Tevez a sound deal for Man City

Right what you said about Benitez, he would never hand it back but still use the money unwisely! This is some intent by Man City, Robinho & Tevez upfront, not bad at all. If they sort out their back 4 they could be a strong force.

good article. Tevez is a good signing for City but he didn't score enough for United. Played alongside Robinho would be deadly.

i think tevez will be missed by man ud partly because he was a good goal scorer and very talented.

Yes, Tevez is an ideal signing for Man City.

Money is clearly the biggest consideration for both himself and his owner.

I am not a Man United fan, but I imagine Ferguson found it quite frustrating, what with Tevez constantly mouthing off in the media about how Man U didn't really want him and hadn't made him an offer - when the reality was that Ferguson contacted him on at least four different occasions to sort things out, and on each occasion Tevez didn't get back to him.

Having said that, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if all Tevez' phone communications were routed through Joorabchian, and the player himself had never received any of them.

Good blog, Phil

Tevez will be good for City, as would Terry and/or Lescott be. Kompany & Richards are good prospects to play at centre back, too, in the longer term.

Whilst it's sad to see Tevez go to our neighbours, I must admit to being fascinated by what's unfolding at Eastlands. Their new-found wealth really is allowing Sparky Hughes to play fantasy football. I can imagine City fans and neutrals alike stepping into his shoes and scribbling wee lists down... I know I have been.

One conundrum though; how do you play Robinho, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Wright-Phillips AND Adebayor up-front together (providing today's reports on the latter are true)? Be interesting to watch.

If City buy a few more players of genuine quality, then they will be a major threat to the likes of Everton, Villa, Tottenham, Fulham, West Ham and, perhaps, Arsenal. Good luck to them, I say - every team (even my team's biggest rivals) deserve some time in the sun.

Roll on the 2009/2010 season! Without a senior summer tourney, June & July are a nightmare!

"Every supporter of every other club in the Premier League would love to be in City's position"

I don't agree- there is no doubt city have money but as we have seen the top stars won't simply sign for money- they want champions league football and that is why the true worldclass stars won't be at city until they are atleast in the champions league. Even if they sign Terry - which I think is probably media nonsense - they are still well short comparedto united, Liverpool and Chelsea. Maybe arsenal can be picked off.... but I doubt it.

Robinho didn't even know he'd joined city- he was just so desperate to leave real, and tevez was without a club and looked like a bit if a "highest bidder" job from the time he arrived in England- so I won't swap places with citys position until they are in the top 4 and signing players that arent just after money

It's an ambitious deal from Manchester City but will Tevez be guaranteed a starting place in all domestic fixtures come next season? If this season turns out to be a failure (no Top 4 spot), expect Hughes to be sacked.

I agree with this, as a city fan, the windfall that landed at our club has lead to nothing but cries of how we are 'ruining football' but at the end of the day, such comments strike me as jealously rearing its head- who can honestly say that they would turn down a near unlimited transfer budget if it was available?
Whilst im not saying I think it is right that we are able to 'buy' our way to success, it is a fact of the modern game that money is such a key component, and like it or lump it, thats how it will stay until the rules are changed (something I find incredibly unlikely...)

"Every supporter of every other club in the Premier League would love to be in City's position now."

Got to say I disagree. I'm not at all bitter about City's wealth. That's the hand they have been dealt and good luck to them. The fans are loving it and why shouldn't they.

However, if you said to me Arsenal were going to go down a similar route, I'd be 100% against it. In my opinion, if City go on to win trophies, I wouldn't really class it as a success story. If you Spend more money than everyone else, buy the best players in the world and pay them more than everyone else, winning trohpies would be 'breaking even'. Anything else is failure.

Competing at the top, both domestically and in Europe, building a culture synonymous with the club, playing a brand of football admired the world over with a very young team while being outspent by pretty much every other team in the division (in terms of net spending) is very satisfying, and I don't think I would get the same feeling if we went out and just bought a team overnight.

Like I said, I'm not bitter about what City are doing at the moment.I just fear for the game because this situation is going to snowball and soon enough the leage table will probably be just a Rich List, which would be a shame.

Phil, I usually sense a bit of bias towards United from you (maybe this is just an acknowledgment of their success), but this seems fair. I do think, however, that his loss may hurt United more than you think. Everyone seems to automatically think that Michael Owen will have bags of chances now that he is playing for United and that he is a better finisher that Tevez (probably true). Assuming Owen success is short-sighted for several reasons related to the supply line. 1) Cristiano Ronaldo occupied so much of the defence's mind-set that it opened acres of space for the other attacking players and Ronaldo was a much better passer than widely perceived. This luxury will be gone. 2) United's attack has relied on their players being creators as well as scorers because their central midfield is much weaker than most realize (because of Ronaldo's suction effect on the defence). Owen is not a creator. Maybe Berbatov and Rooney will be able to give it to him on a silver platter but I wouldn't count on it. Tevez could create as well as score and was also the first line of defence. I know who I would rather play against as a Liverpool fan.

While I object to the ostentatious way Manchester City are going about things, it will be fantastic to see the 'Big Four' given a proper run for their money.

Tevez is definitely another signing in the right direction for City, but it draws into question the signings of Santa Cruz and Bellamy, especially as it meant a top talent in Sturridge was shown the door.

City now need to leave their forward line as it is and focus on improving the defence. At the moment they still have Dunne, Richards and Onuoha leading the line.

This transfer does, however, show Tevez in a very bad light. Adored by United fans and wanted by Ferguson, he has now spat in all their mum's faces.

https://sportingchameleon.wordpress.com/

hushhhhhshshshshs

Am I bitter about him moving to City. Yes. I still wish him all the best, just never in a blue shirt.

Money talks !!! Tevez is the same as Barry and maybe Terry only going where big money is , cant see City breaking into the top 4 this season

I'm a United fan, and certainly don't buy into any argument that City are ruining the game through spending big - if they have the money, good luck to them.

I do though feel that the media blew out of all proportion the United fans love of Tevez. He was certainly popular because of his commitment, and all the fun chants of 'sign him up' were picked up on every time he scored. But, the vast majority of regular fans plainly saw his limitations (the same limitations that are visible every time Argentina play and struggle as they continually have in recent years). His positional sense, awareness and passing is very poor. Most fans expected it to improve with United coaching - it never did. Indeed, he seemed to get worse, perhaps believing his own press. Chasing down lost causes and running in circles may impress the kids and occasional fans at Old Trafford - but most real fans wanted a player who played more professionally.

Tevez left saying he 'would never go to Liverpool, he'd never do that to United fans'.... So he went to Man City instead. Hmm. Whatever Carlos. Maybe just be honest and recognise that neither Liverpool or United felt he was worth what he thought he was worth...

