Who's going where?
Tue Jul 08 11:42PM
On his first day in the office, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea's new manager, revealed that he already had a firm grasp of the arcane mathematics of the English game. Asked what he thought was the future for Didier Drogba at the club, he said he was "100, no 200 per cent" certain that the Ivorian would still be at Stamford Bridge at the start of the season. Which makes the Brazilian coach in a minority of one in claiming that to be the case. And that includes Drogba himself.
Mid-summer is an odd period in a football manager's life. There are no games to participate in, no pressures of results, no league table to shout out the stark reality of his position. The usual rhythms of win or loss are entirely absent. Instead, his time is spent in endless preparation: getting his players fit and ready. Buffing up his squad. And preparing all his evasions, obfuscations and excuses about who is going to leave in the summer's transfer round.
No manager can come out and say that a transfer is going to happen until he has seen the ink dried on the contracts. Right up to that point he will say anything to anybody not to jeopardise the move. Thus we cannot believe a single word they say. Drogba is staying, Lampard is happy where he is, Ronaldo is going nowhere: all of it is tactics, a part of the game, a step in the great transfer fandango. None of it means what it appears to mean.
'Gareth Barry will be an Aston Villa player next season for sure' actually means 'Liverpool better up their offer pronto'. 'Adebayor will leave over my dead body' means 'if Milan are serious they had better start talking telephone numbers'. Everyone is at it, claiming the last thing they would do is sell a local hero. Particularly at the time when fans are obliged to dig deep into their wallets to finance a new season ticket.
Into this world of fog steps the agent, agitating to construct a move for his client, and thus earn a percentage of the signing-on fee. He'll be telling the papers something very different. He will claim his client is off to Inter or Barca in the hope of smoking out an offer from someone else, possibly Galatasaray. Meanwhile the chairman is talking up new signings in a bid to increase take-up for season tickets. Ronaldinho, he will say, will put this club on the map, knowing, even as he says it, that the prospects of the gap-toothed party animal or anyone of his ability venturing anywhere near the club is about as likely as Pete Doherty getting a job with the Just Say No campaign.
As for the journalists, they fill in the gaps with fevered speculation. They have no more idea whether a player is angling for a transfer than anyone else, yet they will fill their paper with details of moves and fees and contracts plucked cheerfully from the air. Meanwhile, the cabbie giving you a lift home will assure you that, since his mate runs a Brazilian restaurant down the road and served him only the other day, Kaka is definitely on his way.
In fact, throughout the summer, you cannot believe a word you read or hear. News of comings, goings and stayings is almost invariably false and released to serve the purposes of one party or another. Still, it does make for some fun. It makes for a good conversation. And frankly, who would want it any other way. So go on, tell us all who you reckon is going to be on the move in the next couple of weeks.
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IM this storyI have to state her that MANUFC will pull off the best transfer, this summer, i dont care what calderon thinks C Ronaldo is not for sale and we are going for the treble next season. Glory Glory Man Utd.
From emekajd on Wed Jul 09 09:25AMC.Ronaldo won't be able play like last season but he is still best.Drogba is very untalented and unstrong player if I was Scolari I sold him
From enginhakvar@ymail.com on Wed Jul 09 10:14AMfuckin shut up ya pair of nobs its not a post about the mancs daft twats!
From fernandomrnts on Wed Jul 09 10:17AMman utd please sell ronaldo to madrid...
we can get a beter player who play football as a team...
exchange ronaldo with snider, robinho, and ramos...
man utd can become a strong team next season
From aleezaadzni on Wed Jul 09 10:32AMGlory be on to the Manu Utd fans and their team, they be the best and woe befall scummy chelski, liverpool and arsenal. God is a Man Utd fan too!
