De Jong's Monday Dog's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Nigel de Jong believes his performance against Chelsea was one of the best of his career.
The World Cup bound Dutch midfielder deservedly picked up the City fans’ man of the match award even if the television champagne went the way of Shay Given for his stupendous penalty stop. De Jong, nicknamed ‘The Terrier’, showed just why he has earned that reputation as he quelled Frank Lampard and Michael Essien enabling the Blues move back up to sixth in the Premier League table and within touching distance of the Champions League places.



“We fought like lions out there,” reckoned de Jong upping the post match animal analogy to a new, more ferocious level. The fans were great, the team was great and the win capped a brilliant week for the club. That was as good a ninety minutes as I have played in my career and I am thrilled but credit has to go to all the Europe and was a great buy for this club, to Emmanuel Adebayor up front, who showed great character to bounce back fteam.

“The Premier League suits my style because it is so competitive. I used to be a much more attacking player but now I enjoy my more defensive role.From Shay at the back, who is one of the best in rom the own goal, the whole team was focussed and determined.”

De Jong and the rest of the side are now eyeing a top four slot though he admits that there are still obstacles in the way.

“The challenge now is to produce the kind of performance we had on Saturday against the lower ranked teams,” he asserted.
We are still learning and we have to make sure our focus is right. Everyone is excited about the possibilities here. We are and the supporters are. The message is that we are not going away in that battle for the top four. The win over Chelsea lets everyone know just that.” OS

De Jong continues in The Star
Nigel de Jong is confident Manchester City can finish in the top four of the Premier League after returning to winning ways with a stunning victory over Chelsea. Mark Hughes' men had fallen off the pace in the title race following a run of seven straight draws, although they claimed a morale-boosting win against Arsenal in the Carling Cup last week. City carried that form into Saturday evening's clash with Chelsea, coming from behind to prevail 2-1 thanks to goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez. De Jong played a key role in midfield and the Dutchman insists City can now look ahead to the rest of the season with optimism. He admits it is not realistic to expect a title challenge this term but has set his sights on UEFA Champions League qualification.

"The belief is back after all those draws," he said. "If you beat Arsenal you know you have a very good side, but you can see the quality we have when we compete with Chelsea and all the other teams in the top four. Are we targeting the league title? No. the main thing in the team is to focus ourselves on the first four places. That's realistic."


TEAM OF THE WEEK DOGS BOLLOX
Manchester City's eye-catching win over Chelsea is duly noted in the FanHouse team of the week this morning and nobody is more deserving of his place in the line-up than goalkeeper Shay Given.

Indeed, the Irishman scores our first perfect ten of the season, and not just because of his late, crucial penalty save from Frank Lampard. Even when he was conceding a goal, Given made two quite unbelievable reflex stops and was only beaten by a fluke bounce off the back of Emmanuel Adebayor. With Peter Cech particularly ropey in goal for Chelsea at present, Given's brilliance was particularly notable. Swap the two keepers on Saturday and Chelsea probably win that game handily.

Midfielder Gareth Barry, who played a crucial role in stifling Chelsea's engine room, is also in there, as is match winner Carlos Tevez. A number of other strikers picked up eights, like Tevez, at the weekend; among them Christian Benitez of Birmingham, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Andrei Arshavin at Arsenal. But we give Tevez the nod because of the quality of opposition he was performing against.

On a weekend when there were some big wins for teams at the wrong end of the table, some unfamiliar clubs finally get some recognition in the TOTW. Nenad Milijas is one such player, for his role in Wolves' big win over fellow relegation fighters Wolves, while his team mate centre-half Jody Craddock is rewarded for his performance at the back.

But, aside from Given, the most impressive individual performances of the weekend came from attacking players. Bobby Zamora has had an up-and-down season with Fulham but was definitely on the up yesterday as his team beat Sunderland. Veteran Ryan Giggs continues to enjoy a stunning season with Manchester United although, in the interests of balancing out our side, we have named him on the wing in our TOTW when he played up front for the Reds in their stroll at West Ham.

And James Milner, battling for a place in the England World Cup squad, did those chances no harm with his performance in Aston Villa's romp over Hull.

