Daniele De Rossi

Gazza

Disagree. The reality is City are the highest salary payers, and as such are able to offer potential trophies, but it's the wages that are key to any player signing for City. There's a reason none of these players wanted to join City before they got bought.

Gazza

Good post! Naive in the extreme to think players aren't joining City for the money

pocco

Try reading what I said again.

pocco

Talk about missing the point.

City are challenging now, it's time to accept that. It has been obvious that this was giong to happen and was probably obvious to these players too. They'll win trophies there and that is all it is about. How can you say that they only went for the money?

By your logic, all players are mercenaries.

Snow

So not any different than Valencia, Rooney, Nani, Ronaldo, Vidic, Evra, Berbatov, Rio, Young and pretty much all the other players United have bought in the last 10 years. They'er all mercenaries as well yes? You're talking about players that go to a club where they get more money and a chance to league titles. Well, that's the case for every player United have bought.

fatboy

There was obviously a tipping point, where if they managed to attract enough good players by paying inflated wages and transfer fees, they'll eventually begin challenging for the title. And sad to say, they've already reached that point. I think players who join City now can reasonably say that they're joining the club as much for ambition to win titles, as well as very good money. Is this being mercenary? Club loyalties aside, in the real world this would be an attractive career opportunity.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

That would worsen my opinion on it.

Raoul

We have do define what constitutes a mercenary. When a player like Rooney (for example) leaves a mediocre, mid table side for a big club that has a degree of history and prestige, and where because its a big club he's going to receive a considerable rise in wages, I think most fair minded observers would say its a logical career move to the next level. Conversely, when very good players, some of whom were already with big clubs - clubs that had been winning major trophies in the past decade (like Man Utd, Arsenal, Inter etc) suddenly leave for a rather mediocre, mildly obscure in European terms, mid table side - and if they suddenly get massively inflated wages that they probably wouldn't earn elsewhere, then you're not going to find many who don't look at them as mercenaries. The important distinction being that Man City don't have any draw whatsoever, other than the chance to earn agents bigger transfer commissions, and their players starkly higher wages.

devilish

They are first in the league, they've got a manager who is respected alot in Italy, they also got the most promising italian striker and they're spending alot of money on the squad. Meanwhile the clubs who are actually competing with them are struggling in one way or another. The best of the lot seems struggling to sign a quality CM (who hasnt retired yet), they have lost one of their most promising kids, may end up losing another promising kid in summer and they are competing in the Europa league despite participating in one of the easiest CL groups ever. That doesn't actually look very ambitious doesn't it?

Under such circumstances Shitty has a good chance of winning the EPL. De Rossi knows that from experience, because Roma was actually able to win the Serie A (2000-2001 title) when they finally decided to spend big. Nothing is cast on stone yet. For all we know a bigger club then Shitty may step in and sign him up (Barcelona for example). However I wouldn't call a man who would be changing his club twice in football history, a mercenary.

Plechazunga

Not sure if serious...

devilish

which part of it you think that its incorrect? Aren't we struggling in signing a quality CM? Haven't we just lost a very promising kid? Isn't Pogba at the end of his contract? Aren't we in the Europa league after failing to qualify in one of the easiest CL groups?

Players don't care about history else the likes of Liverpool and Nottingham Forest will be filled with stars contending for a first team place. Once they leave the team they support they care about money and honors, which, in today's football seems pretty bound with each other. Shitty look promising in both unfortunately. The fact that they happen to be lead by one of the most respected and promising/respected managers in Italy and pride of having the most promising Italian striker (the equivalent for them of a younger Rooney) is a plus.

Raoul

Some of them do, but a good number of them are out to make as much money as possible before their careers wind down. The Man City model suits them just fine.

gambit28

and also acts as the perfect go between club before you get to one you actually want to play for. Heck you can even push for a loan move to you favourite club to play for the love of the game before they sell you on to a club you actually want to play for. They've only just started to stop it with Tevez and thats because he refused too play, if he'd have played uidifferently he'd currently be playing for Boca or Corinthians with City paying his wages before he was sold to one of the Milans or Madrid.

devilish

That's true. However I think that its unfair to call De Rossi a mercenary. This guy had sticked to a relatively middle sized club on the brink of bankrupcy for so many years when he could have made more money and won alot more medals by simply leaving.

gooDevil

How many players with De Rossi's profile have been one club guys?

As someone else said, if he was going to jump ship, you'd think he'd have done it when things were bleaker for Roma a few years back.

Of course you never know, but to me De Rossi transfer speculation is a bad joke. Hundreds of hours have been spent on the Caf debating him in this team, I can't even bear to take the idea seriously at this point.

