Sunday's B*ll*x (updated)
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:01 pmManchester City stars have been told to quit being a bunch of plankers!
Blues players including Joe Hart, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards have been trying to outdo each other with the craze, which sees people lying horizontally on just about anything.
But the club’s top brass has now cried foul over fears the stars could be seriously injured before the new season gets under way.
The trio recently posted pictures of their poses on their Twitter accounts.
In one, goalie Hart, 24, lies over a balcony at the club’s Carrington training base.
Winger Wright-Phillips, 29, took it into a different league when he posted a snap of himself hanging upside down from a door in his home and followed it up with a photo of him lying through the front and rear windows of a Cadillac Escalade.
And defender Richards, 23, shocked observers by lying face first in the oven of his swanky kitchen. A club insider said “It’s not about being killjoys, it’s about the lads not doing anything stupid which could cause injury to themselves or others.
“All players are aware of what they should and shouldn’t be doing. It’s why highly-paid professionals are not allowed to ski or ride motorbikes.
“There is a great team spirit among the boys but they need to find their kicks from something else!”
Manchester City in hot pursuit of striker Aguero
SERGIO AGUERO has told Manchester City he is on his way to the Etihad Stadium – after a glowing reference from want-away rebel Carlos Tevez. City are close to sealing a £38million deal with Atletico Madrid for the striker who knows he will be able to command wages of £200,000 a week in Manchester.
Any doubts about moving to the Premier League club have been allayed in chats with Argentina team-mate Tevez while on duty at the Copa America. Although Tevez is anxious to leave City to be closer to his family he has no axe to grind with the club and has told Aguero that he would have no problem settling in.
Aguero is anxious to move from Atletico Madrid this summer and knows that few clubs in Europe can match the wages on offer at super rich City. City have decided to go ahead with the signing of Aguero regardless of what happens to Tevez. Express
City put Hart in the big pay league with £90k-per-week deal
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is to cap a remarkable 12 months by signing a bumper new five-year contract this week.
Hart will treble his wages to £90,000 a week when City return from their tour of America to give him parity with the highest-paid English players at the club, James Milner and Gareth Barry.
The 24-year-old has become first choice keeper for club and country in the past year after being left on the bench by England manager Fabio Capello at the World Cup in South Africa.
He has also ousted Shay Given to become City’s regular No 1, causing the Irishman to leave for Aston Villa last week.
Hart kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the Premier League last season and became the first City keeper since Joe Corrigan in 1976 to win a major trophy when the club beat Stoke in the FA Cup final.
His outstanding form meant his wages of £30,000 a week, negotiated before his meteoric rise, looked distinctly undervalued compared with the £250,000 a week paid to other star performers
Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez. The club insisted during the season that negotiations with Hart were put off until the summer. But they will now secure him as part of the club’s long-term future and disappoint admirers such as Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester United and Liverpool. Hart will return with the City squad to England after their US tour and is expected to officially put pen to paper before the end of the week. He joined City from home-town club Shrewsbury in 2006 when Stuart Pearce was manager and was tipped for the top by another City boss, Sven Goran Eriksson. He made his competitive debut for England against Bulgaria in September 2010 and is now Capello’s undisputed No 1. He hopes to be at next summer’s European Championship, at which he will hope to surpass the achievement of his goalkeeping hero David Seaman, who helped England reach the semi-final of Euro 96. Mail
Possibly not the best thing to say when trying to get your England place back ...
Micah Richards: I will be an England exile until Capello departs
Micah Richards fears he will have to wait until Fabio Capello's reign as England manager is over before he gets another chance with the national team.
The Manchester City defender, 23, said: 'When I'm fit, I feel I'm as good as anyone not just in the Premier League or Europe, but in the world.
'I don't know why I'm not playing for England but that's something only Fabio Capello can answer. When I came in against France I thought I did well, but I wasn't even in the squad for the next international.
'It's frustrating. The manager has never explained his way of thinking and it's got to the point where I just don't think about England any more.
'There's so much going on at City that the only thing I'm concentrating on is doing well here and making sure I do enough to keep Roberto Mancini happy.
'If England come along again, it will be a bonus, but perhaps it's just that Capello doesn't rate me highly enough and I have to accept that and wait for things to change.'
Richards also insisted his self-belief is due to confidence in his ability rather than arrogance.
He said: 'I thought I did well last season but if you want people to rate you as a top player then you have to deliver on a consistent basis. People might say I'm arrogant but when I'm 100 per cent fit then I'm as good as anyone around.'
Yet upbeat Richards, who was speaking at the launch of City's new partnership with EA Sports at their headquarters in Vancouver, is worried about the prospect of losing Carlos Tevez.
