Fridays B*l**x
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:32 amTHE BOLLOX
There’s nowhere else to start today’s media round-up than with reports emanating from Spain, once again linking Lionel Messi with a move to the Etihad Stadium.
The four-time Ballon D’or winner has been rumoured to be a transfer target since the summer and El Confidencial journalist Jose Felix Diaz believes that City could meet the eye-watering reported €200m buyout clause in the Argentine’s contract.
As Diaz writes, it would then be up to Messi and his advisors as to whether they wish to enter into negotiations with City.
Cue much more excitement and speculation when fans discovered that Lionel follows the official City Instagram account…
Why wouldn’t he though? Considering our sublime match arrival videos, our incredible pic of the day feature – oh, and the fact that his best mate works here – heck, you should be following too!
If it’s good enough for Leo…
Considering Messi said in January that he wanted to end his career at Barcelona, it's perhaps best not to get too carried away.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=47328
Staying in Barcelona, Andres Iniesta has been talking about the upcoming second leg at the Camp Nou.
Los Blaugrana are 2-0 up on City going into the home leg but the Spanish international has warned that they will have to play a perfect game to finish the job and put Manuel Pellegrini’s men out of the competition.
“We still have 90 tough minutes to play against a very difficult rival, who have very good players,” Iniesta is quoted as saying in the DSSC (presumably with a wagging finger).
“We don’t want to have any surprises or get scared so we have to play practically a perfect game.
“It’s difficult to avoid thinking that we are almost there (into the quarter finals) because you know that the contender you have in front of you.
“We have to put all our senses in playing in an extraordinary game with the focus on making a minimum of mistakes and hope of being able to make it in the next round.”
Feel free to make just a couple of mistakes, Andres…
Of course there is a game coming up before then – of course, Championship Manager of the Month Uwe Rosler is bringing his Wigan Athletic are coming to the Etihad in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.
However, it’s a bit of a Barcelona special in the papers this morning, with the Blues also being linked with Dani Alves, who according to the Express, could be a player the Catalans are willing to part with.
“Reports in Spain suggest that Barca are aware that now is the last chance to really cash in on the Brazilian defender as he enters the final year of his contract,” Ben Jefferson writes.
“However, the Catalan club remains concerned that they may struggle to find a suitor for the 30-year-old given his substantial wage demands.
“Arsenal have been linked with a move for Alves in the past and could well be in the market for a new right-back if Bacary Sagna leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season.
“Chelsea and Manchester City are also clubs that have expressed an interest in Alves in the past and are unlikely to be deterred by the player's financial demands.”
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is facing a revolt from his English players this summer
Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott seem likely to leave the club, while some have raised questions over the futures of Jack Rodell and James Milner
The Blues’ starting XI in the Capital One Cup final did not contain an Englishman. And home-grown star Micah Richards is unwilling to sign a new contract after being frozen out of the first-team picture.
Those factors have succeeded in highlighting the problem at City which has seen members of the club’s home guard become increasing disillusioned with a lack of chances under their Chilean boss Pellegrini.
Richards, whose contract expires next season, could move on despite being offered a five-year deal.
Joleon Lescott was left out of the starting XI at Wembley and the England defender is also likely to miss out on a World Cup place. He is set to leave this summer on a free transfer.
Jack Rodwell has been given limited chances since signing in August 2012.
City’s England duo Joe Hart and James Milner are first-team regulars but did not play at Wembley
Liverpool top and Manchester City in the relegation zone? It can ONLY be this week's Alternative Table
What if only goals scored by English players are taken into account? Well, it's bad news for Man City in particular
What if only goals scored by Englishmen counted in the Premier League?
Liverpool would be top of the pile - and Manchester City would be staring down the barrel of a relegation fight, that's what.
With Liverpool players making up almost half of England's starting XI against Denmark, it will not come as a surprise to find out the Reds lead this week's alternative Premier League table.
