"ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 150,000 a week for doing nothing ha ha ha ha"
When Roberto Mancini took over at Eastlands, we breathed a sigh of relief. Sigh. Maybe this means the end of curious signings, inflated salaries and ridiculous personnel decisions.
The Italian is friends with the Arab owners now, and might be able to guide their untold millions towards players worth the time and effort and, if you can believe it, some of these stars might actually want to play for him!
Alas, it was not to be, as the media is amplifying a rumor that Citeh are about to bring aging midfielder Patrick Vieira in from Internazionale and pay him 150,000 pounds a week! 150k! For a 33-year-old who hasn’t played regular soccer for club or country in well over a year!
It’s a decision far more egregious than any move Mark Hughes made, and it’s not even close.
While we questioned Sparky for throwing money at Craig Bellamy, the hot-tempered striker/winger has done well so far this season, but the thought of Vieira shuffling around the Citeh midfield really does boggle the mind. Out of shape and out of favour, it’s a curious move considering the Sky Blues have Nigel de Jong doing a solid job as defensive midfielder, not to mention that there are several other players far better equipped to staff the center of the park. Heck, I’d fancy a pedestrian Gareth Barry over the shuffling, ambling Vieira.
Still, Jose Mourinho is resigned to him leaving and is surely unsentimental about the loss, and we must recall that Mancini signed Vieira at Inter back in 2006. Let’s hope that Patrick ends up with a club much better suited to his current skill set, like Wigan or Burnley or Middlesbrough, though who would gripe about 150k a week (more than most starting EPL players make) to ride a different bench in a different league?
Roberto, you disappoint me. From talk of Torres to a vote for Vieira. Are you just an Italian Sparky in disguise?
Kompany, Ireland, de Jong, Barry, Etuhu, Johnson. Yep. Man City need a 33 year old Viera.
Still I guess it allows us to watch this again…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ZRuqRJtvY
TJ: Stoke are EVISCERATING Fulham at the Brit (3-0 through Tuncay, Faye and Sidibe on 38′)
@Keith A Mamde Sidibe sighting! Wowser.
Sparky heard about this and said, “WTF?”
And now Deuce is willing Fulham back into it. assist on Duff’s goal on 61, 28-yard corker on 85.
But alas, not enough.
I’m not a huge fan of the move obviously, for the reasons James mentioned. Still, if you figure Kompany will probably be playing more CB than CM with Toure gone, Onouha out, and Lescott being s**t, and that de Jong is liable to get a couple of yellow card suspensions just because of his style of play, it can’t hurt to have a little bit of cover. Preferably that cover wouldn’t be a 33 year old Frenchman, but I trust Don Roberto.