Rehashed tale from 4 weeks ago from same bollox source
Billionaire owners can make £140m double deal happen WHEN Garry Cook courted Kaka, he became the laughing stock of world football.
But the sniggering has stopped. And now the Manchester City chief executive has turned his attention to Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, nobody should take him lightly.
The chase for fourth place in the Premier League won't be decided at Eastlands today.
The clash between City and Liverpool is more a symbol of a seismic shift between a waning power beset by internal and financial problems and a club that knows no limits.
Even a defeat for Roberto Mancini's side does not alter that landscape.
There are those at Anfield only too aware of the threat from City, not least to Liverpool's two biggest stars.
After the false dawn of Thakskin Shinawatra, the pledges of owner Sheikh Mansour are proving to be no mirage.
That sends out a compelling message to both Torres and Gerrard - that they may have to re-evaluate their futures in the summer.
It's not even a secret within the City corridors of power that the hierarchy are plotting a £140million double swoop for both Torres and Gerrard this summer.
City officials are already planning how they can pull off what would be one of the most audacious transfer coups of all time.
Fourth place and Champions League football would inevitably help sugar the pill of an Anfield parting but even without the lure of football at the highest level, City believe they hold more than a few aces.
If the injured Torres chooses to watch the game from the Eastlands stands, he will be taken by the modern facilities and the potential to increase the capacity to 65,000 - while visions of a new state-of-the-art Anfield remain a pipedream.
Then he will look at Emmabuel Adebayor, a striker not remotely in his class, who picks up £140,000 a week, substantially more than the £95,000 a week Torres earns from a four-year deal signed last summer.
Torres might then just to do some calculations not entirely based on money. He will wonder where Liverpool are heading.
That's exactly the question one of Torres's advisors put to the Liverpool hierarchy recently.
As it stands, it is difficult for the club to offer any conclusive answers.
As diligently as chief executive Christian Purslow has been working to stabilise what has become a very rocky ship under the tiller of joint American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the future remains uncertain.
What is certain is that Liverpool's owners must come up with £100million by the end of March to settle loans taken when the Americans bought the club.
Hicks and Gillett could wipe out the problem at one stroke by agreeing the £100m sale of Torres to City during the close season.
Selling Gerrard as well would then give the club an enhanced transfer kitty.
City have moved up another level from the Kaka farce and whatever the wisdom of replacing Mark Hughes with Roberto Mancini there is far greater credibility to the club's aspirations of becoming not only a superpower in England but Europe too.
There is no doubt that should City beat off the challenges of Tottenham and Aston Villa and eject Liverpool from their Big Four status, then Torres could have his head turned.
Even if Torres could be lured, Gerrard would be much more reluctant to follow him down the M62.
Part of Gerrard may still regret not moving to Chelsea five years ago. And while his red-blooded Mersey roots prohibit even the thought of defecting to Manchester United, the prospect of becoming part of City's adventure would not be out of bounds.
The plain fact is, unless things change at Liverpool - and change quickly - Gerrard, 30 in May, might have to resign himself to never winning a Premier League winner's medal, while at City the potential is now palpable.
Those who counsel Gerrard may suggest that if he did opt to leave Liverpool it would only be to play abroad, with Real Madrid a distinct possibility.
Yet why not City?
After all, if the blue half of Manchester roll back the red tide of United's dominance then, in a way it will be a mission well received on Merseyside, for a while at least.
And how much more loyalty does Gerrard owe Liverpool?
To cash in one or either may smack of heresy to the Kop faithful but if it helps finance a complete rebuilding of a tired team, then it may be a sacrifice worth making.
Whatever the outcome of today's game and the race for fourth place, City would seem on the brink of breaking through the glass ceiling and, in the process, ensuring Liverpool's fall from greatness continues.
Perversely, maybe the only way for Liverpool to alter that inevitability is to take the money for their two great talismen before it is too late.
Roberto Mancini facing a players' revolt at Manchester City Roberto Mancini looks unlikely to survive at Manchester City beyond the summer after growing dissent in the dressing room over the Italian's training regime and managerial style.
Mancini, who took over at City from Mark Hughes just nine weeks ago, knows that only clinging to his team's current fourth place in the Premier League - a finish that would earn a lucrative place at Europe's top table next season - can save him from the axe.
Getting shirty: Craig Bellamy has clashed with Roberto Mancini over his training methods
That makes today's visit of Liverpool, one place and one point behind City in the table, a crucial test of Mancini and his team.
