From now on I will be writing this stuff from the sunny south of France, where the Socrates’ household is now based. Ah, this is the life, 35 degrees centigrade, a cool glass of the local white wine, I bit of bread, cheese. C’est la vie.
On Strike
Meanwhile in the home of the greatest football team the world has ever seen (they sing it so it must be true) interesting things have been happening. Chopra has gone off to premiership pastures, but City now boast a squad with 7 strikers. Really: Fowler, Hasselbaink, McLean, Feeney, Greene, Byrne and Thompson. Seven strikers. Two who earn a fortune and don’t play (at time of writing), one who plays and has managed to score one goal from the 247 chances presented to him, another who sometimes plays and might score one day in the distant future (but not for us, nor probably the Jacks, another who the manager thinks is too ‘raw’ (what does he want? Cooked strikers?) another whom no one is sure the point of, and another one with a broken leg – who is on the transfer list. And this doesn’t count Parry, who of course IS NOT a striker, but Jones seems to think can play up front. So no surprise then to City still linked with another truckload of strikers, including Davies at Oldham, Howards at Derby, and Vine at Birmingham.
Personally, I have noticed quite a lot of other forwards doing well, whom we should be watching, including Alan Lee at Ipswich, Rob Earnshaw at Derby, Michael Chopra at Sunderland, and not to mention non-league high scorers Leo Fortune-West at Cambridge and top scorer with 5 goals from 4 games for Halifax – Andy Campbell. To top that, I even saw Richie Wellens score two goals for Hartlepool the other day.
Jimmy FloydOf course anyone who bothered to read my last post several months ago will have noticed that I pooh-poohed the idea of City signing Hasselbaink. Mea Culpa - I was wrong. Let's also hope my assessment of his performances so far (bloody useless) also prove as wrong.
FowlerI gather 3,000 Fowler 8 shirts were sold out of the club shop in one day. Apart from the fact it is hard to imagine the club shop being able to cope with that many orders, that’s a hell of a lot of shirts (especially for someone who hadn't kicked a ball when those shirts were sold), and I imagine a few more were sold thereafter. Also seen on Ninian Park terraces have been Number 8 ‘God’ shirts, in lieu of Fowler’s standing at Liverpool. Of course, there’s even more profit in these shirts, as they only have three letters on the back, but whatever, the margins are going to be better than for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. I assume though, that all these shirt sales won’t pay for much more than a month of Fowler’s wages.
Of course Fowler and Hasselbaink weren’t our only summer signings, we signed some other players too. There was that bloke from Scotland, you know, what’s is name, and the other bloke who used to play on the left for England but plays on the right really, and there was that bloke from Sheffield and I think we got a keeper or two. Oh yes, and an Italian left back from Plymouth. Team of stars, we are.
Money money money
The other interesting thing that happened in Cardiff this summer was all the stuff about the £30m, £31m, £32m, £15m, £16m debt we have (please delete as applicable). We’re hardly alone in this, but football clubs really have become home to a bunch of corporate scoundrels on a major scale. Ridsdale’s record is not an enviable one, and as for Sam the Sham, what can be said? Mind you Woolly Bully was a great song. What do you mean that wasn’t him? Another illusion shattered.
Who owes whom how much though, is the interesting thing. And what for? Cardiff have SOLD over £15m worth of players in recent times (Chopra, Earnie, Jerome, Gabbidon Collins etc), and spent very little. Where on earth does all the debt come from? I think it may be time to start a revolution.
See, I’m getting all French already.
Internationals
For the first time in my life I have paid the Sky shilling so I can watch football whilst here in France. First night I get to watch Wales win and England lose. Should have done this years ago. But what I want to know is how come Germany have made Bryan Ferry their manager, and how come a Christian Panda scored the winner? Those missionaries have got a lot to answer for. Surely a panda should be Buddhist? Ignoring the Wales Germany game (as should be done by everyone) the Slovakia game was also magnificent. That Bellamy chap looks good. We should sign him. And that Ledley bloke on the left wing.
Loans
With Feeney of loan to the Jacks, it is hard to know who to feel sorrier for. On the other hand, what on earth were we doing paying £150,000 for a player whom we loan out straight away to Swansea? The strange thing is that we haven’t borrowed anyone ourselves, especially a defender, given the injuries to Purse and McNaughton. But then of course I forget, like everyone else, that when it comes to loans, outside of the premiership there isn’t a deadline until later in the year. Some time in November I gather, by which time the temperature here might have cooled too much for me to be typing in my swimsuit. There’s an image that you didn’t need, eh? Anyway, the other interesting thing about the Feeney loan, was that while the BBC was reporting it had happened, ICWales was reporting that the deal had fallen through.
Further press accuracy was provided by Sky, who was reported that Jason Byrne’s contract had been terminated. Which I gather it hadn’t. I bet that gave him a hell of a fright though. Bloody hell, can you imagine it: you get home from work to reado on the news that you’ve lost your job… Excuse me… who can I sue?
Time wasting all over Europe
I refer to Facebook, of course, that internet time waster enjoyed by many. Anyway, I joined a couple of months ago, mainly as a way of keeping in touch with people I no longer see who live in the UK (have I mentioned that I live in France?). This includes several City fans, but one thing I never expected was an invitation to become one of Earnie's friends on Facebook - why I don't know - _but I couldn't resist accepting. But from looking at his profile I learn he's considering a move _to Charlton and is a Scientologist. I'm sure that proves some unwritten rule_about not knowing too much about your idols. I am deeply disillusioned. I assumed he was a Buddhist, with a long held desire to return to Cardiff. Oh well.
A little pizza history
We have made one or two new friends here in France, including our local pizza man (of course). As well as making some damn fine pizzas, he is also a major Marseille fan, and an appreciator of Chris “magic” Waddle (as he was apparently known in France. Anyway, in appreciation of me emailing him a link to a Youtube video of Waddle and Hoddle singing Diamond Lights I received an invite to join him at the Velodrome in December, for the game against Liverpool. I will be forced to sit in the Marseille end and shout abuse at some scousers, but I am sure I will get over this trauma.
And a big "hi" to my lovely lying Belgium audience.
