James Milner is comfortable in the role of selfless workhorse and appeared utterly underwhelmed by the significance of his first international goal.
‘The most important thing is we went to a tough place to start the campaign and the result was great,’ said Milner when asked about his goal, the fourth in a 5-0 win in Moldova on Friday.
‘I’d like to add more goals to my game but, if I never score another for England and we won the World Cup and I was running around doing the not-glamorous things, I’d be delighted.’
This is the attitude which endears him to his manager and a major reason why he has appeared in all eight games since Roy Hodgson took control, starting seven.
He will toil on the wing without complaint, despite firmly believing central midfield remains his best position, and he will work back and cover Glen Johnson as the full back gallops forward.
Mention his Yorkshire roots, however, and a flicker of pride comes into the eyes of the Manchester City midfielder, born in Leeds and raised in nearby Horsforth.
‘We seem to have a lot of grit in us, a determination to succeed,’ said Milner. ‘Maybe it’s something they put in the water or the Yorkshire puddings. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I’ve said it to the lads and anyone else who’ll listen that if Yorkshire we’re a country we’d be well up there in the [Olympic] medal table and I’m very proud of that.’
Milner was a good schoolboy cricketer, a batsman and wicketkeeper who played at county level with England fast bowler Tim Bresnan and Yorkshire opening batsman Joe Sayers.
‘I played a lot of cricket and did a bit of cross-country running,’ said Milner. ‘But it came to a point where football took over. If I’d got a yorker on my toe it wouldn’t have been ideal.’
He made his Premier League debut for Leeds aged 16, is close to 400 senior appearances at the age of 26 and is set to win his 33rd England cap against Ukraine on Tuesday.
The only surprise was it took so long for him to open his England account.
‘It wasn’t really bothering me,’ said Milner. ‘I’d done everything else — hit the side- netting, the inside of the post and keepers had pulled off good saves.
‘It is one of those things and, hopefully, now I’ve got that first one, there will be a few more.’
All the best teams need their water carriers and workhorses, and Milner is proud to be England’s. Just remember, it is Yorkshire water he carries, using Yorkshire horsepower.
Serbia defender Aleksandar Kolarov unimpressed by 'long-ball' Scotland
Serbian defender Aleksandar Kolarov has claimed his team are better than Scotland after the two sides drew at Hampden Park.
The goalless opening World Cup qualifier left many Scots fans unhappy with the performance of the national side.
And Manchester City full-back Kolarov was unimpressed by a Scotland side he described as a 'long-ball' team. "They played at home but I think we are a better team than them," he said.
Kolarov also thought the match against Scotland was ideal preparation for the Serbs hosting Wales in their next qualifier on Tuesday.
"I think all the squads from the island play in the same way, with the long ball.
"We had this game and the last friendly game against Ireland, so we are used to playing against a team like this."
The 26-year-old also said that he was unsurprised at the way Scotland played.
"We know how they play, with long balls. They are good on the second balls and from set-pieces," he said.
"We made some mistakes and they could have scored but 0-0 in the end was okay for both sides."
Serbian captain Branislav Ivanovic agreed that the draw was a fair result for both sides.
"I think Scotland can beat us and also we can beat Scotland so a draw is okay for both teams for a start," said the Chelsea defender.
"They had some opportunities from our mistakes. We had two or three opportunities and the draw was correct.
"Both teams had good chances to win the game but I thought it was a fair result and we can be happy with a draw in one of the hardest away games for us."
Meanwhile, Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes has revealed his excitement at making his competitive international debut has compensated for the disappointment of failing to beat Serbia.
New Blackburn signing Rhodes came on as a substitute with 10 minutes to go as Scotland shifted to a 4-4-2 formation.
"It was fantastic just to go out there," said Rhodes.
"It was a dream come true to go out there and step out in front of those fans at a World Cup campaign. It was very exciting and it doesn't get much more exciting than that."
Man City new boy snubbed Chelsea switch
The defender swapped Inter Milan for the Premier League champions on transfer deadline day but Roberto Calenda insists his client ruled out moves to the Blues as well as Spanish champions Real Madrid and French big-spenders Paris St Germain.
“He chose Manchester City after rather a long evaluation process,” the agent told Sky Sport Italia.
“All the top clubs who needed someone in that role came looking for Maicon, from Real Madrid via Jose Mourinho to PSG, Chelsea and others.
“Maicon made his decision when Roberto Mancini called, as he had started his Inter adventure with this coach seven years ago.
“There were times during the season when he thought about staying, as he is very tied to the club colours, but after seven years together it was only right that this story should come to an end.
“I’d like to point out that at no point did Maicon demand to be sold, even when there were important proposals in the past. Unlike others, he never put his foot down or made life difficult. He played every Inter game with the utmost determination.”
