simon23
Well-Known Member
I get your attachment to Palmer....I dont know you but from what you have said Im sure you know him (or his family) in some kind of way and I saw your vid with Ashan (always look forward to them btw) and I put one and one together when you talked about a surprise departure from the team and a text you had had which you shared with him - As i said i get the feeling that you have followed Palmer since he was a kid and may even know him personally from being in the stands with him or the work you have done for city (all great btw again)I can't recall that exchange, but I'm sorry if I was defensive. I talk to *a lot* of people online and its very easy to misread the tone of things online. I can only presume if I was a bit aggressive it was for a reason. I usually only am I think someone is being unfair in some way or another...that's not to say I'm right and you were being unfair! Just could be a tone thing that I understood wrongly. Easily happens.
I actually think you're right with that summation of Palmer's chances. I think he's shit the bed himself a bit tbh and I'm exceptionally disappointed. There is as clear as day a squad gap for him and he absolutely should have waited around until at least January to see if it opened up. Lillo returning (his mate apparently), his great early season cameos, and MOTM nonetheless, would have obviously got him some substantial game time with the inevitable injuries. Doku irrelevant IMO. There's just no guarantee that he's ahead of Palmer immediately, and Palmer's advisors should have been telling him that. Doku could find himself sat in the stands for months while he learns what Palmer's taken in over the past few years.
I don't think its fully about wanting to be proven right, though I'm only human so there's a small chance of pride kicking in of course - I hand on heart feel it's just because he is good enough. I feel last season was a ridiculous waste of his time. The left wing nonsense was just that. Nonsense. It clearly knocked his confidence. I understand Pep knows best, obviously, but it was as clear as anything that he wasn't putting him on the left to teach him some lesson, but more just to use him as a body out there. That's fine, as I can admit that he will literally learn lessons either way, but it did feel like it hindered his development.
Was all justified of course as City won the treble, so who cares about Palmer's development. Bigger picture and all that. Rightfully so! But still, we all know what we like in football. We all watch it for different reasons. I love City. Have all my life. I love watching us win something...but the one thing ive realised over the past few years is that I love nothing more than seeing a local lad come through and become part of that. It's the perfect antidote to modern football. It's hard not to feel how much this club has changed at times. They're not the club I grew up watching at Maine Road. That's obviously great for a billion reasons, but you do wanna feel that old school magic at times, and it's why I'm drawn to Foden, Rico, Cole etc.
It does mean more to me if City win with academy lads, and I can't deny that it has begin to bug me a tiny bit recently how much City love telling the media how great it is that they sell off all these lads for good money. I get it, I really do...but it does feel at times a bit too business orientated for me - as a fan! I'm aware they are a business, but ya know. I'm a football fan. I don't care about spreadsheets. Feels a tad soulless bragging about how much they're moving on these young lads who want to play for the first team. I get it, they're still gonna be millionaires and very successful, but I guess I just hoped for the fairytale story with Cole.
I really thought it was possible! I also found the fact that he was clearly a red as a kid but now loves this club (he does, look at all the times he goes and watches them in the away end when he's not in the squad) cos he was here all his life as a dead nice angle. This became his home! He saw the light ha. It was taking a while, but it felt like he'd finally completed his apprenticeship and was set to graduate into a regular player. Finally. Only to then get impatient just at the wrong moment, irk Pep by being so vocal about wanting to leave when he should have listened to the senior players and got his head down, and then go and join Chelsea. Fucking CHELSEA. Honestly, would have felt a lot less painful if it was Brighton.
Anyway. I'm not angry or owt, just disappointed.
He also clearly wanted more minutes and was either told he wouldnt get or didnt back himself enough to get them...Like you said its seems odd either way as there is clearly a "gap" in the squad for him...even with Doku who will take time to intergrate....but its really strange that he would go to Chelsea especially the way they are accumilatiing players - he has alot of competition in front of him there (including Raz) so there is no way he is guaranteed game time and i can see him being sold on (like a lot of those they have bought, in a few years). Brighton would have been a great shout for him and even West Ham
I do wonder looking at the profile of player who we have brought in this summer if Pep is looking at more "dynamic" players on the ball (Doku - one of the best dribblers in Europe, Nunes and Kova who are also very good with running at players and ball carrying). Palmer is a good technical dribbler BUT as you have said he has that Mahrez "lazy" style about him (not saying he is lazy) - maybe Pep is looking more at power within the team and Palmer doesnt have that.....I also think his pressing, and defensive work is a weakness of his. (again dont get me wrong, he is a very clearly talented footballer with magic in his boots but sometimes its just the wrong time, wrong place for a player)
I think the club celebrating selling youth products is a way of sticking a finger up publicly to FFP and those within the media (and probably other clubs as well) who still try to use it as a stick to to beat us with. ......we have to be a business its as simple as that and our cub is ran better than ANY other club in the world and I am enternaly grateful for that to the HRH and the powers at be for that.
Players come and go (they always will) - I was hugely attached to Sergio (for obvious reasons) and David Silva (imho best footballer Ive seen at City even including KDB) and Kompany but everyone moves on. It would be great to have a team of Manc lads in teh first 11 but football is global....one in a million young players make it to the top these days because they are not just competing against other lads from Manchester or even England - but from the rest of the world...its a shame but thats just the way it is.