Sunday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

MATCH OF THE DAY & SUNDAY MEDIA SUPPLEMENT


25th Anniversary thought of the day Part 1
"My only regret about the recent 6-1 win at the Swamp is that it came 14 days too early"

OFFICIAL BOLLOX
Our see-saw win at Loftus Road earns plenty of coverage today and there are yet more angles to how the world views City.
While Wednesday's victory over Villarreal was seen as comfortable and accomplished, City looked anything but at times against QPR but the ability to dig it out when needed does not go unnoticed.
The Observer's Paul Hayward nails it succinctly: "QPR's problem was: how do you stop a goal factory locating a branch on your turf? The extra incentive for Roberto Mancini's team had been wins earlier in the day for Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea.
"But the Hoops had an answer. For much of the first half they raced across Loftus Park like ice-skaters, joining attacks with relish and closing City's big names down. Only with Yaya Touré's 73rd-minute header did they finally submit in a scintillating match that had QPR fans recalling their glory days.
"Neil Warnock said he had been working on a plan to stop the money monster and it nearly worked. The idea was that his guests might not fancy a test of passion in one of London's most atmospheric grounds. Hyperactivity will not always work against a side of City's calibre because they have so many players who can caress the ball, slow the pace and slip a pass at an unplayable angle."
QPR boss Neil Warnock is never short of an opinion and in amongst his reaction to his side's spirited performance on Tribalfootball.com is some high praise for the Blues:
"Football can be a cruel game sometimes. You do not get what you deserve.
"We have made three errors in 90 minutes against a side I would regard as the best in the world, and got punished every time."
David Silva's outstanding form means he is receiving a huge amount of coverage, and Bob Cass in the Mail flags up a nice touch you may have missed in the Champions League.
"Silva’s popularity in Spain was underlined when the former Valencia player was given a standing ovation from Villarreal fans after he was substituted on his return to the City in spite of the disappointment of losing 3-0 to Roberto Mancini’s team in the Champions League."
It just goes to show that good taste in fantastic footballers knows no boundaries...

Man City and Arsenal set for January battle over £15m German wonder-kid
Manchester City and Arsenal are ready to battle it out for Borussia Moenchengladbach wonder-kid Marco Reus.
The two Premier League clubs have constantly watched the 22-year-old midfielder continue to impress in the Bundesliga this season and sources in Germany expect them both to make a move in the January transfer window.
Moenchengladbach rate Reus at £15million, but are worried his valuation may start to fall with just over two years left on his contract.
They bought him from Borussia Dortmund for £800,000 just over two years ago and he has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in the country.
Reus made his international debut against Turkey last month and is in Germany’s squad for the forthcoming friendlies against the Ukraine and Holland.
Gemann giants Bayern Munich have already been linked with a move, but are unwilling to go anywhere near Moenchangladbach’s asking price.
Reus has explosive acceleration and excellent ball control as well as an eye for goal.
The transfer fee would not be a problem for City, but Arsenal’s need is even more acute with Arsene Wenger needing midfield recruits. Mirror


Platt makes Barca claim B*ll*x
Assistant boss David Platt likened Manchester City to Barcelona following the side's 3-2 win against QPR on Saturday evening.
Platt spoke out after watching second half goals from Edin Dzeko and David Silva cancel out Jay Bothroyd's first-half effort at Loftus Road.
Heidar Helguson levelled for Neil Warnock's men before Yaya Toure headed home what turned out to be the winner, leaving Platt raving about how City reminded him of European champions Barcelona.
He said: "The only time I have seen attacking like that is when I watch Barcelona on TV.
"We have won the game because we have scored three more goals.
"We feel as though there are goals in the team. Even at 1-0 down, even if it had gone to 2-0, I knew we were not out of it because we have such a goal threat about us."
City's win means they maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, but Platt insists they have a long way to go before anyone can start thinking about the title.
"Things can change in an instant," he added.
"Five points is not many. The league is starting to take shape.
"Those teams up at the top, United, Chelsea and Arsenal, are starting to win games on a regular basis. Not many of those teams drop points, so we have to keep going."

