Tuesday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

It's 'normal' to wave imaginary cards, claims Roberto Mancini
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has defended his decision to wave an imaginary card at referee Martin Atkinson to signify Maynor Figueroa should have been sent off in the 88th minute of his side's 1-0 win over Wigan.
Ever since City's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, Mancini has been embroiled in rows over controversial refereeing decisions.
Against United he lambasted Wayne Rooney for what he felt was the striker's part in getting Vincent Kompany sent off.
Then, three days later, Mancini got involved in a tunnel row with Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, who accused the Italian of doing exactly the same thing following Glen Johnson's two-footed tackle on Joleon Lescott.
Last night, Mancini was up in arms that Figueroa, having completely misjudged the bounce of Nigel de Jong's long punt forward, only got a yellow card when he handled the ball to prevent Sergio Aguero running through on goal from the halfway line.
"It is normal when it is something like today," Mancini said. "I am on the bench. It is different to a player who is near the referee. They can have more influence.
"From the bench, it is what you think at that moment but the referee doesn't see you."
Opposite number Roberto Martinez agreed with referee Martin Atkinson that the incident took place too far from the Wigan goal to be considered a clear goalscoring opportunity.
"I don't think it was a goalscoring opportunity," he said. "He has misjudged the bounce but he is not even in his own half. I don't think it is a red card."
Martinez also believes Mancini's conduct will not go down well.
"I've been here long enough to understand that trying to influence the referee is not accepted in the British game," he said.
"I've been here since 1995 so I know when a player tries to buy a decision from the referee it is not seen as clever. It is seen as cheating.
"I understand in Italy, Spain and France you try to get decisions from the referee. What happens here is very different."
The row overshadowed a victory that took City three points clear of Manchester United and five in front of Tottenham, whom they face at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
And it was a personal triumph for Edin Dzeko, who ended an 11-match goalscoring drought by heading home his 14th of the season from David Silva's 21st-minute corner.
"I am happy for Edin," Mancini said. "He deserved to score an important goal. I hope he can continue to score."
Mancini is hoping both Micah Richards and Mario Balotelli, who were missing with hamstring and ankle problems respectively, will be available for the Spurs encounter, when Emmanuel Adebayor will be prevented from playing due to the Premier League's rules on loan players.
But with Kompany suspended for a further two games and Yaya and Kolo Toure about to begin their African Nations Cup campaign with the Ivory Coast, City's 'difficult moment' is not over yet.
"At the moment it is impossible to have an easy game," Mancini added. "We needed the three points. It is difficult but we knew it would be two months ago."
For Wigan, who remain at the foot of the table, it was another case of what might have been.
Although it was something of a surprise for Joe Hart to be named man of the match, the City keeper had enough to do to prove Wigan were in the contest, so the ease with which the visitors got their winner was a sense of enormous frustration.
"We have to be critical," Martinez said. "It is no good saying we were playing against an outstanding team. We are frustrated and disappointed.
"Manchester City have so much talent on the ball and to concede from a soft set play is hard to take."
http://www.mancityfans.net/mcfnet/viewt ... 19&t=41551

SUPERFIT WAG OF THE DAY - VIDEO
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OTHER BOLLOX
Everton are set to give a trial to 30-year-old USA striker Edson Buddle, who currently plays for German second division side Ingolstadt04. Liverpool Echo

Tottenham have placed a £20m pricetag on England striker Jermain Defoe, 29, who had been linked with a £10m bid from Liverpool. Daily Mirror

Striker Dimitar Berbatov, 30, is at the centre of a battle between Russia and Germany. The £30.75m striker is wanted by CSKA Moscow, Anzhi Makhachkala, Bayern Munich and one of his former clubs, Bayer Leverkusen.: Manchester Evening News

Meanwhile, United are set to go head-to-head with Serie A giants Juventus for the signature of 19-year-old Basel midfielder Granit Xhaka. talkShit

Lokomotiv Moscow are plotting to scupper Arsenal's attempts to land Cologne striker Lukas Podolski, 26, by blowing them out of the water with a £20m summer bid. Metro

