LA's had just about enough of 23

Justin Thrift
Opinion

I can’t believe I feel this way. Honestly, not since Johnny Damon committed baseball’s greatest act of treason in 2006 have I felt so duped as a sports fan. I’m talking about David Beckham and his recent antics with the Los Angeles Galaxy and their fans.

First, let’s set the record straight. Beckham has always been a footy icon to me. He’s been the face of England’s team for the past decade and easily one of my favorite English players. He instilled me with English pride from an early age and fueled my passion for the Four Lions. His ability to make free kicks sail, curve, and duck with incredible accuracy has made him an international soccer phenomenon, while his high profile seasons in Manchester and Madrid showcased him as a reliable ingredient to championship teams.

Quite simply, as a fan, I’ve always held him in the highest regard. When he came to the United States two years ago, I joined in with the excitement. It was remarkable to see Beckham prancing around and bringing attention and excitement to soccer pitches all across the continental US. I witnessed him fill an Entire Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, for a regular season game against the NE Revolution – and he didn’t even play due to injury. I remember turning to my brother in the stands and saying: “Is this even possible? Over 50,000 New Englander’s paying real money to come watch an MLS game? Are you kidding me? The Red Sox are on right now, and Beckham’s not even going to play! He’s just sitting there on the bench signing autographs and smiling for the big screen. Wow. Talk about an easy gig.”
And yet, the scene came to fruition; thousands of people donning Beckham jerseys, England shirts, premier league gear and endless amounts of other soccer paraphernalia. I was witnessing thousands of closet soccer fans springing from the local woodwork, a collection of fellow supporters I never knew existed. I was excited for him, and American Soccer. And a summer earlier, fresh off of another disappointing World Cup performance for the England team, I stood behind Beckham then with hope of him returning in 2010. “He’ll be back,” I said, “No manager, president, or player can keep Beckham from leading our boys back into the 2010 World Cup. He’ll be ripe and ready again in four years!” I had faith. Like a fool, I believed in David Beckham.

Not anymore. If I'm honest, I think number 23 has been suffering from a chronic case of California heat stroke (us Brits aren't meant to be exposed to direct sunlight for more than 3 hours at a time). In the past few months, David has provided me with first hand evidence of how large his head actually has grown over many years of adoring Spice Girls and exotic airbrushed photo shoots. It didn’t enrage me when Beckham went on loan to AC Milan: I understood why he would want to bolster his chances for making the England squad and spend his off months from the Galaxy playing in Europe. It didn’t infuriate me when he started missing MLS games, it just left me feeling disappointed, barely surprised. I wasn’t furious when Landon Donovan called Becks out publicly a few months ago, criticizing his lack of commitment and complete 360 care-less attitude toward American soccer; I agreed with Donovan, and was beginning to develop a somewhat sickened opinion of the career moves Becks was making. I was beginning to lose faith in one of my all-time sporting heroes.

But a few days ago, the water boiled over. I finally became intolerably sickened by Becks. Not only did Beckham return to the Galaxy seeming “shocked” at his negative LA reception during an ironic friendly against AC Milan, but he attempted to face-off directly with a particular group of angry LA fans. In my opinion, he’s made the transition to a verified finicky, spoiled, celebrity, no longer a passionate, heroic footballer. (By the way, I won’t mention a certain current LA baseball player, but no other place in the world is more apt to having this ego-altering effect on someone than Los Angeles. Thanks a lot you sun-stroked Laker fans!) It’s not bad enough that he flat out turned his back on his team, he actually expected to be welcomed back. He was downright defensive in his post-game press conference, offering these two particular rubies:

“I tried to shake one of the guy's hands but he didn't want any of it. That's the way it is.''

"It's to be expected. Sometimes it goes beyond it. The majority of the fans have been great.''

What crock. What a complete waste of my time, your time, anyone who follows sports’ time, and most importantly, what a waste of Galaxy fans’ time. I understand, LA. I don’t blame you for vilifying Becks and vocalizing your anger with his arrogant acts. Every fan who was ever excited about him playing routinely on American soil has been betrayed, and Becks is only adding insult to injury by refusing to address that some of his recent decisions are just plain wrong.

