Comments on: Calderon’s Super Duper League + Transfer Snooze

By: Connolly's agency

Connolly's agency — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:04:30 +0000

Josh, Arsenal have little pulling power beside Arsene Wenger and the Champions League. Most of the squad (the good half) joined us because of Wenger. If we lost Wenger and dropped to 5th, would any truly talented player want to play for us? I doubt it. Anyway, the Real Madrid project will work, mostly because Pellegrini is a bloody good manager, and Real Madrid already have a solid base to work from. Casillas, Ramos, Pepe, Lassie Diarra are all good players. In La Liga they were a decent side without having anyone able to do the spectacular. They’ve got the spectacular in spadefuls now. They won’t be well-knit enough to beat Barca next year, but they’ll give it a shake the year after.

Tim, I think the most obvious defect of a super league is that you lose the rarity factor. The reason Champions League ties are compelling is because there’s that bit of the unknown about them. You don’t play Inter, Barca, Real Madrid every year, so when you’re drawn against them, you don’t know for certain what’s going to happen. And you do get a bit of culture clash, especially Barca vs any English side. You’d lose all that if you have a standard 18 team league

Anyway, the Champions League is already a source of financial doping. It took Chelsea 200 million in players (I think) to get from 4th/5th to 1st in England. It took them 100 million to cement their place in the top 4. Last year, Aston Villa had a team that could get 4th, but ran out of steam because they didn’t have the funds for a deeper squad. Once a Top 4 is locked in, the other teams in the league don’t have the funds to compete unless they have a rich benefactor.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:57:23 +0000

I really find it laughable that City are thinking that they can join the pantheon of us, United, Chelsea, and Liverpool. Why? Because they have very little pulling power. They only reason why anyone would want to play for City is purely money, not ambition (as Barry puts it). You ask anyone whether they’d rather play for City or a big club like Barca, Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Real Madrid, etc. and unless they’re a born City supporter (and even then, it’s not a sure thing) and you’d never get City.

It’s obviously been proven that huge injections of funds does not equal success and hence, pulling power.

Also, does anyone think that the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, and Albiol are going to ruin their careers at Madrid? I highly doubt that a second Galacticos project would work. I mean, when Zidane, Figo, et al arrived at Madrid, they were already seasoned pros, whereas the likes of Benzema, Albiol, and to a lesser exent, Ronaldo are all young, hungry players. Kaka is really the only player I’d include in the previous Galacticos level.

By: CaribKid69

CaribKid69 — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:34:03 +0000

Thanks Stud,

I knew you could do it (lol)

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:06:15 +0000

I’m glad I sorted the nested comments CSS, that was a real biatch FWIW.

By: Travis The Septopus

Travis The Septopus — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:12:22 +0000

@Alex, I agree but i was just speaking in talent terms I dont think Arsene would pay the same player he let transfer out more than he made before especially after a good but not stellar season at AC

By: LRV

LRV — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:00:18 +0000

Yeah Alex, Veloso is a much better option than Flamoney.

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:44:39 +0000

@CaribKid69, Agreed. Flamini won't be back - especially not when we are linked with players like Melo and Cana who are, in my opinion anyway, better players. I still wonder why we haven't given Veloso a look.

By: CaribKid69

CaribKid69 — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:11:29 +0000

Agreed, Flamoney is just not that good. He was a big reason for our flame out in the latter part of the season because he became too attacking and forced Cesc to play in a more defensive role, which is not Cesc’s forte.

He probably did so to pad his stats so he could get the big money from Milan. I don’t see him as a true team player and he was not better than either Gilberto or Diarra.

By: LRV

LRV — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:53:27 +0000

If perez gets his way. its only because Real Madrid pal’s with the FIFA P-Guy, “Blaster” and his sidekick the UEFA “Pantalon”. Both of them drool whenever Real Madrid’s name is mentioned. Super League, eh? Bullocks!

Petrov seem to have caught a bout of “Blaster-ia”. In your dreams, Petrov.

To reassure that ‘Fla-moni’ cunt, Arsene allowed Las-Diarra, the oblong head, to go to ‘Pots-mouth’. Flamini publicly stated that he was staying at Arsenal. Few weeks later, he strolls of to AC for free; Not even a return on all the money we spent on him to bring him up to par. His departure created a serious friction between the Board, Wenger and our former MD, Keith Edelman. It is part of the reason for which Keith was “sacked” (blamed for bungling Hleb & Flamini contract negotiations). The guy is “FLaming After MoNey”; no Arsenal loyalty. Arsene would never take him back, not after the circumstance of his departure; unless of course someone forces his hand. I wouldn’t take him back if he were the only midfielder left in the world. Let’s stop and ask ourselves for a minute… If he is so damn good as we Arsenal fans seem to swear he is, why does AC Milan want to shove him off after just one season?

Anyway, I do not believe the Ade/Flamini rumour.

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:53:05 +0000

@Travis The Septopus, Only thing is that (as Tim already said) Milan pays him about 4 times what we were willing to pay him. Milan most likely want to dump him because he isn't worth the ridiculous money that they pay him. Now if he were willing to renegotiate his contract, that might be another matter.