'Neither Hughes nor Mancini understood me'

Robinho has spoken even more freely than usual about his time at City:

"Neither Hughes nor Mancini understood me. Perhaps they only believed in the sporting side of things but that wasn't enough for me. There was a lack of contact between the players and the club.

"It was much like an office - to training and goodbye, to a match and goodbye. I am Brazilian and I can't offer my best performance if I'm not happy in every aspect of life. That was my problem. I am a special footballer and I need to be happy when I'm playing."

Well, maybe it was. There were times when I saw Robinho play for Brazil and thought that his failure to really do what he could for City was our fault. But then I can't bring myself to blame Mark Hughes or Roberto Mancini for not indulging Robinho to the extent that he wanted. They could have bent over backwards for Robinho but I still don't think it would have satisfied him. Because ultimately I don't think that Robinho is cut out for club football, or at least, football at a high-level results-driven European club. The fact that he has forced moves from the clubs he has played at so far says a lot.

I'd love to see him do well at Milan, and hope he finds a more accommodating atmosphere. But I don't feel any sense of regret that we didn't make things easier for him.

Robinho leaves, permanently

With none of the shock or the awe of two deadline days ago, Robinho has left Manchester City for good. A summer sale was the only plausible outcome as soon as we loaned him back to Santos in January. That was done to ensure he had as good a World Cup as possible, thus increasing our chances of selling him. And I suppose it worked; he played pretty well in the World Cup, and has got a move to a high-prestige club, as he wished.

I think he'll do well enough at Milan. I imagine he'll prefer it to Prestbury, and there's no doubt that the style of football is closer to his comfort zone than the Premier League. With Ronaldino, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexandre Pato he will find team-mates more simpatico than Carlos Tévez or Craig Bellamy. It's also perfect from an MCFC perspective: a decent fee (estimated at £18m), a foreign club, and - to use a dreadful Californianism - 'closure'.

Because, unlike in January, we now know that Robinho's time at Manchester City is done. The figurehead and totem of the ADUG takeover has not survived the changes his arrival heralded. Consecutive managers have decided that he does not fit in a squad of less talented but more focussed players. Mark Hughes never had the political capital to follow through on this instinct, but Roberto Mancini did and so Robinho was gone within a month of the Italian's arrival.

So how will his time at City be remembered? There is hardly anything from 2009/10 worth commenting on. Injuries, transatlantic flights and Craig Bellamy prevented him from having any impact more influential than a meaningless goal at Glanford Park. But 2008/09 is different. It would be churlish and myopic to deny his excellence and his impact on arriving in England. For that autumn, he enchanted us just as much as his old pal Elano had done one year before. The chip against Arsenal, the skills against Portsmouth, the clip against Twente, the dance against Hull. Not to mention in the spring his drive at Goodison Park, his pass to Ireland in the Nordbank, his volley against West Brom. He was possibly - pace Kinkladze - the most gifted player I've ever seen at City. He didn't make the most of his talent, but he was still a privilege to witness in blue.

So why the separation? I think he just wasn't what we needed at our stage in our development. Mark Hughes was trying to transform a mid-table side into a UEFA Cup-level team; Robinho was just the last thing we needed. He was always incongruous, in the league, the club, and the Mark Hughes project. And when Roberto Mancini arrived, under desperate pressure for results, he had no interest in someone who had not played well for eight months. And Robinho had no interest in allowing a selection battle jeopardise his World Cup - departure was the only option. I know it's vulgar to quote oneself but it's easier than finding different words for the same thoughts. This is what I wrote when he left for Santos seven months ago:

Robinho as a footballer came to mirror Robinho as a signing. All symbol, all gesture, with no solid foundation or basis. Just as he was bought to add glamour and spice to a team that needed strengthening in key areas, his performances themselves prioritised style over substance. A pedalada here, a rabona there, but when there's no effort, no thought, he is revealed to be the bauble he is. His play, just like his purchase, was a case of putting the icing before the cake.

