Monday's B*l**x (updated)

[Chinners]

THE BOLLOX


Jesus on his way?
Reports suggest that City could be on the verge of dipping into the transfer market for the first time this summer.
The small matter of not having a manager yet hasn’t stopped various media outlets reporting that a deal for Sevilla speedster Jesus Navas is likely.
“Manuel Pellegrini wants to make the £25million-rated star one of his first signings at the Etihad,” the story in today’s Sun reads.
“And Sevilla boss Unai Emery admits the Spain winger, 27, is likely to go. He said: “Everything indicates he will leave.”
Navas himself said: “Manchester City are a team I like.”
Further quotes attributed to the highly rated player appear in the DSSC.
“They [City] have put everything into trying to sign me so that I can be there and that is welcome,” he reportedly declared.
One thing is for sure, Jesus would be a British tabloid sub editors’ dream come true...
Elsewhere, Joe Hart has been deservedly bagging himself the headlines after his incredible performance for England in the Maracana last night.
City and England’s no.1 defied his critics with a string of fine saves from Neymar, Hulk and Oscar to help the Three Lions to a credible draw in the World Cup hosts’ back yard.
Mirror journalist Steve Bates was among the journalists to make Joe his man of the match, awarding him a 9/10 rating with the following comments.
“A heroic performance from the Manchester City star stopped a certain drubbing. First half saves from Neymar, Filipe Luis, Hulk and Oscar underpinned an immense display. 9*”
City’s England quartet are now free to spend their summers on the beach, along with Javi Garcia who has been cut from the Spain squad for the Confederations Cup.
Javi was named in the provisional 26-man selection but will miss out on the tournament in Brazil along with Benat and Xabi Alonso, meaning David Silva is the only City man featuring in the competition.
Finally, Vincent Kompany is keen for the new City manager, whoever that may be, to be given funds to go out and strengthen the team.
"I've seen every single club strengthen every season," Kompany is reported to have said on the ESPN website. "Teams can come from nowhere and win the league.
"But there is a chance to strengthen our team and compete again for the league."

PAUL LAKE TO LEAVE CITY
Just thought I’d let you know that I’m parting company with Manchester City FC and am leaving my position as Ambassador for City in the Community. After a great deal of thought I have decided to take up the role of Club Support Manager with the Premier League, which will allow me the opportunity to work at the heart of football and will involve me liaising closely with a number of club academies in the north west.
It has been a pleasure to have been part of such a dynamic workforce at MCFC, and I would like to wish my colleagues all the best for an exciting future. A very special mention also goes to the many City fans and supporters clubs both home and abroad; I've met some amazing people over the past few years and will treasure some very happy memories.
All the best,
Paul

Everton face competition for Martinez's signature... from Manchester City
Former Wigan boss Martinez is hotly tipped for the Goodison Park job – but he could be offered to take his next step in his career down the M62 at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City understood to be looking at Martinez for the No 2 role alongside incoming boss Manuel Pellegrini - who is tipped to take charge next week.
Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright has spoken to Martinez — but is also impressed after talks with Austrian side Salzburg’s Sporting Director Ralf Rangnick this week.
It means ex-Wigan boss Martinez faces stiff competition to take over from David Moyes at Goodison.
But sources close to the Spaniard, 39, insist he has ‘other options’.

NAPOLI SLAP £54 PRICE-TAG ON CHELSEA AND MANCHESTER CITY TARGET EDINSON CAVANI
CHELSEA and Manchester City will have to shell out a staggering £54m if they want to sign Napoli striker Edinson Cavani.
The monster fee is £4m more than Roman Abramovich paid for Fernando Torres and £16m more than City signed star hitman Sergio Aguero for.
It's likely that the huge asking price laid down by Napoli will prove too high for a cash deal - but a swap move with a player being used as a make-weight could still happen.
Napoli are interested in City's Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko while Chelsea could offer Torres as bait.
Uruguayan striker Cavani, 26, netted 36 goals in 41 games for Napoli this season.
The Italian club have just appointed ex-Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez as their new manager.

