Boxing Day B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Managers: it’s Man Utd 1, Man City 14 Bollox
Alex Ferguson welcomed the arrival of Roberto Mancini as the new kid in town but then cast his mind forward to when a 20th Manchester City manager might be ushered in.The sacking of Mark Hughes and introduction of Mancini into the Eastlands hotseat means City have appointed 14 managers since Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson at Old Trafford in October 1986.

That includes five in the last six years, changes which have brought the Blues no trophies in a period when Ferguson has added a Premier League title hat-trick, an FA Cup, League Cup and appearances in the Champions League semi-finals in each of the last three years, including 2008 when they beat Chelsea in the final.

Given claims Mancini’s contract has a break clause at the end of the season, which can be activated by the Italian or City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners, it would be no real surprise if Ferguson was soon extending the hand of friendship to yet another Blues manager next summer.
As he prepared for tomorrow’s match at Hull, Ferguson said: “Fourteenth manager. Is that all? I can’t wait for the 20th.”

Ferguson’s declaration City’s treatment of Hughes was unacceptable was genuine, despite there being a frostiness between the Scot and his former player in recent times.Equally genuine has been the mirth, inside and outside the United camp, that has greeted City’s travails and the efforts of chief executive Garry Cook to deal with them. Ferguson concedes United’s success has made life difficult for their city rivals.

“It is a difficult job being in a city with Manchester United when you think of all the success we have had over the years,” he said.

VIDEO: Alex Ferguson slams 'unacceptable' Manchester City over sacking of Mark Hughes http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... ughes.html

Last weekend saw the departure of a class act from a circus.
It would appear that Mark Hughes has been a dead man walking since Garry Cook brought in the Arab money to Manchester City.
No matter how polished and pristinely presented their hostesses, receptionists and corp- orate lounges might be, everyone in football can now see them for what they are in their treatment of a decent bloke.

Francis Lee, a man who wore the pale blue shirt with great distinction and who went on to be chairman of the club, once said: “If there was a cup for cock ups, City would win it every year.”Manchester City fans over the decades have, almost to a man, been heard to utter the phrase “Well it is Manchester City” to explain away their latest misfortune.

City, in many ways, were many people’s second favourite team for the way in which they were always so endearingly incomp- etent.
But their latest behaviour is leaving them in very real danger of replacing Chelsea and Manchester United as the most reviled football club amongst ordinary fans.


TRANSFER BOLLOX
Argentine striker Sergio Aguero will be offered to Chelsea and Manchester rivals United and City for £40m by his club Atletico Madrid. Chelsea were favourites to sign the 21-year-old, but discussions on his personal terms have stalled. The Mirror http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Ch ... 67467.html

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is keen to sign Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy despite branding the player a "nuisance". Bellamy, one of City's top performers this season, was reportedly unhappy at the sacking of Blues manager Mark Hughes. The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 968031.ece

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is desperate to sign a target man in January, with Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones, Manchester City's Roque Santa Cruz and Liverpool old boy Emile Heskey all on his wanted list. The Mirror http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Em ... 67299.html

Meanwhile, City could bolster their attack by moving for Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini. The 25-year-old averages a goal every other game in Serie A. The Sun http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... -Pazz.html

Manchester United will offload 22-year-old Serbian winger Zoran Tosic in January. Tosic signed last January in a £7m deal, but has yet to start a game for the club. The Mirror

Striker Luca Toni could make a January move to Chelsea, with the Blues forced to cope without Didier Drogba, among others during, the African Cup of Nations. Toni, 32, was top scorer for Bayern Munich last season, but has been linked with a move since exiting the ground after being substituted in a recent match. The Sun

Wolves will look to tempt Craig Gardner from Aston Villa in January. The £3m-rated midfielder could move in search of first-team football. (The Mirror)

OTHER BOLLOX
Ferguson, though, has been rocked by the news that striker Dimitar Berbatov requires knee surgery and will be out for three months.The Sun

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, 25, will be offered a new long-term contract to stave off interest from Real Madrid. Full story: The Times

Michael Dawson could have played his way into England's World Cup squad. The Spurs centre back started the season as fourth choice at club level, but injuries and a string of fine performances have seen club manager Redknapp push his case to England coach Fabio Capello.Daily Star

However, Michael Owen is still unlikely to make the plane despite his recent Champions League hat-trick against Wolfsburg. Capello will only pick the striker if he gets more regular football for Manchester United. The Sun

And Owen's Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand could also be a doubt for South Africa, with club manager Ferguson admitting there is "no light" in terms of his recovery from a back injury. The Independent

WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... la-camassa

FINAL BOLLOX
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti could see his extremities turn blue if he goes back on a promise not to sign anyone during the January transfer window.

