While tabloids that are best only used for bird-cage liners embellish stories so they can sell a few more copies, Robinho has issued an official statement regarding his absence at training camp:
“I’m happy at Manchester City”
“I would like to make it clear to the fans what the situation is, so that they can understand my decision to fly home to Brazil.”
“Earlier in the month I made Manchester City aware that I needed to return to Brazil, because of a family matter. The club agreed and I was grateful to them for this.”
“Up until yesterday it was my understanding that the club had no problem with my plans.”
“I feel it is important to underline that I did not return to Brazil because of the Kaka deal. He is one of my good friends and it would have been great to see him at Manchester City - but it had nothing to do with his decision to stay in Milan.”
“I will return to the club and hope to sort out this matter as soon as possible. I am committed to helping Manchester City become the force the owners assured me they will become.”
This matter has been blown completely out of proportion by a media groups that are far from “investigative journalists.” While his departure at training camp is far from desirable, not only is the club at fault for some of this as it does not have sufficient administrative staffing, amongst other organizational issues, it equally should have planned better for this situation. I envision that the club will bang the drum loudly of his absence in the media and then back track behind closed doors. In the world of Football management this is a easily handled problem and if they cannot handle it, well then they shouldn’t be trying to attract the best players in the world.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
stumbling blocks of Nigel de Jong deal
The deal between Manchester City and Hamburger SV to bring Nigel de Jong is seemingly complete with the transfer price rumoured to be £18m. The the only outstanding matter with the sticking point being the contract between player and club. Said Hamburg representative:
“We have had contact with Manchester City and have agreed to release the player if he can strike a deal with the English club. Now it is up to the player and his agent to agree on a contract with that team.”
However the “sticking point” of signing the young Netherlands international isn’t as easy as it first appeared. He said of the contract negotiations:
“I cannot say anything. Nothing is finished.”
Confusing? Well it should be. While the deal is far from dead and could be completed at any time, Nigel de Jong is wisely using the media is send a message that since the club has proven it has deep pockets he isn’t about to put his name to a contract until they ante up. As City becomes known for paying top-dollar and chasing the “bid”, players and clubs will rightfully learn how “play the game.” Considering Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce has boosted the price of Roque Santa Cruz to £40m after the Citizens offered £12m, some are learning.
“We have had contact with Manchester City and have agreed to release the player if he can strike a deal with the English club. Now it is up to the player and his agent to agree on a contract with that team.”
However the “sticking point” of signing the young Netherlands international isn’t as easy as it first appeared. He said of the contract negotiations:
“I cannot say anything. Nothing is finished.”
Confusing? Well it should be. While the deal is far from dead and could be completed at any time, Nigel de Jong is wisely using the media is send a message that since the club has proven it has deep pockets he isn’t about to put his name to a contract until they ante up. As City becomes known for paying top-dollar and chasing the “bid”, players and clubs will rightfully learn how “play the game.” Considering Blackburn’s Sam Allardyce has boosted the price of Roque Santa Cruz to £40m after the Citizens offered £12m, some are learning.
How the Kaká deal fell apart
As the Football world quickly moves away from the events leading up to Kaká staying at AC Milan and not moving as most believed to Manchester City, a number of interesting twists in the tale have come to light.
From the start of this deal to its very end it involved not only the respective clubs and player but the powerful forces of Adidas, Nike as well as Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN TV network stated intent of purchasing the rights to English Premier League matches live. From the broadcasting vantage in many ways the potential move of Kaká to Manchester City represented a near perfect situation for Disney’s expansion into Football and the Citizens global branding with one of the sports best examples on and off the pitch. A great athlete not only known for his on-pitch splendor but of irrefutable character and quite possibly the perfect figurehead for the sports emergence within the American market. However not to be outdone, the targeting of Kaká, one of the most recognizable names in the Adidas stable, would result in the German based company fighting off any his move from the club with whatever they could muster.
While in the shadows of this entire deal, with City headed up by ex-Nike man Gary Cook as chief executive it is not by chance that their attempts were directed towards one of their rivals most well-known athletes in a cutting piece of corporate warring. Along with his Nike’s £285 acquisition of Umbro and sponsorship involvement of England’s national academy, this was a point in the massive financial battle of worlds Football market as City moves slowly affiliates itself with Nike.
