Real Madrid - Ultimate Destination or Just Plain Circus?
Could not help it. 
Thought this is funny, especially when it happens to Real Madrid. And of course a brilliant opportunity to 'comment' on their infamous Galactico-ism, their money politics, their annual election campaigns and the resultant side effects of it. Like this ridiculous phenomenon.
And not forgetting their constant lusting after (our) players, the media games they play and the extent they would go to just to achieve their objectives.
While we can't deny their rich history and achievements, it is their manner of approach and the way they go about things that are highly contemptuous, probably backed up by their self-indulgent delusion that all players would die to play for them. Yet strangely, it seems true as we all unwittingly become first-hand witnesses in this summer...
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=558626&sec=europe&&cc=4716
Schuster: I have no knowledge of transfers
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has hit out at the club's directors for keeping him in the dark over transfers.
He has also claimed the squad are growing anxious at the lack of new signings, with only one player arriving at the Bernabeu this summer.
The Spanish champions have focused all their efforts on trying to lure Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo, which has so far proved fruitless.
Racing Santander's young defender Ezequiel Garay is the only signing to date, although Ruben de la Red has returned from his loan spell at Getafe and on Wednesday president Ramon Calderon revealed Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart is close to joining.
However, when asked about the deals for Ronaldo or Van der Vaart, Schuster bemoaned the fact nobody had explained the situation to him.
'Finally I'm happy the president is coming, someone who can talk to me and tell me from his own lips how things stand,' he told a press conference. 'We made some theories some time ago (about which players to sign). I don't know if things have changed but it would be good to know.
'I'm not angry, I'm used now to being more or less the last to know. Everyone finds things out except me, someone who has more importance. It's not nice finding things out from others and not knowing how nor being able to answer questions. It's not good. I'd like to know more.'
The attempts to bring Ronaldo to Spain began before the European Championships and are still seemingly no closer to completion.
Schuster revealed on Saturday that Madrid had a 'plan B' in place should they fail to sign the Portugal star, but admitted the plan may become more complicated the longer the club waited to act.
Now the German coach believes that the club should have done more sooner to bring in their summer targets.
'Things should be done a lot earlier than in previous years, where players have come in very late or at the last minute,' he said. 'There's not long now until the new season starts for us with the Supercopa and there's a bit of concern.
'Nothing's happening. The players are worried. They're asking how long we need to wait for one thing or another.'
Despite the gloomy outlook, Schuster believes the club may still sign the players they are pursuing before the transfer deadline on August 31.
He added: 'The only advantage we have is that we are Real Madrid and any player would want to come however late it is. Certainly for me to get organised I like to have players as soon as possible, but there is a certain type of player who we've been talking about all summer, who maybe you have to wait for until the final day.'
Thought this is funny, especially when it happens to Real Madrid. And of course a brilliant opportunity to 'comment' on their infamous Galactico-ism, their money politics, their annual election campaigns and the resultant side effects of it. Like this ridiculous phenomenon.
And not forgetting their constant lusting after (our) players, the media games they play and the extent they would go to just to achieve their objectives.
While we can't deny their rich history and achievements, it is their manner of approach and the way they go about things that are highly contemptuous, probably backed up by their self-indulgent delusion that all players would die to play for them. Yet strangely, it seems true as we all unwittingly become first-hand witnesses in this summer...
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=558626&sec=europe&&cc=4716
Schuster: I have no knowledge of transfers
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has hit out at the club's directors for keeping him in the dark over transfers.
He has also claimed the squad are growing anxious at the lack of new signings, with only one player arriving at the Bernabeu this summer.
The Spanish champions have focused all their efforts on trying to lure Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo, which has so far proved fruitless.
Racing Santander's young defender Ezequiel Garay is the only signing to date, although Ruben de la Red has returned from his loan spell at Getafe and on Wednesday president Ramon Calderon revealed Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart is close to joining.
However, when asked about the deals for Ronaldo or Van der Vaart, Schuster bemoaned the fact nobody had explained the situation to him.
'Finally I'm happy the president is coming, someone who can talk to me and tell me from his own lips how things stand,' he told a press conference. 'We made some theories some time ago (about which players to sign). I don't know if things have changed but it would be good to know.
'I'm not angry, I'm used now to being more or less the last to know. Everyone finds things out except me, someone who has more importance. It's not nice finding things out from others and not knowing how nor being able to answer questions. It's not good. I'd like to know more.'
The attempts to bring Ronaldo to Spain began before the European Championships and are still seemingly no closer to completion.
Schuster revealed on Saturday that Madrid had a 'plan B' in place should they fail to sign the Portugal star, but admitted the plan may become more complicated the longer the club waited to act.
Now the German coach believes that the club should have done more sooner to bring in their summer targets.
'Things should be done a lot earlier than in previous years, where players have come in very late or at the last minute,' he said. 'There's not long now until the new season starts for us with the Supercopa and there's a bit of concern.
'Nothing's happening. The players are worried. They're asking how long we need to wait for one thing or another.'
Despite the gloomy outlook, Schuster believes the club may still sign the players they are pursuing before the transfer deadline on August 31.
He added: 'The only advantage we have is that we are Real Madrid and any player would want to come however late it is. Certainly for me to get organised I like to have players as soon as possible, but there is a certain type of player who we've been talking about all summer, who maybe you have to wait for until the final day.'