There were also honorary mentions for a couple of other midfield players with Lee Bowyer and Sebastian Larsson continuing their recent heroics for Birmingham although we have again factored in the quality of the opposition in leaving them out.

To round out the team this week, Arsenal left-back Armand Traore helped keep a clean sheet against Stoke; as did Liverpool's Glen Johnson whose display just edges out Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic by virtue of the fact he was part of a defence that leaked two at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Finally, the team is rounded off by impressive Fulham stopper Brede Hangeland who gets the nod - just - ahead of Arsenal's William Gallas.

Goalkeeper: Shay Given (Manchester City) - FanHouse score 10
Right back: Glen Johnson (Liverpool) - FanHouse score 8
Centre back: Jody Craddock (Wolves) - FanHouse score 8
Centre back: Brede Hangeland (Fuham) - FanHouse score 8
Left back: Armand Traore (Arsenal) - FanHouse score 8
Right midfield: James Milner (Aston Villa) - FanHouse score 9
Centre midfield: Nenad Milijas (Wolves) - FanHouse score 8
Centre midfield: Gareth Barry (Manchester City) - FanHouse score 8
Left midfield: Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) - FanHouse score 9
Striker: Bobby Zamora (Fulham) - FanHouse score 9
Striker: Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) - FanHouse score 8

ManCityfans.net FanHouse score for glaring ommision 0

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Arsenal have ruled out a January move for Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy. Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo are all injured and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has said that although he needs a striker, it won't be the former Manchester United star. Daily Mirror

Wenger could move for Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic with the Serbian-born star struggling to make the first team at the Nou Camp.Daily Star

Tottenham are battling to secure the services of Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia from Swiss side Young Boys of Berne.Daily Mirror

Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish is keen on taking on Fulham left back Paul Konchesky.Daily Mirror

WAG OF THE DAY

http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... ra-tommasi

OTHER BOLLOX
Stoke City striker James Beattie was involved in a bust-up with manager Tony Pulis at Arsenal over the weekend following an argument about the players' Christmas party. After their 2-0 loss to the Londoners, it is reported the row started in the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium when the team were told they would have to train on Monday. Daily Mail

Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his apologies after his sending off in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Almeria. After scoring, then missing a penalty before receiving a second yellow card, he said: "I have my flaws too, but I am a professional who doesn't like to miss or lose."Independent

Wayne Rooney has revealed he missed the World Cup draw! England's top striker was busy catching up on some rest following the birth of his son in November. "I laid down on my bed to watch the draw on TV and fell asleep," said the 24-year-old.The Sun

GRAHAM POLL BOLLOX
I'm sorry, Chelsea, but you have yourselves to blame for defeat at Manchester City
Chelsea had a number of grievances on Saturday but they lost their discipline and consequently the points. Firstly, handball is the only offence that must be deliberate and when Micah Richards saw Shaun Wright-Phillips' shot flying towards him his intention appeared to be to get out of the way, so City's first goal was legitimate. The second bone of contention was the award of the free-kick from which Carlos Tevez scored the winner.

Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, said that Ricardo Carvalho had played the ball. The way I saw the incident I agree that initially Carvalho did play the ball while under pressure from Tevez, who may have been guilty of jumping into the Chelsea defender.But in a second movement, Carvalho appeared to kick out and when two offences occur simultaneously the referee must punish the more serious offence, which was Carvalho's. So, sorry Chelsea, but Howard Webb was right.

John Terry also felt aggrieved when he was manhandled in the area and he may have had a point, but there are at least half a dozen of these incidents in every Premier League match. Chelsea certainly appeared to lose their heads with the official a number of times and failed to appreciate that they had gained as a result of the only clear error which our No 1 referee made. Webb awarded Chelsea a corner after Ashley Cole had played the ball last and they scored from it.

But City, rather than lose their cool with the officials, concentrated on playing football. Chelsea did not and ended the game with six yellow cards and an FA fine to follow. Considering the attitude of so many players towards Webb, they were fortunate to end the game with 11 men.

