Aug 13
United are on the ‘Brink of a Signing’
It’s a quiet day if you ignore the words Dimitar Berbatov. But you can’t ignore it today, because otherwise, there wouldn’t be much to write about here. So let’s not ignore it and decide to talk about it. Er, okay…
Dimitar Berbatov is on the brink of joining Manchester United according to most sports outlets. There has been all sorts of crazy speculation. But there is little, by way of quotes, to suggest anything. However, such has been the mood in the press, with some papers having proclaimed that Berbatov is already in Carrington and will sign ahead of the Friday pre-season photo shoot, that it is safe to say that Berba will be a United player soon.
The transfer fee reportedly anything between £25 to £28 million has also sparked debate on the value of the player. I personally think £25m is a good deal but think the final fee to be closer to the £28m mark.
Anyway, I think we can start thinking up Berba chants.
Elsewhere, John Terry decides to chime in with his contribution to the pre-season trash talk. “I don’t think United have another level to go to, he suggests. “They had a lot of players in their team who have been at the peak of their form for the last two years.” Fair enough. But we also don’t have players who slip when all they’re supposed to do is to kick the fucking ball from the spot.
And Ryan Giggs has admitted that, whilst he’s played the past two seasons like they were his last, there is a good chance this could be his last. There is a piece on the Telegraph that also talks about his desire to get into coaching.
And finally, ahead of the new season I thought I could get RR a bit of a facelift. It’s the same theme with some minor tweaks. Initially I flirted with the idea of a radically different theme, but I had already fallen in love with my existing theme that I thought a few minor tweaks to be handy. Now there is a rotating header that will change upon page load, randomly. Hopefully we’ll get to add more headers and also iron out minor bugs in design in due course. Of course, thanks are in order to Ahmed of Soccerlens for getting the right designer to do the job and generally bearing with my nitpicking.
And since there is a big time gap between when this post was drafted and when it went to publish mode, here’s hoping Berbatov has signed as you read these lines.
Till tomorrow.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Muted celebration portrays the dawning of reality – Wallpaper
- United Close On Lindegaard, But De Gea’s A No-Go — For Now
- Tottenham v Manchester United – Match Thread
- Part-time gardener to make United debut soon
- Hargreaves Stirs Up Some Debate | Saha Could Start (Wow!) | Some New Signing
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
Stephen (485)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (348)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@TinManUnited:
Much as I can’t wait to see Ando playing for United again… He didn’t play today only because Brazil had already qualified for the next stage.
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Any news on Berbatov???
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@Red Diablo: He went for a haircut today, so he will look nice for the United team photo on friday. lol
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Is anyone watching the ‘pool game? Standard Liege have missed a peno and have had some great chances to take the lead. (btw I’m only watching the match because my brother supports them)
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@Grognard: i dont care for past form, as you said for the last 2 YEARS(since the last euros actually) rooney has been off form, its OK when your a couple of matches of form but YEARS, thats pathetic. right now tevez is better then rooney, we can not just assume playing rooney with berbatov will recapture his form, knowing him, it wont. Tevez is the man on form right now, just like i predicted months ago, i remember all the negative feedback i got for that, now look whos laughing, i predicted this type of form from tevez and i think he is better then rooney right now. with a tevez berbatov partnership i am more then confident with of domestic success and hopefully european success when tevez on this form, and berbatov banging in the goals. but with a tevez-rooney or a berbatov rooney partnership, we will get goals but it wouldnt breed the same success as an on form tevez-berbatov partnership. if you dont understand what i mean, think off this, whats the better partnership, Dos santos and bent(pretty good partnership, could pull of some magic) or berbatov and bent, the latter obviously wins, yet the first could still bring them success.
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@Stephen:
“He has scored 70 goals in 82 games for Ajax and 8 in 13 for Holland, that would be good enough for me.
”
His scoring record isnt in question. Sig brings up the point nobody wants to address. If he is so bloody good at scoring why is no one coming in for him? I am not sold on Huntelar at all, and I dont think Fergie is either.
I am very curious about Manucho, logic would tell us he isnt ready to contribute seeing how he is fresh out of the angolan league. and the move to the EPL let alone the champions of Europe is a big ask for 98% of the footballers out there. The thing that intrigues me is, why would Fergie sign and unproven 25 year old unless he saw buckets of raw talent? Im willing to bet Fergie thinks he has the ability to play at this level and contribute, but he isnt sure if he has the temperment to hack it. Case in point Forlan, loads of ability but he just isnt suited for United.
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Manucho will make it. Rooney is out of position too often rather than out of form Dan(u)ol. But we shall see this season!.
