Robbie to Barca done deal apparently ??

[johnmc]

Had Chelsea won 5 of the last 10 Prem titles then they would hold a much higher stature in Euro football, and had Barca won just the 2 in the last 10 then we would not now be hailing them the best side in the world.

I doubt very much that the non-spanish players cared at all about the political history of Spain or historic rulers when they signed for Barca.

And imo, it would take any club a prolonged period of success of only 10-20 years and a prolonged period of non-success for Barca for a club to get somewhere near them. But i would imagine that our owners are planning just that on the first bit.

There are many clubs that are more than just a club when you take other factors into account. And moving back on-thread, i believe that the more success history we can start building immediately the more players will be not just willing, but wanting to sign for and/or stay at City.

The non spanish players might not have cared for the political history of the club I agree. However I do think they will have cared for the long list of footballing greats who have played for them. For example, Terry Henry, he has no allegiance to Barca that i am aware of, but he left Arsenal, a club he still calls "his" for the opportunity to play for them and put his name (or try to at least) amongst Cruyff, Maradonna, Stoickov, Koeman, Laudrup, Romario, Hughes, Rivaldo, Messi etc. Arsenal made him a world star, Barca can make him a legend.

But i do think that once a player plays for Barca they feel how important it is - i have seen it in several interviews where they say Barca is a way of life. Maybe a lot of that is lip service but you hear it that often then some players must feel it. When i was a kid I was a City fan obviously, but Barca were always the worlds biggest team and to me they still are and always will be. Where this was instilled in me I don't know but it is probably all the players that played for them. If you think that kids in Spain will think that about City in 10-20 years after a bit o sucess then fair enough.

 

[samharris]

your basis is the fooking daily mirror...

You've not read my comments in the thread then.

Keep thumping that tub, matey.

Robbie is City Till he Dies, remember...

I just started thumping that ol' tub where you left off..:)

 

[sam221985]

We are in a similar positition to Chelsea 7 or 8 years ago. They have no where near the stature of Barca.

Look at the list as long as your arm of truly great footalling icons that have turned out for Barca over the years. Then there is the polical aspect and what it stands for in Catalunya and the rest of spain, the role it played in the Franco reign etc. The iconic Nou Camp stadium.

It would take 50 years of sustained success, controversy, style of football, breed of footballer etc to get to near them. They are more than a football club.

Had Chelsea won 5 of the last 10 Prem titles then they would hold a much higher stature in Euro football, and had Barca won just the 2 in the last 10 then we would not now be hailing them the best side in the world.

I doubt very much that the non-spanish players cared at all about the political history of Spain or historic rulers when they signed for Barca.

And imo, it would take any club a prolonged period of success of only 10-20 years and a prolonged period of non-success for Barca for a club to get somewhere near them. But i would imagine that our owners are planning just that on the first bit.

There are many clubs that are more than just a club when you take other factors into account. And moving back on-thread, i believe that the more success history we can start building immediately the more players will be not just willing, but wanting to sign for and/or stay at City.

Chelsea need to win the CL to cement their place among the elite to be honest. They are kind of on the fringes of being accepted into it. They are no longer simply the cocky pretender to the elite with more money than ill-defined 'class' (grr that word in the context of football) but neither are they completely accepted as equivelant to the Juves, Barcas, Uniteds, Liverpools and even Arsenals. Winning the CL (which they should have won in 2008) will be the tipping point.

Just goes to show how quickly the perception of a club can change though, by how quickly the perception of theirs has in the last decade (turbo-speed since 2003)

And I agree about the making history, this team we have now if it goes on to win things and really shake up the league will be history-making - and in ten years time it will be a team the players of that time look back on fondly from when they were kids, and so the appeal (or 'prestige') of our club will have increased because of it.

 

[Wrighty Wrexham]

Weve still got Robinhio
Weve still got Robinhio etc etc etc

 

[Cheltblue]

Had Chelsea won 5 of the last 10 Prem titles then they would hold a much higher stature in Euro football, and had Barca won just the 2 in the last 10 then we would not now be hailing them the best side in the world.

