An interesting sub-plot to City’s summer transfer plans is the fate of Ricky van Wolfswinkel – the proverbial and literal big-name signing from two years ago.
A year on loan at St. Etienne did not convince the French club to take up the option of making the switch permanent. A figure of £4.5 million had reportedly been agreed; just over half of the sum that City paid for the Dutch striker 12 months earlier.
Despite a flurry of early goals in Ligue 1, an underwhelming season has left Ricky with the prospect of being ‘returned to sender’ and those running the club with an important decision to make. It also provides the supporters with a vaguely uncomfortable point of debate – namely, whether the most expensive signing in club history might just have been a complete waste of money.
These same supporters helped finance the £400,000 signing of Grant Holt through foregoing rebates on their season tickets. The fact that the club may have been so profligate on replacing our legendary number ‘9’ is therefore difficult to accept.
This, alongside the fact that Ricky is widely seen as being a pretty decent bloke, has led to an understandable desire to look for a fairy tale ending rather than simply cutting our losses.
Those calling for him to return to the fold will cite the fact that we now have Alex Neil in charge. The turnaround in fortunes since his arrival from Hamilton certainly suggests that City have a manager who can get the best from his players. He’s currently a man with a Midas touch and an ability to make a crock of gold from a crock of something far less palatable.
However to suggest that this will lead to Ricky becoming the free-scoring striker needed to secure Premier League survival is to overlook a number of things.
It’s true that Chris Hughton’s tactics did little to help Ricky shine (or anyone in a yellow shirt for that matter) but Neil also favours the lone frontman and already has three to choose from.
Cameron Jerome has the strength and physical presence to bully a centre-half, Lewis Grabban has pace and a willingness to run the channels and Gary Hooper has a natural eye for goal and is by most accounts the best finisher at the club.
Ricky sadly showed none of these attributes. And if a player simply isn’t good enough, there’s little that Alex can do. Ask Luciano Becchio, or Tony Andreu for that matter.
Andreu was signed by Alex Neil from Accies and was the SPL top scorer at the time. He was, on paper at least, ideally placed to spearhead the promotion push but the player struggled to cope with the demands of the Championship and Alex quickly realised there were better, more equipped options available.
Ultimately Ricky represents the ‘ghost of Christmas past’ and not a very pleasant Christmas at that. City retained most of the squad that were relegated, a squad lacking in confidence with the stigma of relegation and failure hanging around their necks.
Through hard work and endeavour over 49 gruelling games they turned that round together. They have a team spirit that was forged on nights at Blackburn and Huddersfield through dramatic late goals. A spirit tested in the face of a hostile crowd and the aerial bombardment at Portman Road in the play-off semi-final. A bond that was cemented as they climbed the Wembley steps to celebrate in front of a jubilant Yellow army.
Ricky wasn’t there. He’s become a reminder of a time when the club were under-performing and divided and I can’t see a way back for him.
I hope I’m wrong but in most fairy tales it doesn’t usually end up well for the wolf.
The record signing will probably be surpassed this summer, as the tv money is more ridiculous than last time. Other players have probably cost a greater percentage of available team budget in the past, but we never get to see that figure, and why would we.
back to Portugal for young Ricky perhaps ? He did so well there after all.
Ricky just doesn’t seem to have the physic, nor the mentality, for English football. To me it looked obvious that he needed to spend last summer in the gym. He clearly didn’t! I honestly can’t see him being better equipped twelve months on to progress at this level. Time to cut our losses.
This is one of the most baffling scenario’s regarding a failed city striker.However you try to analyse it and regardless of the standard of football he played in, you don’t become a bad footballer over night ? Well perhaps you do ? He has undoubted ability, it’s all about something going on in his head and he has not got the mental strength to deal with it. I don’t see a future at Norwich but wish him well wherever he ends up. A great shame as he has a cracking name.
Good, interesting appraisal. Many of us are/were maybe looking forward to seeing a fairytale flurry of goals from the Wolf in the Premier League, but you’re right, the squad has been forged into a confident, effective unit through hard work and a willingness to reinvent themselves. A shame, but it would be sheer folly to put all this endeavour in jeopardy by the introduction of a rogue male so, with sadness, it has to be bye-bye Wolfie!
Your comments on Andreu are weak.
The fact that Alex Neil likes one striker makes it impossible for him to come back as he possesses none of the attributes required to fill that role. Historically many £8-10M strikers have been pretty similar in the Premier League. Only about half of them have ever scored goals regularly. It really is 50/50 for that money, we got the wrong side of the coin.
Cash in what we can and move on. Sentiment and perseverance with RVW will only send us back down.