I'm a MUFC fan and I can honestly say Phil you're spot on with the analysis. Man U have signed a striker who'll score more goals than Tevez did in Owen. However Tevez is a sensational buy for City. He will give them a different drive that Robinho lacks and may inspire others to perform. Chelsea and Liverpool are undoubtedly jealous but what goes around comes around.

The posts regarding City's sales as unhealthy for the game are a bit late are they not. How many people were complaining 6-7 years ago in the first Galatico's era at Real? Or 4 years ago when Chelski went on a mad spree? Or when United spent £30 mil on Veron, Rio and Rooney in the space of a few seasons?

Money has been part of this game for at least the last 15 years, and the last 10 we have seen it become a critical factor both at the top and bottom end (ITV Digital being a prime example). Lets not be naive if anyone should be put under pressure or embarrassed its not City but the Premier League and FIFA for watching over the last 10 years and only now realising that the money is out of control. What i don't understand is why can't we employ some form of salary and budget cap much like the NBA or even like the cost measures F1 are trying to introduce. With all the clubs struggling financially how can the top flight football say sustainable in the current economic times?

Delicious article!

Tevez is no Utd idol, he was just a player passing through, and the way he has acted over the last 6 months ensured that although he wont be forgotten, he certainly wont be missed.

How many strikers have city got now lol.

I personally would love it if Tevez went and scored at old trafford, irony in its purest form. I've got no problem with Man City's riches, if you've got it, flaunt it. Just do it right. If a club says no, accept it and move on, don't go on and on i.e JT. Good luck to them and Tevez, let's hope they do break into the top 4. It's getting a bit boring now, and i'm a Chelsea fan!!

As a United fan my username as now been made redundant! More dissapointed about that than the loss of this workhorse.

Phil,

Absolutely spot on: The top 4 is not a private club but it has been deemed that way for far to long. The goal for Hughes has already been set ,Top 6, its been delivered by our owners and communicated cleary. For those UTD fans who dont see CITY being a threat your delusional. Our squad is evolving, we have strength in numerous positions and will also have strong bench. How do CITY and UTD match up? Without Ronaldo, UTD are not scary. (Giggs, Fletcher, Scholes, Nanni & Anderson dont scare us. Use the analogy of watching Halowwen multiple times, you know whats coming)

So roll on September 20th, perhaps then our threat will be realized?

Benitez is just a rude twit who doesn't know a thing about talent spotting.

Phil,

If the squads were to stay as they are now who would be your predicted Top 4?

As a hopelessly biased City fan, this is a wonderful signing, a true marker in the sand. Young, hungry, superbly talented and I think he´ll do more for City (I´m thinking in terms of the underdog culture and fan base, if you like, where he can be as idolised as he was at West Ham) than he did at Walmart FC. Well done to all involved, especially the blokes with the fat wallets.

And just to pre-empt the usual wearying moaning and groaning from fans of plucky, hard-up defenders of youth team development and careful squad building Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea:

Question 1: How much have City spent to build their current squad?
Answer: A hell of a lot.

Question 2: How much did your teams spend to build the squads that won you your silver pots?
Answer: A hell of a lot more.

(And no, Dario Gradis of Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and Anfield - discovering Scholes, Beckham, Neville, Giggs, Gerrard, Super Robbie Fowler and John Terry back before there were colour tellys does not represent a successful current youth system).

So until the answer to question 1 is "a hell of a lot more than the answer to question 2", can you pipe down a bit on the charges of buying success and ruining football?

Thanks.

i disagree with you saying that tevez milked the crowd to put pressure on ferguson and united's board. i think that he merely wanted to show the fans how much he wanted to stay, but ultimately he also wanted first-team football!!!

Phil - I certainly see your point, and whilst I still do disagree that there was ever a real love affair between the fans and Tevez (as say there is between the OT faithful and Giggs; or previously was with Keane/Cantona), your point about Berbatov is very relevant. Last season both Berbatov and Ronaldo left many of us at OT very cold, Berbatov for his perceived lack of effort, and Ronaldo for his first flirtation with Real. To some degree I feel Tevez's commitment was deliberately overly lauded often as a rebuke to the other two.

I'm not sure its a good move for City. It's not a bad signing clearly: Tevez has his attributes. But really, does a team with Robinho & Bellamy need another small striker who drifts outside the box? Is the departure of Sturridge, seeking chances to play and thwarted by the knowledge that City were continuing to buy strikers, in the club's long term interest?

I feel that City's desire to sign a popular former United player with a big name far outweighed any real team-building factors. We'll see how well City benefit from this over the next few seasons.

I somewhat agree with "3rd ronaldo". It looks like he is trying to be loyal to the Man U saying he would not play for Liverpool. Man City are they local rivals?. If he wanted to be loyal and Man U put an offer on the table as repoted in the press then he should have stayed.

As a Liverpool fan I'm happy he did'nt sign for us. Dont get me wrong he is a good player but part of his game needs improving, maybe the flashing ££££ signs and having a heavy Man City wallet will probably fix it....

Not only is Tevez a handy player who will come into his own in a team where he is finally given space to play his game, but he is also a dead ringer for one of the naked "Romeo Cleaners" who used to appear on Channel 4's "Eurotrash" in the 1990's.

city have now assembled a range of very good forwards. if hughes could entice a couple of world class defenders to join his dressing room, i fear that city would be a serious threat to the existing top four in the coming season. de jong and barry were good purchases. wright-phillips could be encouraged to play a little deeper in the midfield. bentley could be another player that would compliment this squad of players. he is not in favour at spurs.

There is a difference b/w City's spending and United/Liverpool/Arsenal's. United had the success to generate money to buy players, not an unknown billionaire. Chelsea had money to spend, but the likes of Drogba, Essien and Mikel were all unknown players on the big stage and Mourinho picked them out. The big star signings of Ballack and Shevchenko were never Mourinho's and that is why they've not achieved the heights the likes of Lampard and Drogba have.
Coming to Tevez, I wonder if Hughes is even in charge at Eastlands. City scored goals by the bagful last season, it was their defense which was the problem and Wayne Bridge is far from the answer to them. Who out of Robinho, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Bojinov and Tevez(all signings made after last year's takeover) along with Adebayor(if the papers this morning are true) will sit out? Will Tevez throw the tantrum he did when left out behind Berbatov at Old Trafford? Where will Ireland, De Jong, Kompany, Barry and Elano fit in? In a World Cup year, how many of them will want to miss games and warm the bench? City have spent big money, but like a kid in a candy store rather than a shrewd businessman.

