Thursday's 28 years sore loser semi final B*ll*x
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 8:01 amMark Hughes: Arsene Wenger is a sore loser and lacks respect
Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, told Arsène Wenger to show some respect after his Arsenal counterpart refused to shake his hand at the end of a tempestuous Carling Cup quarter-final last night.
City face a showdown with Manchester United in the semi-finals after an impressive 3-0 win at home to a youthful Arsenal secured their place in the last four of a leading cup competition for the first time in 28 years.
The victory eased the pressure on Hughes, whose future has come under scrutiny after a run of seven successive draws in the Barclays Premier League. But the City manager was furious at Wenger’s snub at the final whistle and waved sarcastically as the Arsenal manager went down the tunnel.
“It was his choice,” Hughes said after second-half goals from Carlos Tévez, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Vladimir Weiss had killed off Arsenal.“At one point he questioned why I was over on his side of the technical area. He may have been a little bit aggrieved by that, but I would suggest he was more aggrieved that his team got beat.
“I have been to the Emirates Stadium and been beaten 6-2 but I still offer my hand. It’s the best you can do. There are certain protocols and maybe on this occasion Arsène has not worked with that.
“I was a little bit disappointed because I have got huge respect for him and maybe he needs to be a little but more gracious. You don’t need to do that and just not shake someone’s hand to show you’re upset.”
There has been a history of bad blood between Hughes and Wenger, dating back to an FA Cup semi-final in April 2005, when the Welshman was in charge of Blackburn Rovers.
Wenger took exception to Blackburn’s “bully boy” tactics that day, not least an elbow by Andy Todd on Robin van Persie. He refused to explain why he had stormed off last night, but denied that it had anything to do with City’s approach.
“Well, I think that has not a lot to do with the game,” he said. “I’m free to shake hands with whom I want after the game. I have nothing more to say about that.”
Asked if it was not professional courtesy to shake an opposing manager’s hand, Wenger added: “Yes, it is. I had no professional courtesy.”
Hughes is relishing the prospect of a meeting with United in the last four. City will host United on January 6, with the return leg at Old Trafford on January 20. Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, accused City of being “noisy neighbours” after winning a controversial derby 4-3 at Old Trafford in September and Hughes is expecting more fireworks.
“It’s a fantastic draw,” he said. “We are excited by it and the wider world as well, I think. We are going to enjoy it. Over two games we’d back ourselves against anyone and will try to get to a Wembley final that this club hasn’t for a long time.
“There has been a little bit of negativity in recent weeks but I think that has been alleviated this evening. It has been a frustration for everyone but we’ve played 16 or 17 games and only been beaten in one. You can’t deny we are going in the right direction now.”
Wenger played down the importance of the Carling Cup after insisting he would not abandon his policy of blooding youngsters in the competition. “To play in the quarter-final of the Champions League or the semi-final or final is ten times more difficult than to win the Carling Cup,” he said.
Blackburn Rovers will face Aston Villa in the other semi-final, but Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, refused to blame Gaël Kakuta after his failure from the spot in a shoot-out at Ewood Park.
Chelsea lost 4-3 on penalties after an enthralling tie ended 3-3 after extra time, when Kakuta’s kick was saved by Paul Robinson. Chelsea had played for 50 minutes with ten men after Ancelotti, who had already made eight changes to his starting line-up, lost Salomon Kalou to injury, having used all three substitutes at half-time.
“I took the risk,” Ancelotti said, “then Kalou had the injury and we ended up with ten against eleven. I don’t usually change all three at half-time, but I thought it was best for us.
“And all the young players who came on will play in the future for us. I put Kakuta in for the penalty, I chose him to take the fifth. I saw him in training all week and he was very good.”
[youtube]BGNgS-DPJcY[/youtube]
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Tottenham look set to agree the £7m signing of Internacional's Brazilian midfielder Sandro on Sunday. Daily Mirror
Manchester United are considering a January transfer move for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko. Daily Mirror
But Arsenal are also interested in the £15m-rated Bosnia striker as they look to replace injured forward Robin Van Persie. The Sun
United will sell Serbian winger Zoran Tosic and pass up on their option to sign his former team-mate Partizan Belgrade midfielder Adem Ljajic in order to free up funds to sign Dzeko.Daily Mirror
Or, United's decision to pull out of the £10m deal for Serbian 'superkid' Ljajic is because there are suggestions the Old Trafford club are suffering from a financial crisis.Daily Star
Meanwhile, United keeper Ben Foster will be sent out on loan in January in a bid to secure his place in England's World Cup squad.Daily Mirror
Manchester United are said to be considering a move for Schalke 04 keeper Manuel Neuer, according to the German player's agent. Daily Mirror
WHAT THE FUCK ... BOLLOX
Fernando Torres: I will not join Manchester City because I want my daughter to have a Scouse accent, la
Fernando Torres has dismissed the idea of a mega-money move to Manchester City - because he wants his family to grow up as Scousers.The Spanish striker insisted yesterday that he feels as though he was almost born and bred on Merseyside, after settling in so well at the Anfield club. And with City making strong noises about a record-breaking attempt to sign him, the striker dismissed the idea because he wants his children to grow up with Liverpool in their blood.