Former Manchester United ace Ruud van Nistelrooy says Manuel Pellegrini will change the culture at the Etihad
The Dutch striker played under Chilean gaffer at Real Madrid and Malaga... Ruud liked what he saw and expects Pellegrini to build something for the 'neighbours'
Pellegrini will be confirmed as City’s new boss this week and van Nistelrooy, who played under him at Real Madrid and Malaga, endorsed his appointment.
Former Manchester United striker van Nistelrooy said Pellegrini has what it takes to bring sustained success to City through his approach and style of play.
“I can only talk from my own experience, half a season under him at Madrid and the last season of my career at Malaga,” said van Nistelrooy.
“The experience was really good and on a professional level and a personal level I rate him very highly.
“I think he proved at Villarreal and with Malaga that he can build a new team and get things moving. He can create a structure and culture at the club whereby things get better.
“So in that sense - and even though this is me speaking as an ex-United player - I think he will build something at City.
“I don’t know what his plans are for City, I only know the way he has worked in the past. I know him as a person and, for me, he’s up there with the best.
“He dealt with the expectation at Madrid. He got a record number of points for them in the season he was there.
“I think he’s used to expectation and the fact is he’s got so much experience over the years, so I don’t think the pressure will be a problem for him.
“I think with the squad City have and with him in charge - he will maybe need a bit of time - but I think they will do well.”
Van Nistelrooy scored United’s goal in their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in a Red Heart Legends match at Old Trafford yesterday.

The game, watched by a crowd of 60,013, raised around £800,000 for the Manchester United foundation, which provides funds to help children throughout the region.

Finalising Pellegrini deal
Pellegrini will meet with City chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain in Spain to finalise the details of his appointment at The Etihad.
Outgoing Malaga coach Pellegrini will be offered a three-year deal to succeed Roberto Mancini, who was sacked by City on May 13.
Pellegrini took charge of his final match in charge of Malaga - a 4-1 defeat at Barcelona - on Saturday and is ready to take on the challenge of City.
“I have an agreement to start conversations with Manchester City,” Pellegrini said.
“Now the league is over we will start from Monday to look forward and to see where my future lies.
“Some rumours will be right, others won’t, but I have kept my focus on Malaga until now.”
Pellegrini has worked in Spain since he moved to Villarreal in 2004 and admitted he will find it difficult to leave after almost a decade there.
“It’s going to be hard for me to leave Spain after nine years,” he said. “It’s a country that has treated me marvellously well.
“An important era of my life ends, and my future will surely take me to another country.”
Although City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubrak said the club would appoint Mancini’s successor within two weeks, it is understood a deal with Pellegrini is close to being concluded.
Talks between the Chilean, his representatives and City will continue today, with the 59-year-old expected to be in his new post by the end of the week.
City chairman Khaldoon outlined the challenge facing Pellegrini when he said: “We’ve made some important management decisions. We will have a new manager on board in about two weeks.
“From day one, that manager has a responsibility to prepare a team for us for next season, a team that will be able to compete to win every competition we are involved in. We are now at that level.
“In order to do so, there’s no doubt that the team needs to constantly improve and evolve and this year is the same. We need to improve the team.
“The manager will make those decisions and we will support him.”

SNUB COUNT : 47
Highly-rated forward reveals why he snubbed Chelsea & Manchester City for Barcelona
Barcelona new boy Neymar has revealed that he snubbed Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid because of their revolving door of managers.
The 21-year-old signed a deal with the Catalan giants with former club Santos receiving £24.6million for his services.
“My family spoke to me about joining a club where you could not just win things but where there is stability,” Neymar was quoted as saying in the Daily Express.
“I don’t want to play for a club that changes coach every season.”