Marseille striker Loic Remy, 25, has turned his back on a January move to Tottenham. the Sun

Liverpool are eyeing a move for £5m-rated Swansea striker Scott Sinclair, 22. Daily Star

New QPR manager Mark Hughes is stepping up his bid to sign Fulham striker Bobby Zamora, 30. London Evening Standard

Blackburn winger Junior Hoilett, 21, looks likely to remain at the club beyond the January transfer window, despite reported interest from Tottenham and a diminishing contract which expires in the summer. International Business Times

And Rovers have priced wantaway defender Chris Samba, 27, at £15m - and claimed the defender, a target for QPR and Spurs, owes them money after they gave him a six-figure loan to pay for improvements to his house. Daily Mirror

Freiburg striker Papiss Cisse, 26, says he is "flattered" by the interest shown in him by Premier League side Sunderland.Goal.com

Liverpool have stolen a march on a host of European clubs by inviting Swedish side IFK Norrkoping's 14-year-old striker Abdul Aziz for a trial at the club. talkShit

Tottenham could be set to make a renewed bid for Atletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, 26, who could cost up to £24m. Footybunker

Striker Fernando Torres, 27, is believed to have asked Chelsea for extra training sessions to work on his finishing in a bid to end his goal drought. London Evening Standard

Midfielder Joey Barton, 29, has ruled out a move from QPR in January and insists he is happy to fight for his place under new manager Mark Hughes. talkShit

Bolton manager Owen Coyle believes the club can beat relegation without defender Gary Cahill, 26, who has joined Chelsea. Bolton News

Declan Rudd's ankle injury could force Norwich manager Paul Lambert to make an unexpected foray into the transfer market for experienced goalkeeping cover. Eastern Daily Press

Defender Jamie Carragher, 33, admits he's flattered that Liverpool want him to stay at Anfield beyond his playing days but insists he is focused purely on winning back a regular place in Kenny Dalglish's side. Liverpool Echo

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, 37, was apparently so in need of a new pair of football boots before his surprise comeback from retirement that he had to pop into his local sports shop and buy a pair for £40. Metro

Prince William can only laugh when asked about Alex McLeish's appointment as Aston Villa manager. Birmingham Mail

[aaron bond]

Blackburn winger Junior Hoilett, 21, looks likely to remain at the club beyond the January transfer window, despite reported interest from Tottenham and a diminishing contract which expires in the summer. International Business Times

Is Hoilett worth a punt? I've only seen him play a few times but have been pretty impressed with what I've seen, and as he's on a free in the summer, we could potentially sign him on a pre-contract now. He's only 21 and would be pretty cheap so might be worth a look.

I'm sure someone on here must have seen him more than me and could give more of an idea if he has the potential to be a part of our squad.

[Fesan]

QPR in dire need of a clinical finisher to make use of the chanced created by a decent midfield and they go for Zamora... Dear me.

[Chinners]

Luka Modric targets Tottenham victory against Manchester City
Tottenham can haul themselves back in to the title race by pulling off a shock victory in Sunday's showdown at Manchester City, according to playmaker Luka Modric.
Spurs blew the chance to move level with Barclays Premier League leaders City on Saturday when they were held to a 1-1 draw against Wolves at White Hart Lane.
Some saw that failure to beat Mick McCarthy's strugglers as a sign that the Londoners do not have what it takes to challenge both Manchester clubs for the title, and Roberto Mancini's men now sit five points ahead of Harry Redknapp's team ahead of Sunday's clash at the Etihad Stadium.
City have a 100% home record in the league this term, but Modric fondly remembers the victory Tottenham recorded there two years ago to qualify for the Champions League and is confident they can record another famous victory this weekend.
Modric told Spurs TV Online: "The last two seasons we have played massive games there and this will be another one. I hope we will do well and maybe win, why not? We are going there with a positive mindset and we will try to win the game.
"We try to do that against every opponent. I think we are that good that we can go there and win them."
Tottenham threw everything they had at Wolves last weekend, but despite Modric's second-half strike, they could not find another breakthrough following Steven Fletcher's opener for the visitors.
Spurs' failure to make the top four last term was, in a large part, due to their inability to beat teams in the bottom six, but they have improved this season and Modric refuses to worry about the impact Saturday's draw may have upon the club's title push.
"It was a shame we didn't win," the midfielder said.
"It was very hard to play them. It always is when opponents score first and sit back. It's really hard to break them down. After we scored the goal we were all over them and created lots of chances, but we didn't score. It's nothing, though. We just need to start again and start winning games again
"It can happen. No-one expected us to draw but that's why every game in this league is hard. It's not the end of the world. We just need to pick ourselves up for the big game on Sunday and we have to be positive regardless of Saturday's result."

