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Maybe I want him nice and big.

City Can Marry Their Twin Objectives

Here are two statements that are in no way revolutionary:

1 - Kaka is an exceptional footballer.

2 - Manchester City probably don't need him.

It's clear to anyone that has seen Manchester City play this season that they have areas in their team that require more urgent attention. Wayne Bridge has plugged the left-back gap, they probably need two central midfielders, a centre-forward and something needs to be done about the centre of defence. Even if it's just putting Micah Richards and Richard Dunne on a diet.

However, what is also pretty clear is that City have two transfer policies: Mark Hughes has been tasked with acquiring the solid, Premier League players that will get them out of trouble this season, leaving the publicity-hungry owners to chase the 'marquee' signing that they feel will mark City out as major players in world football.

It's a policy similar to one that we've seen before. When Florentino Perez was elected as Real Madrid president in 2000, he implemented the 'Zidanes y Pavones' policy, whereby a 'galactico' would be brought in each year and be backed up by products of the Madrid youth system.

And it worked for a short time, with Real winning La Liga in 2001 and 2003, and the Champions League in 2002. However, in the end it simply fostered resentment and divisions within the squad, and Real had (by their standards) a four-year barren spell, halted only by the relative pragmatism of Fabio Capello and Bernd Schuster.

Kaka's apparent decision to turn City down might be a blessing, but it signals exactly what ADUG have in mind. Who knows who will be next in their sights. Leo Messi? Cristiano Ronaldo?

Rather than chase rainbows, both City objectives could be married in a quick and reasonably easy way if they wait until the summer.

Two of the most sought-after and talented players in the world will almost certainly be on the market, and City will be able to pick both up in one meeting.

Valencia's financial situation is so perilous that they will have to sell their assets, meaning that both David Villa and David Silva will be available, and for about half the cost of Kaka, Messi or Ronaldo.

This would represent a 'coup' for ADUG and a tactical solution for Hughes.

For the owners, beating the biggest and richest clubs in the world to two such coveted players would be a feather in the cap indeed.

And for Hughes, he will gain probably the best finisher around, and the man who provides him with a fair amount of ammo at Valencia. Small he may be, but Villa has been playing alone up front with Silva behind him since the latter returned to fitness, and Valencia have scored six goals against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal in that time.

Imagine Robinho, David Silva and Shaun Wright-Phillips interchanging behind Villa. Not much physical presence, but sign a more robust striker as an alternative and he'll have a pretty useful forward line there.

It should be reaffirmed that this is not a plan for January, but rather for June and July. City's immediate priority should be the positions mentioned above. Save the ostentatious spending for the summer.

Nick Miller

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Quite right in principle but the flaw in the argument is that City could be in a worse position come summer than they are now. I am sure that if we were currently 5th from top rather than from bottom,we would have less trouble attracting quality players.
If we lose 2 more games this month we will be in deep kaka (as French children say).

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The Senior Member

OK, now for the most talked about potential transfer in the history of the game. Kaka moving from AC Milan to Manchester City.

I have read many different articles that suggest this transfer will indeed "ruin the game" and that the new owners of Manchester City are also contributors to the end of football as we know it. In fact, some people have even been talking about this deal ripping out the soul of the sport. This article is simple; to discuss just how childish and naive all of these claims are.

I must admit that the whole Kaka affair has been very interesting to watch, and discuss. But seriously, how will one chairman destroy football?

What annoys me is when I hear people complain, and wonder about the money that is coming out of Manchester City. Here are some cold, hard facts for all those who believe that football is now a dying game.

Firstly, there is only one man with the money and power at City; any other transfer will not be effected by this, unless directly linked to City, eg, Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal. Which means that apart from prices being driven up through competition (which happens anyway) there is no real effect to anyone else on this level.

Secondly, by bringing in the money that City have, there is a whole lot of cash coming into the English economy. Some 17.5% will be taken from the reported £500,000-a-week wages of Kaka by the government, thus feeding our nation's wealth. This will, in time, increase with each new player that City, or indeed any other club, brings in.

Also, other clubs, if smart, will drive their prices up when approached by City. As Mark Hughes said himself, other clubs - Arsenal take note - will be able to cash in big on their stars, and will also be able to have a much-needed cash injection.