Why is Rooney superior to Tevez? I think your unqualified statement deserves a bit more scrutiny. This will be a crucial year for Rooney as he will have no more excuses and can play where he wants without being overshadowed by Ronaldo. I suspect that he will not deliver more than he has done in the last couple of years - an average performance.

Tevez is undoubdtedly one of the most promising forwards in the EPL and probably one of the best ones too save Torres, the OT faithful were aware of this. I also think it is weird that you accuse Tevez of trying to win the fans over, by playing hard and scoring...

Loosing Ronaldo and Tevez will definitely hurt Man U. And Owen will not be able to produce, it is unfortunate but true.

I know you have a soft spot for English forwards Phil but both Rooney and Owen will let Man U down this season. The fact that SAF mentions Welbeck and Macheda as playing an important part in the team smacks off desperation.

I tip Liverpool to snatch the title this year with Chelsea giving them a hard time as Man U are out of contention and very likely to suffer a Tevez inspired loss to City at home.

Phil, as always i really appreciate your blog. Still I think you try really hard to disguise that you are a red. Am still hoping that one day youll come out.

Some points I need to add here: Tevez is the only player to be named South American Player of the Year in three successive seasons. His goals scoring record is not by anymean a jusitified indication of his contripution to the teams success.

In another word, sugesting that United will not suffer his loss, is huge understatment in my opinion. Hence the last minute panic to keep him at th club.

Since the take over, almost, and I am not exadgurating, over a thousend article were written about City, yet not a single one highlights the clubs work in the community, the commitement to the fans or about the successful business minds behind runing the club i.e Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al-Mubarak. It is for this reason, some are objecting tp the statement "Every supporter of every other club in the Premier League would love to be in City's position"

I would like to quote some of Shiekh Mansours interview to give people an idea of how a City fan is feeling these days:

((the potential that is there to be realized and the passion of the City for the Club. In Abu Dhabi, our heritage and culture are inherent to our values, and the way we live our lives. I think its the same in Manchester. You certainly see and hear that in the longstanding commitment of the fans for the Club.

Not only respecting those ideals, but really living those ideals, are essential to the success of the club. My intention from the beginning is that Manchester City have the very best people at its disposal, both on and off the field, and to put together a board and an executive team that is worthy of both the heritage and future of Manchester City.

Whilst we want to bring the best players in the world, we also want to see the academy continue to develop talent and give Mark Hughes the chance to bring home-grown players into the team. We are committed to building a sustainable structure for the future not just a team of all-stars.

I am a football fan, and I hope they are beginning to believe that I am now also a Manchester City fan. But I am also a long-term investor and that is the most important single fact for the club and the fans. It means we are here for the long haul and that we will always act in the best long term interests of the club and all of its stakeholders. it was very clear that Manchester City was a sleeping giant of English football and waking that giant I think is going to be rewarding on a number of levels.))

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Does Tevez expect to be playing every week with the likes of Robinho, Santa Cruz & possibly Adebayor? I think not, which brings into question his reasons for leaving United. It seems quite clear to me that City's huge wage offer was the deciding factor. He tried to tell us all that he wouldn't sign for Liverpool out of respect, but i'm sure if they offered big money he wouldn't of hesitated. We've had 3 players now at United from Argentina & all 3 have left under a cloud & none have stayed there for long at all. Maybe there's a pattern emerging here which we would be best avoiding in future?
As for Tevez, his hard work will be missed, but his 5 league goals will be emulated by Michael Owen before the end of September. Shame the cheque book is now closed, i'm not surprised however & like the great man said, there's no point in wasting the money in a market that has spiralled out of control.

Tevez and his media antics won't be missed at United, they were equally as disruptive as Ronaldo's.
I think his move is more money motivated than Ronaldo's too.
Will he really play more games at city?
He's competing with Santa Cruz, Bellamy, Robinho and possibly Adebayor.

Tevez lacks the integrity shown by Kaka.

Tevez epitomises what is wrong with the modern game.

Man United were willing to meet the asking price and the fans adored him. His intention was to make man united out to be the bad guy so he could move to man city triple his wages and line his pockets.

I seriously question the motives of a player who leaves a club who made 2 champions leauge finals in a row and won 2 championships to join a club who aren't even in the champions league.

It shows a lack of ambition and shows that he is purely driven by money.

I'm a Liverpool fan by the way but feel some sympathy for united who have been made to look like the villains they clearly aren't in this instance!

Lets hope the premier league title is a showdown between Liverpool, United and Arsenal at least they are real football clubs. I will laugh when JT leaves Chelsea to line his pockets even more though.

I'd like to thank Carlos for his effort over the past two years, as his vital goals helped us in quite a few tricky situations. However, City can be all means help themselves for £25 million, and I bet Kia is laughing his way to the bank.
Even in this market, Tevez is, and never will be, worth that much, and I for one am glad that we've got Michael Owen in instead, and for free as well.
Tevez wanted £120,000 a week from United, and, to put it mildly, he's not exactly the most gifted of footballers. Sure, he pops up with important goals, and a good work-rate, but for all intents and purposes, he's like Rooney, but worse in every respect bar poaching, which is what Michael Owen has been brought in for. In fact, if you look at the stats, Berbatov actually covered more ground per match than Tevez last season, while Bendtner, derided by many Arsenal fans, scored a goal more in the same amount of appearances.
For £25 million, you either need to be getting somebody of pure class, or somebody for a specific job, such as poaching, or creating. The sad fact is that Tevez is neither. Let's face it: Rooney is more skilful with at least, if not more work rate; Berbatov is perhaps a tad more skilful, and offers more goals and more assists; Owen will almost certainly offer more than 5 prem goals next season; Macheda and Welbeck will benefit from more game time, and can learn from Owen.
It sounds like a massive attack on Tevez, but be honest, I'm really not that bothered about us signing a 'trier', in Ferguson's words, for £25 million.

I am a United fan and I have to say that Carlos Tevez's behaviour in the past few months has angered me greatly. He has constantly harped on about Manchester United not wanting him, even though the reality was that he had been offered a contract on three different occassions, and we know that the last one was a 5 year deal making him one of the highest paid players at united?!!! What more could they do? I will say that I am glad that he did not take up fergie on his more than generous offer. He is an extremely limited footballer, he does not have a first touch, his passing is poor but the British fans and media our willing to overlook this because "he tires hard!". God bless him for that! He then comes out with some ridiculous comments such as the fact that United would have won the Champs League Final if he had started! What Rubbish!

