Apparently Kaka wants to know Manchester City's recruitment plan before signing on the dotted lines and selling his soul to Satan (if you believe some doom-mongers). Well Riki, if you're reading this -- and I assume you are since this blog has had quite literally dozens of hits over the past 5 months -- then here's the latest on City's spending policy: They've just signed Craig Bellamy for an "undisclosed fee" (read: A fee so enormous that frankly we're a little embarrassed to announce it).
Yes, that's Craig Bellamy, formerly of almost every other club in the Premier League. One must ask the simple question 'Why?'. Why would any team with ambition sign Craig Bellamy? If the papers are right and City do have a two-track transfer policy -- one for the Sheiks and one for Hughes -- then it's safe to assume that this signing comes from the latter track, in which case Mark Hughes really doesn't have a clue, does he?.
I've heard people expressing doubts about Hughes recently, and I have to say that I'm beginning to take that stance myself. Is he really qualified enough to be handling players like Kaka and Robinho? The football that City play doesn't suggest as much, nor does his eagerness to have Santa Cruz spearheading his attack.
As Sean Ingle said on Football Weekly concerning footballing style under Mark Hughes, it's "as cultured as Luton on a Friday night". I don't know what Luton is like on Friday's, but I'm guessing it's not very cultured, which is an apt description of the kind of football generally played under Hughes' tenure. Cesc Fabregas would certainly agree anyway, having famously (and rather tastelessly) asked Mark Hughes how he could ever have played for Barcelona given the fact his Blackburn side were in effect the anti-Barcelona.
I haven't been sure whether Kaka moving to City would please me or not, but with City's capture of Bellamy my mind is now made up. Kaka coming to the Eastlands would be horrible to see. The thought of him playing alongside the hazard that is Craig Bellamy makes my skin crawl, and it's something I hope doesn't happen for the sake of everything good and pure in this world. However, if Kaka can see past the badness in Bellamy (and I'm sure £500, 000 a week will aid him in gaining this perception) and thus decides to come to Manchester, then I have but one piece of advice for him: For the love of God do not bring your golf clubs with you. You'll only end up regretting it in the long run.
On a more serious note, I don't see why Kaka would want to come to Manchester City, and why A.C. Milan would want to sell him. I can't envisage the money being a factor in Kaka's decision due to the economic theory of diminishing returns if not his religious convictions, and so in my mind there is no other reason to join City. Champisons League football in one and a half years is the very best they can offer him, but with acquisitions such as Bellamy being made and a vigorous pursuit of Santa Cruz seemingly ongoing, it doesn't seem like City are buying the kind of players that win you Champions League football, and Hughes doesn't appear to be the kind of manager capable of orchestrating a team of that standard.
And so on a personal level it will most likely represent a major step backwards in the career of Kaka. Should he get out of Milan? I think so. After all, if they are prepared to sell one of the best players in the world then they really don't have any footballing ambition whatsoever and so it is time to get out of a sinking ship - a sinking ship that entertains players such as Senderos and Beckham no less...or more accurately, a sinking ship because it entertains such substandard players. I mean would Barcelona sell Messi? I honestly don't think they would for any amount of money, unless of course Messi himself wanted to leave. You just can't put a price on such talent, because it is one of a kind and therefore irreplaceable.
The bottom line is that football clubs don't exist to make money. There is nothing wrong with them making money of course, but first and foremost a football club exists in order to win trophies (unless you're Newcastle of course), and out of that the money and prestige comes. The Abu Dhabi group are trying to turn the game on its head by forcing clubs to value money more than talent and trophies. They're turning Indecent Proposal into a real life scenario, offering clubs $1m dollars to sleep with their best player...or something. Yes they are trying to score genuine talent, but so was Robert Redford. The means however is at the very least unconventional, and at worst extremely unethical.
I genuinely hope it doesn't work. Seeing Kaka in the Premier League would obviously be a major plus, but a potentially dangerous precedent will be set if a team battling relegation can acquire the services of one of the top three players in the world. I wouldn't blame Kaka for getting out of Milan, nor would I even blame him for joining City. Ultimately, the blame lands on those who choose to sell him. If Kaka feels expendable, then by all means leave. But by leaving to Manchester City he will be potentially wasting the prime of his career, and this is time that he will never get back.
