Why Manchester City fans should give little credit to Yaya Toure's offers to leave
The future of Yaya Toure looks like it's going to be pushed towards the forefront of transfer rumours this week. The big midfielder has a contract until 2015 which will take him to the age of 32 and make the possibilities of securing a huge deal relatively low, so it looks like he's trying his hand now.
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague said this morning "According to a source close to the player, Yaya is willing to leave City this summer. He has offers, I am told, and, considering he is one of the best paid players in the world, that can only come from Anzhi orPSG.
"That is if we want to believe that he has offers. His strategy is pretty similar to the one that forced Guardiola to let the player go even though Yaya admitted later on that he never wanted to leave. Barcelona were asked, either a new contract or I am leaving. I wonder if a new contract will be demanded of City before the summer."
Yaya, or perhaps more specifically his agent, isn't scared of getting the begging bowl out and asking for more money, regardless of how high his salary is at the moment.
His agent often pushes up the possibility of a move prior to transfer windows, as if to almost threaten his current club, and it always has the possibility of working or backfiring - but usually absolutely nothing happens. It happened at Barcelona and his agent has already tried the trick with Manchester City which didn't amount to much.
Last May Dimitri Selcuk spoke to a Spanish radio station and AS picked it up and quoted him as saying "Madrid are interested in Yaya. There are other clubs interested, but Madrid wants, Mourinho likes Yaya Toure.
"I'll tell you more. I spoke with Mourinho when he was at Inter, and when we were negotiating, I said to Marco Branca, the technical director, if Yaya went to Inter it would be only because it was Jose Mourinho."
AS said at the time they'd spoken to someone at Real Madrid who insisted the club simply weren't interested. Dimitri Selcuk also said at the time that the option of returning to Barcelona remained an open one for Yaya Toure.
This just seems like the usual maneuvering from Yaya Toure and his agent.
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City's academy 'years' from providing first-team talent
Brian Marwood, Manchester City's football administrator, has admitted that the club is two or three years away from being able to provide an under-21s supply line to manager Roberto Mancini.
City are investing £200m to develop the new Etihad Campus in time for the 2014-15 season but Marwood said that bricks and mortar are no guarantee of the kind of quality displayed by Borussia Dortmund's home-grown young players, who overwhelmed Mancini's expensive squad two weeks ago.
City believe they are getting closer to the systems which have provided Germany, Spain and the Netherlands with a first-team production line but Marwood does not consider any of the current elite development squad to be ready for Mancini yet.
The 18-year-old Spaniard Denis Suarez has looked the nearest but he is "probably not" ready for first-team action "week-in, week-out," Marwood said. Suarez has only one League Cup start so far.
"If you look at the acquisitions we've made at the youth level, a lot of them have been around 15 or 16 and that's going to take some time," said Marwood, whose side need home-grown talent to limit their exposure to the transfer market as they seek compliance with Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regime. "We are trying to bridge [this gap] all the time. There probably is a gap. There is a way to go."
There is a deeply held conviction at City that a generation of top players, including Stephen Ireland and Michael Johnson, was lost because those players could not find the application to go with their talents. The City academy is built around attempts to create more rounded individuals who will not let their talents go to waste in the same way. City already put their 14-year-old boys through education at a local private school, St Bede's College, from where they emerge at the same educational level as any other aspiring 16-year-old. But Marwood admitted that the investment in arguably the world's finest football development facility was no guarantee of unearthing talent for Mancini.
"We all hope we are going to produce something that's quite unique and quite special but ultimately it's about the people who execute the strategy," he said. "We are all very excited about building this incredible campus but it's about the people, not the buildings." As yet, City are still buying first-team players, with Marwood citing Serbian defender Matija Nastasic, along with Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair, as the next generation. "They are slightly older but they are not 26, 27, 28," he said.
Marwood conceded that FFP "came as a bit of a shock to everybody" but said that the club could not expect Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan "to continue spending at the rate we have been for the last three or four years". He added that City, whose best under-21s have included Karim Rekik (from the Netherlands), John Guidetti (Sweden) and Jérémy Hélan (France), would not be sentimental about buying English players and would buy abroad if they had to.
