Need a Laugh?

My favourite bookies (those lovely people at Paddy Power) sent me my regular friday guide to what's what for the betting weekend.

Wonderfully entitled: "Need a Laugh? Juventus Have Bid 28 Million Quid for Dirk Kuyt".

I knew that Juve were rumoured to be interested in Kuyt, and I suspect that real figures are nowhere near the kind of price mentioned by Paddy, but that subject line had it's chosen effect upon me - a priceless and wonderfully jocular summing-up of the kind of foolery that football is.

Kuyt is a superbly hard-working player, with a fair amount of ability. But a £28M footballer? Sorry, Dirk, no. I am Liverpool and Kuyt has been a wonderful player for us. I fully appreciate all the effort that he puts in and the goals (important goals too) that he continues to score. If Kuyt wants to go elsewhere, then that's fine, and I wish him all the best, but it won't be for £28M.

With silly money in mind - I have intentionally made no mention of the Kaka bid and the attempts of Man City to sign him. I will however now give my view.

I fully believe that people financing with their own money are entitled to do whatever they so desire with that money, as is the case with the Man City owners. The only way a club like Man city (no disrespect - why do people always say that, when they obviously are being disrespectful?) could sign Kaka was by offering a stupid amount of money.

They did just that, and Milan accepted it. It would therefore appear to be the case that City screwed up the deal from then onwards.

I have no real opinion of Mr Cook, the executive chairman at City. I would, however, say that a better man, or woman, doing their job properly would not have screwed up what looked like being the biggest scoop of all time in the world of football, and possibly one of the biggest deals in sport in general.

I put it to you that if Man City had hired Jose Mourinho (even without the 'required' 'chief-exec' qualifications - whatever they are) he could have headed out from Manchester with a suitcase full of money, and returned the next day with a big smile and Kaka's signature.

As ever, Marina Hyde of the Guardian wrote a superb piece that is well worth a read, and a look through the comments (some people are so nasty): Why Cook's City-pops taste bitter