'If Carlos wants to go then you have to respect his decision,' he said.
'But he's going to be virtually impossible to replace. He's the best player I've ever had the privilege of having as a team-mate.'
Richards admitted replacing him will be expensive, adding: 'Maybe Mario Balotelli or Edin Dzeko will step up and become the main man, although I'm sure the manager will want to bring another striker in if Carlos goes.'
Contract talks break down for De Jong
Nigel De Jong’s long-term future at Manchester City has been plunged into doubt after the Dutch midfielder revealed that talks over a new contract have broken down.
De Jong, 26, has become a cult hero with the City fans and was hoping to seal a deal that would see him spend his peak years with the club.
But negotiations have hit a stalemate and De Jong admitted to Sunday Mirror Sport that it will be more difficult to broker an agreement suitable to both parties as time ticks down on the 23 months left on his current deal.
“There’s no update on my contract because the negotiations have stopped,” said the man recruited from Hamburg for £18million by former City boss Mark Hughes in January 2009.
“Maybe something will happen again when the season starts, but at the moment it is a little frustrating for me.
“I can’t go into details other than to say that I couldn’t reach an agreement with the club.
“I have two years left, but it needs to be sorted out as soon as possible because the longer these things take, the harder it can become to find an agreement.
“We will have to see what happens in the future.
“I was hoping that it would all be agreed this summer but it hasn’t.
“I want to stay at Manchester City because I enjoy being a part of this club, but any new contract has to be right for both sides. It has frustrated me, but I am a patient man and we will have to see what happens.”
The impasse will come as a bitter blow to City fans still reeling from Carlos Tevez's attempt to quit the club.
There were suggestions last summer that De Jong was surplus to requirements.
But his commitment and aggression were crucial as City finished third in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup last season.
De Jong wants to stay in Manchester because he thinks City are about to build on that success. And he believes the bitterness being levelled at the club from Premier League rivals like Arsenal and Liverpool is a sign that they have the traditional big four worried. De Jong said: “Last season was a big breakthrough for the club – and especially the last six weeks.
“We had a lot of big games towards the end, like United in the FA Cup semi-final and Stoke in the final and then Spurs for the Champions League qualification – and we won them all.
“That was the difference. When it came to the big games we won. Until you win something there will always be questions about your mentality, so getting the FA Cup was a great moment.
“When we started this project it was the intention to become one of the big clubs challenging for the trophies and last season was only a step towards doing that.
He added: “We know that people take us seriously because of the criticism the club gets from so many people on the outside.
“The smallest things get blown up to be big problems. That wouldn’t happen when you are 10th or 12th but they do when you’re in the top four.
“With success comes jealousy. We have to stay focused and make sure things others say don’t affect us.” Mirror
Nasri's Contradictionary Bollox
As reported in yesterdays B*ll*x the Sunday Express says Samir Nasri still believes he could join Manchester City this summer and has told friends he has no intention of performing a U-turn over his Arsenal future by signing a new contract.
Arsene Wenger had claimed he will not sell Nasri, despite the fact he has only 12 months left on his current deal, but the Arsenal boss last night admitted he is now not so sure.
“It is not completely sorted that Samir will stay, but I want him to stay,” said Wenger. “He knows that. Hopefully we can sort that out in the coming weeks.” Nasri believes City will make a move for him and is interested in potential wages of £150,000 a week.
or ..
Arsenal playmaker Samir Nasri will sign a four year extension in the next few days after the Frenchman was promised that a top quality striker would be on his way to the Emirates.
The 24 year old has been on tenterhooks recently and has been considering a move away in a quest to win silverware and has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Manchester City and at one stage Chelsea. However, the promise of a top striker to be added to the squad has meant that Nasri is now prepared to sign a new deal, details of which are unclear at this time.
The striker believed to be on his way to Arsenal is that of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema but we are unable to confirm that at this time. It has also been reported that Everton have turned down an offer from Arsenal for Phil Jagielka after we revealed the North London club had made enquiries into the defender two days ago. It is believed that Wenger will go back to Everton with an improved offer for the 28 year old. FootyBunker
Bayern Munich's Karl Hopfner: Manchester City could be banned from Europe if they do not adhere to FFP rules
The Bavarians' CFO believes German clubs will finally reap the fruits of their sound economic policy but says free spenders like Manchester City should be concerned
Bayern Munich's Karl Hopfner has warned teams like Manchester City that violation of Uefa's financial fairplay rules could see them punished with exclusion from European football in the future.The executive board vice-chairman is convinced that Uefa will make sure the regulations are observed, and take action if they are ignored.
