Wednesday's B****x (updated)

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Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby Chinners » Wed Sep 17, 2014 7:58 am

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The Manchester City mascot shakes hands with referee Vince James before the 1970 League Cup final between City and West Brom at Wembley
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Here we go again. Today marks the birth of another European adventure for Manchester City - and what a way to start it: with a trip to the Allianz Arena.
Game number two of a huge week for the champions has been described by FIFA as their 'match of the day' - and rightly so! (Not that I'm biased or anything...)
An article on their website reads: "Acquaintances will be renewed in Munich as Bayern tussle with Manchester City for the third time in four seasons at this stage.
"The German champions and their English counterparts found themselves evenly matched in those recent campaigns, with both prevailing at home in 2012 and a pair of away wins following two years later.
"This time, however, the two clubs must also vie with ambitious rivals Roma, meaning that any points dropped at home could prove fatal.
"Neither Bayern nor City have settled into their usual rhythm so far this term – no doubt due to new arrivals still bedding in – but past meetings between these European heavyweights have always lived up to expectations."
Now, you know what James Milner, Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany and Manuel Pellegrini have all had to say on the clash - but what about the thoughts of our opponents?
Well, according to David McDonnell, Philipp Lahm believes his side could be overwhelmed if they fail to produce their best.
Quoted in the Mirror, the World Cup winner asserts: "I don’t know if its an advantage playing them [City] so often.
"We have learned that they have great individual players and if we play consistently and press and defend well and develop our aggressiveness, it's going be like the first 20 minutes in that game, when we were 2-0 up.
"But if we let them breathe, then they can hurt us. They have dynamic players and they can hurt us.
"We are looking forward to best of the best. This is a really tough game. City have great players and we are happy."
Manager Pep Guardiola echoes Lahm's sentiments on the FourFourTwo website, declaring: "We have learned how good teams are.
"I have also learned if not everybody defends well, we have big problems.
"They [City] have so much quality that means we have to run a lot. They have for example Fernandinho, [David] Silva, [Samir] Nasri, [Sergio] Aguero, [Edin] Dzeko, and [Martin] Demichelis.
"All these players are absolutely great, extraordinary, and we have to be in the position to dominate the game and when we don't have the ball we have to run, run, run.
"The first game is important for the tone of the group. It's a tough group obviously."
Guardiola also shared some team news, revealing Bayern will be without Franck Ribery while Arjen Robben is fit to play.
"Arjen is here, but Franck is not with us," he disclosed. "The physios told me after training that Franck needs to go to the doctor and they told me he can't play."
And finally, no media round-up would be complete without some transfer speculation.
Today, talkSHIT are the ones to provide it, claiming alleged City target Javier Pastore has opted to stay in France.
It's reported: "The Argentina international joined PSG from Palermo for £32m in 2011, however the 25-year-old has since struggled to make an impact at the Parc des Princes.
"Due to a lack of action, it had been thought that the Argentine may leave the French capital in attempt to reignite his career.
"However no move occurred during the summer and Pastore has now told PSG's owners that he wants to stay in Paris."


Manchester City are not dark horses in Champions League
This is the place where Manchester City have developed in the raw. They were taken apart by Bayern Munich on a September night three years ago, which ended with manager Roberto Mancini almost crying with rage in the Allianz Arena press room after Carlos Tevez had refused to take to the field for him.
They were slaughtered for another 11 minutes of last December's Champions League tie, too, by a Bayern team made so complacent by the ease of their early 2-0 lead that they switched off and lost the game 3-2.
"Mistakes come when you think everything's done,'" the Bayern coach, Pep Guardiola, told writer Marti Perarnau in the aftermath of last season's game, which features in the new chronicle of the season, Pep Confidential.
City's comeback on that occasion also revealed a side which had moved on from the Mancini era; equipped with better players than Micah Richards and Gareth Barry who had been so overrun two years earlier.
Yet the unvarnished truth, as they enter their fourth successive Champions League campaign tonight, is that City can no longer claim to be a side in evolution.
Manuel Pellegrini has been equipped with a team for winning now. The average age of tonight's likely starting line-up is 28.7 years.
The youngest player in the side will be 26-year-old Sergio Aguero if, as expected, the French central defender Eliaquim Mangala is not thrown a debut in such an inhospitable place.
Vincent Kompany said all the right things in his discussion of this Group E fixture. Every trophy is our target. Even semi-final exits are for "losers."
The club expects to win this. But there may be more consequences than Abu Dhabi disappointment if they cannot end this journey in Berlin's Olympiastadion next June 6 – or at least travel a long way towards it.
The enticements of Madrid, Paris and clubs beyond will become all the stronger to some of City's players if the side fall short once again.
City have assembled a collection of world-class players but still cannot claim they are a world-class side.
Kompany is one of the most engaging and erudite footballers to sit in front of anywhere in European football but the answer to his claim that "we are not favourites by any means for this competition" was "why not?"
It is no bad thing to be cast into the Allianz Arena as early as this.