Good riddins tevez, enjoy your trophyless seasons at city, your nothing but a sell out. And I will laugh when Berbatov and Owen out score you next season!

lol. all these players man city are signing. and tevez thinks he is going to be first choice all the time. i think not my friend. money money money. tevez wants it. to be in a rich mans world..

hope they sign Adebayor too. then down the list even more he goes.

man city + lots of rubbish players = nothing like usual.

this article is interesting. it mentions City out-muscling their more illustrious rivals in the transfer market, claiming they won't like it but didn't mind when the boot was on the other foot.

but at the same time it points out that united could easily afford - and did offer - the 25m fee required. united have anything up to pick your own number available should they see fit but they didn't even choose to bid over the odds for benzema.

it's all very well sucking city's toes over this, and fair enough, they haven't had a deyna moment for a while and they deserve as many of those as they can get.

but let's not pretend city offering tevez 150k (or whatever ridiculous figure it is) a week is good for the game for goodness sake. let's not pretend city offering terry 300k a week is good for the game either. everyone knows where this leads and it's not pretty. how much are you actually prepared to pay to go and watch football?


as for the city fan calling united fans delusional above? that's probably the funniest thing i've read all summer. city might challenge for the top 4 and they might not. same as everton and villa. doesn't matter how much money city's players earn, they still aren't likely to suddenly be as good as the teams they will be battling with over the course of 38 games.

One can look at this deal and be cynical very easily. You can point to the fact that its all about the money, that City cant offer European football, that they may struggle to fit all these players in to the starting eleven etc but at the end of the day, slowly they are building a quality squad.

Lets be frank, I am not counting Bellamy! Waste of money if ever there was one and he wont impress anyone outside of West Ham or err...But Tevez raises the bar. As someone outside the UK, I have seen the way Citys profile has been raised from a club that no-one had ever heard of or spoke of as anything other than 'canon fodder' for the big four to a team that is talked of as a financial power, a future footballing power.

As an Arsenal fan, am I jealous? A little yes. It would be nice if my team were the one with money to spend as opposed to one with potential boardroom upheavels ahead. Am I scared? This season no. I dont think City as a squad, as a club, have the experience as yet to really push the big four. That makes me fear a little for Mark Hughes. But I do fear the likes of City the longer Arsenal are relying on good players to fill the boots of great players!

Good luck to Tevez though. He should be a great player for City. But dont expect United fans to be too happy young man!! Youve just joined their local rivals - or has all the money blinded you a little there!

@ galocoura - could you please explain then how man united became so rich?

I think you'll find they were a biggish club in the late 80's early 90's, but we spent peanuts on players like Keane and Cantona - and the main core of our dominating team throughout the 90's was our youth players Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt and the Nevilles. Thats 6 players from our youth team, while our other influential players like Schmeichel, Irwin, Cole and Solsjkaer etc cost sod all. You mean to tell me that we bought success with that squad? No, our continued success on the pitch brought us more success off the pitch.

It wasn't until around 2000 that we started earning mega money after winning the CL, and the rise of David Beckham becoming a global superstar helping us to raise the profile of our club - hence why we spent so much on Rio and Veron. Other more succesful clubs that United were competing with at the time (i.e. Real and Inter etc) were a hell of a lot more richer than us.

Please don't slate united just because we're more succesful than you.

South American Player of the Year for three seasons running by the age of 22. Olympic Gold medal when he was only 20-years old. Still only 25-years old.

MC have bought themselves a snip.

What a player to have in your team.

Of course MU fans are rubbishing him and his motives - wouldn't expect anything different.

Thing is: Tevez is now a MC player - Fantastic!

Blackburn Rovers & Chelsea have already done their bit to turn the game into the distasteful money wasting exercise that it is nowadays and Man City are just the latest to get involved. Reaction to them and Real Madrid splashing the cash this summer does smack of jealousy from other fans, but it's not nice to see in this current economic climate.

Football is a bit of escapism for us all, but the fact that while thousands of people are losing their jobs or taking pay cuts and businesses are closing everywhere, we're sitting here merrily discussing an article about a team shelling out £25m on striker (who isn't even world class) being a "sound deal" is depressing. phil_stav in post #17 is spot on; it's about time the games' governing bodies acted.

As for Tevez, I suppose if he's earning an extra few £10k a week, he won't mind so much if there is still as much competition for first team places in the blue half of Manchester...

Tevez is a very good player. The above comments about City's apparant burgeoning embarrassment of riches up front, is incorrect. Robinho, SWP, Elano, are wider playerss. Tevez can play wide or off the front man. Bellamy would play well alongside another striker. Therefore they really have bought Santa Cruz to lead the line, and would probably like Adebayor to offer some backup.
Barry, De Jong, Kompany, Bridge, Richards, and Given give the team a nice feel. Yes, City need a quality centre-half to have a top 4 first 11, and probably 3-4 more good signings to mount a season-long challenge - but they know this and are getting there.

To say people join City just for the money is unfair. I expect a top 6 finish this year, plus reasonable cup campaigns. Another quality summer signing and a bold January buy and that could be revised up. Next year's WC will bring many players to attention and expect City to snap up 5 or 6 of the better 20 or so players to 'emerge'. In 2010/11 season, expect City to be genuine contenders, and by 2012 or 2013 to be winning things.

DevilOfRed - you're making a fatal mistake. Not your argument, which is correct. But arguing with Man City fans. You forget that Man City are: more Mancunian; more loyal; more community orientated; more locally based; more caring; more traditional; more ... err... help me out City fans.

What other terms is it you use to hide your constant failure to match United?

and all the "united fans" saying good riddance to tevez and how owen will be a lot better, er hello? How can you be so fickle?? I don't think Owen would've hit that 20 yard screamer to beat City towards the end of the season, do you? And where's all this rubbish that his touch is poor and that he can't pass come from?? I seem to remember in his first season a very beautiful partnership with him and wayne rooney up front - oh but wait, that's right - you plastic united fans that can't remember more than 3 months ago don't understand football, and the necessity to play regular football. This is also why you will see that expectations for Owen may be slightly too high over the coming year.

"Chelsea had no second thoughts about preying on those poorer than themselves and rightly so. It is the financial law of football and always has been.

The problem comes when, as invariably happens, someone bigger eventually comes along and you are on the receiving end. Tough to take when you have had a taste of that power."

