Comments on: Martín Cáceres: blauguayan

By: Gregory

Gregory — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:14:55 +0000

Heh, nice article, especially for an American!

I just met Caceres tonight in a restaurant in the Port Olimpic. I said Benvenidos! He looks able and willing. I told him to watch out for Diego Capel…

By: JC

JC — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:45:08 +0000

Finally, Dani Alves is official!!!

By: Kxevin

Kxevin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:38:31 +0000

I think that Ciaran’s last comment about a cohesive unit being more important than talent and ego messing things up is what’s behind certain favorites going on sale. Interesting. I also wonder if, absent the likes of Deco and Ronaldinho, Eto’o will be a better citizen.

Hey, kids, the 08/09 kits are on sale, complete with a 10% discount for us socis. I got long-sleeved home, away and keeper’s shirts, plus one of the going, going, gone short-sleeved 3rd shirts. Suh-weet!

Look for a welcome, Dani Alves post outta me if it happens tomorrow. There might even be a picture if I can figure out this whole Vista/new blogging template business.

Also, I am definitely planning a politics post, just before the big vote, so that everyone understands what’s going on and the potential import on our beloved club.

Meanwhile, we offered 30 million for Silva and Valencia said no??!! Screw them. 40 million for Adebayor is so crazy that if we did it, I just might fly to Barcelona just to chain myself to the gates of the Nou Camp in protest. Craziness. I think we’re desperate, but not crazy. That just won’t fly.

Guiza is still looking like the best alternative. Eto’ is also under contract until 2010 like Ronaldinho. So we either sell him now, or really get rooked for him. Who wants to see these guys go on a free transfer? Not I. Deco was relatively cheap, but cheaper than a free transfer.

So. Eto’o stays, has a great season, and we open the pocketbook to keep him. Or he stays, has a great season, and everyone else opens the pocketbook, and he skedaddles on a free transfer for mega-mega bucks. Or he has a crap season, and we can’t give him away in the January transfer window because he’s a risk, and everyone might as well until he comes off contract.

With two years to go, now is the time to sell. With one year to go, teams can hold us over a barrel, as Spurs did with Dos Santos.

Ah, the modern game.

By: Ciaran

Ciaran — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:06:53 +0000

If we want a striker with an attitude problem we could just get Adriano from Inter… He’d cost a lot, like Adebayor, He can be brilliant, like Adebayor, but in all likelihood would cause problems because of his attitude, like you guessed it, Adebayor.
Berbatov, whilst still seems temperamental, would cost less and could teach Bojan a few tricks. His technique is outstanding has scored against all the big teams which is probably a good sign. His 4 goal performance against Reading was the best solo performance I’ve seen for a long time (with the obviouse exception of R10 and Messi’s respective performances against EE).
AC Milan have ruled themselves out of a move for Adebayor because he is too expensive. I would say bad value at €40million. I wouldn’t sign him for anything near that so MOVE ON TXIKI.
Same for Hleb, at €10million I’d accept his transfer but would you lose money swapping Deco for Hleb??? I can’t imagine anyone would choose Hleb over Deco and neither should we pay above what we sold Deco for unless we are getting as much as we lost with Deco’s departure. Make Sense?
At least Hernanes has age on his side being 24. Same for V.d.Vaart. Joao Moutinho is 21 I think. All have much more potential than Hleb.

If it happens that Eto’o stays for one more season, by the time he leaves Bojan should be first choice anyway so it shouldn’t be too bad. If we do sign a striker, I really just want 2/3 good years for Bojan’s development and growth.
Is Eto’o’s hunger really a good thing to take from our locker room? I don’t know what’s going on in their but a cohesive unit is more important than talent and ego messing things up.

By: Bobby G.

Bobby G. — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:47:17 +0000

I do agree that he never worked with Eto’o — note least, I think, because Sammy also likes to come in from the left. Adebayor? I worry about his attitude.

By: Bobby G.

Bobby G. — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:45:53 +0000

… and, btw, Henry has always favored the left side of the field, even during his glory days at Arsenal. I vividly remember countless goals where he collected the ball out on the wing, then darted into the center. He was never, but never, a centerforward.

By: Kxevin

Kxevin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:43:36 +0000

Oh I still think that we should sign a striker, Bobby. You’ve probably missed my “Adebayor would be good” comments. Henry can’t carry the full-time striker burden, but I would argue that he never could. He was at his best at Arsenal working with another striker, first Bergkamp, then Adebayor….someone to create space.

He couldn’t work well with Eto’o because of that simple notion that there can’t be two No. 1s. So both were trying to do the same stuff, essentially.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola deals with all of this next season.

By: Bobby G.

Bobby G. — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:16:55 +0000

Kxevin, I’m not averse to giving Henry a chance — but judging by his declining performance over the past three seasons (including at the World Cup and Euro08), I think it is a folly to expect he will be a season-long striker. Prudence dictates that we get a top-notch goalscorer to cover for him.

Yes, Henry showed some flashes of ability at the end of last season, but it was in very short bursts. And there have ben plenty of reports that his back condition is now permanent.

That’s why I can’t see him be more than a supersub. With Ronnie, Eto’o gone (or practically gone), we’ve lost the people who scored the majority of our goals over the past three seasons. To expect Messi, Henry and Bojan to carry that burden is too big a gamble for my liking.

By: Ciaran

Ciaran — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:36:28 +0000

So Alves is offically presented after a routine medical tommorrow. That potentially leaves 4 days to complete any further deals should Laporta receive a no confidence vote, however unlikely.
It seems unlikely that Ronaldinho and Eto’os future will be sorted out before then so I expect maybe Arshavin to arrive but no more. If it happens that Laporta is unsuccessful then Ronaldinho and Eto’o stay… at least til January. Very possible but not that bad a result. I think that for football reasons everyone still wants Eto’o in the squad.
Ronaldinho is a different kettle of fish. If he is still here maybe he will do a sit-up or two between here and christmas. He would have to work as Kxevin hopes and maybe prove himself as a useful sub or something.

By: ballbeav

ballbeav — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:27:49 +0000

Alves is in barcelona for a medical check before he becomes blaugrana, according to the FCB website.