Maybe it’s unavoidable for a guy like Becks, but the sad reality is this: David Beckham is no longer solely a soccer player, he’s mostly a celebrity. This realization may be glaringly obvious, but I believe Beckham has just crossed the indecent threshold of letting his public life become defined not by his performance on the field, and in doing so, it has become almost impossible to retain the character he once displayed as a teenager for Sir Alex. He’s reached the ozone layer, folks, and everyone, including himself, knows it.

You’ve lost a fan in me, David. Your time has expired in sunny LA and the MLS. It’s time for David Bentley to begin shining his boots and ironing his England jersey for 2010.

Why We Won't See Fedor vs Brock Anytime In The Near Future

by Puneet Singh

The hottest name in MMA (mixed martial arts) right now has to be Fedor Emelianenko. Everytime Fedor has stepped into a ring, he has not only put on a great fight but beat the piss out of his opponents. The last three opponents of his (Hong Man-Choi, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski) have been manhandled and destroyed. The only thing I can really compare it is to watching a stampede happen; just wrecklessness and savagery and then it's over before you know it....kind of like that scene in the Lion King where Simba's dad gets killed.

At this current moment, he is not only regarded as the number one heavyweight fighter in the entire world, but also as THE BEST POUND FOR POUND fighter in the entire world. When someone stakes a huge claim like that to you, you know you're doing something right.

While Fedor is grabbing major plaudits and praise, the UFC is boasting and promoting Brock Lesnar like no one's business. In his defense, Brock is 4-1 and is currently the "undisputed" Heavyweight Champion of UFC. He has developed a legit rivalry with Frank Mir and added a solid fighter to a relatively thin Heavyweight division in UFC. By beating Randy Coture for the title and Frank Mir to become the undisputed champ, Brock is one good fight away from cementing himself as a dominant and respected heavyweight figure.

That fight: Fedor Emelianenko vs Brock Lesnar.

For over a year now, fans have been demanding and begging to see Brock vs Fedor. And with both coming off staggering victories, the marketing opportunity for this seems perfect.

So why not?

Here are two reason's why this won't happen anytime soon.

Dana White and Fedor can't make a deal.

Trust me, if the money is right, Fedor will fight Brock. Even if the money isn't good, I'm willing to bet Fedor has the humble self confidence and would be up to the challenge of beating Lesnar. But this isn't a deal about money. It's more of a contractual agreement.

Fedor just wants to come in, stomp Brock and leave. White wants Fedor to sign at least a minimum of a four or five fight contract, that way he could milk Fedor for what he has to pay him.

Dana White won't swallow his pride and take this the risk, Fedor won't alter from his belief of just doing what he has to. Both are right in their own personal beliefs. So unless one gives into the other, there is still some solid degree of seperation.

Reason Two: Brock Is The Champion.

Let me put it to you this way. If a team from another country came into the US and beat the champion of that league whether it be baseball, hockey, football or basketball, how would that look for your organization and league?

This is exactly the dilemna for Dana White.

A lot of people know that Fedor can handle Brock. And Brock is the undisputed champion. And IF Dana White does sign off for Fedor to come in just for one fight against Brock, and Brock were to lose, it would be a dent in the image of UFC and Brock. Fedor would have come in from fighting in multiple different leagues and have taken down the "Champion" of the best MMA league out there now.

That's just the image side of it. The economic part to Brock losing to Fedor?

Fedor would be able to hop on to any new and upcoming MMA show/league, command top dollar and help that league gain some notoriety which would in turn hurt UFC.

Bottomline: As much as it is desired, Fedor - Brock's not happening. Dana White know's what he's doing and it's beneficiary for all parties involved. Let's just hope Brock drops the belt sometime soon and gets 2-3 solid wins after that to hype up a good shot at Fedor within the next year.

The Two Key Signings To United's Success Have Already Been Made

by Puneet Singh

With all the hoop-lah surrounding the summer transfer window, with the who goes where and "we should get him" non-sense I'm looking back at the Manchester United squad with content.

