Sunday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

£42,000-a-week rise for City star
JOE HART will be given a mammoth £18million pay deal to recognise his new status as Manchester City's No 1.
The England keeper has three years left on his contract but is currently one of the lowest-paid members of the squad on a reported £28,000 a week.
Now the club want to up his money with a five-year deal worth £70,000 a week.
Hart, 23, appears to have won the battle with Shay Given for the starting place after the Republic of Ireland international was told he could leave.
The former Shrewsbury trainee played at Tottenham last week and turned in a man of the match display in the 0-0 draw.
Just three days earlier he had impressed for England in the 2-1 win over Hungary at Wembley and made a solid claim to be first choice for Fabio Capello's Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
Now City will wait until the transfer window closes at the end of the month and then attempt to broker talks on a new five-year deal worth £70,000-a-week and get it signed before the end of the year.
The club also want to put Hart further off-limits by placing a £20m price tag on him even though his new status means he is very unlikely to seek a transfer.
Manager Roberto Mancini met Hart and Given at the training ground on Monday and explained his selection plans to both players.
Given, 34, has since been linked with moves to Arsenal, Fulham and Celtic.
Now City are thought to fancy Stoke's Asmir Begovic as back-up for Hart.
Hart's successful loan spell at Birmingham last season helped him return to Eastlands in the summer and take advantage of Given's shoulder injury.

Emmanuel Adebayor to resist Real Madrid overtures and fight for Manchester City place
Emmanuel Adebayor intends to stay at Manchester City, despite fresh overtures from Real Madrid, following talks with manager Roberto Mancini prompted by his omission from the starting line-up for the opening game of the season.
Adebayor, 25, was linked with a move to the Bernabeu before becoming arguably the biggest of last summer’s marquee signings when he moved to City in a £25 million deal from Arsenal.
He endured a fitful season, interrupted by a suspension for violent conduct after catching former Arsenal team-mate Robin van Persie in City’s tumultuous 4-2 win in September before the Togo squad was attacked by terrorists ahead of the Africa Nations Cup in Angola in January, leaving three people dead.
Another summer of high turnover and high spending, with David Silva and Mario Balotelli both arriving, has seen the Real Madrid option resurface after Adebayor started on the bench and played for just seven minutes as a substitute in last weekend’s goalless draw at Tottenham.
But Adebayor, who played 90 minutes in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Romanian side Timisoara, has discussed his position with Mancini and accepts his role in the Italian’s plans to such an extent that he would not even be tempted to link up with Jose Mourinho in Spain.
“As a footballer you have lots of difficult times and being sat on the bench for the first game of the season was tough for me,” he said. “I was a little bit upset. I want to play football but we have a lot of talented players at this club.
“You have to fight for your place. I am very happy to be part of this club. I know there are a lot of things being said that I will be leaving.
“I am not going anywhere. I love the challenge of making it at City. I had a chat with [Mancini] after the Spurs game which was good. Managers can change. Today they love you then you think you are going to be moving. You have to adapt.
“There’s no pressure for me to leave. Even if I went to somewhere like Real Madrid I would be in the same situation as here with many talented players, having to fight for my place with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. I’m here and want to make my own history with City.”
Adebayor hopes to keep his place as City aim to give credence to their belief that they are the Premier League’s growing force when they face Liverpool on Monday evening.
He was signed by Mark Hughes, only to see the Welshman replaced by Mancini five months later and he feels that sticking with the Italian is the only way that City will capitalise on their financial muscle, though he claims the incident in Angola has changed his life.
“If you keep the same manager he gets to know the players and it just makes everything easier.,” he added. “What we are trying to establish here will take time. We have players who want to play for the club and while it is going to be difficult I think we can do it if we have time.
“We have to look at clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United that have had the same manager for a long time, and Chelsea who have had the same group of players for seven, eight years. It might take one or two years but we are determined to win the Premier League.
“What I’m going to do is keep playing and enjoy my football. I have the chance to be alive when I could have been dead after what happened at the Cup of Nations. This can maybe make me a bit awkward as I know what I want now. My priority is always going to be my family.”

Arsenal will turn their focus to Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, with little movement in their pursuit of Fulham's Mark Schwarzer and Manchester City's Shay Given. imscouting.com

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Barcelona are ready to make Liverpool an offer for midfielder Javier Mascherano, encouraged by the Argentine's desire to leave England for an environment where his family will be happier. (Sunday Times)

Arsenal are monitoring St Etienne striker Emmanuel Riviere, one of the most highly-rated young players in France. News of the World

AC Milan are poised to offer striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic an escape route from Barcelona in a deal that could see the Spanish champions make one last effort to sign Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas before the transfer deadline. Mail on Sunday

Gunners left-back Gael Clichy is a target for Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. The People

But Real boss Mourinho is ready to launch a £20m move for Adebayor, which may free up Real striker Karim Benzema to join Manchester United. Sunday Express

Manchester United are planning a £15m bid for Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon next summer as current number one Edwin van der Sar prepares for retirement. caughtoffside.com

