The Official Football (soccer) Thread, summer transfer rumours edition TOPIC OPTIONS

[Dislecsyk]

^ Not so nice being on the receiving end, is it? Now you know how Fulham fans felt when you took Saha, how Villa fans felt when you took Bosnich and Yorke...and countless others. Including what's currently happening with Gareth Barry and Liverpool.

I'm loving watching United fans squirm over this whole Ronaldo fiasco. Fucking hilarious.

[liamb123]

^ Not so nice being on the receiving end, is it? Now you know how Fulham fans felt when you took Saha, how Villa fans felt when you took Bosnich and Yorke...and countless others. Including what's currently happening with Gareth Barry and Liverpool.

I'm loving watching United fans squirm over this whole Ronaldo fiasco. Fucking hilarious.

Stick to concentrating on your smalltime intertoto cup you mong

[Dislecsyk]

MAN YOO BIUGGEST CLUB IN THE WORLDZZZ!"!""!!!1122

See, I've never been under the illusion that Villa were anything but mid-table or UEFA Cup, so you can't insult me there. Where we are now is better than I was expecting.

You're just smarting because it's not nice when one of your players wants to be somewhere else...somewhere they perceive to be bigger and better.

[liamb123]

I couldn't give a fuck if he thinks that madrid are a bigger club - the way he has handled this has been worse than dirk kuyt is at football

After the CL final: "I stay"

Last night: "I decided to leave some time ago"


what a tosser

[waldotv]

^ Not so nice being on the receiving end, is it? Now you know how Fulham fans felt when you took Saha, how Villa fans felt when you took Bosnich and Yorke...and countless others. Including what's currently happening with Gareth Barry and Liverpool.

I'm loving watching United fans squirm over this whole Ronaldo fiasco. Fucking hilarious.

apparently your not allowed to buy players now? i'm squirming over nothing, we'll get insane money for the guy. he'll have a hard time repeating this season ever again.

[fatjohn79]

I couldn't give a fuck if he thinks that madrid are a bigger club - the way he has handled this has been worse than dirk kuyt is at football

After the CL final: "I stay"

Last night: "I decided to leave some time ago"


what a tosser

Dirk Kuyt and he knows the meaning of the word loyalty

[Dislecsyk]

Buying a player isn't the problem. Deliberately going to the press to make your intentions known before you make any contact with the player's club, knowing that you're going to unsettle that player and force a move that the club otherwise had no interest in considering is the problem.

I personally think there should be a rule that transfer targets are not announced until after the clubs involved have reached an agreement. Anything else should be seen as tapping up IMO.

[fatjohn79]

^ In theory that's how it's supposed to work,in reality tho it never actually does.

[Dislecsyk]

No, that's not even the theory, as proven by FIFA throwing out Man Utd's complaints about Real's behaviour. No one at Real has spoken to Ronaldo (apparently...), but they've made it abundantly clear in their paper that they want him, which is what's unsettled him.

I still have no sympathy for United though, they use exactly the same bully tactics themselves all the time. Owen Hargreaves was the last one, wasn't he?

[avi01]

Dirk Kuyt metal.gif and he knows the meaning of the word loyalty

That`s the spirit!

[Disposable Hero]

Buying a player isn't the problem. Deliberately going to the press to make your intentions known before you make any contact with the player's club, knowing that you're going to unsettle that player and force a move that the club otherwise had no interest in considering is the problem.

What the hell are you drivelling about? Fergie is pretty tight-lipped and has a big disdain for the media in general. Pretty much all of our transfer buys come from months of behind the scenes, Brian Clough style "Let me come to your house and I'll wash your dishes for you" tapping up which has been the way of the world for fucking years.

If you ever bothered to pay attention to the back pages of nearly every newspaper you'd know that 99.9999% is either fabricated, deliberately full of disinformation or just plain made-up - all in the name of selling papers.

The problem people are having with Ronaldo is that he refuses to say one way or another and lets it all drag on. Either way, we've lost big players in the past and if he does leave he'll soon find out that the grass is not greener on the other side.

[avi01]

The guy is such a shame. No respect for Manutd, the fans or fergie and even his portugal team mates.

Guillem Balague: What feeling have you got after the defeat to Germany?

Cristiano Ronaldo: What feeling?