Completely right. It's the way it always has been and always will be. Dog eat dog, and all that.

tevez leaving just adds to are misery at old trafford ,i dnt think people realise how important he was last season.With his crucial goals and ability to increase the tempo in slow games and chase every ball to the ends of the earth,he will be a massive boost to man citys plans.Being a united supporter i still think we damaged are chances of success next season by only bringing in owen in valencia.Some how i dnt see how valencia has the penetration and goal threat as ronaldo to worry top teams,and i dnt see owen doing much against the likes of chelsea ,barcalona,liverpool and now real madrid

So Tevez in the eyes of UTD supporters becomes a bad player when he leaves? In essence Tevez was a better player at West Ham when he was not surrounded by superstars. CITY have bought shrewdly: Given, Barry, Santa Cruz, Bellamy are PL proven. We have a mix of youth team-Ireland, Richards, Wright-Philips, Onhura blended with experience.


I used the word delusional earlier because it is appropriate: Rome fell after 100 of years, Liverpool fell after 2 decades of dominance, why not
UTD? (You aint scary). Keep believing it will go on- Arogance breeds complaency-Adversity builds strength.

KAKA -Integrity (Bloody Funny, CITY's dealings with this transfer never got past his dad)

I have to say this is a real coup for City, although I'm sure many of their support will be uncomfortable with the 'mercenary' tag that some of their signings are picking up, and rightly so.

Were I a City fan though, I wouldn't let it trouble me too much - after having to put up with the smug posturings of Man Utd fans (I won't say city rivals as everyone recognises most of them to be glory-hunting Southerners) Man City fans deserve a little joy in their lives and to pick up one of Utd's heroes (even though they're all predictably disavowing the bloke in the same way they turned on Ronaldo when he didn't want to play there anymore - notice the pattern?) will doubtless give them an extra-warm feeling tonight.

My only fear for City is that their manager may not be up to the job; but hopefully for City fans he'll prove the doubters wrong and, with the decidely average team Utd now have to compete the league with (Valencia, Anderson, Carrick, Nani in midfield? You can hear the Premier League knees knocking, can't you? No?) there's every chance of seeing a Manchester team in the top four at the end of the coming season - just not the one the sycophants and media blow-hards expect.

10. At 8:23pm on 13 Jul 2009, The kid from Fuenlabrada wrote:

"Maybe Berbatov and Rooney will be able to give it to him on a silver platter but I wouldn't count on it. Tevez could create as well as score and was also the first line of defence. I know who I would rather play against as a Liverpool fan."

Berbatov actually had more assists last season than Tevez...

Tevez is a class act, he's a special player.

His main asset for me is his intelligence on the pitch. He's so aware of what's around him and brings others into play so effectively.

He's also excellent on the ball and a clinical finisher.

He might not be as elegant in his playing style as Kaka or as quick, but he can do the same things.

A brilliant signing for City.

i think your article is biased, i reckon you are a man utd fan deep down even if you do not admit it to yourself.What is wrong with Tevez seeking a first team place and demanding one.
You claim Rooney is a better player than Tevez, i think that is debatable, when Tevez had a first team shirt two seasons ago he performed well,if Rooney was playing outside the English league and was being benched week in week out before a world cup year , wouldn't you have complained and advised him to move to another club.
I think Tevez has done what is best for himself and i wish him well, he served man untd well for the two seasons he was there and if utd really wanted him so much, they would have extended his contract earlier on.

@ The_third_Ronaldo

I wasn't arguing with city fans, just the point raised by galcoura about youth teams and money spent. It's an annoying prejudice that United have "bought" their success, yes we are able to afford spending £30 mil on a player every few seasons but where did the money come from? Their success. And what you're saying about City being "more mancurian" etc, well thats also a by product of United's success - in that dimwit fans start supporting United because they're succesful. Some of which actually manage to come on this site and spew out a load of nonsense such as Tevez was pants after all.

If only there was a rule on websites like this, where you have to actually watch a certain amount of games, before posting any comment. I think it would filter out a lot of the turd that gets wiped across my screen.

I'm a City fan and have been for as long as i can remember. When Blackburn won the league and when Abramovich took over Chelsea and poured his money into them i remember thinking how i would hate that to happen to City, 'my' City, as it would take away the soul of the club. But then it happens and then we start to sign real quality players, and to Tevez you can also add the names of Robinho, Bridge, Barry, santa cruz and Given (is there a better keeper in the premiership?) we have alrwady signed, and possibly De jong and kompany and Bellamy.Hughes is building sqaud And when it happens to your club it really is quite a surreal feeling - I have been used to watching Gerry Creaney and Lee Bradbury, Samaras and Edgehill - but believe me, as a proper football fan, who has stood in some of the worst grounds in the country in 1998-99 in the old division 3, it is also a fantastic feeling. The new owners are not taking away the soul of this great club. Signing a player of Tevez's quality can only add to our rich, mad and unique football club's history and signal the start of something a little bit special about to happen.

So who do City play in attack now? Stephen Ireland? Shaun Wright-Phillips? Valeri Bojinov? Robinho? Elano? Martin Petrov? Felipe Caicedo? Craig Bellamy? Roque Santa Cruz? Carlos Tevez? Or even Emmanuel Adebayor?

It's defence they need to strengthen now, otherwise they have no chance of making the top four.

I'm surprised that people still see United as the strongest side in the Premiership. They have replaced world class players with very average ones. I expect it to be much close this year. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and United will all be in it.

dirty turn-coating.. how dare he? he bleats on and on about how the fans at OT loved him, about a so-called 'special relationship' then chases the silver dollar and ends up at citeh? yeah, i am annoyed, you citeh-ites can have the satisfaction.. but, and i'm not just saying this, i wasn't one of the 'sign him on no matter what' brigade even when he was at united.. he does the same job as rooney, just not quite as well. but still, a sickener that he then goes over the road..
cue the boos at old trafford? i hope so!

Just how much are clubs like city prepared to pay players in the vain hope that one day a trophy may come their way. Not only are transfer fees completely stupid but also overinflated salaries which will increase the pressure on managers next season. I expect a load of sackings next season while utd just go about their business as usual.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Too soon to tell Man City can really be the top 4 next season. They have too many attackers but no real defender added yet. Their main problem is defense. You cannot be successful in Europe with strong defense. They at least need 2 world class defender. If they got that, I will say they are the real threat to the top 4. Likely Arsenal or Liverpool will be impacted.

