Comments on: The Great Messi Question

By: light

light — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:17:08 +0000

Try this otherwise, its working for me
http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/sat26.7/Dundee_Barcelona.html

By: ballbeav

ballbeav — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:56:34 +0000

you can find streaming barcelona-dundee here:

http://www.humsurfer.com/view/live-streaming-dundee-united-vs-barcelona-online-friendly-matches

By: jake

jake — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:25:49 +0000

Eto’o for Benzema would be perfect. It would really kill two birds with one stone. How much cash are we thinking would be involved? Or would it just be first option. I don’t want to get my hopes up though, so I will try and be with Kxevin in his “wait and see” mode.

Trezeguet would be great though. Like Kxevin said, he links up well with Henry, and with Hleb there too, we would definately get the best out of Henry. 20 million would be a decent price too.

Still, we need Arshavin. We are crazy to pass up an opportunity like this. He has a brilliant passion for the club, which is just what we need.

By: Kxevin

Kxevin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:39:32 +0000

Ciaran, what’s the status of Quaresma? Last I read, Inter were throwing about 25 million at Porto to prise him loose.

By: Kxevin

Kxevin — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:36:59 +0000

On the news front, we have apparently offered Lyon Eto’o plus cash for Benzema. This obviously won’t happen, but I think that it’s more to make clear that with all of our activity, we haven’t forgotten about the talented forward.

Aulas isn’t crazy. Yes, Lyon are interested in Eto’o, though they won’t be once they see his wage demands. Players leave Ligue Un to make that kind of money. Eto’o is, frankly, crazy to think anyone is going to pay that kind of money for a 27-year-old striker who is coming off of consecutive seasons with serious injuries.

If we could get Eto’o to relax his salary demands, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us do a slightly cut-rate deal for Eto’o that includes first rights to Benzema.

Oh, and we’re maybe looking at bidding 20 million for Trezeguet. I say maybe, because you have heard nothing real from our end of things, and Trezeguet seems pretty happy at Juventus. I’d do the deal for 20 million, as a short-term stopgap until guys like Benzema can develop and we can make a for-real call on them. But 20 million for one of the world’s best in-the-box strikers, who also works very well with Henry, would be a deal.

I can already hear the Eto’o is so much better than Trezeguet stuff, and I’ll leave folks to that. Trezeguet is different than Eto’o, and possibly better for Guardiola’s desired single striker at front, backed by Henry and Messi. And Trezeguet scores goals in the catennacio world of Serie A.

But I just don’t place any faith in the rumor mill. I’m in “wait and see mode.”

Besides, we have the goal-crazy Gudjohnsen, right?

By: Cesar

Cesar — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:31:29 +0000

Laporta,deja ir a Messi a Beijing!!!!!!!!!
El mundo tiene derecho de verlo jugar en las olimpiadas!!

By: ballbeav

ballbeav — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:34:17 +0000

i also like the idea of him joining the national side late, but the AFA isnt down with this.

the dundee-barca game is 11 am eastern time (US), but i am wondering if it will be streamed live or delayed. anyone who finds a live streaming site please paste the link here tomorrow (saturday) morning.

By: Ciaran

Ciaran — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:57:28 +0000

I think we should use him for the first leg to ensure our qualification and then let him roam free.
If he hits form there and hits the ground running for La Liga every one of us will be delighted. He is definitely a form player and winning the Olympic games would have to be good for us long term.
And there is every bit as much possibility that he gets injured against Boca in the Gamper. On the flip side… if Gudiola is focussing on the overall fitness of the team and thinks that going to Beijing will be bad fis long term fitness then I’d understand.

Dani Alves and Messi were impressive together down the right. On the other side the left winger will have to give width as well as being able to go it alone on occassion as Abidal will be staying at home more than Alves. Silva does not offer enough of what we want. Between Hleb and Iniesta we have more of everything than Silva gives us and we can’t just buy him for the sake of it. Thiago Neves would stay out wide but I’m not sure if he would be ready for a 30/40 game La Liga/Champs League season. Arshavin would be better equipped but his transfer would be less likely.
It’s such a pity that we couldn’t sign Quaresma again. If you give him the ball out wide he will either take someone on or get the ball into the box with quality. He is the only person on the planet to match Dani Alves’ quality in crossing and he can play both wings. If we are prepared to give Valencia €30million for Silva who adds nothing to the squad (statistically) then why not offer Porto €25million for Quaresma who would add pace, crossing, goals and bucketloads of assists.
Commercially, Quaresma’s skills and image would be good for the club, something that will be welcome with the departure of Deco and Ronnie.

Let the above paragraph have nothing to do with the fact that he is probably my favourite player outside the Messiah.

By: Kxevin

Kxevin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:38:35 +0000

You’re right, John. But it does mean that as a fan, your support of the entity should be there. You can be against some of the decisions the club makes. Absolutely. If we keep Eto’o I think we’re crazy, but I will never stop supporting the club. I love Henry, but no matter what we do, I won’t stop being a fan or him or the club. As with Ronaldinho, I would wish him well in his new home, until he came to the Nou Camp.

I would bet that the board is behind the Messi stance. Why, I don’t know. I still go back and forth on that one. I still don’t know what harm it would cause to let him go, but if they have the “no special treatment” worldview, I can understand that, as well. The problem is in flexibility, which I don’t believe they are showing right now.

By: Isaiah

Isaiah — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:54:15 +0000

It sure sounds like Pep is behind Messi’s Olympic bid and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was because he won a gold medal with Spain in ‘92. Not surprising, then, that he would hold the Olympics up as a great tournament and would support other players who have the opportunity to go.

As for “More than a club,” I think what Kevin meant was that no player is greater than any other and is expected to give to the club as much as all the others, not that the team doesn’t care about its players.

I would never abandon Barça over such a petty thing as whether Messi goes to the Olympics or not (after all, my opinion of the Olympics is not positive), but precisely because it is such a petty thing, then he really should be allowed to go if he wants to. I am opposed to him leaving, but if he wants to go, then he should be allowed to go and he should be sent off with some sort of “You’re a great guy, come back soon and healthy” fanfare.

I seem to have forgotten to make that point in my post…I just think Messi is above the Olympics in skill. Still, a gold medal would be nice to add to the mantel…