Aaron Ramsey: the bidding war kicks off, Man Utd claim victory

[spacemonkey]

As a Cardiff fan, here's my take on him, and I don't mean to resort to hyperbole here.

All City fans have heard about him over the last 18 months or so as the great hope of Welsh football. So much so that it sounded too good to be true. He made his League debut as a 89th minute sub at an away defeat at Hull (it ain't all glamour), and a Premier League side (Arsenal, Spurs) were already chasing him.

I first saw him play at last season's FAYC Quarter Final away tie at Arsenal. We lost 3-2 and he was absolutely immense. We were unlucky to lose, largely due to his calmed assurance and consummate skill and vision.

He made his first first-team start at Chasetown this season in FAC3, and cos I was on the halfway line in their tiny ground I was about 40 feet away from him for 90 minutes.

I have been going to the match for 32 years. He is unequivocally the best natural talent I have ever seen for City, and in a Wales national context, best since Giggs, for sure.

He has amazing, what I described on the day at Chasetown as balletic, balance. Watch him when you get a chance, if you love and know football you will be in awe of the sheer effortless beauty of what the boy can do. I am not comparing him here, but think of the way Zidane moves/moved. Deceptive, brilliant, and gone with a first touch that means Joe Average midfielder is left scratching his head in a where'd-he-go? kind of a way.

He really can go all the way and is the cream of a very rich young Welsh crop at the moment (him, Hennessey, Evans, Vokes, Gunter). Course I want him to stay at NP for ever. He isn't going to. We should do a deal where he gets loaned back to us, and build a promotion push around him. If Jones' innate conservatism hadn't prevented it, 90 minutes v Pompey could have won us the FA Cup.

Grace, time, balance, touch, vision, power, strength.

Apart from that he's shite

That's basically what I just said. See post #22.

 

[Placid Casual27]

Chwarae teg, Spacester. Your two words summed it up and all.

I quite like the way City are doing this "someone else has bid for him Man Utd, what are you gonna do now then?" bit in the media, when the reality is he's a bloke in the office at NP in a blue polyester suit going "fuck lads, it's Utd on the phone for Ramsey, what do I do now?!"

Loving it.

 

[Sunray]

Man U did this years ago with the 11-13 age group from all around the country. It go so bad that they introduced a rule that prevents young players travelling further than some specified mileage.

Not much changed, if anything its worse. The just sign players they think might be good for cheap around the 16yrs mark. The players get all starry eyed and sign anything, but its as much taking away players from the competition as it is building a team.

 

[legz]

Its 50 miles, at least at under-13 level.

There's ways around it. The big clubs have academies dotted around globally, a lot of the decent-sized clubs have bases across the UK, Ireland and further afield. Though this isn't always necessarily true, the bigger clubs also have a better reputation with their academies, to, so its naturally easier for them to attract players.

 

[Deareg]

Man U did this years ago with the 11-13 age group from all around the country. It go so bad that they introduced a rule that prevents young players travelling further than some specified mileage.

Not much changed, if anything its worse. The just sign players they think might be good for cheap around the 16yrs mark. The players get all starry eyed and sign anything, but its as much taking away players from the competition as it is building a team.

have you any examples of this? i know united are not blameless when it comes to poaching players from other teams, but i think it is a bit over the top to blame them for the current situation, the only player i can think of off the top of my head is joe cole and we were ordered to send him back to west ham, i know there are probably more, but it is something that is rife in football and united are certainly not the only club doing it

 

[Phenotypic Dai]

I think the real question here is: Just how much of the Ramsey cash is Dave Jones going to see?

The transfer dealings of the last 12 months have brought in somewhere in the region of £12 million net (Although I'm sure that a sizeable chunk of both the Gunter and Chopra deals are based on appearances and avoiding relegation respectively).

Surely there's a few quid left for DJ to really have a crack at taking the squad to the next level?

A pacey and youthful striker would be the first thing on my shopping list.

 

[Refused as fuck]

The Chopra deal was some blinding business. Give a stupid tosser too much money and look what he does.

 

[stupid kid]

lol you beat me to it

We won't get anywhere near 5m for him, it'll be more like £500k + some bonuses if he scores the winner at the world cup final etc.

Same thing happened with Jermain Defoe, but I think West Ham have paid Charlton a few million quid for him, just in little bits.

 

[agricola]

Now Everton have had a bid accepted for him:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/04/cardiffcity.everton

More chance of first team football with us, though admittedly he would (this season at least) not get the chance to "develop himself" in the Champions League by coming on ten minutes from the end of a meaningless home tie against FC Basle.

 

[twistedAM]

He should go and play for the only Welsh manager in the Premiership

 

[Biffo]

Ah, but Sparky is no longer the only Welsh manager in the Premiership. Ahoy Tony Pulis!