How to Cash Paychecks and Irritate People
A familiar pose
Manchester City’s rapid rise from a mid-table, blue-collar existence to a richer, shallower big spender has been quite fun to watch. I still remember the days when grunts like Steve Lomas, Ian Bishop and Kevin Horlock trolled around the midfield, snapping legs and stupefying the masses clad in sky blue, and yet now, with their wealthy owners, they are capable of outspending everyone in the EPL and paying over the odds for any player they choose.
They stand drunk with money, hovering around the top 4 and splashing their cash like a chav who won the lottery.
The jewel in their gold-plated crown was to be Robinho.
The priciest player in EPL history at 32.5m, and branded perfectly as the face of the New Citeh, the team that would finally shed their cross-town inferiority complex (though let’s be fair; so the joke goes, Citeh fans are from Manchester, while United fans are from everywhere else) and rise to the top of the world’s best league. More inflated signings would soon follow, all reinforcing the brand and the vision: Roque Santa Cruz, Joleon Lescott, Kolo Toure, Craig Bellamy, Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez… all of them leaving Mark Hughes looking like a deer in the headlights.
It could have been something grand, and could still be, but there is mild tumult ahead. The jewel wants out. The sullen Brazilian has told his handlers and entourage that he “does not want another day in Manchester,” and even though reports from Barca yesterday hinted that they don’t have much cash to lure him and/or Javier Mascherano to the Camp Nou, speculation begins as to a. just where he’ll go, and b. just how messy and protracted this whole process will get.
We know from our studies that once a player publicizes their discontent, they’re already gone. Xabi Alonso had the good grace to deny everything politely for a while, at least until the Rubik’s Cube that was his exit strategy had clicked into place. Adebayor made sure nary a news cycle passed without yelling his woes to an engorged media, while Berbatov sulked and whined quietly until getting his wish. They’re just the recent few; remember Beckham’s exit from Manchester United? Or Michael Owen’s trip to Madrid?
A number of factors could be in play here; Sparky hits one on the head — “mischief” on the part of his handlers and money-grubbing agent — but more likely, it’s the slow erosion of all Robinho’s friends from the Citeh squad, purged to make way for flashier, more expensive (and thus, more egotistical) brands. As a group, Elano, Robinho, Glauber Berti and Jo were friends, but also looked to have their say in the dressing room, something Hughes would never tolerate. In selling all but one, with the biggest fish to follow, he might temporarily regain control of his squad, but at what cost? For all the sulking, Robinho’s a handy player to have, what with his trickery and divinity in the attacking third. However, recent form (5 draws on the trot, including dropped points to Birmingham City and Burnley) suggests that whatever money they reap in the deal might be well-spent on rebuilding that defense for a second time in 9 months.
To me, Robinho’s sure exit speaks to a greater truth, one that flies in the face of the recent successes at Chelsea who, until 6 or 7 years ago, were just another club scrapping for a piece of the pie. Teams like Manchester City have to understand that money does not solve everything. It inflates the ego and the bank balance, but to really make a successful team, it requires so much more than a blank chequebook. Merely signing the players and giving them untold riches will not bring you a trophy. It might not even bring you three points every weekend. It doesn’t buy you class, wisdom, profundity or expertise. It can only hint at such glories; the rest must be done the old-fashioned way.
Robinho’s departure, whatever the reason, would be a timely reminder to those in charge that the ducats need to be spent an awful lot better than they have been. 17m for an oft-injured Paraguayan striker and 40m for two central defenders bereft of confidence, is indication of a club trying to improve without a clue.
Comments
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA.
Oh, no thanks. the Shadenfreude is too rich. I can’t possibly take another bite.
Bring back Shaun Goater Citeh. Real striker.
Once City builds that Monorail, they’ll be right up there with Ogdenville and North Haverbrook.
Oh, Georger, that’s really more of a Shelbyville idea.
from the title, I thought this post was about me
I think the difference between Chelsea and Manchester City is that Chelsea was already relatively successful before they got Abramovich money. In the five years leading up to Roman’s buy in 2002-03, they finished 4th, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 6th; they were consistently in or around the top quarter of the table, had been to Europe a couple of times, etc., etc. They needed someone to take them over that “hump”, but they were knocking on the door already.
Manchester City has barely been in Europe over the last couple of seasons; it’s partially about the money, of course (Liverpool are learning that), but it’s also about the infrastructure at the club. Also, a player who comes for money isn’t likely to be anywhere near as loyal to the club as a player brought in expecting to win championships; Man City went out and got a lot of mercenaries, and now that there’s not enough for them to do they’re getting restless.
Seriously, fuck this guy.
His talent doesn’t make up for his uselessness.
Go see how much Corinthians is willing to pay you, Robinhodinaldo.
The title of this article has reminded me that “How to Make Friends and Alienate People” is in my netflix queue and should be here tomorrow. For that, James T, kudos.
It’s been nice watching Robinho fail to grasp football in England without the warm sunny days and the actual requirement of skill. Seeing such an overpaid “footballer” whining just brings a smile to my face.