He had some great moments, and represented the promise of the Abu Dhabi era at City. After years of Trevor Sinclair and Antoine Sibierski he was a thrilling deliverance from grey mediocrity. But ultimately he was more promise than product; a memorable companion on our journey but certainly not someone to lead us into the promised land.

Robinho MCFC 2008-10. 50 starts, 16 goals.

Robi to return

Unfortunately we have not yet sold Robinho anywhere. And given our unwillingness to loan him back to Santos, he will return to MCFC at the end of his loan spell next week.

Or rather, he will play a friendly for Brazil against the US in New Jersey on August 11 - part of Mano Menezes' exciting new squad, alongside City targets Neymar and David Luiz. And then come back to City just in time for opening day.

But it's not obvious to me that Robinho could be re-integrated into the playing squad. In fact, I think that with Adam Johnson, David Silva and presumably Mario Balotelli in our 25 there might not even be a place for our (current) record signing.

It would be a situation so absurd that I am sure we will compromise between now and deadline day. In practice this will mean accepting of, say, £15m rather than holding out for £20m. There are not many clubs who could find that money to buy him, but maybe some. Beşiktaş? Milan? Benfica? Lyon? Juventus? That's my prediction, anyway.

Robi for Ibra?

This is a rumour that has been all over the Catalan press in recent days, and today it makes its way into the Manchester Evening News: a deal with Barcelona where we get Zlatan Ibrahimovic in exchange for Robinho and some cash.

The M.E.N. story says that Mancini is so much of a fan he would be willing to pay '£15m plus' on top of Robinho. This is even higher than was reported in El Mundo Deportivo yesterday - €10-15m (£8.4-£12.5m). There is certainly enough to make us believe something in this story.

We are actively and openly seeking to offload Robinho, and Barcelona could do with someone who plays on the left of a front three. Barcelona are not as keen to offload Ibra are as we are to sell Robi but his debut season at the Nou Camp was fairly mixed and he's not obviously in their best starting eleven. City are on the lookout for someone new to lead the line and Mancini had real success managing Ibrahimovic for Milan. The clubs could certainly reach a deal. The sticking point to me seems to be Ibrahimovic's willingness to join a team of our stature.

I'm afraid I am, like most English fans, an Ibra-sceptic. It doesn't need to be stated how talented he is, but I think there are legitimate questions to be asked over his reliability, his consistency and his application. Like Danny, I'm not convinced he's a natural partner for Carlos Tévez. And that, for me, is the main test we should apply in our search for a new centre forward.

Robi scores but de Jong through

What a night of football. Two Manchester City players going head to head for a place in the semi-final. Robinho v Nigel de Jong. And City legend Elano, still injured, could only watch.

Robinho started well, playing with the imagination and audacity we saw at City and the energy and bite that we didn't. His tracking, tackling and efforts to win the ball back made him look like a different player altogether from our £32m man.

Only five minutes in he thought he put Brazil ahead, ghosting behind Andre Ooijer, receiving Dani Alves' pass and scoring. Just as he wheeled away to celebrate the flag shot up - Alves had been offside. Tight call. But five minutes later Robinho put Brazil ahead. Holland lost the ball, and their transition from an attacking to a defensive set-up was haphazard at the least. Robinho drifted into the chasm between Ooijer and Johnny Heitinga, and was half-heartedly tracked by Arjen Robben. But he received a straight ball from Felipe Melo and replicated that open body right foot finish we saw against Chile (and against Portsmouth in the 6-0.)

Once ahead Brazil dominated. Robinho's movement was too much for Gregory van der Wiel to comprehend, and Robi was even involved in spats for - get this - over-zealous tackling. Nigel de Jong had to restrain him once. But Brazil couldn't double their advantage and went into half-time one ahead.

The game looked sewn up. The one thing I was sure of was that Brazil would never implode, never capitulate. So the second half was shocking. The Dutch were brighter but could have expected to be gifted a goal. Wesley Sneijder swung a cross in, Felipe Melo and Júlio César jumped into one another and the ball was deflected into the net. Soon after a Dirk Kuyt near post run was ignored, he flicked a corner on and Sneijder buried the second ball.

