Tuesday's B****x

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Tuesday's B****x

Postby Chinners » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:19 am

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THE BOLLOX

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Micah Richards needs to be rescued from Manchester City's clutches before it's too late
Micah Richards should never have ended up with a career stuck in limbo, watching one of the world’s richest clubs gather silverware without him
The former England international Micah Richards is looking to leave Manchester City this summer in the search for regular first team football and surely someone can rescue him from his Etihad Airways sponsored prison.
I jest a little with the second part of that sentence, but the fact I can describe a 26-year-old as a former England international is not meant to be a joke.
It is a travesty because Richards should never have ended up with a career stuck in limbo, sitting on a bench, or in a treatment room, watching one of the world’s richest clubs gather silverware without him.
There are simply far too few young English players with the ability to thrive in the Premier League for a player of Richards’ pedigree to be discarded so early. He would be an outstanding signing for someone this summer, but will City let him go?
Out of sight tends to be out of mind for most football fans, but Richards should be approaching 80 caps for England, not stuck on 13.
He was Gary Neville’s heir at right-back when he made his debut against Holland in 2006. Having taken his record as the youngest defender to play for England, Richards was tipped by some to eventually replace Rio Ferdinand as England’s first-choice centre-back.
Richards has not played for England since 2012 – the year he also played for Team GB at the Olympics – and has not been a regular for City for more than a year.
In that time, England have scratched around for a right-back, selecting Glen Johnson in Brazil, who is simply too error-prone as a defender to be secure in that position. The cover was provided by two Manchester United players, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, who have never looked entirely convincing at either centre-back or fullback for club or country.
Richards was nowhere near making Roy Hodgson’s squad. As English football once again mourned its rapidly increasing decline on the international stage, the City defender was on his holidays pondering his future at City. It is both infuriating and ridiculous.
He must leave, but even when he is just providing cover to first-choice right-back Pablo Zabaleta, Richards remains extremely valuable to the reigning champions as he is an Academy graduate in a squad made up largely of expensive imports.
By naming him in their Premier League and Champions League squads, City have a player quite capable of playing in those competitions, but who also helps them fill the necessary home-grown player quota.
The problem is, Richards rarely played last season. Injuries took their toll, but he played in only two Premier League fixtures, making ten first team appearances in total. This summer City signed Bacary Sagna from Arsenal to compete with Zabaleta at right-back and a difficult situation has become an impossible one for Richards.
When City won their first Premier League title under Roberto Mancini, Richards was a first team regular who was strangely ignored by the then England manager Fabio Capello. He was even nominated as a player of the year candidate at City. Less than two years later and he is just a very rich footballer who cannot get a game for his club, let alone his country.
No club in England has greater competition for places than City, but regardless of how important he is in terms of being able to name a squad that has the required number of domestic-qualified players in it, Richards needs to be rescued.
The situation at City is a dire one for England. They are not the only Premier League club to only have a handful of English players, but they have been rightly criticised for allowing more than one young English prospect to stagnate there.
City’s apologists will argue they have not been good enough to get a game and it isn’t up to them to repair the national side. They are true to an extent, but were Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell ever signed to be anything more than a squad player who? I doubt it. City needed English players to fill the required home-grown player quota.
Adam Johnson, Sinclair and Rodwell have been lured into wearing Sky Blue by the wages on offer, only to discover the price they pay for personal wealth is regular first team football. It should serve as a warning to others like Ross Barkley.
Richards has been far more prominent as an Academy graduate, but he needs to cut the cord. With one year left on his contract, Richards should be sold this summer, but it is far from certain he will be.
There has been talk that City will allow him to leave on loan, although clubs who have inquired about signing him have been put off by an inflated asking price. City do not want to lose their last successful Academy graduate it seems, even if he will leave for nothing in 12 months.
His passport is useful to them, even if Pellegrini has little use for him as a player outside of the Capital One Cup. As for Rodwell and Sinclair, if they are sold, the worry is other promising English youngsters will be signed to replace them and suffer a similar fate.
Damningly, even Richards’ official website acknowledges the breakdown of his career. The last entry in the highlight section was City’s title triumph in 2012.
There has been nothing to write about since and that is an awful waste of a player who was once thought to represent an exciting future for English football in the aftermath of their last quarter-final appearance at a World Cup.
Visitors to the website are told to watch this space. We can only hope there is news of a transfer soon.