Barry on the road to recovery as City target Arsenal clash for midfielder's comeback
Gareth Barry is close to a return from the injury that kept him out of England's Euro 2012 campaign and has seen him miss the whole of pre-season with Manchester City.
The midfielder underwent a double hernia operation at the start of the summer but has been back training with the City first-team for two weeks now and has featured in two recent matches for the club's Elite Development Squad.
It is thought that this week's trip to Stoke and next week's Champions League opener against Real Madrid will come too soon for the 32-year-old, but he should be back involved for the visit of Arsenal in a fortnight's time.
‘I’ve had two outings with the Elite Development Squad now – 45 minutes against Middlesbrough and 80 against Liverpool and I felt a lot better in the second game so things are progressing nicely,’ Barry told Man City's official website.
‘I had a double hernia operation which meant an initial four weeks out, but then I tore a muscle in rehab which set me back a little bit, but I don’t think I’m too far off now - touch wood! I’m just taking things one day at a time but I’m feeling quite strong again which is really good.’
Barry revealed that he had a setback in his recovery during the summer, and as such he is reluctant to set an exact return date himself.
‘The medical team and sports therapists will have a discussion, though I’m not asking too many questions,’ he said.
‘I had a comeback date prior to the muscle tear, but things don’t always go to plan.
‘This is the longest period of my career that I’ve been sidelined with injury and the comeback game against Middlesbrough was my first match for three-and-a-half months.
‘Being out so long does give you time to think about things and it makes me realise how lucky I’ve been in terms of injuries and the amount of games I’ve played throughout my career.
‘I’ve been training with the first team for a fortnight now and getting back into the swing of things again.
‘I’m not a good spectator and I don’t enjoy watching the games – I’d much rather be out there playing so I’m obviously really looking forward to getting my season off and running again.’
Battle of the Sites: Manchester United vs. Manchester City
The fact the article can't put the sides in alphabetical order sghould give you a clue how this one will pan out ...
Following last season’s heated derbies between Manchester United and Manchester City, QuBit, the consumer data platform, has revealed the results of its comparison into both teams’ online stores.
The analysis was conducted using QuBit's ‘Outside-In’ framework which covers key aspects of website performance, and focuses on the Find, Use and Buy stages of the consumer journey. Each criteria is scored and summed to give a final percentage result.
Kick Off: Find
Manchester United: Sliding dynamic promotions and seasonal offers made United’s landing page engaging and dynamic. ‘Back to School’ and ‘Premier League Kick Off’ campaigns gave the website an up-to-date and ‘in-time’ look and it used clear Calls To Action (CTAs) to drive attention. However the positioning of the login section has made it hard to spot, losing United some points in the early exchanges of this battle.
Manchester City: The City landing page greeted the user with a live feed of offers and promotional material, much like its competitor, however City’s login section is better displayed. Drop down menus within wide containers aid navigation of the site and ‘Breadcrumbs’, a technique that allows users to track their location within the site, is also successfully implemented. However, there is a failure to create effective and obvious CTAs, causing City to fall behind.
Round results: United: 76 % vs. City: 73 %
Half Time: Choose
Manchester United: United succeeds with its 360° view option for boots and kits, allowing the user to view the product from all angles. The product descriptions are very good, including everything from fabric type and technology to the history of the product. Unfortunately, a few search words return irrelevant results and there is no user reviews section.
Manchester City: City’s search function provides relevant results and accepts a number of search term combinations and the site provide an extensive filter that allows the user to sort the results by price, colour, gender, player, brand or even sleeve length. Furthermore, best practice use of top sellers and recommended items are clearly displayed. The site lacks some features like not having a zoom option across the whole product range and leaving out important information in some product descriptions (e.g. fabric type).
Round results: United: 90 % vs. City: 82 %
Extra Time: Buy
Manchester United: The summary page showed adherence to established best practice, with a well formatted overview and prices that are easy to understand. In the subtotal, no additional services were automatically added in the chart and the registration process required only the relevant information, making it quick and user friendly. All stages of the checkout were clearly labelled with a third party security seal and the user always knew which stage of the process they were on.
Manchester City: The City summary page benefits from a well formatted and understandable overview of the chart. The total price is laid out in a logical manner and the registration process is very smooth. The registration also offers a “Find Address” function, making it quick to fill in the fields. City also provided security seals as part of the checkout. However, they failed to provide the seal though all stages of the checkout process, thus causing them to lose some marks in the final round.
Round results: United: 85 % vs. City: 79 %
Final Score
United: 84 % vs. City: 78 %
TRANNY'S BOLLOX
Ronaldo gets his way as Madrid back down over 'Beckham law'
Real Madrid are preparing a joint statement with Cristiano Ronaldo that should put an end, at least temporarily, to the uncertainty over his future.
The declaration being compiled by the club, but expected to be signed by the player as well, will affirm Real’s commitment to eventually extending Ronaldo’s contract beyond 2015 and will also give the club’s full support to his candidacy for the Balon D’Or prize awarded at the end of the year.
