Thursday's Dinner B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Pizza and booze is the new recipe for success at City
Wine could soon be on the menu for Manchester City's stars if Roberto Mancini has his way.
Mancini is overhauling the players' pre-match meal and feels they might play better after a relaxing glass of Chianti or Pinot Grigio.
City's new manager has already brought some Italian chic to the club with his 1950s retro blue and white scarf and is also introducing a Mediterranean flavour to the Eastlands menu.
He was disappointed not to see his players tucking into pizza before games and will tell the City cooks to get baking.
"I have found myself in a very different world and I am trying to adapt without changing the rules," said Mancini.
"Let me give you an example. Food before a match, I will sort that out calmly. For example, you need chicken, pizza, carbohydrates, even a glass of wine, but they are not on the table."
City won't care what changes Mancini makes if he keeps winning and the former Inter Milan boss is the toast of Blues fans after winning all of his first four games.
City have banged in 10 goals and conceded just one and Mancini has made the best-ever start by a Blues manager.
He says City fans ain't see nothing yet and has vowed to end their 34-wait for a trophy.
"I have just arrived in Manchester and the fans are incredible, the players are strong and the club well organised," said Mancini.
"I have signed a three-and-a-half year contract and I have a duty to win as I did at Florence, Rome and Milan.
"I'm living the Premier League without thinking of anything else. I can't believe it. It's been great to win straight away and so often. The win against Blackburn was special and I dedicated it to my father as it was his birthday."
Mancini has guided City up to fourth - just seven points behind leaders Chelsea - and delirious Blues fans are even dreaming of the title.
Even though Carlo Ancelotti may be getting nervous at seeing Mancini loom large in his rear view mirror, he has still been on the phone to congratulate his old San Siro rival.
"The objective is fourth place and the Champions League," he said. "I have heard from Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola. They were all very kind. I haven't heard from Capello."
Mancini, 45, who will be joined in Manchester in the summer by his wife Federica and youngest child Camilla, sees his long-term future back home in Italy.
He believes he will return to Serie A when he has finished at City and dreams of managing the Azzurri one day.
"What may be impossible today, tomorrow may happen," said Mancini. "Maybe Inter, Milan, Juventus, Lazio or Roma, but who knows?
"At the moment I'm not thinking about it. One day I will and I would like to coach the national team or maybe any national team, but for the time being there is only City."

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Stoke manager Tony Pulis is battling to seal a shock season-long loan move for Portsmouth and England goalkeeper David James. Daily Mirror

Liverpool have made a shock offer for Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici, who played in the Royals' 2-1 FA Cup victory at Anfield on Wednesday. Daily Mail

Brazil midfielder Sandro has claimed his £6m move to Tottenham is a "dream come true". Sandro, 20, has agreed to move to White Hart Lane but his club, Internacional, want to keep him until they finish their Copa Libertadores campaign, which is South America's equivalent of the Champions League, in the summer. Daily Mirror

Portsmouth are trying to sign Egypt striker Emad Moteab. The 26-year-old scored in his country's 3-1 victory over Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.Daily Mail

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is considering a fresh approach for Red Bull Salzburg striker Marc Janko. The 26-year-old, who is 6ft 5in and has scored 67 goals in 92 games for his Austrian club, is available for £6.5m. Daily Mail

Birmingham are also chasing Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, 28, after Liverpool forward Ryan Babel, 23, refused to move to St Andrew's.: Daily Mirror

Blackburn are leading a quartet of Premier League clubs in the chase for Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker. Bolton, Wigan and Hull are also interested in the 25-year-old, who could leave Villa for £5m. The Times

Arsenal are looking for a Spanish club to loan their new Bolivian attacking midfielder Samuel Galindo to. The 17-year-old will struggle to get a work permit to start playing in England.Daily Mirror

Burnley boss Brian Laws is going back to his old club Sheffield Wednesday with a £1.5million bid for keeper Lee Grant. Daily Mirror

Fulham will tie up the loan signing of exciting young Roma striker Stefano Okaka Chuka, 20, next week. Daily Mirror

Former England manager Steve McClaren wants to take Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 18, on loan to his FC Twente side in the Netherlands. Daily Mail

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

OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea will discover at a Premier League tribunal on Thursday how much they must pay Manchester City for signing Daniel Sturridge. The 20-year-old striker clinched a four-year deal with the Blues last summer, with City wanting £10m and Chelsea offering £3m. The Times

Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to do nothing in the January transfer window - after being told by the club board they will win their appeal against the Fifa transfer ban, which is currently in place until June 2011. Daily Mirror

Paul Hart is fighting to save his job as QPR manager after falling out with Adel Taarabt. The 56-year-old only took over as boss in December. Daily Mirror

[john@staustell]

Take it easy on the wine Bobby, this is England you know. Show us a sniff of a glass of wine and we're off!

