Distin departs for fresh challenge

With the recent takeover news and dismissal of Stuart Pearce, the issue of Sylvain Distin has fallen somewhat on the City radar of late but was thrust back in the spotlight today as an announcement (without any real rumour or leaked speculation beforehand) this morning confirmed his departure from the club after five seasons.

Distin himself confirmed:

"It has been an incredibly tough decision but in the
end, I just feel I want a fresh challenge.
"I have had five very enjoyable
years at City and I wish the club all the best for the future but I want to play
somewhere different.
"It is time for a change and it is time for me to move
on."

The club defended itself and its negotiations however, saying:

“We left no stone unturned to try and persuade him that
his future lay with us. We recently explored a new option that would have
allowed Sylvain to leave in this transfer window or the next one on a free
transfer if he was not happy with the on-field progress we were making.
“This offer would have given Sylvain the maximum flexibility to consider his
future over the next few months.
“However Sylvain made it clear that he felt
his ambitions could be better delivered elsewhere.
“He was a fantastic player
for this football club and I am sure that all supporters would join me in
thanking him for his efforts over the last five years.”

It was an interesting point that the club would have allowed him a free transfer in January if he signed a new deal, and was subsequently not happy at the club - something I'm not aware of a club offering previously.

This is something I thought he may have taken, given the recent changes in manager and likely takeover resulting in potentially significant investment in the side - which could have matched Distin's own ambitions.

Did the club do everything possible to convince him to stay? On a financial scale I would say yes, and the add-in of an 'escape clause' probably backs that up also but it is the way the club has gone and been run over the past two seasons in particular that I think have led to Distin's departure as I think it probably was a case of now or never for Distin who, at aged 29, is potentially entering his last chance of success at club and international level.

Time and again he must have sratched his head as he was continually overlooked for France by the likes of Silvestre and Boumsong. Perhaps a different club or European football may have resulted in a different outcome.

I don't think there will be any bad will towards Distin from the fans as at no time has he conspired to mislead anyone with his negotiations, always being honest and seemingly not concerned with the biggest monetary offer out there (hence him turning down Middlesbrough last summer). He is believed to have turned down a record contract offer from the club to test the market.

Rumours of potential destinations seem to point towards Portsmouth - something that I would be disappointed at as I believe he could aim for far higher than that, both in this country or abroad and deserves to be playing on a bigger stage.

As for ourselves, it is obviously a blow, both in terms of having to replace him but also the potential impact it may have on any signings that are lined up. For me, Distin has been up there with Dunne as the most consistent (and best) player each season and their partnership has flourished into one of the leagues best. The skills that he brought to the position were probably unparallelled with anyone since the days of Keith Curle.

We do however have two excellent players in Onouha and Richards who may just be ready to step up to a bigger challenge, and the central position will suit Onouha better than full-back. What we will need is some experienced cover to challenge for the position and also replace Distin's knowledge at the position - I see Sami Hypiia has been linked with us the past couple of days.

Above all though, it will mean that before strengthening the squad from last season (something desperately needed) we will need to replace Distin (not to mention Barton) just to get to the stage where we finished up

Distin set for further talks?

From Sky Sports:

Manchester City have scheduled another meeting to discuss
Sylvain Distin's future, with manager Stuart Pearce underlining that tying the
defender to a new deal remains a priority.
The French star has so far
refused to put his name to a contract extension at Eastlands and, with his
current deal expiring at the end of the season, the issue of his future has
become a long-running saga for City.
Distin has called on the club to
demonstrate that their ambitions match his own, and Pearce will attempt to do
just that when he sits down with the former Paris Saint Germain stopper in
the coming days.
"It certainly won't peter out as far as we're concerned.
The club, Sylvain and his agent have a meeting in place next week," Pearce told
the club's official website.
"We're very pro-active at the moment in respect
to all the players we want to re-sign and obviously the ones outside this
football club that we'd like to bring in.
"We're hopeful, as I have been all
the time.
"I think if you ask me if the boy's heart is in this football club
I would say definitely yes. It's a great starting point for any manager and
player.
"Priorities are Sylvain Distin, there's no doubt about that, and any
other players that are out of contract that we deem need to stay at this
club."

