Ambition Not Avarice?

Tevez' whopping wages will keep him in new tea cozies for quite a while.


So Tevez has decided. It's taken all summer for his owners to thumb through all 3 offers for their slave and finally they flogged the tiny forward to Manchester Arabia. Of course, Tevez had the final say...And what a say it was. Tevez has joined Manchester Arabia because of their 'ambition' and not because of the 150k a week wages he will be investing in binkies.



"City's boss and owner came with a very good proposal, they showed me that City has the ambition to be one of the biggest clubs in the world. This made it easy to make the move. Money was never important." - Carlos Tevez speaking through his interpreter.

So Tevez is ambitious? Surely if this was the case, he wouldn't have left the current Premier League Champions and a team that handed him a Champions League medal two years ago would he? Or turn down a move to Chelsea. Aren't they ambitious? With a Russian billionaire owner and top players? Also, a sure sign of Carlos' desire to do well, aka 'ambition', would be his eager desire to have spent every spare moment learning English, making it possible for him to communicate with his managers. After 3 years of living in er..England, he hasn't!

Talking of communication, Tevez is claiming that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson never spoke to him. EVER. Not just with regards to staying at Old Trafford. In response, Fergie says that he sent Tevez texts messages and he didn't receive a reply. Just a guess, but If Tezez doesn't speak English, talking to him would probably be a little difficult. If he can't read English, Ferguson's text's would probably evoke a similar response from Tevez as to yours, should the next paragraph in this blog read like this...

Ydepsopdug jhdyf hfujhfjd hdudocd. Hlkkfhdlkfdl jhfkfdkdg skfdkdl hhd idfh kdjfldlf jdkjfldljf l fhdlkj fjkdfj ld;ljdl kjdiur'egl'dkldgkgj dlfjf gd;fdjflg, hkdfhdkjfhdk. hfkdufhd fldfkd .Ueytrirtocj hjd's djoedor hfjdfhfjdkfj . Xoqwpri ldfgflfop.

Strong argument eh? I know, sometimes I surprise myself.

Of course both parties are completely full of shit. United spoke to Tevez' people and Tevez is looking to find an excuse to justify moving to an 'ambitious club' that doesn't offer Champions League football.

This is what really bugs me about footballers. No loyalty is a given these days, but no honesty? Just be honest. You have a limited career and want to earn as much money as possible. I get it. You get it. My dog gets it. Claiming that 'ambition' is the reason for moving to a club that has Shay Given in goal, a back pair formed from Nedum Onuoha/ Tal Ben-Haim and Richard Dunne and 10 strikers for competition, is just not believable on any level.

Man up Tevez, grow a pair. The truth is, 150k a week cannot be turned down, and that won't change when Adebayor and maybe John Terry spout the same bollocks in Arabia blue sometime in the near future.

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Rumor With A View.

Welcome to the second edition of 'rumor with a view'. We are 5 days into the January transfer window now, newspapers and interweb sites are jam-packed with speculation. After the jump I'll take a look at the day's transfer rumors and discuss whether they are realistic, based on any knowledge or just good old fashioned bullsh*t.

OK... Let's get started. The below rumors are from newspapers and sites in the UK, collected by the BBC.
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Lyon insist they will not sell their 20-year-old France international striker Karim Benzema, despite speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United. (football365.com - 1057 GMT)

If the price is right then Benzema is for sale. Lyon are not Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United and as soon as the kid gets ambitious it will become hard to keep him, especially if the price offered is north of 20 million and these days that's the norm for a player with Benzema's talent. But this move is unlikely to happen during this window as United have stated that they are done spending until the summer.
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Manchester City have made a £24m bid for Barcelona's 25-year-old midfielder Yaya Toure and will double his wages to tempt him to Eastlands. (The Sun)

I can see City making an offer but it may take more than 24 mil. Barcelona rate Toure and they know City have money to burn. Toure's price will only go up if he keeps scoring goals like this one (1 min 11 secs in) from last Saturday.
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City have also offered midfielder Scott Parker £100,000 a week to quit West Ham and join them. (Mirror)

Wow. 100k a week to Scott Parker? I can see him moving there as Sparky is a fan but that's crazy wages for Scott Parker. He is a good player but not a great one. Great players win the EPL (suck it Barclay's). If they give Parker 100k a week they will have to do the same for everyone. Not happening.
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Tottenham have made a revised bid of £12m for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. (The Independent)

