Friday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Manchester City and Chelsea set for summer fight over Ajax star
Ajax are bracing themselves for a summer bidding war between Chelsea and Manchester City for Gregory Van Der Wiel.
The Amsterdam club sold Luis Suarez to Liverpool in January and despite late interest in Dutchman Van Der Wiel, Ajax held firm and chose not to cash in last month.
talkSPORT revealed on the final day of the transfer window that Ajax faced a battle to hang on to Van Der Wiel, 22, but they were adamant they would not let him leave.
But Chelsea and Manchester City have retained an interest in the right-back, who made a good impression at last summer's World Cup, and talkSPORT understands there are plans to send scouts from both clubs to watch him between now and the end of the season.
And a source at Ajax has claimed the club will have to seriously consider offers from the duo in the summer.
"We had to keep Gregory in January but in the summer we shall see," a source at the club said.
"If there is a big bid from a team then it's only natural we'd have to discuss it like we did with Luis Suarez."

Arsenal are planning a £7m bid for Manchester City keeper Shay Given this summer after failing to bring the out-of-favour Irishman to the Emirates Stadium in January. caughtoffside.com

Kolarov says City need to spend more ...
Nearly £400million has already been splashed out on players in 30 months but now Serbia defender Aleksandar Kolarov, one of the latest buys at £16m last summer, says more has to be spent.
City, the richest club in the world, did not enter the bidding when Fernando Torres went to Chelsea for a staggering £50m and Kolarov said: “All clubs, especially in England, spend a lot of money for the players. If you want to buy Torres, you have to pay £50m because he is one of the best strikers in the world.
“If you want a great squad, maybe you have to buy good players. Chelsea are paying £50m for Torres, he’s a great player. Maybe this is a problem because City are always a good club but never in the final hurdle.”
City’s 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Birmingham, in which Kolarov scored his first English league goal and went within a few inches of winning it with a last-minute free-kick, infuriated Roberto Mancini.
City manager Mancini accused his players of “sleeping” and not working hard enough in training, so Kolarov and his expensive team-mates can expect Mancini to crack the whip ahead of tomorrow’s home game with another side fighting relegation, West Brom.
City need to win that and then get a victory at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby the following week to cut the eight-point gap between them and league leaders United.
City have won only one of their last four league games and with United still unbeaten and Chelsea launching a new Torres-inspired charge, the pressure is on.
“I don’t feel the pressure because we are a good team at a high level but we have to face some pressure,” said Kolarov.
“We are paid for this. Chelsea before was a great team and Torres can make a difference. But we are still there and we will try to win the title as well.
“We want to play in the Champions League, but we can do better than just be in the first four in the league. We can maybe win the title.” City were the ones most likely to catch United until they hit their current slump and Mancini agrees the gap is too much.
“Before we had two negative results [losing at Aston Villa and drawing with Birmingham] we believed we could win the title because the other teams are not better than us,” said Kolarov.
“We’re running a good championship campaign but it’s not good enough to be first.
“If we can play against West Brom on Saturday as we played in other months then we are in the title race.
“We have to win this game. The next game is the derby and then we will see our power.”
Joe Hart was condemned by Mancini for his efforts in trying to prevent Nikola Zigic scoring Birmingham’s first equaliser, but the England goalkeeper is adopting a mature approach to handling the flak.
“I just have to know inside that I am still doing everything right,” he said. “My intentions are not to leak goals but football is hard. If anyone takes things for granted you quickly get a kick up the backside.
“Before, shots were hitting me and not going in the goal. At the moment, they are. But you go through stages like that. Everyone does. Hopefully, we will turn the corner soon and we will be a very hard team to break down again.”
Mancini has also raised questions about his goalkeeper’s concentration and Hart said: “It is frustrating to hear. Sometimes I don’t know whether my personality of actually enjoying a game of football comes into question. Maybe I will have to take some boring lessons.
“I focus. I don’t know what else there is to think about when you are in goal. What else could I be concentrating on?
“It is not as if there is a movie on in the background or you are doing your homework and a fly comes into the room and you go after it. There is a ball. That is it.”

RIP City’s Neil Young, United fans show respect
Fierce club rivalry is part and parcel of football today – but so should respect and sheer human decency. Which is why this Manchester United site wants to pay tribute to a Manchester City legend who has just lost his battle for life. Former City forward Neil Young, scorer of the only goal in the 1969 FA Cup Final against Leicester City, has died at the age of 66. Under the guidance of managers Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, Young was key to City’s most successful era. He was the club’s top scorer as City won the old First Division title in 1968 and found the net in the European Cup Winners’ Cup victory of 1970.
Young joined City in 1959 and scored 107 goals in 412 matches for the club. Raised in Fallowfield, Young supported City as a boy and signed as an apprentice upon leaving school. His 19 goals in the 1967-68 season, including two in a 4-3 win over Newcastle on the final day, were crucial as City finished two points clear of city rivals Manchester United to be crowned champions – the last time they won the title.
Despite his success with City however, Young never followed team mates Francis Lee, Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee into the England team. After 13 years with the club and with his first team chances dwindling, he signed for Preston in 1972 playing at Deepdale for two seasons before retiring after a brief spell with Rochdale.
“He will be sadly missed by his wife Carmen, family, friends and everyone connected with Manchester City” read a statement on City’s website. The current Manchester City team paid tribute to Young who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year ahead of January’s FA Cup tie away Leicester.
The players donned replicas of the shirt worn in the 1969 FA Cup final while the visiting fans, many of whom wore red and black scarves, turned their backs on the action in the 24th minute – the time of Young’s FA Cup winning goal.
Website posters like coleusman were moved to write on BBC – 606 “Man United fan here. Sad day, lovely elegant player and underrated. You could mark Lee, Summerbee and Bell out of it sometimes and Neil would simply put the winning goal in with the minimum of fuss. RIP Neil, now you’ll be playing WITH Bestie up there which should be fun – if Big Mal’s keeping the dolly birds occupied for him, that is!
Or as Goidelic wrote “United fan in peace. Sad to hear about Nelly there are some things that rise above football rivalry and this is such a case. Nelly may you rest in peace”
And from a United Mum “R.I.P Neil, what a lovely man! My 12 yr old Utd fan son did training with Neil at his school and Neil always had a positive comment for all the kids. He will be sadly missed not only for his professional football days but for the wonderful work he did afterwards”
Rest In Peace Neill Young, your life was a credit to football, the city of Manchester and to the Manchester City football club – and that comes from a committed Manchester United fan. If anyone objects to this tribute to a wonderful footballer and a fine human being then I’m sorry, TOUGH LUCK. Contrary to what former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once famously said – and I foolishly wanted to believe in my younger days, trust me, football IS NOT more important than life and death.


OTHER BOLLOX
Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina could follow compatriot Fernando Torres out of Anfield as Manchester United prepare a bid for the 28-year-old Spaniard with Edwin van der Sar retiring at the end of the season. Metro

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will consider signing LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham in November when the Major League Soccer season ends. Speaking about the former Manchester United star who trained at White Hart Lane recently, Redknapp said: "He is a top-class bloke. Is it something we would consider in November? Yes, you would love to have him at your club." Daily Mirror

Chelsea are planning a summer clear-out which could include Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, John Obi Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov as owner Roman Abramovich looks to bring in cash after the signings of Fernando Torres and David Luiz. The Sun

Turkish side Galatasaray are to test Chelsea's resolve to retain 32-year-old striker Didier Drogba with an approach at the end of the season. FootyLatest.com

Manchester United are set to offer left-back Patrice Evra a new contract which could ensure the Frenchman stays at Old Trafford for the rest of his career. The 29-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current deal and has been a target for Real Madrid and Inter Milan. The Sun

Manchester United lead the chase for Udinese's Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez after his agent confirmed he would move on in June. talkSPORT

Newcastle have been linked with clubless ex-Arsenal and Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere after selling Andy Carroll, loaning out Xisco and losing Shola Ameobi to injury. Daily Mirror

Liverpool are monitoring the progress of Villarreal's Argentine defender Mateo Musacchio. talkSPORT

Kenny Dalglish appears to be set to get the Liverpool's manager job on a full-time basis after impressing the American owners since his temporary appointment in January. Daily Mail

Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs says former team-mate Gary Neville would be a better first-team coach than manager. The Welshman, who has his own ambitions to be a manager, said: "Gary would be a brilliant assistant manager because he is so focused and organised. He could do the day-to-day coaching." Daily Mirror

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has laid into his former club Liverpool for the way they offloaded Fernando Torres. The Argentine said: "The club try to convince people it is all the player's fault when the reality is that Liverpool didn't show the interest in keeping us." The Sun

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan, a boyhood Liverpool fan, has apologised to Magpies supporters he upset by declaring himself "delighted" for former team-mate Andy Carroll who made a £35m switch to the Merseysiders. (Press Association)

Chelsea's record £50m signing Fernando Torres is already king of the shirt sales - outselling his Liverpool replacement Andy Carroll by 250 jerseys to one. Daily Mirror