A good buy but I think City have overpaid and will have to do so for a lot of good players but not great players. Tevez even with regular appearances will only ever ccount for 10 or so goals, whereas somebody such as Kalou or Kuyt return that from the substitutes bench and would score far more with regular appearances and cost far less. Tevez ha industry and heart but city are grasping at straws and hoping they can uy enough talent to sneak into the champions league. I'm sorry but United and Chelsea won't give up any space as for Liverpool, well they could implode if Alonso and Mascheano leave, but why sign your own death warrant? They would ask over sixty million for both and that could still be costly in the long run. I expect Liverpool to hold out and qualify again next season, that leaves Arsenal, why would they or any other club sell to possible contenders for European places, Wenger isn't that stupid. If any of his good lads are going to go, I suspect it won't be to another English club. Chelsea may sell Terry, but hopefully he just wants a better deal or some plan for coaching in the future. I f we do sell him I expect to ask for 50 million, reckon that might give them the hump....har har

I Reckon City Can become An Formidable Force because If you Think To Last Season They Only Need To Prove On Their Away Form 2 Wins Or Somethin Like That Away As Not Good At All

Only Time Will Tell Though

Lookin Forward To premiership and Championship:)

C'Mon You BlueBirds

The CITY project is exactly that a project, a Strategic Plan for the next 5-10 years. Short term and long term goals. Top 6 is the target next year. The market-place depicts the price you pay for a player-Glen Johnson 17 Mil?? CITY dont dicate the asking price, all they do is meet the asking price.

When you go and pump gas you pay the price. If you want a more inferior gas (Owen) then you go hunting for it.

Is the market inflated? Yes, if UTD were to buy Rooney now, how much would they need to pay? 40 Mil?

Ivycloseblue-Great comment, I have shared your pain

footy_analysis ~ "play beautifully" ~ wrote:
Tevez is a class act, he's a special player.

His main asset for me is his intelligence on the pitch. He's so aware of what's around him and brings others into play so effectively.

He's also excellent on the ball and a clinical finisher.

He might not be as elegant in his playing style as Kaka or as quick, but he can do the same things.

A brilliant signing for City.


I've got to say I respectfully disagree with evry statement you've listed there, so much so to the point that I thought it was an ironic post at first.
To me, Tevez's strengths lie in his heart, his stamina, the mental lift he gives the other players, and his ability to pop up every now an again with an important goal.
However, I think that he has pretty poor intelligence on the field, and suffers from a lack of technique, especially in passing, dribbling, and close technique.
His ability off the ball is good, but it is his lack of intelligence that leads him to chasing the ball, whilst Berbatov was actually more effective at regaining the ball and intercepting it last season.

You could, in a strange way, compare Tevez and Berbatov to dogs and cats respectively. Dogs will chase the same thing all day long, and whilst a cat might not necessarily move for hours, I'd trust it to catch something a damn sight more than a dog.
Tevez's inability to pick a pass, or choose the right pass, meant that other players were often frustrated last season, but being fair to him, he wanted to impress Ferguson, so may have been a bit more selfish in order to get himself in the team. However, to compare him to Kaka is, plainly, ridiculous.
He's a good signing for City, but honestly, he's not all he's cracked up to be. Kuyt had a better season last season, and that's saying something.

Tevez has been signed, sealed and delivered to City since January, I know someone who was at the meeting, he was never going to sign for United, I didn't believe it when the guy first told me but then Tevez started up with the "mistranslated" foreign interviews saying he was unhappy and slowly moved on to not feeling part of the family and all that guff, when the rumours about other big big clubs being interested started I scoffed at the story again and the guy said "even if offers materialise he'll turn Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool down you watch." and so it proves.

I'd have more respect for Tevez if he'd just admitted it rather than going through this charade, good luck to City with him, but I fear there's something untoward with his "representatives" somewhere along the line.

20. At 8:40pm on 13 Jul 2009, wycombeswanderer wrote:
I personally would love it if Tevez went and scored at old trafford, irony in its purest form. ------------------------------------------

That wouldn't be ironic whatsoever. It would be typical, but not ironic. I swear that word gets thrown about far too much by people that don't know how to use it.

It's ironic that Tevez went to Man City having stated he wouldn't go against the United fans by going to Liverpool.

That said, I'm not bitter against the guy. He put 100% in, got us a few crucial goals and, besides a few pointless bits of press-talk towards the end, was professional throughout.

As another poster said above me, I wish him all the best; just not when he's playing for City.

Tevez is a very expensive, but also very good 'gun for hire'

You are right Phil, this is a very good signing for Man City, and in the current financial environment, probably the club in the PL that least objects to the structure of deal that involves Tevez.

If City can improve their defense, then they have a real chance of a CL spot next season.

the fact is man utd was a squad last season. rotation was Inevitable.

tevez would have got much more games this season. and he knew it. he wanted the money. fact! he has gone to man city now knowing they have robinho and santa cruz already. so he knows he is not first choice.

i am a utd fan, and yes i liked tevez, he ran his heart out, he gave his all, but if he truely loved utd he would have stayed and not gone to city. it is all about the money and everyone knows it.

man city might have financial power now. but they still dont have the manager to go with it. it would not surprise me if hughes is fired before december and city chase mourinho.

Tevez rates himself too highly. I'm glad he left. He's not close to being good enough for Man Utd.

The private members club is open to all not just the top four clubs who have had money to out buy other premire cubs,city now have more money than the top four clubs put togeather,but this dont make city the bad boys for spending big,all city are doing is following on what chelsea united and liverpool have been doing for years,the rules are changing other clubs are allowed to play in the private members club now and any one who has the money to pay the entrance fee,so get use to it there is a new boy in the play ground with more pocket money get use to it.

Tevez didnt stay at united because he said he felt unappreciated and he wasnt getting the playing time as he was passed over for Berbatov and Rooney, but does he honestly think it will be better at city with competion from Robinho, Cruz and the possibilty of Adebayor? wrong move for him in my opinion

Phil has expressed an opinion on Tevez, Rooney and plenty more in this article. To pass it all off as biased, unfounded, or 'plain wrong' is completely ridiculous. Subjective writing sparks debate, it is not meant to be gospel.
Apart from the absurdity of calling anyone's opinion wrong, I happen to feel this article is in fact well-balanced and coming from sound experience. How do we judge who is better between Tevez and Rooney? By goals, by assists, by footballing intelligence? Well yes, we can use all of those criteria but don't expect a definitive answer, there are simply too many variables.
From watching both players play week in and week out, I would agree with Phil and say Rooney is the most talented. He is a form player, but you can see his footballing brain is astounding. Tevez is good, but lacking that extra something that would make him a special player (and yes, that is just my opinion, but probably shared by many others). His contribution to United never quite made the grade, he couldn't even manage to be a supersub in the Solskjaer mould on a regular basis and he had plenty of opportunities to do so. Fergie is not stupid, he would have put him in the starting lineup if he had banged them in when he had the chance to.
Perhaps Utd just didn't suit him and he will have more success at City where the pressures will be different. City are right to sign him, he was available and willing to join them, and he is undoubtedly a good striker.