It seems a long time since Manchester United won the Champions League with Englishmen accounting for half of their 18-man squad. But Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has shown this season that you can compete for major honours with an English core.
Three Lions captain Steven Gerrard, the rejuvenated Jordan Henderson, experienced defender Glen Johnson, the rapid Raheem Sterling and the prolific Daniel Sturridge have been integral to the Merseyside club currently reaching second place in the 'real' Premier League.
The Reds would be unbeaten in 28 games if only goals from Englishmen were factored, with 17 wins and 11 draws.
Sturridge's 18 goals – eight more than next-best Jay Rodriguez and Wayne Rooney – have guided Liverpool to a 13-point lead ahead of second-place Southampton and Manchester United – who crucially have a game in hand.
His nationality may stop him from landing the top jobs at Real Madrid and Barcelona but the good news for Sam Allardici is that he is on course for Champions League qualification in our alternative table – despite West Ham's star striker Andy Carroll failing to score this campaign.
At the other end of the table, Alan Pardew's woe continues as Paris St Newcastle sit rock bottom without a win but it may surprise some to see West Bromwich Albion on the same number of points
Manchester City's academy is at the heart of the club's plans moving forward, allegedly, so the Sheik will not be happy to see Manchester City set for relegation as they have yet to win a game.
So what have we learned from this enlightening alternative table? Liverpool and Southampton continue to give Englishmen a chance, Newcastle should relocate to the south of France to reduce costs and Manchester City's once proud record of bringing through home-grown talents appears to be over – for now at least.
Manchester City selling star now valued at £25m their biggest mistake
Manchester City have good reason to now look back on Jerome Boateng and realise he should have been persisted with.
"He is a young player who is already of a very high quality."
"I think he can continue to improve at City. He can play a number of positions in defence, which is important.
"He has proved his ability in Germany and I think he can be a very important player for Manchester City in the Premier League."
Roberto Mancini was pretty clear upon signing 21-year-old Jerome Boateng in 2010 that he was a player he rated highly.
One year later he was sold, and now he is thriving at Bayern Munich while City toil to find a regular central defensive partner for Vincent Kompany.
City had done the hard work. They had identified and signed a future star, only to prematurely give up on him after one season.
Boateng played 24 games for City, but was rarely allowed to feature in his preferred position. Roberto Mancini utilised him as a right-back, but unfortunately for the German international this was a position occupied by both Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta.
It was no secret that Boateng was unhappy at the situation, and wanted to play in central defence, which he cited as the reason for pushing to switch back to the Bundesliga.
Mancini even said upon his arrival that he could 'play a number of positions in defence', so rather than cede to his complaints after just a season, surely keeping him and trying him out on a regular basis alongside Kompany would have been a smart move?
City lined up against Barcelona with the much-maligned Martin Demichelis in the position, an accident waiting to happen in such a high profile encounter.
In a strong Bayern side, Boateng has a simpler life than he would have done had he signed back at Hamburg, yet he is performing admirably.
Statistics show he makes more interceptions per game at 1.6 on average than any Bayern centre-back, making more clearances per game at 3.7 than any of his teammates too.
While against Arsenal a fortnight ago he was tricked into giving away a penalty to Mesut Ozil, apart from that he didn't put a foot wrong all. He is rated by transfermarkt at £25 million, but you wouldn't catch Bayern letting him go now.
His success illustrates that City should certainly have stuck with him longer, and is perhaps another example of a failed bit of man-management from Mancini when with more care, City could have had a defensive partnership in place to last for the rest of the decade.
Inter to bid for Manchester City striker in summer
Inter are set to bid for Manchester City’s Bosnian hitman Edin Dzeko in the summer.
It is no secret that coach Walter Mazzarri wishes to strengthen his forward line in the summer with Diego Milito a near certainty to leave, and Mauro Icardi still too raw for a starting spot.
