https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jul/29/championship-wolves-kenny-jackett

 

Wolves takeover is complete - Kenny Jackett Potato has been 'moved on'.

On a serious note for once. Once in a while a transfer happens in football which takes things to a new level. A situation where the value associated to a player is so ridiculous it makes the game look ridiculous. Over the years we have seen Trevor Francis, Alan Shearer, Buffon, Ronaldo, Bale...etc etc.

Every time it has made us sit back and wonder if football has gone too far. Whether all rational thought has been abandoned

And it looks like we are about to see it happening all over again. I mean come on guys, £2.5m for Lucas Leiva!!!!

And it looks like we are about to see it happening all over again. I mean come on guys, £2.5m for Lucas Leiva!!!!

 

I'm still more aghast at the rumoured £60m - £70m we're reported to be offering for Lukaku Loz!

Looks like Sane is on the brink of a move to City.

He looks a really promising player but I wonder where he will fit in.

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BREAKING: Sky Italia: Hull approach Gianfranco Zola about becoming new manager #SSNHQ

Don't do it Franco. 

Looks like Sane is on the brink of a move to City.

He looks a really promising player but I wonder where he will fit in.

 

More to the point, what does this mean for Sterling?

Man City bid £50m + Raheem Sterling for Everton defender John Stones.

 

Everton are believed to be holding out for the £50m only.

I've said for a long time I think Wenger covers for the board.

All clubs are a business these days but Arsenal are first and foremost a business. Top four finishes keep the business going well and they are not buying expensive players, not because they don't need them, but because paying £60M for someone would upset their financial stability.

"Bastian Schweinsteiger reportedly moved to the reserve dressing room and trained with the reserves…on his birthday."

Ouch. Jose being ruthless.

More to the point, what does this mean for Sterling?

Looks like Navas will be sold or at least have a reduced role so it will be Sterling on the left as normal and Sane on the right rotating with Nolito. 

 

Pretty envious of the team City are building to be honest, will be interesting to watch them this season. Looking forward to seeing their young fullbacks Angelino and Maffeo, Angelino in particular looks class. 

 

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BREAKING: Sky Italia: Hull approach Gianfranco Zola about becoming new manager #SSNHQ

 

Hate to say it because he's my idol but he's a terrible manager. 

city are building a great, young squad. pep only stays at clubs for 3 seasons, but city are looking at long term post pep too with bringing through these talented youngsters. not just talented, but technically good too which is what they'll need after silva and co (over 30's) retire/leave. 

If Sterling starts for City we are laughing.

"Bastian Schweinsteiger reportedly moved to the reserve dressing room and trained with the reserves…on his birthday."

Ouch. Jose being ruthless.

I know there are people here who will defend Jose to the death, and I also know that there are other managers who have done similar things to players.

That doesn't change the reality that that's a damn sh*tty thing to do to a player. A player that you're unlikely to have spent enough time with to develop a legitimate intense grudge against.

On Redcafe they're saying that on all the players' birthdays there is a message about it on the club website. Nothing for Bastian yesterday which strongly suggests that Jose knew it was his birthday and notified the website people to not have the usual message about Bastian. Their Twitter account did send him a message, but it was done very early in the morning, presumably before the staff was notified, and unlike with the website, they couldn't take it down quietly.

By the way, Bastian is known for meticulously keeping track of everyone's birthday. He is always wishing people happy birthday on Twitter. Fans have kept track to see if he might have missed anyone and what that says about the relationship between those players.

The timing was done either for mind games or for personal amusement.

Theres a lot of utd fans who detest Schweinsteiger and he`s also disliked amongst the players apparently. The story is he kept going back to Germany, didnt mix with the players and staff at all and was never at the weight and fitness levels required. LVG supposedly treat him favorably compared to the rest which caused resentment. 

I know there are people here who will defend Jose to the death, and I also know that there are other managers who have done similar things to players.

That doesn't change the reality that that's a damn sh*tty thing to do to a player. A player that you're unlikely to have spent enough time with to develop a legitimate intense grudge against.

