[Barry Wilson]

Originally Posted by Super Dog Man

What does concern me is when a club like Man City comes from knowhere, buy's whoever they want for silly money and then think they can win the league.

Chelsea thought the same thing and they won the league twice.

[Cantona07]

They are playing level one money for level two players. Even chelsea realised this wasnt a smart thing to do.

Its POSSIBLE they could all gel but its doubtful. Its a lot of egos to keep happy. Bellamy was a £14m new striker 6 months ago, he wont even be on the bench as of now. Robinho was the main man last season, is he in the top 5 wage earners at City now?

They have every right to spend the money as they see fit of course. However if you were a city fan would you REALLY be happy with the entire team changing in the space of a year and the only reason the new guys are there is cos they are all getting their salaries doubled (at least)? If you had watched Hart and Sturridge come through the youth team and been hopeful they had a big future then suddenly watched them get shipped out for the next wave of big money signings would you not be a bit cheesed off? I certainly would be.

[Barry Wilson]

At the moment the 'ego' thing is pure speculation.

Everyone claiming there is going to be an ego clash, well until it happens I'm going to dismiss it.

Man City bought Barry for £12 million which is a lot less than what Liverpool bid for him last year. Tevez's price was probably the same as what United offered. Adebayor and Cruz are probably a tad more than they are worth.

There's no doubt that the wages of all 4 are probably too high.

I don't see how you can class the players as 'level two' players. They've all shown how great they can be and until we see them play a full season at City none of us know whether the fees justify the means.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by Barry Wilson

At the moment the 'ego' thing is pure speculation.

Everyone claiming there is going to be an ego clash, well until it happens I'm going to dismiss it.

Man City bought Barry for £12 million which is a lot less than what Liverpool bid for him last year. Tevez's price was probably the same as what United offered. Adebayor and Cruz are probably a tad more than they are worth.

There's no doubt that the wages of all 4 are probably too high.

I don't see how you can class the players as 'level two' players. They've all shown how great they can be and until we see them play a full season at City none of us know whether the fees justify the means.

Well Robinho and Adebayor are known to be fairly good in the ego department. Im pretty sure Bellamy, RSC and Tevez werent sold the move to City on the back of being in a squad rotation.

Tevez at £25m and £170k a week is absolute madness IMO. Nothing will change my mind on that one.

As i have said Adebayor has had one good season and so has RSC. Arsenal were very happy to sell and i didnt see any of the top four looking at RSC. Thats what i mean by Level two players, it wasnt an insult to them as such just that City are paying way too much.

Its very rare to make so many changes to a team in one go and have it work out. Over two or three years with everyone bedding in at different times i could see it being ok but changing so many players and having so many trying to impress at once isnt going to be easy.

[Barry Wilson]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

Tevez at £25m and £170k a week is absolute madness IMO. Nothing will change my mind on that one.

Tevez hitting 40 goals will undoubtedly change your mind, yes I know it will never happen.

I think Adebayor did pretty well last season, 16 goals isn't a bad result.

The only way City could have Santa Cruz was offering something like £17.5 million. I don't think there is a single team in the premier league that would not want Santa Cruz in their team.

If Santa Cruz was offered to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd for free I have no doubt they would take him but he wasn't free he was very expensive and only one club was willing to pay such a high price.

The thing with Man City is all your basic laws of team building do not apply, all the nurturing of youth team players and other aspects go out the window and instant success becomes the target of the day.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by Barry Wilson

Tevez hitting 40 goals will undoubtedly change your mind, yes I know it will never happen.

I think Adebayor did pretty well last season, 16 goals isn't a bad result.

The only way City could have Santa Cruz was offering something like £17.5 million. I don't think there is a single team in the premier league that would not want Santa Cruz in their team.

If Santa Cruz was offered to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd for free I have no doubt they would take him but he wasn't free he was very expensive and only one club was willing to pay such a high price.

The thing with Man City is all your basic laws of team building do not apply, all the nurturing of youth team players and other aspects go out the window and instant success becomes the target of the day.

Adebayor would have been driven to Manchester by 90% of Arsenal fans, thats really all anyone needs to know about him. The season where he scored 30 goals most Arsenal fans reckoned 50 would have been a realistic target given the chances that he missed.

