Get out the razor blades...

[Leachie]

...Mancini talking about Bale and having a sly dig at our team.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2011/0112/1224287372084.html

City boss Mancini talks up Bale

Soccer: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes Gareth Bale would be "the strongest target" for the leading clubs in Europe this summer if his club Tottenham made him available amid reported interest from Juventus.

Reports in Italy claim the Serie A club are keen to sign the Wales winger, who has caught the eye with some sparkling performances for Spurs this season - including a Champions League hat-trick at the San Siro against Inter Milan.

And Mancini reckons Juve would take a leap in quality if they were to prise the 21-year-old from the north London club.

He said in an interview to Turin sports newspaper Tuttosport: "Last year Bale had already proved his value but his career had not yet taken off. Now you would need a lot of money (to sign him). He is a very expensive player. Certainly, Juve with Bale would gain a lot.

"Moreover, what is certain is that if Tottenham decides to put him on the market, Bale would be the strongest target in the summer. Perhaps he (Bale) is the only player who is not a striker that can make a difference. Without him, Tottenham loses 50 per cent of their potential."

Bale's contract at White Hart Lane runs to 2014 and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy last month assured fans the club had no intention of selling him.

 

[Adam456]

Sounds like a bag of rotten plums to me

 

[jazz15c]

Citeh wouldn't sign him, there'd be too much of a danger that he might actually play some attacking football. Pricks.

 

[mil1lion]

Nothing wrong with this at all. He was obviously asked about how Bale would do in Serie A because of his experience in that League. The fact that he said if Spurs wanted to sell him he'd be the hottest property in the window at least shows some degree of respect. Its not like saying Bale should leave us or anything. Although it's obvious if we put Bale on sale then loads of clubs would be interested. Same with the likes of Robben and Malouda.

I dont agree that we'd lose 50% of our potential though. He'd be a big loss obviously, but we were still doing well first half of last season without him. It would probably be the difference between top 4 and challenging for 6th place though. We wont be selling him anytime soon though, and we sure as hell wont put him up for sale.

 

[jurgen]

 

[Adam456]

 

[Donki]

Wonder how much potential Shity will lose when Tevez buggers off 60% 70%, he is so much of their team. I so hope Dezko flops!!

 

[Tickers]

Don't have any problem with that. He says "if" we decide to sell him. I disagree with him about the 50% bit, but it's not an unreasonable opinion.

That said, I'm glad we have a manager who doesn't talk openly about other team's players.

 

[nferno]

Wonder how much potential Shity will lose when Tevez buggers off 60% 70%, he is so much of their team. I so hope Dezko flops!!

80% is generous.

Bale is not worth 50% of our attacking potential, the 3 players we heavily rely on are him, Modric and VdV though which i'd say each at 25%. The remaining 25% is our reliance on the rest of the team.

 

[kdspur]

i cud not care less what happens at any other club. ihave soft spot for liverpool cos they were great team. great proper way they went about their business. everyone else i cud not give flying fuck about. manchester clubs get my wick. i mean who is shitty. they never won anything in life and here is some italian plod banging on about spurs losing 50% of potential.. haha bring it on... wud take no one off shitty bar maybe silva and even then he wud struggle to find place in our first 11.. move on.. city wont even finish 4th this year..

 

[talkshowhost86]

Let them chat all they want about is in the press. It shows that they are worried about us. Mancini won't be their long anyway as they'll get rid of him faster than Usain Bolt fired out of a cannon unless he wins the league.

Keep flapping your lips Roberto, and enjoy that game against Aris Salonika on the same night that we're in the San Siro for the second time this season.

 

[danielneeds]

Don't have any problem with that. He says "if" we decide to sell him. I disagree with him about the 50% bit, but it's not an unreasonable opinion.

That said, I'm glad we have a manager who doesn't talk openly about other team's players.

I can't quite tell if you are being sarcastic here?

Nobody chats more about potential targets than Harry "I think Scotty Parker is a triffic player" Redknapp.

 

[DJS]

I dont agree that we'd lose 50% of our potential though. He'd be a big loss obviously, but we were still doing well first half of last season without him. It would probably be the difference between top 4 and challenging for 6th place though. We wont be selling him anytime soon though, and we sure as hell wont put him up for sale.

Seconded (would have repped oh hot-avatar'd one but been a bit miserly lately it seems and have to spread it about a bit).

He'd be a big loss and is top class but Modric is the one making us tick at the moment and van der Vaart also does a very good job linking midfield and attack.

Lennon for all his detractors also weighs in with his fair share of assists and is top notch - a lot of wingers are erratic with their form! :lol:

We also have Krancjar (for the moment) and promising talent like Townsend coming through (not saying Townsend is anywhere near as good at the moment but he has potential to develope, as did Bale).

I'm not for a minute saying Bale wouldn't be a huge loss as he would, but to say we'd lose 50% of our attack is nonsense.

 

[Spurger King]

Plus were the unthinkable to happen and we did sell him, I'm sure we'd be able to bring in a top quality replacement with the many millions we'll have received for him.

 

[kaz Hirai]

hmm seems fair enough to me, knife firmly put back in pocket :lol:

and considering how many goals he has scored, assists, and assists that have lead to assists he probably is 50% of our threat, if not a little more

 

[kaz Hirai]

Plus were the unthinkable to happen and we did sell him, I'm sure we'd be able to bring in a top quality replacement with the many millions we'll have received for him.

just like berbatov;-)

 

[DJS]

just like berbatov;-)

At the present time we're a completely different animal then we were back then baby.

 

[Spurger King]

just like berbatov;-)

Please don't bring that up :-|

Every time I think of our 'deal' where we sold Berbatov and got Frazier (no option to buy) Campbell on loan, I feel a bit sick. They get a world class striker and one of their young players getting experience in the premiership. We get...well a couple of goals against liverpool in the Carling Cup, and some money.

Probably the most screwed over we've been since the unmentionable one left for the scum.

 

[Welshiespursboyo]

£30m for Berbatov doesn't equal screwed over. Well it does. But not for us.

 

[Spurger King]

£30m for Berbatov doesn't equal screwed over. Well it does. But not for us.

I was thinking more in terms of replacing one quality striker with a kid that a) we couldn't keep if we wanted to, and b) wasn't really all that good as it turned out.

We were left with dire striking options because of that deal, and were fortunate that we had Darren Bent playing well (well...scoring a lot).