global marketability but the CL is the path to global income.

I can see our owners believing we have enough quality to guarantee a top four place and I think a decision has been made this summer to mark time and focus on the balance sheet rather than the pitch. Top four and a decent run in Europe, coupled with a healthier balance sheet...job done.

It would be silly to have the best team possible and be penalised so we can't use it.

Please don't shoot the messenger,

Shoot? hanged, drawn, and quartered should be your fate my friend.

FFP is bullshit. It's a story, and it'll never, ever, ever happen...

if that's our betting game, then the Sheik has a bunch of fucked up assclowns as legal counsel, and I don't believe for a second that's the case.

This is Marwood...plain and simple, not being a skilled negotiator. Honestly, what's he done since Cook left? We needed some CB coverage in Jan and got fucking Pizzaria. We still need a CB, some pace, and midfield creativity of sorts....and....

<listen>

crickets.

cheers

[Tokyo Blue]

FFP is bullshit. It's a story, and it'll never, ever, ever happen...

Ostrich.

[DoomMerchant]

FFP is bullshit. It's a story, and it'll never, ever, ever happen...

Ostrich.

[john68]

Doomie,
If you still believe that football at the level City are now competing is played on green grassy pitches, by blokes in coloured shirts, who kick a bag of wind about, you are delusional. If you think for one moment that the object of football clubs is to amass points and win trophies, you are living in the clouds you write about so well.
Not even the most naive on here can still think our Sheik bought our club for football reasons. Our Sheik bought City as the vehicle to enhance HIS OWN global interests and ambitions. Scoring goals, amassing points, winning trophies and playing entertaining football are merely by products.

In the words of the Chairman of the rags (pre-Glazer) PLC; "THE PLAYING OF FOOTBALL IS MERELY INCIDENTAL TO THE BUSINESS OF... [the rags]....It was true for them then and it remains true for all the top European clubs, City included, now. The REAL game of football is played in the boardrooms, in the offices of politicians, by politicos, merchant bankers. lawyers and multi-global businessmen. The list of results and the final league table is published annually by Deloittes. City currently sit in 11th position.

That my friend is why the FFP is here, why it will remain and why it will made to work.

[Socrates]

Marwood has overseen the purchase of players that have just won the Premier League! With the eyes of Platini ever fixed upon the club and the 'city price' we get asked for buying players, we can't just go out and spend anything we want on any player now. The more better quality squad we have the more difficult it will be to find players that are better than what we have already. It is certain we will buy 1 or 2 quality players but, as the relative lack of transfer activity anywhere at the moment shows, teams are focusing more on getting value for money.

"i feel this summer has been catastrophic" - only this comment could have come from someone called Doom Merchant

Honestly are you really feeling that it's Marwood who's done a job fielding the squad to win? I think he is riding the coattails of a manager who has vision and Marwood struggles to supply the components for that vision.

We just barely won the league. With a CB and width and pace we'd have walked it by 10 pts. Everyone's improving and we are standing pat.

I'm not panicked but I'd think the league champions and richest club in the world ought to be building the dynasty now need to pull out finger out and sign a few players. Getting our business done early has been our MO which can only mean we are struggling.

You think we should have got 99 points? Shut the fuck up Doomy you are embarrassing.

[DoomMerchant]

Marwood has overseen the purchase of players that have just won the Premier League! With the eyes of Platini ever fixed upon the club and the 'city price' we get asked for buying players, we can't just go out and spend anything we want on any player now. The more better quality squad we have the more difficult it will be to find players that are better than what we have already. It is certain we will buy 1 or 2 quality players but, as the relative lack of transfer activity anywhere at the moment shows, teams are focusing more on getting value for money.

"i feel this summer has been catastrophic" - only this comment could have come from someone called Doom Merchant

Honestly are you really feeling that it's Marwood who's done a job fielding the squad to win? I think he is riding the coattails of a manager who has vision and Marwood struggles to supply the components for that vision.

We just barely won the league. With a CB and width and pace we'd have walked it by 10 pts. Everyone's improving and we are standing pat.

I'm not panicked but I'd think the league champions and richest club in the world ought to be building the dynasty now need to pull out finger out and sign a few players. Getting our business done early has been our MO which can only mean we are struggling.

You think we should have got 99 points? Shut the fuck up Doomy you are embarrassing.

Embarrassing? one of the greatest teams of all time maybe? what's wrong with being honest about things my friend.

I'm not talking out my ass here Jon...think about it.

cheers

[Socrates]

89 points should have been enough to win by 10 points anyway without the "lucky" decisions the rags got. Thinking we should get more than that is just arrogant.

[ronk]

Embarrassing? one of the greatest teams of all time maybe? what's wrong with being honest about things my friend.

I'm not talking out my ass here Jon...think about it.

cheers

I agree. We had a decent lead, if we'd kept up the pace they'd have fallen off and 10 points would have been realistic.

[DoomMerchant]

89 points should have been enough to win by 10 points anyway without the "lucky" decisions the rags got. Thinking we should get more than that is just arrogant.

read the words i wrote...i'm not even talking about points, although we clearly could have hauled in more.

the comments i made were about buying players since Cookie fired himself.

Something reasonable done in January and we would have walked the league by 10 pts. We did basically nothing and just squeaked it.

Ronk gets it. You should PM him and ask for some advice.

Look, if we land De Rossi, an experienced CB as cover, and some pacy winger i've never heard of next week and i'll shut the fuck up about the topic...but until then i'm allowed to have a gripe.

cheers

[john68]

Doomie,
Whilst everything you say in a football sense is correct, you are still only seeing half of the picture and I don't think you fully take on board the temporary financial strictures our team building is having to work within.

Mancini wants to strengthen the squad,we want him to strengthen the squad and for purely football and success reasons, it is necessary to strengthen the squad. So why has our owner put a limitation on spending? Sell before we can buy. In purely investment terms, our Sheik will soon get his money back. Like it or lump it mate, we have to attempt to comply with the FFP, despite your denial of it ever working.

I agree that standing still is actually moving backwards in a football sense, but financially, it makes sense. We have got through the door of CL qualification with little risk of dropping below that level. We are now positioned to massively increase our income and better comply with the FFP.

I am absolutely convinced that the policy this season is to focus on a decent run in the CL and hopefully win a cup or two. We will compete in the Prem but it will NOT be the Holy Grail it was last season.