I doubt very much that the non-spanish players cared at all about the political history of Spain or historic rulers when they signed for Barca.

And imo, it would take any club a prolonged period of success of only 10-20 years and a prolonged period of non-success for Barca for a club to get somewhere near them. But i would imagine that our owners are planning just that on the first bit.

There are many clubs that are more than just a club when you take other factors into account. And moving back on-thread, i believe that the more success history we can start building immediately the more players will be not just willing, but wanting to sign for and/or stay at City.

The non spanish players might not have cared for the political history of the club I agree. However I do think they will have cared for the long list of footballing greats who have played for them. For example, Terry Henry, he has no allegiance to Barca that i am aware of, but he left Arsenal, a club he still calls "his" for the opportunity to play for them and put his name (or try to at least) amongst Cruyff, Maradonna, Stoickov, Koeman, Laudrup, Romario, Hughes, Rivaldo, Messi etc. Arsenal made him a world star, Barca can make him a legend.

But i do think that once a player plays for Barca they feel how important it is - i have seen it in several interviews where they say Barca is a way of life. Maybe a lot of that is lip service but you hear it that often then some players must feel it. When i was a kid I was a City fan obviously, but Barca were always the worlds biggest team and to me they still are and always will be. Where this was instilled in me I don't know but it is probably all the players that played for them. If you think that kids in Spain will think that about City in 10-20 years after a bit o sucess then fair enough.

You make a very good point there and i dont disagree. But i can only assume that you are somewhere in my age group (45) and we def look at these guys as legends. But the younger generations dont, they certainly do look at Messi, Kaka etc as legends but if any team had 11 Kaka's, Torres, Villa's, then that would be their legends, purely due to the generation.

And while i would never try to disregard Barca's history, my thinking is that a prolonged period of success for any club (say City ;)) would create its own stature and history. And yes i do think the kids all over Europe would think that same way about any club filled with world superstars and revelling in on-going success.

 

[Cheltblue]

Had Chelsea won 5 of the last 10 Prem titles then they would hold a much higher stature in Euro football, and had Barca won just the 2 in the last 10 then we would not now be hailing them the best side in the world.

I doubt very much that the non-spanish players cared at all about the political history of Spain or historic rulers when they signed for Barca.

And imo, it would take any club a prolonged period of success of only 10-20 years and a prolonged period of non-success for Barca for a club to get somewhere near them. But i would imagine that our owners are planning just that on the first bit.

There are many clubs that are more than just a club when you take other factors into account. And moving back on-thread, i believe that the more success history we can start building immediately the more players will be not just willing, but wanting to sign for and/or stay at City.

Chelsea need to win the CL to cement their place among the elite to be honest. They are kind of on the fringes of being accepted into it. They are no longer simply the cocky pretender to the elite with more money than ill-defined 'class' (grr that word in the context of football) but neither are they completely accepted as equivelant to the Juves, Barcas, Uniteds, Liverpools and even Arsenals. Winning the CL (which they should have won in 2008) will be the tipping point.

Just goes to show how quickly the perception of a club can change though, by how quickly the perception of theirs has in the last decade (turbo-speed since 2003)

And I agree about the making history, this team we have now if it goes on to win things and really shake up the league will be history-making - and in ten years time it will be a team the players of that time look back on fondly from when they were kids, and so the appeal (or 'prestige') of our club will have increased because of it.

I agree with all that Sam, especially the middle line.

 

[johnmc]

You make a very good point there and i dont disagree. But i can only assume that you are somewhere in my age group (45) and we def look at these guys as legends. But the younger generations dont, they certainly do look at Messi, Kaka etc as legends but if any team had 11 Kaka's, Torres, Villa's, then that would be their legends, purely due to the generation.

And while i would never try to disregard Barca's history, my thinking is that a prolonged period of success for any club (say City ;)) would create its own stature and history. And yes i do think the kids all over Europe would think that same way about any club filled with world superstars and revelling in on-going success.

Woah woah woah - i'm 29!!!!!!!!