The club believe that heavier investment in and far deeper appreciation of top youth coaches is critical. "I think one of the things we haven't done very well in this country is developing coaches," Marwood said. "We hand a seven-, eight-, nine-year-old to a rookie coach when in fact it's the most important coach he is ever going to work with. If you are sending your son or daughter to school and they couldn't find out the fundamentals of reading or writing from an early age then they're going to have a problem in their life. We need to look to get specialised coaches in the right area and they will stay there."
Man City midfielder Rodwell out of England U-21s through injury
A hamstring injury has ruled Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell out of England U-21s trip to Serbia on Tuesday in a Euro 2013 play-off, the Football Association has reported.
Rodwell was replaced at half-time of the first-leg between the England and Serbia youngsters because of the injury, with the game goalless at the break when Rodwell departed.
Stuart Pearce’s side eventually triumphed 1-0 thanks to a penalty, won by Tottenham Hotspur full-back Adam Smith and converted by West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson. Rodwell was replaced by Blackburn Rovers’ Jason Lowe.
The FA add that after Rodwell’s injury was confirmed it was felt it would be beneficial if he returned to his club for further treatment, rather than travel to Serbia with the rest of the squad.
ON THIS DAY BOLOX
Wednesday 15 October 2003
It had been a long time since the majority of City fans had last tasted football abroad so it was no surprise that almost half the 10,000 crowd at Lokeren’s tiny Daknamstadion were from Manchester. The tie was delicately balanced after a 1-1 draw at the City of Manchester Stadium and Lokeren clearly fancied their chances, safe in the knowledge that a victory or 0-0 draw would see them into the next round. As it was, the UEFA Cup Second Round, second leg tie was settled by an Nicolas Anelka penalty and the majority of the travelling army headed home in high spirits.
ON THIS DAY WEATHERWATCH
Great Storm of 1987: Michael Fish's 'white lie'
15 October 2012 Last updated at 06:10 Help The night of Monday 15 October marks 25 years since the UK's Great Storm of 1987, in which 18 people died as winds reached speeds of 115mph.
Former BBC weatherman Michael Fish gained notoriety for a forecast earlier that day which told people not to worry.
On the 25th anniversary he told current BBC weatherman Nick Miller his version of events and how he could never have imagined it would lead to him featuring in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics
VIDEO: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19923565
MANCHESTER TITLE RACE
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Really, Garth? BBC 'expert' Crooks tips Morrison for England... despite his 23 caps for Scotland
Garth Crooks has become the latest BBC football 'expert' to be guilty of an extraordinary gaffe.
The former Tottenham and Stoke forward suggested that West Brom's James Morrison might force his way into England manager Roy Hodgson's thoughts.
But Morrison, as anyone calling themselves a pundit should know, has actually been playing for Scotland for four years, earning himself 23 caps.
Crooks made the blunder in his Team of the Week column on the BBC website.
Morrison was born south of the border and indeed, played for England's youth teams, but made his debut for his adopted country in 2008 against the Czech Republic.
Crooks can console himself however with the fact that he is not the first to show such incompetence.
Alan Hansen was mocked by fans earlier this year after picking three teams from the same group among his tips for the Euro 2012 semi-finals.
Liverpool to extend Anfield to 60,000 capacity
Liverpool are set to reveal plans to extend the capacity of Anfield to 60,000 rather than build a new ground on Stanley Park.
The redevelopment would cost in the region of £150m and Liverpool would commit to building a hotel as part of the project.
If the process remains on schedule, work would begin in 2014.
Details will be confirmed on Monday morning when the city council announces new proposals for the area.
The redeveloped Anfield will be the centrepiece of the council's £175m regeneration project of L4. It will confirm it has given the go-ahead to a series of compulsory purchase order consultations on houses that would need to be demolished.
