SteveO 35 wrote:g88ner, I think we're in violent agreement mate. I certainly wouldn't label any of our famous back line greedy bastards - Dixon, Winterburn, Bould and Lukic (yep people forget the guy) plus Seaman - all left smaller clubs to join us. Anyone labelling them greedy back in the day would be deluded. Similarly I don't think Cesc is being greedy either: I genuinely believe that a 150k per week wage would not have kept him here. He gave it 8 years and won next to nothing and his boyhood club are winning everything. I don't call that greed
Adebayor however joined City as one of the first band of mercenaries before there were any chances of trophy success. The other examples I mentioned I put into that bracket too. There are plenty of others but we would be here all night. Look at someone like Winston Bogarde at Chelsea - he was on 80k per week and played about a dozen games. His team may have been winning trophies but he wasn't getting any personal medals and allegedly shunned countless offers from sides on the continent where he could have won domestic honours, played regularly but probably on half the wage.
It cuts both ways I think.
Yes, Bogarde was a strange one - the money grabbing c*nt!
But although you'll always get extremes, I do think it's very difficult to de-couple greed and ambition when, at top clubs, they often go hand in hand.
Take Nasri for example. Greedy or ambitious?
On the one hand, his wages have probably doubled, so there's a financial motivation... but, on the other hand, can anyone really argue that Arsenal have more potential to win trophies that Citeh this season, or anytime soon? - not really

some might say he was never going to get into the Citeh team so it must be greed that motivated his move, but top players probably always believe in their talent and believe they're good enough to break into the team... that's what ambition is! - going as far and high as you can!
I'm pissed off with Nasri for leaving because it felt too soon, but to be honest, for an ambitious player, going from Arsenal to Citeh (or several other of the world's top clubs) is a logical move.
Van Persie is in a similar situation now... should he go with his heart and re-sign for Arsenal? or does he have an ambition to win titles and the CL? - if so, he needs to disappoint the fans and leave.... the money grabbing bastard!