There has even been talk of a £75million bid to match the world record fee Real Madrid paid for Cristiano Ronaldo, but Torres insisted yesterday that any English club is wasting their time in trying to lure him away from Liverpool. His baby daughter Nora was born earlier this year, and he revealed that he wants her to grow up with a Scouse accent.
"I really feel at home here. From the first day I came I have felt that Anfield is my home - I feel like I am from Liverpool, and I want that for my family too," he said. "I hope to be here for a long time and if my daughter speaks English and Scouse, I will be proud. For me, Anfield is the best place in England.This is my home, and it helps that I have learned the language. Have I picked up any Scouse? Deffo! I am picking up words all the time."
Torres is is now in his third season with Liverpool and is well on the way to becoming an Anfield legend after an impressive 48 league goals in just 67 appearances. He needs two more to shatter the record for the quickest half century of goals in the club's history - held jointly by Sam Raybould and Albert Stubbins - and if he gets it in the next 12 matches then he will beat their mark by a staggering 30 games. Yet even though he feels so at home and the fans idolise him as one of the greatest the club has ever seen, he insisted that he will only feel he has truly arrived at Liverpool when he wins a trophy for the club.
"The fans have seen some of the best players in the world playing for Liverpool, and now they sing my name, which is incredible for me, just incredible," he said. "It's amazing to score at Anfield and amazing to score in front of the Kop. When I hear people sing my name it's the best feeling I can have on the pitch. But really, I would like to be remembered as a player who won things for Liverpool. I have plenty of years here, I am sure about that, and I hope the trophies will come soon. I have only been here two years, and not won anything yet, only scored some goals. But I hope in a few years I can write another book, explaining about the trophies I have won at Liverpool."
[youtube]DeOAaxeSAnQ[/youtube]
OTHER BOLLOX
Milton Keynes Dons manager Paul Ince is fighting to save his job at the League One club, despite only returning there in July.
Daily Mirror
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... lex-curran
FINAL BOLLOX
Manchester United staff have put the clocks forward by seven minutes at the club's training ground as they look to stop players turning up late for their 1000 GMT exercise session. (The Sun)
Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, told Arsène Wenger to show some respect after his Arsenal counterpart refused to shake his hand at the end of a tempestuous Carling Cup quarter-final last night.
City face a showdown with Manchester United in the semi-finals after an impressive 3-0 win at home to a youthful Arsenal secured their place in the last four of a leading cup competition for the first time in 28 years.
The victory eased the pressure on Hughes, whose future has come under scrutiny after a run of seven successive draws in the Barclays Premier League. But the City manager was furious at Wenger’s snub at the final whistle and waved sarcastically as the Arsenal manager went down the tunnel.
“It was his choice,” Hughes said after second-half goals from Carlos Tévez, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Vladimir Weiss had killed off Arsenal.“At one point he questioned why I was over on his side of the technical area. He may have been a little bit aggrieved by that, but I would suggest he was more aggrieved that his team got beat.
“I have been to the Emirates Stadium and been beaten 6-2 but I still offer my hand. It’s the best you can do. There are certain protocols and maybe on this occasion Arsène has not worked with that.
“I was a little bit disappointed because I have got huge respect for him and maybe he needs to be a little but more gracious. You don’t need to do that and just not shake someone’s hand to show you’re upset.”
There has been a history of bad blood between Hughes and Wenger, dating back to an FA Cup semi-final in April 2005, when the Welshman was in charge of Blackburn Rovers.
Wenger took exception to Blackburn’s “bully boy” tactics that day, not least an elbow by Andy Todd on Robin van Persie. He refused to explain why he had stormed off last night, but denied that it had anything to do with City’s approach.
“Well, I think that has not a lot to do with the game,” he said. “I’m free to shake hands with whom I want after the game. I have nothing more to say about that.”
Asked if it was not professional courtesy to shake an opposing manager’s hand, Wenger added: “Yes, it is. I had no professional courtesy.”
Hughes is relishing the prospect of a meeting with United in the last four. City will host United on January 6, with the return leg at Old Trafford on January 20. Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, accused City of being “noisy neighbours” after winning a controversial derby 4-3 at Old Trafford in September and Hughes is expecting more fireworks.
“It’s a fantastic draw,” he said. “We are excited by it and the wider world as well, I think. We are going to enjoy it. Over two games we’d back ourselves against anyone and will try to get to a Wembley final that this club hasn’t for a long time.
