Welcome to the "Frog," my little piece of cyberspace to talk about my passion - le foot (or soccer for my North American friends) especially anything around French football. Of course I will have some guest contributors that might want to discuss other aspects of footy!
I support Les Bleus, Arsenal and PSG but really just love watching, analyzing and following the beautiful game.
"You have to trust your teammates, always. If not we are lost."
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Club football around the corner - Hargreaves to start...injured
News bulletin!!! Owen Hargreaves will miss the opening of the EPL season for Manchester United!!! I find this slightly amusing, sorry I know this is schadenfreude towards SAF and Manchester United. I have nothing against the Canadian holding midfielder. However could he be one of the worst signings in the recent past? First Bayern sold the midfielder for 34m pounds to Manchester United in 2006. Since then the midfielder has played...drum roll...stoppage time versus Sunderland last May and has played with the reserves! Great return for the investment. Hargreaves has basically not played for his entire Manchester United career. The fact that Capello almost called him up for the England national team for the South Africa World Cup is mind baffling, that actually makes the fact Domenech wanted to call up Makelele seem sane.
Does the 34m pounds for a player that has given you a stoppage time appearance over the past 2 seasons a good investment? Um no. Shocking. It is not as if SAF was not aware that Hargreaves was brittle and has some injury concerns. Granted Manchester United can throw that kind of money away, but still one of the worst transfers ever.
Other bad transfers you can think of?
9 comments:
Philip
said...
ah I forgot his name but he is french and went to Real Madrid in the winter of the 08/09 transfer I think. The transfer also included Lass and Huntlaar.
That was a bad transfer I don't even think he played a game.
@Philip are you thinking of Faubert? I believe that was a loan deal from West Ham for very short money. It was a shock loan move to say the least, but by no means was there as much money spent than on Hargreaves.
I think the Faubert transfer was much more of a "hmmmm" moment. Since he has left Bordeaux he has not lived up to his "potential" and being transfered to the Spanish giant was very perplexing! Good call...
hi GFC when France team will declare for Norway friendly ....ur prediction of this world cup is nearly perfect...thanks France is no more now World super power...we will waiting for another Platini or Zidan...But how long...another 12 year??mean 2018?? 1986 Platini Era Finished after 12 year 1998 ..we got Zidan thankks Lekarlokin
@Lekarlokin Expect Blanc to have his list a week or 10 days prior to the Norway match. The game is on August 11th so anytime after the 1st I would suspect we will get his first list.
I think that Les Bleus remain a footballing power. Unfortunately the last administration pushed it into the ground. The problem is the last 4 World Cups France has either made it to the Finals or crashed out in the group stage...feast or famine. There is enough good talent in the cupboard for Blanc to put something together for the Euros.
Keep an eye out, I will do a future of Les Bleus post after the World Cup
Frog, I would highlight Kieron Dyer and Freddie Ljunberg to West Ham. Both hardly played a game and when you factor in wages, they were extremely expensive. And the worst part is that West Ham can't afford mistakes like United can.
Felipe Melo to Juventus. Total bust, and they had a terrible season. United barely felt the absence of Hargreaves the last few years.
Back a ways, how about Mendieta to Lazio for funny money. They basically went bankrupt soon after.
@SSJ, good one. I think for me the Hargreaves one is more about all the hype that surrounded the Manchester United courtship and the overinflated expectations, throw in the money and I think you have a vastly overrated transfer. Now can Manchester United "afford" this, absolutely. Just like when the Yankees pay for Carl Pavano and his handful of starts. The big clubs can absorb these mistakes.
9 comments:
ah I forgot his name but he is french and went to Real Madrid in the winter of the 08/09 transfer I think. The transfer also included Lass and Huntlaar.
That was a bad transfer I don't even think he played a game.
Correction - the transfer was 34m Euros or 17m Pounds
@Philip are you thinking of Faubert? I believe that was a loan deal from West Ham for very short money. It was a shock loan move to say the least, but by no means was there as much money spent than on Hargreaves.
yea I know its nothing compared to this but it was the only one I could think of.
I think the Faubert transfer was much more of a "hmmmm" moment. Since he has left Bordeaux he has not lived up to his "potential" and being transfered to the Spanish giant was very perplexing! Good call...
hi GFC
when France team will declare for Norway friendly ....ur prediction of this world cup is nearly perfect...thanks
France is no more now World super power...we will waiting for another Platini or Zidan...But how long...another 12 year??mean 2018??
1986 Platini Era Finished after 12 year 1998 ..we got Zidan
thankks
Lekarlokin
@Lekarlokin Expect Blanc to have his list a week or 10 days prior to the Norway match. The game is on August 11th so anytime after the 1st I would suspect we will get his first list.
I think that Les Bleus remain a footballing power. Unfortunately the last administration pushed it into the ground. The problem is the last 4 World Cups France has either made it to the Finals or crashed out in the group stage...feast or famine. There is enough good talent in the cupboard for Blanc to put something together for the Euros.
Keep an eye out, I will do a future of Les Bleus post after the World Cup
Frog, I would highlight Kieron Dyer and Freddie Ljunberg to West Ham. Both hardly played a game and when you factor in wages, they were extremely expensive. And the worst part is that West Ham can't afford mistakes like United can.
Felipe Melo to Juventus. Total bust, and they had a terrible season. United barely felt the absence of Hargreaves the last few years.
Back a ways, how about Mendieta to Lazio for funny money. They basically went bankrupt soon after.
@SSJ, good one. I think for me the Hargreaves one is more about all the hype that surrounded the Manchester United courtship and the overinflated expectations, throw in the money and I think you have a vastly overrated transfer. Now can Manchester United "afford" this, absolutely. Just like when the Yankees pay for Carl Pavano and his handful of starts. The big clubs can absorb these mistakes.
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