I'm currently studying for my masters in international business, so please don't think i'm just making light of this situation. This is just how it is.

There are many other small things i could add. The Manchester City brand will increase worldwide. More money will be brought into the economy through TV rights in the Middle East, and shirt sales.

Finally to Kaka himself. He is a born-again Christian, which means he does carry morals and values. He donates 10% of his earnings each week (£50,000) to the church. If you think this has no relevence, the church pays tax, too.

But the church is also a place designed, by it's very nature, to help the community and support people in the local area. I understand the last point may seem very flimsy and silly, but actually, is it as silly as saying that the world of football will come to a halt because of Manchester City!? Were people not saying the same thing about Roman Abramovich when he took over Chelsea?

Whether Kaka will sign or not is not the debate in this article, the point is to show that it is ultimately Manchester City's money to spend. They have an owner who has earned his wealth and wants to see attractive football.

From a business point of view, owning a club is such a good and attractive idea because it is a great way to advertise his other businesses, as well as having the most exciting venue to hold business meetings and to host big events. All of which, at some point, will be of benefit to us, the taxpayers.

If you want to question morals, I agree, it is not morally acceptable to almost monopolise a market, being able to choose exactly who you want to work for you. But, through all this, there seems to be a moral being overlooked by everyone - a group of people who just do not like Manchester City. In one word, envy.

I love my football, and the truth can sometimes be hard, but in this case, it is up to other clubs, and managers in particular, to make the real difference and earn their own unrealistic wages by being as competitive as possible.

There are more than 11 great players out there at the moment, I'm sure; it is up to managers and clubs to find this talent, and to act before rivals do. Sir Alex Ferguson has done this for years and years, and look where Manchester United are!

It's a challenge that needs to be taken on by all clubs, otherwise football will be in trouble. Not because of a powerhouse club that buys the competition, but by a lack of real managers, willing to earn their money by thinking quickly, and making good business and football decsisions.

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Bloody good article. There is some sense coming out in recent articles that is refreshing after all the hyperbole over the initial breaking of the story.

Way more than that for income tax at the highest rate.

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[color="Red"]Keeper of the heretic's fork of doom [/color]

These are the cries of the carrots.

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http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Football/documents/2009/01/21/man.city.transfer.targets.pdf

Precisely

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Boooooo, no font.

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I been a star since Pat Benatar[/color]

Cheers Grauniad.

What?

Also, I'd just like to say I hate the Guardian and their vendetta against us, though I like the paper itself.

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The Guardian is a commie arsewipe.

Check out my moderating:

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I raped myself once. My mind was telling me no but my body, my body was telling me yes.

When I open the file the font doesn't load. It'd all be spelled wrong anyway though.

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[color="DimGray"]
I been a star since Pat Benatar[/color]

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[color="DimGray"]
I been a star since Pat Benatar[/color]

Squidge would be jealous.
I don't care. I hate your moderating.

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I need a dump so will leave you all a lion bar here. Just rate it on the scale of 1 to 10 on smellyness.

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[color="DeepSkyBlue"]If sex is a pain in the ass, then you're doing it wrong...[/color]

Going into this transfer window all I felt we NEEDED was a goalkeeper and a left back, so for me this window has been exactly what I wanted, I wanted Bridge for the Left back position too so I was very happy, I also wanted an English speaking ‘keeper although I would have preferred someone who is a little more vocal than Given. Hopefully Dunne will play better having confidence in him from the ROI internationals. I have never had confidence in Hart (or Kasper)and I don’t think Dunne did either. I think Hart will become an England International but he needs to learn a lot, his command of the area and decision making are very poor but these will come with experience, the Premier league though, at 21, isn’t the place to get it.

I think bringing in De Jong was a very good signing, I would like to see Richards taken out of the team for a sustained period (and kept out of the gym), I always thought that although he wasn’t up to scratch positionally, his pace and athleticism got him out of trouble, and really protected us in the air. Since he has lost both of these attributes by bulking up far too much in my opinion, he is currently a shadow of the player he was, he looks cumbersome at right back too and a touch lazy at times. The De Jong signing means we can play Kompany at centre back, where I think his height, leadership qualities and passing can improve our defence and distribution.