However what remains to be seen is the “how and why” Man City executives were “played” in this situation. While in the past the executive team of the Citizens have made a series of negotiation blunders, this time they were letter perfect and came with a brilliant plan. Knowing full well that Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaká is a man of the highest moral character and it would take more than just a sizable contract to lure him to Manchester, they were ready to table a proposition that would fulfill some of his personal goals, building a charitable foundation of extraordinary proportion. If true be told, City’s management which has stumbled on many occasions, outdid itself in a not only a brilliant tactical move but one to bring it to the forefront of sports management. However these plans went astray quickly and after acknowledging Kaká represents the values as the ambassador of the sport that Man City wishes to project, Mr. Cook noted that they were never able to meet with him and all “his representatives wanted to talk about how much we were going to pay him.”
After vetting AC Milan’s interest in negotiating a deal and being assured “Milan made it quite clear Kaka was for sale”, as Mr Cook told the BBC, he along with a board member from Abu Dhabi and one other senior executive flew to Milan to finalize the deal. However the intent of Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and owner of AC Milan changed as per Mr. Cook:
“We were confined to a room, with no food or drink, and we asked some questions of the football club and more importantly we asked some questions of the representatives of the player and they simple could not answer the questions.”
So what happened to the deal?
Well possibly the greatest hint of things to come in a highly intertwined deal is the breadcrumbs left by Kaká’s teammate David Beckham, as less than forty-eight hours of the deal collapsing when he informed Spanish media source “AS” that the he is likely to move to Real Madrid, where he can continue wearing the three stripes this summer.
So has the price of a deal already orchestrated been raised?
more to follow on what was once a game
From the start of this deal to its very end it involved not only the respective clubs and player but the powerful forces of Adidas, Nike as well as Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN TV network stated intent of purchasing the rights to English Premier League matches live. From the broadcasting vantage in many ways the potential move of Kaká to Manchester City represented a near perfect situation for Disney’s expansion into Football and the Citizens global branding with one of the sports best examples on and off the pitch. A great athlete not only known for his on-pitch splendor but of irrefutable character and quite possibly the perfect figurehead for the sports emergence within the American market. However not to be outdone, the targeting of Kaká, one of the most recognizable names in the Adidas stable, would result in the German based company fighting off any his move from the club with whatever they could muster.
While in the shadows of this entire deal, with City headed up by ex-Nike man Gary Cook as chief executive it is not by chance that their attempts were directed towards one of their rivals most well-known athletes in a cutting piece of corporate warring. Along with his Nike’s £285 acquisition of Umbro and sponsorship involvement of England’s national academy, this was a point in the massive financial battle of worlds Football market as City moves slowly affiliates itself with Nike.
However what remains to be seen is the “how and why” Man City executives were “played” in this situation. While in the past the executive team of the Citizens have made a series of negotiation blunders, this time they were letter perfect and came with a brilliant plan. Knowing full well that Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaká is a man of the highest moral character and it would take more than just a sizable contract to lure him to Manchester, they were ready to table a proposition that would fulfill some of his personal goals, building a charitable foundation of extraordinary proportion. If true be told, City’s management which has stumbled on many occasions, outdid itself in a not only a brilliant tactical move but one to bring it to the forefront of sports management. However these plans went astray quickly and after acknowledging Kaká represents the values as the ambassador of the sport that Man City wishes to project, Mr. Cook noted that they were never able to meet with him and all “his representatives wanted to talk about how much we were going to pay him.”
After vetting AC Milan’s interest in negotiating a deal and being assured “Milan made it quite clear Kaka was for sale”, as Mr Cook told the BBC, he along with a board member from Abu Dhabi and one other senior executive flew to Milan to finalize the deal. However the intent of Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and owner of AC Milan changed as per Mr. Cook:
“We were confined to a room, with no food or drink, and we asked some questions of the football club and more importantly we asked some questions of the representatives of the player and they simple could not answer the questions.”
So what happened to the deal?
Well possibly the greatest hint of things to come in a highly intertwined deal is the breadcrumbs left by Kaká’s teammate David Beckham, as less than forty-eight hours of the deal collapsing when he informed Spanish media source “AS” that the he is likely to move to Real Madrid, where he can continue wearing the three stripes this summer.