Hopfner also believes that German teams are going to benefit the most from the financial fairplay rules, which come into force next season.
"If Manchester City want to play internationally, these rules have to interest them. I am firmly convinced that Uefa under Michel Platini will take action whenever the rules of financial fair play are ignored. This can lead to exclusion from UEFA club competitions."
Uefa's financial regulations are aimed at reducing the frivolous spending on the transfer market by some teams, and Hopfner believes these rules can only help German clubs.
"Bayern Munich are not the only big winner, it is the entire league. We have a sound economic structure, thanks to the licensing procedure of the DFL," the Bavarians' CFO told tz.
"Our club is in a very, very healthy state. Whether we are the most financially sound outfit in Europe should be judged by others."
According to the new regulations, a team will only be able to spend as much as they have earned. If expenses over three years are greater than the revenue for the same period, the club is considered to have violated the financial fairplay rules.
Man City tried everything to get Tevez Corinthians deal over line
Manchester City did everything they could to get their £40 million sale of Carlos Tevez over the line with Corinthians.
The Sunday Mirror says Corinthians agreed to pay City £40m in four instalments, with an extra £4m depending on how successful the Sao Paulo-based club are over the next three seasons.
Even when Corinthians admitted they would be unable to make a downpayment until cash arrives from a new television deal early next year, it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Instead, City agreed to accept £5m for Tevez on February 28, 2012, £5m more in May, with Corinthians having to find £10m in Feb 2013, £15m in May 2013 and a final £5m in Feb 2014 – only for the Brazilian club to break off negotiations just before their transfer deadline.
Crucially, the agreement included a clause stating to Tevez and his advisers that the financial terms of the deal were only applicable if the player moved to South America.
DAVID BECKHAM TALKS A RIGHT LOAD OF BOLLOX
DAVID BECKHAM joined the merry band of football glitterati queuing up to bash Manchester City with perhaps the most laughable statement of the bleedin’ obvious uttered by a famous sportsman.
“They are never going to be Manchester United,” said Beckham when asked about the City team he will play against today in a friendly fixture for his current club LA Galaxy.
Well, lordy, lordy. Who’d have thought it?
There is some news you should know, Mr Beckham, in your Hotel California exile. City fans don’t want to be Manchester United. They never have done. They are proud to be Man City through good times and bad.
Beckham further claimed that United are a superior club because of their history, and a superior side at the moment because of their far stronger team spirit.
He said that success in football is “not all about paying fortunes for players”, in the manner of City right now.
David Beckham further claimed that Manchester United are a superior club because of their history
This is one-eyed analysis of the most vacuous kind.
Has Beckham not noticed how Manchester United have been spending vast transfer sums on players for a very long time? Did he miss the £30million fee for Rio Ferdinand nine years ago? And the £25.6m spent acquiring Wayne Rooney, and the £28m for Dimitar Berbatov?
Perhaps Beckham also failed to spot the £20m United paid this summer for 20-year-old goalkeeper David De Gea and the £17m for Ashley Young.
How convenient.
As the Premier League season approaches, starting with the Community Shield match between the two Manchester clubs in a fortnight, it seems to me that it’s time for the City-bashers to pipe down.
Yes, the club managed by Roberto Mancini has its faults, but the unbridled joy of their supporters when the FA Cup was captured in May showed that the heart and soul of a traditional English football club remains intact behind the riches showered on them by the sheikhs of Abu Dhabi.
That emotion was about City’s history. It’s different to that of United, but it is still history.
Nor should we forget that for a thrilling period in the late 1960s United and City were relative equals, both winning League titles and European trophies. That is a history which may soon be repeated because both clubs have pots of money to spend.
The other element of Beckham’s bashing of City was the matter of team spirit. Well, that’s always a fragile quality in sport.
It can certainly be fostered by a great manager like Sir Alex Ferguson but it wings in mostly on the back of success.
It is one of Ferguson’s many former players, Steve Archibald, who gave the most eloquent description of team spirit in sport, saying: “It is an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory.”
Beckham’s views are wooden by comparison.
He sounds like nothing more than a propaganda merchant for Manchester United, saying that he “wouldn’t want to be around Manchester City” – as if their spending of money is somehow tainted.
It is a crass thought.
David Beckham has followed the money throughout his career, moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a vast income, and then to America for even more.
His comments about Manchester City are more than a bit rich. Sunday Express
So naturally the same paper reports that David Beckham is set to be knighted at the end of the year in the Queen's New Year's Honours.