Panorama.it suggest that Inter will bid for City striker Dzeko when the transfer window opens in July, and it would take an offer of €15-20 million for the English giants to consider selling their prolific striker.
The Bosnian has attracted the interest of Italian clubs such as Napoli, AC Milan and Juventus in the past.
Dzeko has netted 17 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions for the Citizens this campaign.
SNUB BOLLOX
Skipper backs Nasri after snub
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has backed Samir Nasri as a world class player after he was left out of Didier Deschamps' France squad.
The 26-year-old midfielder has 41 caps for his country but was omitted from the squad for yesterday's 2-0 friendly win against.
Belgian defender Kompany has backed his City team-mate as a vital part of the Premier League side, after Nasri's goal in their 3-1 League Cup final victory against Sunderland on Sunday.
He told RMC: “We had a final to play and we had to win – Samir scored a goal and showed his class.
“We all know he is among the best players in the world. He is a major player for us as he has proved throughout the season.
“Deschamps made his choice. If it was my choice he would be there but I can not say what is happening in the France team.”
Nasri made his France debut in 2007 and was part of the squads for the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
However, he was left out of the squad for the World Cup in 2010 and his omission from Wednesday's selection has cast doubt whether he will be on the plane for Brazil.
The former Arsenal midfielder has been in fine form this year as City look to add Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup glory to their League Cup success.
Jose Mourinho Fails To Add Up To Manchester City
THE wisdom of Chelsea’s chatty manager Jose Mourinho:
On February 10 2014, Mourinho snipes at Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini:
“Everybody knows what Manchester City are. Pellegrini was talking about the money we’ve spent. He’s a fantastic coach, and I respect that, and he’s a qualified engineer. I don’t think an engineer should need a calculator to see that we sold Juan Mata for £37 million and Kevin De Bruyne for £18m – so that’s £55m brought in. Then we bought Nemanja Matic for £21m and Mohamed Salah cost £11m. That’s £32m spent.”
On February 26 2014, Jose Mourinho snipes about Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini:
“I’m not good at maths. And football is not maths. If football was maths, I’d be coaching in the Third Division. Because football is not maths, I coach Chelsea.”
Such is the consistency…
[spoiler]Alessia Ventura
[/spoiler]
Manchester United are ready to break the bank and make Southampton left-back Luke Shaw the best paid teenager in the Premier League. Daily Star
Manchester United boss David Moyes is tracking Real Sociedad striker Antoine Griezmann after watching the 22-year-old make his France debut in Paris on Wednesday. Daily Mirror
The agent of Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski has fuelled speculation that the Germany international could quit the club in the summer and follow Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic to Inter Milan. Metro
Arsenal could be tempted to sell Podolksi, if Inter meet their £11m asking price for the 28-year-old. Sun
Liverpool have joined Arsenal in the race to sign 16-year-old French forward Maxime Lopez from Marseille. DSSC
Barcelona are considering letting Dani Alves, 30, and Alex Song, 26, leave at the end of the season, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City all following the situation closely. Daily Express
Real Madrid have potentially scuppered Manchester United's summer transfer plans by beginning discussions to sign Juventus duo Paul Pogba, 20, and 26-year-old Arturo Vidal. Metro
Tottenham Hotspur's Danish attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen has insisted he will not seek to leave the club if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Sky Sports News
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, 35, has backed manager Roberto Martinez's ability to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku when the 20-year-old Belgian loanee returns to Chelsea at the end of the season. Talkshit
Liverpool will not take up a £3.3m option to sign 26-year-old French defender Aly Cissokho when his loan from Spanish club Valencia expires at the end of the season. Inside Futbol
Former Derby County and Manchester City striker Paolo Wanchope says Joel Campbell will be a player to watch for Costa Rica at this summer's World Cup in Brazil. The 21-year-old Arsenal striker is currently on loan at Greek club Olympiakos. Daily Telegraph
Queens Park Rangers are planning a radical overhaul of their finances after announcing their net debt has risen to £177m.