Many will believe that I am insane because not only did we sign a little known Ecuadorian in Luis Valencia and a no name Frenchman in Gabriel Oberton, but we let two of our prominent players leave this summer in Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

While Madrid and Manchester City have nabbed everyone anyone could desire in the market, United have addressed NEEDS over luxaries, thus making the signings of Michael Owen along with Valencia all that's required at Old Trafford.

The depth at United is remarkable compared to some other clubs. With versatile players and hard nose grinders, United is composed of every aspect of football, making their strength the ability to change tactics on the fly.

What Valencia lacks in flair that Ronaldo possessed on the right side of the midfield, he makes up with his grit, hard work and constant hustle; something that Ronaldo did not always give us. Back tracking, good dribbling and excellent passing, Valencia has what it takes to fit right into Fergie's plan and thrive at United.

As Owen proved in the friendly the other day, he still has his scoring boots on and knows how to get it done when needed. We don't need him to score 30 goals like Ronaldo, we just need him to chip in in a key situation and not have to worry about carrying a team. This will take the world off his shoulder's and make his job that much easier.

But more essentially than those two signings, our two major signings have been right in front of us all along, in the form of Owen Hargreaves and Nani.

It should come to no surprise that Hargreaves was dearly missed in the center of the midfield. Hargreaves is the white Michael Essien. That is the only way to put it. He can play all over the backline, all over the midfield and he does it bloody well.

He's one of the key reasons why we couldn't hold our own against Barcelona in the midfield during the Champions League final this year; Xavi and Iniesta were driving through the center of the pitch at will without any force. As shown from the previous CL final against Chelsea in which United prevailed in, Hargreaves had done a superb job keeping everyone at bay and orchestrating the United offsense from the back.

Even at times last year, you could tell United missed Hargreaves muscle. Games that should have been won or at least drawn were dropped. A healthy Hargreaves gives us a bigger weapon than any other signing could offer us and it WILL be proven true once "Hargo" comes back at full strength come September. Premier Leagues be warned.

The other signing that ironically came along with Hargreaves in the summer of 2007 was Luis Nani.

After a magnificent 2007/2008 campaign in which Nani not only delivered wonder goals and assists but also the captivating backflips, he flopped during the 08/09 campaign worse than Greg Louganis at the Olympics(google that one up).

He was expected to be CR7 vol 2.0, but looked more and more like Quaresma in a big league as time went on. He was ultimatley placed in the reserves where he featured more there.

Luckily for Nani's case, Sir Alex Ferguson is giving him a 100% chance to prove his worth this time, hoping to yield positive results from the young Portuguese winger.

Now more than ever is Nani's time to rebound and shine. A platoon of Nani and Valencia would provide United with everything they'd need; solid defense and solid offense.

Liverpool fans are all on cloud nine thinking that they just jumped up a peg for the Premier League title (something the Scouser's haven't won in 20 years or in a better way to put it, since I've entered this earth). Well, I have a reminder for all footballing fans from all different teams: Manchester United on a bad day are still better than you on your best. Best of luck to all in the Premier and Europe this year; you will certainly need it.

Seattle Sounders FC v. Chelsea FC: How Soccer Can Succeed

Charlie Klein

On a beautiful sunny saturday afternoon 65,289 people pack a fantastic stadium. The atmosphere is electric. The home crowd is 100 percent behind its team. Think I'm talking about an English Premier League match in England? Wrong. The scene I was just describing was what anyone who either attended the Seattle Sounders FC v. Chelsea FC match or tuned in on ESPN2 witnessed yesterday in Seattle, Washington.

Chelsea dominated the scoresheet defeating the Seattle Sounders FC of the MLS two goals to nil. It is not, however, the scoreline that is the major story coming out of the match. Many Chelsea players, as well as their manager, made glowing remarks about the soccer environment that has been created in Seattle this season. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said, "It was probably the best preseason atmosphere I've ever played in, for sure." 'Lamps' added, "The game was pretty even, really. I understand what they're trying to do (in the United States) and the quality is going up."

The Pensioners' latest manager Carlo Ancelotti was left raving about the atmosphere inside the stadium. "The atmosphere was fantastic. It was a pleasure to play the game in this condition in these facilities with these people. It's a pleasure to stay here."