As I have said time and again, if we are to make only one signing throughout the whole summer, then it has to be Distin. His partnership with Dunne is one of the most solid and consistent in the Premiership, and despite the development of Richards and Onouha, it would be a terrible loss if Distin were not wearing the Blue shirt next season.

Distin - 'Show me some ambition'

As we head to the final stages of the season, now that our Premiership status is all but secured attention will now begin to turn towards potential offseason moves.

Stuart Pearce has indicated that new deals (quite rightly so) will be offered to current short-term signings Michael Ball and Emile Mpenza - hopefully this will fend off any potential suitors for the pair, and the future of Sylvain Distin will again come under the microscope.

I don't think there can be any argument that the club should pull out all the stops to ensure that Distin is re-signed on at least a minimum three year deal. Distin has once again been outstanding alongside Richard Dunne, and their partnership is amongst the best pairing in the league and testament to this is our excellent defensive record (given our league position) this season.

Distin has long claimed that money isn't the issue, and an interview surfaced with Sky Sports where he hasn't ruled out the possibility of re-signing with the club:

"I am 29 and I have ambitions, I don't want to be
fighting against relegation every season".
"I want to enjoy my football and
I need the club to invest in players and try to push forward.
"I have had
the opportunity to move away every season. If money was my top priority I would
have been at another club by now.
"It is not about how much you spend on
players - Newcastle have spent a lot of money on players and they don't succeed
any more than us.
"It is about the quality of the players and how long the
players stay at the club. That is important.
"In five years here I have seen
a lot of good players coming and going. Maybe that also means something.
"I
could speak to the manager about players but what is he going to say? We are
going to get Ronaldinho?
"Actions speak louder than words. We shall just see
what is going to happen."
Distin has also sought to underline his commitment
to the club despite the ongoing uncertainty regarding his future.
"I have a
strong feeling for Manchester City. Apart from Richard Dunne and Nicky Weaver,
no-one currently here has played the same amount of games as I
have."

It does appear that nothing will be decided before the end of the season and this one could drag on into the summer - perhaps even after his contract expires and he becomes a 'free agent'. One factor that I have always thought in our favour is it doesn't appear to be solely a money issue, and a lot could come down to which clubs make him an offer.

Last summer he turned down both Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, believing they weren't either a big enough club or could offer the ambition at City. This season Fulham have been linked with him, but again this would surely be a sideways move (at best).

My gut feeling is that Distin will end up re-signing with the club, however I am realistic enough to know that if a Champions League side comes calling, then Distin will more than likely be packing his bags and heading out of Manchester.

Lost in translation?

It seems that the foreign contingent in the squad have not taken too kindly to Richard Dunne's comments prior to the Blackburn game where he was critical of certain elements of the side - or so says Sylvain Distin:

"The foreign players, particularly the French and Italians,
have not taken it well at all.....it is a difficult time but we have to stick
together," he continued. "We have to communicate amongst ourselves and stop
blaming one another for mistakes. Sticking together until the end is
key."

For me it was more of a rallying call from Dunne, but from his comments perhaps it is understandable to infer that he was singling out the foreign players in particular. Still, there didn't seem to be much disharmony shown in the performance against Chelsea so hopefully it is one of these small points that the media seem to pick up on when targetting a 'crisis club'.

Transfer rumour round-up - January 3rd

It seems unlikely that Stuart Pearce will be armed with a hefty transfer kitty, and that any funds available to him will be coming once again directly from the chairman's pocket:

"There is no money sloshing around the accounts, so I
don't imagine three successive league wins will have any bearing on the money I
get from the chairman.....and obviously, with the input he has had already,
there will not be a great deal coming to me.
"But there are no tricks and no
hidden money.
"We have said that from day one."

I guess that rules out any move for Shaun Wright-Phillips then.

Jose Mourinho has appeared to distance himself from rumours that they are interested in Micah Richards with his post game comments:

"But I am telling you with the reality of the English
market, I prefer to play with assistant Baltemar Brito as a central defender.
"He is 55, he was good central defender and I would rather play him than pay
the crazy money that people are looking. I promise you, I prefer that.
"It
is everybody, not just Manchester City.
"We didn't even speak with any club,
but just because of the smell that Chelsea needs one central defender at least
puts people dreaming or thinking we are stupid.
"I would love an Aston
Martin, but if you ask me (for) £1million for an Aston Martin, I tell you, you
are crazy because they cost £250,000."

