Robinho walk out

I was a bit pissed off with the Kaká deal falling through, but what really got to me last night was the Robinho walk out story. I'll admit to getting over-excited by the proposed £100m transfer: like most City fans I'd spent the last week scribbling in the margin of books my team for 2009 - central in a 4-2-3-1, presumably, but would that restrict Ireland? But it was always essentially fantasy, even had it come true.

But the Robinho walk out story made me feel sick. That sense of dread that everything at City was collapsing, as it always does. I'd had it three times in 2008: the first rumours that Thaksin was unhappy with Eriksson on 13 April, particularly culminating in the 'understanding' that he would be sacked after the Fulham defeat. Then there was the Far East tour in late May and the alleged players strike. And then the implosion in early August when Corluka and Ireland were almost sold, Thaksin became an international fugitive, and it looked like it was going to go all Leeds United.

I didn't think the first such moment in 2009 would happen just three weeks in (in fact, I hoped there wouldn't be any). But reading that our best player (not just in general, but in my lifetime) had stormed out of training in disgust with the management, that his future was in doubt, was difficult to deal with. Of course, the future of the club wasn't threatened in any real way. But it would represent the failure of one of the club's boldest ever purchase, and the brilliant symbol of the ADUG era.

Today's news on Robinho has been slightly better. It was not, apparently, an angry reaction to the failure to sign Kaká but because he wanted to celebrate his 25th birthday in Brazil. Garry Cook talked to the broadsheets on Monday and so there are naturally a few stories about it today. Cook seems upset with Robinho's actions, but the whole 'Robinho's future in doubt' stuff does seem a bit overblown (from The Guardian):

"No player is bigger than the club," said Cook. "This club has a lot more history and heritage than one person, so it's disappointing. It doesn't set good standards. Robinho hasn't displayed the sense that he thinks he's bigger than the team in the past. But this is a disciplinary matter. Mark has some clear guardrails around the discipline of footballers and the roles that they play. If Robinho has broken those then we will manage it internally....

"And I would be surprised if anyone told me he is unsettled. Mark Hughes has not told me he [Robinho] is unsettled. He seems very settled when he is scoring for our team. I would be very disappointed if the happiness of players at our club was dependent on other players coming into the club. That would really disappoint me."

There's talk of Scolari wanting another go for him in the summer. The ways things are going, though, Scolari won't be Chelsea manager in the summer. And what's Abramovich going to do? Offer us £91million? Or am I playing this down because I'm scared it's true?