Belgian club Anderlecht are holding firm over Romelu Lukaku and say that the forward won’t be leaving them until their valuation of the player is met. The young forward is a long-term target of Chelsea’s and Andre Villas-Boas recently spoke of his admiration of the player that they are believed to be closing in on, even though we have five strikers in the squad already and are not the only club interested as both Arsenal and Manchester City are keen on the player. Shed
Bolton are poised to sign Tyrone Mears and Chris Eagles after Burnley accepted a bid, believed to be in the region of £3 million, for the duo. Both players rejected the offer of a fresh long-term deal at Turf Moor, and are now set for a reunion with former Clarets manager Owen Coyle, who brought the pair to the club ESPN
Alex Ferguson insists that he has no fears of Ryan Giggs becoming the target of abuse from opposing fans — despite the veteran being embroiled in a sex scandal as Manchester United powered to the Premier League title last season‘I’m not sure Giggs will get that,’ said Ferguson. ‘He’s one of the few players that other fans like. He has their respect. ‘He has never been sent off and he’s had only a few bookings. I don’t see it being a problem.’ Mail
Ferguson is considering one of the most unexpected transfer moves of his 24-year tenure as Manchester United manager - a bid for Joey Barton. Times
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is considering a move to sign Spartak Moscow attacker Aiden McGeady as he looks to bring in another winger to Anfield. The former Celtic star has been a relative success in Russia since his move from Parkhead last August but may well be tempted by a move to the Premier League side. Caughtoffside
Liverpool are braced to start their Premier League campaign without skipper Steven Gerrard, who is still recovering from a groin injury. Sunday Mirror
Chelsea have scrapped plans to quit Stamford Bridge and build a new 60,000-capacity stadium in nearby Earl's Court. Daily Star on Sunday
Chelsea are poised to test Tottenham's resolve to keep Luka Modric by offering £27m and 21-year-old striker Daniel Sturridge for the Croatian playmaker. Daily Star on Sunday
Stoke have emerged as rivals to QPR to sign Tottenham and England striker Peter Crouch. Footie-online.co.uk
Arsenal will this week increase their £12m bid for Everton's 28-year-old defender Phil Jagielka. Sunday Express
Bolton boss Owen Coyle is ready to swoop for Liverpool striker David Ngog in a surprise £4million raid.
Coyle wants Ngog to give his attack new pace and fire and hopes to do a deal with Kop chief Kenny Dalglish after the pacy forward turned down a move to Sunderland. Mirror
Arsenal’s interest in Villarreal’s Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla is real, but the move depends on Juventus’ move for his club colleague Giuseppe Rossi. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is resigned to losing club captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona this summer and is in the market for a creative midfielder to replace the Catalan. Arsenal had targeted Valencia’s Juan Mata, but the Spain star appears in no rush to leave the Mestalla outfit and that has seen Wenger switch his attentions to Cazorla, a player he has long admired. Goal
Simon Grayson is fighting to keep Max Gradel as nine clubs close in on Leeds' £5million-rated marksman. Sunday Mirror
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has said he expects striker El-Hadji Diouf to leave before the end of the summer. The Senegalese midfielder has been fined for failing to turn up for pre-season training with the Lancashire club. Mail on Sunday
Everton want £20m for Jack Rodwell to finance a move for Wigan midfielder Charles N'Zogbia. Metro
David Stockdale will decide this week whether to join Leeds or Ipswich on a season-long loan deal from Fulham. Sunday Mirror
Turkish side Galatasaray have bid £4m for Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue. Mail on Sunday
Old Trafford newcomer Ashley Young says he is determined to prove to United boss Alex Ferguson that he is worth every penny of his £16m transfer fee. Mail on Sunday
Former Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam has been banned from football for life after being found guilty of attempted bribery.
The governing body's ethics committee made the decision on Saturday after a two-day hearing.
Bin Hammam was accused of attempting to buy votes ahead of last month's Fifa presidential election.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14262937.stm
Ricardo Texeira, president of the Brazilian Football Federation, has vowed to "take revenge" on the English media and Football Association during the 2014 World Cup. Texeira was accused of asking for bribes in exchange for voting for England to host the 2018 World Cup. Times
HAIR BOLLOX
Being banished to join the Manchester City outcasts has obviously been a hair-raising experience for £25million Emmanuel Adebayor.
The striker, who has been fined two weeks’ wages, around £360,000, for reporting late for pre-season training, has had his trademark dreadlocks cut off.
Maybe he’s hoping it’s a case of hair today, gone tomorrow! Sunday Express
Says it all about the Express really, he had them cut off on Feb 4th!!! At least they didn't have the nerve to put EXCLUSIVE I suppose
Blues players including Joe Hart, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards have been trying to outdo each other with the craze, which sees people lying horizontally on just about anything.