From birdandmaggot on Wed Jul 09 10:37AMThis article is rubbish. I know for sure that Ronaldinho will transfer to Bayern Munich and pay part of the tranfer fee himself. Ronaldo will stay put until winter. Xavi will transfer to Chelsea and Ballack and Lampard leave, first one to City and the other to Glasgow Rangers. The biggest surprise will be that Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal and Jogi Low replacing him. Arsene will move to Spartak Moscow.
From twoskysky on Wed Jul 09 10:40AMas for me i don't think ronaldo will be leaving.for drogba he is a very good striker difficult to come by with exposure and exprience i think scolari will not let go.adebayor will not go to milan if they don't increase their offer and make their deal very serious.
From dadicophareal4life on Wed Jul 09 10:41AMWord has it that Darlingtons Tommy Wright has been spotted with Jimmy Calderwood in BHS cafe on Union Street discussing a two year deal with the Dons.
You heard it here first (or possibly second or third...)
From davybroo on Wed Jul 09 10:51AMWell I have just heard off the grapevine that the entire Man Utd team are up for sale as they didn't deliver the Carling Cup last year, rumours around Chelsea report that they are likely to move Stamford Bridge to one of Abromovich's spare yachts - with 'man over board' Frank Lampard retiring at the end of next season to open up a fresh seafood fish and chip restaurant on the starboard side. Malta will be made the new 21st team in the Premiership after some active moves at UEFA and the Premiership hierachy by Xmas.
Unfortunately thats all I know for now, but watch this space...
From neil_evvo on Wed Jul 09 10:57AMIt's perhaps revealing that the Man Utd fans commenting here seem to be semi literate at best.
From soconnor67 on Wed Jul 09 11:10AMmr scolari.let lampard go.he wants more than the £130,000 a week he is getting.is he in the real world.men and women spend a fortune to watch dickbrains like him.mr average earns what £300 to £400 week,and he earns that.true he is a brilliant player,but someone will replace him.there is always someone better.its evolution.so let him go.he is not bigger than our club.no one is.
From tconetta on Wed Jul 09 11:12AMCan someone , of intellegence , tell me why all postboxes are full of MAN UNTD fans extolling their team? do they live in a small isolated world where they must constantly regale themselves with their belief's.I support my team my way, not by throwing abuse at other supporters, unless they are makems of course
From brianraine on Wed Jul 09 11:15AMThis article is the best I've read about putting all the stories about who is going where into perspective. It's all hype, it's trying to up prices, its playing a game. Example, one day Scolari says Lampard is staying, not only this coming season but afterwards as well. Next thing there is an offer for him and he still wants to go. It's all about games and upping the price. Yet the idiots on here have not even mentioned the article, you just keep going on about who is going where. NOBODY KNOWS YOU DICK HEADS, NOT UNTIL DEALS ARE DONE. In the meantime everyone is playing a game.
From trouble906 on Wed Jul 09 11:21AMi am portuguese and i think Ronaldo is stupid wanting to leave Man.Utd. for a dirty white shirt !!!!
From villan1963 on Wed Jul 09 11:23AMMan United this Man United that I,m getting somewhat ticked hearing about them all the time there not the only club out there with a history what about spurs west ham leeds united the list goes on and on I think and many should agree Man United fans should jump of this wild trip there on and face reality that they can be beaten and that they are not that bullit proof? And yes I'm a chelsea supporter born and bred and proud of it but I accept the fact that I should take everything with a pinch of salt.Another thing Ronaldo should go NOW before his over inflated egoe explodes and takes what is good about Man United with him,Ouch just fell off my soap box.
From edward.wheeler3 on Wed Jul 09 11:23AMGood article, and some great comments about all these Man U bandwagon riding fools. It's amazing how many Man U fans there are when they're winning things. I think they're just Cristiano Ronaldo dickk riders to be honest.
