Saturday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

City to honour youth plan with bid for Palace’s Moses
Manchester City are seeking to make good their pledge to buy in elite youth players by moving for Crystal Palace’s 19-year-old striking prodigy Victor Moses. Palace manager Neil Warnock indicated yesterday that he believes Moses will be heading out of Selhurst Park unless the current financial difficulties are resolved and City’s football administrator Brian Marwood will press ahead with the club’s move for a player Palace are seeking £5m for. Palace are understood to have received a £1.5m bid from West Bromwich Albion and there are doubts as to whether other prospective suitors will match the valuation. But City, who feel that their current academy crop does not equip them to make the leap to Champions League football, have the spending power that others seeking Moses’ signature lack.
Mancini has dismissed suggestions that he might be about to move for the Argentine defender Christian Ansaldi, suggesting that Wayne Bridge meets his requirements for the left-back spot. Ansaldi, who plays for the Russian side Rubin Kazan was reportedly to move for £4m. “No, in that position we have Bridge,” Mancini said. “In seven days he will have recovered.” Bridge has been missing from the Manchester City side since early December, with a knee injury

Adebayor still in shock
Emmanuel Adebayor admits Togo could very well pull out of the African Cup of Nations after their team bus was machine gunned.
The Manchester City star and his team-mates had to duck for cover as their team bus was peppered with gun fire as they travelled to their training camp in Angola.
Two players were injured by bullets, a number of the management were also hurt and the driver was killed.
With many players in shock Adebayor admits they are considering pulling out.
"I think a lot of players want to leave, I don't think they want to be at this tournament any more because they have seen their death already," said Adebayor.
"Most of the players want to go back to their family. No-one can sleep after what they have seen today. They have seen one of their team-mates have a bullet in his body, who is crying, who is losing consciousness and everything.
"We are still in shock. If the security is not sure then we will be leaving. I don't think they will be ready to give their life."
Adebayor recounted what happened when the team bus reached the border between DR Congo and Angola. "We saw military people dressed like they were going to war and it was a little bit of a shock at the beginning but I thought, 'okay, it's for security, which is normal, because we are players here for a big tournament and we are like ambassadors for Africans, so it's normal that security is big'," he continued. "We went through the border and got into Angola and, I don't know, 5km away from the border we started hearing shooting on the bus, for no reason. At the end of the day, we got a lot of (people) injured. "One of our (reserve) goalkeepers got a bullet in his body. Our press and communications guy has got injured; he's not even conscious now, we don't know if he's going to survive or not. "These are the things we keep saying, keep repeating - in Africa, we have to change our image if we want to be respected but unfortunately that's not happening. "We have a chance with one of the biggest tournaments in the world, the World Cup. Can you imagine what's happening now? I'm disgraced and, I don't know, it's unfair." "The thing we don't understand is why they shot on our bus, that's the question now. There's no-one who has got a reason for that. It's not only one guy, or two guys shooting one time or two times on our bus. "Can you imagine, we have been in the middle of that for 30 minutes, even a little bit more. Our bus had been stopped and people had been shooting on our bus for 30 minutes. "If you can imagine, the silence on the bus was unbelievable." Serge Akakpo and Kodjovi Obilale were confirmed by their clubs as the players injured in the attack.

Clubs want African players back after Togo attack http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8449787.stm

Fifa statement
Fifa also released a statement speaking of their concern. "Fifa and its President, Joseph S. Blatter, are deeply moved by incidents which affected Togo's national team, to whom they express their utmost sympathy," said the statement. "Fifa is in touch with the African Football Confederation (CAF) and its President, Issa Hayatou, from which it expects a full report on the situation." The Football Association are contacting Fifa to gain reassurance for English clubs who have players involved in the tournament.

David Moyes gives Brazilian Jô chance to rescue his Everton career
On-loan striker was fined and suspended for going awol
The commitment of Jô, Everton's Brazilian striker, will be assessed in training by the Everton manager, David Moyes. David Moyes will give his on-loan striker Jô the chance to salvage his Everton career next week when he ends the Brazilian' internal suspension for going missing over the festive period. The 22-year-old incensed the Everton manager when he returned to Brazil without permission for personal reasons at Christmas, inviting a fine, an order to stay away from the club's training ground and doubt over whether Moyes will retain the Manchester City forward's services until the end of this season.
With Everton low on funds and personnel, and City paying Jô's wages as part of the deal that took Joleon Lescott to Eastlands, an early exit from Goodison for the Brazilian appears unlikely. But Moyes intends to assess the striker's commitment upon his return to training.
"Jô will back at the club next week following his suspension," Moyes said. "He has been fined heavily and he knows the situation. We will look at it more next week. I don't think it is a big discussion point. We have dealt with it and should now move on."
Moyes gave no consideration to reducing Jô's suspension in time for today's trip to Arsenal despite losing Yakubu Ayegbeni to the Africa Cup of Nations and, in all likelihood, Louis Saha to a hamstring strain. And the Everton manager believes the club's appalling injury problems are finally nearing an end.
He said: "Louis joined in training for the first time yesterday. Leon Osman joined in also. Mikel Arteta joined in but was in non-contact training, Victor Anichebe has done a little bit and is improving. Dan Gosling, Jack Rodwell and Sylvain Distin are all close, Sylvain probably the closest. They are all going in the right direction."
Everton's new loan signing Landon Donovan could be given his debut at Arsenal.

