Wednesday's B*l**x

[Chinners]

After a torrid start to his Manchester City career, Joleon Lescott has shown he is the man to lead England’s defence in the Euros
Buy Man City Memorabilia from Ebay Mark Hughes didn’t always get things right in his tenure as City manager, but one of his bolder predictions is coming to fruition at the perfect time for club and country.
The former Blues boss had sports journalists raising their eyebrows to Coco the Clown levels when he announced, at the unveiling of his £22m capture from Everton, that he had signed ‘arguably the best defender in the Premier League’.
It sounded like a feeble attempt to justify his remarkable outlay on the big Brummie, a price which had made Lescott the second most expensive defender in English history.
Hughes’ claim looked even more bizarre after Roberto Mancini took the reins.
Lescott’s career appeared to be heading away from Manchester, as erstwhile midfielder Vincent Kompany was transformed into a top-class defender alongside Kolo Toure.
Lescott, plagued by injury troubles, failed to make the cut for England’s 2010 World Cup squad and by the start of the following season had been reduced to the role of part-time left-back.
By the winter of 2010-11, he looked like he could be heading out of the club, with Mancini eyeing up Juventus stopper Giorgio Chiellini.
The City boss made reassuring noises that Lescott continued to have an important part to play in the future of the Blues, but no-one was convinced, least of all the player himself.
But Lescott is a strong character, a firm believer in his own abilities, and he was already challenging Toure for a place in the team when the Ivorian’s world fell apart as he tested positive for a banned substance in February 2011.
It was not the break Lescott would have liked, but he certainly took it.
He established a partnership with Kompany – who described him as ‘one of the cleverest’ centre-backs he had played with – which was to become the bulwark of City’s success in the 2011 FA Cup and 2012 Premier League triumphs.
Lescott added aerial power and a left foot to City’s defence and it became apparent that Mancini had hit on a strong and effective defensive pairing.
The two men played together in 25 of City’s 38 Premier League games last season and it would have been much higher but for Kompany’s suspensions and Lescott’s injury troubles towards the end of the season.
It was, perhaps, no coincidence that after Lescott limped out of a Europa League tie at Sporting Lisbon, the Blues crashed out of that competition, lost to Swansea and suffered damaging draws with Stoke and Sunderland which almost derailed their title bid.
Many people point to Carlos Tevez’s return as the catalyst for City’s turnaround in fortune, but it also coincided with Lescott’s recovery from injury.
He and Kompany are now the bedrock of a City defence which is the best in the country, and they are rightly viewed as having succeeded United’s Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic as the top central defensive pairing in the Premier League.
Now he can cement his place in the England side in the same way as he has for City – with hard work, self-belief and patience.
With Gary Cahill injured, John Terry’s hamstring looking fragile and Ferdinand snubbed, Lescott can be the rock of Roy Hodgson’s England defence as they go into Euro 2012.
Terry Butcher-style, he spilled blood for the cause against Belgium at Wembley on Saturday.
And he impressed his team-mate Kompany so much during the game that the City skipper tweeted afterwards: ‘Surely @JoleonLescott did enough to be No1 CB. 2 clean sheets with England on top of 35 clean sheets in the past two EPL seasons for city!’
Former City boss quite rightly Hughes will now have a rueful smile to himself, in answer to those who, at the time, slammed the signing as perhaps his most extravagant. MuEN

Name change for Balotelli
Uefa says Mario Balotelli will have both his family names on his Italy shirt at the European Championship.
The official player list for the tournament shows that the 21-year-old forward has registered "Barwuah Balotelli" as his shirt name. Balotelli was born in Sicily as Mario Barwuah to parents of Ghanaian descent. He took the name Balotelli from his foster parents in Brescia, who brought him up after he became ill as a toddler. He uses just the Balotelli name on his shirt when playing for Manchester City.

Arsenal stay quiet in RVP
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... erest.html

Silva still snubbng
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... erest.html


OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson lines up moves for Everton and England left-back Leighton Baines and ­Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric after signing Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa for an initial £12m. Daily Mirror

However, Italian club Napoli are also showing interesting in Baines, 27, who is valued at around £20m.Daily Mail

Sunderland are hoping Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert's interest in Norwich frontman Grant Holt will help allow striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, 25, to leave Villa Park for the Stadium of Light. Sunderland Echo

Alan Pardew has lined up another Senegalese striker, Copenhagen's 27-year-old Dame N'Doye, if Demba Ba quits Newcastle this summer. Daily Star

Brazil-born FC Twente star Douglas, 24, has indicated that Newcastle are on his trail - but claimed a "bigger" club are also after his services. Newcastle Chronicle

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wants to sign Wolves winger Michael Kightly, 26. Daily Mirror

QPR and Sunderland are keen on 26-year-old former Everton and Portsmouth midfielder Manuel Fernandes, who is now a free agent. Daily Mail

Midfielder Joe Cole, 30, will be heading back to Liverpool after his loan spell in France, according to Lille coach Rudi Garcia. Metro

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis admits 28-year-old Robin van Persie's contract saga could drag on all summer. the Sun

Team-mate Andre Santos has cast further doubt on Van Persie's future by suggesting the club captain's mind has been affected by the interest of other clubs. Daily Telegraph

Danny Murphy, 35, is set to sign a new deal at Fulham despite being on the Premier League's 'free transfer' list last week.Daily Star

Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, 22, says he does not expect to stay at Swansea next season following his loan spell and admits he is considering following Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool.Daily Mail

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has urged chairman Daniel Levy to hurry up and offer him a new contract if they rate him as a manager.the Guardian

Redknapp has become the latest figure to question Rio Ferdinand's absence from Euro 2012, claiming there is "obviously more to" Roy Hodgson's decision than the footballing reasons he has repeatedly cited. the Times

Hodgson's problems as England fly out to Poland for Euro 2012 have intensified after it emerged that Kick It Out, English football's leading anti-racism organisation, is considering putting together a robust response condemning his handling of the Ferdinand affair. the Guardian

Stoke boss Tony Pulis thinks striker Peter Crouch will return leaner and meaner next season following his omission from England's Euro 2012 squad. Stoke Sentinel

Norwich hope to name Chris Hughton as their new manager - and plan an official approach to Birmingham in the next 48 hours. Daily Mirror

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins has revealed the club are moving closer to naming their new manager amid suggestions he has spoken to Ian Holloway over the job.South Wales Evening Post

Michael Laudrup and Dennis Bergkamp have also emerged as contenders for the Swans vacancy. the Sun

QPR midfielder Joey Barton is attempting to put his latest brush with the law behind him with a golfing holiday to Portugal.Metro

More Bollox later ....

[littlebig]

Thanks Chinners