Wednesday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Weiss wants Manchester City reunion
On loan from the English club, the Rangers winger has his sights set on a Europa League showdown with Roberto Mancini's men.
Vladimir Weiss has proved popular at Rangers and is eager for a shot at his parent club in the Europa League. Pic: ©SNS Group
Vladimir Weiss has revealed his dream to take to the field with Manchester City this season – in a Europa League showdown against his parent club.
Weiss is enjoying a run of first team football on loan with Rangers this season and could feature as the Ibrox club enter the knockout stages of the European competition on Thursday night, as Sporting Lisbon travel to Glasgow for their last 32 tie.
Having found first team opportunities hard to come by in Manchester, Weiss finds himself playing in the same tournament as the Citizens and, with eight games lying between Rangers and a place in the final in Dublin, the Slovakian is dreaming of a date with destiny against his employers.
“I don't know if I would be able to play against Man City if Rangers faced them,” Weiss told the Scottish Sun. “But it would be very exciting if it happened.
“It would be one of the biggest games for me if I could play. It would be amazing. We'll need to wait and see what happens, there is a lot of football to be played before that.
“Sporting will be difficult first of all. But if we could reach the final against City - and I could play - it would be like a dream.”
There are no UEFA regulations preventing Weiss from facing Manchester City if any draw in the later stages of the Europa League paired the English club with Rangers.
There is already a precedent of players featuring – and scoring against – their parent clubs when on loan in European competition. Fernando Morientes famously scored twice against Real Madrid in the 2002/03 Champions League quarter finals, contributing to an away goals win for Monaco on their way to the final, while he was on loan from the Bernabeu.
Weiss is also already looking ahead to his future beyond this season, pondering his options for when he has to return to England at the end of the campaign.
The player spent the second half of last season on loan with Bolton Wanderers, having made just one start and four substitute appearances with a star-studded City side since coming through the youth ranks at the club.
Aged just 21, the 18-times capped international potentially still has a big future ahead of him with Roberto Mancini’s side. But, if a spell on the sidelines lies in wait next season, Weiss says he would rather be back at Rangers for a second season, if the opportunity arose.
“If I go on loan again it will only be to Rangers,” he said. “I'm really happy at this club and wouldn't want to go anywhere else for a season.
“It's not easy moving to a club on loan, it's hard to keep moving around all the time.
“If Man City want to keep me I will be more than happy, but this is the first time I've had regular first-team football. I am enjoying it so I don't want to go back to a team where I'm not getting that.
“Maybe there are some players who are happy to sit on the bench at a club like Man City but I'm not one of them. I want to be involved in every game and that's why I'm enjoying it so much at Rangers.
“I'll just need to wait and see what City decide. There were offers for me last summer but they didn't want to hear anything about a transfer.
“They said I could only leave on loan but maybe the manager will think differently at the end of the season.

Edin Dzeko needs to improve quickly, warns Manchester City boss
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has challenged Edin Dzeko to raise his game and start scoring.
The former Wolfsburg striker was out of luck last night during the 0-0 away draw with Aris Salonika in the Europa League.
Dzeko almost opened the scoring in the first leg of the last-32 tie in the 16th minute when he got on the end of a driven cross from Aleksandar Kolarov, but saw his close-range shot gathered by Michalis Sifakis at the second attempt.
And the Bosnian again came close in the 64th minute following a cross from Barry. Dzeko got in a towering header but Sifakis somehow managed to tip it over the top of the bar.
Mancini said: "I expect more for Dzeko - he needs to improve. He is a good player.
"I think he has the same difficulty as (Fernando) Torres at Chelsea because when you arrive in January you don't know your team-mates, it is not easy. He can change in every game. It is important that he improves very quickly. We should cross the ball more to him."
While Dzeko came close to breaking the deadlock, leading scorer Carlos Tevez was quiet in front of a partisan home crowd.
But Mancini was not concerned by his captain's performance and said: "We need other players to score as well. It was difficult for him to find space because of the way Aris play."
Mancini was quietly confident his side can complete the job next week, with the winners facing either Besiktas or Dinamo Kiev.
He said: "This result is better than 1-1. We have a chance because we are at home. It will be a different pitch.
"It wasn't a good pitch to play football. In the first half Aris got players behind the ball and it was very difficult for us. I think it will be a different game in Manchester. We played well, we played football and controlled the game. Aris stayed behind the ball. It was a fantastic atmosphere."
Mancini confirmed that a laser had been pointed in the direction of Dzeko - an incident that could see Aris in trouble with UEFA.
However the Italian tried to make light of the situation and added: "I saw something. It is typical (in Greece)."
The bonus for Mancini was a cameo appearance by Mario Balotelli after a six-week absence with a knee injury. The striker could now be in line to start on Sunday in the FA Cup replay against Notts County