This one will drag on all throughout January but Downing wants to join Spurs and 'Arry is just as keen. They offered a ridiculous 6 million and were told to sod off. 12 million should do it.
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Aston Villa will step up their efforts to sign Emile Heskey after Marlon Harewood was put on standby for a £2m switch to Stoke. (Mirror)

Heskey is a popular lad at the moment. He is back in the England set up and playing well for Wigan. His contract is up in June and that makes him cheap. Villa and Liverpool are both suited to his game and I can see him joining one or the other. But if he goes to Liverpool, what happens to Robbie Keane? Will he enjoy the bench?
--
Tevez has threatened to quit United and that has alerted Real and also Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

This one is just nuts enough to come true. United are stalling on Tevez while they decide if the 30 million he will cost is worth it. While that's going on, their neighbors spot an opportunity for a coup? They have the cash. Interesting one and totally made up... or is it?
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Hull manager Phil Brown will tie up the £2.5m deal for Kamil Zayatte this week and then bid £4m for Sunderland striker Michael Chopra. Brown also wants Wigan's 31-year-old midfielder Kevin Kilbane. (The Sun)

Yeah, the Zayatte deal should go through. He has been on loan from Young Boys. No... not Arsenal, but 'Young Boys' from Switzerland.

No-one is paying a large chunk of cash for Chopra again are they? Sunderland were burned by the prolific Colaship forward and they sent him back to Cardiff on loan, where he proved that he is a Colaship man through and through, scoring 3 goals in 4 games. If Chopra moves on, then Sunderland will take a hit on the 5 million they spent on him. 2-3 million is more realistic.


Scolari: Skint!

Chelsea have told manager Luiz Felipe Scolari he will not be given any money to spend in the transfer window. (Daily Star)

Not a rumor this one. Chelsea are tightening their purse strings. Abramovich has taken a huge financial hit recently and his days of bank rolling mega-star moves for silly money are done. He has a good squad, and one that should be challenging for the Champions league and Premier League titles. They won't spend a dime.
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Manchester City want Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, West Ham forward Craig Bellamy and his midfield team-mate Scott Parker, Arsenal defender Kolo Toure and Newcastle keeper Shay Given. (Daily Star)

These rumors are oldies. But can the five players above win the EPL (suck it Barclay's)? I am not so sure. City will need to sign better players than Scott Parker and Roque Santa-Cruz if they have ambitions of making the top four next season.
--
AC Milan are also keen on Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant. (The Sun)

And so are Real Madrid, if you believe the papers. Norwich are said to be interested in Lionel Messi too. Pennant will turn up at the JJB in Wigan before January is done.
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Wigan boss Steve Bruce has compared midfielder Antonio Valencia to Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and says he will not be sold during the transfer window.

Steve Bruce is on crack. Which is another reason why Jermaine P will sign for Wigan, Brucey will get on well with Pennants dad. Valencia is better than most and he will be at a better club soon, but Ronaldo? Yawn. A weak attempt at massaging Valencia's fragile ego while jacking up the price. They may be able to keep him this season and fight off suitors this month, but any decent bid will be accepted. Wigan cannot afford to turn down the big clubs. Not while they still have empty seats.


Bruce: Crack addict?

The £15m-rated Valencia, 23, is a target for Liverpool, Tottenham and Real Madrid. (Various)

Thats more like it. As I said. If the bid is right, he's gone. United are also very interested in the winger.
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Liverpool and Tottenham will miss out on defender Glen Johnson, who will sign a new deal with Portsmouth. (Daily Star)

I'm sure Johnson will stay at Pompey. He's a crowd favorite and has made the England team recently. Why would Tottenham sign a right back when they have Corluka? Madness. Pompey have offered Johnson a new contract and I am sure that it will make him one of the club's top earners if not the top earner.
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Sunderland striker El-Hadji Diouf has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce. (The Sun)

Sunderland are holding talks with Diouf to discuss his future this week but the former Bolton and Liverpool man is a tough player to deal with. Allardyce is good with big-headed players and rates Diouf. I can see this one going ahead.
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Everton and West Ham have been alerted to the availability of Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson. (The Sun)