But there was disappointment in between the goals for de Jong. His harrying and tackling was so relentless, so heroic that he picked up a yellow card. This was his second booking of the tournament and means he misses the semi-final. A personal blow but how else was he meant to keep Kaká quiet? It was a noble act of self-sacrifice to rival Jesus of Nazareth Luis Suárez.

When Felipe Melo was sent off for stamping on Arjen Robben the game was up. Ten man Brazil were stunned and could not create anything. Holland's extra man told and they had their own chances on the break. Robinho and Elano are flying home, and while Nigel de Jong won't play in the semi final he might just be strutting around Soccer City next Sunday night.

Robi scores, Brazil progress

Brazil's serene progress through the World Cup continued last night with a 3-0 win over Chile. There was some disappointment that Elano still had not recovered from the injury he suffered against Ivory Coast, but this was tempered by the personal success of Robinho.

After Juan headed Brazil 1-0 ahead, Robinho was involved in the second goal. He picked the ball up on the left touchline, ran at the Chilean defensive, dragging them towards him before moving the ball to Kaká. Just like Brazil's first goal against Ivory Coast, Kaká quickly pushed the ball between two defenders, Luís Fabiano received it and rounded Claudio Bravo to score.

The third goal was scored by Robinho himself. Ramires surged through midfield and was tackled on the edge of the Chilean box. The ball fell to Robinho who opened his body out and strummed the ball with his right foot into the far corner. It was remarkably similar to his goal from a similar position against Portsmouth in the 6-0 win in September 2008, for those that remember. A reminder, as that was, what a natural finisher de Souza is in those types of positions.

Robinho and, I hope, Elano will face Nigel de Jong's Holland on Friday afternoon.

Elano, Sven reunited in Soccer CIty

A special moment tonight for City fans as one of our finest players of recent years - Elano - played and scored in front of the world at Soccer City. All the more meaningful, though, was his emotional reunion with Sven-Göran Eriksson, the man who brought him to MCFC in that fantasy summer of 2007. To see the two of them together, albeit on opposite sides, in such a showcase occasion felt important.

And Elano did very well. He was well involved in that right-inclined midfield position, as Brazil dominated possession against a fairly limited Ivory Coast side. Luis Fabiano put them two goals ahead, and Elano scored the third early in the second half - darting into the box, receiving a cross from Kaká and sweeping the ball past Boubacar Barry with his left foot. But just as Brazil were threatening to step up from excellent to glorious Chiock Tioté jumped onto Elano's shin, who was stretchered off. I am praying it's bruising rather than a break.

There was other City involvement too. Robinho played, and had a few good moments but never quite recovered from the shame of a selfish 35 yard shot in the second minute when he ought to have slid Fabiano in. There was a comic moment late in the second half when the game had descended into discord and drama: Robinho was fouled, went to ground writhing and rolling but on seeing that none of his team mates had surrounded his assailant he had to jump back up and take the throw in. And of course the Touré brothers, who might play together at City next year, did well enough in difficult circumstances.

Elano inspires Brazil win

In all my dreams for this World Cup, this was fairly prominent: a Brazil inspired by two City legends. This was just the first game, and against the weakest side in the group. But if the rest of the tournament is like this it will be a delight.

This was not the easiest win for the Seleção against a very well regimented North Korean side. They defended in numbers, threw themselves in front of everything in the vox and kept them out for the whole first half. Elano, willing to shoot from range, posed a threat, as did Robinho's quick footwork at times.

But the breakthrough came with help from Elano. Early in the second half he slid Maicon on the overlap, who reached the byline and shot with the outside of his right boot, angling the ball with ferocity behind the keeper and in. I think he meant it.

