I guess there will always be those who think this is all a bad idea, and to be fair, the writers don't really enlarge on their thoughts, but this is interesting....
https://www.football365.com/news/aar...h-icon-returns
I'll try to lift and copy it.
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I guess there will always be those who think this is all a bad idea, and to be fair, the writers don't really enlarge on their thoughts, but this is interesting....
https://www.football365.com/news/aar...h-icon-returns
I'll try to lift and copy it.
Here we go... By the way - this is not me. It's lifted from Football365 website
Aaron Ramsey’s return to Cardiff City *should* be fun for him and their supporters, but this signing exposes the Championship side’s short-sighted formula.
*
It’s been 15 years since Ramsey left his boyhood club Cardiff City to join Premier League giants Arsenal. He’s gone on to enjoy quite the career, with three FA Cup triumphs and his stellar performances for Wales at Euro 2016 among the highlights.
The midfielder comfortably established himself as a Gunners legend over his 11-year spell at the Emirates and he’s done Cardiff proud as one of the best players to ever progress through their academy.
And now aged 32, he’s returning home to perhaps end his career where it started back when he was a fresh-faced teenager.
A few months after Gareth Bale was heavily linked with a pre-retirement move to the Championship outfit, Cardiff have been more successful with their pursuit of Ramsey, who is back in Wales for a third spell (after his brief loan in 2011) following his exit from Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.
This is the type of glamour signing that will excite the prawn sandwich brigade who make the big decisions behind the scenes in the Football League as there’s no doubt that Ramsey’s arrival will bring more mainstream eyes to the Championship.
Everyone associated with Cardiff will also be lapping up the return of their prodigal son, who will surely take just as much enjoyment in finishing his career as the main man at a club close to his heart.
And it is easy to look at this signing with a naive glance and assume that Ramsey’s return will be all sunshine and rainbows, because how could it possibly go wrong? But I hate to p*ss all over Cardiff’s parade…
Up until his Arsenal exit in 2019 – barring his serious knee injury in 2010 – Ramsey had not endured too many career lows. But unfortunately for him, most of his bad moments have come following his move to Juventus.
I mean, he was reportedly earning an absurd £400,000 a week in Turin, so how bad could it have possibly been really.
If we gloss over that not-so-minor detail, in terms of his experiences on the pitch, his spell at Juventus was a bit of a disaster.
He was marred by injuries and even when fit, he was way down the pecking order as he started just 34 games across all competitions over three seasons.
A lacklustre loan spell at Rangers followed when his hefty contract was ripped up by Juventus in summer 2021. He managed to play more regularly for Nice last term, but he only managed to score one goal in 34 appearances (including 20 starts).
On the international scene, his decline was laid bare by his poor performances at last year’s World Cup as he was extremely ineffective in each of Wales’ group games before their swift elimination.
This was a sorry end to a golden period for the Welsh national team, with the dire performances of Ramsey and Bale (plus their poor start to Euro 2024 qualifying) being a clear indication of their impending slump.
READ MORE:*Arsenal, Liverpool target and promotion-winning trio feature in Championship XI of breakout stars
Getting back to Cardiff, their reunion with Ramsey may not go as they hope. The standard of players in the Championship is perhaps not to the same level as Ligue 1, but it is an intense and fiercely competitive league that is capable of exposing individuals who are not ready to cope with the rigours.
And if Ramsey does indeed take this move lightly and assume he’ll breeze it in the second tier, he will be in for a rude awakening.
Saying that though, Ramsey does at least deserve credit for joining an exclusive group of players who have turned down the Saudi Pro League (Jordan Henderson should have followed him in doing that really) as the Championship will be an actual test for him. But if he’s as past-it (both in terms of fitness and ability) as I fear he is, next season could be a struggle for him.
As a neutral, it is difficult not to be concerned by recent events at Cardiff City.
Sabri Lamouchi did a great job carrying the Bluebirds to safety in the Championship last season, but he has been shipped off and replaced by Erol Bulut, whose managerial*résumé is filled with past jobs in Turkey (most notably at Fenerbahce).
This appointment may end up proving to be a masterstroke, but after finishing just five points clear of the relegation zone in 2022/23, Cardiff are on a slippery slope and this is an untimely risk.
The club’s hierarchy are naive if they think that another relegation battle is not on the cards and the investment made on their Ramsey nostalgia trip should have been used on signing several Championship-ready upgrades to improve their overall squad.