Will Utd miss him? I don't think so. I expect Utd to change their style of play and be a different team next season. As successful as they have been over the last few seasons, they were actually becoming increasingly boring to watch with lots of 1-0 wins and an unhealthy tendency to put everything through Ronaldo. The goals will still come, but perhaps more from the old way of Utd playing, with Owen poaching like Cole used to, and Berbatov laying off and scoring like Sheringham did.
If they are not as successful next season, it won't be because Tevez left. It could be argued that even with Ronaldo and Tevez still in the team, they might not be as successful. Rival teams are getting stronger, and it was Utd's defence that was the difference last season.

tevez showed in the CL final that he is NOT the player to win city big silverware, and unfortunately for him, by the time city is a team capable of doing so, he will be long gone, or glued to the subs bench again. havin gsaid that I see a city v spurs carling cup final coming this year...

good player? yup

match changing super-sub in the style of solksyaer?... not even close!

Good luck to city ! .. Will be interesting to see how they line up next season with all these strikers coming in .. n wha about de jong n kompany .. onuoha n elano .. petrov n zabaletta .. hahahaha .. thats more than £50 down the drain .. lol ....

I think this is a good buy. Tevez is a better player than some people realise, but he needs to be a regular starter. His biggest weakness is his inconsistent first touch, but he also has some excellent qualities.
I also think his final weeks at United were misleadingly reported by the media - unsurprisingly, because it sells papers.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE will all non city fans STOP moaning about our wealth.
Our money is NOT lent to the club (unlike Chelski)
We have not borrowed money from banks (unlike Liverpool and UTD)
Our chairman and owner are behind the club and really want to bring success to the club.
Players are comming here for the real reasons plus they know they will get their pay check every week and know the club is moving forward.
If we get Terry as well, that must be good for England too. We dont have Europe games so our players for England (Poss Terry, SWP, Barry, Richards) will play about 10 games less without champions league so wil be fresher for the world cup!!!
We have money, its our money - lets face it wether its next year or on the next 3 years - be afraid, be very afraid and keep your jealousy at bay.

Tevez did spit his dummy out on occasions last season and it is no surprise that united lost interest in signing him...but nobody can question tevez's talents over the past 3 seasons in the premier league. He scored some crucial goals in the seasons united won the title often coming on as sub...remember the goal against wigan last season and the late goals for against blackburn and spurs the season before... and single handedly kept West Ham up...!this guy is a genuine match winner no matter what team he plays for. city have added a fantastic player to an already impressive squad. If they give him the playing time his talent deserves city will be in contention for a champions league spot.

RE: Some_Random_Guy

Tevez rates himself too highly. I'm glad he left. He's not close to being good enough for Man Utd.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Give over, is that why MU offered to pay £25.5M for him and give him a five year contract? Is that why he was a key member of the team for two years? If you cannot see that you are just being bitter and trying to hide your blushes - you had better take a look in the mirror.

Your idol, Ferguson, though enough of him to try and keep him so he couldn't be anywhere near as bad as you trying to claim now.

Your post can only be Sour Grapes.

Tevez 34 goals in 99 where did they come from i didnt know he had that many. Oh well you learn something new every day good luck to the lad he's gonna need it. At least it should make the premier a bit more interesting next season to see if city can challenge top 4 clubs.

"Tevez 34 goals in 99 where did they come from i didnt know he had that many. Oh well you learn something new every day"

Typical McFan.

Phil,
I am sorry to say your one of the most bigoted and unfair bloggers on the BBC.
Why do you rate Rooney better than Tevez?
And then Owen better than Tevez?
You will find yourself proven very wrong at the end of the season because without Ronaldo ManU will struggle this season. And I want you to know that Rooney is overated and Owen is way past his best. I definitely see Sir Alex making crisis signing mid-season or trying to push one of the youngsters up.
About Tevez and Man City i have to say it is a situation that pays both parties.Man City will get a committed and hard working forward (who according to you was voted 3 times south American player of the year) and Tevez will get a club that seem to appreciate him.
How many times last season and the previous did Tevez come off the bench to change the game for ManU? Did you see anything like that from Rooney and can you see Owen fulfilling that role this season?
I believe he wanted to stay at ManU but I can't believe that you blatantly forgot to mention that ManU ignored him for so long until they lost Ronaldo before they decided to pay up the 25mil. Most players these days are not worth what they are being paid so that cannot be ManU's complaint.At least they paid 30mil+ for Berbatov and what returns did they get.
Some of us will like to see fair blogging and none of the British/English rubbish you write.

The descriptions of the attributes of Tevez also apply to most pet dogs.

I personally can't believe him.
He comes to our club, plays some average(if full of effort), we, the fans repay him with our adulation, then he accuses Fergie of mistreating him and sulks and mopes his way across town to our neighbours for more money. And he expects the United fans to still love him.

I will boo you when we play City, Carlos Tevez, I will boo for your insolence to this club and its manager.

2olumide5317
At least they paid 30mil+ for Berbatov and what returns did they get.

well, we got a player who got 14 goals plus 11 assists, which is basically a 25 goal contribution to the team. what did tevez give us? 5 league goals, and a few in the carling cup?
spot the difference mate.

The private members club is open to all not just the top four clubs who have had money to out buy other premire cubs,city now have more money than the top four clubs put togeather,but this dont make city the bad boys for spending big,all city are doing is following on what chelsea united and liverpool have been doing for years,the rules are changing other clubs are allowed to play in the private members club now and any one who has the money to pay the entrance fee,so get use to it there is a new boy in the play ground with more pocket money get use to it.

-------------------------------------------

There is also a dictionary available for you to buy at https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Revised/dp/0199548412/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247522829&sr=8-3 :D

devilofred - the usual united rewriting of history. like all big clubs with loads of wedge, united have been buying success at the expense of others for decades. how far do you want to go back? alan brazil? garry birtles? peter davenport? gary pallister? they were all big money signings back in the day. it´s nothing to be ashamed off, it´s simply market forces and professional football. What pisses me off immensely though, is the outrageous hyocrisy that goes on - that somehow United and Liverpool´s money is "clean" because it comes from tickets, replica shirts and huge commercial sponsorship and TV deals, and that Chelsea are different to City because their windfall came in two stages, the Harding money and the Russian´s money, and somehow therefore that this means it´s organic growth from within or some such cobblers. United dominated/are dominating for decades because they are really popular and as a result have loads of cash. I´m not especially criticising, but don´t make City out to be the devil just because they´re sinners like everyone else.

tevez is an excellent player, world class in every way.

he underperformed last season because he wasnt allowed to develope his consistantcy. he scored 4 goals in 1 match in the carling cup, but was then dropped in the premier leauge.

berbatov is showing good signs of gelling into the united team, he has a beatiful feather touch and with uniteds attacking and flowing football, it will get better.

tevez will be very successful at city because he will be allowed to express himself as the world class striker he is. united could have kept him, but you dont keep a player with a just a cheque, you have to show belief and trust, united did not show tevez this.