Johnson is a great prospect but it's clear that Mark Hughes is not keen on the lad. City have been linked with every midfielder in Europe and it's no secret that they will be aquiring one or two this month. Johnson will move on and Moyes is deffinately a fan. But Everton's priority is a forward, not a midfielder. Still, can they look a gift horse in the mouth?
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Sunderland and Wigan are chasing £800,000-rated Plymouth winger Craig Noone. (The Sun)

The 21-year-old winger appeared from nowhere this season for Plymouth after a career as a roofer. He certainly has set tounges wagging. It's far too soon to tell if he can make it in the Prem and while I am sure Sbragia and Moyes are watching from a distance, this move is too early for a player who has only started 9 Colaship games.
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Newcastle want to sign former Portsmouth and Tottenham midfielder Pedro Mendes on loan from Rangers, with a view to a £1.5m move. (Mirror)

Why not? Mendes is still Premiership quality and he has an eye for the spectacular goals from long range. Newcastle's midfield could certainly do with some creativity and this rumor could become reality.
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Edgar Davids wants to return to Tottenham on a play-as-you-pay basis. (Metro)

And I want to fly to the moon. Of course he wants to re-join Spurs, but this rumor is just bonkers. Davids was let go last season and again by Ajax this season. He is also closing in on his 36th birthday (March). Redknap is after a left sided winger, a forward and a center back. Davids is no longer equiped for the Premier League (was he ever?)and this is just crazy talk. But wait? What's this? If Redknapp signs Davids then he has lost the plot, just like Davids has lost all of his pace.
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Leeds boss Simon Grayson is plotting a £300k move for Norwich midfielder Wes Hoolahan. (The Sun)

Utter codswallop. Hoolahan was chased all summer and signed as a replacement for Darren Huckerby. That didn't quite work out, but he has found a home in the hole in Roeder's new 5 man midfield. Why would Norwich sell a player, who has appeared 18 times this season, for 300k to a team who are tenth in League One? Grayson is a fan of Hoolahan and was forced to sell him to Norwich as Blackpool coach during the summer, but this is just craziness. Not happening.
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Doncaster want to sign Oldham striker Lee Hughes but only if the price is lowered from £400,000. (Star)

Hughes is 32 now and spent time in Jail after being involved in a car crash that killed the other driver. He was a goal machine before prison and has been one at Oldham since the Owls took a risk on him upon his release. He has scored 20 goals in 39 appearances for Oldham and he is still good enough to play in the Colaship in my opinion. This one is likely. However, 400k does seem a lot for a 32 year old League One forward.
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Reading and Wolves look set to miss out on midfielder Andrew Surman, who says he is happy to stay at Southampton. (The Sun)

Surman is a real talent and lots of clubs are looking at him. He appears to want to stay at Southampton and help them avoid relegation. Who says loyalty is dead? Should the Saints go down this term, then he will certainly be off for a nice fee in the summer.
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Birmingham City will launch a £3m offer for Rangers striker Kris Boyd within days. (The Sun)


Krissy big boots.

When will McLeish learn to stop signing Scotsmen who will surely fail in the Premier League? That said, Bongo are not certain of returning to the Premier League this term and Boyd certainly won't fancy a year in the Colaship. A risky move for Boyd and Bongo. He is not good enough for the Premier League (he thinks he is for sure.)

His 'Krissy big boots' attitude was on display for all to see when he quit Scotland a few months back after George Burley benched him. I can't see him joining Bongo just yet, he is having a nice season for Rangers and will wait to see where McLeish's men are in May. If Bongo go up, then this move is likely. McLeish may have to wait until the summer to make a huge mistake.

-Bigus

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Terry wins red card appeal

Despite being sent off for Serious Foul Play and not for a Professional Foul, England's Brave John Terry had his red card suspension overturned by a board of appeals. Oddly, they cited that there were teammates behind him on the replay, and that he was not last man back.

One hopes the board enjoy their all-inclusive Russian vacations.

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As If Anyone Needed a Reason to Hate Sweden

You know what's funny?

Not much today. But this comes close.