On Redcafe they're saying that on all the players' birthdays there is a message about it on the club website. Nothing for Bastian yesterday which strongly suggests that Jose knew it was his birthday and notified the website people to not have the usual message about Bastian. Their Twitter account did send him a message, but it was done very early in the morning, presumably before the staff was notified, and unlike with the website, they couldn't take it down quietly.

By the way, Bastian is known for meticulously keeping track of everyone's birthday. He is always wishing people happy birthday on Twitter. Fans have kept track to see if he might have missed anyone and what that says about the relationship between those players.

The timing was done either for mind games or for personal amusement.

That is what Jose does, it's not personal but he will be pretty ruthless and sneaky if he wants someone out, he makes it the players idea to quit rather than sitting them down and telling them they're not in his plans.

 

When there is a contradiction on accounts of events I always believe the player over Jose eg. Mata said Jose never spoke to him and Lamps said he was not offered another contract when Jose said the complete opposite.

So Jose told the website boys not to say happy birthday lol.

Some imaginations run wild in here

So Jose told the website boys not to say happy birthday lol.

Some imaginations run wild in here

Was just thinking that, your man loves his tin foil hat.

Leroy Sane has joined Man City. Good signing for them.

Good money for Schalke, if they can invest in a couple of players on Embolo's level they'll be happy. Keeping Max Meyer away from the dippers is a must.

That is what Jose does, it's not personal but he will be pretty ruthless and sneaky if he wants someone out, he makes it the players idea to quit rather than sitting them down and telling them they're not in his plans.

 

When there is a contradiction on accounts of events I always believe the player over Jose eg. Mata said Jose never spoke to him and Lamps said he was not offered another contract when Jose said the complete opposite.

 

I still love Jose for all he's done for us, he'll forever be a Legend at this club. I used to support him unconditionally, but in this last season or two it's become apparent to me that he can be a really nasty piece of work at times. You have to be incredibly biased/partisan to not acknowledge that he can be a total c*** when he wants.

Edited August 2, 20169 yr by Celery1989

Hate to say it because he's my idol but he's a terrible manager. 

Zola is my all time favourite non English/Saints player!

So Jose told the website boys not to say happy birthday lol.

Some imaginations run wild in here

Why is that so hard to believe? At a former workplace, a co-worker got sacked in her birthday, and the boss knew it was her birthday.

When Iker Casillas left Real Madrid, he tearfully read a statement to the press alone from inside the club. Within one hour, the club unfollowed him on Twitter. In other words, someone from the club was told to log into the account on a Sunday morning in the off season just to unfollow him.

I still love Jose for all he's done for us, he'll forever be a Legend at this club. I used to support him unconditionally, but in this last season or two it's become apparent to me that he can be a really nasty piece of work at times. You have to be incredibly biased/partisan to not acknowledge that he can be a total c*** when he wants.

Jose is like SO many people in football. In other words, a massive prick. The sport is a huge web of nastiness. Chairmen treating managers and players badly, managers treating players and chairmen badly, players treating managers and other players badly, sociopathic agents, referees that abuse their power, players and managers that abuse referees, abusive fans, the oversight bodies like FIFA....

Nice guys can't survive in this industry because there are so many people who will exploit a kind gentle personality.

I bet even Guus Hiddink, widely regarded as a pretty nice guy, and probably really is relative to other managers unless he is the best actor in the world, has treated some people shockingly badly.

Jose appears to be at the extreme end of prickness, and he's probably worse than average among his peers. But I think he seems to be the extreme not because he actually is the worst but because he does it openly.

There are managers--some have said that about Ferguson--that are just as nasty if not moreso, only they're not honest about it.

You can argue that the constructed deception is even worse. I think back to Jose's eye gouging Villanova, a truly shocking act of nastiness.

However, there have been times I would have preferred to take a physical assault rather than deal with psychological and emotional warfare.

That's not to say Jose doesn't practice psychological and emotional warfare of course. However, in a way Mata, Bastian, and other players who have been subject to Jose's meanness are better off - it still feels f**king sh*tty of course - than players who are subject to the meanness of more deceptive managers. Players in the latter group aren't believed because the manager seems nice.