Arugono's Thoughts

Transfers and Comments

The past week has been filled by transfer speculations and tapping ups by Man City and Real Madrid. My only comment about this tapping up is stop it. I know Pool, Man U, Chelsea and many others did it. Most of the time it pisses people off and you do not get the player you want.

Madrid's tapping up of Alonso is kind of an act of desperation rather than football sense. They spent 200 million pounds on players they can win the league without if they spent 40 million pounds on Albiol and Alonso. Pool are not going to lower the price and Alonso is under pressure to justify leaving a club where he won the Champions League to go to a club which will struggle to reach the quarter finals. Also I think Liverpool will win at least the league this season. Chelsea are in turmoil and rebuilding. Arsenal are broke and selling their experienced players to Man City and Man U are rebuilding their jigsaw. All if Alonso does not leave of course. Tough choice I guess. Better pay, "more respect", club with a great history in your own home country (That is like Notts Forest, great history but eh....), confirmed first team place, challenging a strengthened incumbent team versus same pay, "less respect", club with a great history in England, potential winners of the league since all the competition are weakened, will be rotated to ensure maximum performance. Greed anyone?

Man City's tapping of Terry is the one which I think is completely batty and malicious. Terry is the captain of Chelsea, the entire team was built around him to cover his mistakes and ensure the defence is tight. His departure will reduce his stature in the eyes of Chelsea and England because what can be more insulting than to go to a club with cannot offer anything solid except money. I admit Man City might well overtake Arsenal in the Big Four but it is miles away from Man U and even more so Chelsea and Liverpool. (I dun mean literal distance) There are so many other cheaper and more mobile centrebacks than John Terry like Lescott, Toure, Maicon, Carvalho, Wes Brown, Gibbs and many more. The only thing that this tapping up of Terry does is to try to tear Chelsea from within. Cause pay envy and cost the club additional money to prevent, someone who already earns too much for his own good, from leaving. I do not buy the pay rise thing because when you earn 600k per month and 300k pounds per month after tax, you are earning way too much. 3.6 million pounds a year anyone? What they need the extra 20k per week for? Feeding their entire family tree? Saving the Amazon rainforest from loggers? No. Buying cars they cannot control, eating meals which are neither filling nor nutritious and splurging on fancy clothes they wear to punch the local club DJ in.

I feel Man City should offer 10 million plus Micah/Nedhum for Carvalho. I hear he is better than Terry. Or they can offer Arsenal 15 million for Toure. Toure would jump at the chance to finally challenge for some trophy in his career.

I will give Ancelotti till December before I decide if he is incompetent or not. Scolari took 3 months to prove his incompetence. A.Grant a year. Mourinho was never incompetent though out of his league.