An assist for Elano was good. But his goal was even better. Robinho, growing in confidence, picked the ball up and played the perfect pass between defenders, Elano strolled on to meet it and casually placed it into the bottom corner. It was a goal of almost insulting ease, and reminded me just how much I missed them. Elano especially. Since he went I've missed him like a dead pet. I'm more keen for him to succeed in South Africa than any other individual.

After a goal and an assist in his first game, I'm dreaming he can keep this up into the final.

More from Robinho

Something almost as tiresome and predictable as 'Yaya Touré might come to City but is waiting for better offers' stories; Robinho breaks the news that he'd rather play for someone other than Manchester City in 2010/11.

“Any footballer in the world would love to play for a club like Barca," De Souza said. “The relationship between Robinho and the board at Manchester City is very good, although it's true that there are some problems with the coach, Roberto Mancini.

"We have a meeting with City on the 16th. I will travel to Manchester with Gilvan de Souza (Robinho's father) and we will look at the situation with Robinho. "We know that City are looking for a club for Robinho. There will be no quotes (from Robinho, at the moment). Robinho is focused on winning the World Cup."

There's not much to add. We know he doesn't want to come back. I don't think Roberto Mancini is too concerned either way and while we wouldn't mind if he left, the club will want some return on the £32m invested in him. I always thought the most likely deal was as bait in a cash plus player deal with either Barcelona or Benfica for any of their players we want. But those deals are complicated enough without throwing Robson de Souza into the mix.

City legends score in friendly win

Brazil played a friendly yesterday against a Benjani-inspired Zimbabwe side.

They won 3-0 with goals from MCFC legends and Mark Hughes-antagonistes Robinho and Elano. See the goals here.

Report from the Telegraph's Jonanthan Liew here.

Ela, Robi make Seleção squad

Two MCFC legends - Elano and Robinho - have made Dunga's final squad of 23 for the World Cup.

Sylvinho, Jô, Geovanni and Glauber did not.

'Outside-in'

There's a good article by Jacob Steinberg on WSC.co.uk about the growth of the 'inside-out' winger, exemplified by Mancini's deployment of Adam Johnson from the right hand side:

Wingers operating on the opposite side of the pitch to their favoured foot may not be a new phenomenon, but it is one that managers in England are increasingly embracing. Last Sunday, Adam Johnson provided a stunning vignette of what the inside-out winger offers. With Manchester City trailing Sunderland by a goal in the last minute, a corner was cleared to the right side of the penalty area where Johnson was waiting. Attacking on the outside would have been futile as he would have led himself on to his right foot. Instead he rolled inside before curling the ball into the top corner with his left.

The thinking behind the tactic is not complicated. By attacking on the inside, a winger is able to target a full-back’s weaker foot, leaving them in a position in which they are less likely to risk a tackle, for fear of committing a clumsy foul. On his first start for City, Johnson won a penalty after a teasing run induced enough panic in Bolton’s Paul Robinson that he eventually tripped the winger.

It's certainly been a notable feature of our play this season. Shaun Wright-Phillips is the only one of our wide players who has consistently featured on his natural side. Craig Bellamy and Robinho have both played from the right, understandably given that they are converted centre and inside forwards respectively, both more comfortable and more damaging with a shot than a cross. This has been the case under both managers this season.

But there has been a development under Mancini: the use of conventional wingers Martin Petrov and Adam Johnson from their weaker sides. Petrov is a very traditional outside left; before the rise of Luis Antonio Valencia he was arguably the division's best old-fashioned winger. And so to play him inside-out (although I think 'outside-in' is a better term) doesn't always work so well. Johnson is different, though, as Steinberg points out. As Robben and Messi show, the key to effective outside-in play is audacity - the willingness to drive inside the full-back, to take the shot on, to worry the defence and push them back. And while I'm not claiming AJ is anywhere near those two, he does noticeably have a touch of magic about him, in a way that, say, Stewart Downing or even Ashley Young does not. Which is why he might just be an effective left footed right-winger himself.