Times
The Loftus Road club are facing up to the prospect of being punished with a transfer embargo by Uefa for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. Independent
Robin van Persie would not have signed for Manchester United in August 2012 if he knew that Sir Alex Ferguson was leaving the club, says Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen. Daily Star
Arsenal's Denmark international striker Nicklas Bendtner, 26, has called on manager Arsene Wenger to allow him more playing time for the Gunners this season. Daily Express
Manchester United striker Federico Macheda does not believe he will feature at Old Trafford under manager David Moyes. The 22-year-old Italian is currently on loan at Championship club Birmingham City. Daily Telegraph
Arsenal attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil was jeered by Germany fans during the nation's 1-0 friendly win over Chile in Stuttgart. Guardian
Wolverhampton Wanderers responded to an angry fan, who had complained that the shirt he bought online had an upside-down club badge, by sending him a letter of apology which was also the wrong way round. DSSC
GOLDEN BOLLOX 7-3-2010
Robinho claims Mancini showed a "lack of ability"
Robinho has cast further doubt over his long-term future at Manchester City by describing Roberto Mancini as a manager suffering from a "lack of ability" in his dealings with the striker.
Robinho has performed impressively at Santos
While City and Mancini maintain they want Robinho to return to the club following the expiration of his loan spell with Santos, the striker has scored four goals in six games in Brazil to enhance his international prospects ahead of the World Cup, and appears ready to burn his bridges with the Premier League club.
British football's all-time record signing has accused Mancini of undermining his morale by repeatedly substituting him during games, and was particularly critical of the Italian for his decision-making in a game against Everton in January when Robinho entered the game as a substitute after nine minutes, only to be taken off himself in the second half.
"At City, when I was playing, I knew that at some point the substitution board would go up and I was going to come off because the manager didn't have trust in me," Robinho told the Guardian. "Then, you start to lose your confidence on the pitch."
"I spoke to the manager after the [Everton] game. He admitted to me that he had made a mistake taking me off. It was the first time I have had to go through something like that in my career but I suppose there's always a first time. It wasn't a lack of respect, though. I just think it was a lack of ability on the part of the manager."
Robinho's loan deal with Santos is due to expire on August 4. The striker recently scored in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Republic of Ireland at Emirates Stadium.
Manchester City planning new £50million training HQ
Manchester City are set to unveil plans for a £50million training ground as part of a £500m development of the land surrounding their Eastlands stadium.
City’s owners want to base boss Roberto Mancini’s first-team squad and the club’s youth Academy on a 50-acre site that had been earmarked for housing.
Money will be no object as City look to build a training complex that will be the best in the world.
A club source said: “This will be much more than just a training ground. It will be the club’s headquarters and will be the envy of football.“It is more proof that the owners are serious about turning City into one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“It will also help to attract the top players because it will be the best of its kind in terms of training, medical and rehabilitation facilities.”
It is understood that the site will even include apartments to house Academy players.
Sunday Mirror http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Ma ... 46211.html
MCF.NET THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=30692
UEFA plans will make billionaire bailouts official
Chelsea and Manchester City could be banned under new rules
Roman Abramovich and Sheik Mansour may still be able to fund their teams under UEFA's new financial rules but will have to do so in the future by sponsoring their own clubs.
European football chiefs have vowed to ban clubs who consistently make a loss, as Chelsea and Manchester City do, only surviving because of subsidies from their billionaire owners.
UEFA's new rules, due to take effect in 2012, are likely to still allow owners to put money into clubs, albeit only through an official deal. 'This is being looked into,' said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino. 'It would be difficult to monitor this, but a sponsorship agreement is still better than a club being funded by a benefactor, because it has clear payment schedules and a contract.
