Rehashing the Rehash
By: Martha | July 14th, 2008
So, Baky’s back and everything’s pretty much the same as it was last week: He’s training with his teammates, is still a Nice player, and Cohen is again making noises about needing an agreement with OM tomorrow or the door is closed. (This after already closing the door once.) At the same time, though, he’s told the press that his old 15 July deadline is “not an ultimatum,” but rather an arbitrary date set to allow proper preparation for the season, so who the hell knows. One interpretation is that talks with OM will end tomorrow (again, without ever having been officially revived), but talks with the mysterious Other Interested Clubs* could and will continue, if Marseille won’t cough up that extra €500,000.
Nice do seem to be at least trying to prepare for life without Baky, though: They’ve reportedly already made an offer — including a three-year contract — for Lens’ Aruna Dindane, who won’t be back on the pitch for anyone until at least mid-fall. Dindane’s not exactly without suitors: In addition to several foreign clubs, he’s also supposedly being watched by Nancy, ASSE, Lyon and Marseille, though one does wonder if the latter is actually interested or just want to make difficult for Cohen, for which it’d be hard to blame them. Lens fan sites claim Dindane wants to stay, though one wonders how legit that is, particularly given the talent-dumping Lens has been doing since the transfer window opened. Carlos Tenorio, too, remains in the frame, but he may be a bit too rich for Nice’s blood.
In other news, Ospina went through his first Nice practice today and, while Letizi was there and at least went through some fitness work, I’ve not seen any updates on his condition; if anyone has, pleased drop your knowledge in the comments.
The team travel to Fréjus tomorrow for their second friendly, in which they’ll try not to give up five goals. Any thoughts on whether Antonetti will take everyone along, or leave the group who just arrived today at home to work on getting their legs back?
*A group that does not, as Lyon have once again told everyone, include them.
ETA: Asked about the Baky Situation, Pape Diouf says “common sense can … prevail,” whatever that means.
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Tags: Aruna Dindane, Baky Koné, Carlos Tenorio, Lens, Marseille, Maurice Cohen, Nice Team News, OGC Nice, rumorsSubscribe
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Comments
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Guess 1: Diouf’s reference to common sense indicates that OM is willing to put enough on the table to get Baky to the Velodrome.
Guess 2: Antonetti will take Baky and the rest of the squad to Frejus; it’s only about 80 km down the A8, not exactly a taxing journey.
These predictions and one euro will get you a ride on the swish new tram that goes from Place Massena to the Stade du Ray.
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You think he’s talking about his own common sense? That hadn’t occurred to me, I was envisioning stern disapproval of Cohen’s negotiation through the press — I like your interpretation better.
They have a swish tram now? Hell, there goes my last reason not to go to a match!
Are you going to make your way to Nice for some football again this year, or is it way too far ahead of time to even think about?
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(Lyon needs to make that point clear b/c they are included in everything, naturally)
It seems like this whole “player against the club” thing is big this season — let’s see how this plays out.
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M, given that the one piece of team clothing that ursus minor (age 9) insisted on taking to California this morning was his OGCN baseball cap and that his mother keeps saying we need to look at apartments on the Cote, I don’t think I’m going to have much choice. And I’m sure he won’t let me take him to see Auxerre (or else impose the same behavioral restrictions on me as there are when the Viola come to play Inter). And then there’s the fact that I clearly need to get a lock of Cyril’s hair for you . . .
There’s a piece (including a video) on the swish tram here: http://www.totallyriviera.com/nice/content/113. It really is very nice, though they do get a bit Tokyo-like in crush terms immediately after a match.
And you’re right about Baky’s size; if anything, he looks even smaller in person.
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Everything I hear about urusus minor makes me like him more, from his quite reasonable rules about your football behavior to the teams he supports. (There’s an old woman Lens supporter who is still so taken with Cyril that she greets him at the airport for harassment/adoration whenever Nice play Lens or Lille. From what I can tell, Nice give her tickets to the matches, and she sits in the front row. If I lived closer, I would be her.)
That video is a very good piece of advertising, I’m seconds away from packing my bags.
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*laughs at Diouf’s comment*.
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No way Dindane will stay at a L2 club - this time last season he was being followed by a bunch of EPL clubs. ASSE and Marseille are pretty loaded up front while Nancy would be a bore to play for (plus they will never outbid anybody), so he’s there for Nice’s taking.
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Well that’s something, at least. There’s LOADS of foreign clubs being described as “interested” as well, though it’s anyone’s guess how legit those stories are.
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0-0 at Frejus.
Nice Matin may not even bothered to have send a reporter, or else they are just adopting a Provencal approach to updating the on-line version of the paper.
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Italy
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