Monday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini bemoans lack of squad depth after Fulham draw
Italian is frustrated that injuries have deprived him of central midfield options to supplement Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry, and hopes his side are more clinical in future
City dominated for well over an hour at Craven Cottage and found themselves two goals up thanks to a brace from Sergio Aguero, but goals from Bobby Zamora and Danny Murphy completed a stirring comeback for the home side.
The result put an end to City’s 100 per cent start to the Premier League season and also saw them lose ground on rivals Manchester United in the title race, after Sir Alex Ferguson’s men saw off Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
After the match, Mancini revealed he believes that injuries to several key midfielders have taken their toll.
"We are lacking at this moment because we lost two midfielders,” the City boss told reporters. “I don't have players at the moment. I can only change the full-backs.
"I have only two midfielders, because James [Milner] and [Nigel] De Jong have injuries."
While he was pleased with the way his side took control of Sunday’s match, Mancini considers the result to be a warning that City must be more clinical if they are to challenge for the title.
He added: "What team comes here against Fulham in London and has over 70% of ball possession?
"We had the same problem against Wigan at home. We had 15 chances in the first half and we scored only one goal.
"It doesn't always go well if you don't score, if you don't close the game."

[spoiler][/spoiler]

OTHER BOLLOX
Former Chelsea target Neymar will sign for Real Madrid on Monday and move to Spain after next year's Olympics, according to reports in Brazil. Daily Mirror

Barcelona are weighing up a £5m bid for Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill, who will be available on a free transfer next summer. caughtoffside

Paris St Germain will make a move for Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka after Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted the striker will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. caughtoffside

Nottingham Forest want to take QPR's Clint Hill on loan with the defender out of favour at Loftus Road since being sent off against Bolton on the opening day of the season. Daily Mirror

Liverpool are interested in Bologna's 20-year-old attacking midfielder Gaston Ramires, who would cost around £10m in January.
The Sun

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has the full backing of the club's players, despite the Gunners' worst start to the season for 58 years - but they want a defensive coach to help them through their current crisis. Daily Mirror

Harry Redknapp says his Tottenham Hotspur squad is good enough to reclaim a Champions League place this season. talkSport

On loan Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor says he has turned Spurs fans' hate into love after scoring twice in the 4-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday. Daily Star

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has donated his 2010 Ballon D'Or World Coach of the Year award to a charity auction in memory of former England boss Sir Bobby Robson. The Sun

Blackburn's owners are flying a hand-picked group of fans to their headquarters in India to ask them where they've been going wrong. Daily Mirror


More B*ll*x later ....

[Duckman]

who's the gall?

[Chinners]

who's the gall?

Helena Svedin, who just happens to be Figo's missus .... there's a 'nice video clip of her out there in cyberland but I ain't posting it on here so you'll have to find it yourself ...yum

[Chinners]

BREAKING BOLLOX
'Rocked' Man City to search worldwide for Gary Cook replacement
Manchester City chief Brian Marwood says the club were rocked by chief executive Garry Cook's departure - and will scan the globe for a replacement.
Cook resigned from City after claims he emailed defender Nedum Onuoha's cancer-suffering mother mocking her illness.
"It will take as long as it needs to get the right person," Marwood said.
"That search will be worldwide and we will have somebody that will take forward the great work that has been carried out over the last three years."
Cook, who was appointed in May 2008, said he quit the club after what he called an "error of judgement". When the email first came to light Cook said that his account had been hacked.
Despite that, chief football operations officer Marwood, said Cook still had a good relationship with the club.
"[Cook's departure] was a massive shame from a club point of view and a personal point of view," he told BBC Sport. "The whole club was rocked by what happened.
"I think everybody in football and close to the club are fully aware of what he has achieved and what the club has achieved in these three years. As the chairman said, he will always be welcome at this football club."

Executive director John MacBeath has taken the reins whilst City seek Cook's successor.
But in the interim period there has been no let-up in City's growth, as Marwood unveiled plans for a grand training complex next to the Etihad Stadium.
The club have submitted planning application after a six-week consultation period for the 80-acre site which will include 15 pitches, a 7,000 seat arena and accommodation for first team and academy players.
"This could be the most important investment the club has ever made under its new ownership," Marwood added.
"This is part of a 10-year strategy for long-term sustainable success. Phase one culminated in the club winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League last season. This signals the beginning of the next phase.
"We know that youth development has to be at the heart of this club. Investment in the transfer market has helped us reach a certain level, to stay it will take investment in player development, welfare and top-class facilities."

more to follow ....

