Summers End

I love summer in Spain...I mean the whole of it, the sun, the heat, the cloudless sky day after day after day, spending the weekend regulating one's temperature with one foot in some water (be it sea or pool) and one hand on a huge "pozal" of gin and tonic with plenty of lemon. The chance of free time and to press OFF on the mobile and laptop, of the BBQ's that start with lunch and end up being dinner too. It's the weather equivalent of supporting Barcelona.

But in footballing terms it's horrible. Little or no action, worthless uniteresting U-21, U-17, U-19 internationals, and the realisation that year after year it is money pure and simple that rules every move, and that players, agents and clubs (with very few exceptions) display a lack of scruples and a greed that surpasses even your worst expectations. It's like being frozen and wet on a gloomy thundery day watching Grimsby Town v Macclesfield holding a cup of cold bovril.

But today has provided me with a couple of the biggest (if somewhat ironic) laughs of the year, both caused as the scramble to spend petrodollars, gaspounds or oileuros hots up.

Firstly.....Money doesn't buy you intelligence or an understanding of football, as Sergio Agüero's semi illiterate utterings on signing (39 million) for Manchester City demonstrated....his reason for joining? The lovely weather? Carlos Tevez's recomendation? No..."It felt right" (and just maybe the obscene 200,000 per week pay the poor lad will be picking up). Now this creates a problem, as City's other massive ego's think they are now underpaid at a measly 150 large a week. I'll be happy to see them fail.

Secondly, hahahha...hahhahaaaa.....Chelsea's new boss Villas Boas comment that Manchester City's recruitment policy was "unfair"...hahhhahhahahahaaaa.....hahahahhahhaaaa. Now that's hilarious. Brilliant. I think we have a new comic talent on our hands. Either that or in Portugal ones own bully boy loadsamoney tactics are simply not on when a new bigger meaner bully is in the class. Pot. Kettle. Black. (and let's not forget this is the club who spent 75 million quid in one day last January, on the same day they conviniently hid the news of a 75 million pound loss for the preceeding year).

On a more serious note, it all makes UEFA's financial fairplay regulations look more and more ridiculous and ineffective. The clubs seem to be thinking that if they all flaunt these rules, they will all get off without punishment. Will Platini and co stand up to the bigger clubs and their TV audiences in favour of smaller, better run clubs? I think not.

Now.....I'm off to put my trunks on and find a big glass....