Essjayess

Many on this topic said if we really wanted McCormack why not just throw the extra million or two at Fulham to get it done, but plainly we are a relegated team which  not an everlasting pot of money to throw at clubs,especially after our January signings. Alex said at the weekend that City would  not be spending no more than they had offered at that moment, indicating they had reached the ceiling on the amount they could offer. Its fine if you  have mega rich owners, throwing "another million or two" is simple.I think Alex may rue what he said after Saturdays game, along with McCormack "we may get one or two others over the line". Quite possibly may get none at all Alex.

Only problem with that transfer list you showed Indy is  none of them are from this close season, when the Sky money to the Prem is vastly bigger, which affects all deals, plus simple fact is Fulham paid 11 mill for McCormack 2 yrs ago and were insistant on a profit. As regards money only, discounting age, you would not get Kodjia or Assombalonga for 12 million either, so McCormacks fee is not that over priced any longer.

Hopefully now  this 39 page topic can slide down the messageboard ladder, for someone to create the start of a 39 page Assambalonga topic, which should happily take us to end of August when finally we can concentrate on Cam and Laffs carrying us thru until January.

Afobe...Gayle...McCormack...in the last 12 months we sure seem to have spent time rather then money on chasing strikers..in actual fact its been awhile now since we actually permanently signed a dedicated striker..Alex certainly doesnt seem to want to sign one at all, or maybe does but is not able to.

you guys think 12-15 million is not the going rate in the Champs excepting McCormack?...think again...try getting Kodjia or Assambalonga for under 12 mill.

[quote user="Timmy Time"][quote user="Essjayess"]It was clear at the weekend that we would not ever get McCormack, and its why ive been saying since then City and Alex needed to absolutely start looking elsewhere right now...in fact Villa coming back and paying the going rate have done City a service, as i could have seen Alex and City fannying around with this saga for another week or two and still get nowhere. Alex clearly said after the Hannover match that City had bid  what City think McCormacks worth and would not go any higher, but Fulham insisted on a full 15 mill package,so in effect since Saturday times been wasted messing around on this nonsense.But remember, Villa have come back in for McCormack  because theyve had no luck finding a striker around the Champs, so you can tell City are going to find it very hard to get any new striker before the window closes unless they search the Prem, lower leagues or abroad. Forget Assambolonga at Forest, the suggestion there is of very slowly introducing hin to Champs action, could be 2 or 3 months before hes completely up to speed, never mind have full confidence that his new kneecap will hold up. Kodjia at Bristol? has a huge price tag, Bristol so intent keeping him may be more even than the 11-12 mill City seem to have for a striker. Wells at Huddersfield?..who knows what Alex even wants.All in all, considering last season we had 7 differnt strikers at varying stages, and the cry was to desperately thin them out, now the reverse is the case, we are down to Laffs and Camjam, and heck knows who City will find, if anyone at all.[/quote] Complete bollox. He put this on Twitter earlier:- "Pre season finally done & i am fit & sharp ready for the long season ahead!!" You don''t half talk some shoite on here.[/quote]Yes Timmy  the player himself feels hes ready, but its not complete B  as u suggest, theres more to it than that, but anyway, que sera sera.

[quote user="Temp the Revelator"][quote user="Essjayess"]so in effect since Saturday times been wasted messing around on this nonsense.[/quote] Do we know that for fact? For all we know, Norwich made their offer before Saturday and haven''t budged since. Nothing has come out of Norwich to suggest anything other than that - other than rumour, agents, sky etc. we may well have been spending all our time, effort and energies on a different target since Saturday for all we know....[/quote]After Saturdays match Alex Neil admitted City and Fulham were locked in advance discussions over McCormack..thats from the Pink Un..so does that not suggest that discussions were contiuing?..Have you any evidence at all that City have indeed been doing something else?..no of course not. Besides...if City had finally decided to walk away from this saga, do you not think it would have been reported as such? Alex also said City had spent a considerable amount already on this and no need to spend more..so saying City would not be  reaching Fulhams desired value of 15 mill, which incidentally theyve stated all along...the qouted 12 mill from last week was media talk, not official Fulham talk.

It was clear at the weekend that we would not ever get McCormack, and its why ive been saying since then City and Alex needed to absolutely start looking elsewhere right now...in fact Villa coming back and paying the going rate have done City a service, as i could have seen Alex and City fannying around with this saga for another week or two and still get nowhere. Alex clearly said after the Hannover match that City had bid  what City think McCormacks worth and would not go any higher, but Fulham insisted on a full 15 mill package,so in effect since Saturday times been wasted messing around on this nonsense.But remember, Villa have come back in for McCormack  because theyve had no luck finding a striker around the Champs, so you can tell City are going to find it very hard to get any new striker before the window closes unless they search the Prem, lower leagues or abroad. Forget Assambolonga at Forest, the suggestion there is of very slowly introducing hin to Champs action, could be 2 or 3 months before hes completely up to speed, never mind have full confidence that his new kneecap will hold up. Kodjia at Bristol? has a huge price tag, Bristol so intent keeping him may be more even than the 11-12 mill City seem to have for a striker. Wells at Huddersfield?..who knows what Alex even wants.All in all, considering last season we had 7 differnt strikers at varying stages, and the cry was to desperately thin them out, now the reverse is the case, we are down to Laffs and Camjam, and heck knows who City will find, if anyone at all.