Raoul

I'm not saying he's a mercenary for spending his career at Roma. I'm saying he would wind up one if he opted for City instead of a normal big club.

devilish

At this point in his career he wants to fill his trophy cabinet with medals and play with an ambitious club lead by a manager he's have faith in + the money to match that ambition. Apart from the history thing I see little difference between De Rossi going to Shitty and Teddy going to United.

Pogue Mahone

aye, I'm sure that the likes of De Rossi have been absolutely glued to the contract negotiations of our reserve players.

As for "struggling to sign a quality CM", remind us what position De Rossi plays in?

FFS...

Raoul

There's a massive difference between big club with history and medium club without one, so the Teddy comparison doesn't really work.

pocco

Well you're a bit special if you can read that post and come to the conclusion that I based it on one game. Even though his team mates were shit too, it doesn't excuse him form criticism unless you're a fucking muppet that will go to the ends of the earth to defend someone. Half my family lives in Rome and support Roma, it's safe to say that I keep an eye on them when possible.

Btw, I liked your evaluation of Sessegnon a while back. Spotted it when his thread got bumped the other day. As soon as you described him as being big like Vieira, or whatever it was, my suspicions were confirmed, you don't know what you are talking about. You probably don't even watch half these players.

devilish

The Morrison thing has gone unnoticed on the italian media to be honest. However our premature elimination from the CL, United's inability to sign the midfielder they need + Scholes return to compensate for that was all over the place. For example Mediaset (italy's main public media) criticized our transfer strategy and they were much tougher then I was (in fact I disagree with what had been said there).

Anyway moving to a new job Il tend to check how they are faring at the moment. I presume players do the same don't they especially since they paid agents shitloads of money to take care of their interests.

devilish

As I said, for a player like De Rossi its really not the case. He's a Roma fan through and through. He probably not sign with another Serie A club because he don't want to piss the fans off too much (he'll leave on a free and that is enough to piss them off so he doesn't want to force the hand) so what he cares about at this point in time is honors and money. That doesn't make him a mercenary.

Believe me, Totti and De Rossi had endured alot by sticking to Roma. Totti hasnt left because of his wife's career. De Rossi doesn't have that burden.

dev1l

De rossi to utd is a non starter imo. Most probably he ll re-sign for roma. If he leaves , i think he ll rather go to city, due to the italian connection, or else Real, if they are interested.

Moreover, i cannot see us meeting his financial demands.

AttackingFlair

Fergie seems to rate him

Snow

Yes of course. Bu you lumped all the City buys together. Clichy and Nasri are commonly known as mercenary despite City being a step up in a few years term. Then you have De Jong, Barry, unwanted Balotelli, Santa Cruz, Bellamy etc. Silva had no hope in winning anything but the Europa League or the Copa del Rey and in all honesty he did what was best for Valencia even though he meant it or not. They need the money.

I think when players think of City and United, doesn't matter who, they think of the chance of playing with big players, playing for all the biggest cups (or at least aiming for them) and get better wages. That's the case for almost all of the buys that both team have made. Of course there might be more players who like Manchester United, the club, as well. Or they might get to love the club whilst here but it's very rare that it's what they think about when the clubs come a knocking.

It's really only Tevez that can go into the mercenary category for me. Nasri to City isn't different than Torres to Chelsea. Most of the players have a reason. Aguero wanted out. Not many suitors for him that matched the asking fee. Same for Adebayor and Dzeko. Yaya had been notified by Barcelona that he wasn't first choice anymore. Kolo is a prick like Tevez in dealing with his club. Just not as big of a prick.

I mean it's not players like Lescott, Barry, Milner or Johnson's fault that the club payed a lot for them and their agent got them a great deal. It's only when they leave City when the mercenary stamp can be inked and prodded on them if it's warranted.

Ole's_toe_poke

He will either stay at Roma or sign for City. If he's on a free City will be able to offer him a big signing on bonus and obscene wages. Think the word is that Mancini has always been an admirer.

I have to say I agree with those that say he won't really be bothered about the history. He's a Roma fan so joining City or United won't really matter to him.

wr8_utd

City will probably give him a 30m signing on fee to make sure they get him.

SiYuan

Davide Petrucci

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Says the man who still hasn't figured out why I find your post even more ridiculous after reading it further. On top of obvious revisonism about the United game vs Roma, you added the even more ridiculous 'he has never amounted to much'' claim all based on your admittedly few times of seeing him play.

Asa result this self indulgent rubbish:
Isn't worth replying to directly.