Chelsea, one of the top teams in European football visited the northwestern city as a part of their preseason build up to the 09/10 Premiership season. For those unfamilar with the recent success of the southwest London side, Chelsea have won the Premier League as recently as 2005, and won it in the previous season. While Manchester United have reclaimed the title as the best team in England three times over, Chelsea have made it to a Champions League Final (lost to Manchester United on penalty kicks) and made it to last year's CL Semifinal, losing to eventual champions Barcelona.

Sounders FC are the success story of the MLS this season. I understand that most people who follow soccer in the United States are fans of European sides and pay little mind to the 'subpar' U.S. league. They are on pace to shatter the average attendance record set by the Los Angeles Galaxy by a thousand more fans per game. The team has been very successful considering it is their inaugural season in the MLS. As of today the Sounders sit in second place in the MLS Western Conference, five points behind the Houston Dynamo.

Sounders FC 'Galactico' Freddy Ljungberg said, "From a European point of view, it sends definitely a message out that we can play so good against Chelsea. When I speak to my friends back home, the question is, 'What is the level and how would you play against the great teams in Europe?' I think that message was sent today. I think it was very important for a European club to see that."

For the Sounders it is as Seattle FC forward Steve Zakuani put it, "back to reality."

On a sunny Seattle afternoon the United States showed the world the kind of soccer atmosphere this country is capable of creating. Let's hope they never forget it.

An Open Championship For The Ages

Koshin Egal

Some people were lamenting over the fact that Tiger Woods had missed the cut at this year’s British Open at Turnberry in Scotland, and it is a little justifiable. I mean after all it was only the second time in his entire career that he has failed to make the cut at a major. However, what Tom Watson accomplished this weekend was ten times more exciting and more surreal than if Tiger had made the cut and won his 15^th major. When Tom Watson shot a 65 on the opening day my first thought was there’s another Golfer with that same name as a legendary golfer who was huge in the 70s and 80s. Then I found out it was indeed the very same 59 year old Tom Watson who has previously won this tournament 5 times.

Tom Watson for four days found the fountain of youth at Turnberry and it seemed he was having flashbacks to 1977 when he competed against Jack Nicklaus in one of the most memorable head-to-head competitions in golf history the “duel in the sun”. Watson was able to hit the fairways, sink birdies and play within the course not trying to overpower as so many golfers do today. All that experience coming to the forefront allowing him to never panic when he didn’t hit the green and found some tough lies and bunkers and had to deal with the difficult crosswinds of Scotland the birthplace of golf. Watson was making shots that made you almost want to check his identification to verify that he was in fact 59.

This was simple amazing to watch this unfold. Here was a man who competed against the likes of the aforementioned Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Greg Norman. Now he was competing against the likes of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and not only that but was comprehensively leading them through 72 holes with a realistic shot at raising his 6^th Claret Jug.

This was shaping up into a Cinderella story but very much like that fairy tale it seemed that the clock had finally struck midnight. Watson had a chance to putt for par to win it on the final hole but instead he came up short for the first time this entire weekend and bogeyed it which lead to a playoff with Stewart Cink. Though Watson was never really in the playoff, at the end of the day just as this tournament shouldn’t be remembered for Tiger Woods missing the cut but for Stewart Cink playing a very clutch final round leading to his first major. After all he had to hit the birdie on 18^th to keep the pressure on Watson and ultimately it did. Then Cink had to keep it going in the four-hole playoff. So this British Open shouldn’t be remembered as Tom Watson losing it but should be remembered for Stewart Cink winning it. But for four days Tom Watson was able to captivate and remind us that as long as you’ve got the goods and are willing than you can compete at any age. It was thrilling, fun and great to see.

Analyzing The Market For Roy Halladay

by Puneet Singh

Here's my theory in life: It's better to spend a lot of money once to get the best quality thing available as opposed to getting things relatively cheap and having to worry about it every so often. I use this for clothes and electronic gadgets amongst other things.

The same should be applied to baseball and sports: trade for a known and established commidity as opposed to going out and signing rubbish.

Three examples:

First: the Yankees opting not to trade for Johan Santana because they felt Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy could establish into solid number two to three-esque starters. While Hughes is starting to shown signs of dazzle this year, lets be honest; who wouldn't want Johan?