But the club’s top brass has now cried foul over fears the stars could be seriously injured before the new season gets under way.
The trio recently posted pictures of their poses on their Twitter accounts.
In one, goalie Hart, 24, lies over a balcony at the club’s Carrington training base.
Winger Wright-Phillips, 29, took it into a different league when he posted a snap of himself hanging upside down from a door in his home and followed it up with a photo of him lying through the front and rear windows of a Cadillac Escalade.
And defender Richards, 23, shocked observers by lying face first in the oven of his swanky kitchen. A club insider said “It’s not about being killjoys, it’s about the lads not doing anything stupid which could cause injury to themselves or others.
“All players are aware of what they should and shouldn’t be doing. It’s why highly-paid professionals are not allowed to ski or ride motorbikes.
“There is a great team spirit among the boys but they need to find their kicks from something else!”
Manchester City in hot pursuit of striker Aguero
SERGIO AGUERO has told Manchester City he is on his way to the Etihad Stadium – after a glowing reference from want-away rebel Carlos Tevez. City are close to sealing a £38million deal with Atletico Madrid for the striker who knows he will be able to command wages of £200,000 a week in Manchester.
Any doubts about moving to the Premier League club have been allayed in chats with Argentina team-mate Tevez while on duty at the Copa America. Although Tevez is anxious to leave City to be closer to his family he has no axe to grind with the club and has told Aguero that he would have no problem settling in.
Aguero is anxious to move from Atletico Madrid this summer and knows that few clubs in Europe can match the wages on offer at super rich City. City have decided to go ahead with the signing of Aguero regardless of what happens to Tevez. Express
City put Hart in the big pay league with £90k-per-week deal
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is to cap a remarkable 12 months by signing a bumper new five-year contract this week.
Hart will treble his wages to £90,000 a week when City return from their tour of America to give him parity with the highest-paid English players at the club, James Milner and Gareth Barry.
The 24-year-old has become first choice keeper for club and country in the past year after being left on the bench by England manager Fabio Capello at the World Cup in South Africa.
He has also ousted Shay Given to become City’s regular No 1, causing the Irishman to leave for Aston Villa last week.
Hart kept more clean sheets than anyone else in the Premier League last season and became the first City keeper since Joe Corrigan in 1976 to win a major trophy when the club beat Stoke in the FA Cup final.
His outstanding form meant his wages of £30,000 a week, negotiated before his meteoric rise, looked distinctly undervalued compared with the £250,000 a week paid to other star performers
Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez. The club insisted during the season that negotiations with Hart were put off until the summer. But they will now secure him as part of the club’s long-term future and disappoint admirers such as Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester United and Liverpool. Hart will return with the City squad to England after their US tour and is expected to officially put pen to paper before the end of the week. He joined City from home-town club Shrewsbury in 2006 when Stuart Pearce was manager and was tipped for the top by another City boss, Sven Goran Eriksson. He made his competitive debut for England against Bulgaria in September 2010 and is now Capello’s undisputed No 1. He hopes to be at next summer’s European Championship, at which he will hope to surpass the achievement of his goalkeeping hero David Seaman, who helped England reach the semi-final of Euro 96. Mail
Possibly not the best thing to say when trying to get your England place back ...
Micah Richards: I will be an England exile until Capello departs
Micah Richards fears he will have to wait until Fabio Capello's reign as England manager is over before he gets another chance with the national team.
The Manchester City defender, 23, said: 'When I'm fit, I feel I'm as good as anyone not just in the Premier League or Europe, but in the world.
'I don't know why I'm not playing for England but that's something only Fabio Capello can answer. When I came in against France I thought I did well, but I wasn't even in the squad for the next international.
'It's frustrating. The manager has never explained his way of thinking and it's got to the point where I just don't think about England any more.
'There's so much going on at City that the only thing I'm concentrating on is doing well here and making sure I do enough to keep Roberto Mancini happy.
'If England come along again, it will be a bonus, but perhaps it's just that Capello doesn't rate me highly enough and I have to accept that and wait for things to change.'
Richards also insisted his self-belief is due to confidence in his ability rather than arrogance.
He said: 'I thought I did well last season but if you want people to rate you as a top player then you have to deliver on a consistent basis. People might say I'm arrogant but when I'm 100 per cent fit then I'm as good as anyone around.'
Yet upbeat Richards, who was speaking at the launch of City's new partnership with EA Sports at their headquarters in Vancouver, is worried about the prospect of losing Carlos Tevez.
