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Tag: Radamel Falcao

  • Radamel Falcao To Manchester United: Was It A Panic Buy?

    So apparently Manchester United went out and spent the Moon and stars to buy cover for a position that is not actually a problem for the struggling club.

    Were we foolish to expect the close of the summer transfer window to be used wisely? Clearly so as the Red Devils have managed to acquire AS Monaco’s Radamel Falcao on a year long loan.

    Where oh where does one even begin?

    Manchester United waited until practically the last minute to bring in Falcao. They even required an extension to make sure the deal happened in time.

    If Falcao addressed Manchester United’s issues on the field, this kind of trouble would be understandable.

    But he doesn’t.

    It’s true that the 28-year-old is a talented forward. Some even boast that he has the talent to win games on his own.

    That would be nice if Man United’s problem was a consistent inability to find the net. The true issue is a gaping defensive wound that third tier football teams are more than capable of tap-dancing through.

    And then there is Falcao’s wages.

    OH. MY. DEAR. GOD THE WAGES!

    Manchester United are going to pay the Colombian striker around £365,000 or $600,000 per week. Some put the amount at £346,000.

    Per week. For a loaned out player.

    For perspective, their veteran skipper Wayne Rooney is currently on a salary that said to be slightly more than £300,000.

    In fact it’s the wage bill that reportedly brought the total cost for Manchester United to have Falcao for a single season to around £24 million.
    We’re talking the kind of money most clubs spend to buy a player for keeps. While Manchester United allegedly have an option to buy, you’d think they would have held off on spending this kind of money until AFTER they made Falcao a permanent part of their team.

    The truth of the matter is that Manchester United’s last minute antics would be called a massive “panic buy” if the act were committed by practically any other team in the Barclay’s Premier League.

    And even without the overt acknowledgement, whose to say that it isn’t?

    The panic comes in knowing that fans are anything but impressed with the Red Devils’ anemic start to their 2014-15 league campaign. Especially with no European football of any kind available. They’ve already crashed out of one domestic cup in a spectacular fashion (a humiliating 4-0 loss to MK Dons).

    What purchases like this are ultimately meant to do is divert the attention of onlookers away from the train wreck that has been the last two years for this Manchester football club.

    Now, it’s very possible that Falcao could go out and prove himself to be a miraculous revelation. He could singlehandedly lift the Devils up the league table.

    For the money Manchester United have elected to spend at the close of the transfer window, all I can say is he’d better!

  • Radamel Falcao, Colombian Striker, Criticizes Ref on Twitter Following 2-1 Loss to Brazil

    Colombian forward Radamel Falcao took to Twitter Friday to criticize Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo following the 2-1 loss to Brazil in the World Cup Quarterfinal.

    The injured Falcao isn’t the only one blaming the ref for sloppy officiating. It seems the whole nation blames the loss on Carballo.

    The 28-year-old hasn’t played in the 2014 World Cup because of a knee injury he suffered in January when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, but that didn’t prevent him from tweeting his mind about the officiating.

    Looks like he might not be that far off in his sentiments concerning the referee. According to WhoScored, 54 fouls were committed, beating the previous record of 51. Brazillian players committed 31 of them. However, only four yellow cards were handed out during the match.

    Translated: “For the next match, remember to call the referee, who today didn’t show up.”

    Twitter blew up with tweets from observers of the match who felt there should have been at least two red cards given. Many of the tweets ranted that Carballo had totally lost control of the match, risking injury for the Colombian players.

    One sports writer for Yahoo Sports thought there was a simple reason for the lack of yellow and red cards during the match.

    “Perhaps Carballo purposely didn’t want to show yellow cards so no players are suspended for the semifinals, as FIFA rules state that after the quarterfinal stage, all yellow cards are reset and all players are give a clean slate. It shouldn’t be an excuse, but it might have been the reason why no cards were shown for two-thirds of the game,” said Xoel Cardenas.

    Colombia’s James Rodriquez had the majority of fouls committed against him, and he had something to say about it.

    “We fulfilled all the dreams we had. It’s a shame we have to go. I’m crying because we gave everything. Unfortunately, the referee didn’t help much. Brazil is a good team, but we gave everything so we are calm. We wanted to carry on, but we hold our heads high. Thank you Colombia,” said Rodriquez following the match.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons