Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has spoken of his agony at failing a drugs test and hinted that he feared for his future in the game.
Former City skipper Toure is available for selection once more having served a six-month ban imposed for failing a drugs test after taking some of his wife’s diet pills.
And he spoke for the first time of the moment City manager Roberto Mancini came to his house to tell him the bad news back in March.
Toure said: ‘I remember it clearly. I was at home in my bedroom when the club doctor and Roberto Mancini came in to explain what had happened.
'It was a shock to see them there and I immediately realised the implications for my career, the club my family. It was an awful moment because I didn’t know what was going to happen.'
Evidence given at an FA hearing last season revealed that Toure had become obsessed with his weight and took the diet pills after they had been given to his wife by one of her friends. Traces of the drug were found in his system after a random test following a game against Manchester United in February.
City officials have always believed the 30-year-old to have made a genuine mistake and have stood by him, even getting special dispensation from the FA for the Ivory Coast international to return to training early.
Given that he has been back at work for three weeks, Toure’s fitness is steadily improving and it remains to be seen now if he can find way past central defenders Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott and in to Mancini’s team.
He added: ‘I feel totally recharged and as fit as I’ve ever been in my life. Hopefully it will be like having a new signing because I am back and want to challenge for a first-team place.
‘I know it won’t be easy because the team is playing so well, but I’ll be pushing hard for an opportunity.
‘I’m just so happy to be back and I will give everything I have to the team, this club and our fans. I can’t wait to get going.
‘My brother Yaya has been incredible and, as brothers, this has brought us even closer. He was always there for me and kept me informed of what was happening at the club.
‘I must also thank the manager, my team-mates, the staff and particularly [chief executive] Garry Cook and our chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak for standing by me and helping me through this period.
‘It’s at times like this you know who your friends are and I’d also like to thank people like [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger, too.
‘And I will try and repay our amazing supporters for all their good wishes, kind words and support.’
I'm the symbol of City and I'll fight for my place, says Tevez
Carlos Tevez says he expects to return to action for Manchester City again soon having looked to be on his way out of the club this summer.
The Argentinian forward had indicated a desire to leave City in order to be closer to his family, but a move to Brazilian club Corinthians broke down and no other deal was done before the transfer window closed on Wednesday night.
Tevez, 27, has admitted to having 'confrontations' with Blues boss Roberto Mancini in the past and said the pair had a 'love-hate relationship', but appears to be prepared to commit himself to City again having made just one substitute appearance so far this season in the Barclays Premier League.
In quotes carried in today's issue of The Sun, he said: 'I wanted to get in better physical shape. Now I'm good and I think I'll be playing again soon. I don't think I'll have lost my place because I'm captain and the symbol of a big club like City.
'Mancini and I had confrontations in every language.
'We have a love-hate language. We have a love-hate relationship.
'He's a phenomenon. He wants to be a winner and so do I. I feel like everything is different to last year. Now I'm with my wife and daughters in England.'
Manchester City's Edin Dzeko will only get better, says ex-boss
Edin Dzeko is only going to get better as he gains Premier League experience – according to the coach who gave him his senior debut in Bosnia.
Zeljeznicar boss Amar Osim reckons that the City striker will go from strength to strength now that he has found his feet in the English game.
Dzeko has bagged six goals in three league games this season, including four in a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham at White Hart Lane last Sunday.
It is a tally that has made him the early leader in the race to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season, and has earned him the Barclays Player of the Month award for August.
The 25-year-old has actually scored in each of his last five appearances for the Blues, having netted pre-season goals against Inter Milan in the Dublin Super Cup and neighbours United in the Community Shield.
It is a run that few would have expected after Dzeko’s tricky start to life in Manchester.
The Bosnia international managed only two goals in 15 Premier League appearances after making his £27m move from German club Wolfsburg in January.
But those who have followed his career have always maintained that the striker has a habit of starting slowly at a new club – and then roaring into top gear.
Osim, who threw Dzeko into the Zeljeznicar first team at 17 in 2003, believes that the striker is only going to get better.
He said: “It was always going to take time.
"Dzeko is a player who depends on those around him, so he needed time to adjust.
“He’s not an individual player who will dribble past five players like Lionel Messi. He is a team player.
“Roberto Mancini always knew what Dzeko was capable of, and the fans are starting to see that now as well.”
Osim did not really get to see the best of Dzeko, as he was sacked in October 2003, just a couple of months after bringing the striker into the side.
However, the coach – son of former Yugoslavia national team boss Ivica Osim – was reappointed by Zeljeznicar in the summer of 2009, and said that there are now quite a few City fans at the club.
“They are following his progress at Zeljeznicar,” Osim said.
“People there still talk about him, even though he was only in the first team for a couple of years. They follow every City game.”
Dzeko’s career only really took off when he left Bosnia for the Czech Republic in 2005.
Young Czech coach Jiri Plisek, who had a brief spell in charge at Zeljeznicar in 2004 after Osim’s exit, saw the striker’s potential and helped sort out a move for him.
Plisek advised FK Teplice to sign him for around £35,000, then immediately took him on a half-season’s loan to Czech second division club Usti nad Labem, where he had just taken over as manager.
His second year at Teplice saw him net 13 goals, putting him second in the Czech first division’s scoring charts fro 2006/07, and prompted Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath to spend around £3.5m to take him to Germany.
His link-up with Brazilian striker Grafite produced 54 goals in 2008/09 – a Bundesliga record for a strike partnership – as Magath led his side to a surprise title, and leading clubs all over Europe started to take an interest in Dzeko.
City themselves tried to do a deal for the striker in the summers of 2009 and 2010, but had to wait until January to get their man.
“Dzeko is a very efficient striker,” Osim added.
“If he gets three chances, he will score two goals. While he is not the quickest player, he has a knack of being in the right place at the right time.” MuEN
Interesting viewpoint, however I'd question the transfer figures of Aguero, Nasri & Clichy ...
Why there’s now more than one motivation for joining Manchester City
A common line that has begun to tag itself to any transfer conducted by Manchester Cityis that whoever they are signing is ‘going there for the money.’ Now I’m not disputing that players are attracted to the riches that come with pulling on the sky blue of City but I honestly don’t think that money is the primary motivation for the players who have decided to join City in the window.
Watching City splash HUGE amounts of cash on individuals has become common practice in the transfer window ever since the Abu Dhabi group bought the club in 2008. Fans, managers, players and agents have come to accept that they will never be able to compete with City’s financial muscle. But one term that always seems to linger at the end of every big transfer made by the club is that the player they are signing is only interested in the money going into his bank account at the end of each month. Like I said, I’m not going to disagree with the fact players are interested in earning the highest wage possible. A football career lasts for 15-20 years at best and it’s no shock that players will make a move to better themselves financially in the future. But to suggest that money is the primary motive to make a move to Man City is foolish and naïve.
In the window just gone Samir Nasri and Sergio Agüero both signed for City in a double deal that cost the club almost £70 million in transfer fees not to mention they’ll both be earning just under £200,000-a-week at the Etihad Stadium. Nasri was instantly labelled as ‘greedy’ and a ‘sell-out’ and was only joining City because they were offering to treble the wage he was on at Arsenal . The manner of his departure stung Gunners fans and many others in the country. The same wasn’t said for Agüero though who was glorified by both the press and fans. Why?
Probably because he didn’t leave Atletico Madrid in acrimonious circumstances. But surely he is after the riches City are offering? In my opinion both moved to City for the money but also to be given the chance to actually challenge for trophies. It’s not like either of them are bursting at the seams with medals. In fact Nasri has NEVER picked up a winners’ medal during his time in England whilst Agüero only has the Europa League and Super Cup to show after five years playing for Atletico. Despite both being labelled world class they’ve won hardly anything in their short careers. Therein lies my point. Both players see City as a viable avenue to triumphing in cup competitions.
The duo left clubs who are in a state of decline and firmly out of the Champions League picture. Players of their undoubted calibre need to be testing themselves against the best players in the world. If someone came to me and said Nasri and Agüero lacked ambition I’d laugh straight back in their face. Any world class player that looks at City at this current time will will see a club who are prepared to spend the money necessary to make them capable of holding their own against the best. That is something they both see and who can blame them for wanting to join a club brimming with aspirations like that? Whilst there a few players at Manchester City who’s sole purpose is to earn money I’m not afraid to say that a vast majority of the current crop see this club as a sleeping giant ready to win leagues and cups. David Silva, Edin Dzeko , Vincent Kompany and even Joleon Lescott joined the Citizens to win trophies. Obviously I don’t condone what clubs are paying players these days but to say that Nasri and Agüero are joining City solely because of the number of zero’s on their monthly cheque is absurd. Even Gael Clichy, who left Arsenal on a free to join City, has an eagerness to win trophies, improve himself as a player and pick up a tasty wage, which is something he’ll do at the club.
Many fans hold a grudge against City, which is driven by jealously. The same old lines of ‘they’re trying to buy the title’ or ‘there should be a cap on their spending’ are continually bandied about. However would you complain if your club had resources like that? I’m guessing no. Players see City as a means to both money and silverware – not one or the other. Lets just accept it, move on and enjoy watching the football they play. Admittedly it is delicious at the moment, don’t you agree?
Uwe Rosler says Manchester City are title challengers
With a squad of world-class players, he already knew the Blues were genuine title challengers before the Premier League season kicked off.
But he insists anyone who wasn’t of the same mindset then, certainly will be now after the five-star show in north London.
“It was a magnificent performance, offensively and defensively,” said Rosler, now manager of League One Brentford.
“It’s been a strong, strong start. You can’t start better than winning three out of three.
“They will challenge for the title over the nine months of the season. With the players they have they are more than capable of doing that. In the end, it’s all about silverware.”
He added: “They’ve played some good football and I’m surprised how quickly Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri have settled into the way the team play.”
But what hasn’t surprised Rosler is how fast City have come out of the blocks.
The German insists the hard work was done last season and that Roberto Mancini’s men will reap the rewards when the silverware is dished out in May.
“Last year, more players arrived and there was a different pre-season schedule because of the World Cup which was difficult,” said Rosler.
“But this year most of the group have been together for at least a year and they have established relations between each other.
“On the field, the team is settled and there are only one or two new players. That makes it easier for the new players to settle in because the main part of the group has been together for quite some time.
“Last year was very important. The players know the system and the players the manager has brought in have been right for that system.
“They have a very good squad and I think they will be successful on all fronts. They are right up there. At the moment, it’s looking very, very promising.”
Rosler is just as bullish about City’s chances in the Champions League. He had a taste of the tournament during a season at Kaiserslautern after leaving Maine Road and he insists the Blues will have no problem coping with life at Europe’s top table.
“No problem, whatsoever,” he said. “Last year, City were strong in the Europa League even when they weren’t fielding the strongest team.
“They should have gone further. I was commentating on the game against Dynamo Kiev and, unfortunately, they lost a player.
“If it had been 11 v 11, City would have made the semi-finals. They have not had the experience in Europe over the last decade but they showed last year they will have no problem coping. “
They have players and a manager with experience in the Champions League so they will have no problem at all.”
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
QPR's new owner Tony Fernandes is planning a swoop for former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham. The Malaysian tycoon believes it will help Beckham realise his dream of playing in the Olympics and wants him at Loftus Road as soon as his MLS season ends with LA Galaxy. the Sun
Bolton winger Martin Petrov says Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Tottenham missed a trick by not buying team-mate Gary Cahill. Daily Mirror
Tottenham midfielder Giovani dos Santos is angry with the club for blocking his move to Sevilla. Daily Mirror
Striker James Beattie could be set for a shock return to the Premier League, with his former clubs Everton and Blackburn, as well as Newcastle United, alerted to his availability following his release by Rangers. Metro
Nottingham Forest boss Steve McClaren is eyeing loan moves for West Brom striker Simon Cox, Tottenham winger Andros Townsend and Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand after he announced on Friday he was staying with the club, despite disappointment at failing to add to his squad before the transfer window closed. Daily Mirror
Chelsea target Stevan Jovetic is set to open talks with Serie A side Fiorentina over a new contract, after the 21-year-old forward was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the summer. talkSPORT
Manchester United duo Tomasz Kuszczak and Mame Biram Diouf are expected to leave Old Trafford on loan after failing to establish themselves as regulars in Sir Alex Ferguson's side. talkSPORT
Galatasaray have made a bid for West Ham striker Carlton Cole as they look to bolster their attacking options. Despite the British transfer window closing on Wednesday, a deal could still happen as the Turkish transfer window remains open until 5 September. Sky Sports
Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias has defended the club's failure to sign a striker on the final day of the transfer window. The St James' Park club have failed to sign a replacement for Andy Carroll for the second successive transfer window. Daily Mirror
United States midfielder Clint Dempsey claims there was "interest from many clubs, including Arsenal" during the transfer window, but insists he is committed to current club Fulham. Goal.com
New Sunderland recruit Nicklas Bendtner has vowed never to return to Arsenal after moving to Wearside on loan. the Sun
Aston Villa loan signing Jermaine Jenas has said his move away from Tottenham was motivated by the lack of regular first-team football offered to him by manager Harry Redknapp. Metro
Sion president Christian Constantin has vowed to fight Uefa's decision to kick the Swiss club out of the Europa League and hand their place to Celtic because of a registration row by making a challenge in the civil courts. Daily Record
Celtic Under-19 midfielder Jackson Irvine, whose dad is from Aberdeen, is at the heart of a fierce tun-of-war between Scotland and his mother's Australian homeland. Sun
Jack Wilshere has given his approval by retweeting a fan-created Twitter photo, poking fun at Arsenal teammate Andrey Arshavin's lack of height compared to deadline day signing Per Mertesacker. Metro
Everton fans annoyed by their club's hesitant transfer policy have designed a website called Everton Time, a clock which keeps track of the Toffees' lack of market activity. Metro http://evertontime.com/
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