Inter in talks with Manchester City to offset €7m they are owed for Mario Balotelli to push through €30m Carlos Tevez transfer.
Roberto Mancini has personally had discussions with his former club to seal the switch of the rebel striker but Premier League leaders' valuation is still a stumbling block
Inter are in talks with Manchester City to offset the €7 (£5.8) million they are still owed for Mario Balotelli’s transfer to push through the signing of Carlos Tevez, Goal.com can disclose.
City have told the Serie A club they want €30(£25)m for Tevez after rejecting a €25 (£20.7)m bid from Inter for the striker.
The Premier League club are adamant Tevez will not be loaned out this month and are prepared to hold on to the player until the summer if their valuation is not met, despite the burden of his £198,000-a-week wages.
Goal.com understands City still owe around a quarter of the €28 (£23.5)m fee for Balotelli, who moved to the Etihad Stadium from San Siro in the summer of 2010.
Although it is City’s normal practice to pay the entirety of transfers up front – a condition of Samir Nasri’s £23m move from Arsenal was that City paid the money in one instalment – they did not do so with the Balotelli deal.
This has now emerged as the key to Inter’s negotiations for Tevez, talks that have been smoothed by the excellent relationship Roberto Mancini still has with senior officials at the club he led to three consecutive Serie A titles.
Sources have told Goal.com that Mancini has personally held discussions with both Inter sporting director Marco Branca and president Massimo Moratti over the last three weeks about Tevez, even at a time when AC Milan were widely considered to be favourites for the rebel forward’s signature.
Nevertheless, Inter and City are believed to be some way off agreeing a deal for Tevez, particularly with the Premier League club keen to hold out for the fee that matches their valuation. Paris Saint-Germain are reported by the French media today to be ready to make a move for the Argentine.
As revealed by Goal.com last Saturday, Tevez is willing to take a pay cut to €144,000 (£120,000) a week to push through a transfer in the current window.
He remains in Argentina after refusing requests to return to Manchester and his resolve to sever his ties with his employers has only hardened.
Moratti confirmed Inter’s interest in Tevez on Monday. “There are no secrets in football,” he said. “We have made our offer of €25m (£20.7m). Now it is up to City whether they accept that bid or not.
“However, I think there are a number of other clubs who are interested in him. There are some English sides and also Paris Saint-Germain.”

Wayne Rooney mocks City boss Roberto Mancini over card gesturing
Wayne Rooney took to Twitter to last night to mock Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini for waving an imaginary red card in his side's game against Wigan.
The City boss slammed Rooney for attempting to get Vincent Kompany sent off in the recent FA Cup clash between the Manchester rivals by appealing to referee Chris Foy.
However, it was the Italian who was trying to get Maynor Figueroa sent off for handling the ball in the 88th minute last night, when it looked like Sergio Aguero was set to run clear and make it 2-0.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez said that Mancini's actions on the touchline would not go down well.
'I've been here long enough to understand that trying to influence the referee is not accepted in the British game,' he said.
Watching on TV, Rooney was quick to make a sarcastic comment, posting on Twitter: 'Was Manchini (sic) asking for red card?'
It comes after Steven Gerrard became embroiled in a tunnel row with the City boss after he waved an imaginary card against Liverpool when Glen Johnson seemed to make a two-footed tackle on Joleon Lescott.
But Mancini defended his actions, saying: 'It is normal when it is something like today.
'I am on the bench. It is different to a player who is near the referee. They can have more influence.'