'It is better than a loan because then if someone gets tired of paying, the club are left with the debt. At least this way you have a contract in your hand.'
more bollox soon
There’s nowhere else to start today’s media round-up than with reports emanating from Spain, once again linking Lionel Messi with a move to the Etihad Stadium.
The four-time Ballon D’or winner has been rumoured to be a transfer target since the summer and El Confidencial journalist Jose Felix Diaz believes that City could meet the eye-watering reported €200m buyout clause in the Argentine’s contract.
As Diaz writes, it would then be up to Messi and his advisors as to whether they wish to enter into negotiations with City.
Cue much more excitement and speculation when fans discovered that Lionel follows the official City Instagram account…
Why wouldn’t he though? Considering our sublime match arrival videos, our incredible pic of the day feature – oh, and the fact that his best mate works here – heck, you should be following too!
If it’s good enough for Leo…
Considering Messi said in January that he wanted to end his career at Barcelona, it's perhaps best not to get too carried away.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=47328
Staying in Barcelona, Andres Iniesta has been talking about the upcoming second leg at the Camp Nou.
Los Blaugrana are 2-0 up on City going into the home leg but the Spanish international has warned that they will have to play a perfect game to finish the job and put Manuel Pellegrini’s men out of the competition.
“We still have 90 tough minutes to play against a very difficult rival, who have very good players,” Iniesta is quoted as saying in the DSSC (presumably with a wagging finger).
“We don’t want to have any surprises or get scared so we have to play practically a perfect game.
“It’s difficult to avoid thinking that we are almost there (into the quarter finals) because you know that the contender you have in front of you.
“We have to put all our senses in playing in an extraordinary game with the focus on making a minimum of mistakes and hope of being able to make it in the next round.”
Feel free to make just a couple of mistakes, Andres…
Of course there is a game coming up before then – of course, Championship Manager of the Month Uwe Rosler is bringing his Wigan Athletic are coming to the Etihad in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.
However, it’s a bit of a Barcelona special in the papers this morning, with the Blues also being linked with Dani Alves, who according to the Express, could be a player the Catalans are willing to part with.
“Reports in Spain suggest that Barca are aware that now is the last chance to really cash in on the Brazilian defender as he enters the final year of his contract,” Ben Jefferson writes.
“However, the Catalan club remains concerned that they may struggle to find a suitor for the 30-year-old given his substantial wage demands.
“Arsenal have been linked with a move for Alves in the past and could well be in the market for a new right-back if Bacary Sagna leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season.
“Chelsea and Manchester City are also clubs that have expressed an interest in Alves in the past and are unlikely to be deterred by the player's financial demands.”
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is facing a revolt from his English players this summer
Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott seem likely to leave the club, while some have raised questions over the futures of Jack Rodell and James Milner
The Blues’ starting XI in the Capital One Cup final did not contain an Englishman. And home-grown star Micah Richards is unwilling to sign a new contract after being frozen out of the first-team picture.
Those factors have succeeded in highlighting the problem at City which has seen members of the club’s home guard become increasing disillusioned with a lack of chances under their Chilean boss Pellegrini.
Richards, whose contract expires next season, could move on despite being offered a five-year deal.
Joleon Lescott was left out of the starting XI at Wembley and the England defender is also likely to miss out on a World Cup place. He is set to leave this summer on a free transfer.
Jack Rodwell has been given limited chances since signing in August 2012.
City’s England duo Joe Hart and James Milner are first-team regulars but did not play at Wembley
Liverpool top and Manchester City in the relegation zone? It can ONLY be this week's Alternative Table
What if only goals scored by English players are taken into account? Well, it's bad news for Man City in particular
What if only goals scored by Englishmen counted in the Premier League?
Liverpool would be top of the pile - and Manchester City would be staring down the barrel of a relegation fight, that's what.
With Liverpool players making up almost half of England's starting XI against Denmark, it will not come as a surprise to find out the Reds lead this week's alternative Premier League table.