Second: The case of Oliver Perez and the pennies seperating him from Derek Lowe. The Met's didn't want to give Derek Lowe that extra year or extra million dollar a year. So he was more than happy to sign with the Braves.

My Final Example brings me to the hottest name on the trading block in the MLB in awhile: Roy Halladay.

Halladay IF traded is expected to command a young grade A arm, a grade A middle infielder, at a grade B outfielder and then either another outfielder, pitcher, middle infielder or corner infielder.

That is truly the king's ransom, but ask yourself this; if your team is a known winner and wants to be a contender, would you give away four players who you do not know would be stars tomorrow to land a pitcher who is a 90% lock to win every start he goes in and has been dominating the AL East for the last seven years, who will still be under your control next year?

Take a look at a few teams and what they could offer in return for Roy Halladay:

Angels

Known around the majors to have one of the deepest if not THE deepest prospect pool, the Angels offer would be something like this:

SP Ervin Santana, 1B/3B/SS Brandon Wood, C/1B Hank Conger and SP Jordan Walden.

Santana gives them a Grade B pitcher with the potential to be an A when fully healthy, Wood is a potential .280 3o HR 100 RBI talent wasting his time in the minors, Conger while not the best of catching prospects defensively is the best contact hitter in the Angels minor league setup while Jordan Walden was their number two ranked pitcher behind the late Nick Adenhart in the minors.

By giving up Santana for Halladay, the Halo's would have a rotation of Lackey-Halladay-Saunders and Jered Weaver, giving them a strong rotation for not only this year but next. Halladay becomes even more important because Lackey can hit the market as a free agent this offseason, possibly leaving Anaheim.

Red Sox

While the Sox don't possess the deepest of talent pools, what they have really stands out.

SP Clay Bucholz, SS Jed Lowrie, and 1B Lars Anderson.

These kids stand out HEAVILY. Hence the need for the Sox only to give up three pieces as opposed to four. Bucholz has the making of a number two starter while Lowrie has a slick glove and a nice bat. Lars Anderson is a power machine with a huge ceiling for home runs.

Given the state of the Red Sox with Dice-K, adding Halladay gives them a rotation of Beckett-Halladay-Wakefield-Lester. When you have those four and Halladay as a workhorse, it doesn't matter who you throw out as your fifth starter; in a five game series it probably won't go that far.

Phillies

From what I hear the Phils are the favorites right now to get Halladay. Guess that means they have something the Blue Jays would want.

SS Jason Donald, SP Carlos Carrasco, OF Michael Taylor and either SP JA Happ or SP Antonio Bastardo.

Donald is only sitting in the minors because the Phils will be unable to move J-Roll who isn't the same J-Roll from three years ago. Carrasco is easily the gem of the minor league arms and Taylor is drawing comparasions to Ryan Howard and a move to 1B may be imminent. Both Bastardo and Happ have shown they have the stuff to hang in the majors.

Getting Halladay would give the Phils a true number one. I don't care what people say or think, Cole Hamels is NOT the Cole Hamels of LAST YEAR. Line Halladay in front of Hamels-Blanton-Moyer and again you have a horse in the front followed by grinders in Hamels and Blanton and the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer.

Mets

Oh the New York Muts, New York Mess, whatever you'd like to call them at this moment. No one could use Halladay more than the Metropolitans. They've got the pieces to do it.

OF Fernando Martinez, SP/RP Bobby Parnell, SP Jon Niese and 1B Ike Davis.

Interesting group. Martinez has been so-so in the majors thus far and hurting his stock in the process. Parnell has proved time and time again so far that he has the stuff to be a big time arm in the majors. Same goes for Niese who's been above average in the spot starts that he's made for the Mets. Ike Davis is a legit threat to hit 35 homeruns year in and year out.

This is a no brainer. Halladay-Johan would be pitching on three days rest. And no, I'm not kidding.

Cardinals

Clearly my darkhorse for the Halladay sweepstakes. By far not only the classiest organization in baseball but also a great and highly respectable fan base. Outside of that, they also have whatever it would take to get Halladay. Question becomes, are they willing to give up that much?