FINAL BOLLOX
Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere has revealed that he enjoyed his physical tussle with Craig Bellamy in last week’s Carling Cup tie against Manchester City and that despite his tender years he was more than happy to wind up the Welsh striker. On several occasions across the 90 minutes the pair found themselves competing for the ball in midfield while spicy off-ball encounters often followed. Speaking to the Arsenal official matchday programme, Wilshere stated:

“Yes, Craig Bellamy is certainly the mouthy type! But he was mucking around and smiling as well so it was no problem. On one occasion I just laughed at him and that just wound him up even more.”

Despite the Eastlands outfit running out 3-0 winners, the England under-21 international also made clear that it was all part of a learning curve for him and his teenage teammates:

“Personally I thought I did alright when I had the ball, but sometimes struggled to get into the game. It was one of those games that it’s good to be involved in though, against a top-class team, and I think 3-0 was a bit hard on us – whoever got the first goal was going to win it. City were older than us and had about £200 million of talent on the pitch, and in the end that told.

[john@staustell]

First time I've agreed 100% with Graham Poll. Chelsea lost all composure and concentrated on moaning and fouling.

[Dronny]

I'm going to get my missus a vest like the wag has, just to keep her warm during the long winter nights......she is gorgeous btw...and the wag!

[Mike J]

SWP aside, de jong is fast becoming my fave city player.

[lets all have a disco]

Flucking hell what a WAG.

Bloody hell,Italians every time.

[Dubaimancityfan]

I don't know how this FanHouse bollox is decided but I cannot belive that they chose Barry (even though he played very well) over
NDJ. He does not even get an honorary mention !!!

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

I'm off to Italy. Bye.

[Beeks]

I'm off to Italy. Bye.

Shouldn't that be Ciao?

[Chinners]

LATEST BOLLOX
I have learned massively from watching Gareth <SNIGGER>
Aston Villa midfielder James Milner has credited his former Villa Park teammate Gareth Barry with helping him become a better player. Milner claims he watched Barry closely prior to his move to Manchester City in the summer, and he admits he is always eager to learn from his more esteemed colleagues for club or country. Milner played central midfield against Hull City at the weekend, scoring once and setting up another and although it was a relatively new development for Villa in order to accommodate Stewart Downing, the 23-year-old fulfilled the role for Leeds United on occasions.

Milner told the Daily Mail: “I have learned massively from watching Gareth, You've got to learn all the time from the top players and Gareth was a top player. With England, there are Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard and there aren't many better players in the world to learn from there. “I've played in central midfield for Leeds once or twice and for Newcastle on occasions. If the manager decides to keep it that way then I'm happy playing there. You can get involved in the game. “Sometimes if you're out wide you're waiting for other people to bring you in, but in the middle you can go in and start things yourself so it's a bit different.”

CECH BITTER BOLLOX
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 14,00.html

ACCADEMY THRASH WOLVES BOLLOX
http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/AcademyRep ... l#continue

CHELSEA VIEW BOLLOX : Manchester City Defeat Shows Why Blues' Persecution Complex Needs To Go
Howard Webb made the right call, but Chelsea still lost their cool...

The Chelsea and England captain is 29 today, and it is tempting to wonder exactly what he might be wishing for.

Perhaps it is for his country to win the World Cup next summer, or for Chelsea to pull off a clean sweep of major trophies come the end of the club season.

Or perhaps he might be wishing that the officials in charge of future Chelsea games always make the right decisions.

After all, that was clearly the reason the Blues lost against Manchester City on Saturday.

It wasn’t that Carlo Ancelotti’s side simply lost their head after one — correctly made — decision went against them, throwing away a promising position as uncharacteristic individual mistakes allowed Carlos Tevez to eventually win the game for the home side.

Chelsea, handed a dose of luck as Emmanuel Adebayor found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time to gift the Blues an early lead, suffered something of a setback as Lady Luck evened the score by allowing Micah Richard’s intervention — Tevez’s strike ricocheted off the defender's arm — to allow Adebayor to become only the fifth player in Premier League history to score a goal at both ends.

