Wigan continues its strategy of buy-low sell-high as Steve Bruce has been given permission to talk to Sunderland, with an official move to the Black Cats expected within 48 hours. Wigan gets somewhere under 5 million pounds in return, and will likely announce Roberto MartÃnez, Swansea City manager and former Wigan player, as Bruce's replacement.
[Guardian]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Quick Throw: Steve Bruce to Sunderland Is Imminent
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12 comments:
Martinez is a good manager but for bruce this seems like a step down. Guess its a money thing?
I don't know... if you can buy a couple of guys for £1M and sell them to Spurs for £15M every year, seems like you should be able to work your way to wealth.
Question of the day:
Who the fuck is running AC Mee-lan? A 45-yo cougar who likes to be around 35-40-yo football players?
I don't know all the terms of the loan deal to Bordeaux, but letting Gourcouff get away for 13-15 million Euros is fucking robbery. Its not like they're loaded with midfield talent (at least not talent that's getting better, rather than ossifying). Then again, YEAH! for the Ligue 1 team I root for...
As for Bruce to Sunderland - I hope the goal is to consolidate for a year or two mid-table, then fire him for someone "international", because they ain't getting to Europe with Bruce...
Okay, Seedorf, Gattuso, and Pirlo aren't getting younger. And who gives a fuck if they get Goldenballs back. But they do have Kaka, Flamini, and Ronaldinho. Plus they've got Tabare Viudez, this Uruguayan kid that I love.
I know like my opinion matters but I actually watched him in the South American U-whatevers. And he was awesome. Could run right at people with good touch. Don't know how that translates to Serie A, but think he's got a future. They've got some other Uruguayan that I know nothing about.
So, yeah. They've got some dinosaurs, but it's not like that's all they have.
But the idea of a cougar running Meelan tickles me nonetheless.
I don't follow Meelan closely, so all I know is who gets run out there each week. That said, a kid who looks more than good in France can probably out-do some of the 32-yo+ players they run out each week...
They play Kaka as either a support striker or as the point of the MF diamond, Ronaldinho is gone in 60 seconds, and they don't seem to know what they have in Flamini. If they think the Uruguayan usurps Yohann, then good on them. But I see a team sinking into a Newcastle-like version of old "names" over current "talent". (Excepting Kaka and Pato, but they almost seem like exceptions that prove the rule, rather than a "plan"). I'll gladly admit you're right if you are (this isn't something I care about), but it just seems like a disastrous way to turn one "outlier" (Maldini) into a management style...
Oh, and I'm proud of the "cougar" thought...I couldn't resist posting it...
I'm by no means saying Meelan are well managed from a personell standpoint but they are not completely bereft of 'youthy' players.
Pato is a keeper, but if they wanted to restock the ranks all they would have to do is make one phone call to Hughes and put a ridiculous price on Kaka.
Agreed on that one (I suspect my recent Bordeaux fandom has me rating him more highly than they do, but he's still impressive), but I do suspect they just might want to rid themselves of Kaka's contract (though I think the Real Madrid links are the more likely outcome). Then again, its silly season after this weekend, and who knows what random Ukrainian/UAE billionaire will spend "whatever it takes"?
I just don't see a good high-level plan at work there, but I admit that I don't follow anything beyond what I see each weekend...
By the way... where did you watch the match that they were turning people away? The Richmond Arms (or the British Arms or whatever it's called)?
Nope. At the Bull & Bear in west Houston. (and you're right about "Richmond Arms" - I can't imagine what that place was like, when I had "my" seat available at 1 pm last year at B&B). I was shocked by the crowd, as was the bar itself (they had double-staffed, and it wasn't enough)...
which is why I addressed my note to MG - I know Barcelona's involvement played a huge role, but an Irish bar that's a CSC and never shows La Liga unless I request it, that is 50/50 pro-FCB? And is packed to the HFD gills?
Richmond Arms must have been turning people away...
I had the opposite experience. Place I watched had about half the number of people as last year. But I'm on the lilly-white north side of Chicago. So a United v. Chelsea would bring out all the frontrunners.
I was one of two Barca (or anti-United) fans in the place.
I'll spare you the story of the incredibly hot female English Barca fan behind me, as I could write a book about her...
But I was amazed by how different it was. Last year, at 1 pm, I picked "my" normal weekend seat, and the 30 fans made it by half-time. This year, I was lucky to get the last bar-seat available closest to the TV. "My" seat was taken a full hour earlier...that said, ManU fans were a much bigger presence this year...
Then again, Houston is on the fore-front of the Latinization of this country...
Chicago is probably 2-3 years away...
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