I said more than a month ago how about Faissal El Bakhtoaui who had scored 30 goals in 41 games for Dunfermline last season. 23 yrs old, wages were under 1k a week, contract ran out end of the season. About everyone who replied said "Dunfermline?...Scottish side..not even Scottish premier...couldnt make it in the Champs if his life depended on it". Fair enough..but if you never try those type of guys youll never know will you?Anyway, hes been snapped up for a trial by...Blackburn. Just hope hes nowhere near their 1st team this weekend.

Bethnal''s instinct is McCormack deal is close, Branston seems to loosely agree with him, but i think most the rest of us now believe its time for Alex to move on. My instinct feels this deal is nowhere done and no more time should be wasted with it. Unless Villa really are nuts enough to spend 15 mill for him (i guess they can afford it) would be no surprise him in the squad Friday night vs. Toon, thou id be surprised to see him get a full 90 mins.I do agree with Canary, chances of us getting a striker from within the Champs is pretty remote now, we may have to look elsewhere.

One of the City''s all time greats, and a true legend, no City fan could or would deny him those accolades, and to have 2 more years  of him, truly we are blessed.

I agree about 12 mill being a fair price, whereas 15 mill is not. In all honesty just a week or two ago Fulham were insisting on 15 mill then, so maybe they are reiterating what theyve wanted all along. Also agree in couple seasons he will be worth much less than 15 mill. But i do not think as you do Canary that Fulham will be relegation strugglers this season, in fact i see them comfortably in the top half, but not maybe in the top 4 or 5.Bethnal mentioned  that Alex could of suffered some naivety after his comments at the weekend, i actually believe thats indeed the scenario. Clarity needs to be the sole factor in the  negotiations now, as its plain for all to see that Alex needs to walk away today, now, unless hes 100% positive that McCormack is very very close to joining City.

I doubt he would sulk ZLF, hes a first rate professional in his prime and needs to be playing  week in week out, to keep himself in the shop window for next summer. It may not be his 1st choice, but hes contracted for another season, and as such will play his best while hes a City player. Much here depends on Brady also of course, if he stays then we have Brady and Toffs for LB position, but if Brady departs then clearly its just Toffs. I think Alex will see what happens with Brady before allowing Olsson to leave.Also i dont think Alex really wants to be hunting for a new LB, he has enough with existing  comings and goings, especially up front, plus the kick off in a few days.

Lot here talking about 3 strikers for 5 mill each or 2 strikers for 6 or 7 mill each...quite absurd...nobody has mentioned the wages...id imagine 3 decent strikers wages would be more than McCormacks sole wages...even allowing for his obvious high wage.In anycase Fulham would quite plainly tell City first that its 15 mill take it or leave it and Alex clearly said City are offering no more higher bid money than the supposedly reported 12 mill. This means id expect Alex  and City to very soon officially say they have moved on and its time for plan B or whatever.As to McCormack himself, he was due to start training with his club today, so id imagine a week or two and he will be up to full steam with them.I honestly believe there is no strong Plan B as regards any other striker, so will be hard to find a striker good enough even towards end of August,so for at least the first few weeks of the new season, maybe even longer, we go with Jerome and Laffs as back up. Thats it, its  pretty poor, but its the reality. Wes, Naismith and others will  have to chip in with goals to.

Wow, as things stand right now Ricky i think youre brave to think City and Villa are on for 85-90 points. Newcastle for sure, but right now Villa have not added that much to their squad  from las season, apart from young Tish. I honestly see the  Muff and Watford of this season to be Newcastle and Wednesday, Villa and Wolves have had rich takeovers, but itll take time for them to get their clubs into gear. Derby and Brighton no doubt will be up there again, along with 1 or 2 other unknowns at this stage.Will take RM maybe 2 or 3 weeks to get up to speed, so not expecting him to be fully operational till end of August. Motivation and momentum play huge parts in any clubs consistency thru a season and last time around Adams left us 7th, but Alex came in, a new young unknown Scots manager who had a hard edge about him, perfect to get our players on a roll that of course gave us that amazing Wembley day out. But now Alex is not new, and he has a demoralising Prem. season  on his back. Wether the players signed in his time as manager can give the extra quality needed along with the older existing guys still here remains to be seen.With the current players, im expecting us to have 65-75 points, with a 8th to 12th position, but with all of August still to go before the transfer window shuts, i may change my opinion. But RM joining will be a huge test of Alexs ability to get the most from him, very little room for meaningful excuses should RM fail, especially at the price we paying for him.