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Manchester City ordered to win the Champions League by Sheikh Mansour reveals skipper Kompany

After 3 years finding their feet in Europe's No.1 club competition, the Blues go into the group-stage opener away to Bayern Munich under pressure from the owner
Vincent Kompany has revealed Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour has demanded the club win the Champions League, writes David McDonnell in Munich
The Blues have won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup since the Sheikh poured more than £1billion of his money into the club following his takeover in 2008.
But reigning Premier League champions City have fallen short in the Champions League, twice failing to make it out of the group stage, followed by last season’s last 16 exit to Barcelona.
On the eve of Wednesday’s Group E opener here against Bayern Munich, City skipper Kompany admitted the pressure was on them to take the next step and deliver European football’s ultimate club prize.
“The club is asking us to win now, so that’s one thing,” said Kompany. “We’ve come so far in the last four years and we’ve been successful, but you always want to take it a step further.
“Let’s take it into context – we’re not favourites for this competition by any means, but we would like to compete and challenge. Before we won the Premier League it was more difficult to believe we could do it than with the Champions League.
“My experience of the Champions League is that it’s not more difficult to go to the end, but everything has to be perfect.
“The Premier League is just a ferocious battle to the end. But eventually it will happen our way.
“You start a season at Manchester City nowadays and it’s not acceptable not to put all of the trophies on your ambitions list. It’s a case of me and all the players looking at all the trophies and thinking we have to go until the very end of the season.”
City have been drawn against Bayern in the group stage in three of the last four seasons and Kompany admitted there will be few surprises in store for either team.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side triumphed 3-2 in the Allianz Arena last season, but failed to score the fourth goal that would have seen them finish top of the group and avoid the last 16 clash with Barcelona which saw them eliminated.
Now Kompany believes there can be no excuses from City and has admitted the time has come for the English champions to show they have what it takes to go all the way in Europe.
“Bayern are a team we’ve become familiar with,” he said. “Every time you come here is an opportunity to prove yourself and we take it as a challenge against one of the top three clubs in the world.
“It’s one of hardest places to come to, but it’s time to start making these games close and making up the gap between ourselves and the other top clubs.”
Guardiola suggested City, with their vast wealth, experienced squad and strength in depth, were one of nine clubs who could win the Champions League this season, despite it being only their fourth year in the competition.
“He’s taking a massive risk, isn’t he?” said a smiling Kompany. “We know how much damage it can cause your hopes if you don’t win the group.
“We always face difficult teams if we are not seeded but we were very close last year. We are very excited but we believe in our ability as well. There are always signs of us growing stronger. That’s all you can ask for in football. No team can expect a guarantee of going to the final.
“Only Real Madrid won last season. All the rest of us lost. There can only ever be oner winner, but the margins are very small.”
Kompany believes City’s win here over Bayern last December – in which they were2-0 down after just 15 minutes – can give City a potentially significant psychological edge tonight.
“I actually reckon it meant a lot,” said Kompany. “We were just one goal away from topping the group, it was an important game to win and it gave us more belief.”
Pellegrini, who turned 61 on Tuesday, will serve the final game of a two-match touchline ban imposed by UEFA for criticising ref Jonas Eriksson following City’s first leg loss to Barcelona in February.
City are without Stevan Jovetic, Fernando and the suspended Pablo Zabaleta.

Bayern Munich vs Manchester City: Probable teams
Bayern Munich (3-4-3): Neuer; Boateng, Benatia, Dante; Lahm, Alonso; Gotze, Alaba; Muller, Lewandowski, Robben.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure; Nasri, Aguero, Silva; Dzeko.