It's a tough situation for all involved, and I'm still not sure what I think about it, even though I just said that I'm definitely sure what I think about it a few paragraphs ago. Something's not right about it though. I'm just not sure I can pinpoint it exactly. If anyone has any similar of contrasting opinions then do share. I'd be extremely interested to hear them.
Yes, that's Craig Bellamy, formerly of almost every other club in the Premier League. One must ask the simple question 'Why?'. Why would any team with ambition sign Craig Bellamy? If the papers are right and City do have a two-track transfer policy -- one for the Sheiks and one for Hughes -- then it's safe to assume that this signing comes from the latter track, in which case Mark Hughes really doesn't have a clue, does he?.
I've heard people expressing doubts about Hughes recently, and I have to say that I'm beginning to take that stance myself. Is he really qualified enough to be handling players like Kaka and Robinho? The football that City play doesn't suggest as much, nor does his eagerness to have Santa Cruz spearheading his attack.
As Sean Ingle said on Football Weekly concerning footballing style under Mark Hughes, it's "as cultured as Luton on a Friday night". I don't know what Luton is like on Friday's, but I'm guessing it's not very cultured, which is an apt description of the kind of football generally played under Hughes' tenure. Cesc Fabregas would certainly agree anyway, having famously (and rather tastelessly) asked Mark Hughes how he could ever have played for Barcelona given the fact his Blackburn side were in effect the anti-Barcelona.
I haven't been sure whether Kaka moving to City would please me or not, but with City's capture of Bellamy my mind is now made up. Kaka coming to the Eastlands would be horrible to see. The thought of him playing alongside the hazard that is Craig Bellamy makes my skin crawl, and it's something I hope doesn't happen for the sake of everything good and pure in this world. However, if Kaka can see past the badness in Bellamy (and I'm sure £500, 000 a week will aid him in gaining this perception) and thus decides to come to Manchester, then I have but one piece of advice for him: For the love of God do not bring your golf clubs with you. You'll only end up regretting it in the long run.
On a more serious note, I don't see why Kaka would want to come to Manchester City, and why A.C. Milan would want to sell him. I can't envisage the money being a factor in Kaka's decision due to the economic theory of diminishing returns if not his religious convictions, and so in my mind there is no other reason to join City. Champisons League football in one and a half years is the very best they can offer him, but with acquisitions such as Bellamy being made and a vigorous pursuit of Santa Cruz seemingly ongoing, it doesn't seem like City are buying the kind of players that win you Champions League football, and Hughes doesn't appear to be the kind of manager capable of orchestrating a team of that standard.
And so on a personal level it will most likely represent a major step backwards in the career of Kaka. Should he get out of Milan? I think so. After all, if they are prepared to sell one of the best players in the world then they really don't have any footballing ambition whatsoever and so it is time to get out of a sinking ship - a sinking ship that entertains players such as Senderos and Beckham no less...or more accurately, a sinking ship because it entertains such substandard players. I mean would Barcelona sell Messi? I honestly don't think they would for any amount of money, unless of course Messi himself wanted to leave. You just can't put a price on such talent, because it is one of a kind and therefore irreplaceable.
The bottom line is that football clubs don't exist to make money. There is nothing wrong with them making money of course, but first and foremost a football club exists in order to win trophies (unless you're Newcastle of course), and out of that the money and prestige comes. The Abu Dhabi group are trying to turn the game on its head by forcing clubs to value money more than talent and trophies. They're turning Indecent Proposal into a real life scenario, offering clubs $1m dollars to sleep with their best player...or something. Yes they are trying to score genuine talent, but so was Robert Redford. The means however is at the very least unconventional, and at worst extremely unethical.
I genuinely hope it doesn't work. Seeing Kaka in the Premier League would obviously be a major plus, but a potentially dangerous precedent will be set if a team battling relegation can acquire the services of one of the top three players in the world. I wouldn't blame Kaka for getting out of Milan, nor would I even blame him for joining City. Ultimately, the blame lands on those who choose to sell him. If Kaka feels expendable, then by all means leave. But by leaving to Manchester City he will be potentially wasting the prime of his career, and this is time that he will never get back.
It's a tough situation for all involved, and I'm still not sure what I think about it, even though I just said that I'm definitely sure what I think about it a few paragraphs ago. Something's not right about it though. I'm just not sure I can pinpoint it exactly. If anyone has any similar of contrasting opinions then do share. I'd be extremely interested to hear them.