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I watched L’Pool tonight, and was bored out of my mind. If Torres was on the field, I think he was hiding. All hype and no substance on tonights effort. Bland, Bland, Bland.
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welcome to the best team in the world mr Berba
thanks for making united the first and last perfect team in the world
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@Craig Mc: Just the fact that rooney is our engine sohuld be enough for you?
I mean you actually criticizing him?
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Me and Grogs already had the Rooney-Tevez debate. Let it go, it leads to nowhere. Just sit back and watch them continue to strengthen their partnership. People wondered wether or not they could play together last season. But when they were both on form they were truly breathtaking.
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@Stephen:
He wasnt ever used in the role but there was alot of talk especially amongst those who regulary watched the reserves that Rossi that his style of playing and his size would have made it easy to mould him in a Paul Scholes mould (old Paul Scholes that is, not the Paul Scholes we have seen the last couple of seasons)
Rooney himself shares many an attribute with Rossi. He drops deep, reads the game well, can hold his own. You certainly could see Rooney being involved in the centre before reading the game, bursting into the box and finding himself on the end of a ball as its not that different to what he does now when playing at his best. He likes being involved in the build up and goes looking for the ball, he often takes up strange positions but which ultimately end up being good.
@MoYa:
And he was booked in the first game, another booking would have seen him out of the next game. Hence him being rested
@Grognard:
He isnt world class yet. Otherwise we would be labelling any player who did well in any league world class. Like many players he has the potential to be world class but approaching 25 he is also very close to becoming another player who wasted his potential. As RR said he need needs to get a move to England or Spain as he needs to put the final part of his development into play. He needs to surround himself with better players and be playing against better opposition that presents a challenge rather than coasting it in Holland. If he is to do that he either has to be willing to goto a less prestigious club in a more competitive league or needs to be willing to potentially play second fiddle at a United or Real level club for a season (And thats not saying he would have to, some players do thrive in such surroundings and hit the ground running but many dont). I do think if he moves to a top league in the next year he has the qualities to be in the world class striker group by the time he is 27-28 but he really could go the other way if he doesnt move soon
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On the Rooney Debate I have to say in the last couple of seasons he has frustrated me alot in game. He is capable of being amazing and often is but even at his best his game is littered with sloppy play when it comes to the simple stuff. Things like simple 5 yard passes from him all too often go astray, play others into danger ect ect. If he could get these routine aspects to a better and more consistent level then I think it would do a world of good to his overall level of his play .
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@johnsom33: Really when did you have this debate? we had this same debate(well me and a bloke named conor actually, grognard just commented on it i believe) about tevez and rooney, grog thought tevez would never be prolific, then i posted his stats, which actually prove other wise if you look carefully. Tevez has been prolific at the start of his career, but since 2003 i believe, he has never had a summer off, he’s just been playing football for the last few years non-stop, which is where his goalscoring starts to decline, but i believe after the summer he just had, he will bring his game up a few gears, and he has, just look at the pre-season and the games against pompey, he looks possessed, im backing him for 20-25 goals.
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@dan(u-ol): Yeah! But Rooney on his best position as a 2nd striker! = Destruction of the enemy!
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Can someone explain this to me on a phew points I am about to make first of all chelsea’s super arrogance, it seems to me that chelsea have not stopped running their big mouths. we hear terry come out with idiotic points like they are a team on the up, what have chelsea shown in the transfer market replacing one ageing average midfielder with another who was spat out and is a barcelona reject. And they buy anther RB it’s not a transfer summer for chelsea that is making united shiver in fear. let’s look at their squad
chelsea’s squad.
Goalkeepers
cech 26 cudicini 34 hilario 31
defence
bosingwa 25 ferrira 29 terry 27 carvalhio 30 alex 26 ivanovic 22 a cole 27 bridge 28
midfield
lampard 30 essien 25 ballack 30 deco 31 mikel 21 wright phillips 27
j cole 27 maloudo 28
strikers
drogba 31 anelka 30 shevchencko 32
30 year old players 9
I look at that squad and it’s not a squad that is on the way up more on the way down, our midfield is just as good as theirs our attack is a younger and better than theirs and our defence is better. I dont call foster brown ferdinand vivic evra anderson carrick hargreaves ronaldo nani tevez rooney players on the way down, add the players like the brazilian twins the possebon the player we just signed welbeck united seem to have a structure that is in place to win many more trophies.
