Saturday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

You just know this article was written either way and they were just waiting to put whichever name in ...

[strike]Joe Hart[/strike] Shay Given is axed! Arsenal on alert for goalkeeper as Joe Hart [strike]Shay Given[/strike] is made Manchester City's No 1
Joe Hart has been told he will start in goal for Manchester City today, throwing into doubt Shay Given's future at Eastlands.
Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Given, 34, admitted this week he would consider his future should City manager Roberto Mancini leave him on the bench for the Barclays Premier League opener at Tottenham this lunchtime.
A source close to Given said last night: ‘Shay respects the manager’s decision even if he thinks it’s wrong. He is very, very disappointed, particularly bearing in mind his performances for City since he joined. He’ll meet his advisers over the weekend and consider his options. Until now Shay has been really happy at City.’
Given's demotion is sure to be welcomed by England manager Fabio Capello, who has decided 23-year-old Hart will be his first-choice goalkeeper for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Hart made his first England start in Wednesday's 2-1 triumph over Hungary and Capello will be at White Hart Lane to watch his No 1.
City remain confident they will be able to keep both goalkeepers satisfied and are determined to prevent Given leaving. The development will, however, alert Arsenal and Fulham. Mail

but Arsenal face competition from Celtic in the pursuit of Republic of Ireland international keeper Given, with Manchester City preferring to sell the 34-year-old to the Scottish club rather than a Premier League rival. Daily Mirror

Mancini yesterday backed £22.5million signing Mario Balotelli to become one of the best strikers in the world after the Italy star agreed a five-year deal. As the City manager all but signalled the end of Craig Bellamy's time at Eastlands by branding the Welshman a liar, he described the precociously gifted if petulant Balotelli as one of the signings of the summer.
Mancini, who hopes to add Aston Villa and England midfielder James Milner to his squad by the middle of next week, worked with the 20-year-old at Inter Milan and said: 'Balo is a young guy with a strong character but he is also a good guy and, most importantly, a fantastic player.
'He is just young and, like all young guys, sometimes his behaviour is different. But it's false to say he is not a good man.
'In England, he could be fantastic. He can improve here. He is changing country, changing his club, and that will be better for him. I don't think he'll have problems.
'He can play on the wing, as a first striker or a second striker, and in one or two years he will be one of the best in the world.' Mail

Mancini was less complimentary about Bellamy, who earlier this week all but secured his passage away from City by declaring Mancini had not spoken to him for six months. 'It's false,' said Mancini.
'I speak with the players every day. And Craig played always last year.
'This is the problem with the new rules. I have to put on the list 25 players. The others who will be out probably must choose another team. Craig is out of the list.' Mail

So is Stephen Ireland, who it is hoped will move to Aston Villa as part of the Milner deal if the situation surrounding his demand for a £2m pay-off can be resolved.
Ireland is demanding the remarkable sum because he believes he is owed £5m under the terms of his contract. At this stage City have offered him nothing.
'I don't know this situation but I don't have £2m for him,' said Mancini, laughing.
'But he played here all his life and he needs to change. I'm sure if he changes his life, his football, he will improve.' Mail

While Mancini said he was 'confident' of luring Milner, former City manager Mark Hughes made the first significant move to sign Bellamy for Fulham.
He said: 'Craig was one of the best players in the Premier League last season and, if we could get into a position where we could conclude a deal, we would be very interested. From Craig's point of view it is very important he makes the right decision for his career. A wrong decision at this point could hurt him.'
Hughes defended Bellamy against the criticism from Mancini.
'He's a very honest guy and, if someone asks him a question, he won't duck it,' said Hughes.
'It's refreshing. He was telling people what the situation is in his eyes. He might think that coming here is exactly the right thing.
'Craig is an outstanding professional - one of the best I've worked with but also a very demanding character. The time you get a reaction from him is when he thinks the work he's doing won't benefit him or the team, if he thinks people are wasting his time.
'The way I work, every training session has a meaning and structure and there were very few times when Craig could question the work he was doing.' Mail

