How Now King Franco FC?
By: Taylor Rockwell | December 9th, 2008Remember this summer when Bernd Schuster was singing the praises of the “biggest club in the world”? Remember when Schuster said (of Ronaldo) that “some day he will be with us“? Remember when the mustachioed German was fired for being incompetent? I certainly do.
The current situation in the Spanish Primera really makes one wonder what the hell goes on in the mind of modern footballers. Compare the two clubs at this point in the season:
United: Despite a poor start (due in large part to injuries and a hangover from various summer melodramas), United remain in the hunt for a… quintuple? Is that right? Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup, Champions League, and Club World Cup? Is that right? We’ve also added a significant amount of depth to our squad by signing one world class striker, and by incorporating several talented youngsters (Possebon and Rafael, most notably) into various lineups. The future looks bright, even in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years.
King Franco FC: Despite a relatively strong showing in the Champions League, the Spanish champions were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Real Unión Club Irún (currently of the Spanish Segunda División) and appear will adrift of title-frontrunners Barcelona. The squad has been plagued by negative chemistry, even with the departure of Robinho in the summer transfer window. In a cruel twist of fate, it is the Madrid-based club that must now fend off aggressive overtures for players from foreign clubs. Injuries have taken their toll, with striker Ruud van Horseface out and newly signed Dutchman Wesley Sneijder missing in action as well. And the club’s solution to problem? Bring in a manager who failed miserably at Tottenham!
So why was it that King Franco FC seemed such an attractive destination for the World Player of the Year? Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I feel the only explanation is Ronaldo’s love of the mustache:
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
I would argue that that pretty much proves my point, but I suppose there are other factors to take into account. Regardless, how do you think the situation at King Franco FC will effect the current Manchester United winger? Will the obvious differences in the relative stability of the two clubs make him more apt to sign a new contract at Old Trafford? Or will the change in Madrid and opportunity to once again restore Los Blancos to power be a more attractive offer?
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Category: Manchester United
Tags: Bernd Schuster, Cristiano Ronaldo, fired, Juande Ramos, Manchester United, Real Madrid, RonaldoSubscribe
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Comments
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I think he’s still going to Real Madrid, despite of how bad they are right now, every player wants to play for them. No other team in the world has the history that Real has and even though current standings and statuses don’t reflect that, it is still very appealing for players.
Not that it’ll ever happen but if I’m offered a club contract by ManU and Madrid, I’d go to Madrid.
Posted from
United States
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I recognize that I’m speaking as a United fan here, and I understand that Madrid is obviously a more physically attractive location than Manchester. But that aside, at some point, don’t you have to look at the organizational makeup of the clubs when making such a decision. Madrid has a constant coaching turnover, and seems to buy players without any consideration for how they’ll fit into the overall system.
Granted, United sign their fair share of players, but it seems like the ones Manchester brings in are meant to fit some aspect of their game. Franco FC seems to keep going after any/all big names available. Again, this is all a matter of personal club loyalty, but Madrid just so often seems like a backward system.
Posted from
United States -
Although I am a big Barca fan I have to say that your being a little biased. Real has also been plagued by injuries and are, in the end, against a rampaging Barcelona who is tearing anything and everything in its path to the treble. Also, I wouldn’t really count the Carling cup and the Club World Cup as big time trophies. Also, it doesn’t matter where Slave ends up, he is going to bitch and whine until he gets what he wants. (Don’t get me wrong, he is a good player, but I have yet to meet someone who argues that he isn’t arrogant, stuck up, and sometimes selfish.)
Posted from
Armenia -
1) Every team has injuries… it’s all about how the club handles the situation. Real have underperformed fairly consistently and have fired their manager. United haven’t played exceptional, but have managed to stay involved in all major competitions.
2) You may be right about the CC and CWC, but the point there was simply that this season, United has managed to be balanced enough in talent to handle a pretty packed fixture list. Time will tell if this trend continues, but for now the mixture of eager youth and grizzled vets is paying dividends.
3) Do you really think that you need to discuss the negative aspects of a player that I refer to as “Slave”, like, 90% of the time? My usage of Slave in this situation is more a “for instance” than it is “what will He do”. That is, at least to me, United often seems a better run, more consistent organization than King Franco FC, and yet established players still jump at the opportunity to go to a team where they may flounder/fail.
Posted from
United States -
Thou shalt not disturb the dead…
Posted from
United States -
I think you have missed the point with Ronaldo’s situation. He is from Portugal, and played for his favored club in that league. But besides Sporting, he is a life long Real Madrid fan so it seems. Even if he isnt a life long fan, he is engrossed in La Liga when he grew up, so Barcelona, Valencia, Real Madrid etc. are all attractive propositions. While slave comments and the back-and-forth between the clubs put a spin on the situation, I think the simple point is Ronaldo wants Real because thats where he has imagined himself playing one day.
Now if Wayne Rooney wanted to play for Real Madrid and ended up in a situation like Ronaldo is in, then I think your arguement would be warranted. A British person thinks the world of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal etc. and would give anything to play for one of those teams. You have to take that into consideration, and thats pretty powerful.
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United States -
i think it’s probably easy to take shots at a team when their trying to sign the one player that actually gives your team the confidence they need. look at how united did while slave was sidelined at the beginning of the season. you may have won games but never by a huge margin, Tying with newcastle, chelsea, and losing to liverpool. I think slave should leave so that united can see that they have class without him.
Posted from
United States -
1) I really love that people call him Slave (props to Drew)
2) Corey, I think we agree on the matter. I understand why Slave would want to go, but I was more so curious about other players. Huntelaar for example. Almost every elite club in Europe would have tried to sign him, but he went to Madrid (for some reason), has now had the coach he signed to play for fired, and may not see much time next season if Ruud comes back healthy. So why the rush to get there?
3) Here’s my deal with #7… if he decides to sign a new contract and stay, then I am done with the whole Slave business. He’ll have given a clear indication of his plans (at least in the short term). But if I continue to feel like he’s one good offer away from jumping ship, then I have a hard time rooting for him to play well. I just end up feeling neutral about the boy.Regardless, I appreciate all of your comments and enjoy the continued dialogue/discourse. Let’s keep ot going!
Posted from
United States
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