The Chelsea players, however, did not see it as luck being evened out. They were adamant referee Howard Webb should have awarded a free-kick against Richards, a clear misunderstanding of the rules that their manager echoed after the final whistle.

"I think the referee made important mistakes,” Ancelotti said.

"It is clear Micah Richards did handball. I consider Webb a fantastic referee so I am surprised about these two mistakes."

The ball did strike Richards’ arm, but it was not handball. Handball is one of the last regulations in which there has to be some form of intent, as section 12 of the FIFA Laws of the Game clearly states:

"Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into consideration:

• the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)
• the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)
• the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an
infringement"

Accidental handball is therefore not an infringement. And surely no honest observer could argue that Richards' touch (made with his eyes closed and head turned from the ball) was of obvious intent.

It took Jeff Winter, the former Premier League referee who was sitting in on the game for ESPN, fully 26 seconds to utilise video replays to agree it was indeed a legitimate goal.

It didn't look like the Chelsea players came to terms with that decision for the rest of the game.

"If you put a lot of effort into the game, and two strong teams are playing each other, it sometimes comes down to a few decisions [by the referee]," Michael Ballack bemoaned to the club's official website after the game.

"You have the benefit of slow motion so you can imagine what our opinion is [about Richards' 'handball'] but you can't change it.

"I didn't see the incident that led to the free-kick [for Tevez's goal] but it decided the game."

The persecution complex at the club has to go. An awful lot has gone right for Chelsea this season (did the players not celebrate wildly after Terry scored the winner against Manchester United from a dubiously awarded free-kick?), yet the first time they perceive something to have gone against them — wrongly, as it turns out — they lose all focus and discipline.

Manchester City are a very good side, one that will soon be challenging with the big boys if they keep up their current rate of progression. But for the opening 30 minutes of Saturday’s match they looked there for the taking.

Their defence was very open and seemed stretched to breaking point as the likes of Kolo Toure and Richards dealt with the incisive runs of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Adebayor’s eighth-minute own goal only came after both Anelka and Lampard had seen Shay Given make great saves to keep them out, and Drogba himself had already missed another glorious opportunity.

The game was still theirs to win after Adebayor’s equaliser, but by then a switch had gone off and the players were beginning to make uncharacteristic errors.

Every decision that went against them from Webb was met with a chorus of abuse, as Chelsea picked up six yellow cards (and a subsequent FA fine) for the first time in seven years.

Inevitably one such incident came to haunt them, when Ricardo Carvalho needlessly kicked out at Tevez on the edge of the box. Petr Cech and his defenders then proceeded to ignore the Manchester City players on the edge of the wall — who moved out of the way at the last moment allowing Tevez’s shot to wrong-foot Cech in what is one of the oldest dead-ball tricks in the book.

Frank Lampard’s late penalty miss was just the icing on the cake, the final indication that the Blues’ disciplined front had cracked. If he had scored, perhaps the side's post-match comments would have been different.

Instead, in defeat they seem to be trying to highlight the shortcomings of the referee, in an attempt to deflect any potential criticism of their own.

The day after defeat, midfielder Joe Cole gave an interesting insight into the psyche of the squad at Stamford Bridge.

"If you're not winning you are not happy. I don't care who else wins, I don't begrudge anyone else success and [Manchester] United are a fantastic club - but we need to be winning the league four times out of five,” Cole was quoted as saying in the Sunday papers.

"With the money we have spent, the players in our squad, the ambition we have and the support we enjoy, it has to be the aim."

Such statements are probably fair.

But what the squad must learn is that it is not the referees that will deny them such success, but instead their own attitude.

[Chinners]

WEISS PROFILE BOLLOX
http://www.footballfancast.com/football ... p_Blogs%29

OS COMPETITION (One for John68 I reckon)
http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/20 ... -City-Game

HUGHES CHINK IN ARMOUR?
http://www.footballfancast.com/football ... p_Blogs%29

[shawzy]

Brilliant Chinners..Read all of that.

[DoomMerchant]

I'm off to Italy. Bye.

Shouldn't that be Ciao?

it's called "Comedy Gold." i thought it was only us Americans that were so thick we didn't understand these types of things at first blush?

va bene