Ramsey’s return shows Cardiff have lost sight of the incoming issues right ahead of them and while everyone associated with the club will love having him back, this has all the hallmarks of a major transfer misstep.
Football365 publishes some real drivel.
There are so many inaccuracies and mistruths in that article that it is not worth commenting further. You only have to look back at what Craig Bellamy did for the club a few years ago, at a time when he was more injury prone than Ramsey ever has been, to see that it is a load of drivel.Quote:
Originally Posted by tforturton
Im not sure Rambo is going to take the championship lightly and "assume he’ll breeze it in the second tier" the guys not a idiot
Also "lacklustre loan spell at Rangers" I know a few Rangers fans and they would all have in back this season, they love him
This Rambo story has a great feel about it, sure we know he is coming back for him family time, but he could have chosen a few other teams within a few hours drive and still stayed home in Cardiff, but he didnt, he has ties with the club ( unlike Bale )
why the hell shouldn't we get a little excited and enjoy that feeling
I think it depends on expectations of the coach. It is a question of what he can do, and cannot do.
So what is it he cannot do?
Can he deal with 46+ full games, 90 minutes, box to box. I think the guess would be no.
Equally Aaron in a 6 or 8 role will be required to do hard running either defensively or box to box. That isn’t sensible as we don’t want to burn out an ageing body.
But we can use him in a way that is sustainable for a match, a season, or even two, and give us value.
So could he play 35-40 games a season, play the last 60 minutes of those games in a 10 role, where his final ball can split defences? I think yes. But as a 10 / free role in a 4-5-1. There he could be very effecfive. And this would suit us, because the other 10 would be Rubin Colwill, and he needs to slowly build up his game time from 45 to 60, to 80 to 90 minutes, so that he builts up confidence in his body, and build up match fitness over time. Colwill and Ramsey, as our two 10s, would be gems in my opinion.
Written by someone who’s got a slight chip there maybe, we’ve always been short term thinkers so it’s hardly new is it? We also have Tan to contend with, the man who loves wasting his millions coz he knows best……Quote:
Originally Posted by tforturton
What a load of self indulgent crap and who do they think are to accuse people of being naive - how patronising - what a cock womble in my humble opinion
It's not perfect but a good balance.Quote:
Originally Posted by tforturton
Ramsey isn't a Bellamy transfer. The season before we signed Bellamy he was excellent for man City in the Premier league. Clubs like spurs when they were good genuinely wanted him and after a half decent season with us he went to Liverpool. Says it all.
I don't think Ramsey is in the same situation. His options are a big money Saudi style, Scotland style or championship. If its championship he may as well come home. Fair play to him for not retiring.
However I am nowhere near as positive as everyone else seems to be about the coming season. I don't think we'll have any problems with his attitude but I remember the excitement when we signed Robbie fowler. Maybe they were blips but have people not seen his wales performances recently?
I agree. Just laugh at it. Low grade, chip bag stuff
As they said, it may appear to be a short-sighted signing, but under our restrictions, do we really have an alternative?
Promising, up-and-coming youngsters is the long-term vision, but they cost money that we can't spend, even if we had it.
(that article was way too long to read past the first couple of sentences)
And it goes on and on and on and on and on.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeningradCowboy
He will be an assest to this club .. let's enjoy what we see , and consider it won't be game after game as his body won't take it .
I’m not convinced that Ramsey’s move will be a success and I’ve no problem with anyone else who believes that, but that article lacks balance and I have to question the judgement of anyone who thinks Sabri Lamouchi did a “great”job for City (he did no better than okay for me). As I mentioned before on here, I struggle to equate the Ramsey I see playing for Wales lately with someone who played so many times in Ligue 1 last season - the latter suggests he has not declined as much as his Wales games from the World Cup on suggests. To criticise Ramsey for only scoring once for Nice is suggestive of someone just putting a negative interpretation on things to suit his agenda - Ramsey is versatile enough to play in a deeper role which, these days, would probably mean he didn’t get forward much.
I must admit, I have doubts myself. It might work, it might be amazing, but it might not. We all have to admit he is injury prone. And in the absence of Bale he has tried too hard in international games and made mistakes. I don't think he's capable of carrying a team.
That's my biggest concern. When we had bale and Allen- Ramsey slotted alongside wonderfully and excelled.Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBlue
When he tries to do it all himself he normally looks pretty bad. Even when he was at his peak he struggled with that.