The reaction addresses the two main reasons behind Ronaldo’s current unhappiness — the failure of the club to extend his current deal and a perceived lack of institutional support towards him in his battle to beat the likes of Leo Messi and Andres Iniesta to football’s top individual prizes.
There had also been leaks from the player’s camp that he had grown unhappy because he is not universally loved.
Yet while he is said to be peeved that his name is not greeted with thunderous acclaim pre-game at the Bernabeu — and has even been jeered by a voluble minority — it does not square with claims that his unrest is because he has no social life as he cannot get respite from adoring fans.
Ronaldo had been portrayed as a lonely figure whose daily routine of driving across Madrid, from his home at the exclusive La Finca in Pozuelo de Alarcón to the club’s Valdebebas training complex, was only occasionally broken by an ill-fated attempt at enjoying life in the city.
Insiders told newspaper El Mundo that Ronaldo had taken Russian girlfriend Irina Shayk to the theatre to see The Lion King, entering wearing sunglasses when the lights had been dimmed, only to leave before the interval because he had been swamped by fans demanding photos and autographs despite his requests to be left in peace.
It also reported that constant pestering in public prevents him going to his favourite restaurant and he now has food delivered to his home.
His unhappiness was also said to extend to the Real dressing room, where he was once part of a band of Portuguese-speaking players. He has fallen out with Brazil full-back Marcelo who, allegedly, said Iker Casillas would be a worthy Balon D’Or winner. And while Ronaldo’s Portugal team-mate, Pepe, made a point of congratulating his Madrid clubmates in the Spain team after their European Championship semi-final win, the former Manchester United hero did not.
Ronaldo feels his relationship with many of the Madrid fans is not what it should be. After scoring 150 goals in his first 150 games for the club (151, according to Ronaldo, after a referee awarded a deflected effort to Pepe) one might expect unwavering adulation. But while the £80m attacker’s name is still sung by his former United supporters at Old Trafford, at the Bernabeu there is no special treatment.
The cheers when his name is announced before kick-off are no louder than for any other player … and usually less than those for his manager, Jose Mourinho. There have even been isolated incidents of whistling from a disgruntled minority.
Not just that, in Madrid he is constantly reminded that he earns around £21,800 a day — 1.5 times what the average Spaniard (if he is not one of the five million unemployed) gets in a year.
‘If he wants a pay rise he should at least ask less publicly,’ has been the common sentiment.
Ronaldo’s next home game comes in nine days’ time against Manchester City in the Champions League, and the Real Madrid hierarchy will be listening for the reaction to the player from the stands.
The first thing Real president Florentino Perez did when Ronaldo told him he was unhappy, in a meeting he had requested last Saturday, was to make sure there were no imminent bids for their superstar in the dying days of the transfer window.
However, the ears of City, Chelsea, PSG, FC Anzhi and even United will have pricked up, and the potential suitors will have been encouraged by tales of the player’s tormented goldfish-bowl existence and Real’s struggle to pay him what he wants.
Yet things might not have come to a head had Real managed to free themselves of Kakà in the summer. They are obliged to pay him £7.2m net a year but, relieved of that expense, they may have been able to go a long way to meeting Ronaldo’s demands before things got public.
Another problem for Real is the abolition of the so-called ‘Beckham Law’, under which they agreed to pay Ronaldo £8m a year net, with the club meeting his 24 per cent tax obligation. Ronaldo’s current contract still benefits from the ‘Beckham Law’. But any new contract would, from 2015, be subject to a 52 per cent tax.
Paying Ronaldo his £8m a year has been costing the club just under £10m a season. Now, by giving in to his 30 per cent pay increase demands, his new £10.35m take home pay would see them shelling out more than £20m a season.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=43909
OTHER BOLLOX
Forward Adrian Lopez, 24, is uncertain about whether to sign a new contract at Atletico Madrid, just weeks after he was linked with Tottenham and Arsenal. Metro
Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas, 29, looks set to join Leeds on loan, after being told he is not in manager Andre Villas-Boas' plans at Spurs. Metro
The ankle injury that has ruled defender John Terry, 31, out of England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday is threatening to keep him out of Chelsea's Premier League match at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. Guardian
Ukraine boss Oleg Blokhin wants revenge against England during Tuesday's World Cup qualifier at Wembley after his side were denied a goal against Roy Hodgson's men in their Euro 2012 encounter. Daily Mirror
Aston Villa centre-back Ciaran Clark, 22, says he cannot understand Giovanni Trapattoni's decision to leave him out of the Republic of Ireland squad. Goal.com
Defender Dani Alves, 29, has called for the Brazilian fans to be patient with their national side, demanding that the fans support their young squad rather than jeer them. Goal.com
more bollox soon ....