I've said before that I can't see Chelsea making a move for Richards in the January window, and unless Mourinho is bluffing with these comments, it seems to back this up.

Sylvain Distin has not ruled out a stay at the club beyond this season, telling L'Equipe that "several clubs are asking for me, it's very nice but I haven't ruled out staying at City", whilst former City defender Mikkel Bischoff has moved back to Danish side Brondby on a free from Coventry City.

Distin 'turns down' new deal

The Guardian reported today that Sylvain Distin has turned down a new contract offer from the club which would have seen him become the highest paid player at the club with a believed weekly wage of £40,000 - and that he is holding out for around £50,000 a week, which the Guardian claims 'will almost certainly see him leave'.

This has been refuted by the club who have stated:

“He’s not recently turned a contract offer down from
us. We’ve been talking to Sylvain for a year and a half in regard to his
contract.
“He still enjoys playing his football here, you’ve only got to
look at his form to see that.
“I honestly believe he will end up signing a
new contract. Whether that is tomorrow, next week or in the summer when his
contract actually finishes and he has to make a decision one way or the other, I
still feel he will be a Manchester City player.”

Inevitably the opening of the January transfer window will again bring speculation about Distin's future - especially (as seems likely) he will not sign a deal before the end of the window, and perhaps I'm playing to the speculation here a little but could Pearce's comments about having an abundance of centre-halves at the club loosen his resolve to necessarily keep him at the club at all costs?

Pair named in Actim Team of the month

Rewarded for their consisent performances throughout November, key players Joey Barton and Sylvain Distin have been named in the Actim Team of the month.

The Index, which bases their rankings on a range of statistical data rarely seems to feature any City players but highlights the quality that Barton and Distin have shown of late.

Distin 'answers critics'

Sylvain Distin revealed the reasons behind his celebrations following his goal (and City's third) during last nights victory over Aston Villa:

"I was a bit tired, but it was important for me because
a lot of people have been talking about me and saying things that were not
true."
"So far I have never answered, never said anything and just done my
job out on the pitch.
I wanted to show people that didn't think I was here
for the right reasons that I am."

Whilst it is true that Distin has generally kept his own counsel regarding his contract status, as we head into the new year when he can negotiate with other clubs, his performances alongside Richard Dunne again this season illustrate what a huge gap would be left if he moved on in the summer - or even worse, during the January transfer window.

Villa 1 City 3

Firstly, apologies for the lack of preview for last nights game but I've been a little busy over the past couple of days. Rest assured, it will be back for the Watford game and given last nights score could the 5-2 finally be on the cards?


So, we finally end our away day run of games without a win which stretches way back into last season and at least we made sure it wasn't a whole calendar year without a win.


I've not caught any highlights of the game as yet, catching most of it on the radio - and in particular I'll be looking forward to seeing Distin's goal. I read a little bit of the build up to the game from a Villa perspective and most accounts were wary of the threat of Vassell, which I discounted because he hasn't shown a great deal so far this season for one reason or another and he is currently the 'lucky' occupant of the left midfield role.


Still, it was inevitable I suppose that it was to be Vassell who gave us the lead and shock of all shocks we go and make it 2-0 through Joey Barton. Half-time away from home and 2-0 up - surely the game is as good as done. Well, not quite as we allowed Villa a foothold back into the game before Distin restored the situation to earn us the full three points.


Under Martin O'Neill Villa have surprised many this season - and their only previous defeat was away at Chelsea, but of late they have drawn games as opposed to have been winning so I felt we were in with a chance of getting something from the game, particularly with our good record at Villa Park.


Three points was perhaps a little more than expected but welcome nonetheless.






Reaction:

"Obviously going back to your old club gives Darius
a bit of a lift, there is no doubt about that. I think he loves Villa. He had
great times at Villa but he enjoys coming back and putting on a show.
"He has
done that every time we have played them and credit to him. I am asking him to
play out of position on the left-hand side of midfield but the work he did
attacking and defensively was fantastic for the team.
"It isn't his best
position but there's not been one moment where he has turned around to me and
said 'I don't want to do this role'." Stuart Pearce on Darius Vassell.