Robinho 2 - 0 Given

Mark Hughes' best and worst value for money signings went head to head tonight in an international friendly at the Emirates. And it was the £32.5m man who came out on top. Brazil won 2-0 and both goals came from our very own Santos FC's Robson de Souza.

It wasn't a great match and Brazil never got going. They're set up to counter-attack through Robinho and Kaká but in the first half they could only run into the Keith Andrews-Glenn Whelan wall in midfield.

But they went ahead just before half time: Kaká put in Robinho down the right hand side, and he whipped in a cross that Andrews diverted past Shay Given. I don't know whether it's an own goal but Robinho's not exactly the sort to decline to celebrate lest he later lose the goal to the dubious goals panel.

Brazil improved in the second half, playing possession football in opposition territory. Robinho had one goal disallowed after Grafite robbed Paul McShane and then missed a great chance after Kaká did the same to Andrews.

He made up for these when he finished off the game's stand-out move. It started further back but it climaxed with an interchange between Kaká and Grafite before Robinho played a one-two with the Wolfsburg striker and scored with one of those perfectly placed side-foot finishes of his, beyond the sprawling Given.

He then went off for Nilmar, and the game finished 2-0. City legends Richard Dunne and Elano were both injured for the tie, while City's Greg Cunningham was on the Irish bench.

Cunningham makes Republic squad

MCFC Academy graduate Greg Cunningham has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad for their friendly against Brazil next week. He joins MCFC goalkeeper Shay Given and MCFC legend Richard Dunne in the 23 man squad.

It shows how highly the young left back is rated. I don't know much about him, but he looked solid enough in his 45 minutes at Scunthorpe in the FA Cup fourth round. And he only turned 19 three weeks ago so he's certainly very young. It will be interesting to see if he replaces Ryan McGivern as our best young left back from the other side of the Irish Sea. (McGivern is from Newry, and represents Northern Ireland.)

City legends Robinho and Elano are in the Brazil squad for the game.

Bowen speaks on Robinho

Our former assisstant manager becomes, I think, the first member of the Mark Hughes team to speak publicly since their dismissal just before Christmas. (Of course, Hughes made a statement through the LMA but it was very carefully worded and so is quite different from this sort of media engagement.) Bowen was speaking about Robinho - not exactly his favourite player at City:

"He took a lot of stick, but he did massively underperform, especially away from home," said Bowen.

"I just thought that, physically, he wasn't really up to the challenges of the Premier League."

"There is no doubting that if and when he went to another league, or back to Brazil, it would be a different style of football and it would suit him better," said Bowen.

"We always felt he could possibly blossom and get used to the Premier League but he wasn't really up to the week in week out challenges."

The sentiments themselves aren't a surprise - everyone knew this is how Hughes and Bowen felt about Robinho - but seeing them expressed publicly is still interesting. It will be worth keeping a close eye for more public utterances from Hughes, Bowen, Niedzwiecki etc, to shed more light on their time at City and the circumstances of their departure. And with a return to management rumoured for Hughes, we could well hear more quite soon.

Robi scores on Santos re-debut

With a Zola-style backheel in the 85th minute, as Santos beat São Paulo 2-1. Check it here.

Robi wants Santos stay

Well this isn't exactly a surprise.

But Robinho has said that he is keen to stay at Santos for a while:

"My goal is to stay for a long-time," the 26-year-old said. "If the president wants to extend my contract to four years that would be great."

Once he had been shipped off on loan - back to the Brazilian league - the idea of returning to the scene of his failure doesn't sound like the sort of thing Robinho would be too keen on. If we're honest, his heart was barely in it at the start. And after six months at his home town club I don't think he would be keen on proving himself at Eastlands for the 2010/11 season.

I might be wrong. But would we have signed Adam Johnson if we thought we were getting another left winger back on August 4th?

Robinho goes

He's gone - on loan to Santos FC until August 4th.

