Cronky

Some very scathing comments from Stephen Ireland about the way City is run at the moment. He says Mancini is distant from the players, there's no team spirit, and players are being booted out to make way for new ones who aren't any better.

I'll get ahead of myself, and assume that Ben Arfa's coming and that both he and Tiote are as good as we think, and say that - Routledge Tiote Barton Jonas Ben Arfa Carroll is a very, very decent unit. Individually, everyone has their best role and collectively, there's a very good balance. A threat down the wings, a threat down the middle, and some defensive strength.

Dassier is completely barking. He's talking as if he was Ben Arfa's agent, not his club's president. Basically, he's saying that he's trying to sort out a club for Ben Arfa - this time an English one, which seems to be the player's preference. (Presumably Dassier has given up on the German ones) However, Ben Arfa hasn't helped him by behaving so badly and putting all the other clubs off. It's a veiled threat to Ben Arfa that he's going to let the transfer window close without coming to an agreement with NUFC. It will all be Ben Arfa's fault, because despite all Dassier's efforts, the player has not co-operated with him.

Looks like the field is clear. West Brom have just signed another DM from Salzburg.

It won't happen, I've no doubts. Wish it would though. I wouldn't say it's a possible exception of our right back either I'd say its a cert. Our right back position is awful even with Simpson back. I worry about it with Downing bombing down it on Sunday. I'd agree with Ian, in the sense that quality players in those two positions would have the most impact. In fact, with the right players, we'd then look like a decent side. As for RB, let's not judge Perch too early. He's looked a bit nervous, but otherwise a good athlete who hopefully will settle soon.

What's clear is that OM's attempts to offload the player to another club are getting nowhere. To put it the other way - if Ben Arfa had publicly set his heart set on joining Bremen, had turned up there to try to force the move, and was refusing to train at Marseilles, would you want to put in a bid of £5 million for him? At best, you get a player with a bad disciplinary record, who has made it plain he'd rather have gone elsewhere.

Exactly. The bloke is not feeding all this stuff to the press out of some public-spirited desire to keep us informed. He is trying to manipulate the situation in his own interests.

He managed it by going deeper and deeper into debt, didn't he? If you call that managing.

I know this forum is prone to the odd bout of hysteria, but this has me scratching my head a bit. We've already signed three players. We all know that most business happens in the last week of the transfer window. We signed players in the previous transfer window. Why are so many people certain that the club has no intention of signing anyone else?

As close to confirmation they want him as you'll get. Game over. So the president denies but the sporting director confirms? Another title change in order perhaps? Whatever...I've gone pass the point of caring That's only a translation issue. Both yesterday's and today's quotes come from the same person, the Sporting Director. So one day the bloke dismisses a transfer rumour, and the next day he says it's their policy not to comment on transfer rumours. French newspapers. Don't you love 'em.

Another one bites the dust? I didn't think he was any better than what we already have. Rangers is about his level.

I just hope that Bullard is not the replacement for the Ben Arfa deal. It would just be another 2nd choice signing, like Best or Nolan They're completely different players for completely different roles, so I doubt that. Going by the trend of the rumours, we're looking for a midfield anchorman AND a withdrawn striker. (Trequartista, for those in the know)

Too right. Bravo Shay for moving on after two games on the bench, he is all heart thinking of the skint arabs bank balance over his own! So you think he should stay at a club where he's not likely to play? How do you know what will happen? Hart could have a bad run, injuries etc but no he wants out after less than a week for gods sake. Piss taking, strop throwing twat of a man hasnt got the balls to compete for his place so wants out. Unlike you i think he should honour the contract he signed not think he is bigger than the club who paty his wages. I agree. He joined a club, and competition for places goes with that territory. If he'd fought for his place for a year, and failed, then I can understand him seeking a move. As it is, he's just being selfish.

Well, the French press have been bang on the money so far.

It's probably already been discussed, but Shay Given's behaviour is a bit dodgy. While he was with us, he had a bit of a history of threatening to leave every time he was dropped. He's not long joined City (having left us in the shit) and should give them at least another season. You made your bed, Shay, now lie on it.