"We were second best in the first half. We got
ourselves back in the game in the second period and at 2-1 I thought we might
force an equaliser but the third goal was crucial and they won comfortably in
the end.
"We did not play well enough in the first half. We are not famous
for coming out of the traps quickly. But I still see no reason for us not to be
competing at the start of the game.
"From our view point they scored some
very poor goals which was disappointing as we have not been giving many
away". Villa boss Martin O'Neill.


Match reports:


The Telegraph
The Independent
Fox Sports

The 500 club

Taking a quick look at mcfcstats.co.uk at the all-time appearance list, it got me wondering whether we will again see the 'one club' type of player that was seen in days of old - and in particular making 500 appearances for the club.

With the numerous Academy players that are now either established in, or on the fringes of the first team the possibility may be there for a couple of the players to do this, but it won't be an easy task.

To make 500 appearances - whilst not impossible for a player establishing themselves in the first team during their late teens or early twenties, you would have to average around 35 apearances consistently for 15 seasons - which is no mean feat.

The difficulty is that we all know in the modern game a player is not expected to remain with one club throughout their career which makes the task even harder, but is there anyone in the current squad who could realistically make 500 appearances?

Given their age and likely longevity of the City careers, there are perhaps just four current players with a realistic chance of achieving this:

Richard Dunne 230
Nicky Weaver 188
Sylvain Distin 175
Joey Barton 127

Perhaps Distin is a little bit of a long-shot given he would need to play well until his mid-thirties but all of the others have a good chance of doing it if the see out their careers at the club - and looking at Nicky Weaver, without his injury problems he would be well ahead of Richard Dunne in the current 'active' players list.

The current 500 club is as follows:

Alan Oakes 680
Joe Corrigan 603
Mike Doyle 570
Bert Trautmann 545
Frank Swift 511
Colin Bell 501
Eric Brook 500
Billy Meredith 500


Don't forget that you can still vote to send me to Japan to cover the FIFA World Club Championships. Follow this link to vote.

Distin back on the agenda

Maybe it was a quiet day on the news front but Stuart Pearce was today talking about the future at the club of Sylvain Distin.

Distin of course is out of contract in the summer, and despite having a four year deal on the table from the club is entitled to speak to prospective clubs regarding a 'Bosman' move in January.

Pearce spoke of Distin, saying:

"He plays all the games and is professional, and is
fantastic to have around the place.
It is just us agreeing those financial
terms with him. At the moment we have got a bit of a sticking point, but we have
had that for a number of months.
Hopefully, the main thing that will tilt it
in our favour is that he enjoys his football here.
Sylvain is a pleasant man
who has sets of principles that he works to. That is fine, and I hope that his
performances can inspire the team's performances and make him say to himself:
`Hang on a minute, as it goes I enjoy living in Manchester, I enjoy this
football club and I enjoy working for Stuart Pearce'."

I don't doubt that Pearce does enjoying playing for the club, but from Distin's viewpoint he has now been here since we returned to the Premiership and I doubt the club has progressed as he hoped in terms of league positions and European football.

Despite the promise of Micah Richards and Nedum Onouha it would be a big, big blow if Distin did decide to walk come the end of the season. His partnership with Dunne has become that good and consistent we almost take it for granted and he clearly would be difficult to replace - rumours of Anthony Gardner arriving from Tottenham have been doing the rounds this week, and he would in no way be a wholly adequate replacement.

I doubt that Distin will sign a contract between now and the end of the season, preferring to wait and see what offers he will receive. Would the club decide to cash in though if an offer was received for him? That I guess is the worry, and I don't see we would receive anywhere near the amount we have previously been offered.

It is no sure fire thing that Distin will depart, and he of course turned a move to Middlesbrough down on the eve of this season believing that both the contract and the club didn't offer a big enough step up for him, but I cannot see that a club with who are regularly involved in Europe and with a bit of finance behind them won't make Distin an offer that he does end up taking.