From jrhodes9 on Wed Jul 09 11:41AMWhat ever the future of lamps and drogba of one thing we can be certain Michael Ballack is on his way to WHUFC
From arttidesco@rocketmail.com on Wed Jul 09 11:43AMIt's preferable that Lampard doesnt leave Chelsea but if he wants to go to Inter then so be it, but for all the ManU sheeps out there it surely wont make Chelsea a weaker team. They have a perfect squad next season with a proper couch leading the blues not like last season where it was sooo obvious that ManU capitalized on Mourinho's quitting. I just hope C.Ronaldo stays in ManU next season so we can all see him CRY LIKE THE KID HE IS when the blues lift the title. chelsea smile
From marc.boustany on Wed Jul 09 11:55AMJim you are a nob. ur obviously a yid. Scholari said Drogba is 200% in his plans for next season not that Drogba WILL be there next season. U dont now what ur doing!
From chels_tom on Wed Jul 09 12:04PMIt's true frank is a great player, he's come alonog way wit chelsea, pay increase, am ok wit dat but, the dat he opted to go & now wants a five years contract....it's unacceptable, we can do wit him cos we've got so much money to buy who ever...
From neljay4ever on Wed Jul 09 12:20PMronaldo flash git let him leave our shores if he thinks he is such a great player just another spoilt pampered import
From jameshone2000 on Wed Jul 09 12:32PMas for me,scolari isn't mad.that is true that chelsea havn't c1 but for them ho know and like football know that drogba in chelsea fc is like heart in body.he gave and gives many things to chelsea tat i love much.did u forget te final of england cup,the semi final of c1 this season or his matchs again barça.Drogba is a god forever.football world will have him in the mind......
From cheickmiampo on Wed Jul 09 12:33PMdrogba is and will stay a god...............................................
..he had a fantastique game.with him,our dreams become true.he is fantastique as his last coach saidFrom cheickmiampo on Wed Jul 09 12:36PMApparently, Big Phil has more than just a firm grasp of the English game, he has also learned at least one not-so-arcane English gesture! He's looking 'special' already.
From dogbiscuit2001 on Wed Jul 09 12:44PMemekajd dont be stupid ye be lucky if ye win the carling cup.treble what a retard
From mateusz090 on Wed Jul 09 12:55PMwaoh i can't wait for the premier league to start,am sick and tried of this rubbish gossip,even people dat know nothing about football are talking, well everyone are entitle to their own opinion even if the spelling they wrote is not understandable, we have strong team in premier league all the boys are doing their best, the manager are making effort and the supporters are all great, dat's what you hear from chelsea real supporter because the posh ones are always reasonable
From mydeeny on Wed Jul 09 01:24PMSo then Jim, you're effectively admitting that you make up a great deal of the 'facts' of your articles? God knows how people like you get your positions in the first place. And those so-called awards? Ha.
From gegendave on Wed Jul 09 01:32PMIt never ceases to AMAZE me.."HOW",some Man.U "Monkey-dos-monkey-says", writte about Cristiano RONALDO!..the "GOD" of Sir Alex,the "GENIUS" of Berndt Schuster,the "World's BEST LOVED" Player(According,to Highest EVER Record,of PRE-SOLD Man.U SHIRTS)..Can be so Villified,Insulted,Injuried, ABUSED,Vulgarized..in "The Name Of"..Loyalty??-Disrespect??-Egoism??..REALLY,
I 'm being FORCED to Agree with NEREIDA..That Stunning, Spanniard BEAUTY...That "WE" are the WORSE Football Supporters..in BRITAIN..!No Great Wonder too, SHE doesnn't WANT RONALDO, in Man.U..!!LONDON
From dinosky123 on Wed Jul 09 01:33PMDinosky123.....err what?
From emmalouise.doyle.t21 on Wed Jul 09 02:05PMwhat the hell are these people talking about Man U, its abig club! i will agree with some of this bitter supporters of chelsea who thinks Ronaldo should go, let him go and lets get Ribino, He is the darling o f football. Chelsea supporters stop being bitter!! SIR ALEX IS THE MAN
From alexmakhene on Wed Jul 09 02:43PM
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Jim White
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