City v Spurs

[Arn]

Rafa for example wanted to stay in Europe the whole pre-season.

Why? We would earn good money doing pre-season tours in Asia so why not do that?

The answers. He wanted us to stay in Europe so he could train the players harder so they would last the full season. If you do a pre-season tour in Asia for example then the players will miss some training and will be less prepared for the coming season.

That is a big reason to his European success. His team will be in great form when the important knock-out games begin. They are trained to be in good form the last few months of the season.

[Kenneth]

What exactly is this magic training you talk of? Done in the summer that, despite increasing the overall amount of training and playing in a season, manages to enable a human to be less tired the following spring?

[Arn]

What exactly is this magic training you talk of? Done in the summer that, despite increasing the overall amount of training and playing in a season, manages to enable a human to be less tired the following spring?

No magic training at all. Train less and you will be more tired the last few months of the season. Train more and you will last the full season.

Train more and you will be more tired at the start of the season.

Maybe you think that a player that train for example three hours a day will be as prepared to last the whole season as a player than train five hours a day.

Then you of course can set up the training in different ways. Run a lot or a lot of training and practise with the ball or a mix of them.

[Kenneth]

Ah, right. Pity for our opponents that only Rafa knew this.

[MrMichael]

Also couldn't believe Sky tonight, celebrating City's 'magnificent achievement'

****in Martyn Tyler going on about how City are building the right way. Are you ****ing joking!!!

Completely mental

In a couple of seasons they've spent more money in the transfer market than most clubs do in 2 decades

In fact, lets look at this fabulous "building" they've been doing.

Transfers in....

Gai Yigaal Assulin (free, Barcelona)
Edin Dzeko (£27m, Wolfsburg)

Alex Henshall (undisclosed)
Jérôme Boateng (undisclosed)
David Josué Jiménez Silva (£24m, Valencia)
Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (£28m, Barcelona)
Mario Barwuah Balotelli (£22.5m, Inter Milan)
James Milner (£16m + Stephen Ireland, Aston Villa)

Patrick Vieira (loan, Inter Milan)
Adam Johnson (undisclosed, Middlesbrough

Gareth Barry (£12m, Aston Villa)
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (£18m, Blackburn Rovers)
Stuart Taylor (undisclosed, Aston Villa)
Carlos Alberto Tévez (£25m, MSI Group)
Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m, Arsenal)
Kolo Habib Touré (16m, Arsenal)
Joleon Lescott (24m, Everton)
Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior (free, Barcelona)

Wayne Michael Bridge (undisclosed, Chelsea)
Craig Bellamy (£14m, West Ham)
Nigel de Jong (£17m, Hamburg SV)
Seamus John "Shay" Given (£6m, Newcastle)

João Alves de Assis Silva (£19m, CSKA Moscow)
Tal Ben Haim (£5m, Chelsea)
Vincent Kompany (£6m, Hamburg)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (£10m, Chelsea)
Pablo Javier Zabaleta Girod (£6.45m, Espanyol)
Róbson de Souza (£32.5m, Real Madrid)

I make that 28 players in 3 seasons for, given approximates on the undisclosed figures, the paltry sum of about £400m. So that's about £14m per player. The vast majority of whom are distinctly average. Absolutely ****ing bonkers.

[Craig_H]

Rafa for example wanted to stay in Europe the whole pre-season.

Why? We would earn good money doing pre-season tours in Asia so why not do that?

The answers. He wanted us to stay in Europe so he could train the players harder so they would last the full season. If you do a pre-season tour in Asia for example then the players will miss some training and will be less prepared for the coming season.

That is a big reason to his European success. His team will be in great form when the important knock-out games begin. They are trained to be in good form the last few months of the season.

[Arn]

Spurs had to play qualifying games to the CL last summer so they couldn't train the players that hard. They had to be in good form to secure a place in the CL group stage.

If you secure a place in the CL group stage without needing to play qualifiers then you can set up the season in a different way. You can train the players a week or two more.