Man City plot shock bid for Chelsea legend Didier Drogba
MANCHESTER CITY boss Manuel Pellegrini is plotting a shock bid to hijack Didier Drogba's return to Chelsea.
Pellegrini is on the look out for a new striker after losing Alvaro Negredo to a broken foot.
Spanish star Negredo has broken his metatarsal and will be sidelined for up to four months, leaving Pellegrini short on attacking options as his champions get set to defend their Premier League title.
It is understood Pellegrini could turn to veteran star Drogba as he looks to lure a top class goalscorer to the Etihad Stadium.
Former Chelsea star Drogba is considering a return to Stamford Bridge after leaving Galatasaray at the end of last season.
He is understood to have a number of options on the table and will make a decision on his future this week.
But Pellegrini believes the 36-year-old could be a viable option on a 12-month contract to improve his striking options now Negredo is sidelined.
Drogba is hero-worshipped at the Blues, but the chance to land a lucrative short-term deal with the reigning champions could tempt the Ivory Coast hitman to go to Manchester instead of his old hunting ground.
Negredo, meanwhile, will miss the start of the new season and must spend the next few weeks with his foot in a protective boot.
The former Sevilla hitman suffered the injury in a friendly against Hearts on Friday and was left stuck at home yesterday as Pellegrini's men flew to Kansas to start their pre-season tour.
Negredo's future at the Etihad now looks even more bleak after being struck down.
It is understood Pellegrini was willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old despite Negredo vowing to fight for his place at the champions.
But Pellegrini will not be able to sell Negredo until the January transfer window at the earliest.
Negredo admits he faces a dark few months but is determined to come back stronger than ever and he said:
"I want to let you know that its going to be hard for the next few months. I fractured my fifth metatarsal and will be out a few months.
"I will be back stronger than ever. I will return with a vengeance."

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, 28, takes an interest in world affairs, tweeting: "Gaza/Israel, Ukraine/Russia. Any relevant articles anyone? From any perspective. No debate intended here. Just want a better understanding."

Tears, tantrums and titles: Les Chapman on 22 years at Man City
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=48779

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Arsenal to bid for Manchester City defender Matija Nastasic
The Gunners will look to snap up the Serbian defender if skipper Thomas Vermaelen departs the club
Matija Nastasic is believed to be valued at around £16million
Arsene Wenger will move for a new centre-half if captain Thomas Vermaelen leaves for Manchester United.
And Nastasic is on the Gunners’ radar as they make plans for the exit of Vermaelen.
The Serbia international was watched extensively by Arsenal scouts during his time at Fiorentina, but City moved quickly to snap up Nastasic in 2012 as he developed a reputation as one of the best emerging defenders in Europe.
Despite missing out to City, the North London club remain keen on Nastasic and are set to revive their interest should Vermaelen leave.
Nastasic’s future at the Etihad Stadium is unclear this summer due to the pending arrival of Eliaquim Mangala from Porto.
Roma are also interested in Nastasic, 21, who could cost £16million.
Whether Vermaelen completes a move to Old Trafford remains to be seen, with the Gunners far from convinced about selling their skipper.
The Belgium international has less than 12 months on his existing deal meaning he can leave on a free transfer next summer.
But Wenger knows letting Vermaelen go, particularly after the departure of fourth-choice centre-back Bacary Sagna, would leave him alarmingly short of options in the position.
It is understood Wenger would give serious consideration to a player-swap deal with United.
Wenger has shown firm interest in United central defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the past, and may look to include either in a deal for Vermaelen.