Isn't the story here (and usually) about global sports franchises... I don't support any team at all, enjoy football as much now as ever..think 'our' teams and league are the strongest, but not the very best; and the non-contact style of football better than the seventies. The stadia are antiseptic though..in Europe it always seems German, Balkan teams etc have more vibrant atmosphere than even Stoke City (The new hotbed of football)----

But how long before Dubai succeed in their squeeze on Liverpool and the back-to-back games between Man City and Liverpool take place in a 'super-global-lip smackin'-feast of football' with 4 games over 12 days at the REAL Emirates 'Desert superdome'.....special offers for Mancs and Scousers who want to fly out and combine a fortnight's holiday in the Mall and beach with 4 'mega-games'---and many would go I guess??

This fan stuff about 'my team/your team' is quaint and out of date..none of this is bad Or good...it's just the way it is now..

I suppose we have to get used to it because our top six are off with their own TV Rights (like Barca and Real and the Italians,) any deal now-- and they won't stop there...if they can fill new wonder-world global stadia in Mumbai or Beijing or the Gulf they'll go there and use beam-back for Eastlands, Old Trafford and Anfield...

This is tomorrow calling....jumpers for goalposts anyone?

Re : AlbanianFootie and Messi4Arsenal ,

Wayne Rooney is a superior player to Carlos Tevez in every aspect of his game , and to suggest that his contribution to Utd is average displays a shocking lack of appreciation of the game of football.

Tevez is a fine player, who made a significant contribution to 2 very successful years at O.T. There would however not be a single manager in world football, with the exception of Diego Maradona , who would take him ahead of Wayne Rooney.

So Carlos what are you going to do on Champions League nights...just count your money now your at City. Your in good company with Robhino et al. Also what are you goona do when your on the bench and can't get a game? Whinge, whine and want a move?

A sad reflection on a player who's already won 2 PL titles, 1 Champions League and 1 Carling Cup. City's ambitions extend to love to win the Carling Cup next season. Is this why he's signed for an "ambitious" club and if they do win the Carling Cup will Carlos think that's better than the medals he won at OT?

Foreign & some English football players today are pure mercenaries who don't care for whom they play as long as they're paid the highest salary.

This is a very sad indictment on the PL and Benitez was right about Gareth Barry being lured by the money rather than glory.

Football has sold itself to the devil and very soon the whole pack of cards will collapse. Already Real Madrid are talking about a European League but as a Man United fan I'm not interested. I still want my team to be the best team in the premier league first and European Champs second.

In the not too distant future Sky will be broadcasting from near empty stadia because the working class fan, the bedrock of football, will be priced out out of the market.

I personally can't believe him.
He comes to our club, plays some average(if full of effort), we, the fans repay him with our adulation, then he accuses Fergie of mistreating him and sulks and mopes his way across town to our neighbours for more money. And he expects the United fans to still love him.

I will boo you when we play City, Carlos Tevez, I will boo for your insolence to this club and its manager.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are you on about, He rode the bench behind Fletcher and Park... Could you see either of them playing for Argentina ??? He had every right to be upset. What exactly is he to be loyal to.

Funny thing is some Man U supporters, can bang on about how rubbish he was, and in the same breath, wail about how he's gone to City now.

Maybe your booing would be better spent on Berbatov, if he had half the work rate of Tevez, he would would be one of top players in the world. As it now he's 30 million pound joke.

Eat Cheese and be Merry - You are absolutely spot on.


Tevez gives 100% and scored some crucial goals for MUFC.
But he is not and never will be worth £25m.
Technically he is light years behind most world class creative players, even his shooting technique was a bit wayward. Instinctive play was were he shined.

I agree that sumtimes last season that Tevez was treated almost as the "anti-Ronaldo" by the fans in the same manner that the "Viva John Terry" chants were.

Also thus stat of 34 goals in 99 games is actually 99 STARTS.
completely different stat when you add 30/40 subs appearances on.

2olumide5317
At least they paid 30mil+ for Berbatov and what returns did they get.

well, we got a player who got 14 goals plus 11 assists, which is basically a 25 goal contribution to the team. what did tevez give us? 5 league goals, and a few in the carling cup?
spot the difference mate.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, mate the difference as I see is that one player split time between
playing up front and doing a bit of work in the midfield the few times
he was allowed play at all, while the other stood on the 18 and waived his arms in the air until someone played him in on goal.

If wayne rooney were putting in the same amount of effort week in week out for a club like everton or tottenham and still scoring, at most, 16 a season he would not be anymore than a half decent player. Because he is at man united suddenly he is world class. He is a striker and anyone that suggests he is in the same league as tevez, drogba, eto, ibrahimovich or torres has no clue about football. Tevez is an exceptional player but i dont think he is worth 25 million although i do believe he will provide some spice to city's squad.

At least they paid 30mil+ for Berbatov and what returns did they get.

well, we got a player who got 14 goals plus 11 assists, which is basically a 25 goal contribution to the team. what did tevez give us? 5 league goals, and a few in the carling cup?
spot the difference mate.
..............................................
DONT MAKE ME LAUGH BERBATOV HAS SHOWN NO COMMITMENT WHATSOEVER PUTS NO EFFORT IN AND THE GOALS HE HAS MANAGED TO SCORE (ALTHOUGH FEW) WERE AGAINST MOSTLY CLUBS LIKE PORTO AND AALBORG. NEVER WORTH 30 MIL TYPICALLY GETS GOOD REVIEWS AND EXCUSES FOR HIS PATHETIC SHOWS ON THE PITCH BECAUSE HE WEARS A UNITED SHIRT.

How the tables have turned now your tevez is gone he's no good which didn't deserve to be in the glorious man u squad which got thrashed in Rome tevez is a lot more worthy of a first team place than berbatov ever was (the waster that got started). Top 5 next season

1. Chelsea (good team no change last year)
2. Liverpool (again good team but financial troubles no fresh players not hat it needs much improving)
3. Man city (great players + best keeper in prem this is only if new manager)
4. Everton (I can't see this happening but if he gets the players he can certinanly lead best manager in prem)
5. Man utd (well see but with ronaldo joint top scorer and no one to realy fill his boots I can see man utd struggling this year owen great finisher but dosent fit into man u's style of play)

arsenal- didn't deserve top 4 place this season I'll put them 7th
relegated - put me down for a £1000 on burnley :)