1: Mallorca - RMad 0-0

-- Good start for the 'worlds best manager'

-- more like the worlds best sleeping pill.

Caceres

-- caceres got loaned to sevilla?

-- yep, ****ty deal. loan with buy option of only 5 million.

-- Never want to see him back in Barca colours again, I'd rather take Olegeur

-- or a traffic cone

[Ramzi] Barcelona's ibra-gate: When leaders at the top do a childish job.

 It was so hilarious to a level that Rosell posted on his tweeter account: “Now I am going to meet Galliani” even before Milan officially provide their formal offer. Ladies and gents, that’s the president of the club, we are talking about!

Is that a thumb or a middle finger?

Milan applied a set-in negotiating strategy. They brought all the staff they needed to make sure they give no space of time for Barca management to reconsider. All decisions were taken at the heat of the moment. That’s predictable, when Barcelona brings all their staff to the negotiation’s table as well. That’s a sign that you are desperate. That’s a sign that you have no way back. That’s a sign that you don’t want to take any time thinking about the whole situation. You made the decision and you consider negotiations as logistics. That’s a “take him please!” And a veteran football director like Galliani will easily ride your back when you bow that low.

[FCBlog] Selling BANGS, aka Rosellnomics, 101

Commenter "IS" summed up the transaction a lot better than I could have, so I’ll reprint it here, so that we can all have a giggle:

Galliani: “How much for the big guy?”
Rosell: “70”
Galliani: “Last price?”
Rosell: “50”
Galliani: “I’ll give you 5”
Rosell: “No, last price 45, and like that I’m already losing compared to how much he cost me”
Galliani: “I can go up to 10, but that’s it”
Rosell: ” Ummm …. No? 40?”
(Galliani walks away)
(Rosell chases him with ‘the big guy’ in his hand and shoves ‘it’ in his hand)
Rosell: “Ok, ok, 30 — but just for you!”
Galliani: “25”
(Galliani waves the cash infront of Rosell)
(Rosell’s eyes widen and sparkle as he starts dreaming of all he can do with the monies — but then reverts to a a big frown)
Rosell: “Fine, 25, here you go…”
(Rosell hands over ‘the big guy’ and takes the money and counts it)
Rosell: “Mister, Mister! There’s only 24 here!!”
Galliani: “Sorry, that’s all I had on me”
Rosell: “Oh, ok… well.. please come again and I make you another great deal. Oh… and tell your friends!!”


http://www.barcelonafootballblog.com/4200/selling-bangs-aka-rosellnomics-101/

[The Guardian] The Knowledge

"My wife is a heartbroken Cruz Azul fan," writes Ricardo Mora. "This past week they lost their fifth consecutive final. Here in Mexico we have short tournaments with just 17 games and then a post-season. Cruz Azul managed to get to the last three finals and lost them to Santos, Toluca and Monterrey. In between they also competed in the Concacaf Champions League and reached the final in the last two seasons losing to Atlante and Pachuca. Is there any other fan out there with such a heartbroken heart as my wife? Has this ever happened to any other team in such a short span?"

Firstly, Ricardo, you might want to break the bad news. It's even worse than you thought. "As a British Cruz Azul fan living in Mexico City for the last 13 years, I can assure you that the situation is actually worse for your wife than you think," writes Louis Loizides. "Cruz Azul have lost their last seven finals, not just five. Prior to the five finals you mention, they also lost the league final in December 1999 against Pachuca and then the final of the Libertadores against Boca Juniors the following year. Just thought you should know."

But comfort is at hand. Mrs Mora should just be glad she isn't a Benfica fan. "While not exactly the same thing, I thought of Benfica winning its first two Champions League finals (in 1961 and 1962), and since then losing in 1963 (against Milan), 1965 (against Internazionale), 1968 (against Manchester United), 1988 (against PSV Eindhoven) and in 1990 (against Milan)," writes Hugo Carreira. "It's called the curse of Béla Guttmann (who, having won those two titles, was sacked and left Benfica saying they would never win it again in the next 100 years. Only 52 more to go)."

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"The banter took an interesting turn in the pub when one of my mates claimed that a player-manager at Carlisle once placed himself on the transfer list, then sold himself to another club. Can this possibly be true?" enquired Stephen Guilfoyle back in 2006.

While we would never advocate believing everything you hear down at your local, Stephen, on this occasion the banter is spot-on. Ivan Broadis, born in Poplar, east London in 1922, is the man at the centre of this tale, although, as John Briggs notes, "the Football League read his signature incorrectly and he was registered as Ivor, by which name his has been recognised ever since." Ivor's early playing career took in amateur appearances for Finchley, Northfleet, Finchley again, Tottenham, and Millwall, before he became the youngest player-manager ever at Carlisle - in 1946 - at the tender age of 23.

"Although his time as manager of the club could be regarded as being average, Broadis laid the foundations for the future, and when he left in January 1949 (replaced by one Bill Shankly), United were in a far healthier state than when he had taken over," explains the club. "Still registered as a player, he sold himself to Sunderland for £18,000 claiming that it was in the best interests of the club that he leave, providing Carlisle with suitable financial reimbursement for the transfer. The fans were not convinced, but accepted his move out of respect for the money it produced. Ivor is officially the first ever manager to transfer himself to another club."

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"After seeing that Nani has managed to rule himself out with an injury suffered while attempting an overhead kick in training, I was wondering what would be the most ridiculous way in which a player has cost themselves a World Cup appearance?" asked Steven Maley last week.

Ridiculous? World Cups? Raymond Domenech seems the natural place to start. "If Robert Pires is to be believed his reason for missing out on the World Cup in 2006 was being a Scorpio," writes Diego Black. Not sure if that can be considered the player's fault but damn ridiculous in any event."

The Knowledge favourite's second-favourite goalkeeper (after our old friend Lutz Pfannenstiel) Jean-Marie Pfaff cost himself a World Cup appearance in 1982 for disclipinary reasons after apparently pretending to drown in the swimming pool at the Belgium team hotel.

Whether Wayne Bridge's decision to miss this World Cup was ridiculous is open to interpretation, as, to a lesser extent, is Roy Keane's decision to walk about of the Ireland camp in 2002.

Injury-wise, as many of you pointed out, Brazil captain Emerson ruled himself out of the 2002 tournament after injuring a shoulder while mucking about in goal in training and the Spain goalkeeper, Santiago Cañizares, missed the same tournament after severing a tendon in his foot after dropping a bottle of aftershave on it.

In a slightly different direction: "Another story is the one about the Yugoslav captain in 1950," writes Eberhard Spohd. "Right before the beginning of the match against Brazil Rajko Mitic ran against the dressing room door and severely cut himself. But that didn't cost him the appearance in the game: the wound was stitched up an Mitic followed his team on the field after the kick-off. As far as I know it's the only match in World Cup history not to begin with 22 players on the pitch." Quite what he was doing running into a door in the first place is open to question.

And though he didn't miss a World Cup game, it's always worth remembering that Norway defender Svein Grondalen had to withdraw from an international during the 1970s after colliding with a moose while out jogging.

"One thing is for sure, if Real Madrid are going to win the league they won't do it with better football."