25th Anniversary thought of the day Part 2
"Strange how a BBC boycot was resolved a month before maximum exposure was required"

[spoiler][/spoiler]

OTHER BOLLOX
Eight clubs will offer midfielder David Beckham, 36. a return to English football. Tottenham appear to be in pole position to sign the former England captain. Sunday Mirror

QPR owner Tony Fernandes says he and manager Neil Warnock are already planning the players they want to sign in January. talkSHIT

Manchester United are planning a £25m bid for Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Goetze. caughtoffside.com

CSKA Moscow forward Seydou Doumbia has issued a come-and-get-me-plea to Arsenal. footie-online.co.uk

AC Milan are lining up a January bid for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. Metro

Newcastle are stepping up their interest in 21-year-old FC Twente striker Luuk de Jong. Liverpool are also watching the Dutchman. Sunday Mirror

QPR and Fulham have been given hope in their pursuit of Amauri after the Juventus striker's agent revealed he is close to agreeing a move to a Premier League club. Metro

John Terry is unlikely to captain England against Spain on Saturday despite being included in manager Fabio Capello's squad.Mail on Sunday

Charlton manager Chris Powell believes Terry should stand down from England duty until the race row with QPR's Anton Ferdinand is resolved. The former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association is one of only two black managers in English football. Mail on Sunday

Tottenham aim to block England's interest in Harry Redknapp by offering him a new three-year deal. The 64-year-old is seen as FA's number one choice to replace Fabio Capello when he stands down after Euro 2012. Sunday Mirror

Blackburn want former England, Manchester City and Leicester manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to be director of football at Ewood Park. Sunday Mirror

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will continue to rotate his defence and that he does not have a first-choice pairing. talkSHIT

More bollox later

[Ted Hughes]

Nice 1 Chinners, couldn't agree more with the Ferguson comments.

Charlton manager Chris Powell believes Terry should stand down from England duty until the race row with QPR's Anton Ferdinand is resolved. The former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association is one of only two black managers in English football. Mail on Sunday

Too fucking right he should. He's putting Capello in an impossible position & he should just step down until it's sorted. He can make a point (if he believes he's innoccent) that he's only stepping down to avoid causing problems for his team whilst the case is resolved & fully intends to reclaim his place. There would be no admission of guilt; just a player who cares about his his team.

I find it hard to believe that Ferdinand would be continuing to follow this through if there was nothing in it anyway; why would he ? If they prove guilt in this, he should be banned from football, not just from the England squad; make an example of him.

[Tokyo Blue]

Nice 1 Chinners, couldn't agree more with the Ferguson comments.

Charlton manager Chris Powell believes Terry should stand down from England duty until the race row with QPR's Anton Ferdinand is resolved. The former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association is one of only two black managers in English football. Mail on Sunday

Too fucking right he should. He's putting Capello in an impossible position & he should just step down until it's sorted. He can make a point (if he believes he's innoccent) that he's only stepping down to avoid causing problems for his team whilst the case is resolved & fully intends to reclaim his place. There would be no admission of guilt; just a player who cares about his his team.

I find it hard to believe that Ferdinand would be continuing to follow this through if there was nothing in it anyway; why would he ? If they prove guilt in this, he should be banned from football, not just from the England squad; make an example of him.

Yep. A fan would get banned from football stadiums; why should a player be any different?

[Tokyo Blue]

25th Anniversary thought of the day Part 1
"My only regret about the recent 6-1 win at the Swamp is that it came 14 days too early"

25th Anniversary thought of the day Part 2
"Strange how a BBC boycot was resolved a month before maximum exposure was required"

Wise words, especially the second thought.

[Chinners]

Its all very good saying Terry should be banned if found guilty, the problem is proving such a thing. I'm led to believe that what he actuaully said was "fuck off you cunt" followed by "I called you a cunt, not a black cunt"

Like the situation with Tevez unless it's watertight, nowt will happen aside from 3-4 pages being filled in by each newspaper. Tevez won't be made an example of despite the wishes of the majority and I doubt Terry will either tbh.