[Wonderwall]

Pizza and booze is the new recipe for success at City
Wine could soon be on the menu for Manchester City's stars if Roberto Mancini has his way.
Mancini is overhauling the players' pre-match meal and feels they might play better after a relaxing glass of Chianti or Pinot Grigio.
City's new manager has already brought some Italian chic to the club with his 1950s retro blue and white scarf and is also introducing a Mediterranean flavour to the Eastlands menu.
He was disappointed not to see his players tucking into pizza before games and will tell the City cooks to get baking.
"I have found myself in a very different world and I am trying to adapt without changing the rules," said Mancini.
"Let me give you an example. Food before a match, I will sort that out calmly. For example, you need chicken, pizza, carbohydrates, even a glass of wine, but they are not on the table."

FFS I hope thats a joke

[ant london]

Sticking to the nutrition theme I liked the insight into Carlos' diet yesterday!

The Daily Mail says a source reveals that when Tevez arrived at Eastlands he was a player who had lost his way a little.

It would appear, though, that the answer was very simple.

"Carlos is a good lad with a huge heart and enormous strength of character," said the source. "But it's hard to get him to train at a match tempo. So if he isn't playing regularly in real games, then he loses his sharpness. I think that's what happened at United and that's what we have had to try to address.

"At the start of the season he had problems with his back and his ankle but we needed him so we pushed him into games and he did a job for the club. But all those matches have really paid off in the last couple of months as he has just got sharper and sharper.

"He will still do his own thing. He will still have a bottle of Coke or a Mars Bar occasionally! But it's fine because of all the work he is getting through in matches.

[Chinners]

MORE BOLLOX
Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has secured his third signing of the transfer window, Scottish defender Gary Caldwell arriving on a four-and-a-half-year £1m deal from Celtic. The 27-year-old central defender has been drafted in to strengthen a back four that has leaked 44 goals in 19 league games this campaign. "He is a commanding defender," Martinez said, "who will lead by example on and off the pitch."

Galatasaray make offer for Goodison rightback
Everton manager David Moyes is considering a £750,000 offer from the Turkish club Galatasaray for versatile defender Lucas Neill. The 31-year-old Australian international signed a one-year deal at Goodison Park only last September, joining as a free agent, and has featured 15 times for David Moyes' side. He has yet to feature in Europe, meaning he would be eligible to play for the Istanbul club in the Europa League.

Brazilian Sandro close to securing Spurs switch
The Brazil international Sandro is close to becoming Spurs' first signing of the transfer window after agreeing personal terms with the club. The 20-year-old Internacional midfielder has been linked with a £6m move for the past year. "Sandro is happy and ready to join," said the player's lawyer, Luiz Paulo Chignall. "All that remains is to finalise the small details. We have agreed all of Sandro's personal terms – his salary, the length of his contract." A potential hurdle remains the issue of a work permit for the player, who has won just one cap – meaning he falls short of the amount required for a work permit.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all chasing Racing Santander's 18-year-old striker Sergio Canales. Liverpool's Ryan Babel is likely to leave Anfield in the transfer window to generate transfer funds for manager Rafael Benitez. Chelsea target Edin Dzeko favours a move to Milan should he leave Wolfsburg.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates insists the Potters remain interested in Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones but will not pay "silly money", after Black Cats manager Steve Bruce valued the player at £40m.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp continues to monitor Joe Cole's contract negotiations with Chelsea in an effort to expand the White Hart Lane side's options on the wing, while unsettled striker Roman Pavlyuchenko could finally be on his way out of the club, returning home to Zenit St Petersburg.

New Bolton manager Owen Coyle is attempting to bring Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere to the Reebok on loan.