Lastly, when it comes to your claim that I said Sessganon is similar to Vieira nigga please

Let me break it down for morons like you one last time what I actually said and meant:

1. I said in that thread in reference to Sessagnnon, and I quote verbatim:


''Reminds me a bit of Vieira, this fella.''
Translation: His game style reminds me of Vieira. Not his appearance!

2. When Koroux questioned that view point, I clarified
''That's why I said a bit. He is as good, or possibly even better on the ball, yet as large a combative fella....''

That bolded bit was I referring to his combative ability. That is why even later in the thread I said this:

3. ''I've seen him bully players whilst playing on African duty.''

Having said earlier

4. ''Don't mistake that for calling them the same type of player.''
Meaning: I'm not saying he is Vieira's size nor that he is Vieira part two. I was only saying one part of his game reminded me of Vieira.

Comprende?

soapythecat

Just how many players can city have on astronomical wages and still fall in line with the FFP system when it comes into force?
If they do get him, it would take the piss out of the proposed FFP.

pocco

First of all fucktard, I never said I'd only seen him play a few times. I said he got shown up, as in dominated, a few of the times I've seen him play. There is also no revisionism of the United v Roma game. Glad that's cleared up.

With regards to Sessegnon, what you are saying completely reeks of irony considering you just (incorrectly) talked of my revisionism.

For example, how does ''Reminds me a bit of Vieira, this fella.'' actually mean "one part of his game reminded me of Vieira". I think you were just backtracking fast on that statement, as you would have said what this "one part of his game" was originally.

And then there's this... "yet as large a combative fella". You made this point and got called up on it, then you proceeded to back track and say it meant something else. Now, I don't want to be too harsh here, as I'm suspecting that English isn't your first language, but the quote I have just given does not mean what you have tried saying it meant. Perhaps if you had said "yet as much a combative fella", then that would have made sense.

Personally, I don't think you're telling the truth about what you originally meant with both those statements and you are actually backtracking to try and save face and some credibility. The final verdict is that you are completely full of shit. I'm not buying your flimsy explanations.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

The only thing cleared up is you're pretty much a sad joke. Not only have you denied your own words. You have continued to pedal your rubbish about the United vs Roma game.

When it comes to Sessganon. Oh Lordy...Is English that hard for you to grasp? It seems you really can't grasp what the phrase a bit means....

Honestly, I don't have time for such rubbish. Your just another idiot poster on here attempting to look clever when your anything but. Attempting the usual stupid gambit of trying to claim you know better than me what I meant when I posted what I posted. Frankly I wont indulge you any further....

Lastly, lets get on thing straight, I really don't give a flying shit about your opinion or whether you think I'm telling the truth! So I would never ever have a reason to back track to try to save face in front of the likes of you. Don't flatter yourself.

My classification of that Sessagnon issue in here and that other thread was strictly to end this stupid and deliberate misinterpretation of my statements, done in the same bullshit manner that was done by idiots of your ilk in the penalty takers thread and the Bramble vs Zidane thread. But clearly it was a waste of time for idiots will always be idiots. Good bye.

Brwned

Chief, 'yet as large a combative fella' doesn't make sense, that's why he doesn't 'grasp what the phrase a bit means'. You can't blame someone for not understanding something that doesn't make sense.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Oh please.

First off that statement DOES have meaning and second, that is not what he failed to grasp.

I will quote the fool verbatim:

'' how does ''Reminds me a bit of Vieira, this fella.'' actually mean "one part of his game reminded me of Vieira".

'''yet as large a combative fella''' never confused him when it came to that. That much is clear.

Besides, I'm not making up that part of me saying I was referring to just a bit of his game. You won't find any fresh edits in that thread of what I said at the time emphasizing that point.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Oh please.

First off that statement DOES have meaning and second, that is not what he failed to grasp.

I will quote the fool verbatim:

'' how does ''Reminds me a bit of Vieira, this fella.'' actually mean "one part of his game reminded me of Vieira".

'''yet as large a combative fella''' never confused him when it came to that. That much is clear.

Besides, I'm not making up that part of me saying I was referring to just a bit of his game. You won't find any fresh edits in that thread of what I said at the time emphasizing that point. Honestly, I'm done with this Ssesagnon shit.

MrMarcello

Need an xtranormal showdown chief vs pocco.

Gee Male

Anyway, back on topic.

De Rossi is very over-rated on here. I'd hate to see him come to us, wouldn't mind him at City - he always gets dominated against us anyway. I don't rate him at all.

Snow

Thank you Gee Male. Alright people. Close thread!

Gee Male

I was hoping for a better bite than that Snow!

Snow