Manchester City in the market for European talent club to bring through young talent
Manchester City are trying to buy a club in Europe – to bring through their next generation of top stars.
Mega-rich City want a suitable team to invest in, possibly sponsoring their academy or ‘development’ squad.
They want to send some of their current starlets – plus a handful of players signed from across the globe – to a club where they can play football at a decent level.
City’s policy-makers have decided that the big-spending on senior players cannot go on forever and there is a push to bring in young talent from around the world.
Many of these players – from Africa and South America – would be too young to get work permits in England, but could be allowed into other European countries where the rules are less strict.
Top youth spy Gary Worthington is in Mexico looking at a couple of Latin Americans who could be signed, but can’t come to England until they are capped.
Manchester United and Chelsea have tried the process in the past, with little success. But City believe it can work.
They are ‘close’ to finding a suitable partner and an arrangement that will not upset the football authorities who frown on ‘feeder’ or ‘nursery’ clubs.
If the Manchester wannabes come across the right outfit they could subsidise them by paying for their players to be based with those clubs and play for their sides on a regular basis.
It is an ambitious project, but City know they need a long-term plan to secure the next generation of talent, which will keep them at the top for years to come.
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli could be sidelined until mid-December
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli looks set to be sidelined until the middle of December, much longer than he was originally predicted to be out, following a knee operation.
20-year-old Balotelli has been sidelined since Manchester City 's Europa League clash against Timisoara on August 19 when he came off the bench to score the winner. It has so far proven to be his sole Manchester City appearance since a big money move from Inter Milan .
The People reports that Manchester City medical staff have been draining fluid from Balotelli's right knee following severe swelling after training and that he may not return to Roberto Mancini's side until December.
They quote a club source saying, "Mario's had a nightmare start to his time at City."
RODNEY MARSH: I HATE THE WAY MANCHESTER CITY PLAY BUT LOVE THE WAY THEY'RE WINNING
THERE’S a twinkle in his eyes as Rodney Marsh savours the fact that his two great loves in football, Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City, are now owned by the two richest men in the foot world.
Billionaire money is bringing success to both clubs this season, with QPR top of the Championship and Man City second in the Premier League.
Marsh, the striker who became a legend at both clubs as a showman and entertainer in the 1960s and 70s, has watched both sides recently on a visit over from his home in America – and his verdict is typically strident.
“I enjoy watching QPR, but I can’t say the same about City,” said Marsh.
“Rangers play a lovely open, attacking style of football; it’s a treat to see them at the moment.
“And I can’t duck the issue. I don’t like how City are playing. They are playing in a negative way. They set up their team not to concede goals and not to get beaten.
“It’s not what I want. It’s not how I’d like to see them play. But it is winning football. It is going to be successful, and I admire Roberto Mancini for that because I want Manchester City to win the Premier League.
“I’ve been to the last two home matches against Chelsea and Newcastle. I didn’t enjoy the football, but I thought Man City’s organisational performance against Chelsea, from a structural and tactical point of view, was perfect.
“They played the perfect game. I didn’t enjoy it because I prefer free-flowing football like Arsenal and Barcelona.
“Arsenal take my breath away sometimes. City were staccato, the play stopping all the time. But they did the ugly things so well. And if you’re going to win the league you have to do the ugly things as well.
“You have to applaud the results that Mancini is getting. I don’t like it. I don’t enjoy it, and I can understand why someone like Carlos Tevez is frustrated by the style of play and moans to the manager.
“If it was me, I would be completely frustrated and upset. Strikers don’t want to live on scraps.
“Mancini won’t change, though. I don’t think City can win the league playing any other way. They don’t have the midfield players for it, someone like Cesc Fabregas or Frank Lampard, and they’ll definitely need that if they have ambitions to be a top Champions League side.
“Nevertheless, the way they are now, City will still be the strongest challengers to Chelsea this season.