City insist that Mancini is a long-term employment, although it is understood that he has a break clause in his three-and-a-half-year contract this summer, which will be activated if City fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Mancini has already acknowledged that he argued with Craig Bellamy over training last week, but a number of players are unhappy with the Italian's long practice sessions and have complained to senior figures at the club. Players are also unhappy that training times are changed on what seems like a whim.
The feeling in the dressing room is that Mancini has failed to understand the physical demands of the Premier League.
In a further blow, players are expecting popular fitness trainer Raymond Verheijen, who was only appointed last summer, to quit the Eastlands club after Mancini abandoned the training methods Hughes established.
Under pressure: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini faces a crucial clash against Liverpool today
Bellamy, who has suffered from numerous injuries in his career, is the player who has most notably benefited from the new regime instituted by Verheijen under Hughes. There is a chance that the Dutchman, who worked under former Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink with Holland, South Korea and Russia, will stay on as a consultant but players fear he will draw back from his commitment to the club because of the clash of philosophies with Mancini.
A more balanced approach to training, with less hard running, helped Bellamy to achieve the best form of his career, but Mancini is more of a traditionalist, with longer and harder training sessions, which he feels are necessary to prevent the defensive laxity of the team under Hughes.
Mancini is now under even greater pressure to motivate his players into fourth place and guarantee his job. He is struggling to win his squad over partly because Hughes was such a popular manager. City players enjoyed his positive approach to the game and Bellamy was part of a delegation which confronted chief executive Garry Cook when the Welshman was sacked in December.
Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt made clear the significance of this afternoon's clash with City by insisting that defeat for his side could cost them their chance of a Champions League place.
Kuyt said: 'It's a really big game and if we can win we will be back in it. But if we lose, then we have a big problem.
'So we have to try to win this game and finish in the top four, and we believe that we have the quality to do that.
'City have a better team than last season but we have the experience and, apart from the Arsenal game, we are on a good run.'
WAYNE Bridge will shake John Terry's hand when Chelsea and Manchester City meet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
He has also assured Franco Baldini - assistant to England manager Fabio Capello - that he will have no problems playing alongside Terry for the international side against Egypt at Wembley in ten day's time.
The lunchtime Premier League clash in front of Sky's TV cameras this Saturday will be the first time the players have met since the fall-out from Terry's affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend.
It has been suggested that Bridge does not want anything to do with former friend Terry and would refuse to be the same dressing-room – and also that Bridge would snub Terry in the traditional round of handshakes before kick-off.
But last night a close confidant of Bridge insisted: “All that is nonsense. Wayne is getting on with things."
“Obviously there is much to be done on a friendship level but as far as their professional relationship there will be no problems. Of course Wayne will shake John Terry’s hand at Stamford Bridge and just get on with the job. He is still anxious to play for his country and won’t allow the Terry furore to blind his judgement.”
That will be a relief for Capello who, with Ashley Cole’s broken ankle, sees the City defender as his No 1 choice at left-back for the Egypt friendly.
Bridge is almost certain to be in his 23-man squad for the World Cup finals. With that in mind Capello’s assistant Baldini needed assurances from Bridge that he would be available.
If he wanted to retire from the international scene then the Italian needed to know now.
Bridge has confirmed that he wants to be considered for England selection and will play alongside Terry, who was stripped of the captaincy by Capello as a result of his indiscretions
I want to be City's GiggsTHE OLD Ryan Giggs might have slipped through the Manchester City net but the new one, in the shape of Adam Johnson, certainly hasn’t.
It seems the 22-year-old has been destined for a crack at the big time since the age of 18, having been continually linked with major clubs, including Real Madrid.
A product of the renowned Middlesbrough academy, ambitious Johnson refused hefty pay-rises and ran down his Boro contract to boost his chances of joining a leading club.
A free agent this summer, he was expected to have the pick of the top clubs only for Manchester City to blow everyone away with a bid which could eventually be worth £8million.
Johnson said: “Being prepared to pay that sort of money in January proved that City really wanted me. I may have had other options in the summer but some of those clubs might not have been bringing me in for the right reasons. Maybe it would have been to boost their English contingent to meet the requirements."
“There has been transfer speculation surrounding me since I was 18. I think I have been linked with just about every club across Europe. There was even talk of Real Madrid, which was obviously very flattering. But Manchester City are going places and hopefully they can be as big as Real Madrid one day.”