Coming the day after our semi-final defeat to United, the edge has been taken off the drama of this move. It was no surprise, after weeks of rumours. But it's a big story. Robinho is a key part of the history of the ADUG era at Manchester City, and so by extension a big player in the history of MCFC. His arrival on September 1st 2008 symbolised this thrilling new chapter in our club's history. He came at midnight that evening, poached from underneath Chelsea's nose, for a British record fee of £32.5million. It was the club's most thrilling moment since Paul Dickov smashed the ball past Vince Bartram at Wembley in 1999.

Robinho was meant not just to symbolise our new era but to take us there. And he had a good start to his City career. Playing on the left of a 4-3-3 he impressed, scoring 12 goals in his first 19 games. He provided us with some magical moments: the chip against Arsenal, the hat-trick against Stoke, the beautiful strike against FC Twente. He is as natural a finisher as I have seen in blue. But as the winter set in it became increasingly clear that he was not quite the player we hoped he was. He was lazy on the pitch, disruptive in the dressing room - infamously leaving our Tenerife training camp without permission, and refusing to wear the club uniform on trips - and disgraceful in away games. I maintain that his performance at Fratton Park last winter was the worst I have ever seen from a Manchester City player.

An injury at the start of this season put him out for months, and when fit he fell behind Craig Bellamy and Martin Petrov in the pecking order, who both combine a pace and directness that Robinho lacked. When he did play - as at Goodison Park - he was ineffectual and played as if his heart wasn't in it. After his goal-laden start, he went on to score just four in his last 34 games for the club.

Robinho as a footballer came to mirror Robinho as a signing. All symbol, all gesture, with no solid foundation or basis. Just as he was bought to add glamour and spice to a team that needed strengthening in key areas, his performances themselves prioritised style over substance. A pedalada here, a rabona there, but when there's no effort, no thought, he is revealed to be the bauble he is. His play, just like his purchase, was a case of putting the icing before the cake.

He is officially only at Santos until August 5th. But I would be surprised if we see him at City again. So what does this tell us about ADUG and the whole project? Most obviously, that transfer policy is best conducted by football people. Mark Hughes didn't always spend well - just look at that £40million pair of centre backs - but there's no doubting that chairman-driven transfers aren't smart. But it is certainly to the board's credit that they have sanctioned this, and not insisted on 'their man' continuing to play a role he has no interest in performing. Equally, it reflects well on Roberto Mancini that he has made such a ruthless and clear-headed decision so soon into his management of the club. The luxury of our position is that we can afford to cast off those unwilling and able to do their bit, even if it means losing money. I hope this acts as a deterrent to those who feel they can avoid pulling their weight.

I hope he does well at Santos. He was never my favourite player - I tend to prefer the warriors to the conjurers. But he provided us with some special moments, and showed us a glimpse of the quality of players we could now attract to MCFC. Like his mate Elano, it is a shame that it didn't work out. But I can't wait to see them reunited in the World Cup.

More on Robinho

This Ashley Gray article is full of information on the Robinho move, which looks likely to happen even if his destination still isn't definite. Though Santos are front-runners:

Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues Filho and club lawyer Joao Vicente Gazolla will hold face-to-face talks with City before the Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Manchester United.

The Brazilians described the deal as '98 per cent done' on Tuesday night and believe that merely signing the contract is all that is left to be done after conducting most of the negotiations by e-mail

More on Robinho

The Santos press officer, Arnaldo Hase, says that a meeting in England - attended by Robinho's father Gilvan de Souza - on Monday could be decisive:

The Santos press officer Arnaldo Hase said the Brazilian club have sent two representatives to Manchester for talks with City. "There will be a meeting [today] that may be decisive for good or for bad. City would accept a six-month loan, Santos want to negotiate for six months or longer, but we will be happy if the deal is closed for six months," Hase said.

"Under our proposal, Santos would pay Robinho's wages. The player already said to us he is open to earn less here than in Manchester. If everything works out well, Robinho could be a really cheap signing for Santos because we have a lot of partners interested in financially supporting Robinho's return."

And Roberto Mancini has just confirmed that the club are in talks with both Santos and São Paulo FC over Robinho's departure.