SWP has City chance
Italian sees a use for out-of-favour winger
Roberto Mancini believes Shaun Wright-Phillips could have a crucial role to play for Manchester City after impressing off the bench at the weekend.
City are currently without injured winger Adam Johnson due to an ankle problem, giving forgotten man Wright-Phillips a chance to re-establish himself.
The former Chelsea man gave a lively display in City's 2-1 defeat to neighbours Manchester United on Saturday, much to Mancini's delight.
The Italian was pleased with Wright-Phillips' cameo and believes he has the character and skill to help fill Johnson's shoes.
"When Shaun played in the second half he played very well and was very important to us," explained Mancini.
"I said 20 days ago when we lost Adam Johnson that we could have a problem, because he could have changed this game.
"But we don't have him in this moment and it is maybe important that Shaun can play now."

Felipe Caicedo's miserable time at Manchester City could be at an end with Levante keen to convert their loan deal for the striker into a £1m permanent switch. Daily Mail

WAG OF THE DAY


OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's interest in bringing £20m-rated Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Goetze to Old Trafford has intensified. Daily Mirror

Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has suggested he could be keen on a £16m move to Manchester United next summer when current number one Edwin van der Sar retires. the Sun

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba could move to Turkish side Galatasaray in the summer after growing increasingly unsettled in west London. Metro

Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas would only move away from the Gunners to sign for boyhood club Barcelona, according to the midfielder's father. Chelsea had been linked with a £50m move for the player. Daily Mirror

French side Lille have admitted they may be open to approaches for playmaker Eden Hazard with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all thought to be interested. A bid of £21m could be enough to secure the 19-year-old. talkSPORT

Chelsea could tempt playmaker Adel Taarabt from Championship leaders QPR with a £9m move. Caughtoffside

Fulham striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, on loan from Stoke, has hinted he would like to stay at the club when his deal at Craven Cottage expires at the end of the season. Daily Mirror

Ipswich manager Paul Jewell is trying to seal a loan deal for Aston Villa defender Habib Beye. Daily Mail

Sheffield United hope to recruit Blackpool striker Marlon Harewood to their cause as they attempt to stave off relegation from the Championship. Daily Mail

Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano has decided he will leave the Spanish club. The Brazil international could now be back on Tottenham's radar. talkSPORT

AC Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso faces a lengthy Uefa ban after head-butting Tottenham assistant manager Joe Jordan at the end of his side's Champions League defeat by Spurs on Tuesday. Daily Telegraph

The Football Association is looking for a new venue for the 2012 Community Shield after Wembley was confirmed as the location for the 2012 Olympic men's football final. Daily Mail

New West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has warned the Baggies fans that the team will not survive in the Premier League if they attempt to emulate the attacking style of Barcelona. talkSPORT

Chelsea are at the centre of a Dutch FA investigation into their controversial move for 15-year-old Feyenoord prospect Nathan Ake. The inquiry centres on the Blues' £670,000 signing of the highly rated youngster and the role played by agent Dan Kramp of Forza Fides agency. The transfer has sparked anger in the Netherlands where strict FA rules outlaw children under 16 from having agents. Kramp is accused of taking Ake to Chelsea over Christmas to seal the deal. the Sun

Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole is set to miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his back. (the Sun)

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling will become the club's youngest player if he takes the field in the club's Europa League match against Sparta Prague. The winger, who turns 16 years and 79 days old on the day of the game, scored five goals in a 9-0 win for the Merseysiders' youth team over Southend earlier this week. Daily Mirror

The Grimsby Reaper's Bollox
Of the 30 managers leaving their hotseats this season, only one club can claim to be responsible for a pair. Chris Turner resigned as director of sport at Hartlepool United five days after a 2-2 draw with Swindon Town, while Charlton Athletic pulled the plug on Phil Parkinson's reign the day after a 4-2 home defeat to the Robins. Danny Wilson's team also beat Southampton in Dean Wilkins's final game as caretaker manager between the Alan Pardew and Nigel Adkins eras.
While League One's managers must start kissing their rabbit feet and covering themselves in lucky lavender when Swindon are in town, in the Bundesliga it is Hannover that troubled coaches must fear. "Hannover 96 have accounted for three managers this season alone," writes Mel Lynam in Berlin. "Cologne (Zvonimir Soldo after losing 2-1) , VfB Stuttgart (Jens Keller after losing 2-1) and Wolfsburg (Steve McClaren after losing 1-0)."
But in recent years few can match Grimsby Town's ability to hammer the final nail in managerial coffins, so much so that the excellent codalmighty.com have come up with a name for it – The Grimsby Reaper. Since 1997, Graeme Sharp (Oldham Athletic), Steve Bruce (Huddersfield Town), Gordon Strachan (Coventry City), George Burley (Ipswich Town), Trevor Francis (Crystal Palace), Jimmy Quinn (Shrewsbury Town), Terry Butcher (Brentford) and Colin Todd (Darlington) have all felt the reaper's icy, if slightly fishy, blade. The Grimsby Reaper can also claim a (more tenuous) hand in ending the reigns of Ronnie Whelan at Southend United, John Ward at Bristol City and Sven-Goran Eriksson at Notts County.
http://www.codalmighty.com/site/ca.php? ... d-managers