Dang worrying aint it, only 46 games to go and still on zero points. No worries though, i informed the club that the supporters dont know where the first point is coming from, i got a prompt reply saying it will be from a Championship fixture, We can now all relax, life''s wonderful again.

Well, late tonight the Mail are reporting Fulham have at last agreed a fee for McCormack with City and  the clubs are just finalising how the payments will be made. Probably by 12 million £1 coins just to drag the saga out a bit longer maybe......Anyway, its the first rag to actually state fee has been agreed so soon we can actually opinionate on the guy as to what he does on the pitch for City rather than just speculate...once hes adtually signed  of course...dont forget to bring a pen Ross.

Alex says hes "hopeful" about the ongoing discussions over McCormack, but maybe the Fulham managers word put a slight dampener over that, saying the guys  had physical injury issues, but should be back training with Fulham on Monday. He was also sitting the stands today watching Fulham play Palace.Well.its up to Alex of course to keep this saga running, but plainly now the forward bunch on display vs. Hannover today will be starting at Blackburn, with Cam leading the line and Laffs as back up on the bench. We aint got any others so thats it.

Im utterly amazed on these posts, still debating and stating that McCormack  is overpriced at 12 mill, or trying to compare his fee to what other strikers fees are. Its so very simple to understand why hes 12 million. Fulham bought him for 11 mill 2 years ago and they have never ever wavered from the fact that they want to make a profit, be it big or small, but a profit, as the only way he would be let go. Its a one off situation, Alex is 100% sure this is the guy he wants and hes made it plain that you pay the going rate for what a guys  valued at by his club or get left behind.We are here and now, we badly need the best there is at this level for this season, and no one but no one else comes close to proven and consistent scoring in this division, so lets get McCormack in and leave it to Alex to manage him and the rest of the squad. We can always debate how great or poor McCormack has been further down the line.

Talks with Marseilles are supposedly in an advanced stage, so it looks probable that Mulumbu is on his way. Despite the long drawn out saga over McCormack, plenty of other action  is developing with the existing squad, with RVW leaving yesterday, Mulumbu seemingly headed out the door and Tettey signing a new 2 year contract. After ONeill left, its good to see Alex thinning the midfield a bit, always felt like it was a mite oversized, and of course it  cuts the wage bill further to.

Its all very well debating the merits of McCormack fitting into the team and if Alex has indeed the right guy or not, point is right now hes not a City player, and we only have Jerome and Laffs left as senior strikers with the season just a week away. An injury to CamJam in the 1st game and goodness knows what would happen. By all accounts McCormack has had zero playing time in pre season, may even be injured so miss the start of the season, and now City are pooping around with an odd million or two while the clock ticks away.Considering how long ago the Prem season ended, and that the striking area was  the definite area needed for imporovement, just dont understand how once again a summer window goes by and City leave it late. Feels a bit like RVW, with a few making every excuse for why the guy couldnt get it right. Anyway, cmon City, either get this done now or walk away.

All the best to Ricky, hope hes a great success at Vitesse. So, purely on transfers (not loans) thats now 4 out and 2 in so far this window. Considering we did seem to have a big squad, id expect this to continue  until the window closes, making City a slightly smaller squad but hopefully with a touch more quality.

aww cmon Indy, ive actually agreed to a certain extent with your posted opinions in recent times concerning Ricky, but hes the complete professional and if can get a chance to play  regularly  for a season with Brum, thats surely got to be more beneficial for him than kicking his heels here as 4th choice striker, never getting play time and City stuck with paying him a full wage.If this loan happens, i really do hope he has a good season there, providing he does not face us in the two City-Brum fixtures. As for a situation coming back to bite us, thats pretty fanciful over the course of a 46 game season.

Actually i feel the deal could be very close, seem like Fulham need to tie down their proposed new 6 mill striker and for City and Fulham to finalise everything. But time is of the essence, im sure Alex has definite ideas about how much longer he will prepare to wait for the deal to get done. Purely guesswork but id reckon the deal has to be done next 24-48 hrs or Alex will go elsewhere.

Bethnal  summed things up pretty much, a striker is really the only urgency we have right now, we otherwise have a large squad and its players wages that could really be the area where City have to highlight. Alex already said that thru August a certain amount of guys need to be shifted, either straight transfers or loaned out, to keep the wage bill at a sensible level. So apart from a new striker, cant see City bringing in to many more new faces. The  one big "out" is obviously Brady, must be 50 / 50 right now wether Everton  or another PL club really do come in for him.The one difference ive noticed this  transfer window compared to last years summer window is the lack of rumours linking City to European players, especially from Italy. I guess its because last  summer we were a newly promoted PL club, but the difference is quite amazing, but i think refreshing, as last year i was exhausted by the  huge amount of stupid rumours linking us to so many guys abroad.