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is rumoured to be considering a move for Manchester City Striker Roque Santa Cruz and hope that Roberto Mancini’s need to trim his squad before the end of the month will make the Eastlands boss accept cut price offers for the Paraguayan.
Hodgson is looking to bring in extra attacking options and believes the former Blackburn Rovers forward has enough quality to force his way into the Anfield line up as a possible foil for Fernando Torres. The arrival today of Mario Balotelli pushes Santa Cruz even further down the pecking order and could leave the 28 year old missing out on the club’s 25 man Premier League squad.
Last term the powerfully built front man only managed six Premier League starts and is going to find it hard to improve on that total this time around. The forward arrived last summer for a fee of £17.5m but Mancini could be willing to offload Santa Cruz for half that fee as he looks to seal a quick sale. Caughtoffside

WAG OF THE DAY
http://soccer-xtreme.blogspot.com/2010/ ... ndino.html

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp wants former Arsenal defender William Gallas at White Hart Lane.Daily Mirror

Redknapp feels Tottenham could win the Premier League with three new signings - but the chances of landing all three are "quite slim". talkshite.co.uk

But Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko could be on his way out of White Hart Lane with Marseille keen on the Russia star.talkshite.co.uk

However, Croatia's Stipe Pletikosa is on the verge of sealing a loan move to Tottenham with the 31-year-old Spartak Moscow keeper on trial with the north London club.
Full story: talksport.co.uk

Werder Bremen have rejected a bid from Real Madrid for Germany international midfielder Mesut Ozil, describing the Spanish club's offer as "unacceptable". (AFP news agency)

Meanwhile, Hughes is closing in on a £1.5m deal for Algeria World Cup defender Rafik Halliche from Benfica. talksport.co.uk

Fulham are also keen to land Given as a replacement for Mark Schwarzer, who has been attracting the interest of the Gunners. Guardian

Schwarzer has handed in transfer request to Fulham as he tries to force through a move to Arsenal. Daily Telegraph

Chelsea are weighing up a move for Real Madrid's France striker Karim Benzema. caughtoffside.com

But Chelsea have been warned off trying to sign Stoke's Bosnia ­international goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Daily Mirror

Manchester United are set to make a last-ditch bid for Bayer Leverkusen's German international keeper Rene Adler. caughtoffside.com

Wigan are close to securing a season-long loan for Chelsea's Argentine striker Franco di Santo, who spent last season on loan at Blackburn. Daily Mirror

Wigan are also keen on Orebro SK's Finland striker Roni Porokara. talksport.co.uk

Blackburn Rovers are still in race for Fenerbahce's £5m-rated Spanish striker Dani Guiza. Daily Mail

Birmingham City are nearing a £2m move for Sunderland defender George McCartney and are to hold talks about taking striker Matt Derbyshire on loan from Olympiakos. Daily Mail

Newcastle have edged closer to sealing the signing of Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa after he was left out of the French club's weekend squad. Daily Mail

The Reds have also made enquiries about Anderlecht's 17-year-old Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku. imscouting.com

Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac could also be on his way to Liverpool, according to French reports. imscouting.com

Liverpool have agreed a fee of £12.3m plus midfielder Alexander Hleb with Barcelona in return for Reds star Javier Mascherano. imscouting.com

OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea's stars are at 'war' with owner Roman Abramovich who has infuriated his Double winners by scrapping and slashing the squad's bonuses. the Sun

Steven Gerrard says he would love to play alongside Mikel Arteta in an England midfield. The Everton star has not been capped for Spain and qualifies to play for England through the residency rule. talksport.co.uk

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has launched an attack on the Premier League's new "home-grown" rule, describing the introduction as "ridiculous". Daily Telegraph

Chelsea have secured first refusal on future Fluminese stars as part of the deal that took midfielder Deco to the Brazilian side. Daily Mail

Blackburn Rovers have moved a step closer to a £300m takeover by Western Gulf Advisory, a Bahrain-Swiss-based investment company who are owned by Ahsan Ali Syed. Daily Telegraph

Portsmouth will be bought for £16m by the man who put them into administration six months ago - Hong Kong-based Balram Chainrai. the Sun