Guillem: The one after being knocked out

Ronaldo: We didn’t expect this. We wanted to continue in the tournament, but we didn’t do enough. We weren’t strong enough

Guillem: The little details were won by Germany. You didn’t seem concentrated enough

Ronaldo: I didn’t do anything wrong. I did what I had to do but the team made mistakes and that is why we los

Guillem: What now, Ronaldo, we are expecting an announcement

Ronaldo: Lets see in a couple of days. The tournament is over and I am going to reach an agreement

Guillem: Are you going on holiday now?

Ronaldo: I am going to have an operation now. I have had for three months a problem on my foot. I have been playing with pain. I will have an operation, a good recuperation and we will see after that

Guillem: If you wanted to stay at Manchester United, why don’t you say it?

Ronaldo: You will soon know what I want. You do know what I want and that is why I don’t want to say anything else. Lets wait. I want to give more details that is why I cannot say much more

Guillem: When will that take place?

Ronaldo: In a couple of days. I am going to give my opinion in two days. I am going to say what I want, but things don’t depend only on me, that is why we have to wait

Guillem: Are you going to do a press conference, a communique?

Ronaldo: A public note

Guillem: Do you have to talk to Ferguson?

Ronaldo: I don’t know what I have to say to him. I have to say what I want and what I think.

Guillem: What you have to say, will that upset Ferguson?

Ronaldo: It is my opinion, that is why I don’t mind if people get upset. It is my decision. It is what I want

Guillem: When did you take that decision?

Ronaldo: Some time ago, before the Champions League final

Guillem: Is it something personal or is it for football reasons?

Ronaldo: We were competing and I didn’t want to say anything because it is a very important decision . I didn’t want to say anything here because I wanted to be focused on Portugal. But now it is finished and I am going to say

Guillem: Is it a personal problem or sporting problem

Ronaldo: It is a personal thing. It is something I want, something I dream of.

Guillem: And that your family dreams of too

Ronaldo: That is true. You all know what I want. I cannot say anything else. In two days you will hear from me

Guillem: Do you think it is going to be very difficult to get out of United?

Ronaldo: It is always difficult. It is not only one person deciding, it is many people, but it can be a very good thing for everybody

Guillem: Do you feel what you are about to decide is a step forward in your career, a dream?

Ronaldo: It is a dream, a step forward, you can call it what you want. For me it is a great opportunity, and as Scolari says, that train passes by only once, and we have to take advantage of it

Guillem: Ah, but thats not fair, Scolari is going to be the new Chelsea manager and wants you away from him!

Ronaldo: That is why, he took advantage of his change, that opportunity, and other people have to take advantage of opportunities too.

Guillem: You know that when you return to Manchester people will be upset with you

Ronaldo: But that will pass, a couple of good goals and people will be happy

Guillem: Will the key be to talk to Ferguson?

Ronaldo: I will do a public note and we will then see what will happen

Guillem: Do you think your dream will come true?

Ronaldo: I really hope so, lets see

Guillem: What about the operation?

Ronaldo: I will be seen by the doctors of United in a couple of days

Guillem: You will talk to your club first

Ronaldo: Yes, I will talk to them first, and then in 3 or 4 days I will be operated and then i will start the recuperation to get better soon

Guillem: Is it true that you never took a call from Ferguson?

Ronaldo: It is not true

Guillem: But have you spoken to him?

Ronaldo: No. I was in a very important competition and we had nothing to say to each other

Guillem: Are you convinced that in three or four days everything can be sorted?

Ronaldo: Yes, lets see, in the next few days we will have more details

[waldotv]

i can't remember fergie ever going on for weeks about a fuckin player. nothing was said about hargreaves before hand.

[Da Prince]

great player but an absolute cunt

Seems like United fans are the last ones to realize this. But you gotta give credit to Calderon, he promised Kaka, Ronaldo, & Robben when he was running for President of Madrid, & now he's got 2 of them. They're gonna be unstoppable next year.

My advice to Barca & Man United would be to see if they can tame Ronaldiho's appetite for partying & see if he can do something for them in the seasons to come. Maybe he burnt his bridges at Barca so it's too late for that, but I'm sure that if there was anyone who could get Ronaldinho to actually focus on his game, it would be someone like Fergie.