Short term we should carry on playing Onuoha while Dunne is suspended, and although Dunne has been disappointing this season, I would like to see Given – Zabaleta - Dunne – Kompany – Bridge for a sustained period, I think they need to play consistently together as a unit and when they do, we shouldn’t concede many, I know it sounds harsh on Onouha, but the boy is young and improving, and he has the chance to be Dunne’s long term successor.

Bridge at left back, Zabaleta at right back, I think both are good crossers of the ball, defend well, and get forward well, ideally I would like each to have a touch more pace playing full back but these players are more than good enough for where we want to start heading. Richards and Garrido (who I though was improving nicely) as cover.

In front of the back four sits the new man De Jong, not seen that much of him but he looks good, Gelson as a back up for him when necessary (hopefully he will start going forwards rather than backwards working with De Jong).

This is where I reckon most of you will disagree with me, but I would like to see Ireland play a lot deeper, he has come on leaps and bounds this year, his workrate and defensive side of the game especially, I think he has the best footballing brain in the squad and think he could control the pace and direction of our attacks better than anyone in the squad, he has the ability to put Bellamy through from deep and that is what Hughes bought Bellamy for, to hang off the last dfefender. I think Johnson should be Irelands competition for that place.
I would like to see that part of the team consistently for the remainder of the season:

Given
Zabaleta – Dunne – Kompamy – Bridge
De Jong – Ireland

Now this is the part I find really interesting, we have four forward positions up for grabs, with SWP, Elano, Petrov, Robinho, Sturridge, Bojinov, and Bellamy up for them.
Now I purposely left out Evans, Benjani and Caicedo. The reason for this is that other than Zabaleta and Bridge, nobody can cross the ball from out wide, I don’t see the point in playing target men unless you are attacking down the flanks and putting quality balls in at every opportunity. Corradi, Samaras and Benjani, these type of player need crosses, without them they are useless, with them they score goals.
I think we should look into the possibility of playing with no strikers, a horrible club from Stretford did it last year after all.

From Wiki:

4-6-0
A highly unconventional formation, the 4-6-0 is an evolution of the 4-2-3-1 in which the centre forward is exchanged for a player who normally plays as a trequartista (that is, in the 'hole'). Suggested as a possible formation for the future of football,[14] the formation sacrifices an out-and-out striker for the tactical advantage of a mobile front four attacking from a position that the opposition defenders cannot mark without being pulled out of position.[15] However, owing to the intelligence and pace required by the front four attackers to create and attack any space left by the opposition defenders, the formation requires a very skilful and well-drilled front four. Due to these high requirements from the attackers, and the novelty of playing without a proper goalscorer, the formation has been adopted by very few teams, and rarely consistently. The formation was first professionally adopted by Luciano Spalletti's Roma side during the 2005-06 Serie A season (mostly out of necessity) as his "strikerless formation",[16] and then notably by Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side in the 2007-08 Premier League season (who won the Premier League and Champions League that season).[17]

SWP/Bellamy – Elano/Bojinov/Bellamy – Sturridge – Robinho/Petrov

Obviously we lack height here and any quality crossers, so there is no need for your Santa Cruz type players as above. We should destroy teams at home with our large pitch and exploit the gaps there. Now there will be times when we struggle to break teams down, on poor quality, smaller pitches like Stoke, so did Stretford, they scored right at the death (against 10 man stoke)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7787585.st m

Van der Sar
Neville – Evans – Vidic O'Shea
Fletcher - Scholes
Ronaldo – Rooney – Tevez – Giggs

Given
Zabaleta – Dunne – Kompany – Bridge
De Jong – Ireland
SWP – Bojinov – Sturridge/Bellamy - Robinho

Those 4 players up top will break most teams down over 90 minutes, we are the second highest scorers in the league already.

That’s a very long time putting down why I’m happy with the window and didn’t want RSC!

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Come back Charlie

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and there was me thinking he'd just gnoe shit at spurs as well.

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"It felt like a really pointless version of ketamine: no psychedelic effects, no pleasant slide into rubbery nonsense, just a sudden drop off the cliff of wrongness."
"i'm gonna wreck you so bad we're going to have to change church"