I agree with what MH said, but I also think a major difference between Chelsea and Citeh is managerial style. I love Mourinho – he’s like my dad: he’s cheeky, he’s got a bit of style, you just don’t trust anything he says because 95% of the time he’s trying to get a rise out of you. But he builds trust and loyalty within his players and can manage big egos. Probably because his ego is the biggest in the room, but you need some balls at the top level and to direct and motivate millionares.
I don’t get that from Sparky. He might be starting to figure it out, but I get the impression he thought he could field all these players and it’d just work. Mourinho, SAF, etc realize you need quiet players to do the shit work that no one sees but enables your stars to perform. Mourinho also inhereted a good nucleus at Chelsea from which he could build. Sparky had Darius Vassel on the books.
It’s weird because in his first foray into the EPL he was incredibly successful. He scored goals at a high rate and looked impressive then suffered an injury and the cold weather. He had a little return to form. This season he never really got started and is being marginalized by these other players they have brought in. Plus, he did suffer an injury. It’s a classic case of too many chefs in the kitchen. I bet Robinho and Tevez would work well together but when you have Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez and Robinho to select from you are just asking for trouble.
Robinho has the skill to be great, maybe not the temperament but Citeh has done him no favors. That’s a front line totaling somewhere in the neighborhood of 100MM pounds in transfer fees.
I expect to hear an announcement about Robinho signing for United any day now.
The impression I get, Whiz, is that Sparky took over thinking that he’d be going to a slightly wealthier team than Blackburn- he’d be able to apply the same principles, and attract a slightly better quality of player. I’m sure he knew Thakshin was planning to sell, just not like this. So he set about putting together a more Blackburnish team that first summer, only to have Sheik Yerbouti come in and demand the Robinhos of the world. So now, instead of managing a team of skilled grafters, he’s suddenly got a room full of egos, and you can see how put off he seems by this on the touchline every match.
to whit, in the 2008 window Hughes bought Jo, Kompany, SWP, Zabaleta, and Glauber (while selling Corluka and a whole bunch of other chaff to make up the money) and then Robinho after the sale was announced.
He then bought Bridge, Bellend, De Jong and Given in the January window.
Wenger would sign him, but Arsenal already have the best strike-force the world has ever witnessed.
@EF: that will never get old.
@Magnakai: it definitely plays into it. When you have a solid nucleus, you can spend your big money wisely and reap benefit. Citeh are trying to do an Extreme Makeover without much of a foundation.
@Whiz: couldn’t agree more. Mourinho is a man you look up to, aspire to, listen to. Sparky pushes the pencil, at least that’s the perception I get.
@Keith: So true! Hughes looks bewildered. Tries to play the “best” XI every week, except no-one will do the heavy lifting.
Georger and Sven… Outstanding.
EF: Well, it’s probably better now that Nicky B is on the shelf for a month or two.
On FIFA whenever I try to sell the guy, the only buyer that even gives him a sniff is Liverpool. I’d enjoy take immensely if it ever happened in real life.
@James T I think that may be giving Hughes a bit too much credit. It’s not so much that he plays the “best” 11, but that he doesn’t really know what style he wants them play. And when he does decide on a style, he’s incapable of communicating it to his players. For example, he can’t seem to instill in Wayne Bridge the idea that he needs to hang back more and defend a bit. He also likes having the two holding mids in de Jong and Barry, which in his mind constitutes a solid defense, so then he throws 4 strikers on the pitch as well to kind of cancel it out.
@Ryan… all good points. That said, perhaps it speaks to his inability to mold certain players, or get them to buy into whatever his vision may or may not be? After all, these guys all make way more money than he does. Why should they listen to him?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Mark Hughes has control over transfers. Given the players he has at his disposal, I think City’s 4-2-3-1 is actually about right.
The back four isn’t stupendous, and De Jong and Barry are probably his two best central midfielders. Ideally, you’d want to play one of those two defensively, with Stephen Ireland, for instance, in front, but City don’t really have a lot of wide midfield players. What they do have is wingers and strikers. Since your centerback pairing isn’t rock-solid, you put two holding midfielders in front of them. Since your ownership (and I definitely believe the ownership drives player purchases) has brought in lots of expensive, big-name strikers, you’re pressured to play them. You can’t have the record-fee guy sitting on the ass end of the bench. Adebayor goes up front, with Robinho to the left in the attacking role he plays for Brazil. Tevez goes on the right and balances out Robinho’s complete indifference to defense. Ireland plays the central creative role.
In theory it should work. But Tevez has no discipline, Adebayor drifts in and out and Robinho hates the team and wants to leave. The back four, poor at the best of times, is being exposed because both flanks are wide open, especially on the left. Too, he’s still got a bunch of highly-priced players on the bench and can’t manage all the egos. He tries to give everyone enough game to satisfy them, but that just leads to bad performances, since his best XI, tactically, is on the bench most of the time.
MCR- Most of that is very well reasoned, but I don’t know if all the transfers are down to the ownership. Hughes had been lusting over Santa Cruz ever since he took the job, I doubt the Sheikh really wanted to bring in an oft injured Paraguayan.