[CityGer]

Feel a bit sorry for Cook, shame that he isn't presenting and won't be overseeing this

Executive director John MacBeath has taken the reins whilst City seek Cook's successor.
But in the interim period there has been no let-up in City's growth, as Marwood unveiled plans for a grand training complex next to the Etihad Stadium.
The club have submitted planning application after a six-week consultation period for the 80-acre site which will include 15 pitches, a 7,000 seat arena and accommodation for first team and academy players.
"This could be the most important investment the club has ever made under its new ownership," Marwood added.
"This is part of a 10-year strategy for long-term sustainable success. Phase one culminated in the club winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League last season. This signals the beginning of the next phase.
"We know that youth development has to be at the heart of this club. Investment in the transfer market has helped us reach a certain level, to stay it will take investment in player development, welfare and top-class facilities."

[DoomMerchant]

Feel a bit sorry for Cook, shame that he isn't presenting and won't be overseeing this

Executive director John MacBeath has taken the reins whilst City seek Cook's successor.
But in the interim period there has been no let-up in City's growth, as Marwood unveiled plans for a grand training complex next to the Etihad Stadium.
The club have submitted planning application after a six-week consultation period for the 80-acre site which will include 15 pitches, a 7,000 seat arena and accommodation for first team and academy players.
"This could be the most important investment the club has ever made under its new ownership," Marwood added.
"This is part of a 10-year strategy for long-term sustainable success. Phase one culminated in the club winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League last season. This signals the beginning of the next phase.
"We know that youth development has to be at the heart of this club. Investment in the transfer market has helped us reach a certain level, to stay it will take investment in player development, welfare and top-class facilities."

i agree. it's a valuable lesson for just telling the truth or saying nothing when you get caught doing something stupid or by accident.

i think an apology for what he did would have sufficed if he hadn't concocted the "my email was hacked" story. Shame.

also, i hate email btw. It's so 1990s.

cheers

[guv111]

The Independent, skilled in rotating its anti-City articles between its phalanx of Rag journalists, had this to say:

If Fulham's revival in this match was unexpected, Roberto Mancini's explanation for it beggared belief. "We are short of players," said the manager of a club which has spent £300m on them in the last three years.

What beggars belief is that anyone who doesn't support Man U would actually choose to pay for that newspaper these days, since however decent the main body of the paper might be, its football section resembles nothing less than a mouthpiece for Whisky Nose and all things Rag.

[Chinners]

tbf it does beggar belief that he said we are short of players. Now you know and I know he means short of central/defensive midfield players because of injuries .... Mancini will learn he needs to spell it out when talking to the press, otherwise they will just quote what he says, which in this instance looks a stupid thing to say without explaining it more.

[craigmcfc]

who's the gall?

Helena Svedin, who just happens to be Figo's missus .... there's a 'nice video clip of her out there in cyberland but I ain't posting it on here so you'll have to find it yourself ...yum

She's a bit hairy in that video?

[Mase]

who's the gall?

Helena Svedin, who just happens to be Figo's missus .... there's a 'nice video clip of her out there in cyberland but I ain't posting it on here so you'll have to find it yourself ...yum

She's a bit hairy in that video?

I knew you'd have seen it mate :P

[craigmcfc]

who's the gall?

Helena Svedin, who just happens to be Figo's missus .... there's a 'nice video clip of her out there in cyberland but I ain't posting it on here so you'll have to find it yourself ...yum

She's a bit hairy in that video?

I knew you'd have seen it mate :P

He issued a challenge so I thought it only fair to accept.

[guv111]

tbf it does beggar belief that he said we are short of players. Now you know and I know he means short of central/defensive midfield players because of injuries .... Mancini will learn he needs to spell it out when talking to the press, otherwise they will just quote what he says, which in this instance looks a stupid thing to say without explaining it more.

But surely all we have are defensive midfielders? We play at least three every match, apparently!

I don't really have a problem with Mancini being taken to task by the red tops, it's what sells those crappy celeb-obsessed pieces of garbage, but when you have the above as the opening to a supposedly balanced (ha!) match report in a supposed broadsheet, well you know it's being written with a certain Greater Manchester readership in mind. They will bend over backwards to explain how, despite all evidence to the contrary, Wayne Rooney is the White Pele, and that no United story is too small to drool over.