'If Carlos wants to go then you have to respect his decision,' he said.
'But he's going to be virtually impossible to replace. He's the best player I've ever had the privilege of having as a team-mate.'
Richards admitted replacing him will be expensive, adding: 'Maybe Mario Balotelli or Edin Dzeko will step up and become the main man, although I'm sure the manager will want to bring another striker in if Carlos goes.'
Contract talks break down for De Jong
Nigel De Jong’s long-term future at Manchester City has been plunged into doubt after the Dutch midfielder revealed that talks over a new contract have broken down.
De Jong, 26, has become a cult hero with the City fans and was hoping to seal a deal that would see him spend his peak years with the club.
But negotiations have hit a stalemate and De Jong admitted to Sunday Mirror Sport that it will be more difficult to broker an agreement suitable to both parties as time ticks down on the 23 months left on his current deal.
“There’s no update on my contract because the negotiations have stopped,” said the man recruited from Hamburg for £18million by former City boss Mark Hughes in January 2009.
“Maybe something will happen again when the season starts, but at the moment it is a little frustrating for me.
“I can’t go into details other than to say that I couldn’t reach an agreement with the club.
“I have two years left, but it needs to be sorted out as soon as possible because the longer these things take, the harder it can become to find an agreement.
“We will have to see what happens in the future.
“I was hoping that it would all be agreed this summer but it hasn’t.
“I want to stay at Manchester City because I enjoy being a part of this club, but any new contract has to be right for both sides. It has frustrated me, but I am a patient man and we will have to see what happens.”
The impasse will come as a bitter blow to City fans still reeling from Carlos Tevez's attempt to quit the club.
There were suggestions last summer that De Jong was surplus to requirements.
But his commitment and aggression were crucial as City finished third in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup last season.
De Jong wants to stay in Manchester because he thinks City are about to build on that success. And he believes the bitterness being levelled at the club from Premier League rivals like Arsenal and Liverpool is a sign that they have the traditional big four worried. De Jong said: “Last season was a big breakthrough for the club – and especially the last six weeks.
“We had a lot of big games towards the end, like United in the FA Cup semi-final and Stoke in the final and then Spurs for the Champions League qualification – and we won them all.
“That was the difference. When it came to the big games we won. Until you win something there will always be questions about your mentality, so getting the FA Cup was a great moment.
“When we started this project it was the intention to become one of the big clubs challenging for the trophies and last season was only a step towards doing that.
He added: “We know that people take us seriously because of the criticism the club gets from so many people on the outside.
“The smallest things get blown up to be big problems. That wouldn’t happen when you are 10th or 12th but they do when you’re in the top four.
“With success comes jealousy. We have to stay focused and make sure things others say don’t affect us.” Mirror
Nasri's Contradictionary Bollox
As reported in yesterdays B*ll*x the Sunday Express says Samir Nasri still believes he could join Manchester City this summer and has told friends he has no intention of performing a U-turn over his Arsenal future by signing a new contract.
Arsene Wenger had claimed he will not sell Nasri, despite the fact he has only 12 months left on his current deal, but the Arsenal boss last night admitted he is now not so sure.
“It is not completely sorted that Samir will stay, but I want him to stay,” said Wenger. “He knows that. Hopefully we can sort that out in the coming weeks.” Nasri believes City will make a move for him and is interested in potential wages of £150,000 a week.
or ..
Arsenal playmaker Samir Nasri will sign a four year extension in the next few days after the Frenchman was promised that a top quality striker would be on his way to the Emirates.
The 24 year old has been on tenterhooks recently and has been considering a move away in a quest to win silverware and has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Manchester City and at one stage Chelsea. However, the promise of a top striker to be added to the squad has meant that Nasri is now prepared to sign a new deal, details of which are unclear at this time.
The striker believed to be on his way to Arsenal is that of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema but we are unable to confirm that at this time. It has also been reported that Everton have turned down an offer from Arsenal for Phil Jagielka after we revealed the North London club had made enquiries into the defender two days ago. It is believed that Wenger will go back to Everton with an improved offer for the 28 year old. FootyBunker
Bayern Munich's Karl Hopfner: Manchester City could be banned from Europe if they do not adhere to FFP rules
The Bavarians' CFO believes German clubs will finally reap the fruits of their sound economic policy but says free spenders like Manchester City should be concerned
Bayern Munich's Karl Hopfner has warned teams like Manchester City that violation of Uefa's financial fairplay rules could see them punished with exclusion from European football in the future.The executive board vice-chairman is convinced that Uefa will make sure the regulations are observed, and take action if they are ignored.