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Chelsea are ready to swoop for £36m Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, the Stamford Bridge outfit are ready to offer straight cash for the big Bosnian front man, where as fellow suitors AC Milan want to try and do a swap deal.Daily Mirror

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says striker Robbie Keane will only leave White Hart Lane if someone offers £50m for him. Aston Villa and Celtic are interested in the 29-year-old Republic of Ireland forward. The Sun

Meanwhile, Spurs are locked in a £7m race with Lyon to sign Dinamo Zagreb defender Dejan Lovren, 20.The Sun

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed he is considering re-signing Sol Campbell - it would be the first time Wenger has re-signed a player for the Gunners.Daily Mirror

However, despite having a transfer budget of about £35m, Wenger insists he does not need to buy a striker as Nicklas Bendtner is set to resume full training next week. The Independent

Liverpool are tracking Wolves utility man Richard Stearman, the 22-year-old can play right-back and centre-half and manager Rafael Benitez sees the former England under-21 man as ideal cover for the injured Glen Johnson. Daily Mirror

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is ready to table a £4m bid for Sporting Gijon's Spain Under-21 left-back Roberto Canella - who also interests Aston Villa. (The Sun)

Fulham are considering a move for 26-year-old Panathinaikos winger Dimitris Salpigidis. The Greece international, who is available for £1m, has also attracted interest from Birmingham and Stoke. Daily Mail

West Ham have made a bid to sign Belarus striker Sergey Kornilenko, 26, on loan from Zenit St Petersburg. Daily Mail

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is hopeful of signing a new striker next week. With Carlton Cole out injured, the Hammers have been linked with former Upton Park man Marlon Harewood, surplus to requirements at Aston Villa. Stoke's James Beattie and Eidur Gudjohnson of Monaco are also in the frame. Daily Star

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce insists striker Kenwyne Jones is not for sale. Birmingham are weighing up an £11m bid for the Trinidad & Tobago star while Liverpool, Arsenal and Stoke are all admirers of the big striker. Daily Star

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

OTHER BOLLOX
Newcastle fans have pledged more than £50m to buy out owner Mike Ashley and take control of the club. The scheme is fronted by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust. (The Mirror)

Burnley are set to offer Leeds boss Simon Grayson five times his current pay deal to become their new boss after Owen Coyle left for Bolton. The Mirror

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has sent out a clear message to Real Madrid and Barcelona - Cesc Fabregas will still be an Arsenal player next season. The 22-year-old midfielder's contract runs to 2015. The Sun

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has warned midfielder Joe Cole that his performances will have to improve if he wants to be part of England's World Cup squad. Daily Mirror

Norwich manager Paul Lambert has emerged as a leading contender to replace Owen Coyle at Burnley.Daily Mail

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is so fed up with freezing conditions ruining training that will take his players to Dubai if Saturday's game at Birmingham is called off. The Sun

PATRICK VIEIRA has warned Manchester United he is back to topple them – again.
The former Arsenal hero led the Gunners to three Premier League title successes over Sir Alex Ferguson’s United.
And Vieira, who signed for Manchester City yesterday, claimed the Reds are not the team they were when he and Roy Keane went head to head.

“Yes, of course, I can help topple them again,” Vieira said.
“I don’t believe United dominate the Premier League as much as they used to because now you have Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal plus City and Aston Villa, so many teams who can finish in the top four.
“And I think that has made it really difficult for United to dominate as they used to. They don’t look as strong as they did.”
Vieira, 33, a veteran of nine success-packed years at Arsenal and title wins in 1998, 2002 and 2004, couldn’t resist a taunt at the club with whom the Gunners have such a fierce rivalry.
He said: “I remember my last kick for Arsenal was the winning penalty in the FA Cup final shoot-out against United in 2005.
“So, that is a good memory and maybe a good omen.”

[john@staustell]

Wait until he sees Bridge play eh?

[Chinners]

Time running out for Martin Petrov at Manchester City
The figures released by Manchester City may have underlined their financial muscle again but another indication of the different universe they inhabit is that Martin Petrov could leave Eastlands for nothing in only four months.


Despite the former Atlético Madrid player having made just five starts in the Premier League this season, only Carlos Tévez, Craig Bellamy and Emmanuel Adebayor have bettered Petrov's tally of four goals in the Premier League, which is four more than Robinho has managed. Petrov, 31, has held preliminary discussions about extending his present contract beyond the end of the season. Although the Bulgarian has plenty in common with Manchester United's Nani, Liverpool's Albert Riera and Chelsea's Florent Malouda, and the problems that trio have endured over the past 18 months, it is still hard to imagine their contracts being allowed to run down as far as Manchester City man's has.