Is the key to the deal, on both a personal and professional level.

That's what has been reported, we could pay that and then send him back next year. cracking deal from our perspective......can see why they aren't too keen though can't you ? Absolutely. They're being shafted. The OM President is trying to use what little power he has left, to get more out of us. The reality is that the situation is irretrievable from his point of view. Too much has happened and Ben Afra will never play for Marseilles again.

There's still nearly a fortnight before the window closes, or have I missed something? What's going on at the moment is what you'd call brinkmanship IMO. We don't feel we need to up the offer because the player won't consider any other club. Marseilles feel they may as well hang on, just in case they can squeeze a few more euros out of us.

Ashley took over the club without really knowing what he was getting into. Unfortunately, a sudden, coup-style takeover was the only way of getting rid of Shepherd. He had to hit the ground running, and has spent the first two years learning from his mistakes. That's par for the course for anyone in a completely new job. I think the new regime now has a proper strategy in place, and by some outrageous fluke, we now have a very good manager in charge. We all wish that there was more money being spent on players, but lots of clubs are now in the same boat. Let's wait and see what the squad's like on September 1st.

We have to bear in mind that Dassier is an ex-journo. He is probably far better connected to the French media than most Presidents. They've been running a whole series of stories which have suggested that the player is about to go, only for nothing to materialise. Directly underneath that last quote on the webpage, the Bremen director is quoted as saying they're not interested. It seems to me we're still the front runners. Ashley is probably thinking that's there's no point in upping the offer if there's no competition. The key is that the player has his heart set on joining us. I've got to admit, I've warmed to the idea of this move. Hughton actually has a very good record of dealing with our own bad boy, Joey. If you remember, shortly after Hughton took over, there was word of a training ground spat, and Barton was dropped from the squad for the next game. No fuss, all dealt with in-house. Since then, he's been as good as gold. He accepted finishing off the season as second choice to Guthrie, and recently no player has been more enthusiastic in their praise of Hughton. In fact, he recently said that the club should be careful to give Hughton a longer contract, in case he was poached - like he was worried that might happen. Hughton has that gentlemanly manner, but growing up as a kid of mixed-race in East London in the 60s and 70s must have been difficult. He may have a natural way of winning that kind of wayward character's respect that's not immediately obvious. If Ben Arfa does come here, I think Hughton is the reason, and if it works, Hughton will be the reason as well.

I am as well, I'm definitely more optimistic after the game than before it. Strange for a 3-0 defeat obviously. We did actually look like a team. Not a fantastically good one, but a team.

Meanwhile, Ben Arfa has chained himself to Hughton's desk, and is screaming, 'Please Mr Hughton, don't let them take me away!'

Ben Arfa's behaviour has been very peculiar in all of this. It's not over yet.

Quite a few people on french football forums think he'd do better in Germany due to the greater level of discipline. Think it's just what he needs to sort his attitude out. Can quite easily see it going the other way myself. I can see the logic, but any club or manager has to sell him the idea of being more disciplined. He has to see what he can gain by knuckling down, and I think he needs to forge a good relationship with a manager. They can't just demand discipline from him just because all the other players are going along with it. I doubt whether it would work anywhere, and we seem to be the only English club that's prepared to take the risk, even on a loan basis. Personally, I'd steer clear, but it does seem that Hughton fancies (or fancied) his chances of making it work. It's interesting that Ben Arfa said that he'd talked with Hughton and felt that they had an understanding. Excuse the amateur psychology, but this lad needs a father figure. We also have strong senior figures in the dressing room who he probably wouldn't want to get into any bother with, by instinct. So whether or not it's in the club's interests to take on this problem, I can see why it might be in Ben Arfa's.

Our club's policy of staying silent is looking better by the day. We should know by now, not to take statements from OM or the French media too seriously. I don't know about Bremen particularly, but my picture of German clubs is that they have a strong team ethic. That's the quality that Ben Arfa seems to lack, so I doubt if the move would work out well for either party anyway.