Yesterday the comments section of Arseblog was one of the more popular places for Gunner fans to grieve. So much so that the comments wouldn't even load for long stretches of time. But hitting refresh incessantly for the better part of an hour was eventually rewarded, and if misery loves company, this was an orgy and angst.

Below is a (relatively) small slice of those comments. Some were edited because they were posted 16 times (careful with the 'Submit' button, KJ). Others were edited out because they were bland. Many were left in because they displayed little regard for the English language. Hope the fine folks over at Arseblog are not upset by this—and wonderful day after post today, guys. It's more of an homage, a bit of performance art to help all of us feel a little better after the fact.

After the jump, it's a symphony of hatred, despair and Foo Fighters tickets.


AusGunner @ 21.3 | April 08, 2008

incredibly cruel, bad luck boys fucking brave performance not our day not our season, very brave of your efforts all year all the same.


Mrs Merfa Fabregas @ 21.37 | April 08, 2008

"i guess the penalty is less of an issue"

well no, fuckwit, it isn't, as if the penalty hadn't been conceded, we wouldn't have been so stretched.


Azza @ 21.39 | April 08, 2008

This is gay as fuck. Footballs not corrupt, it is however governed, driven and refereed by fucking morons and parasites.

To get put out by a negative team like this is hard to take though. Dirty, bin dipping, car radio stealing, moustaced, CUNTS!


Thorley Gooner @ 21.40 | April 08, 2008

Quite simply, cheated out of the semi final


cam @ 21.46 | April 08, 2008

that was a joke. Liverpool can go fuck themselves. Whatever happened to lucky arsenal. And after that run by Walcott. I'm sorry but if you take those TWOP decisions together. There;s only one word that springs to mind. CORRUPT. I'm sick of this shit, bring on the summer holidays.


KJ @ 21.47 | April 08, 2008

Theres no fucking justice in football. I cant handle watching a fucking shit side like livershite be outplayed by us only for them to get through cause of some shocking ref decisions...

The only consolation is Theo, he really is the only player Ive seen tear up defences like Henry used too....


MarkM @ 21.47 | April 08, 2008

Fact is we were leading this tie 3 times and let them back into it within minutes each and every occasion.

The fact they got a dodgy pen at the end is immaterial, we should have been out sight by then.

It typifies our season, we fucked it up.

I haven't been this fucking upset over a defeat for fucking ages.


wes @ 21.47 | April 08, 2008

without trying to just sound like a whiny arsenal fan, it's really quite hard to swallow the amount of points and crucial games that have been taken away from us due to fucking terrible refereeing decisions. more this season than I think I've ever seen.


Matte @ 21.49 | April 08, 2008

I'm so fucking ashamed to be a swede right now...


cam @ 21.52 | April 08, 2008

that was a joke - sure criticise wenger / the team but thers nothing you can do about decisions like that. And by decisions I mean TWO TWO TWO decisions. It seems the Kop did play a part then in getting them a non existent penalty. I;m fucking lost for words.
Anyone who criticises the team ovr this is simply overshadowing a couple of fucking horrific decsision.


Kmoney @ 21.53 | April 08, 2008

Never was a penalty. For once, I'm glad that I'm a Gunner in the US, where I can turn to a sports channel and not see replay of that shit call from a shit ref. Guaranteed no penalty if played in any other stadium. What a fucking pussy. FUCK THIS


Statto @ 21.55 | April 08, 2008

There are things wrong with this team, but there are a lot of things right with it.

They didn't deserve that tonight, I'm very proud of them.


North Bank Ned @ 21.55 | April 08, 2008

This is beyond cruel. That's three critical 50-50 penalty calls that have gone against us in the three games: two denying us a winning goal and one giving L'pool one. If at the start of the season you'd have said that we'd have a top 3 Premiership finish and a Euro quarter-finals place, I would have reckoned that a decent season for such a young team, which none of the pundits fancied much. The fact that we got so close to doing so much better and then get slapped in the face by such awful penalty calls - only makes it hurt more.


mark @ 21.56 | April 08, 2008

well .. i can't overlook hleb's deserved penalty and bendtner's chance in the 1st leg .. their penalty was a disgrace for the football world

we missed flamini a lot .. and i don't wanna see this ebouseless again wearing our t-shirt

also i can't f. understand why nobody's giving the ball to theo .. even after his incredible second goal


Flamge @ 21.57 | April 08, 2008

Apart from the CL final I dont think Ive been so gutted and at the same time angry about about Arsenal. Our defense was a disgrace today, pathetic just doesn't do it justice. Rest of the team was fine, and what a cameo from Walcott. Still, I feel like we have been cheated out of this, how many fucking times is it now this season?