[Arn]

Ah, right. Pity for our opponents that only Rafa knew this.

Of course every manager knows this. It is up to them how they want to set up the season.

[Kenneth]

I think only managing very slow and gradual improvement despite a shotgun approach to mega money transfers is bizarrely being mistaken for steadiness. Then again, most people involved in football are cretins. I can't think of another multi-billion pound industry where so many retards are able to make a living.

[Shaggy]

Completely mental

In a couple of seasons they've spent more money in the transfer market than most clubs do in 2 decades

In fact, lets look at this fabulous "building" they've been doing.

Transfers in....

Gai Yigaal Assulin (free, Barcelona)
Edin Dzeko (£27m, Wolfsburg)

Alex Henshall (undisclosed)
Jérôme Boateng (undisclosed)
David Josué Jiménez Silva (£24m, Valencia)
Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (£28m, Barcelona)
Mario Barwuah Balotelli (£22.5m, Inter Milan)
James Milner (£16m + Stephen Ireland, Aston Villa)

Patrick Vieira (loan, Inter Milan)
Adam Johnson (undisclosed, Middlesbrough

Gareth Barry (£12m, Aston Villa)
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (£18m, Blackburn Rovers)
Stuart Taylor (undisclosed, Aston Villa)
Carlos Alberto Tévez (£25m, MSI Group)
Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m, Arsenal)
Kolo Habib Touré (16m, Arsenal)
Joleon Lescott (24m, Everton)
Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior (free, Barcelona)

Wayne Michael Bridge (undisclosed, Chelsea)
Craig Bellamy (£14m, West Ham)
Nigel de Jong (£17m, Hamburg SV)
Seamus John "Shay" Given (£6m, Newcastle)

João Alves de Assis Silva (£19m, CSKA Moscow)
Tal Ben Haim (£5m, Chelsea)
Vincent Kompany (£6m, Hamburg)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (£10m, Chelsea)
Pablo Javier Zabaleta Girod (£6.45m, Espanyol)
Róbson de Souza (£32.5m, Real Madrid)

I make that 28 players in 3 seasons for, given approximates on the undisclosed figures, the paltry sum of about £400m. So that's about £14m per player. The vast majority of whom are distinctly average. Absolutely ****ing bonkers.

It's unbelievable. A magnificent achievement, building the right way

[DannyMan2006]

Good Buys:

Given, De Jong, Kompany, Toure, Tevez, Johnson, Barry, Silva.

For the amount of cash spent on the other players I'd be expecting better. Can't see Kolorov on the list either, so there may also be a couple of other names missing off. More wasted cash.

[Kenneth]

Well I still don't rate Gareth Barry.

[Rudo]

Good Buys:

Given, De Jong, Kompany, Toure, Tevez, Johnson, Barry, Silva.

For the amount of cash spent on the other players I'd be expecting better. Can't see Kolorov on the list either, so there may also be a couple of other names missing off. More wasted cash.

I'm far from convinced by Yaya Toure and Adam Johnson tbh, and Gareth Barry is solid if nothing else.
One great season for Villa, but he hasn't really shown that form since.
A decent squad player imo.

De Yong, Kompany, Tevez and Silva are all top players though. Rate all 4 of them highly.

As for Shay, it's prob best if he moves on..shame seeing such a good GK on the bench every week.

I can actually see City doing well in the Champions League next season, they're a tough nut to crack and if they do go far, hopefully that'll have a negative hit on their league form.

[Baracus]

Surprised no arn has said that City paid spurs 25m to get 4th secured this time around.

Would be too funny if they fell at the 1st hurdle. Spurs nearly did last year against the young boys. I think the premiership is due a big shock like this. Not had one since 2004/05

[Arn]

Surprised no arn has said that City paid spurs 25m to get 4th secured this time around.

Would be too funny if they fell at the 1st hurdle. Spurs nearly did last year against the young boys. I think the premiership is due a big shock like this. Not had one since 2004/05

They may finish in third place. They are only two points behind Arsenal.