So has the price of a deal already orchestrated been raised?
more to follow on what was once a game
Robinho is “committed to helping Manchester City”
As noted previously that Robinho had not walked out on Manchester City and all reports suggesting that were pure fabrication, the soon to-be birthday boy stated via his official web-site:
“I would like to make it clear to the fans what the situation is, so that they can understand my decision to fly home to Brasil.”
“Earlier in the month I made Manchester City aware that I needed to return to Brasil, because of a family matter. The club agreed and I was grateful to them for this.”
“Up until yesterday it was my understanding that the club had no problem with my plans.”
“I feel it is important to underline that I did not return to Brasil because of the Kaka deal. He is one of my good friends and it would have been great to see him at Manchester City - but it had nothing to do with his decision to stay in Milan.”
“I will return to the club and hope to sort out this matter as soon as possible. I am committed to helping Manchester City become the force the owners assured me they will become.”
“I would like to make it clear to the fans what the situation is, so that they can understand my decision to fly home to Brasil.”
“Earlier in the month I made Manchester City aware that I needed to return to Brasil, because of a family matter. The club agreed and I was grateful to them for this.”
“Up until yesterday it was my understanding that the club had no problem with my plans.”
“I feel it is important to underline that I did not return to Brasil because of the Kaka deal. He is one of my good friends and it would have been great to see him at Manchester City - but it had nothing to do with his decision to stay in Milan.”
“I will return to the club and hope to sort out this matter as soon as possible. I am committed to helping Manchester City become the force the owners assured me they will become.”
Monday, January 19, 2009
Charles Villeneuve ousted
For quite some time I have questioned the validity of now former PSG President Charles Villeneuve comments that management were well-prepared to invest funds as needed. That should be taken neither as an endorsement of Monsieur Villeneuve’s intention to bring the club up to Champions League grade or commentary of ownerships financial commitment, it is simply a straight fact on financial realities.
Behind the scenes, the ownership group of Colony Capital and Morgan Stanley have made it known that Morgan was looking to divest and prior to a sale. While Morgan CEO John Mack wishes to divest of non-core investments, the market for a Football club is less than desirable at present and prior to any sale the clubs bottom-line must be watched tightly. Additionally given the present worlds financial markets and direct problems with hedge specialists, ownership was neither able or prepared to expand their investment without limitation.
With Monsieur Villeneuve’s stated intention for the club to, “invest in a project that can lift the club to the level of ambition that I have expressed my commitment to”, they have decided to move and oust the President. It is very clear that this entire situation revolves are Colony Capital SAS CEO Sébastien Bazin’s intent of a radically different financial operation.
PSG board members have responded with following statement by resigning have forced a vote to elect a new President:
“(The board) Can no longer serenely fulfill their duty alongside a president they can no longer trust.
“Under these conditions we have decided unanimously to resign from the company’s board in order to convene a general assembly as soon as possible.
Thn election will be held in two weeks in order to elect the Parisians next President.
Timmy Cahill saves the day again
The excitement of the Merseyside derby at Anfield did not disappoint as Timmy Cahill snatched Everton a draw with a stunning header in the dying minutes to bring the match to a 1-1 conclusion. The goal, like the entire season showed the intense commitment of Everton as they refused to back down to a challenge. Against all odds, troubled with a large assortment injuries and missing Marouane Fellaini for the match, Everton overcame through a team effort and the heroics of your favourite Aussie.
Everton was fast out of the gate with Victor Anichebe nearly finding the net in the first minute while Liverpool seemed content to take a more cautious stance. It was peculiar tactic for a club fighting for a championship and while they controlled ball possession, once they came into the final third Phil Jagielka and company dealt with matters harshly. Mid of the half Sami Hyypiä’s through ball sprung Fernando Torres free but finishing escaped the Spanish striker and the Toffees breathed a sigh of relief. Liverpool began building up steam and gradually were in control of much of the attacking impetus. Coming out at the break with the match still deadlocked, playing conditions steadily deteriorated with a wet snow building up and creating a few slippery situations. At the sixty-seventh minute Victor Anichebe charged into the left side of the box and after a stiff challenge by Martin Škrtel, Everton made claims of a penalty to no avail. However the Toffees concern took a turn for the worse as a minute later Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard accepted a pass from Albert Riera and drove a low dropping shot past Tim Howard. Down a goal, Everton’s chances were slowly starting to fade as Anfield took its cue to serenade visiting supporters. Yet quitting wasn’t in story for Everton as Mikel Arteta’s free-kick was flicked into the net by Tim Cahill with three minutes left to level the match. A stunning conclusion in many ways but in others expected by a club never backs down.