Ken Korda @ 21.58 | April 08, 2008

Fuck it. Great performance and we were outdone by another shite refereeing decision.

Big Phil sounds like a really nice guy, but he's a fucking calamitous defender and we are immediately handicapped whenever he plays.

Right now I want to give Theo a hug and kick big Phil squaw in the nuts.


Vinayak @ 21.59 | April 08, 2008

Mother-fucking ref's got us again... AGAIN!!! fucking cunts! My heart went out to Arsenal for playing the way they did... tired legs they sure were but didn't seem like it till the penalty was given and their shoulders dropped to another ball-ripping decision given by the ref!!!

Fucking motherfuckers


robby mcrobbed @ 21.59 | April 08, 2008

that's as cruel as it comes. we were robbed. swings and roundabouts? i saw somewhere the other day about the decisions that could 'go either way' that have gone against us since eduardo's nightmare at brum - tonight's put the icing on the cake.

credit to liverpool for grinding out another result and good luck to them the set of robbing scouse cunts.

uefa need to take a long hard look at their ref's and get them on the same page about what is or is not a penalty.

more annoyed than when i parked my car in liverpool and came back to find no fucking stereo - robbing scouse fuckers.


cam @ 22.03 | April 08, 2008

hope that ref has a fucking car crash on the way home


fucking fucked off tarragona @ 22.03 | April 08, 2008

please please please help me feel better I just dont understand why three shit decisions have fucked our season in the arse. At 2-1 i was able to live with going out though dissapointed as I though we had played better over the two legs.... However our season has been decided by 3 shit penaltys :

1st Birmingham Arsenal, Clichy fucks up but clearly wins the ball back then the penalty is given against us

2nd Arsenal Liverpool, kuyt pulls back Hleb penalty not given we go to anfield 1-1

3rd liverpool Arsenal, a less tbc...


arsehole @ 22.07 | April 08, 2008

Have we won the double yet?



ahh...hahahahahahahahaha!


Le Bob @ 22.07 | April 08, 2008

The mugsmashers fought for it in the second half, while we couldn't keep up until after they scored their second. In that respect, they deserved...something. What hurts the most, and I'm sure most of you agree, is that they got a pen where we didn't, and ours was the most clear of the two. It was an awful desicion, which mattered more than how inept our defence were when they scored.

But, I do love Walcott. I really, really do.


Cunning Stunt @Home @ 22.11 | April 08, 2008

We had them twice, and twice referees saved them out of our hands.


Blackstock Road @ 22.22 | April 08, 2008

Fuck. That's just the way it goes sometimes, got to take a bit of rough with the smooth etc. We should be proud of our team for getting us this far in the first place. They've put in a great Champions League run this year, much better than last and that's something to be proud of, however hard the defeat is to take.

Shit happens in life and shit happens in football. It makes the highs sweeter, and the lows even harder to swallow. But the fact that you care shows that you are passionate and as long as you've got passion, then you can hold your head up high at the end of the day. This is why we support Arsenal through win, lose or draw, and this is why it is not the end of the world.

Good night Gooners.


quasimodo @ 22.30 | April 08, 2008

Crucial turnpoint in the game, Flamini injured out, otherwise we overplayed them for sure.

Definitly wasn't a penalty, the other dutch cunt almost tricked us like that in the 1st half.

And finally: i can't see what everyone else (commentators) sees in Torres.

Someday we'll have our revenge!


GunnerMike @ 22.31 | April 08, 2008

BOLLOCKS!!! They say you have to take the rough with the smooth in refereeing decisions but it seems to me that since the Birmingham Match all we have had is rough.

That foul on Hleb was a penalty not given in 1st leg. Toure does not do half as much and we get a penalty against us. We need consistentcy in refing. This is totally bollocks that these decisions can be so biased.


Puzzled 'holic @ 22.42 | April 08, 2008

G'evening mates.

If luck balances itself out over a season we are about to get a hatful of penalties and we will never be offside in the final five games.