[spoiler][/spoiler]
Craig Bellamy lifts lid on tensions with Italian that led to his City exit.
Craig Bellamy has lifted the lid on the tensions former Blues boss Roberto Mancini caused among the City squad during his spell in charge.
Despite a successful three-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium, Mancini’s man-management skills have been questioned in the wake of his sacking last month.
He won the Premier League and the FA Cup and remains popular with City fans but the Italian has been accused of being distant, even arrogant, with his players.
In an extract from his newly published autobigraphy, Goodfella, Bellamy – who was signed by Mark Hughes in January 2009 – revealed the ‘mood changed’ when the Welshman was replaced with Mancini in December that year.
Bellamy said: “The atmosphere at the club quickly became tense under Roberto. The mood changed. He was not worried whether players liked him or not. It was of no interest to him.
“You could walk past him and he would not even say hello. Brian Kidd was brought in to be the good cop. But he didn’t really have much of a line in to Roberto. He had no say whatsoever, from what I could see.
“Some things that he (Mancini) introduced were beneficial. We went zonal at the back and that sorted us out defensively. It suited us.
“But sometimes, his lack of experience in the Premier League was a problem.
Sometimes, the ProZone guy was taking the team talk because Roberto didn’t know enough about the opposition.
“Roberto was listening in like he was a player. I didn’t have time for him to feel his way into the job. I needed to win things now.”
Bellamy claims his relationship with Mancini began to break down when the City manager started to question his carefully prepared fitness routine.
He revealed: “It didn’t take long for a little friction to build between me and Roberto. He couldn’t understand why I didn’t train every day.
“He said I had to train every day. I told him I couldn’t because of my injury history. He said I had to do double sessions – morning and afternoon – and I told him I couldn’t.
“If I do two sessions, I put too much stress on my hamstrings. I am an explosive player. He shook his head. He said in Italy, you have to train all the time. It was frustrating. I had been doing so well. I had felt so comfortable with my routine and it had been getting the best out of me. Now Roberto wanted to change it.”
The simmering situation got even worse after Bellamy injured his knee after a scuffle with a United fan on a night out in February 2010. He was eventually loaned to Cardiff for a season in 2010 before moving to Liverpool a year later.
Bellamy added: “During a defeat to Hull at the beginning of February, Roberto substituted me. It was a bad sign.
“I went out in Manchester that evening with Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips and at the end of the night, I allowed myself to get into a scrape with a United fan. It was a bit of pushing and shoving.
“There was a group of United fans waiting for me as I went to get into my car. They were taunting me and because I was in a bad frame of mind, I got involved.
“It was nothing serious but it was serious enough that I aggravated my knee injury in the fracas. I was out for two weeks because of that. I came back to training and I did some running. Roberto said I would be running the next day, too. I said I couldn’t do two days solid in a row.
“He said I had been off for two weeks so I had to. I told him I couldn’t. I had to stick to my programme. He called me into his office for a meeting with him, his fitness coach and the club doctor. He was confrontational from the start. ‘Is it okay for you to be out for two weeks and think you can decide what you are doing?’ he said.
“‘I am sticking to my programme, that’s all,’ I said. ‘It has kept me fit all season and I don’t want to risk being injured now.’
“‘Okay, then, you have been away for two weeks,’” he said. ‘Now you can go home for the rest of the season. Go on’. ‘What are you on about?’ I said. ‘Well, you don’t want to train,’ he said. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to train,’ I told him. ‘I know my knee. I know it will react tomorrow if I train again and if it doesn’t, my hamstrings will.’ ‘No, no, no,’ he yelled.
“So I went home. I told Brian Marwood and Garry Cook what had happened. Garry came round to my house to talk about it. He said something had been lost in translation. I went in the next day and trained but Roberto and I didn’t speak after that.
“That was a cut-off. That was him done with me, really. Rafa (Benitez) was harsh. Roberto wasn’t far behind. He didn’t freeze me out. I still played and I still put in some good performances. But it became common knowledge we’d had a big disagreement and the tension between us grew.”
Craig Bellamy Goodfella, RRP £18.99, £15.99 mirrorcollection.co.uk.

Liverpool want Sunderland's Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, 25, to replace Pepe Reina, should the Spaniard depart this summer. Guardian

Italian side Napoli have agreed a deal for Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, 27. Bild

Jose Mourinho's first job as Chelsea boss will be to confirm the sale of Brazil defender David Luiz, 26, to Barcelona for £30m. Daily Star

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is considering a move for £10m-rated Benfica and Spain Olympic striker Rodrigo, 22. Daily Mirror

Liverpool will consider bidding for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, 22, should Reds striker Luis Suarez, 26, force through his move to either Real or Atletico Madrid. DSSC

Real Madrid are readying a world record £85m bid for Wales international Gareth Bale, 23, but Tottenham are insisting they will not sell their star man at any price. Metro

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, 25, has admitted he wants to move this summer and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been tracking the Argentina forward, while Juventus are also interested. Daily Mirror

West Ham will sign Real Betis goalkeeper Adrian, 26, on Monday, with the Spaniard set to arrive in London for a medical at the club. DSSC

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis has put a price tag of £54m on striker Edinson Cavani, 26. Both Chelsea and Manchester City are said to be interested in the Uruguayan. Marca

Japan international Keisuke Honda, 26, will leave Russian league and cup champions CSKA Moscow in the summer. Sport Express

Fiorentina will not accept any offer less than £25m from Juventus for Montenegro striker Stevan Jovetic, 23. Corriere Dello Sport

Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, 50, has arrived in England ahead of being appointed as the new Chelsea manager this week. Guardian

Jose Mourinho is expected to be announced by Wednesday as new Chelsea boss after agreeing his return and arriving in England on Sunday night. Daily Telegraph