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@Red Ranter: You are forgetting he has also scored at a very good rate for Holland. And Ajax isn’t exactly playing in the Iraq first division. Don’t nullify a players world class status just because he is not in an elite league. His skills translate to any level. He’s just that good. Sorry but I have to disagree with that. Holland is a bloody factory for world class players and they all start there. And the great ones were world class before they moved to Italy, Spain or England.. And yes we are talking about personal opinions here but seeing as I’m right, that’s OK.
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@dan(u-ol): DAN. Read this carefully. Rooney is only 23. He has plenty of time to mature and get better. Don’t write him off so easily. Jeez, that’s fickle. If he was 29 I’d agree with you.
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Let me just say this. There’s no way that Rooney will be benched. There’re a few reasons for this. First of all, he’s simply too good. Anyone claiming, his form has suffered… well, look at his stats. They’re improving every year, and that’s quite marvellous considering his injuries.
Second, SAF likes him too much. You can never disregard the feelings of the manager on such issues, and even though, SAF surely likes Tevez as well, he has a thing for Rooney. Luckily, he has good reason to feel this way, since Rooney is one of the most gifted players in the world… even when off his best form a bit. Yes, he’s that good. People tend to disregard the influence he has on games due to his movement, vision and passing. Frankly, there’s noone better than him at these very important features.
So while Tevez is a great great player (who I admire very much), he’ll be dumped before Rooney, simply because Rooney is the better overall player.
I’d prefer if both Tevez and Rooney could be on the pitch, though, and luckily we’ll see loads of that this season as well, even with the signing of Berbatov. They’re so industruous together. Imagine those two and Ronaldo running around Berbatov’s great little flicks… uhh, I’m getting all aroused.
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@dan(u-ol): No doubt Tevez has looked very sharp and very determined this pre season! I think its impossible to leave him out so will be interesting to see how Fergie plays it. I dont think we will see a settled partnership but whatever 2 Fergie goes with(hell all 3 of them will work!) its gonna scare any defence. But pre season form means nothing once the serious football starts, lets see how they are all performing after a few games. I for one wouldnt leave Rooney out and I hope he gets given a chance to shine in his favoured deeper role but whilst Ronaldo is out I can see him being used out wide.
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Red Diablo, what on earth are you on about. I was supporting the Roon because Dan(u)ol was saying he was out of form for 2 years. I was saying to Dan(u)ol Rooney wasn’t so much out of form, as being played out of position. I am sorry you misunderstood!.
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@dan(u-ol): No doubt Tevez has looked very sharp and very determined this pre season! I think its impossible to leave him out so will be interesting to see how Fergie plays it. I dont think we will see a settled partnership but whatever 2 Fergie goes with(hell all 3 of them will work!) its gonna scare any defence. But pre season form means nothing once the serious football starts, lets see how they are all performing after a few games. I for one wouldnt leave Rooney out and I hope he gets given a chance to shine in his favoured deeper role but whilst Ronaldo is out I can see him being used out wide.
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@Craig Mc: oh ok! then all those things i said to u go to dan!
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@wakey: Sorry pal but I’m not that stupid. The Eredivisie is not just any league in the world. It’s amongst the top ten leagues in the world and in the top 6 in Europe. This silly bias that players are only world class if they play in Italy, Spain, England and perhaps Germany is such utter nonsense and complete bollocks.
Look, lets drop the Huntelaar jabs as it’s me pissing me off and it’s pointless now as we are not buying him. So leave the poor Dutchman alone and give me some peace in the process. The topic is truly tired and really, now it does not really matter anymore if he is world class or a total muppet. He’s not a United player so it’s time to say goodbye to the subject.
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@Grognard: HEHE! Yes Grognard admits defeat for Huntelaar!
GO BERBA!
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@micheal: Excellent research their mate. Too true. Chelsea are still quality but they are not in our class. The only reason they compete so close to us in the standings and in the Cl is because they play a style that chokes off inferior teams and then they have enough quality to poach a winner. They are drab uninspiring and lacking in speed, and width and they are too too old to be taken seriously against us. Hell, if we had Berbatov last year we would have won the Double with much greater ease. Hell, we would have one the Treble. It was our shortage of forwards and us being forced to play 4-5-1 or 4-6-0 to survive. That’s not happening again unless we are totally crippled by injuries. Our depth up from this year will lead us to glory yet again. I’m convinced of it. We just need Ronaldo back ASAP.
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@Red Diablo: GROW UP! Try to contribute some interesting and informative material rather than your pointless and irritating comedic jabs. I for one don’t find them funny and pissing me off because I missed out on my selection for our striker is rubbing it in a little to deep and to often. I like Berbatov so, I’m not that upset. Except of course when you keep up the childish ribbing. What are you 15?