He came close to leaving for Tottenham on transfer deadline day in the summer and would have been looking for a new club this month if Mark Hughes was still in charge at Eastlands.
Petrov is still the only City player to openly criticise Hughes since his departure last month and is still irritated by the way he was treated by his former manager, after being dropped twice after scoring in matches this season.
His appearance in Roberto Mancini's first game, the 2-0 victory over Stoke, was his first start in two months and, for all the anger among the City players in the wake of Hughes' dismissal following the 4-3 win over Sunderland, it is not hard to imagine Petrov's feelings when he emerged from the shower to be informed of the manager's demise by captain Kolo Touré.
"I am not the only player who was not playing, but I tell you I think I have a place in this team and that I'm showing that to the former manager," Petrov said. "If someone doesn't give you the chance then that's frustrating to me, and he knows what I think.
"I had been away from Bulgaria for 12 years and this had never happened to me before. It was a new situation and maybe I made mistakes because I was too frustrated."

City could push their way into the top four for the first time in more than two months with victory against Blackburn at Eastlandstomorrow night and, while Petrov has been impressed by the first days of Mancini's reign, he feels the manager will need longer than Hughes got.
He said: "If we need a manager to do something with the group, he needs a little bit more time. I think every club that is successful in the world, they have managers that stay for a long time, 10 or 15 years.
"The manager tries to communicate in English. Everyone knows what the manager wants. He can explain himself, no problem. It is clear what each individual must do and I think that's normal, because he comes from Italy."
Patrick Vieira has followed Mancini from Italy and Petrov is sure that the French midfielder, 33, can prove wrong those who are predicting he will struggle to have an impact on the Premier League.
"He's got a lot of quality and he's played in the Premier League before," he said. "What can I say about Vieira? Everyone knows how he can play and how he can help the team."
Having started Mancini's first three matches, Petrov is hoping to extend his stay in Manchester and is happy in England.
"We have spoken once or twice, my agent and the club," he said. "Nothing significant has happened yet.
"I want to stay if everything runs well. Now is a different situation for me.
"My family is happy here and I now have the weather like in Bulgaria."

TICKET BOLLOX
The selling criteria for the away leg of the Carling Cup semi final against Manchester United have changed. See below:
Carling Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg

Manchester United v MCFC

Wednesday, January 27 2010

Kick Off 8.00pm

Please note there will be no ticket returns in the last week of sale.

An allocation of tickets will be available priced as follows –

Adults: £42/£41

Over 65s: £23.50/£23

Under 16s: £10

All tickets are subject to availability.

If the supporter number used is that of an Adult, then only an Adult ticket may be purchased. This also applies to under 16s and over 65s.
Tickets will be available by telephone on 0870 062 1894 option 1* or to personal callers at the Citycentre building for supporters that meet the following criteria:

Seasoncard holders with 2600 or more loyalty points – Saturday 9th January
Seasoncard holders with 2400 or more loyalty points – Monday 11th January

Should tickets remain; further selling criteria will be announced.
*There is a £2.00 booking fee per ticket on all telephone bookings.

There will be 10 loyalty points awarded for attending this fixture

TICKET SEMI BOLLOX THREAD
viewtopic.php?f=119&t=29252

FAT SAM Allardyce believes Patrick Vieira will make a big impact at Manchester City after describing him as the ‘complete midfielder’.

The former Arsenal midfielder could line up against Rovers at Eastlands on Monday after joining City from Inter Milan – with Allardyce well aware of the qualities he will bring.

The 33-year-old has joined Eastlands in a bid to resurrect his chances of forcing his way back into the France squad for this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

During his nine years in London, between 1996 and 2005, Vieira won four Premier League titles and three FA Cups and Allardyce expects him to add to Manchester City’s money-led revival.

Allardyce said: “Vieira was a colossus in his time over here. Contrary to what they might think, they have never really replaced him.

“He could mix any type of game to be coming out the man on top. If you wanted to have a battle, he could have a battle. If you wanted a physical test, he would be physically better than most and his ability made him an all-round great midfield player.

“His heading ability in both boxes was a massive contribution for Arsenal. A big player for Manchester City if he is going to play for them, he will add a lot for them.”

Felipe Caicedo joins Málaga on loan from Manchester City
Ecuador striker agrees loan deal for remainder of season.
Manchester City's Felipe Caicedo has been out on loan with Sporting Lisbon since the start of the season, and will now join Málaga. Málaga have reached an agreement with Manchester City to take the Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo on loan for the remainder of the season, the Primera División club announced today.
The 21-year-old Caicedo, who has already passed his medical with Málaga, had been on loan from City at the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon since the start of this season.
Málaga are currently third from bottom in the Primera División standings and two points adrift of safety ahead of tomorrow's home match with Athletic Bilbao.
Caicedo joined City from the Swiss side Basle in January 2008 and made 25 appearances in all competitions last season for the Premier League club, scoring seven goals.
However, with the arrivals of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz last summer, Caicedo's opportunities for first-team football at Eastlands were limited and he agreed to join Sporting on a season-long loan.
Caicedo made seven league appearances for Sporting and a further three in the Europa League.