Chelsea and Brazil defender David Luiz, 26, moved a step closer to a Chelsea exit after refusing to speak about his future. Sun

Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy says his old Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini will change the culture at the Etihad Stadium. Daily Mirror

Liverpool are already facing a striker crisis at the start of next season as Daniel Sturridge, 23, is unlikely to recover from injury in time for the August kick-off. Daily Telegraph

Graham Arnold, 49, who won the A-League in Australia with Central Coast Mariners, has claimed that he turned down an offer to manage Sheffield United, calling the League One club's approach "prehistoric". Times

Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus says he will make a playing comeback, aged, 52, if he gets one million likes on his Facebook page. Metro

MORE BOLLOX SOON

[Mase]

For crying out loud, if there was a player who needed a summers rest it's David Silva. These no-mark tournaments are really starting to piss me off!!

[Cocacolajojo1]

For crying out loud, if there was a player who needed a summers rest it's David Silva. These no-mark tournaments are really starting to piss me off!!

THe confed cup is such a wast of time and space. It's like these people don't realize that most people can actually get fed up with all football going on all the time.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I was expecting to see Martin Samuel's bollox in all it's grandeur here Chinners. Hope you don't mind me posting it as I'd like to hear people's thoughts on it.

Pellegrini will not emulate the long reign of Ferguson, Man City's attack bunny Soriano will make sure of that
By MARTIN SAMUEL

Manuel Pellegrini is likely to agree his new contract with Manchester City this week — and immediately the countdown to his departure begins. Chief executive Ferran Soriano made that much clear before the club returned from their end-of-season trip to America. Soriano sees managers operating in two- or three-year cycles, four at the outside, so this is no legacy appointment.
He also still talks wistfully of Pep Guardiola, so there is a sense Pellegrini merely warms the seat for the real first choice. Certainly, the new man isn’t about to emulate the longevity of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger or even David Moyes.

So are his duties short-term? Not exactly. Soriano also stated that he wishes Pellegrini to work more closely with the youth coaches, helping produce teams he will never get to manage. Next on the list is dressing-room harmony. That needs to improve, although disaffected players could simply choose to wait the manager out, with another along soon. The football must also get better.

‘We are looking to play good football and to win — and I said that in the right order,’ Soriano insisted. So beauty is all. Actually, no. City’s new manager must consistently deliver success, five trophies in five years. Quite how a manager does this when his cycle lasts half that remains to be seen. Maybe altering the space-time continuum will be part of Pellegrini’s remit, too. He does have a background in science.

Soriano is a respected figure in football, otherwise he would have been laughed out of town as he unveiled the latest job spec. His predecessor, Garry Cook, once invited ridicule on a mission to New York by claiming Manchester City would be the biggest club in the world when they hadn’t, at that time, so much as won a trophy under Roberto Mancini. At least Cook’s address was given impromptu at a fans’ forum, though.

By contrast, Soriano was speaking in formal surroundings to the travelling press pack so, one presumes, had plenty of time to plan and prepare.

This was a considered strategy, yet rife with contradictions.
Most amusing was his response when confronted by the word that drives all City executives crazy: Chelsea. The suggestion that they are becoming as fickle and capricious as Roman Abramovich always brings a robust retort.
‘I think it is totally unfair to compare,’ said Soriano. ‘I don’t know how Chelsea operate — that’s their problem. Our approach to management has been appropriate.’

The thought that Chelsea — six trophies in two seasons, putting them very much ahead of Soriano’s achievement curve — have a problem is the irony here. At least a manager knows where he stands with Abramovich. He wins the league or Champions League, or gets the bullet.

And even if he is successful, he had better look as if he is going to repeat the achievement next season, or the axe will swiftly fall.
Abramovich is ruthless, often doing more harm than good, but at least he does not dress up flint-hearted ambition with guff about holistic management and improving the youth team. City want it all ways. They want to rip out the throats of anything that stands in their way, yet stay cute, cuddly and furry on the outside.
Soriano is an attack bunny.

If you want a coach to care about the youth team, it is perhaps best not to start ticking off the days to his farewell party before he has been handed the keys to the office.

David Moyes, a six-year contract in his back pocket at Manchester United, is made to feel very much engaged with players who are barely teenagers now but could still be part of the first team in his time.

City might be on their third managerial cycle under Soriano when Moyes’s first United contract ends. Why would Pellegrini divert his attention from the immediate, when it will be utterly irrelevant to his regime? He may do his company duty, but the level of time and effort invested by Ferguson — driving to Scotland to sit with Darren Fletcher’s parents and divert their son from the big Glasgow clubs? Not a chance.