Bayern Munich vs Manchester City: Three to watch
Xabi Alonso Joined Bayern from Real Madrid this summer and has filled thh void left by Toni Kroos, who wnt the other way. Likes to dictate the tempo of games from a deeper-lying midfield role, but has the vision and range of passing to offer more than just a holding player. Pep Guardiola will draw on all of his experience in the middle, particularly in the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Thomas Muller Scored five goals for Germany at the World Cup, just missing out a second straight Golden Boot. A predatory striker who finds space and punishes defences with his clever movement and quick brain. Scored twice in Germany’s recent 2-1 Euro 2016 qualifier win over Scotland, City will need to be at their sharpest to keep him quiet.

Robert Lewandowski Still to find his feet at his new club, having scored just one goal following his free summer move from Borussia Dortmund. Ended last season as top scorer in the Bundesliga with 20 goals. Bagged four goals for Poland in their recent 7-0 rout of Gibraltar and can wreak havoc if given time and space by defenders.

Bayern Munich vs Manchester City: facts and stats
* Bayern Munich and Manchester City have been drawn in the same Champions League group three times in the last four seasons. Their head-to-head record is perfectly balanced at two wins each
* Manchester City have conceded exactly two goals in each of their last five Champions League games.
* None of Manchester City’s 20 Champions League games has ended goalless. They have only kept three clean sheets in these 20 games.
* Bayern have won only one of their last five Champions League games against English clubs at the Allianz Arena (D2 L2). It was against Manchester United in last season’s quarter finals.
* Manchester City’s win at the Allianz Arena last season was only the third time an English side beat Bayern on their own ground in European competition, after Norwich (1993-94 UEFA Cup) and Arsenal (2012-13 Champions League).
* Bayern have reached the Champions League final three times in the last five seasons and have won five European Cup/Champions League titles. Only Real Madrid (10) and AC Milan (7) have been more successful.
* This is the 17th time in the last 18 seasons that Bayern will play in the Champions League, the only exception being 2007-08.
* Manchester City’s games were the most prolific in last season’s Champions League group stage, producing 28 goals (18 scored, 10 conceded).
* Bayern have lost three of their last seven Champions League games, which is as many defeats as in their previous 24 games in the competition.
* Robert Lewandowski has scored 16 goals in 22 games in the last two Champions League seasons. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has netted more over that period (29).

Belcher report: Why Sergio Aguero Is Manchester City's Crucial 2014-15 Champions League Player
Manchester City have aggressive, ambitious Champions League dreams. But the Sky Blues will probably only go as far as Sergio Aguero can carry them.
As currently constructed, City certainly do not project to defend their way to a Champions League crown.
City goalkeeper Joe Hart is again the subject of rumors surrounding his job security (or lack of same).
"Hart’s position seems to have been under constant review for the past two seasons or so," wrote Jamie Jackson in The Guardian recently. "The 2012-13 failed championship defence featured him being questioned by Roberto Mancini, the manager at the time."
Mancini's successor is no great Hart defender, either. Jackson quoted Pellegrini thus: “In this moment I’m playing Joe Hart but he [Willy Caballero] will have his opportunity soon.”
Delightful.
So if the goalkeeper is iffy, how is the line in front of him? Um, don't ask.
Vincent Kompany is his usual dependable self, but beyond him are a series of question marks that sides like Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow probably cannot wait to provide the answers to.
Pablo Zabaleta is out for City's first match with Bayern Munich after seeing red against Barcelona last season. Zabaleta, like Pellegrini, will have to take in this match from somewhere other than the pitch. So Bacary Sagna will probably be thrown into the deep end of the pool against Bayern.
Summer signee Eliaquim Mangala, thought to be the antidote for Martin Demichelis' lack of pace, still has not played for City. Mangala's ongoing absence has emboldened Demichelis to ask for a contract extension, per David Anderson in The Mirror..
So Kompany will anchor the defense against Bayern next to either a player he has never played with before or a player with whom he has failed spectacularly in the past.
The defensive hope in the midfield is, for now, also on ice. According to Stuart Brennan in the Manchester Evening News, "City's game plan for Bayern Munich has already been ripped up by injury to Fernando."
Yaya Toure and Fernandinho are fit, but Toure has offensive responsibilities that largely preclude the giant Ivorian staying home on defense for 90 minutes.
While it is loads of fun watching David Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas go forward and create, it is quite a bit less fun watching them try to track back against physically larger players.
If City cannot defend their way to this prize, they will have to score themselves onto the podium. Given Alvaro Negredo's departure and Stevan Jovetic's recurring inability to stay upright, though, City are down to two healthy strikers: Aguero and Edin Dzeko.
Dzeko has started the season brightly in terms of the quality of his play, but he is also goalless through four league matches. Besides, if City rely on the 4-5-1 Pellegrini likes to employ in matches against equal and superior competition, only one of the strikers will start anyway.
It will almost surely be Aguero.
Right, so you are saying that all of the foregoing concerns are only temporary. Zabaleta's suspension is only for one match. Neither Fernando nor Jovetic are lost for the season. Mangala will be fit soon enough and make the haunting sight of Demichelis trying to mark elite scorers go away. It will all be fine, you say
Will it, now?
If the last three Champions League campaigns taught City supporters anything, it is that this tournament is unforgiving and unpredictable. City can only safely predict that where some players' fitness will improve, others' will fail.
Plus, the goalkeeping situation projects to evolve in the coming months. City do not have the luxury of running Manuel Neuer out there night after night.
With apologies to Kompany and Silva (and perhaps Toure), the one player City probably cannot survive even the Champions League group stage without is Aguero.
Because City have to score in bunches to survive this newest Group of Death, and Aguero needs to be the one to provide them.

