Vladi goes to Rangers

Vladimir Weiss has gone to Rangers on loan.

I think it's a good move. What he really needs is a whole season, so we can see just how good he is. He needs two games a week, every week, he needs to learn how to cross, and when to pass. If he stayed at City it would be a few minutes here and a Carling Cup game there.

De Jong into quarters, Vladi out

Nigel de Jong's Holland made the quarter finals of the World Cup with a 2-1 win over Slovakia. It wasn't a great game; in keeping with Holland's group stage matches they were cautious and patient, and produced only occasional moments of attacking quality. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder put them 2-0 up before Robert Vittek pulled back a late penalty. My report for Telegraph.co.uk is here.

For de Jong it was another solid game. His combination with Mark van Bommel is probably the least-compromising 'doble pivot' in the World Cup, with a hat nervously tipped to Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo. They closed down Slovakia and denied them space.

Some of Slovakia's opportunities came from Vladimir Weiss exploiting the positional naivety of Gregory van der Wiel. Two or three times Weiss surged behind van der Wiel but without much end product. Even with Vittek's late penalty it was a safe enough win for Holland, who now progress to the quater-finals.

Vladi, RSC meet in Bloem

Another late update: we had the second World Cup clash between two current MCFC players the other day in Bloemfontein - Vladimir Weiss's Slovakia lost 2-0 to Roque Santa Cruz's Paraguay.

It was a decent game, Paraguay were much the better side, and while Weiss had a nice touch or two Santa Cruz looked quite good. Not as freely mobile as we might hope but playing ninety minutes of a World Cup as an achievement in itself for him. He played the articulate pivot between the energy and movement of Nelson Valdez and Lucas Barrios - and looks set to play in the last sixteen.

Vladi powerless as Slovaks blow it

Can't believe I'm late on this one. Vladimir Weiss was faultless earlier this week as Slovakia blew a 1-0 lead against New Zealand in stoppage time. He had been typically bright for most of the game, and Slovakia took the lead through Robert Vittek. But Weiss could only watch as Winston Reid headed a stoppage time equaliser. Slovakia's chances of progress look poor.

De Jong in the headlines

And not in a good way.

A late tackle in last night's 2-1 win over the USA saw Bolton Wanderer's Stuart Holden fracturing his fibula, putting him out for six weeks. Our Nigel said:

'Such offences are part of football,' he said on www.knvb.nl. 'I went for the ball and got the opponent at the end. I had no evil intent. If the ball is between me and the opponent, you have to go in full. If you do not then the opponent takes you. And if you're scared in a game you get injured yourself.'

Everyone knows I love de Jong, and of course I recognise that severity of injury and malice of tackle do not correlate 100%, but it still is a bit of a shame to see that happening in an international friendly.

On the other hand, it might help Vladimir Weiss get a game for Bolton.

Weiss loaned to Bolton

For the rest of the season.

It's a good move for him - he needs Premier League experience for his development, and he needs games if he wants to make Slovakia's World Cup squad. (On Sunday 20th June at lunchtime he faces Roque Santa Cruz's Paraguay, which will be a massive game for City fans.)

The one bad moment is the timing of this move - I was hoping he'd play on Sunday at Scunthorpe. But then SWP needs gametime so I guess he might start anyway.

Weiss signs new deal

He's here until 2012, according to the official site:

"I have been here for four years now and I came here to realise my first team ambitions. I am delighted to have signed this contract", he declared.

"I am excited about what the future holds and delighted that even with the players that City have got now, the club have given me the opportunity to progress and show that not only the big players can make it.

"The new deal shows that young players from the academy can progress. I am happy that I am one of them.