[Slim]

Nice 1 Chinners, couldn't agree more with the Ferguson comments.

Charlton manager Chris Powell believes Terry should stand down from England duty until the race row with QPR's Anton Ferdinand is resolved. The former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association is one of only two black managers in English football. Mail on Sunday

Too fucking right he should. He's putting Capello in an impossible position & he should just step down until it's sorted. He can make a point (if he believes he's innoccent) that he's only stepping down to avoid causing problems for his team whilst the case is resolved & fully intends to reclaim his place. There would be no admission of guilt; just a player who cares about his his team.

I find it hard to believe that Ferdinand would be continuing to follow this through if there was nothing in it anyway; why would he ? If they prove guilt in this, he should be banned from football, not just from the England squad; make an example of him.

Yep. A fan would get banned from football stadiums; why should a player be any different?

Should they also get thrown out for persistent standing?
(Dzeko has nothing to worry about after yesterday's performance)

[Tokyo Blue]

Being a multi-millionaire and England captain means he won't be found guilty of anything at all. So no ban.

And what of Ferdinand if he is accusing someone of something they didn't do? Same for that knobhead of a left-back at the swamp.

[Ted Hughes]

Its all very good saying Terry should be banned if found guilty, the problem is proving such a thing. I'm led to believe that what he actuaully said was "fuck off you cunt" followed by "I called you a cunt, not a black cunt"

Like the situation with Tevez unless it's watertight, nowt will happen aside from 3-4 pages being filled in by each newspaper. Tevez won't be made an example of despite the wishes of the majority and I doubt Terry will either tbh.

That's the point; it's not that these things can't be proved half the time, it's that nobody has the desire to try & prove them.

If Terry was responding to an accusation of something he hadn't said then fair enough, he's not guilty. If however he was just trying to find a way of making a racist comment & covering his arse by pretending someone had first accused him, then if there are witnesses who saw & heard the incident; nail his fucking balls to the wall. That goes for Suarez too if there's decent evidence against him. Why should people have to put up with this shit & turn & blind eye ?

Tbf the same should apply to people who maliciously play the race card too, if it can be proved they were acting dishonestly. Nobody should ever accuse someone of that in public unless they are certain. It belittles the offence.

[Patrick]

I liked the bit where Warnock said something along the lines of.... "When you know you're going to get beat, you might as well go out there and enjoy yourself"

This is the team who turned Chelsea over!

Our reputation is becoming something very very special

Its just another gobsmacking moment in the most amazing 6 months

[Ted Hughes]

I liked the bit where Warnock said something along the lines of.... "When you know you're going to get beat, you might as well go out there and enjoy yourself"

This is the team who turned Chelsea over!

Our reputation is becoming something very very special

Its just another gobsmacking moment in the most amazing 6 months

He called us the best side in Europe too. I expect he'll be getting the angry phone call from the Pissmaster General anytime now..

[Chinners]

It's not often I say this so get you're bookmarks ready.

Warnock came across as a really decent and honest bloke on MOTD last night ...

Carry on ...

[DoomMerchant]

Being a multi-millionaire and England captain means he won't be found guilty of anything at all. So no ban.

And what of Ferdinand if he is accusing someone of something they didn't do? Same for that knobhead of a left-back at the swamp.

i'm sorry, did you say left-black?

cheers

[craigmcfc]

It's not often I say this so get you're bookmarks ready.

Warnock came across as a really decent and honest bloke on MOTD last night ...

Carry on ...

He still has no eyebrows

[Dameerto]

I've liked Warnock since he managed my home team a long time ago, he will always give an honest answer when he gets asked a question, and he is always enthusiastic about his football. (He's underrated as a manger too, in my opinion, age is against him these days though)

[Ted Hughes]

I've liked Warnock since he managed my home team a long time ago, he will always give an honest answer when he gets asked a question, and he is always enthusiastic about his football. (He's underrated as a manger too, in my opinion, age is against him these days though)

Yep, he's clearly losing his eyebrows.