Beef Bagel

At last, a reason to enjoy the European Championships this summer and I’ve a feeling we’ll all be getting a few funny looks as we sit there watching the coverage from Austria and Switzerland wearing that ridiculous gingham tablecloth of a strip with a certain number 14 on the back.

It was announced a little earlier today that the Modric deal has been confirmed and, so long as he gets a work permit, it equals are record transfer fee of £16.5m and who knows, if he really is that good a ball playing midfielder, he may just start making Sergei Bent look for like his price tag. The contract is for a healthy six years and the cash will be paid in installments over the next four years. I wonder how far you can eek these deals out? Yes, well pay the £55m for Kaka but in installments over 110 years.

Now, I have just spent the last half an hour looking for some decent clips of Luka Modric but there are none. No the world’s best sign. They’re either 6 minute photo fests from Zagreb fans with visible flecks of spunk where they’ve just not been able to hold themselves back or very badly out of focus footage of the Croatian playmaker scoring mystery goals in what looks like very dense fog.

I then came to the conclusion that nobody’s seen the best of him yet and we’re just going to have to wait until we get him into the Lilywhite shirt and can watch him week in, week out. Then I started to think, well even if I did find a bunch of clips and he looked quite good, what does that really tell me? What about all the moments that hit the cutting room floor? Out of all the hours he’s ever played, you could probably edit together a minute’s worth of Gary Doherty looking like the best poacher ever.

So, I thought I’d take a look for JJ compilations. After all, our current No.8 is the man with whom Modric will be in direct competition with. I didn’t find much but then I suppose JJ hasn’t quite achieved the same level of local adoration as Modric at either club or country level. Finally, I ended up getting very pissed off with shitty video editors and bad, late 90s American rock music. I’ll see for myself soon enough.

There seems to be a slight worry in the press that even the Perfect Juan doesn’t know much about Modric. Apparently, it was a Croatian player and former pupil of Juande’s at Lleida, by the most excellent name of Elvis Scoria, that recommended Luka.

“I decided on him after seeing him play just twice,” said Ramos.

“Scoria recommended him a year-and-a-half ago, when I still did not know the guy. But he was aware of the great ability to find players and Scoria convinced me with his conviction that this was a special player.”

The angle in some publications is supposed to be that we’ve spent a lot of money on a player who Ramos doesn’t really know but how many times do you have to watch a footballer to know if he’s good? Once to watch him play well and a second time to check it wasn’t a fluke. That makes sense to me. Now, if he watched five times, then I’d be worried. That smacks of uncertainty if you ask me.

Modric himself has been open that Ramos was the big draw for him and again I take great comfort in that. Who needs all the bullshit about how much he loves Tottenham and how he used to support us in the womb? Besides, we already know he’s pally with Eduardo and plans on living with him in Hertfordshire - remember to only egg one half of the house. This is just what we want; CL players who are willing to take UEFA Cup football because they believe in El Rey Juande.

Next on the hit list officially looks like Samuel Eto’o now and I’ve even read of some sort of swap deal with Berbatov and hopefully some cash or another player as well.

“You cannot do anything overnight, since it is a project that we undertake for the next five seasons,” said Ramos outlining just how deep the preparations go.

“For great achievements we need big players like Eto’o and Modric, just to move.”

Ah, I see. Eto’o and Modric. Jolly good.

I had a quick look at the Uruguayan chap, Bruno Fornaroli, yesterday and even began giving him the full bagel before a) I lost my work through a computer crash and b) noticed that Ali the Yid had put the only decent bit of media on the guy on the site already. So there we go. All I have to add is that his nickname is the “Tuna” - presumably for personal hygiene reasons - and he’s already supposed to be in fairly advanced talks with both Inter and Napoli.

We do hold an ace in the shape of fellow countryman Crazy Gus but I’ve a feeling Bruno would only get kidnapped by Italians if we pulled of the relatively cheap £4m coup. Go and take a look at a few Napoli forums. They’ve pretty much stamped their club crest on his head.

Story of the day for my money though, is the interview that Younes Richards gave to So Foot. Just have a read of this…

Martin Jol was a person. For us he was a father whereas Ramos is about tactics, final point, there is nothing.

At training we do a lot of XI against zero and blackboard work to work on the ball. Ramos brought that to us, but nothing else. The Carling Cup win saved our season. They say we won it because Ramos arrived at the club, but it is nothing to do with him. We would have won it with Martin Jol.

I played all the first part of the championship and since the manager changed I do not play anymore. I have not been told why. He does not speak. With anybody. Communication does not exist with him.

It is his choice why he does not play me. I respect it, I am a professional.

I am young, it is the first time it has happened to me in my career but I am not surprised because when you are a footballer, you have to be prepared for that, for good and bad moments.

Ramos did not really give me my chance. When the player does not feel his coach’s confidence, he cannot do many things on the pitch. Tactically it changed a little, maybe.

Regarding the personality, there is no comparison.

We have had a difficult season. We score many goals but for sure we concede too much. More than half of the goals were from free kicks. So the spectators are entertained but for us it is a pain because those mistakes cost us many points.

I learnt a lot this season. All that has happened has helped me strengthen my game but most of all my personality. When I arrived I proved to the coach and the club I was capable of reaching the next level.

Then with the change of coach, I was there and ready when needed. I was defensively okay and scored goals. Finally I never gave up so I do not regret anything.

Well, guess he’s not sticking around much longer then.

I want you to jab, right in the bagels, until they turn blue and fall off.

The Bagel.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 2:06 pm and is filed under Bagel News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.