[Goaters 103]

Yes of course we would let our own player play against us Vladimir. Not.

[jono1978]

All todays news re hashed from ages ago how lazy of the tabloids.

[CitizenYank]

Every time we fall to the Scum, the press gets on us for about a month. So anything on the news wire for the next few weeks
will be garbage.

Only thing that is interesting is that our club denied we are going after Neymar.

[MaineRoadMemories]

Mancini was quietly confident his side can complete the job next week, with the winners facing either Besiktas or Dinamo Kiev.
He said: "This result is better than 1-1. We have a chance because we are at home. It will be a different pitch. "It wasn't a good pitch to play football.

I take issue with that comment. Scoring an away goal in a scoring draw is so much better than a 0-0. In fact a 2-1 defeat is about the same as a 0-0 as you only need to score 1 at home to go through.

For me two legged cup matches are all about the away goal and you should go all out to get one especially if the second leg is at home.

We also need to stop blaming the pitch. That's the third time in a few weeks.

[Ted Hughes]

Mancini was quietly confident his side can complete the job next week, with the winners facing either Besiktas or Dinamo Kiev.
He said: "This result is better than 1-1. We have a chance because we are at home. It will be a different pitch. "It wasn't a good pitch to play football.

I take issue with that comment. Scoring an away goal in a scoring draw is so much better than a 0-0. In fact a 2-1 defeat is about the same as a 0-0 as you only need to score 1 at home to go through.

For me two legged cup matches are all about the away goal and you should go all out to get one especially if the second leg is at home.

We also need to stop blaming the pitch. That's the third time in a few weeks.

Agreed. I think he just went mental for a moment re the 1-1. The pitch thing is getting on my nerves too. Newcastle played more effective football on Birmingham's pitch last night than we did.

[Dameerto]

Brum's pitch was well worth commenting on though - I mentioned in the match thread it looked like they'd used it for testing land mines on. (Still no excuse for a crappy performance however)

[Chinners]

LUNCHTIME BOLLOX

Roberto Mancini: Manchester City Are Interested In Good Players Like Palermo's Javier Pastore
Palermo's Javier Pastore attracts Manchester City attention...
Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini has opened the door to Palermo ace Javier Pastore, who has been rated as a potential €100 million talent.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claimed City had called him on the final day of the January transfer window for the 21-year-old Argentinian ace - a claim which Mancini seemed to deny.
But the Italian coach did admit he was following Pastore, who is valued by the Sicilians as being a €100m asset.
"Zamparini said he had a call from City for Pastore? It wasn't me on the phone otherwise I would have spoken Italian," Mancini told Il Corriere dello Sport.
"City are interested in good players, and Pastore is good, just like [Edinson] Cavani, and many others."
Earlier Mario Balotelli hinted he wanted to join Milan, but Mancini is unfazed.
"I am not worried about his will to return to Italy. For now he must think about doing well here," he said.

Silva loving "mediapunto" role at Eastlands
Manchester City midfielder David Silva has revealed in the latest issue of FourFourTwo magazine that he is loving life at Eastlands in his new position playing centrally behind the striker.
Silva, 25, signed for manager Roberto Mancini for a fee in the region of £30 million with City beating off competition from Real Madrid and Manchester United to sign the Spanish World Cup winner.
The tricky playmaker has impressed for City and has been a key figure in Mancin’s title tilt helping the Citizens to third in the Premier League. Silva admits he is loving life under Mancini and the style of football the club are cultivating.
“In the middle, you can play a little bit in all of the positions I have played. That is where I like to play, as a mediapunto – a creative midfielder. I feel that’s where I am at my best. You can work at a lot of things – your fitness, your technique on the ball – but things like the ability to see a pass, that is more instinctive.” Silva told FourFourTwo magazine.
“When you play a pass, you are not thinking about what you are doing; you are doing what comes naturally from the moment you start to play.”
“There is no reason why you cannot play beautiful football and be competitive. Football is not just power. It is a bit of everything. You need to combine all the different elements in order to do well.”