The US Soccer Federation has dismissed reports that coach Bob Bradley has resigned, quashing rumours that the American could be on the verge of becoming Aston Villa's new manager. the Guardian

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has developed a taste for rap and R'n'B during his time at White Hart Lane. The 63-year-old said: "I was quite into the song Empire State of Mind that Jay-Z did with Alicia Keys - that was a bit of an anthem for us last season."Fourfourtwo.com

[Chinners]

Roberto Mancini: I want Shay Given to stay at Manchester City
Joe Hart is our No1, but we need Shay Given, says Mancini
We need three or four weeks together, says City manager
Shay Given said he would rather go on loan than sit on the bench for Manchester City. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Roberto Mancini will fight to keep Shay Given at Manchester City despite handing Joe Hart the number one jersey in today's Premier League opener at Tottenham.
Hart justified his selection at White Hart Lane as big-spending City somehow survived a first-half onslaught to head back to the north west with a goalless draw. But that will be no consolation to Republic of Ireland's keeper Given, who revealed last week he would consider quitting the club if he lost his place in goal.
England's new first choice Hart made a similar threat some weeks ago, meaning City boss Mancini is under pressure to let one of his internationals leave. The Italian refused to reveal what he would do were a rival club to bid for Given before the transfer window closes.
"I hope it doesn't arrive. I hope that Shay can stay here with us," said the Italian, who confirmed Hart would be his number one "for now". "We have time, another 20 days, until the end of the market. I respect every decision but I hope that Shay stays here."
He added: "At this moment, Joe plays. Because we have four competitions, we need Shay. I'm sorry for one goalkeeper but today I chose Joe and I'm very happy to have Shay Given. I spoke to him. He's a big name, he's a big goalkeeper, he respects my decision."
The keeper controversy perhaps prevented Mancini from giving Hart due credit for what was a world-class performance today. The 23-year-old produced a string of wonderful saves from Jermain Defoe, Tom Huddlestone and Benoit Assou-Ekotto to keep Spurs at bay as his multi-million-pound team-mates went missing.
City, who handed debuts to three of their summer signings, improved considerably after the break, allowing Mancini to shrug off their first-half malaise. "I think that this point here, after the first half, is a good signal for us," he said.
"I think that we must improve but we're missing four, five players. I think that we need three or four weeks together."
He added: "Tottenham played with the same team they played last year. For us, it's different, and Tottenham is a good team. I think in the second half we improved our play."
Mancini was hoping to wrap up the signing of James Milner tomorrow, while Mario Balotelli did not feature this afternoon after completing his move from Inter Milan yesterday. Carlos Tevez was named captain, with Mancini stating he felt it would be good for the striker to lead the side. The City boss was also hopeful Aleksandar Kolarov would be fit for Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg at FC Timisoara after the defender was substituted at half-time against Spurs.

Modest Hart
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart remained modest about his strong performance in the opening game of the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur.
There had been a significant amount of speculation surrounding who would be handed the starting role, as manager Roberto Mancini had confirmed recently that he was yet to make a decision concerning the England international and last season's first choice, Shay Given.
However, Hart was given the green light and put in a display worthy of being handed the man of the match award, for making some sensational saves during the first half to prevent Jermain Defoe, Tom Huddlestone and Benoit Assou-Ekotto from scoring.
"It was just an enjoyable day, I love playing football," he told Sky Sports.
"It was just another game I was looking forward to."
The 23-year-old shot-stopper also believes that one top performance does not mean that he has overthrown Given to pin down the No.1 spot at the club, saying: "No. Shay Given is the other goalkeeper and I'm sure he'll get chances. We'll be pushing each other, he's a great goalkeeper."
Hart also believes that it was important to get a result on the opening day of the season, particularly owing to the barrage in the first half.
"We needed to get a result today as a big team," he said. "We had to dig in in the first half.
"But we had a few chances and maybe we could have taken them."

[john68]

"City would rather sell Given to Celtic than another Prem club"...Which bit of "GIVEN IS NOT FOR SALE" did that hack not understand?