Manuel Pellegrini: 'We should have been top seeds'
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has called for changes ahead of next season's Champions League draw after his side were paired with Bayern Munich for the second successive year.
City will also face Russian champions CSKA Moscow and Serie A runners-up Roma, but after winning the Premier League title in May, Pellegrini believes that his team deserved to avoid the 2013 winners by being selected alongside the top teams in pot one.
The 61-year-old told reporters: "If the Champions League is for the champions. I think that the champions of England and the champions of the German league, with both leagues being among the best leagues in Europe, they deserve to be in pot one.
"I don't think that it's good that the teams who play qualification because they finished fourth in their domestic leagues are in pot one, where the strongest teams should be.
"I think that we need to find a modification whereby, for example, all teams who play qualification go into pot four, and all champions of their respective leagues and have a lot of points in Europe (a high coefficient) go into pot one.
City begin their campaign with a trip to Germany to face Bayern this evening.

Man United fan killed by Man City fan after football argument
A 49-year-old man who died after an argument over football on August 31st was identified as Mike Carter today. The fight was instigated by an argument over Man City and Man United. The victim was walking with a friend when he was assaulted moments after a dispute over the teams. He was punched and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement. His death was caused by a single punch.
The alleged perpetrators of the tragic event were caught on film and police are seeking the men who were captured by the footage from the nightclub.
if you have any information on the identity of the men who are being sought in connection with the murder, contact the law enforcement authorities immediately. The contact info is in the video. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... er-7776280 {Manchester Evening News}

Spoiler: Show/Hide
Spoilbox

Manchester United have the money in place to bring Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, back to Old Trafford. (Sky Sports Understands)

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is "flirting with a move" to the Premier League and has demanded 630,000 euros (£501,000) per week. (Bild)

Everton have been given renewed hope of bringing back their former loanee winger Gerard Deulofeu, 20, who has become frustrated by a lack of game time at Barcelona. (Daily Express)

Wolfsburg's Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo, 27, has ruled out a January move to Arsenal or Manchester United. (Daily Star)

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola says none of his players wanted to join Manchester United in the summer, despite the Red Devils being linked with 25-year-old forward Thomas Muller, winger Arjen Robben, 30, plus midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger, 30, and Toni Kroos, 24. (Guardian)

Juventus are considering a move for Barcelona's 27 year-old striker Pedro in the January transfer window. (Tuttosport)

Southampton made more money from selling players than any other club in Europe during the summer. The Saints offloaded Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers, both 19, their fellow defender Dejan Lovren, 25, midfielder Adam Lallana, 26, and 32-year-old forward Rickie Lambert for a combined total of £97m. (DSSC)

Former West Brom defender Diego Lugano, 33, has received two offers from clubs based in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. (L'Equipe)

A group of Newcastle United fans are planning a large-scale protest at Saturday's Premier League match against Hull City to demand the sacking of manager Alan Pardew, 53. (Newcastle Chronicle)

Chelsea want manager Jose Mourinho, 51, to stay for another 10 years to turn them into the biggest club in world football. (Sun - subscription required)

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 28, has called former boss Sir Alex Ferguson "incredible". (DSSC)

The Football Association will insist former West Brom striker Nicolas Anelka, 35, serves the five-match ban imposed for his "quenelle" gesture before he plays for new club Mumbai City. (Times)