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@Grognard: Wakey has a point though. The Eredivisie might be one of the top 6 leagues in the world, but look at the defenses of most of the teams there. That could partly be the reason why Huntelaar has scored so many goals. Now he needs to challenge himself more and play against tough defenses in England or Spain. If he stays at Ajax, he could be a legend there but he would never be called a great player because of the level of the opposition he played against. For that at least he needs to leave Ajax. Ajax are not even playing in the Champions League this season.
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@Ryan: Lets remember one thing about Tevez. Yes he has looked really good this off season and he has worked his ass off but you know something, he is a forward and I;m not seeing a bucket full of goals. He’s far from perfect. When it comes to strikers, I prefer substance to style. After all, it’s all about bulging the back of the old onion bag.
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Red Diablo, what’s going on in your head tonight mate lol?. Grog doesn’t say anywhere he is giving up on Huntelaar, just on the present type of debating about him. If he could though, he would def have Huntelaar at United and I think even before Berba, although he like Berba too. That’s the impression I am getting anyway.
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@Krishnan: Yes and the defense in the last 10 teams in the EPL are that much better hey? Give me a break. The EPL is an overrated league that is top heavy with 4 or 5 excellent teams and a whole lot of shite after that. PSV and Ajax aren’t exactly pushovers in European competition either you know. You may think he has a point and so may RR but I don’t so I see no real reason to go on about it as you guys are not going to change my mind on Huntelaar. And one day when he moves to a top club, I will be vindicated. I just hope it isn’t Chelsea, Arsenal or Real Madrid.
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I do agree with those of you who think Huntelaar needs to move to England or Spain. Hell even Huntelaar knows that himself. He has been angling for a move all summer, saying how he loves and favours teams with history like Man Utd and Barca. He can’t be that bad if Arsene Wenger is interested in signing him. It must be that Ajax are pricing him out of the market. I feel sorry for the lad!.
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@Grognard: You are right and we know both Tevez and Rooney have it in them to improve their tallys from last season. I just hope Rooney has an injury free season and shows us exactly what we know he has in his locker.
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@Grognard: I’m not pushing you to accept my opinion. Whatever you say, he has not played against top class defense and we don’t know how he would perform against good defenses. Ajax did not go past the Champions league qualifiers in the last 2 years, and have not qualified again this season. He missed a penalty in one of those matches which Ajax lost. He scored against Inter Milan on his debut in a 2-2 draw but other than that he has never been tested. That is the point I’m putting across. In order to prove himself as a great, he needs to play against tough opponents.
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Grognard,
I think Wakey and I haven’t knocked Huntelaar as being sub standard. I do honestly think he will move to a top club soon and that he is quality. But he needs to make the move if he needs to make that next career step. And the Dutch league like it or not, is not the place.
There has been no attempt at making jabs, so I don’t understand the need to get pissed off about it. I cannot honestly see any attempt here being made to piss you off regarding Huntelaar that is.
And you are almost right about Red Diablo. He mentioned it earlier, he is actually 16 years old!
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@Grognard: @Craig Mc:
HEHE! OK OK! I apologize!
the thing is that as I finally saw Grognard Happy and Optimistic!
And I was bored waiting when the news would come that Berba had finally signed!
I just couldnt help ruining his day! HAHA!HEY just kidding mate! Take it easy!
Anyway about contributing to this Blog! Del Piero scored a Cracker! In the UCL qualifying gamE!
Oh and Pool couldnt beat a Belgium team! Leige something!
HAHA! When Berba comes to OT! We will show what a partnership is!
And about the Huntelaar banter!
Looks like we all are forgetting where Ruud came from? And how he became a hit!
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@Red Ranter: Oh come on! He was still wrong by 1 YEAR!
Thats a big difference!
NO AGE DISCRIMINATION PLS!
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@Craig Mc: I think the Arsenal interest was all media BS, since Wenger came out saying he knew Ade would stay all along and that he was never shopping for a striker.
Anyway, still waiting for tomorrow, it seems like it might finally be the day when we sign him…hopefully
@Craig Mc: I doubt it cus all along the price that is being quoted in the press is between £18-22m and at 24 i’ll say he’s worth it, a lot better than Berbatov at 27 for £25-28m, I’m not so sure that its Ajax pricing him out
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@Rd: Yeah! August 14th would be the perfect day for Berba to sign! Its Independence day of Pakistan on that day!
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@Red Ranter: If this is a strictly over 18 blog! No prob! I’ll go!
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@Red Diablo: Did I mention that?