Hopfner also believes that German teams are going to benefit the most from the financial fairplay rules, which come into force next season.
"If Manchester City want to play internationally, these rules have to interest them. I am firmly convinced that Uefa under Michel Platini will take action whenever the rules of financial fair play are ignored. This can lead to exclusion from UEFA club competitions."
Uefa's financial regulations are aimed at reducing the frivolous spending on the transfer market by some teams, and Hopfner believes these rules can only help German clubs.
"Bayern Munich are not the only big winner, it is the entire league. We have a sound economic structure, thanks to the licensing procedure of the DFL," the Bavarians' CFO told tz.
"Our club is in a very, very healthy state. Whether we are the most financially sound outfit in Europe should be judged by others."
According to the new regulations, a team will only be able to spend as much as they have earned. If expenses over three years are greater than the revenue for the same period, the club is considered to have violated the financial fairplay rules.
Man City tried everything to get Tevez Corinthians deal over line
Manchester City did everything they could to get their £40 million sale of Carlos Tevez over the line with Corinthians.
The Sunday Mirror says Corinthians agreed to pay City £40m in four instalments, with an extra £4m depending on how successful the Sao Paulo-based club are over the next three seasons.
Even when Corinthians admitted they would be unable to make a downpayment until cash arrives from a new television deal early next year, it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Instead, City agreed to accept £5m for Tevez on February 28, 2012, £5m more in May, with Corinthians having to find £10m in Feb 2013, £15m in May 2013 and a final £5m in Feb 2014 – only for the Brazilian club to break off negotiations just before their transfer deadline.
Crucially, the agreement included a clause stating to Tevez and his advisers that the financial terms of the deal were only applicable if the player moved to South America.
DAVID BECKHAM TALKS A RIGHT LOAD OF BOLLOX
DAVID BECKHAM joined the merry band of football glitterati queuing up to bash Manchester City with perhaps the most laughable statement of the bleedin’ obvious uttered by a famous sportsman.
“They are never going to be Manchester United,” said Beckham when asked about the City team he will play against today in a friendly fixture for his current club LA Galaxy.
Well, lordy, lordy. Who’d have thought it?
There is some news you should know, Mr Beckham, in your Hotel California exile. City fans don’t want to be Manchester United. They never have done. They are proud to be Man City through good times and bad.
Beckham further claimed that United are a superior club because of their history, and a superior side at the moment because of their far stronger team spirit.
He said that success in football is “not all about paying fortunes for players”, in the manner of City right now.
David Beckham further claimed that Manchester United are a superior club because of their history
This is one-eyed analysis of the most vacuous kind.
Has Beckham not noticed how Manchester United have been spending vast transfer sums on players for a very long time? Did he miss the £30million fee for Rio Ferdinand nine years ago? And the £25.6m spent acquiring Wayne Rooney, and the £28m for Dimitar Berbatov?
Perhaps Beckham also failed to spot the £20m United paid this summer for 20-year-old goalkeeper David De Gea and the £17m for Ashley Young.
How convenient.
As the Premier League season approaches, starting with the Community Shield match between the two Manchester clubs in a fortnight, it seems to me that it’s time for the City-bashers to pipe down.
Yes, the club managed by Roberto Mancini has its faults, but the unbridled joy of their supporters when the FA Cup was captured in May showed that the heart and soul of a traditional English football club remains intact behind the riches showered on them by the sheikhs of Abu Dhabi.
That emotion was about City’s history. It’s different to that of United, but it is still history.
Nor should we forget that for a thrilling period in the late 1960s United and City were relative equals, both winning League titles and European trophies. That is a history which may soon be repeated because both clubs have pots of money to spend.
The other element of Beckham’s bashing of City was the matter of team spirit. Well, that’s always a fragile quality in sport.
It can certainly be fostered by a great manager like Sir Alex Ferguson but it wings in mostly on the back of success.
It is one of Ferguson’s many former players, Steve Archibald, who gave the most eloquent description of team spirit in sport, saying: “It is an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory.”
Beckham’s views are wooden by comparison.
He sounds like nothing more than a propaganda merchant for Manchester United, saying that he “wouldn’t want to be around Manchester City” – as if their spending of money is somehow tainted.
It is a crass thought.
David Beckham has followed the money throughout his career, moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a vast income, and then to America for even more.
His comments about Manchester City are more than a bit rich. Sunday Express
So naturally the same paper reports that David Beckham is set to be knighted at the end of the year in the Queen's New Year's Honours.