It seems a long time since Manchester United won the Champions League with Englishmen accounting for half of their 18-man squad. But Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has shown this season that you can compete for major honours with an English core.
Three Lions captain Steven Gerrard, the rejuvenated Jordan Henderson, experienced defender Glen Johnson, the rapid Raheem Sterling and the prolific Daniel Sturridge have been integral to the Merseyside club currently reaching second place in the 'real' Premier League.
The Reds would be unbeaten in 28 games if only goals from Englishmen were factored, with 17 wins and 11 draws.
Sturridge's 18 goals – eight more than next-best Jay Rodriguez and Wayne Rooney – have guided Liverpool to a 13-point lead ahead of second-place Southampton and Manchester United – who crucially have a game in hand.
His nationality may stop him from landing the top jobs at Real Madrid and Barcelona but the good news for Sam Allardici is that he is on course for Champions League qualification in our alternative table – despite West Ham's star striker Andy Carroll failing to score this campaign.
At the other end of the table, Alan Pardew's woe continues as Paris St Newcastle sit rock bottom without a win but it may surprise some to see West Bromwich Albion on the same number of points
Manchester City's academy is at the heart of the club's plans moving forward, allegedly, so the Sheik will not be happy to see Manchester City set for relegation as they have yet to win a game.
So what have we learned from this enlightening alternative table? Liverpool and Southampton continue to give Englishmen a chance, Newcastle should relocate to the south of France to reduce costs and Manchester City's once proud record of bringing through home-grown talents appears to be over – for now at least.
Manchester City selling star now valued at £25m their biggest mistake
Manchester City have good reason to now look back on Jerome Boateng and realise he should have been persisted with.
"He is a young player who is already of a very high quality."
"I think he can continue to improve at City. He can play a number of positions in defence, which is important.
"He has proved his ability in Germany and I think he can be a very important player for Manchester City in the Premier League."
Roberto Mancini was pretty clear upon signing 21-year-old Jerome Boateng in 2010 that he was a player he rated highly.
One year later he was sold, and now he is thriving at Bayern Munich while City toil to find a regular central defensive partner for Vincent Kompany.
City had done the hard work. They had identified and signed a future star, only to prematurely give up on him after one season.
Boateng played 24 games for City, but was rarely allowed to feature in his preferred position. Roberto Mancini utilised him as a right-back, but unfortunately for the German international this was a position occupied by both Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta.
It was no secret that Boateng was unhappy at the situation, and wanted to play in central defence, which he cited as the reason for pushing to switch back to the Bundesliga.
Mancini even said upon his arrival that he could 'play a number of positions in defence', so rather than cede to his complaints after just a season, surely keeping him and trying him out on a regular basis alongside Kompany would have been a smart move?
City lined up against Barcelona with the much-maligned Martin Demichelis in the position, an accident waiting to happen in such a high profile encounter.
In a strong Bayern side, Boateng has a simpler life than he would have done had he signed back at Hamburg, yet he is performing admirably.
Statistics show he makes more interceptions per game at 1.6 on average than any Bayern centre-back, making more clearances per game at 3.7 than any of his teammates too.
While against Arsenal a fortnight ago he was tricked into giving away a penalty to Mesut Ozil, apart from that he didn't put a foot wrong all. He is rated by transfermarkt at £25 million, but you wouldn't catch Bayern letting him go now.
His success illustrates that City should certainly have stuck with him longer, and is perhaps another example of a failed bit of man-management from Mancini when with more care, City could have had a defensive partnership in place to last for the rest of the decade.
Inter to bid for Manchester City striker in summer
Inter are set to bid for Manchester City’s Bosnian hitman Edin Dzeko in the summer.
It is no secret that coach Walter Mazzarri wishes to strengthen his forward line in the summer with Diego Milito a near certainty to leave, and Mauro Icardi still too raw for a starting spot.