LFC stadium: Timeline of events
•2002: Plans announced to build a 55,000-seater stadium on Stanley Park
•2004: Planning permission approved for Stanley Park
•2005: Groundshare ideas with Everton rejected
•2006: Council give go-ahead to proceed with new stadium
•2006: European Regional Development Fund awards grant towards Stanley Park improvements
•2007: Redevelopment statement issued that new stadium work will begin in May
•2007: New Reds owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks order stadium redesign
•2007: Reds reveal plans for 60,000-seater stadium on Stanley Park
•2008: Liverpool confirm building of new stadium will be subject to a delay
•2009: Liverpool announce new stadium plans could start in April 2010
•2010: Groundshare ideas with Everton discussed
•2011: News that planning obstacles could affect redevelopment of Anfield
•2012: Liverpool announce plans to continue with new stadium at Stanley Park
•2012: Discussions over redeveloping Anfield announced
•2012: Liverpool City Council set to announce new plans for the area
Residents raised concerns earlier this year about the plans to expand Anfield, which currently has a capacity of 45,276, and it remains unclear how many houses would be affected by any compulsory purchase orders.
Neither the club nor the local authority have made any official comment and the exact cost of the redevelopment is unknown.
Liverpool have looked into adding an extra tier to the stadium, including more corporate facilities for the Anfield Road and main stands.
While the club have also explored options for a new stadium, Liverpool owner John Henry wants to remain at Anfield.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which also owns American baseball team Boston Red Sox, faced a similar situation with the Red Sox's ground, Fenway Park. After conducting a feasibility study lasting about a year, FSG opted to redevelop the 100-year-old ground.
Henry has previously sought to dispel the "myth" that the size of the stadium is critical to Liverpool's financial prospects, stating: "A belief has grown that Liverpool FC must have a new stadium to compete with [Manchester] United, Arsenal and others.
"While a new stadium or an expansion of Anfield is beneficial over the long term for the club, the financial impact of adding seats and amenities should be put into perspective.
"That's why I say that it is a myth that stadium issues are going to magically transform LFC's fortunes.
"Building new or refurbishing Anfield is going to lead to an increase from £40m of match-day revenue to perhaps £60-70m if you don't factor in debt service.
"Our future is based not on a stadium issue, but on building a strong football club that can compete with anyone in Europe. This will be principally driven financially by our commercial strengths globally."
Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, 31, is to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season after rejecting a contract extension. DC
Tottenham left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto, 28, has emerged as a shock January transfer target for Chelsea, with Ashley Cole looking for a route out of Stamford Bridge. Caughtoffside.com
Tottenham are scouting Feyenoord's 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Jordy Clasie, who is also being watched by Juventus and Roma. Daily Mirror
Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, 24, is flattered by interest from Manchester United and Chelsea but will not be joining either during the January transfer window. Metro
Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are plotting a sensational move for Manchester United's 30-year-old captain Nemanja Vidic. Daily Star
Genoa and Sweden defender Andreas Granqvist, 27, has revealed he would be keen on a transfer to Liverpool, after being linked with a January move to Anfield. Metro
Aston Villa deny striker Darren Bent, 28, is in dispute with manager Paul Lambert. Daily Express
Tomasz Kuszczak, 30, has accused Manchester United of pricing him out of the Premier League and the Europa League. Daily Mirror
England coach Roy Hodgson will drop six players from his first XI for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier in Poland. The Times
Former England striker Alan Shearer believes the national side have a good chance of winning Euro 2016. The Sun
Wigan number two Graeme Jones is the shock target to become Burnley's new manager. Daily Mirror
Drug cartels in South America and Europe are recruiting British ex-footballers to ply their trade in the UK. Sun
Former Scotland international Alan Hansen says England's new centre of excellence is too late to help the national team at the 2014 World Cup. The Telegraph
Former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, 33, has attacked the Blues' treatment of ageing stars. Daily Express
Chief executive Richard Scudamore says the Premier League is considering a winter break, but added that scrapping FA Cup replays could be the only way for it to be included in the season. The Telegraph
Vancouver Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller, 32, says the players have let down Scotland coach Craig Levein. The national side face a tough task to qualify for the 2014 World Cup after losing to Wales on Friday. Daily Record
Rangers chief executive Charles Green has apologised to Aston Villa for his derogatory remarks about the Premier League club. skysports.com
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