RSC wouldnt get into a top four team. To say that he would be taken on a free is fair enough but he wasnt free he was the thick end of £18m. If he was the player that they really wanted then fair enough but a month later they have another 2 strikers.

The basic laws of team building still apply. They are just choosing to ignore them, which again makes me sound like a bitter United fan which i am not. I just dont understand how common sense seems to go right out the window as soon as real money becomes involved in football. Look at Sven being linked with Notts County today for example.

[womcom]

Teams like Chelsea and Man City follow a different arc to most of your usual mainstream teams.

The owners want results fast which leaves the managers having to deal with compatibility issues later.

Real Madrid have also followed a similar trend this summer.

Sure Man City could build their team slowly like Wenger and Ferguson but the rich owners clearly do not have the patience.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by womcom

Teams like Chelsea and Man City follow a different arc to most of your usual mainstream teams.

The owners want results fast which leaves the managers having to deal with compatibility issues later.

Real Madrid have also followed a similar trend this summer.

Sure Man City could build their team slowly like Wenger and Ferguson but the rich owners clearly do not have the patience.

And thats why it doesnt work.

[mel1213]

Originally Posted by womcom

Teams like Chelsea and Man City have totally different rules to most of your mainstream teams.

The owners want their their teams to be built up fast and will deal with compatibility issues later.

Real Madrid have also followed a similar trend this summer.

Sure Man City could build their team slowly like Wenger and Ferguson but the rich owners clearly do not have the patience.

Yes but Real Madrid already had a proven squad of talent (although a few more defenders would be nice) and whilst Pere is buying in big name players, there is some order and reason behind his spending. Also we didn't do too badly last season, even with the self destruction that seemed to be going on in the club, we still managed to finish a comfortable 2nd.

[womcom]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

And thats why it doesnt work.

It does work, how else do you explain the two league titles Chelsea have won.

True, Man City do have a long way to go to even come close to Chelsea but the money is available to turn it into a reality.

[womcom]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

They are just choosing to ignore them, which again makes me sound like a bitter United fan which i am not.

For someone who is claiming they are not a 'bitter United fan' you have posted in nearly every Man City thread knocking them in some form or another.

The summer signings haven't even kicked a ball in a blue shirt and you are already declaring they are bad buys.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by womcom

For someone who is claiming they are not a 'bitter United fan' you have posted in nearly every Man City thread knocking them in some form or another.

The summer signings haven't even kicked a ball in a blue shirt and you are already declaring they are bad buys.

Thats because its my opinion. I have backed it up with logical reasons every time. Im not going to say i think its a good idea to be buying the players they are buying just to avoid being called a bitter United fan.

Chelsea won 2 league titles but go through their list of signings and see how many were successful and how many were a complete waste of money. That was them with a half decent team in the first place.

I think Bridge and Barry are decent players as are De Jong and Kompany and i could see the logic of Hughes buying Bellamy and slotting him in. Robinho was a bit different because that was a deal done super quickly. Going after Kaka and Eto'o was madness imo and i think buying 3 strikers this summer is a crazy transfer policy. If someone can explain why having a first XI with Bellamy and Robinho up front needs another 3 strikers in one summer? To me it makes no sense whatsoever so i'll say it makes no sense.

[fairycakes]

Can you not all just wait and see how City do? Even as a huge City fan I know that they could either do really well or rubbish but United fans making threads/comments stating that City will be bad or have made stupid buys just shows that they are scared that City will do better than them

[mel1213]

Originally Posted by fairycakes

Can you not all just wait and see how City do? Even as a huge City fan I know that they could either do really well or rubbish but United fans making threads/comments stating that City will be bad or have made stupid buys just shows that they are scared that City will do better than them

Well watching their performance so far tonight, they aren't looking that great ... yes they are 1-0 up but they have been scuffing shots and letting the Chiefs take total control!

[stu636]

Originally Posted by mel1213

Well watching their performance so far tonight, they aren't looking that great ... yes they are 1-0 up but they have been scuffing shots and letting the Chiefs take total control!