Barcelona are to name their training ground after former coach Tito Vilanova, who died in April at the age of 45. (Independent)

Leeds owner Massimo Cellino wants 46-year-old Slovenian coach Darko Milanic - the boss of Austrian side Sturm Graz - to take over at Elland Road. (Sun)

Academy manager Neil Redfearn, 49, has no problem with Cellino's decision to rule him out of the running for the Leeds job. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Former Manchester United youngster Keith Gillespie believes Belgium winger Adnan Januzaj, 19, may have to leave Old Trafford to fulfil his potential. (Manchester United Evening News)

Regular users of a park earmarked as the site for Everton's new stadium have mixed views about plans to build it there. (Liverpool Echo)

Scottish Football Association president Campbell Ogilvie is confident Scotland will be successful in their quest to host matches at Euro 2020, despite Uefa describing the bid as inadequate. (Daily Record)

Rangers manager Ally McCoist can understand why so many supporters stayed away from his side's 1-0 League Cup second-round win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle on a day during which talks over an Ibrox boycott escalated and pressure mounted on director Sandy Easdale. (The Herald)

Cardiff City boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 41, admits he is under pressure as he prepares for talks with club owner Vincent Tan. (Wales Online)

Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, 27, has renewed his contract with Roma until 2018. (As.com)

Midfielder Xavi, 34, who came close to leaving Barcelona in the summer, says he never wanted to leave Nou Camp. (Marca)

Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez, 31, has been inundated with support on Twitter after revealing he has cancer - with former team-mate Peter Ramage, now at Crystal Palace, tweeting: "Sure the fighting spirit @elgalgojonas possesses will help him beat cancer!"

Mario Balotelli posted a photo of himself with fellow goalscorer Steven Gerrard after Liverpool's 2-1 Champions League win over Ludogorets with the message: "Yes! Good start guys! Thanks supporters! YOU WERE AMAZING!"

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was thrilled to meet Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at the Invictus Games for injured soldiers in London - and got him to pose for a photo.

Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott showed off his new tattoo - featuring images of a bowman and a goblin.

"Wonder whether Louis van Gaal was mentioned," asked Daily Telegraph football correspondent Henry Winter on Twitter as he took a picture of former Manchester United players Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck - both moved out of Old Trafford by Van Gaal - before Borussia Dortmund's Champions League clash with Arsenal.

Gunners fans enjoyed themselves in Dortmund ahead of Tuesday's Champions League defeat by pouring bubble bath into a fountain to create masses of foam.

Former Republic of Ireland internationals Johnny Giles and Eamon Dunphy showed acting is not as easy as it looks in an Irish television advert for a chocolate brand.

An Arsenal fan tried to transform his old Robin van Persie shirt to show support for current number 10 Jack Wilshere with a bizarre do-it-yourself effort - using a black marker. (Metro)

Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke cheekily gave manager Paul Lambert's ear a quick flick as they prepared for the annual team photo. (Birmingham Mail)


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Last edited by Chinners on Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:40 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Wednesday's B****x

Postby nottsblue » Wed Sep 17, 2014 8:03 am

Three clean sheets in twenty games. Says it all really
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Re: Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby Mikhail Chigorin » Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:03 am

Strange picture of Ian Rush's "girlfriend".....there's no sign of her white stick and guide dog.
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Re: Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby Foreverinbluedreams » Wed Sep 17, 2014 11:22 am

Thanks Chinners for these reminders of why I blocked Bleacher Report from my Newsnow feed. It was getting to the stage where I was tempted to board a plane, seek out these cunts and pour a bottle of bleach down their throats and say ' report that you cunt '. In the end I decided it was best just to ignore them.

On a lighter note, brilliant pic of the mascot, love it.
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Re: Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby getdressedmctavish » Wed Sep 17, 2014 11:31 am

Wolfsburg's Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo, 27, has ruled out a January move to Arsenal or Manchester United. (Daily Star)

That's a shame, was the worst player at the world cup by a feckin mile, a total bottler. C'mon Butthead, get in there,lol
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Re: Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby BmoreBlue » Wed Sep 17, 2014 1:14 pm

Pardew is 53? what an old fucking cunt
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Re: Wednesday's B****x (updated)

Postby Dameerto » Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:57 pm

Mikhail Chigorin wrote:Strange picture of Ian Rush's "girlfriend".....there's no sign of her white stick and guide dog.

I'm guessing he's still a fox in the box.
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