OF Colby Rasmus, 3B Brett Wallace, C Bryan Anderson, SP Jaime Garcia and SP Jason Motte.

This scenario involves keeping Adam Wainwright out of the equation. Card's management already labeled him along with Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter as "untouchables."

The top five prospects in the Cards system. Yes it would depleat them long term, but if they could sign Halladay to a four year extension, it would be more than worth it. Rasmus is showing why he's in the majors, Wallace is waiting for Troy Glaus to go so he can officially take over. Anderson, Garcia and Motte all figure to be apart of the Cards equation by no later than 2011.

Halladay-Carpenter-Wainwright would give the Card's a 3-4 year window to dominate the NL Central.

Cubs

Oh let me be frank; Cubs could get him Sabathia, Lincecum and whomever and they still won't win the World Series. Well...not so sure about that one.

SP Randy Wells, SP Rich Harden, 3B Josh Vitters, 1B/OF Jake Fox.

Fox is a power threat but I think he's Elrubio Durazo 2.0 (another throwback name for everyone). Wells is a young arm with a HUGE upside. Same goes for Vitters with his bat. Here's a odd one in though; Rich Harden. Harden is of Canadien descent and would love a chance at home. Problem is, he's from Victoria in British Columbia....the other side of Canada. If they can workout an extension for him it would be a win. If they let him walk as a Class A free agent this offseason, its an even bigger win for the Jays.

Halladay-Zambrano-Lily-Dempster would form a nice quartet. The Cubs are out of the race this year, but this would be an excellent start for the next season.

Yankees

Oh how can a rumor mill surronding a big star be a rumor mill without involving the good ol' Yanks. As weird as this sounds compared to years passed, the Yanks have prospects to make a deal happen.

SP Phil Hughes, SP Joba Chamberlin, OF Austin Jackson.

Again the case of three. Not only are Hughes and Chamberlin struttin' their stuff in the majors, they're doing it decently; nothing a little age and bumps won't teach them. Austin Jackson commonly known as A-Jax is the 35th best prospect in all of baseball. That speaks for itself. Has the potential to be a combination of both Upton brothers.

Sabathia-Halladay-Burnett-Pettite-Wang. Shouldn't really have to worry about number five, when you have two workhorses up front.

Final Thought: If the Sox want him, they can get him. It's that simple. My favorites to land him are the Sox, Yanks and Phils in that order. Dark Horse looming though: St. Louis.

It'll be interesting few weeks coming up. If Halladay isn't moved by then, expect him to be on every team's Christmas wishlist during the Fall meetings.

Emmanuel Adebayour Is On A Dark Road....

by Puneet Singh

There was once a young striker in the 1990's that Arsene Wenger plucked out from France and turned into a star. Over the two years that that forward plyed his trade in Arsenal (from 1997-1999) he became more and more known to the world and his ego became bigger. With his bigger ego came desires for a bigger paycheck. So Arsene let him leave for Real Madrid cashing in on him for a nice fee of £22.3 million pounds.

This forward went on to have a career filled of futility with highs and lows. This striker also had a stint at Manchester City, albiet before the Abu Dhabi era.

In case you can't figure out who I'm referring this story to, it is none other than "Le Sulk" Nicolas Anelka.

Anelka was plucked out of PSG for a lowly fee of £500,000 in February of 1997. During the 1998-1999 campaign (the year United would win the treble) Anelka had a solid season scoring 18 goals in 45 games for the Gunners. At the tender age of 20, Anelka had put himself on the map as an up and coming striker.

With demands for higher wages being sent out as a threat by Anelka to Arsenal they made the move to sell him rather than having the distraction of him in their locker room. It also helps that they had an up and coming striker in the name of Theirry Henry and Dennis Bergcamp.

Fastforward 10 years. Now at the age of 30, Le Sulk has played for Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbache, Bolton and Chelsea in that 10 year span. Finding a home just doesn't seem logical for him given his nature to not fit in locker rooms and being a headcase.

Outside of Bolton and only a few dustups in Chelsea, Anelka has been unwanted by everywhere else he's gone.

The parellels to Adebayour are scary.