Panorama.it suggest that Inter will bid for City striker Dzeko when the transfer window opens in July, and it would take an offer of €15-20 million for the English giants to consider selling their prolific striker.
The Bosnian has attracted the interest of Italian clubs such as Napoli, AC Milan and Juventus in the past.
Dzeko has netted 17 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions for the Citizens this campaign.
SNUB BOLLOX
Skipper backs Nasri after snub
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has backed Samir Nasri as a world class player after he was left out of Didier Deschamps' France squad.
The 26-year-old midfielder has 41 caps for his country but was omitted from the squad for yesterday's 2-0 friendly win against.
Belgian defender Kompany has backed his City team-mate as a vital part of the Premier League side, after Nasri's goal in their 3-1 League Cup final victory against Sunderland on Sunday.
He told RMC: “We had a final to play and we had to win – Samir scored a goal and showed his class.
“We all know he is among the best players in the world. He is a major player for us as he has proved throughout the season.
“Deschamps made his choice. If it was my choice he would be there but I can not say what is happening in the France team.”
Nasri made his France debut in 2007 and was part of the squads for the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
However, he was left out of the squad for the World Cup in 2010 and his omission from Wednesday's selection has cast doubt whether he will be on the plane for Brazil.
The former Arsenal midfielder has been in fine form this year as City look to add Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup glory to their League Cup success.
Jose Mourinho Fails To Add Up To Manchester City
THE wisdom of Chelsea’s chatty manager Jose Mourinho:
On February 10 2014, Mourinho snipes at Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini:
“Everybody knows what Manchester City are. Pellegrini was talking about the money we’ve spent. He’s a fantastic coach, and I respect that, and he’s a qualified engineer. I don’t think an engineer should need a calculator to see that we sold Juan Mata for £37 million and Kevin De Bruyne for £18m – so that’s £55m brought in. Then we bought Nemanja Matic for £21m and Mohamed Salah cost £11m. That’s £32m spent.”
On February 26 2014, Jose Mourinho snipes about Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini:
“I’m not good at maths. And football is not maths. If football was maths, I’d be coaching in the Third Division. Because football is not maths, I coach Chelsea.”
Such is the consistency…
[spoiler]Alessia Ventura
[/spoiler]Manchester United are ready to break the bank and make Southampton left-back Luke Shaw the best paid teenager in the Premier League. Daily Star
Manchester United boss David Moyes is tracking Real Sociedad striker Antoine Griezmann after watching the 22-year-old make his France debut in Paris on Wednesday. Daily Mirror
The agent of Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski has fuelled speculation that the Germany international could quit the club in the summer and follow Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic to Inter Milan. Metro
Arsenal could be tempted to sell Podolksi, if Inter meet their £11m asking price for the 28-year-old. Sun
Liverpool have joined Arsenal in the race to sign 16-year-old French forward Maxime Lopez from Marseille. DSSC
Barcelona are considering letting Dani Alves, 30, and Alex Song, 26, leave at the end of the season, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City all following the situation closely. Daily Express
Real Madrid have potentially scuppered Manchester United's summer transfer plans by beginning discussions to sign Juventus duo Paul Pogba, 20, and 26-year-old Arturo Vidal. Metro
Tottenham Hotspur's Danish attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen has insisted he will not seek to leave the club if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Sky Sports News
Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, 35, has backed manager Roberto Martinez's ability to find a replacement for Romelu Lukaku when the 20-year-old Belgian loanee returns to Chelsea at the end of the season. Talkshit
Liverpool will not take up a £3.3m option to sign 26-year-old French defender Aly Cissokho when his loan from Spanish club Valencia expires at the end of the season. Inside Futbol
Former Derby County and Manchester City striker Paolo Wanchope says Joel Campbell will be a player to watch for Costa Rica at this summer's World Cup in Brazil. The 21-year-old Arsenal striker is currently on loan at Greek club Olympiakos. Daily Telegraph
Queens Park Rangers are planning a radical overhaul of their finances after announcing their net debt has risen to £177m.
