Does Anyone else want to leave?

By: Jeremy | January 4th, 2008

Maybe its just the American in me, or maybe its just the fact I am bitter because my favorite Serie A team sucks, but it really frustrates me that Cagliaris players, the good ones anyway, all seem to end up in the press talking about their desire to play elsewhere. Yes, I know this goes on with other teams and you always hear quotes from players like Kaka who pledge their life to Milan one minute and then give sound bites about how it would be an honor to play for Real Madrid or whomever.

What has got me in such a mood you ask? How about my boy Acquafresca. Im sure a few of you atleast have read where he is basically begging Torino to make a deal for him to bring him home. Could he have better timing atleast? Yes I know he was a Torino fan growing up and played in their youth system, but is it the culture of these guys to forget who they are currently playing for and discuss their desire to play elsewhere? There is no uncertainty about what he is saying. How do you build team spirit and unity, especially in a relegation battle, when your best players and guys who should be your future, are discussing other clubs they want to play for rather then what they can do to give their all for Cagliari and to help the team avoid relegation? Is the situation that hopeless already? Maybe if they proved themselves over a couple of years and keep quiet, they might get the right club to bring them in at some point. If a player performs at a smaller club like Cagliari, the big boys will come calling. Its the nature of the beast and I accept that. Thats why I love David Suazo despite hating Inter. He handled everything with class when he began to emerge and was clearly heading to a bigger club. He could have left a lot sooner then he did. Foggia and Acquafresca, while great players, are still young and fairly unproven. Shut up and play for Cagliari a team that has given you first team football when you may not get it elsewhere at this stage in your career.

As a kid growing up wanting to play in the NASL for my hometown San Diego Sockers, I dont think I would have mentioned my desire to do so while I was playing for the Jacksonville Tea Men and my team was fighting for a playoff positon or atleast hoping not to disappear as a franchise all together. I would have total allegiance to my current team and want the team to be unified and my fellow players to know I was there in spirit to fight with them for the team. Maybe it is just a cultural difference between Europeans and Americans. Maybe Im just whining.

I love European Soccer, but is really hard to be a fan of a smaller club when you feel like many of your good players simply want to be elsewhere. Whether their reasons are justified or not, you almost want to sell them and tell them to move on.

Sorry for the angry rant.