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane and West Ham midfielder Scott Parker could be swapping clubs in a shock move. Sunday Mirror

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson hopes to sign PSV Eindhoven defender Carlos Salcido if he misses out on Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky. News of the World

New Inter Milan coach Rafael Benitez is ready to make a £15m bid to lure Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt from his former club Liverpool. Mail on Sunday

West Ham are looking at Bayern Munich goalkeeper Michael Rensing to provide competition for Rob Green. (Mail on Sunday)

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is set to spend the £8m from Kenwyn Jones' departure to Stoke on signing Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan from French club Rennes. (News of the World)

Italian side Bari are interested in signing Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand after Bruce told the 25-year-old he can find another club. The People

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is keen to sign Mexico striker Guillermo Franco, who is still a free agent after being released by West Ham last season. The People

The arrival of striker Craig Bellamy at Cardiff has encouraged Ipswich to make a final £4m bid for Bluebirds forward Michael Chopra. (Mail on Sunday)

Bournemouth striker Brett Pitman, who failed to agree personal terms with Blackpool last week, is expected to join Championship club Bristol City on Monday. (Sunday Times)

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway will turn his attentions to Newcastle striker Leon Best. (News of the World)

OTHER BOLLOX
Former Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill could be in line for a shock return to management with former club Nottingham Forest. Sunday Mirror

O'Neill is also on the Football Association's radar to become the next England coach, emerging as one of the leading candidates to replace Fabio Capello should the side struggle in their early Euro 2012 qualifiers. The People

Businessman Kenny Huang decided to withdraw from the race to buy Liverpool because of his increasing disillusionment with chairman Martin Broughton and the club's board over the timescale and pace of the deal. Sunday Telegraph

Steve McLaren is already facing a delicate issue of man-management at new club Wolfsburg after midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic criticised the former England boss for leaving him on the bench at the start of their 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich. (Sunday Times)

French legend Zinedine Zidane says Manchester United's Paul Scholes is "as close to a complete player as you will see" and it his biggest regret that he did not get to play alongside him. Sunday Mirror

England boss Fabio Capello has been ordered by FA bosses to improve his English so he can communicate better with the players. News of the World

In an effort to be fit for Corinthians' match against Vitoria next Sunday, former Brazil striker Ronaldo has been banned from eating chips and drinking alcohol. The 33-year-old's party lifestyle has seen him put on a considerable amount of weight but he insists he is not ready to retire from professional football. "I will make a decision at the end of the season, " he said on Twitter. "It is true that I am carrying more weight than I would like and that I'm not very mobile, but in 15 days I will be fine." (Sunday Times)

Chelsea players are the target of an in-house prankster who keeps creeping into the dressing room at their Cobham training ground and cutting holes in their underpants. News of the World

[Ted Hughes]

Cheers fer t bollox.

I wonder if it's all the Chelsea players who are getting holes cut in their underpants or just Ashley Cole. Could be Cheryl warming up before full scale bunny boiling..

[john@staustell]

"It is true that I am carrying more weight than I would like and that I'm not very mobile, but in 15 days I will be fine."

LOL! How many years has he being saying that for?

Perhaps he'd let us know the 15-day regime?

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

Perhaps he'd let us know the 15-day regime?

Looks like he's still trying to work that one out himself, John

[Ted Hughes]

"It is true that I am carrying more weight than I would like and that I'm not very mobile, but in 15 days I will be fine."

LOL! How many years has he being saying that for?

Perhaps he'd let us know the 15-day regime?

I cold show him one. No food but raw fish, few hours sleep, lots of shagging, drinking home made alcohol & cycling up hills/mountains usually does it for me. Missing it badly this summer.

[Lee_R]

Ade saying all te right things! Snubbing Real madrid for Manchester City is the future!

[Chinners]

Man City's Jerome Boateng sidelined by aeroplane injury
City fans will have to wait another month to see Boateng wear the shirt
Jerome Boateng must wait a month to make his Manchester City debut after aggravating an injury in a collision with an aeroplane drinks trolley.
He tore a tendon in his left knee on international duty for Germany and then hit it on a trolley on the plane home.
He faces at least a month out and cannot start proper team training until the end of September at the earliest.
"I imagined my start at City to be quite different, of course," the 22-year-old told German website Sport1.
Boateng, the younger brother of former Portsmouth player Kevin Prince Boateng, joined City from Hamburg for £12.5m before the summer's World Cup in South Africa.
But so far the only action he has managed for his new side was in a pre-season friendly.
"Even in my first game with City against Valencia (in a friendly), I had problems with the knee from the [Germany] match in Copenhagen," he said.
When he is finally able to play, Boateng will join fellow former Hamburg players Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong in the City ranks.
His injury means he will miss Germany's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Belgium in Brussels on 3 September and Azerbaijan in Cologne on 7 September, and he will travel to see German team doctor Dr Muller-Wohlfahrt in Munich next week for treatment.