Right now his aim is to become as big as his idol Giggs, who was snatched out of City’s hands as a schoolboy by their neighbours.
Ironically, Manchester United were also keen on England Under-21 winger Johnson and showed him around their training ground only to refuse to match City’s bid.
“I have modelled my game on Giggs,” he admitted. “Anyone who has watched football in the last 10 years or so would know he has been the best player in this country."
“He was my hero and I had all his videos. I think he has been a hero to a lot of young wingers. I would love to keep going as long as Ryan. My last Middlesbrough manager, Gordon Strachan, played until he was 40. He told me that if I looked after myself I could play as long as Giggs.”
Johnson already feels at home at Eastlands, where he faces Liverpool today in the battle for fourth place.
“Playing with quality players gives you confidence and I believe I’m fitting in well,” he added. “I have played in the Premier League before with Middlesbrough but that was in a struggling team. It was tough for me to show what I can do."
“Instead of having to track the full-back all the time, I’m now in an attacking team that has the ball all the time. Teams stand off us, especially at home, and I have the freedom to do what I like doing.”
Recently labelled by England head coach Fabio Capello as “the best player in the Championship”, Johnson knows the next few months are vital to his international chances."
“I hope I can get to South Africa with England,” he said. “It’s what every player dreams of. Stranger things have happened and hopefully if I do well I’ll have a sniff of a call-up.”
In his few weeks at City, Johnson has helped fans to forget about £32m British record transfer Robinho, who is back in Brazil on loan at Santos.
“We play in different ways,” Johnson stated. “I don’t like getting ahead of myself because I know how quickly you can come back down.”
Today’s visitors may not have the money for players like Johnson but Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt believes they have something money can’t buy.
Kuyt said: “Everybody knows you can buy quality but the history of Liverpool is much, much bigger. You see clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City doing what they have done but it’s very difficult to buy the history of a club like Liverpool. I’m proud to be a Liverpool player.”
As for today’s game, the Dutchman added: “City have a better team than last season. This game will show how far they have come.”
Edit: MCF.NET THREAD:
viewtopic.php?f=119&t=30636TRANSFER BOLLOXSpanish striker David Villa is ready to quit Valencia for Chelsea this summer with Real Madrid indicating that they will stick with French star Karim Benzema. News of the World
Manchester United are lining up a swoop for £10m-rated Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso. The versatile 23-year-old, who can also operate in defence, was watched by United scouts in Sporting's 2-1 Europa League loss at Everton on Tuesday. Sunday Mirror
French striker Thierry Henry is set for Barcelona's exit door having just netted just twice in 13 appearances this season for Pep Guardiola's team. Sunday Mirror
Chelsea are closing in on a £36m move for Benfica's 22-year-old highly-rated forward Angel di Maria. News of the World
WAG OF THE DAY - Malena Graciahttp://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... ena-garciaOTHER BOLLOX Real Madrid are keen on securing the managerial services of Jose Mourinho, but would have to pay up to €7.5m (£6.5m) to break his contract at Inter Milan. The pressure on Real's current coach Manuel Pellegrini increased following Tuesday's defeat by Lyons in the Champions League. Sunday Times
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will be in Real's sights should Pellegrini be shown the door and Mourinho decides not to go to Spain. Daily Mail
Edwin van der Sar is close to signing a new contract with Manchester United after deciding to play on beyond his 40th birthday. The Dutch goalkeeper recently returned to action following a serious illness suffered by his wife Annemarie.Sunday Mirror
Arsenal are considering breaking their contract structure by offering defender William Gallas a new two-year deal. The Gunners normally offer players aged over 32 one-year deals. imscouting.com
Former England striker Gary Lineker believes Martin O'Neill is the ideal man to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot decides to retire at Manchester United. Daily Mail
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp insists his side can pip Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool to the fourth and final Champions League slot this season. Daily Telegraph
Redknapp also looks set to reward defender Ledley King, who suffers from a chronic knee problem, with a new one-year contract extension in the summer. Daily Mail
Manchester United winger Nani is set to hold talks over a new four-year deal on the back of a recent surge in form for the Portuguese star. News of the World
Man United striker Wayne Rooney says Fabio Capello has been "fantastic" as England boss and revealed some of his training tactics. Rooney said: "He records everything and he once had Glen Johnson going over a tape of a throw-in for 30 minutes because he wasn't happy with it. I was almost falling asleep!" Daily Star