“There has been a little bit of negativity in recent weeks but I think that has been alleviated this evening. It has been a frustration for everyone but we’ve played 16 or 17 games and only been beaten in one. You can’t deny we are going in the right direction now.”
Wenger played down the importance of the Carling Cup after insisting he would not abandon his policy of blooding youngsters in the competition. “To play in the quarter-final of the Champions League or the semi-final or final is ten times more difficult than to win the Carling Cup,” he said.
Blackburn Rovers will face Aston Villa in the other semi-final, but Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, refused to blame Gaël Kakuta after his failure from the spot in a shoot-out at Ewood Park.
Chelsea lost 4-3 on penalties after an enthralling tie ended 3-3 after extra time, when Kakuta’s kick was saved by Paul Robinson. Chelsea had played for 50 minutes with ten men after Ancelotti, who had already made eight changes to his starting line-up, lost Salomon Kalou to injury, having used all three substitutes at half-time.
“I took the risk,” Ancelotti said, “then Kalou had the injury and we ended up with ten against eleven. I don’t usually change all three at half-time, but I thought it was best for us.
“And all the young players who came on will play in the future for us. I put Kakuta in for the penalty, I chose him to take the fifth. I saw him in training all week and he was very good.”
[youtube]BGNgS-DPJcY[/youtube]
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Tottenham look set to agree the £7m signing of Internacional's Brazilian midfielder Sandro on Sunday. Daily Mirror
Manchester United are considering a January transfer move for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko. Daily Mirror
But Arsenal are also interested in the £15m-rated Bosnia striker as they look to replace injured forward Robin Van Persie. The Sun
United will sell Serbian winger Zoran Tosic and pass up on their option to sign his former team-mate Partizan Belgrade midfielder Adem Ljajic in order to free up funds to sign Dzeko.Daily Mirror
Or, United's decision to pull out of the £10m deal for Serbian 'superkid' Ljajic is because there are suggestions the Old Trafford club are suffering from a financial crisis.Daily Star
Meanwhile, United keeper Ben Foster will be sent out on loan in January in a bid to secure his place in England's World Cup squad.Daily Mirror
Manchester United are said to be considering a move for Schalke 04 keeper Manuel Neuer, according to the German player's agent. Daily Mirror
WHAT THE FUCK ... BOLLOX
Fernando Torres: I will not join Manchester City because I want my daughter to have a Scouse accent, la
Fernando Torres has dismissed the idea of a mega-money move to Manchester City - because he wants his family to grow up as Scousers.The Spanish striker insisted yesterday that he feels as though he was almost born and bred on Merseyside, after settling in so well at the Anfield club. And with City making strong noises about a record-breaking attempt to sign him, the striker dismissed the idea because he wants his children to grow up with Liverpool in their blood.
There has even been talk of a £75million bid to match the world record fee Real Madrid paid for Cristiano Ronaldo, but Torres insisted yesterday that any English club is wasting their time in trying to lure him away from Liverpool. His baby daughter Nora was born earlier this year, and he revealed that he wants her to grow up with a Scouse accent.
"I really feel at home here. From the first day I came I have felt that Anfield is my home - I feel like I am from Liverpool, and I want that for my family too," he said. "I hope to be here for a long time and if my daughter speaks English and Scouse, I will be proud. For me, Anfield is the best place in England.This is my home, and it helps that I have learned the language. Have I picked up any Scouse? Deffo! I am picking up words all the time."
Torres is is now in his third season with Liverpool and is well on the way to becoming an Anfield legend after an impressive 48 league goals in just 67 appearances. He needs two more to shatter the record for the quickest half century of goals in the club's history - held jointly by Sam Raybould and Albert Stubbins - and if he gets it in the next 12 matches then he will beat their mark by a staggering 30 games. Yet even though he feels so at home and the fans idolise him as one of the greatest the club has ever seen, he insisted that he will only feel he has truly arrived at Liverpool when he wins a trophy for the club.
"The fans have seen some of the best players in the world playing for Liverpool, and now they sing my name, which is incredible for me, just incredible," he said. "It's amazing to score at Anfield and amazing to score in front of the Kop. When I hear people sing my name it's the best feeling I can have on the pitch. But really, I would like to be remembered as a player who won things for Liverpool. I have plenty of years here, I am sure about that, and I hope the trophies will come soon. I have only been here two years, and not won anything yet, only scored some goals. But I hope in a few years I can write another book, explaining about the trophies I have won at Liverpool."
[youtube]DeOAaxeSAnQ[/youtube]
OTHER BOLLOX
Milton Keynes Dons manager Paul Ince is fighting to save his job at the League One club, despite only returning there in July.
Daily Mirror
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... lex-curran
FINAL BOLLOX
Manchester United staff have put the clocks forward by seven minutes at the club's training ground as they look to stop players turning up late for their 1000 GMT exercise session. (The Sun)