Adeybayour was signed from the French club Monoco in the January 2006 transfer window for £3 million pounds. During his three seasons at Highbury//Emirites he popped in 58 goals in 130 games including 30 goals in 48 games during the 2007-2008 season.

This is when the buzz became really big around "Adey."

That summer window, Adebayour was the hottest name on the market. (NOTE: I would say Cristiano Ronaldo, but only Madrid were pursuing CR7). With Barca, Milan, Chelsea, and Internazionele amongst the clubs vying for his signature, demand was at a high.

Luckily Wenger ponied up the cash to upgrade his wages to €80K a week. That kept him content....for the time being.

Another year goes by and Adebayour doesn't quite have the year all expected of him, disappointing some but still managing to find the back of the net 16 times in 38 games.

Demand is still high with Milan and Barca again contacting Arsenal about his services. But they view Adey as a plan B or C.

Manchester City give both Adebayour and Wenger a call. They tell Adey they will pay him more than TWICE his contract, meaning wages of €170k a week. They give Wenger a good offer (€25 million; better than what should have been given for this years work, but not up to par with last years offers. When it is all said and done, by July 17th, 2009, Emmanuel Adebayour is officially a Citizen.

Adebayour is on the same path of Anelka; naive youngster's who let fame and fortune get the best of them. Both left Arsenal and Wenger for dreams of a bigger paycheck without ever fully winning much or helping Arsenal. Both were bad for their team and had/have high expectations put on them. In the case of Anelka, he lasted one year at the Bernabeau and then was shown the door due to his bad temperment, lack of hustle and effort and me first attitude.

How long will Adey last at City? Just enough to see another big name striker come in next year take his spot and have him shipped out into mediocrity.

Adios Adey and Adios Fourth Place For Arsenal

by Puneet Singh

As much as I dislike Arsenal, I have a huge respect for them. I respect the fact that they play beautiful football and have an economic way of going about the transfer market.

But what happens when that economic side gets the best of you? Better yet what happens when you don't sell on a high or this "economics" game is preventing you from moving further in terms of success?

This is the case of Arsene Wenger.

To my recollection, Wenger opted to sell Thierry Henry and Emanuel Adeybayour after the down years. Henry and Adeybayour brought in €16 million and Adeybayour netted them €25 million. While many Arsenal fans are delighted, does anyone recall when Barcelona and Madrid offered €30+ million bids for Henry the year before he moved to Barca? Or last year when Barcelona and Milan were both offering upwards of €40 million for the Togolese strikers services?

It seems that Wenger has slowly just come to the philosophy of "those who don't want to be here can leave." While it's a good theory and philosophy, it's probably not so good when key players to your franchise are leaving.

Case in point: Henry, Matteiu Flamini, Adeybayour.

The loss of these player's has and will continue to hurt Arsenal. They still have not found a suitable replacement for Flamini who was a rock in the midfield and the Ying to Cesc Fabregas' Yang. Those two should have been the foundation for the Gunner's midfield for the next five to six years. Clearly that's not the case.

Now onto this Adeybayour move.

It would make a lot of sense if Arsenal's remaining strikers weren't Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin, Carlos Vela, Nikolas Bendtner, Eduardo Da Silva and Theo Walcott.

Walcott, Arshavin are more of wide players. Vela, Eduardo and RVP are supporting strikers and Bendtner is just a tall goof. Say what you want, but when you take a respectable goal threat like Adeybayour out of the picture, this doesn't look like the strongest of strike forces.

It also doesn't make sense selling Adeybayour to a team that's hungry and on the rise.

Say what you will about Manchester City, but Abu Dhabi and Matt Hughes are an ambitious bunch, and have slowly built a squad talented enough to hang with the biggest of challenges.

This being said, with the sale of their most lethal striker, it seems as if Arsenal may have sold their ticket for fourth place.

Without another young goal scoring, in the box threat on their roster Arsenal stand at a fork in the road. Clearly another forward is needed, and Arsene needs to address this issue before the season starts, so this doens't end up like the Arshavin saga of last winter.

In the end I hope this; Arsenal can find a way to battle it to fourth and higher, that way we don't have to see City fan's rejoice a la Chelsea fans circa 2003-2008.