This is the correct analysis. RvW doesn’t have the physicality, not part of the spirited team and, in the squad’s minds, a reminder of past unhappy time.
Whilst publicly there might be a bit of ‘Neil will look at him’ and ‘every player has their chance’, in practise I’m sure shrewd Mr McNally will have him ‘on the market’ at a knock down price or looking to place him on loan in Europe. We won’t hear anything until its done, but I bet the decision has already been made.
The RvW mistake was made two years ago and its best to take the hit and move on.
It’s sad to say but the reality is RVW has scored just 5 goals for 2 top league sides in 2 years. He probably only had 5 attempts at goal for City in a whole season.
Yes the gaffer has motivated players and brought success but don’t expect him to create a ‘silk purse’ out of a ‘pigs ear’.
Overall though the past season has been a good one for RVW. As Norwich have been promoted to the premier league that probably means his wages will now revert to premier league wages. A substantial pay increase for him.
There was a Dutch lad called Ricky,
Found life at the top a little tricky,
He flew off to France,
For a second chance,
Now he’s back, get rid of and quickie.
I’m not so negative about RvW as most on here. At St Etienne he scored 5 goals in 18 starts in Ligue 1 and 4 goals in 6 starts in the Europa League. I’m happy enough for AN to make the decision, but I’d like to see him get another shot here.
I felt for RVW in the games he started for us, because sitting behind the goal you could see that on a lot of occasions he was in a good position and looking for a through ball played between defenders, but it just didn’t come. Instead, we tended to check back, and look for a player eventually getting out into a wide position, and then we mostly didn’t end up getting it in to the box anyway. You could see his frustration, and you could see the confidence starting to drain out of him.
However, having said that, I don’t think he is physically suited to the way AN wants to play, and it’s probably time for him to move on. We have options in place, as described above, and the opportunity to buy in more if necessary. (Just as long as it’s not D Murphy!)
I wish RVW well, and hope he finds a club that suits his style of play.
I agree Rick. I checked the Ligue 1 stats and 5 goals and 3 assists from 18 starts isn’t too bad, as well as a few in Europe like you say. watching them on youtube, some of them are very good goals and his movement looks sharp. Maybe the French and Portugese leagues aren’t upto PL standard but teams like PSG, Monaco, Lyon, Benfica & Porto are good sides. Also on youtube you can see him casually run into space to put Sporting 2-0 up at Man City as he helped knock them out of the Europa league a couple of seasons ago. He scored 20 goals in 2 seasons for Sporting in the Europa league alone, and got into the Dutch national team (no small feat).
His video clips are impressive (especially the way he finds space against teams like Man City, who aren’t a bad side) its obvious something went seriously wrong with his confidence here and i suspect certain squad members didn’t make him welcome; the lack of respect Snodgrass showed him for one when he was one of the most respected penalty takers in the game but Snodgrass thought he was better (Snodgrass missed the penalty of course). I agree his size is a disadvantage but as long as he’s playing for a team that moves the ball quickly, i believe he will find space and score at any level (if a top manager could get him firing on all cylinders again). I doubt he will get a chance but he has great potential and that doesn’t just disappear. I back him to come good again in the next few seasons, wherever he ends up.
Ricky’s yesterday’s man. Instead, I’d like to see us sign this big American lad, Chuck Blazer who has been grabbing all the headlines. He’s good at evading taxing situations, exposing organisational weaknesses and is always prepared to spill his guts. Ideal qualities for a forward thinking leader of the line.
If we are going to write Wolfswinkle off then lets not forget Jerome has spent a lot of time in the top flight and never really cut the mustard and Grabban looked nothing special at Championship level either .So maybe we are not quite so loaded with attacking options as some seem to think .
It depends on how he is played
for me he is not a lone striker but he could shine in a slightly withdrawn role
and as has been noted hughton’s tactics injuries and bad luck – and that ill advised ‘deed the wolf’ poster – all combined to make him somewhat of a ‘joke’
if he stays I’m sure alex can get the best out of him
I recall that he was scouted for NCFC by a certain R Fleck. If he can’t judge the quality of a striker he sees who can.
I suggest that at least let AN have a look at Ricky. For quality strikers past records show that a Hooper/RVW pairing “should” be our best.
Hmmm. I can clearly remember comical misses at home to both Man City and Liverpool which would have made all the difference to our PL status … and the recurrently ineffective performances, falling over, losing the ball, rarely getting a shot away and when he did they were mostly weak or scuffed. That to me is why he felt like something of a joke. I soooo hope we don’t try to rehabilitate him, but indeed I agree with the core argument of the article that he is now an outsider and therefore toast, and also have some faith that even if that is not the case AN will only bring him back if he is worth it.