Times
The Loftus Road club are facing up to the prospect of being punished with a transfer embargo by Uefa for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. Independent
Robin van Persie would not have signed for Manchester United in August 2012 if he knew that Sir Alex Ferguson was leaving the club, says Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen. Daily Star
Arsenal's Denmark international striker Nicklas Bendtner, 26, has called on manager Arsene Wenger to allow him more playing time for the Gunners this season. Daily Express
Manchester United striker Federico Macheda does not believe he will feature at Old Trafford under manager David Moyes. The 22-year-old Italian is currently on loan at Championship club Birmingham City. Daily Telegraph
Arsenal attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil was jeered by Germany fans during the nation's 1-0 friendly win over Chile in Stuttgart. Guardian
Wolverhampton Wanderers responded to an angry fan, who had complained that the shirt he bought online had an upside-down club badge, by sending him a letter of apology which was also the wrong way round. DSSC
GOLDEN BOLLOX 7-3-2010
Robinho claims Mancini showed a "lack of ability"
Robinho has cast further doubt over his long-term future at Manchester City by describing Roberto Mancini as a manager suffering from a "lack of ability" in his dealings with the striker.
Robinho has performed impressively at Santos
While City and Mancini maintain they want Robinho to return to the club following the expiration of his loan spell with Santos, the striker has scored four goals in six games in Brazil to enhance his international prospects ahead of the World Cup, and appears ready to burn his bridges with the Premier League club.
British football's all-time record signing has accused Mancini of undermining his morale by repeatedly substituting him during games, and was particularly critical of the Italian for his decision-making in a game against Everton in January when Robinho entered the game as a substitute after nine minutes, only to be taken off himself in the second half.
"At City, when I was playing, I knew that at some point the substitution board would go up and I was going to come off because the manager didn't have trust in me," Robinho told the Guardian. "Then, you start to lose your confidence on the pitch."
"I spoke to the manager after the [Everton] game. He admitted to me that he had made a mistake taking me off. It was the first time I have had to go through something like that in my career but I suppose there's always a first time. It wasn't a lack of respect, though. I just think it was a lack of ability on the part of the manager."
Robinho's loan deal with Santos is due to expire on August 4. The striker recently scored in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Republic of Ireland at Emirates Stadium.
Manchester City planning new £50million training HQ
Manchester City are set to unveil plans for a £50million training ground as part of a £500m development of the land surrounding their Eastlands stadium.
City’s owners want to base boss Roberto Mancini’s first-team squad and the club’s youth Academy on a 50-acre site that had been earmarked for housing.
Money will be no object as City look to build a training complex that will be the best in the world.
A club source said: “This will be much more than just a training ground. It will be the club’s headquarters and will be the envy of football.“It is more proof that the owners are serious about turning City into one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“It will also help to attract the top players because it will be the best of its kind in terms of training, medical and rehabilitation facilities.”
It is understood that the site will even include apartments to house Academy players.
Sunday Mirror http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Ma ... 46211.html
MCF.NET THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=30692
UEFA plans will make billionaire bailouts official
Chelsea and Manchester City could be banned under new rules
Roman Abramovich and Sheik Mansour may still be able to fund their teams under UEFA's new financial rules but will have to do so in the future by sponsoring their own clubs.
European football chiefs have vowed to ban clubs who consistently make a loss, as Chelsea and Manchester City do, only surviving because of subsidies from their billionaire owners.
UEFA's new rules, due to take effect in 2012, are likely to still allow owners to put money into clubs, albeit only through an official deal. 'This is being looked into,' said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino. 'It would be difficult to monitor this, but a sponsorship agreement is still better than a club being funded by a benefactor, because it has clear payment schedules and a contract.
'It is better than a loan because then if someone gets tired of paying, the club are left with the debt. At least this way you have a contract in your hand.'
more bollox soon