Anyway if we have a period of sucess of 10-20 years then yes there is no doubt our stock will rise significantly. To get to the levels of Liverpool and the rags, madrid and barca and bayern then you need 30+ years and even then they might still have the edge. You get a sucessful team and a new "messi" or a new "pele" and you edge closer, you have a player jump into the crowd for the wrong reasons and you edge closer, you get decisions that you should never have got and you edge closer. Takes two or three generations where you have to be at the fore of everything I believe. Villa, Forrest, Everton - they have all had a decent spell of sucess but never maintained it over 5 or 6 years.

 

[Cheltblue]

You make a very good point there and i dont disagree. But i can only assume that you are somewhere in my age group (45) and we def look at these guys as legends. But the younger generations dont, they certainly do look at Messi, Kaka etc as legends but if any team had 11 Kaka's, Torres, Villa's, then that would be their legends, purely due to the generation.

And while i would never try to disregard Barca's history, my thinking is that a prolonged period of success for any club (say City ;)) would create its own stature and history. And yes i do think the kids all over Europe would think that same way about any club filled with world superstars and revelling in on-going success.

Woah woah woah - i'm 29!!!!!!!!

Anyway if we have a period of sucess of 10-20 years then yes there is no doubt our stock will rise significantly. To get to the levels of Liverpool and the rags, madrid and barca and bayern then you need 30+ years and even then they might still have the edge. You get a sucessful team and a new "messi" or a new "pele" and you edge closer, you have a player jump into the crowd for the wrong reasons and you edge closer, you get decisions that you should never have got and you edge closer. Takes two or three generations where you have to be at the fore of everything I believe. Villa, Forrest, Everton - they have all had a decent spell of sucess but never maintained it over 5 or 6 years.

Really, you look so much older!!!;)

You only need 30 years if you are talking about matching their history and that i cannot disagree with.

But if a club can establish a base of success and keep it going then you will draw the right players which in turn will draw even better players and so on until players are letting it slip to the press that 'any player would love to play for (say) City.

But imo, this can happen withion a generation of football players.

 

[samharris]

Where did we deny this Robbie-Barca stuff mate?

Looks like I missed that one!

Oh dear i might of jumped the gun, i've not read the men link but hasn't a club official denied a deal being done? My appologies if i'm wrong.

Under news on the OS..A lighthearted jibe at the so called sportswriters who keep bringing up the Robbie and Cesc to Barca bollux.

Im sure I heard that the prem is the best league in the world but blow me if the press think otherwise.

Until it says differently on the OS...Robbie is still a city player.

 

[Pigeonho]

Funny how we all perceive Barca and City differently. Another reason why football is better than life, or at least, is life.

We all seem to be of the same roundabout opinion that Barca are more than just a football club, and we all seem to be on the same page as to what City need to do to get something like the reputation, adulation, 'atmosphere' of a club which Barca has.

As for Chelsea, I disagree that 'a' Champions League win will catapult them amongst the elite. I kind of liken Chelsea to a better Blackburn project if that makes sense? Not unlimited funds, but a boost of money to better a squad which was already half decent. I don't mean Blackburn were half decent, i'll get to the Blackbutn comparison now. I think Blackburn, as soon as they won the league, were doomed because they did that before the massive influx of foreigners, which pretty much is proven with their ill-fated attempt in the CL in 95'. Chelsea have come from relative obscurity as far as the big wigs in Europe are concerned and whilst doing well domestically, have not done it on the European stage as yet. I include their final in that too, cos the records show they didn't win it and I don't think they ever will, wherer Ancelotti is in charge or not. I think had they won it when they had the chance, they may have gone onto a couple more CL wins, but that squad is now ageing and we are where they were 8 years ago, rich, ambitious and ready to prove a point. The difference is our owner will throw whatever it takes at it, whilst Red Rom always had a limit to his spending. Whilst I think we will never be a Barcelona, Madrid or, ahem, united, we can and will overtake Chelsea and even perhaps Liverpool as a team who can mount season after season charges on the CL and if we are labelled as a club behind those other 3, i'll have at least 10 power wanks per day, if not perhaps per hour. Been a good debate folks.