I also know of the perfect replacement for Paul Scholes:



Hosny Abd-Rabo, 2008 African Cup of Nations player of the tournament, 2nd highest scorer for Ghana 2008, & also a main part of the team that won the 2006 ACN tournament. Still only 23, unbelievably energetic central-midfielder with a hell of a shot. Only problem is, there's like 3 different clubs that say they own the player right now. Should be sorted out soon though, & he'll be playing somewhere in Europe in September.

[Hot Cancer]

So it looks like ronaldo wants to fuck off to spain

What a fucking cunt

great player but an absolute cunt

CUNT

ADH, I reckon Ronaldo's silence is because he wants out (No doubt Madrid are going to pay him £200,000 a week). Look at it this way, Xabi Alonso is more than 50-50 to go to Juve at this stage, and he still said after Spain's last game that his current plans are to go back to Liverpool for the start of the season, and said about a month ago that he plans to stay whether Barry arrives or not.

Maybe I'm wrong, though.

This post has been edited by An Taoiseach: Jun 20 2008, 1:49 PM

[Guttermouth]

FootieFox, the greatest Firefox add-on ever.

[Scorpion]

if ronaldo wanted to stay, he'd just say so, weeks/months ago.

united are already paying him insane amounts of money. he's already peaked at united, so he feels like going to madrid. even for united, it's better if he leaves now... he's never gonna be this valuable, ever again. and he did his part...

like mourinho once said: if a player decides to leave, he'll eventually leave. the less they play for wanting to leave, the less they're worth...

[waldotv]

great player but an absolute cunt

Seems like United fans are the last ones to realize this. But you gotta give credit to Calderon, he promised Kaka, Ronaldo, & Robben when he was running for President of Madrid, & now he's got 2 of them. They're gonna be unstoppable next year.

My advice to Barca & Man United would be to see if they can tame Ronaldiho's appetite for partying & see if he can do something for them in the seasons to come. Maybe he burnt his bridges at Barca so it's too late for that, but I'm sure that if there was anyone who could get Ronaldinho to actually focus on his game, it would be someone like Fergie.

I also know of the perfect replacement for Paul Scholes:



Hosny Abd-Rabo, 2008 African Cup of Nations player of the tournament, 2nd highest scorer for Ghana 2008, & also a main part of the team that won the 2006 ACN tournament. Still only 23, unbelievably energetic central-midfielder with a hell of a shot. Only problem is, there's like 3 different clubs that say they own the player right now. Should be sorted out soon though, & he'll be playing somewhere in Europe in September.

i knew ronaldo was a cock from day one.

madrid will still have a shit defence next season, as always.

anderson will be our replacement for scholes.

[liamb123]

First of all a little story to tell you what kind of man we are talking about. It is January 9, 2008, and in an upstairs room at Manchester United's training ground five elderly men in smart blazers are struggling with their emotions in front of a hushed audience. It is the club's media day building up to the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster and Sir Bobby Charlton's polite smile does not hide the fact he is trembling as he takes his seat. Bill Foulkes is straight-backed and dignified but only a couple of questions have been asked before the tears appear in his eyes and he reaches for a glass of water.

In an adjacent room Wayne Rooney has agreed to offer a modern-day perspective of that seminal day when 23 people, including eight members of Sir Matt Busby's team, were killed in the wreckage of the burnt-out BEA Elizabethan. It is not his specialist subject but he handles the occasion with dignity and more eloquence than some people might imagine. But then Cristiano Ronaldo comes through the double doors and the mood is broken.

He is wearing a white suit jacket and ripped jeans, looking every bit the boy-band hunk, but it is very obvious he is in a bad mood. He begins by berating Karen Shotbolt, the club's press officer, because he is waiting for Rooney and the event has over-run. He is banging his watch with his hand, flapping his arms and gesturing in the way that Portuguese footballers usually reserve for fussy referees and, at first, he is so animated it appears as if it might be a wind-up.

When he flounces back through the doors, cursing loudly, it is very obvious he is being deadly serious. Rooney is professional enough to carry on with his tribute but the attention is no longer exclusively on him. Thirty seconds later Ronaldo appears again, first rapping his forefinger against the glass in the door, then opening it by a fraction and starting to whistle at Rooney in the way that a farmer beckons his sheepdog.

