Man City Millions

[tricky_colour]

With all the extra money at Man City and ambition to get in the
top 4 etc, do the likes of Dunne and Ireland have long term futures there?

[irishfan86]

Dunne definitely has a future there.

Ireland will be under more immediate pressure, but if he keeps up his current form he'll be a key player for them.

I get the impression that Ireland is a player who really benefits from playing with better players.

[eirebhoy]

I get the impression that Ireland is a player who really benefits from playing with better players.
Definitely. Better movement from teammates will make his passes look better (unlike say Paul Hartley who looks very ordinary at Celtic because his brain isn't quick enough). Better awareness and passing from teammates will result in them reading his runs into the box better. Obviously the better the team, the more possession he'll have too. I've no doubt he's on the same wavelength as the top footballers and can live with that high tempo passing game. Unlike many players who go from being top players at average clubs to average players at top clubs. I look forward to seeing him play alongside the players Man City have there now.

Dunne has until January to play like he has been for the past 3 or 4 years and he'll be undroppable.

btw, I know Stephen Ireland isn't playing for us atm but he's an Irishman playing abroad and to me he's therefore representing Ireland. I can't help but want him to be a great player so if you think differently keep it to the Stephen Ireland thread. :)

[Bohemian1890]

EPL is becoming a joke,it is the new playground for the rich.

[tetsujin1979]

Dunne is club captain, he's not going to be dropped. When Etuhu and Petrov come back from injury, Ireland could find himself on the bench, but will still be involved in the first team picture.
I'd be more concerned about the Irish lads in the FA Youth Cup winning side, and the Reserves. Karl Moore, Greg Cunningham, Ian Daly, Donal McDermott, Paul Marshall, all these lads face infinitely more pressure to improve to get into the senior side now that the manager can basically play Fantasy Football with his signings.

[drinkfeckarse]

with their midfield of choice being 4 out of Kompany, Petrov, Ireland, Elano and SWP.

Kompany is a defender isn't he? The few times I've seen him he's played at centre half.

[tetsujin1979]

Kompany has played in midfield so far for City, but he can play in defence too. I'd imagine the first choice centre half pairing is going to be Richards + Dunne with Tal Ben Haim as the backup

[cobra]

would not think anybody is safe at city at the moment, the way this city takeover crowd are talking, could end up buying a whole new team come January, its ridiculous(suppose, unless your a city fan)

[smasher]

To say that a player is undroppable just does not make sense. With the money now available to Man.City they can buy the best. If existing players are good enough they will survive, indeed thrive when playing with better quality players. If they do not, it proves that do not cut it at that level.
It's as simple as that!

[L37Ultra]

EPL is becoming a joke,it is the new playground for the rich.


Agreed. Many people including myself are becoming disillusioned with the English Premier League. Its not about the football anymore. As long as Mark Hughes stays at Man City then both Ireland and Dunne will be a part of his squad. And this thread should be called Man City Billions .

[EalingGreen]

Dunne definitely has a future there.

Ireland will be under more immediate pressure, but if he keeps up his current form he'll be a key player for them.

I get the impression that Ireland is a player who really benefits from playing with better players.
As one of the best CB's currently in the EPL (and club captain), Dunne's future is reasonably secure.
But if MC's new owners lash out the money for the next Maldini or Cannavaro, would that still apply?

As for Ireland, it may well be that if you put him alongside three top class midfielders, he'd be a significantly better player. But if they were then to replace Ireland himself with a Ronaldhino etc, MCFC would have a significantly better team.

Ireland is not a better player than e.g. Shaun Wright Phillips, yet when SWP went to Chelsea, he simply wasn't good enough for that sort of company (and he's not the headcase Ireland seems to be, either).

Now I know City have just re-signed SWP, but I've no doubt that was as a mid-priced last-minute buy, whom they knew could do a good job for the team straightaway.

If City's new owners really have ambitions of "doing an Abramovitch", then I'd be prepared to bet that in three years time, 75%+ of the present City first team, including Ireland (certainly) and maybe even Dunne (possibly) will either be making up squad numbers, or somewhere else entirely.

That said, such an eventuality might not do ROI any harm in either instance. Jonny Evans, not good enough for MU's First XI (may never be?), has developed brilliantly for NI, on the back of 18 months at Sunderland. Whereas John O'Shea has opted to stay at OT, and doesn't appear to be doing a great deal for ROI.

[boovidge]

EPL is becoming a joke,it is the new playground for the rich.

Yeah it's getting beyond a joke now. Won't be long until we see NFL style franchising imo. Theyve already talked about playing games abroad so it's only a matter of time.

[as_i_say]

Boovidge-whos quote is that from your sig?

[boovidge]

keiran westwood. The irish goalkeeping legend. (see thread below)

[Stuttgart88]

I'd see Dunne as being a bit like Terry at Chelsea. New manager comes in and needs to keep the heart & soul of the team in place, even if there may be technically better players available. Also, regardless of how many foreign alternatives might be available there's always room for a "backs to the wall - put your head where it hurts" British style CB in the Premiership (Dunne, Carragher & Terry spring to mind) and I think Mark Hughes is as aware of this as anyone. I think Arsenal are lacking a bit in this department. Vidic is kind of in this mould but also with the guile that foreign defenders tend to have.

[paul_oshea]

how do all these clubs think they can be the top club?

[backstothewall]

"Richard Dunne doesn't roll off the tongue in Beijing."

No one is safe. If they spend the kind of money they are talking about it will ruin the EPL

[boovidge]

Dunne could change his name to Ricardo Dunninho and he'd be safe.

[eirebhoy]

I had to laugh at Setanta. On the Friday Football show last night they put on the screen a fantasy team of the best players Man City have been linked with in the last few days. Everyone from Buffon to Cannavaro to Fabregas and Henry. At centre half was "Dunne (c)". :)

[irishultra]

Awfully funny that was. Tim Sherwood's dry delivery made it even funnier...even though I hate him.

[gilberto_eire]

I can see Mark Hughes getting the chop by next season unless he can deliver a title this year, he's not a ''top name'' manager, it will go like when Abramovich took over Chelsea, Ranieri was getting the chop at any rate, he would have brought the title to Chelsea the following season same as Jose did but these men want the best names in every department so i can see Hughes been let go!!

[tricky_colour]

Agreed. Many people including myself are becoming disillusioned with the English Premier League. Its not about the football anymore. As long as Mark Hughes stays at Man City then both Ireland and Dunne will be a part of his squad. And this thread should be called Man City Billions .

Yes, I was going to say billions but millions was a better 'sound bite' I guess this Arab bought the wrong club, "Brimingham City Billions" has a nice ring to it!