Fabian Delph - Signed for Manchester City

[villadelph]

It's all been said before, but he signed up and gave a motivational talk.  That and his subsequent performances contributed to the feel good factor of the fans and club as a whole and significantly contributed to us staying up.

Would people have genuinely preferred he refuse to sign and go on a free?

Whilst I understand that in hindsight it looks bad, at the time it was exactly what we needed.  To hold it against him now is just a bit churlish and to liken him to Hodge is just ridiculous.

Furthermore, I strongly suspect at the time of signing he had no idea of City's interest and probably expected to be at the club for a good while.

The fact is, he has done us a big favour and should go with our thanks.

You're thinking too much about Delph instead of the club as a whole. The calculated deception and subsequent preparation to sell off top players is a joke. They plaster "WE'RE A BIG CLUB!" everywhere but operate like a championship outfit.

It's a farce, a joke. Sick of the same old shit, and piss off Fabian. Another career in the shit.

[Clampy]

I'm looking at it two ways. We're getting some money we wouldn't have got had he not signed but that 'i'm here for the long haul' statement he made is not going to win him many friends when he comes back. As for the new kit photo's, that wasn't one of the club's brightest idea's.

[olaftab]

The fact is, he has done us a big favour and should go with our thanks.

No no no. Not after this:This is my club and I want to be here. That's why I am committing my future.

[villadelph]

It's all been said before, but he signed up and gave a motivational talk.  That and his subsequent performances contributed to the feel good factor of the fans and club as a whole and significantly contributed to us staying up.

Would people have genuinely preferred he refuse to sign and go on a free?

Whilst I understand that in hindsight it looks bad, at the time it was exactly what we needed.  To hold it against him now is just a bit churlish and to liken him to Hodge is just ridiculous.

Furthermore, I strongly suspect at the time of signing he had no idea of City's interest and probably expected to be at the club for a good while.

The fact is, he has done us a big favour and should go with our thanks.

He has done is a big favour? We essentially paid £8 million for him originally. We stood by him for years through long injury problems. Just as he starts to reach his potential he leaves for more a less what we paid for him. That's on top of declaring his loyalty to the club. Not the biggest favour.

Not to mention we just paid £9m for his replacement when we valued him at £8m. Ass backwards club.

How can a player (an England international no less) negotiate a measly £8m buy out clause and claim to be loyal. Asshole.

[The Laughing Policeman]

He's a footballer doing what footballers do get over it.

[Nev]

We see 'em come, we see 'em go and the more I see, the less I give a fuck.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Who gives a shit what he said? He's leaving and let's get someone else in.

[frank black]

This has been managed appallingly from a PR perspective hasn't it.

[chrisw1]

It's all been said before, but he signed up and gave a motivational talk.  That and his subsequent performances contributed to the feel good factor of the fans and club as a whole and significantly contributed to us staying up.

Would people have genuinely preferred he refuse to sign and go on a free?

Whilst I understand that in hindsight it looks bad, at the time it was exactly what we needed.

I agree with this, but not the rest.

You would liken him to Hodge?  You don't think we should be thankful we got £8m for him?

[Tom_Mc9?]

We see 'em come, we see 'em go and the more I see, the less I give a fuck.

Agreed 100%. Getting upset because he said a few nice things about us then left isn't going to ruin my summer. Players come and go.

[Tuscans]

It's all been said before, but he signed up and gave a motivational talk.  That and his subsequent performances contributed to the feel good factor of the fans and club as a whole and significantly contributed to us staying up.

Would people have genuinely preferred he refuse to sign and go on a free?

Whilst I understand that in hindsight it looks bad, at the time it was exactly what we needed.  To hold it against him now is just a bit churlish and to liken him to Hodge is just ridiculous.

Furthermore, I strongly suspect at the time of signing he had no idea of City's interest and probably expected to be at the club for a good while.

The fact is, he has done us a big favour and should go with our thanks.

The fact is, he has done us a big favour and should go with our thanks.

No no no. Not after this:This is my club and I want to be here. That's why I am committing my future.

What a joker. £8 million being the favour....seriously. Peanuts man, should of had a minimum £20 million clause in there straight away, not because he's worth that, because he's English. He and his agent knew what they were doing from day one....No. 1, mug off the fans!

[pauliewalnuts]

He's a footballer doing what footballers do get over it.

Totally missing the point.

It's not him going to Man City that most people are upset about.

It is the way the club played it that is annoying people.

If you know your captain has only signed a new contract on the basis that he has a low release clause that will ensure he can get a move and you get some money out of it, don't have him address the fans on the screens pre match, like something out of 1984, talking at length about how it is his club, he's here for the long run, he loves the place etc.

I know players all say that, but really, they pretty much knew what was going to happen in the summer, which makes them look stupid.

Then, what's more, don't make him the centre piece of your new kit ads, pointing to the captain's band.

And if that's not enough of a fuck up, don't be tweeting that very same photograph alongside a plea to buy shirts when the news about his departure is out in the public domain

I thought Paul Faulkner was the idiot and Tom Fox was supposed to stop this sort of bollocks from happening?

Is this why he's been having journalists (see Collymore, for example) in for pep talks and holding "chin up" rallies for the staff, I wonder?

[Smirker]

Well I feel daft.

[Tom_Mc9?]

£8m is cheap for him, but that was the compromise in the deal. It will still get a replacement in if scouting is done properly.

[dave.woodhall]

It's all been said before, but he signed up and gave a motivational talk.  That and his subsequent performances contributed to the feel good factor of the fans and club as a whole and significantly contributed to us staying up.

Would people have genuinely preferred he refuse to sign and go on a free?

Whilst I understand that in hindsight it looks bad, at the time it was exactly what we needed.

I agree with this, but not the rest.

You would liken him to Hodge?  You don't think we should be thankful we got £8m for him?

I think that in the context of the situation £8 million is a reasonable sum - it's prtobably half of what he's worth and therefore a compromise. But he didn't have to say what he said recently and I can't see anything that could have made him change his mind about staying. For that he's on the path to Hodgedom if not all the way.