It was such an unpleasant scene the journalists decided not to write about it because we had been invited to the training ground to cover a far more important subject and, when you have sat with men as noble as Charlton, Foulkes, Albert Scanlon, Harry Gregg and Kenny Morgans and seen the hurt in their eyes, it felt incongruous to veer off-track. But coming away from Carrington that day it was difficult not to wonder what had become of the pimply teenager with the braces on his teeth who had been photographed, in his first few weeks as a United player, holding hands with his mother, Dolores, as they crossed a busy Manchester street.

The answer, of course, is that Ronaldo has fallen in love with his own reflection and, as United are currently finding out, that ego is in danger of spiralling out of control. Nor, sadly, is this story a one-off. One member of staff at Old Trafford reports being shocked by his rudeness when sorting out his travel arrangements for a club trip last season. And then there was last season's Football Writers' Association's annual dinner when, with barely any notice, its player of the year demanded that space was made for five of his friends to attend and that he would like them all to be on the top table with him. He got his way, as superstars often do, but the organisers were unimpressed, to say the least.

This is not to say that Ronaldo is all bad. He won a court case against the Sun earlier this week after it was reported that he had been fined for breaking club rules by using his phone during training: a story that was obvious baloney to anyone who has followed the player's career. Ronaldo, in many ways, is the consummate professional when it comes to improving himself on the pitch. He is not a man for nightclubs or raucous evenings out among the Manchester glitterati and there is something deeply impressive about the way he has come from his humble beginnings, growing up in Madeira in a house so small the washing machine was on the roof, to become the most penetrative attacking footballer in the world.

And yet United's more loyal and thoughtful supporters would by now be entitled to think it would be better for Sir Alex Ferguson and the Glazer family to end this shabby saga and let the previously unthinkable happen. To them, his constant prevaricating about his future, his flirting with the Spanish media and his apparent disregard for Manchester United, must smack of a man who has started to think he is bigger than the club.

His sound bites have become increasingly strategic, as if he thinks we cannot see what he is doing, yet nobody will have been surprised that the sweat had barely dried on his brow after Portugal's defeat by Germany on Thursday before he had re-iterated his desire to leave Old Trafford - just as Real Madrid had requested. United insist they will not allow themselves to be bullied into a corner but, when a player is acting like this and would so obviously be resentful and unsettled if he is denied the transfer he craves, the question should be: what is the point in keeping him?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/21/manchesterunited.premierleague1

[Disposable Hero]

We don't need Ronaldinho when we already have Anderson.

The thing Ronaldo probably doesn't realise is that we have players who will replace him, both on the pitch and with the fans. Maybe he thought he had a Cantona thing going on but he was only just beginning.

[Scorpion]

now that he's leaving... he's not that good



... like clockwork...

[avi01]

I think people are not doubting his footballing abilities.....they are just confirming that he is the cock that he has always been. A cock with footballing abilities.

[Scorpion]

he's too cocky for his own good, but i guess it's even more annoying when he's not playing for our teams

[Da Prince]

now that he's leaving... he's not that good



... like clockwork...

And here's you defending the Portuguese again, like clockwork . Can you point to the exact quote here where more than 1 person said's "he's not that good". Everyone's calling him a prick, not a horrible player.

[Disposable Hero]

now that he's leaving... he's not that good



... like clockwork...

Do you have any idea of the words that actually come out your mouth? No-one said he wasn't that good. I think everyone knows he's amazing, all I was saying is that he's got a better chance of being the best (I'm talking with the Zidane's of football) if he stays at Utd and I don't think he realises that or the fact that he will be replaced.

Speaking of having no fucking clue what they are saying, is Calderon fucking retarded or something??!

"Right now, he is a player of Manchester United and we will not interfere or create any problems.

"Ronaldo is under contract with another team and we cannot think about him but focus on the players we have."

[Guillaume]

After his prestation with his National Team, Arshavin interests a few great English team : City, Arsenal, Chelsea (????) but he wants to play in Spain.........
Anyway, he'll quit Russia soon i think.

[liamb123]

After his prestation with his National Team, Arshavin interests a few great English team : City, Arsenal, Chelsea (????) but he wants to play in Spain.........
Anyway, he'll quit Russia soon i think.

There's a sentence i never thought i'd hear

This post has been edited by liamb123: Jun 23 2008, 4:03 AM

[avi01]

!

[Guillaume]

OK
EXCEPT city !!!

[Da Prince]

Manchester City is gonna be like a poor man's Chelsea thanks to Shinawatra's money. More shit to worry about for United & their fans. It'll be hilarious if Ronaldinho goes there.