They're at it again...

[humanbeingincroydon]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...t-could-all-end-in-another-painful-divorce.do

Whilst it's true plenty of people - myself included - are wary about the potential baggage of having Adebayor in the squad, towards the end of the article this crap turns up...

Cynics may argue Luka Modric will move to Chelsea next summer - or even in January - regardless, but what a carrot they could dangle in front of him were a second Champions League campaign in the bag. Gareth Bale, too, for that matter.

They just can't resist it, can they?

Then again, given a former Standard journalist has been helping the police with their enquiries regarding phone hacking, being on Abramovich's payroll to do his dirty work is sounding more feasible by the day. Which is the usual gap between "Modric to Chavski" rumours these days...

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

It can't be long before a Football Manager game adds the new mode to tap up and unsettle other teams' players. I call the software Chelseatronic 8000.

As for rugby taking off in the US, they'd need rugby clubs to do that. They're about 100 years behind the rest of the world in regards to club rugby, as the rugby "clubs" they have are all Varsity teams one way or the other.

 

[Dier Hard]

The press instigate moves more so than clubs themselves.

Usual scenario:

Press make a fake rumour - "Small Pennies FC player Joe Bloggs eyed by Big Bucks Utd" who can triple his current salary.
Joe Bloggs believes rumour and says to press in an interview "would be great to play for Big Bucks".
Big Bucks therefore learn that player is interested and make formal bid.
Joe Bloggs spits dummy out to force move.
Small Pennies get left in the sh*t after selling their star asset, who supposedly before the rumour was more than happy at the club...

Though luckily for us, at least for the window thats just gone, "Small Pennies" stood ground and told the press and Big Bucks to basically do one and tell Joe Bloggs to honour his contract and show some f*cking respect to the club that gave him his chance on the big stage.

(Just for the record, Small Pennies does not literally dictate the club is poor, just a hypothetical name )

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

The issue is why some papers are so insistant on it - both the Mail and Standard seem intent on dragging Modric to Stamford Bridge, whilst The Sun has done plenty of Ferguson's dirty work over the years (notably with Yorke, Saha, Carrick and Berbatov)

It's also notable that it's only a small band of clubs that this happens for - namely MUPLC, Chelsea and Liverpool. As much as their new-found wealth, success and arrogance makes Man City an easy team to hate (and rightly so) they don't batter rival clubs around the head with daily updates in the press about how they'd like to sign their players for weeks, if not months, on end.

Yet...

 

[Dier Hard]

When I first speed read you comment I read it as Small Penis FC player

 

[Ghoddle10]

Well reading Harry today, it seems he wanted £40m rather than Modric, and I can see that point of view entirely. Levy has gambled big-time on this, it could make or break our season.