Belgian club Anderlecht are holding firm over Romelu Lukaku and say that the forward won’t be leaving them until their valuation of the player is met. The young forward is a long-term target of Chelsea’s and Andre Villas-Boas recently spoke of his admiration of the player that they are believed to be closing in on, even though we have five strikers in the squad already and are not the only club interested as both Arsenal and Manchester City are keen on the player. Shed
Bolton are poised to sign Tyrone Mears and Chris Eagles after Burnley accepted a bid, believed to be in the region of £3 million, for the duo. Both players rejected the offer of a fresh long-term deal at Turf Moor, and are now set for a reunion with former Clarets manager Owen Coyle, who brought the pair to the club ESPN
Alex Ferguson insists that he has no fears of Ryan Giggs becoming the target of abuse from opposing fans — despite the veteran being embroiled in a sex scandal as Manchester United powered to the Premier League title last season‘I’m not sure Giggs will get that,’ said Ferguson. ‘He’s one of the few players that other fans like. He has their respect. ‘He has never been sent off and he’s had only a few bookings. I don’t see it being a problem.’ Mail
Ferguson is considering one of the most unexpected transfer moves of his 24-year tenure as Manchester United manager - a bid for Joey Barton. Times
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is considering a move to sign Spartak Moscow attacker Aiden McGeady as he looks to bring in another winger to Anfield. The former Celtic star has been a relative success in Russia since his move from Parkhead last August but may well be tempted by a move to the Premier League side. Caughtoffside
Liverpool are braced to start their Premier League campaign without skipper Steven Gerrard, who is still recovering from a groin injury. Sunday Mirror
Chelsea have scrapped plans to quit Stamford Bridge and build a new 60,000-capacity stadium in nearby Earl's Court. Daily Star on Sunday
Chelsea are poised to test Tottenham's resolve to keep Luka Modric by offering £27m and 21-year-old striker Daniel Sturridge for the Croatian playmaker. Daily Star on Sunday
Stoke have emerged as rivals to QPR to sign Tottenham and England striker Peter Crouch. Footie-online.co.uk
Arsenal will this week increase their £12m bid for Everton's 28-year-old defender Phil Jagielka. Sunday Express
Bolton boss Owen Coyle is ready to swoop for Liverpool striker David Ngog in a surprise £4million raid.
Coyle wants Ngog to give his attack new pace and fire and hopes to do a deal with Kop chief Kenny Dalglish after the pacy forward turned down a move to Sunderland. Mirror
Arsenal’s interest in Villarreal’s Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla is real, but the move depends on Juventus’ move for his club colleague Giuseppe Rossi. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is resigned to losing club captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona this summer and is in the market for a creative midfielder to replace the Catalan. Arsenal had targeted Valencia’s Juan Mata, but the Spain star appears in no rush to leave the Mestalla outfit and that has seen Wenger switch his attentions to Cazorla, a player he has long admired. Goal
Simon Grayson is fighting to keep Max Gradel as nine clubs close in on Leeds' £5million-rated marksman. Sunday Mirror
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has said he expects striker El-Hadji Diouf to leave before the end of the summer. The Senegalese midfielder has been fined for failing to turn up for pre-season training with the Lancashire club. Mail on Sunday
Everton want £20m for Jack Rodwell to finance a move for Wigan midfielder Charles N'Zogbia. Metro
David Stockdale will decide this week whether to join Leeds or Ipswich on a season-long loan deal from Fulham. Sunday Mirror
Turkish side Galatasaray have bid £4m for Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue. Mail on Sunday
Old Trafford newcomer Ashley Young says he is determined to prove to United boss Alex Ferguson that he is worth every penny of his £16m transfer fee. Mail on Sunday
Former Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam has been banned from football for life after being found guilty of attempted bribery.
The governing body's ethics committee made the decision on Saturday after a two-day hearing.
Bin Hammam was accused of attempting to buy votes ahead of last month's Fifa presidential election.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14262937.stm
Ricardo Texeira, president of the Brazilian Football Federation, has vowed to "take revenge" on the English media and Football Association during the 2014 World Cup. Texeira was accused of asking for bribes in exchange for voting for England to host the 2018 World Cup. Times
HAIR BOLLOX
Being banished to join the Manchester City outcasts has obviously been a hair-raising experience for £25million Emmanuel Adebayor.
The striker, who has been fined two weeks’ wages, around £360,000, for reporting late for pre-season training, has had his trademark dreadlocks cut off.
Maybe he’s hoping it’s a case of hair today, gone tomorrow! Sunday Express
Says it all about the Express really, he had them cut off on Feb 4th!!! At least they didn't have the nerve to put EXCLUSIVE I suppose