“I would be thrilled if that’s the case, just as I will be delighted if QPR win promotion to the Premier League.
“I had to smile when I saw that Rich List the other day. QPR were number two with an owner worth £17billion and City were top with £20billion. Boy, I wish I was still playing today.”
Which of his teams would he choose if that were the case?
“I had a love affair for four years with Manchester City fans when I was at the club, and I still have now when I come to watch them,” said Marsh. “But QPR are the team closest to my heart. They took me from the wilderness, and we won the League Cup and I won an England cap as a Third Division player, which is unheard of. It made my life; it was a fairytale really.”
Marsh is fondly remembered at both clubs, and by older supporters at many other teams, as a footballer who played with panache and irreverence.
He, along with his old pal George Best, was one of the entertainers who wanted to make people smile when they came to a ground on a Saturday afternoon.
It was an approach that took him into countless scrapes, many of which are recalled in his new book published this week.
He can talk forever about the fun of the game, but his eyes stop dancing when the question turns to the ferocious tackle by City midfielder Nigel De Jong last weekend that left Newcastle opponent Hatem Ben Arfa with a double leg break.
Now there is steel in the glare of Marsh. “It was a bad tackle, no question,” he said.
“A bad tackle. But I hate what happens afterwards and Newcastle start demanding extra punishment. I don’t like that.
“The game now doesn’t have any more tackles like that one than it did in the past. It’s just that they get highlighted more.
“What you have to remember is that football is a man’s game. You’ve got to take care of yourself; you’ve got to protect yourself. You have to to protect your team-mates. It will always be that way; it will never change.
“The minute players start pulling out of tackles, that’s when the game is going to die. You have to go in. We’ve all committed fouls; I’ve elbowed people in the face and I’ve had my fair share back.
“I don’t like the sterile approach and people who say, ‘Let’s cut out all the contact’. I hate that.”
Whether you agree with him or not, it’s clear that Rodney Marsh remains as outspoken as ever. But while he appreciates, if not enjoys, what an Italian manager is doing for Manchester City, it’s not the same with Fabio Capello’s leadership of England.
“Our national team should be managed by an Englishman,” said Marsh. “It has to be someone who understands our football.
“I wasn’t surprised when England were so dismal at the World Cup. In fact, I hoped they wouldn’t win the tournament.
“It doesn’t seem any better now. Look at the latest squad. He has picked Kevin Davies, who will be 34 next year. Are you mad? It’s just amazing.
“What it shows that we don’t have enough players, and I think it will only get worse. Have we got a great young English central defender coming through? Have we?
“It is crisis time for English football. In five years our national team is going to implode because there will be no English players coming through. It will implode.
“People also ask me who should be the English manager instead of Capello, and the truth is I don’t have a clue. I honestly think there isn’t anyone good enough.
“I look around. Sam Allardyce? Not for me. Even Harry Redknapp? Not for me. And I love Harry. It is an indictment of the game in this country.
“We will have nowhere to go. We are going to be leaderless, rudderless, and without players. I know it’s doom and gloom, but that’s how I see it.”
* Rodney Marsh, I Was Born A Loose Cannon (Optimum £19.99).Says football legend
Manchester City's Nigel de Jong has not apologised to Newcastle's Hatem ben Arfa for breaking his leg as had been reported, says the Frenchman's agent.Daily Star http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/vie ... Arfa-snub/ (Says the agent who previously would not allow Nige to make a visit to the hospital to .... apologise)
Dutch club Feyenoord have complained to Fifa about Cardiff signing Craig Bellamy on loan from Manchester City, saying they are still owed money from a sell-on clause in the contract of Glen Loovens, who they sold to Cardiff two years ago. Mail on Sunday http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport/foo ... laint.html
ZZzzzzzzz ... Manchester City Striker Carlos Tevez Reveals He Hates Being A Footballer
ZZZzzzzzz . . . Argentine forward is considering quitting football for good
Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez has revealed that he is considering hanging up his boots.