What that guy doesn't address is the fact that Ramsey chose to come home where as he could have stayed with Nice or taken the bucks in Saudi.I dare say if he wanted go to where the best offer is we wouldn't have had a chance. I personally think he did it first and foremost for family reasons. (the Mrs put her foot down)
Read the article with an open mind but the guy writing it clearly hasn't got a clue what he's on about.
He played over 30 games in the French top flight last season and was kept on by Nice, he had more options than that. There's only one Championship club who could have signed him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Father Dougal
What makes you believe that?Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
He's gone through the process of cancelling his very well paid contract at Nice to take a much lower wage elsewhere, as well as rejected a lot of money from Saudi Arabia, do genuinely you think he'd have done that for Stoke or Leicester?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lone Gunman
I’m fascinated that you seem to know so much about Ramsey’s wages at Nice and potential earnings in Saudi Arabia. Let’s face it, that’s all just supposition based on press talk.Quote:
Originally Posted by City123
Do I think Ramsey could potentially have joined another Championship club this summer? Very much so, especially if there wasn’t a deal to be done with City. He clearly wants to move back to the UK and I doubt any Premier League clubs would be interested at this stage of his career, so the Championship has seemed his most likely destination.
I think most CCFC people would like to see Ramsey sign but are under no illusions either.
Taking on Bulut with his "nobody knows" signings is a massive risk and Ramsey is not a long term answer.
However, fans haven't had much to cheer about last couple of seasons and to see one if the best players we have ever produced come "home" will soften the blow of what will likely happen in the next couple.
At the very least I hope that his professionalism and influence in the dressing room will help.
I’m also optimistic that he will offer us a creative edge on the pitch.
If our other players can get on his wavelength is another matter.
I thnk that Ramsey is going to have to learn to be on their wavelength, it'll be easier all round, in fact the other option isn't possible :hehe: We saw t with Bellamy when he was with us. He'd go to make a pass in one movement and the players around him wouldn't have made the run, although it was sporadic, and for all of those situations that occurred, they were massively cancelled out by the positives.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wash DC Blue
I'm hoping that Bulut can be clever with Ramsey. I hope that we don't see a Ramsey that covers 8-10 k per game, that will never do, it'll finish him. I hope that he sits off a bit, starts play, and only goes when it looks good. He's here to provide something that us lot on here have been banging on about since forever. A creative force with a bit of vision in midfield. So it's up to the others to cash in on that, learn, study what he does, become more intelligent, raise their game. Lets hope it works out. :thumbup:
Well put.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuerto
I’ve got needlessly more glass half full now though :)
The idea that the championship is the toughest league is a load of bollox. You saw what happened when we went up we were mauled out thought out paced and last to everything.
That article was written by a Rotherham United fan. Probably still salty after we beat them at home after the FloodGate debacle.
I also have my doubts - and this is someone who saw him make his debut.... I REALLY hope I am proved wrong and that he can drag this team upwards...if nothing else to encourage and tutor the academy players, and lift the dressing room optimism.
It obviously comes with its risk, but if he can stay fit for most of the season he’s a huge asset. You put him in the team and it instantly looks better in my opinion.
He's had critics all his career, all I know is some of the stuff I've seen him do in a city shirt have been the best I've ever seen one of our players do. He would ping balls from one side of the pitch to the other with amazing vision at 16 year old - any goals he did chip in with were never the focal point for his game - he's a midfielder not a striker. We had Callum Robinson wasting his talents last year dropping way back at times to play this string pulling role due to the lack of there being any vision in the team. I've no doubt Ramsey still has it in him to do damage to all the Championship teams and it's laughable to hear anyone say otherwise.
He was our best midfielder at 16/17. Sadly Dave Jones didnt pick him. He will be our best midfielder at 32 as well.
Jones has always been full of itQuote:
Originally Posted by Hilts
He was on BBC Wales last night saying it was he and his coaching team that were responsible
I think Jones was responsible for not playing him enough
He should have been on from the start in the final v Pompey
The only thing that would have affected him was nerves and lack of experience
But as soon as he was on the pitch he proved what class he was
A wasted opportunity
Agree. I remember one of his earliest games v QPR. Mcphail was injured or suspended. He was the best player in the side. The whole dynamic of the midfield and tempo was transformed. What was our weak central midfield was just transformed. He was that good.Quote:
Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY
But what did Jones do leave him out next game.
Definitely should have started the cup final.