The Guardian is reporting that Manchester City may be forced to offload Spanish midfielder Javi Garcia in the summer transfer window.
At the time being, the Citizens currently have 17 first team players classed as non-homegrown and with only 16 places available for these footballers in the Champions League squad, they will have to cash in on one or two of them, especially since Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala is expected to join in the coming days.
Manchester City officials were hoping to sell striker Alvaro Negredo, but after the Spaniard picked up a serious foot injury, it appears Javi Garcia will be sacrificed instead.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini is not too keen on seeing the Spaniard leave even if he did not impress at the Etihad, but it appears the Chilean will have no choice if he wants to keep his squad happy.
The Citizens have been surprisingly quiet in the summer transfer window but they are 9/4 to defend the Premier League title.

Liverpool and Manchester City may not get the chance to sign Isco from Real Madrid this summer.
Marca has bad news for Liverpool and Manchester City fans this morning as they claim midfielder Isco wants to stay at Real Madrid.
The Spaniard has been linked with a move to the Premier League with the imminent arrival of James Rodriguez from Monaco likely to push him further down the pecking order at the Bernabeu.
Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly the sides ready to offer him a way out but they may not get the chance to do so.
“Time will tell, but there are major question marks over the future of Isco, who is likely to find himself further confined to the fringes by the Colombian international. At present, though, the ex-Málaga man is planning to stay,” reports Marca.
“The 2012 Golden Boy award winner is very happy at Real Madrid and feels that the club continues to believe in him, regardless of the signing of James.”
It can be considered less of a setback for Manchester City because of their manager Manuel Pellegrini.
The Chilean has worked with Isco before, when the pair were together at Malaga, and he can always fall back on that relationship should Isco become available in the winter or possibly next summer.
Pellegrini is thought to be a firm believer in the potential Isco has to play at the highest level so whenever he becomes available, expect City to have a real say in where he ends up.
Liverpool have cover in the attacking part of their midfield provided through Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana.
Brendan Rodgers would ideally like the chance to sign Isco given the competition and interest in him from other sides and the fact he looks like a Liverpool style player in terms of stature and technique.
With Steven Gerrard unlikely to feature throughout the season for the Reds due to his age and the demands of recovery time, it’s important Rodgers has plenty of other different attacking options to bring into the team.
Expect both sides to be linked with him again when he officially becomes available

Former Malaga CF goalkeeper Caballero returns to say ‘goodbye’
The Argentine will be re-united with former Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini after completing his transfer to the current Premiership champions, a move which was speculated over for several years.
The incredibly popular keeper, and former club captain, flew back to Malaga because he didn’t get a chance to properly say goodbye before the transfer.
In an emotional press conference, he explained the move was an important step he needed to take in his career.
“I’m leaving a club where I’ve been very happy, because I was treated phenomenally well, like I’ve never experienced anywhere else and this affection is something I’ll take with me wherever I go,” he told fans and journalists.
“In my heart, I’ll take all that affection and hopefully it will be reciprocal. I always tried to give everything I could for this team and these colours.
“I came back today to say goodbye, because I think it’s more dignified to do things this way. Hopefully the doors will remain open for me to return one day.
“A part of my heart will always stay here and the other part is going to England.
“Now all I would like to do is wish the very best of luck to all my former team-mates. I’m really going to miss them all and I’ll keep trying to grow as both a player and a person.”

Spoiler: Show/Hide
Spoilbox

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is preparing to offer Ajax £17m for 24-year-old Netherlands defensive midfielder Daley Blind. Daily Express

United are also reported to be closing in on a move for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels, 25, for £16m. Daily Mail

Tottenham have been told they will have to pay £25m for France and Real Sociedad midfielder Antoine Griezmann, with Chelsea and Monaco also tracking the 23-year-old. Daily Telegraph

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he is not going to sign a striker this summer - ending rumours linking him with AC Milan's Mario Balotelli, 23. Daily Star

Portuguese midfielder Tiago Mendes, 33, has rejected a possible return to Chelsea this summer in favour of re-signing with Spanish champions Atletico Madrid for another two years. TalkSHIT

PSG will side-step Fifa's Financial Fair Play rules by offering 26-year-old winger Angel Di Maria, a target for Manchester United, a one-year loan move from Real Madrid. Daily Express