City will say they have a director of football, Txiki Begiristain, for that, but then why burden Pellegrini with the added responsibility of integrating youth and first-team development?

Martin O’Neill tells a story about his early days at Leicester City when results were frighteningly poor. At one home game fans attempted to break into the dressing room and they were not looking for autographs. O’Neill considered quitting, just weeks into the job. The academy director sat in his office as he unburdened his soul.

There was a moment of shared silence. ‘It’s not all bad, though,’ said O’Neill’s confidant, cheerfully. ‘We’ve got some cracking 14-year-olds coming through.’ ‘And what f****** use to me is that?’ O’Neill replied.
This is the flaw in Soriano’s grand plan. If Pellegrini has a two-, even a three-year cycle, everything beyond the first team is meaningless to him.

Soriano spoke of his ambition to deliver half the first team from an academy but unless a truly exceptional generation comes along — as fortuitously happened at Barcelona — the demands for immediate success are not compatible with the patience to develop youth.
There is a reason Chelsea and Manchester City bring fewer young players through than Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton.
Pellegrini will not feel empowered to risk a 17-year-old if an experienced signing offers a greater guarantee.

It is as if he has to care for the next manager beyond his own needs, and no coach wishes to be the noble footnote, the man who is privately thanked for his selfless work, and publicly recalled for blowing his big chance in English football.

Soriano spoke of his manager needing to win ‘every Sunday’, yet City’s other executives embark on projects measured in decades.
The cycles of CEOs and directors of football always equate to steady employment.

‘We are not telling the manager how to do his job,’ Soriano insisted. ‘We are just providing him with technically skilled players who are talented enough to play beautiful football. He can then do as he wants.’

Translation? If Pellegrini is successful it is because we have provided his perfect platform; we remain, he leaves, and this way we keep the ideas fresh around the first team. If he fails, it is because he has somehow ruined our fine work, so we stay and sack him, obviously, for failing to take advantage of our genius.

City are right, though — this is most certainly not like Chelsea. If Abramovich’s manager wins at least he lets him take some credit.

[Nigels Tackle]

For crying out loud, if there was a player who needed a summers rest it's David Silva. These no-mark tournaments are really starting to piss me off!!

THe confed cup is such a wast of time and space. It's like these people don't realize that most people can actually get fed up with all football going on all the time.

it's important for teams like tahiti to gain international tournament experience

[Chinners]

Martin Samuels is a bearded clam, always baffles me why some regard him so highly.

[Socrates]

Martin Samuel has articulated well the concerns some of us have with the new regime, nothing we can do but watch and hope...

[Beefymcfc]

I read that Neymar snubbing this morning and for the life of me could not understand how Neymars statement could be attributed to us. Haven't Barca had the same amount of manager's as us in the last 5 years?

There's shit reporting and then there's the British media. Ass-clowns!

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Martin Samuel has articled well the concerns some of us have with the new regime, nothing we can do but watch and hope...

Its always interesting to read his views. I'm not sure The Spafia are as 'teflon' as is being suggested. Ultimately they are employees of a regime that doesn't accept failure as an option. They aren't the ultimate power.

[dick dastardley]

Martin Samuel has articled well the concerns some of us have with the new regime, nothing we can do but watch and hope...

Its always interesting to read his views. I'm not sure The Spafia are as 'teflon' as is being suggested. Ultimately they are employees of a regime that doesn't accept failure as an option. They aren't the ultimate power.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^sounds like something outta star wars unltimate power in the the universe!!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Tokyo Blue]

I wonder about these things, which the writer appears to just assume are true.

1) Pellegrini will get a two-year contract. Has he been sitting round the table? Nope. Unknown.

2) Pellegrini will leave the club at the end of that contract or before and there is no possibility whatsoever that Pellegrini will be able to renew his contract or take up a different position at the club. Unknown.

3) He is keeping the seat warm for Guardiola. Speculation.

4) The Director of Football role and Pellegrini's role. Unknown at this point.

5) Pellegrini would want a long-term contract. It may be that it is Pellegrini himself that is insisting on a two-year contract. Unknown.

6) Moyes will be given time and Pellegrini won't. Unknown.

[Original Dub]

Martin Samuel has articulated well the concerns some of us have with the new regime, nothing we can do but watch and hope...

Of course.

As ever, the end is just around the corner. ..

[Sideshow Bob]

confused/saddened by wag.