Manchester City Striker Mario Balotelli Continues To Drop Milan Hints
Balotelli continues to vote Milan as he eyes election opportunities in the future...
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has the scope trained on a Milan future, and insists he could work well with Antonio Cassano.
It's no secret that Balotelli has a desire to join Milan once his time with Manchester City is up, and he has responded to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's "no space for Balotelli" comments.
"Ibra said there is no place for me following Cassano's arrival? That's not what he said to me," Balotelli is quoted as saying on Tuttomercatoweb.com.
"Antonio is a friend of mine and Milan are much stronger with him in the team."
Milan were stunned by Tottenham in the Champions League on Tuesday as the San Siro rocked to a 1-0 defeat.
But the Italian striker still feels Milan can turn it around.
"Who will win the Champions League? Inter, no, wait, I think Milan. I want an Italian team to win."

SWP rues missed chances
City winger disappointed with European result
Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips admits he could have done more during his side's goalless draw at Aris Salonika.
Roberto Mancini's star-studded City side were held by the Greek outfit in a forgettable Europa League clash in Thessaloniki on Tuesday evening, during which Wright-Phillips made his first start since the beginning of January.
SWP VIDEO VIRDICT: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 45,00.html

Samba sensation dubbed 'left-footed Zidane' covets summer move
Santos playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso has revealed he will be playing for one of the Milan clubs next season, despite rumoured interest in him from Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.
The aforementioned Premier League trio have all been credited with an interest in the hugely talented 21-year-old, but it appears the player, who has been dubbed ‘the left-footed Zidane’, has his heart set on a move to Serie A.
Although no formal agreement has been reached for the mercurial attacking midfielder, Ganso has informed his agent to engineer a move to the San Siro at the end of the season. The player has missed the majority of the season with a problematic left-knee problem, but is already being talked up as his country’s next big thing.
The Brazilian international is quoted by Corriere dello Sport, saying: “Next year I will play in Milan.
“Leonardo often calls me because he wants me at Inter. Leo is a wonderful person. He was a great player and is doing great things as a coach,
"Inter are a great club and everyone wants to play for them. It has a fantastic squad.
"My agents have told me there is also interest from the Rossoneri. I'm also happy because Milan is a great club, but I do not want to talk about the market out of respect to Santos fans."

Web stardom befalls Ebbsfleet keeper Preston Edwards
Edwards has played for Millwall, Dover and Grays
Ebbsfleet goalkeeper Preston Edwards has become a web sensation after his sending off against Farnborough.
Footage of the 21-year-old's dismissal after only 10 seconds has attracted over 450,000 hits on video-hosting website YouTube.
Edwards saw red in the Blue Square Bet South match on 5 February, which his side went on to lose 3-0.
"I'd like to be known for better, different reasons, but it's happened," Edwards told BBC Radio Kent.
"I've got to take it on the chin. At least I've got something in history."
Edwards' sending off is not the quickest ever - Chippenham striker David Pratt was sent off against Bashley after just three seconds in 2008 - but is thought to be the fastest red card for a goalkeeper.
After seeing the red card I just lost my head
Ebbsfleet United goalkeeper Preston Edwards
"I heard there are thousands of hits on YouTube, it's all gone a bit mental. I heard on the first day it was 80,000 and it keeps going up and up and up.
"Ryan Blake got charged down from the kick-off, then there was a bad back-pass and I took the striker down.
"After seeing the red card I just lost my head."
As Fleet had no goalkeeper on the bench, midfielder Tom Phipp, 18, had to play in goal for the remaining 89 minutes.
"Tom did really well," added Edwards. "He took some great crosses, he had no chance with the goals, and he nearly got to the penalty.
"I look forward to seeing what he (manager Liam Daish) is going to do with the goalkeeper for the Basingstoke game now but I hope I get my position back."

[youtube]Vt61k9P1PEA[/youtube]

[mr_nool]

And we complain about our full backs ...

[s1ty m]

Mancini was quietly confident his side can complete the job next week, with the winners facing either Besiktas or Dinamo Kiev.
He said: "This result is better than 1-1. We have a chance because we are at home. It will be a different pitch. "It wasn't a good pitch to play football.

I take issue with that comment. Scoring an away goal in a scoring draw is so much better than a 0-0. In fact a 2-1 defeat is about the same as a 0-0 as you only need to score 1 at home to go through.

For me two legged cup matches are all about the away goal and you should go all out to get one especially if the second leg is at home.

We also need to stop blaming the pitch. That's the third time in a few weeks.

I totally agree.

[craigmcfc]

I thought the goalie took his red card well