Specsavers? I'm fucked!


fucking fucked off tarragona @ 22.50 | April 08, 2008

new idea...

we could be looking forward to next season thinking that this will be our year for a top 4 finish an other year in the Uefa cup and darren bent as our main striker....

see not soo bad being a gooner is it...

all together now:

"we'll be running round tottenham with our will's hanging out...."


Ricey @ 22.53 | April 08, 2008

CHAMBO - I can't remember if it was you or Bald who wanted Foo Fighters tickets. I PM'd Bald earlier but can't send any at the mo due to server cuntage. If it was you who wanted them, no doubt I'll get a "What the fuck are you on about?" PM from Bald. Anyway, thumbs up for the spares..!


Matt @ 22.54 | April 08, 2008

This is what being an Arsenal Supporter is about.. Moments of sheer joy swiftly followed by a depressing low :(

Stevie G did Flamini in the first half the fucking twat.


Snail @ 22.54 | April 08, 2008

Here's a bold fucking idea. Maybe you doom mongers should apreciate that we were robbed by a bad referee over two legs, as one could argue, were Inter before us.
Liverpool never get a bad decision against them. That is one of the laws of football.


Magic Hat @ 22.57 | April 08, 2008

There was also a penalty not given against Fab in the league match on Saturday when his shirt was clearly pulled inside the box.


Whatever @ 23.15 | April 08, 2008

I've more or less given up on football. Love Arsenal til I die but we are constantly shafted and I do think the game is now run by money and that includes the results. Whether it is UEFA, the FA or the clubs themselves, something is wrong. We are getting too many bum decisions and I hate this 'it evens out' crap. How can it even out if we're out of the Champs League and the Premiership race and your season is over. Wankers the lot of them.


wes @ 23.18 | April 08, 2008

you know, this loss is kind of like a bad break up, I don't really feel all that bad right now, but I know I'm gonna be fucking gutted when I wake up tomorrow.

Read more on "As If Anyone Needed a Reason to Hate Sweden"...

This week in Impending Homelessness

These stories aren't much fun, but they're a stark reminder that for all the scarf-waving, shit-talking and trophy-hunting, football is still ultimately a business.

In the last couple of days, I've seen two stories revolving around clubs being forced out of their grounds in the near future. The circumstances and details may be a bit different, but both clubs are surely going to struggle to remain in existence after this.

And no, one of them is not Everton [oh, how I was hoping].

First up, a weird story with so many convoluted details that I barely understand what's going on, where one of the Israeli League's founding members is about to be made homeless.

A judge in Tel Aviv ruled that the club, Hapoel Ramat Gan, must cease operations at their stadium, their home for some 80+ years, and must clear out within 60 days. The judge felt that the club has no right to continue operating there, due to a complicated series of purchases and investments over the last decade by the company that controls the club's assets.

I could try and summarize the whys and wherefores, but you should just read the article instead. It's shit like this that makes me lament a little less about the mountain of shit that's ruining my team at the moment.

---
In the second story, we can probably kiss goodbye to the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues, who are about to be booted from their $32 million PAETEC Park, a brand-new ground that opened just this past June.

City officials say that the team's ownership group at way behind on tax payments and utility bills, and that the city could seize control as early as this week. The sad part about this is that Rochester is now stuck with a shiny new stadium, and no-one's around to use the bloody thing!

The Rhinos owe NBT Bank about $10.6 million on the remainder of their loans, and it's unlikely that the money will be repaid any time soon. The Rhinos used almost $19 million of taxpayer money to build their home, and they're about to lose it unless new owners and investors swoop in to claim the team and sort out this mess.

Expansion is a tricky business, but you'd think that the team would have the werewithal to check their projected growth and income before conning their way into a brand-new facility. Admittedly I know little about the USL, but that seems like it's almost MLS money [it's only a million dollars less than what De La Hoya just sunk into the Houston Dynamos] being talked about, like getting a Platinum credit card to buy cereal and milk.

---
Both stories are sad, but like I said: football is ultimately a business. For every smart businessman purchasing power within the leagues, there are a thousand fast-talking halfwits.

I still haven't decided which camp Tom Hicks falls into yet.

Read more on "This week in Impending Homelessness"...