Everton was fast out of the gate with Victor Anichebe nearly finding the net in the first minute while Liverpool seemed content to take a more cautious stance. It was peculiar tactic for a club fighting for a championship and while they controlled ball possession, once they came into the final third Phil Jagielka and company dealt with matters harshly. Mid of the half Sami Hyypiä’s through ball sprung Fernando Torres free but finishing escaped the Spanish striker and the Toffees breathed a sigh of relief. Liverpool began building up steam and gradually were in control of much of the attacking impetus. Coming out at the break with the match still deadlocked, playing conditions steadily deteriorated with a wet snow building up and creating a few slippery situations. At the sixty-seventh minute Victor Anichebe charged into the left side of the box and after a stiff challenge by Martin Škrtel, Everton made claims of a penalty to no avail. However the Toffees concern took a turn for the worse as a minute later Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard accepted a pass from Albert Riera and drove a low dropping shot past Tim Howard. Down a goal, Everton’s chances were slowly starting to fade as Anfield took its cue to serenade visiting supporters. Yet quitting wasn’t in story for Everton as Mikel Arteta’s free-kick was flicked into the net by Tim Cahill with three minutes left to level the match. A stunning conclusion in many ways but in others expected by a club never backs down.
Is the pressure getting to Joe Kinnear?
Following Saturday’s painful 3-0 destruction at the hands of Sam Allardyce led Blackburn, Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear dropped his guard and lashed out at previous administrations:
“Our biggest problem is a lack of strength in depth. Why wasn’t it addressed by the previous two managers? I am carrying the can for it.”
With respects to new additions and the problems he is facing attracting fresh blood to Newcastle he noted:
“I want to be judged on what I bring in. The depth of the first-team squad is not right at the moment.
“We must look to stay up this season and have a big clear-out in the summer and address everything completely differently.”
Of the thought of relegation he added:
“I lie in bed and worry and dread this situation. I’m a proud fella and I don’t want to be relegated.”
Whether is it feeling the heat or just got caught in saying something he would have preferred to keep out of the press is one matter but it does little to blame other administrations. Newcastle is in the fight of its Premier League life to stay above the drop zone and must stay focused on the future. This is highly problematic as it relates to the transfer season as they do not need to be looking at long-term talent but veterans who can assist for a tough stretch drive. Its a difficult road to travel but one that you must do when in a relegation fight. However looming ahead are challenges related to loses during the transfer season. Newcastle is close to being picked clean of ‘keepers Shay Given and Steve Harper, along with Charles N’Zogbia desperately looking to leave and absolutely no interest from other clubs in their older talent. Simply stated, its January and Toon Army, the pressure has just started.
“Our biggest problem is a lack of strength in depth. Why wasn’t it addressed by the previous two managers? I am carrying the can for it.”
With respects to new additions and the problems he is facing attracting fresh blood to Newcastle he noted:
“I want to be judged on what I bring in. The depth of the first-team squad is not right at the moment.
“We must look to stay up this season and have a big clear-out in the summer and address everything completely differently.”
Of the thought of relegation he added:
“I lie in bed and worry and dread this situation. I’m a proud fella and I don’t want to be relegated.”
Whether is it feeling the heat or just got caught in saying something he would have preferred to keep out of the press is one matter but it does little to blame other administrations. Newcastle is in the fight of its Premier League life to stay above the drop zone and must stay focused on the future. This is highly problematic as it relates to the transfer season as they do not need to be looking at long-term talent but veterans who can assist for a tough stretch drive. Its a difficult road to travel but one that you must do when in a relegation fight. However looming ahead are challenges related to loses during the transfer season. Newcastle is close to being picked clean of ‘keepers Shay Given and Steve Harper, along with Charles N’Zogbia desperately looking to leave and absolutely no interest from other clubs in their older talent. Simply stated, its January and Toon Army, the pressure has just started.
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