Saturday's B*ll*x
Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 9:05 am
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
[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