Open thread for todays game, feel free to comment or follow my twitter updates that I'll post from the game.
If you are heading to the game, keep a look out for the flyers being handed out promoting a new book from Ian Cheeseman. I interviewed Ian this week and will have a piece up the next couple of days or so.
Mark Hughes' men will complete their build-up for the Barclays Premier League campaign with a prestigious friendly against Celtic at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday, August 8 (kick-off 3pm).The visit of Glasgow's former European champions means that City will warm up for the season with an intriguing Old Firm double header, with the Celtic match preceded by a midweek clash with neighbours Rangers at Ibrox Stadium.
After a brief delay regarding the fee following the end of his loan spell, Giorgios Samaras has completed his move from to Celtic.
With the fee believed to be around £1 million, it is less than the original £3 million fee we had agreed with Celtic, and considerably more than the amount we shelled out to sign him from Herenveen.
In truth, the deal is that we've pretty much had to give him away to ensure his departure from the club - one that appears welcome from both sides.
I've written before about Samaras's struggles and it won't be shedding any new light on him by revisiting them safe to say that if Stuart Pearce risked his managerial future (at least at City) on the expensive signing (relative to the time arrived) then it was a gamble that backfired badly.
Bought on the premise of having plenty of promise and one for the future, he wasn't without talent but was far from the finished article (which we probably needed). He didn't settle to the demands of the Premier League and was not the type of wholehearted and committed player to win over the fans.
Joining a side that was struggling badly, and seemingly incapable of creating any attacking output, Samaras was not the type of player who could dominate defences or carry the attack, and for that reason was doomed to fail given the time which he arrived at the club.
In truth, Samaras was on his way out this time last year but a suitable buyer could not be found, but twelve months later on the back of a semi-succesful loan spell, we have managed to cut our losses on him - and that is about the only positive we can take from a spell at the club which will not be looked at with much fondness from all concerned.
LONDON, Jan 29 (London) - Celtic have signed Greek striker
Georgios Samaras on loan from English Premier League Manchester City until the
end of the season, the Scottish champions said on their Web site (www.celticfc.net).
Celtic said
they had the option of making the deal permanent for the 22-year-old, who has
won 12 international caps. He scored eight goals in 55 league appearances for
Manchester City.
>>reuters.com
So Samaras becomes the second member of our forward line to depart on loan this transfer window, and it is likely that short-term loan moves may well be a feature from now on during January windows, given the short timeframe does not always give too much room for manouevre to hammer out a permanent deal and does give the opportunity almost for a trial period for clubs to assess how a player fits into their side between then and the end of the season.
Like Bianchi, the Samaras move can be made permanent and if indeed it does do, it will bring an end to the career of a player who never really impressed or won over the fans. In his defence, he arrived as a young striker with more promise than polished talent and was very much a work in progress - something we couldn't really afford given our plight over the last season or so.
With the takeover of the club and emergence of some of the younger players, it has made Samaras surplus to requirements and was another player that Sven never took a shine towards and although had a couple of fleeting appearances, hardly seized the opportunity handed to him this season and of course may well have departed the club earlier if the deal with Birmingham had gone through.
Undoubtedly Samaras does have talent, and it may well be that he does go on to prove himself at Celtic or elsewhere, but the fact is that when he arrived at the club he perhaps needed more time to ease into the Premiership than he was afforded, and givent he lack of funds available to Stuart Pearce during his time as manager, the signing will go down as an expensive mistake made.
As for Celtic, a surprising move perhaps, but Gordon Strachan has taken on loan signings previously as short-term squad depth as they hit the second half of the season and in the SPL, Samaras may well fare for better than he managed in the Premier League - and at the very least will put himself in the shop window for a move during the summer if things do not work out at Celtic Park.