Leicester want Trabzonspor's former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda, 34, as they look to strengthen their squad for the Premier League. Daily Mirror

Meanwhile, the Foxes have had a £6.5m bid for Watford striker Troy Deeney, 26, turned down. Leicester Mercury

Liverpool have accepted a £14m offer from Sunderland for striker Fabio Borini but the 23-year-old is set to reject the move and fight for his place at Anfield. Newcastle Chronicle

Midfielder Darron Gibson, 26, is expected to end his nine-month spell on the sidelines when Everton face Tranmere Rovers in a friendly on Tuesday. Liverpool Echo

Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all want 15-year-old defender Reece Oxford after he impressed for West Ham's youth side last season. Daily Star

Manager Alan Pardew has dedicated the new season to two Newcastle fans who died in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy. Sun

Full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, 22, enjoyed his dinner at Chelsea, posting a photo of team-mate John Terry and the squad sitting down to eat - and telling new signings Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis "you don't have to sing... yet".

Defender Curtis Davies, 29, was pleased after Hull's 1-1 pre-season friendly against North Ferriby United, tweeting: "Good to get the first 90 mins under the belt. Performance was decent but main thing is to get the minutes and come out unscathed."

Former Arsenal defender Andre Santos, 31, was attacked by fans of his Brazilian top-flight side Flamengo following Sunday's 4-0 thrashing by Internacional in what his club called a "cowardly" act. Daily Mail

Stoke City have agreed to pay the travel bill for fans who use the club's official supporters' coaches for all 19 Premier League fixtures next season. Stoke Sentinel

Frank Lampard, 36, may receive a less than warm welcome if his expected move to New York City FC goes ahead, after one of the city's main newspapers reminded readers of his insensitivity following 9/11. Daily Telegraph


more bollox shortly
Last edited by Chinners on Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tuesday's B****x

Postby Chinners » Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:24 pm

BREAKING BOLLOX
James Rodriguez: Real Madrid sign Monaco striker
Real Madrid have signed World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez from French club Monaco.
The 23-year-old Colombia forward has agreed a six-year deal at the Bernabeu.
The reported fee of about 80million euros (£63m) makes Rodriguez the fourth most expensive transfer of all time after Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.
Rodriguez scored six goals in five matches at the World Cup as his side reached the quarter-finals.
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Re: Tuesday's B****x

Postby Beefymcfc » Tue Jul 22, 2014 12:32 pm

The only thing that wasn't Bollox in there was the Spoiler - Very Nice.

I see the Galactico's are back in town though, who said it wasn't about spending money. Still amazes me that clubs in debt or who, have in the last couple of seasons, bought their way into the CL receive no thought of sanction yet those who are spending money that is owed to nobody get penalised.

Also, a club who have been banned from buying suddenly get it upturned so that they can go out and spend another fortune, just after they've been done for tax evasion.

Come on, there's something surely wrong with this picture?
In the words of my Old Man, "Life will never be the same without Man City, so get it in while you can".

The Future's Bright, The Future's Blue!!!
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Re: Tuesday's B****x

Postby Crossie » Tue Jul 22, 2014 6:14 pm

I signed up to the Telegraph specifically to voice how shit that article on Micah is. Fucking stupid, HES BEEN INJURED FOR 3 out if the last 4 years. When he's fit, he plays then he gets injured again. How are we ruining him exactly?!??
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Re: Tuesday's B****x

Postby Hutch's Shoulder » Tue Jul 22, 2014 6:19 pm

Crossie wrote:I signed up to the Telegraph specifically to voice how shit that article on Micah is. Fucking stupid, HES BEEN INJURED FOR 3 out if the last 4 years. When he's fit, he plays then he gets injured again. How are we ruining him exactly?!??


And a significant part of that injury run started when he was playing for GB in the effin' Olympics!
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Re: Tuesday's B****x

Postby Mikhail Chigorin » Wed Jul 23, 2014 11:41 am

Interesting Wag picture for the grand-piano located behind her.

I wonder what make it is ??
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