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RD, if that the right asking price by Ajax for Huntelaar, then I just don’t understand. Surely at today very inflated prices, 18 – 22 mill would be a bargain. I think most clubs would be happier at the 18 mill, so probs 22 bit too much.
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Red Diablo, no problem mate, no offence taken or apology needed lol. As for the age thing, we were all young and mischevious once. I am the very mature age of all of 24 years old now though!.
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To be honest, I don’t mind the Berba signing over Huntelaar. I think Huntelaar is more multi-dimensional because of his ability to play as a pure target man a la RVN, while at the same time being significantly more mobile than Ruud or a target man type. I think Berba can do wonders for us with his pace, possession, and ability to split out wide and allow Rooney, Tevez, Ronaldo, or even Hargo make some runs in the box. The pace alone of our attacking players this year with a stiker of this sort will be a thing of beauty.
The interesting thing now, assuming the signing happens, are the multitude of formations at SAF’s disposal. I’ve always been a huge fan of the 4-2-3-1 and I think this is the first year in a while we have the personnel to execute it to perfection, especially in the CL. I have wood thinking about the amount of counter-attacks can be staged with Hargo or Carrick puching the ball up and the pace of our front four finishing.
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@Craig Mc: Yeah! Thanks for the consolation!
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I think the new headings are awesom
e!!!!!!
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@BCsteve: I definitely hope to see the 4-2-3-1 used at times this year…CT/Roo/CR/Berb all playing at once is a wonderful thought. Add that to a solid group along the back and plenty of talented CM who prefer playing deeper roles and it creates a very imposing team. Unfortunately, I think we will rarely use this formation. Fergie will be forced through injuries and high volume of matches to rotate heavily. The front four won’t be used all at once very often, but I hope we do get to see it a few times because it should be magic. Can you imagine the da Silva brothers running the flanks in the formation?
………………………………….
I wish we would receive notification about Manucho’s work permit. Does anyone know when we should hear? I would expect before the season, but who knows… I just want to get the guy in training and hear how he is rated by the staff. At the very least he will give Campbell solid competition for the 4th spot.
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@IBleedRed, I unfortunately agree with you. The depth of the squad almost acts as a hindrance to the 4-2-3-1, not to mention the fact that it would likely only be seen in the CL, and even then, only if we draw a Spanish side in the knockout phases. Still, it’s comforting to know that SAF has that formation in his back pocket. If only CQ were around to encourage its use more often. But until then, I am curious to see what SAF can do with the 4-4-1-1 in league. Back when RVN was around, we saw a United that was capable of dominating when the forward was used effectively. However, the supporting cast of 2002/03 and other years with a target man was not nearly as good as it is now, so I expect good things with this formation. At any rate, if/once the squad gets healthy, I expect fireworks to be in store for us.
The only negative thing about signing a striker is that it will inevitably lead to a dip in CR’s goal total, which is already being compounded by his injury. This is bad for two reasons: 1. Some fucking idiots may think that Terry’s are vindicated and 2. If he does end up leaving next summer, Real will try to low-ball us with the fee. If that is the case, then SAF will undoubtedly tell them to fuck off, but we would all have to sit through a summer of horse shit coming from the Guardian, Telegraph, and every news outlet on the Iberian peninsula. Just a thought.
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@Red Ranter: Yes he is 16 and he’s been throwing the Huntelaar jabs for a while now.
As for Huntelaar, I’m truly disappointed that we never signed him but thankfully a good second choice will be showing up to dull the pain. And I am truly fed up and tired of all the negative talk about him not being this or not being that. An elitist like myself who has watched as much of that lad as I have just has a low pain threshold regarding that stuff because I honestly feel I know better. I know you don’t like to hear that kind of stuff but I’m being honest. I’m a good judge of talent and I’ve rarely made an error when it comes to a player or a prospect. Even when many were calling Ronaldo a show pony I just knew he would be the best in the world one day and I had a very strong feeling he would be a good goal scorer, although I would never had predicted 42 goals from him. So my ego unfortunately has a hard time conceding defeat over Huntelaar. And I’m just waiting for the day he proves me right to everyone. But you are right, he seems far to comfortable playing for Ajax and he needs to move up in the footballing world. That fucking van Basten did nothing for the lad’s stock and value by not playing him at the EUROS. And now the cunt want shim to stay at Ajax. If I was Huntelaar I’d tell him where he can stick it.
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@Grognard: I know you are being honest about it. But getting worked up over someone for calling Huntelaar crap is just not worth it, is all I am saying. It’s not like he insulted your family or something. I understand your irritation at what you deem as uninformed opinions from others, but then that’s free speech for you.
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