Martin Lipton's big lunchtime read: Manchester City should dump dispensable Robinho in January
He was the signing that represented a statement of intent from Eastlands.
Stealing Robinho out of Chelsea's clutches on transfer deadline day 14 months ago was, without question, a staggering swoop for Manchester City and their new owners.
City needed to show they were for real and landing the Brazilian ace - at a staggering cost of £32.5million - was the perfect way of doing so.
But City have proven without any doubt that they are serious now. And that is why they should dump Robinho at the first opportunity in January - and let him play his silly games somewhere else while they set about winning the title.
The latest act in the non-stop game of will-he, won't-he is unlikely to surprise Mark Hughes.
It probably won't even concern him too much, either. After all, Hughes admitted last week the Brazilian, alongside fellow countryman Elano, made flouting his authority almost into a badge of personal pride.
But the reason that Hughes will not be fussed is the best reason of all - he knows that Robinho is, rather than, as the South American believes himself to be, the best player on the planet, utterly dispensable.
City may have slipped a little recently with consecutive draws against Aston VIlla, Wigan and Fulham - a real frustration when victories would have put them top of the table and with a game in hand - but their displays against Arsenal and United were unquestioned evidence they are serious contenders.
So, how many appearances has the talismanic, vital, best player on the planet made? Three. And none of them since the Craling Cup win at Crystal Palace on August 27.
Yes, signing Robinho did make the world stand up and take notice, just as the failed bid to land Kaka - which looks even more a case of a club trying to run before it had learned to walk properly - made everybody snigger.
But Hughes' wise counsel has now prevailed, as his summer signings demonstrated.
Do you really think Sheikh Mansour wanted to see Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott running out for City at Eastlands - even if he would have been delighted with the arrival of Carlos Tevez?
Of course not, especially with his head full of visions of Robinho and Kaka, of Cristiano Ronaldo and other global superstars.
The Sheikh, however, has listened to Hughes, realised the Welshman is a potentially great manager, given him his head and already started reaping the results.
Hughes told Mansour that Premier League experience was the key, that the basis of his squad had to know how to scrap it out on a wet Wednesday at Sunderland. For that, he needed players who knew what to expect and was given the okay to go out and get them.
Failure to make a European place last season could have cost Hughes his job. Now, though, it gives him a brilliant opportunity to not only smash the Big Four elite wide open but even take the crown itself.
Where United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool will be crossing Europe back and forth through the rest of the season - even if Liverpool are facing Europa League trips on the road to Hamburg rather than targeting Champions League glory in the Bernebeu - Hughes can concentrate on the next league clash.
Admittedly the squad might not quite be there yet, with suggestions that the defence could be revamped further, as doubts grow over the wisdom of spending quite so much on Lescott and the limitations of the full-backs become clearer.
But money is not a problem for City and going forward, with Barry proving himself the perfect fulcrum and Craig Bellamy reinvigorated, they are already a match for anybody.
And where does Robson de Souza fit in? He doesn't. Or at least, he doesn't have to.
Unless the whole squad pulls in the same direction, a club goes nowhere. Hughes doesn't have to be reminded of that - it was why he was so successful throughout his career as a player.
If Robinho wants to play for City, wants to be part of the great adventure that threatens to change the face of English football, then he can be a glittering adornment on a team that can become a dominant force.
But if he doesn't, then City do not need him. What they need is Hughes and the players who care for the club. It is them that will win trophies.
Robinho can try to discover if the grass is greener at the Nou Camp. And when he finally grows up, he might be half the player he thinks he is already.
Robinho ready to quit Manchester City in bid to be world's best player
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