Source: Man_City
Toure: Time to pull your weight
| Submit Comments| Comments (2)| Printable Version1/1Play SlideshowClose MapKolo Toure has stunned his millionaire City team-mates by suggesting wage cuts for those who don?t try hard enough. The defender?s amazing suggestion to punish the slackers was published on the eve of the morale-boosting triumph over ex-boss Mark Hughes? Fulham at Craven Cottage. His comments come as Roberto Mancini continues to reshape the squad he inherited from Hughes with left-back Wayne Bridge, winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and striker Emmanuel Adebayor all looking increasingly likely to be shown the exit door. And that could come as soon as the January transfer window for the trio who have been used sparingly of late. Also on the move could well be back-up keeper Shay Given, who was again on the bench for the Blues yesterday, and striker Roque Santa Cruz.Both players want first-team football at this stage of their careers and that is clearly not happening at Eastlands. Plagued Toure?s comments give another insight into the dressing room politics that have plagued Mancini?s reign since he took over from Hughes just less than 12 months ago. The 29-year-old, a big-money signing from Arsenal, believes withholding wages of City players could motivate them to work harder. ?You need to be honest, even if you hurt people, and there are some players here, I am not scared to say, who are not working hard enough for the team,? he said. ?Some don?t do enough in training but still expect to play. ?We all get big wages at City but some need to work harder. ?You cannot have a place in the team ? even if you are an international ? if you don?t show what you can do in training. Fight ?As players, we have the best job in the world and if the manager said: ?You haven?t worked hard enough, you will only get half your wages this week? it would make players fight harder. ?I?m a professional footballer and, to me, playing regularly is the most important thing. Money is secondary.? Despite the Fulham win that keeps City fourth, Mancini is well aware of the need for a more potent strike force to back up workaholic Tevez especially as 20-year-old Mario Balotelli has missed the majority of games through injury or suspension since his £24m summer switch from Inter Milan. That?s why Mancini is so keen on Wolfsburg?s tall front man Edin Dzeko. The 24-year-old Bosnia international?s possible move to Eastlands would go top of the manager?s agenda if Juventus are successful in a loan deal for Adebayor ? a move that would be a precursor to a permanent £12m switch for the Togo international who cost City twice as much in July, 2009.