The Premier League leaders, who have had a transfer ban suspended, will be deprived of several first-team players during the African Cup of Nations, but Ancelotti has promised to run naked in the snow if they dip their toe into the winter market. Daily Star

Recently in the Bollox, we covered Mancini's little quip about winning us 5 titles . . . The Sun headline writers, as ever, turn this into hard serious fact

ROBERTO MANCINI has promised: I'll win FIVE Premier League titles.
Manchester City's new boss makes his debut against Stoke today.
And he said: "I hope when I eventually leave, I'll leave the club with five league titles and four cups!
"This season the target is the top four. Next season we want to be first in the Premier League."

[john68]

Cheers Chinners...As expected, old Bacon Face is making the most of the opportunity we have given him to deflect the negative headlines onto us, instead of having the media sniffing round his knackered regime at the swamp.
...and the rag supportive media are only happy to comply with his wishes.
As for us becoming the most reviled club in the country...it is quite possible we will, should the media campaugn keep publishing this type of shit.
Do I care?...NO!!!!...It's only only Taggart and the press having a public shit after Xmas. If and when the Mancini era gets up and running and we start winning and as the cracks at the swamp widen, the whisky soaked twat will be unable to keep the media vultures away and they will become the target of abuse.

[dazby]

I've seen Pazzini play. He is the most exciting player Samp have. We could do worse.

[Ted Hughes]

Cheers Chinners...As expected, old Bacon Face is making the most of the opportunity we have given him to deflect the negative headlines onto us, instead of having the media sniffing round his knackered regime at the swamp.
...and the rag supportive media are only happy to comply with his wishes.
As for us becoming the most reviled club in the country...it is quite possible we will, should the media campaugn keep publishing this type of shit.
Do I care?...NO!!!!...It's only only Taggart and the press having a public shit after Xmas. If and when the Mancini era gets up and running and we start winning and as the cracks at the swamp widen, the whisky soaked twat will be unable to keep the media vultures away and they will become the target of abuse.

Let's see how the rags react once we start putting them under serious pressure, which I still believe could happen this season. I've said all along that I expect us to have a big push late in the season & if the rags aren't completely clear of us by then, it could get very interesting. Their fans' arses will go & Mr Face will be in the firing line.

Whenever it happens, now or in the future, we'll see just how loyal Baconface's rag army are if they find themselves behind us.

[aaron bond]

Cheers Chinners...As expected, old Bacon Face is making the most of the opportunity we have given him to deflect the negative headlines onto us, instead of having the media sniffing round his knackered regime at the swamp.
...and the rag supportive media are only happy to comply with his wishes.
As for us becoming the most reviled club in the country...it is quite possible we will, should the media campaugn keep publishing this type of shit.
Do I care?...NO!!!!...It's only only Taggart and the press having a public shit after Xmas. If and when the Mancini era gets up and running and we start winning and as the cracks at the swamp widen, the whisky soaked twat will be unable to keep the media vultures away and they will become the target of abuse.

Let's see how the rags react once we start putting them under serious pressure, which I still believe could happen this season. I've said all along that I expect us to have a big push late in the season & if the rags aren't completely clear of us by then, it could get very interesting. Their fans' arses will go & Mr Face will be in the firing line.

Whenever it happens, now or in the future, we'll see just how loyal Baconface's rag army are if they find themselves behind us.

I can't wait to see Taggart's reaction when we start competing with them seriously for the same trophies.

He talks about us continuously now in derogatory terms and we're still someway off them. What is he going to be like in the future???

[john68]

Ted,
I strongly agree that we are ready, not only to catch them up but overttake them. Pertly due to our contin ued resources and imrovement and partly due to the cracks at the swamp, widening into yawning fissures.

The media will find a scapegoat, probably the yanks and the rest of the club will be safeguarded too much criticism. Bacon Face is another matter. He has had massive success but won't be keen to be seen as the man who led them to failure. Without the resources, failure is a distinct possibility for them.

Fun times ahead for us methinks!!!