Seeing as you are watching the game, then you will notice most of the first team are not playing. It is a friendly game, you can not read anything in to these games. Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have all had poor friendly games this last week.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by fairycakes

Can you not all just wait and see how City do? Even as a huge City fan I know that they could either do really well or rubbish but United fans making threads/comments stating that City will be bad or have made stupid buys just shows that they are scared that City will do better than them

If you dont want me to post in the thread thats fair enough. Its annoying when fans of other teams are hogging your thread.

I dont think ive said anything too offensive though. Its interesting to speculate and see who is right when the season starts!

[mel1213]

Originally Posted by stu636

Seeing as you are watching the game, then you will notice most of the first team are not playing. It is a friendly game, you can not read anything in to these games. Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have all had poor friendly games this last week.

And? Yes it is a friendly and it may not be the first choice XI but they are still not really playing that great ...

[stu636]

Originally Posted by mel1213

And? Yes it is a friendly and it may not be the first choice XI but they are still not really playing that great ...

And so what? These games are more for players to get up to match fitness not for playing amazing football. Being a pre season game I couldn`t care less if the performances were are not that great, as long as they play well in the coming season that`s all that really matters.

[mel1213]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

If you dont want me to post in the thread thats fair enough. Its annoying when fans of other teams are hogging your thread.

I dont think ive said anything too offensive though. Its interesting to speculate and see who is right when the season starts!

Meh, I have no such qualms - just ask the Liverpool thread

I think speculation is the best part of pre-season, it's always nice to look back in threads later in the season to see some of the comments made and how things have panned out

[fairycakes]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

If you dont want me to post in the thread thats fair enough. Its annoying when fans of other teams are hogging your thread.

I dont think ive said anything too offensive though. Its interesting to speculate and see who is right when the season starts!

I`m not saying not to post in here as its not my thread but try to be constructive (nice).
And United didn`t exactly play amazingly in their last two games either. Pre-season is for fitness only. And if they`re playing so badly why have I not heard one non-City name in the commentary?

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by mel1213

Meh, I have no such qualms - just ask the Liverpool thread

I think speculation is the best part of pre-season, it's always nice to look back in threads later in the season to see some of the comments made and how things have panned out

Yeah i scored big style in that department last season.

I can just see why a United fan (me) posting lots in a City thread with negative stuff (allbeit backed up with reasons) would start to be a bit of a PITA.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by fairycakes

I`m not saying not to post in here as its not my thread but try to be constructive (nice).
And United didn`t exactly play amazingly in their last two games either. Pre-season is for fitness only. And if they`re playing so badly why have I not heard one non-City name in the commentary?

United were bloody hopeless in both games! Owens looked awesome but it really is only an exercise in well....exercise!

I can say one thing though. Anything i say about City is based on what they are doing not on the fact that i am supposed to hate them so i would say the same if it was Everton or Spurs doing the same thing. I dont have any particular anti-city agenda.

[fairycakes]

Originally Posted by Cantona07

United were bloody hopeless in both games! Owens looked awesome but it really is only an exercise in well....exercise!

I can say one thing though. Anything i say about City is based on what they are doing not on the fact that i am supposed to hate them so i would say the same if it was Everton or Spurs doing the same thing. I dont have any particular anti-city agenda.

Owen was definitely a good buy, better than Adebayor and RSC in my opinion!
Say what you like your bitter!

[Super Dog Man]

Originally Posted by Barry Wilson

Chelsea thought the same thing and they won the league twice.

Chelsea had actually WON a trophey before Abramovich took over.

What was the last cup City won again? Or the last time they finished in the top 4 of the league?

Or even the last final they made??

[Barry Wilson]

Originally Posted by Super Dog Man

Chelsea had actually WON a trophey before Abramovich took over.

What was the last cup City won again? Or the last time they finished in the top 4 of the league?

Or even the last final they made??

Are you honestly claiming Chelsea could have won back to back premier league titles without Abramovich, because that is exactly what it sounds like you are implying.

The Abramovich money factor made a HUGE difference at Chelsea as it will at Man City. Granted Man City have a lot more work to do than Chelsea did but money talks.

You purposely going into a Man City thread and hoping 'City do a Leeds' really does reveal your true bitterness.