The Argentina international was involved in a serious bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini in the recent 2-1 victory over Newcastle United, and it has been reported that at one point both men had to be pulled apart as the feud boiled over into the City dressing room.
Even as early as the summer, the striker had admitted that he was lacking motivation for the new season. But his performances so far have been strong, having played in all seven of City’s Premier League games.
However, now the 26-year-old feels that Mancini is being over-reliant on him, insisting that he does not know how much more his body can withstand.
This appears to have prompted the former Manchester United man to entertain thoughts about quitting the game for good.
"I have been playing many games this season, and my body is feeling it. I am tired.” Tevez told The News of the World.
"I started to play when I was really young and I have always fought so much but now I'm feeling the effort.
"I'm an old guy now, and I started to think about some stuff. For example, I am less tolerant as a person today than I was a few years ago.
"Then I think - what happens if I quit football as long as I am okay in my life?
"When I talk about quitting, I mean quitting football, not just the national team.
"But at the moment I still don't know if this is going to be in one month, one year, three or five years.
"I have the idea of quitting in my mind.
"Maybe one of these days, I will just wake up and say no more football."
The marksman wants to enjoy playing the game, but at the same time remains unhappy about the effect it has had on his life.
He added: "My family but also my body are starting to feel the effort.
"I have worked and fought so hard, and I would love to enjoy my football.
"I have been playing in England for five years, and I have not spent a single Christmas nor New Year with my family.
"Let me tell you I am not enjoying the life of a footballer."
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/wag ... -nordegren
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Manchester United are lining up 24-year-old German international Manuel Neuer as a replacement for keeper Edwin van der Sar.
Mail on Sunday
Newcastle could swoop for Tottenham winger Niko Kranjcar next summer, although they may face competition from Everton who are also keen on the Croatian. News of the World
Stoke want to sign Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, currently on loan at Wolves, on a permanent basis in January.
Sunday People
OTHER BOLLOX
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has a £3m get-out clause in his contract should the club be taken over and its new owners decide to replace him. Sunday Mirror
Former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric says much as he loves the club it would be "financial suicide" to return to Fratton Park - "I'm not sure anyone appreciates the level of incompetence that has gone on," he said. Sunday Mirror
Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren has vowed never to manage England again, even though he has resurrected his reputation abroad and been tipped for a return to the role he occupied between 2006 and 2008. Mail on Sunday (Who is? where? First time I've even read the prospect, thank feck he's saying no .... if true)
Wales are likely to move their Euro 2012 qualifier against England from the Cardiff City Stadium to the Millennium Stadium to get a bigger crowd, despite their poor record there. Observer
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney says England will only become serious challengers on the world stage if the Premier League introduces a winter break as players get too tired. Sunday Express
West Ham striker Carlton Cole says he deserved to be dropped by England for the game against Macedonia as his club form this season has not been good enough. Sunday People
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish is glad England boss Fabio Capello has included Arsenal's 18-year-old midfielder Jack Wilshere in his squad for the Montenegro game and says that even if the national side play well, there should still be a place for Chelsea's Frank Lampard when fit. Mail on Sunday
Chelsea's Ashley Cole will equal Kenny Sansom's record as most capped England left-back if selected for Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley. Mail on Sunday
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has fuelled fan anger against his regime by describing protests against his presence at the club as "noise we are dealing with". News of the World
The shirt worn by Pele in his last game for Brazil in 1971 is to be sold by auction in Chester later this month (Sunday Express).
Paul Gascoigne could still be appointed manager of non-league Garforth Town after the club's owner resumed contractual negotiations with the former England midfielder. The Non-League Paper
New manager Gerard Houllier has introduced double training sessions at Aston Villa to get the players fit enough to play his new style (Sunday Express).
Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin says his recent poor performances for the Russian national team are because he is overweight (Sunday Express).
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