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Spurs sulking £10m star to leave, really? i think not

Jermaine Jenas has sulked recently, but I thought that this sulking had come to an end, back in the first team for the Blackburn match after missing the previous two games it seems that the England man had resolved his issues and was back in the Spurs fold. Now some tabloid has come up with a non-story to get the rumours stirring again.

Jermaine Jenas has apparently put his north London home on the market and told estate agents he is not looking to stay in the capital. (The People)

I’ve heard these types of rumours before, they usually lead to nothing. Really can’t see where he would go if not to another London team, not likely to go back to Newcastle or anyone else with hopes of a top six finish next season. Put this rumour in the ‘dubious’ pile I think.

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TWO MEN ENTER: Cantona VS Ronaldo - Who is the best Manchester United genius?

Two Men Enter is an opportunity to put two players together head-to-head, in an eyeball to eyeball battle for supremacy - and then it is over to you to pick the winner. Today’s pugilists? Manchester United Legend Eric Cantona and upstart skillster Christiano Ronaldo.

The Independent’s Ian Herbert today compares two of S’Alex Ferguson’s greatest loves, Eric Cantona and Christiano Ronaldo. Despite celebrating Cantona’s erect-collar and insouciant swagger, it turns out that Fergie has forgotten about his maverick French genius, and is currently intoxicated by the skillful fumes of Christiano Ronaldo. Introducing the latest in a long line of Christiano Ronaldo DVD’s The Lord Of The Ferg said:

“I’ve had some great players here over the years – Bryan Robson and Roy Keane, but in terms of sheer ability and imagination, Cristiano is, without doubt, looking the best now.”

…And with that declaration the teary moans of former United greats from Keane to Cantona - via Beckham and Robson - were heard throughout the land.
So is Ronaldo really better than Cantona - and isn’t Sir Alex jumping the gun a bit with this Ronaldo love-fest?

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 Caughtoffside.com - Sports blog offering Sports news & Sports articles

Two Men Enter: Everton’s Lescott VS Reading’s Shorey

Two Men Enter is an opportunity to put two players together head-to-head, in an eyeball to eyeball battle for supremacy - and then it is over to you to pick the winner. Today’s pugilists? England hopefuls Joleon Lescott and Nicky Shorey.

This one has been made even more contentious by the fact that Reading’s left back Nicky Shorey has had a pop at England manager Steve McClaren. Shorey said of his past experiences with the England side:

“I didn’t get a chance in Russia and I was gutted. The manager had called up two left-backs for those games against Estonia and Russia and when one gets injured, you would think the other is going to play. But for whatever reason the manager decided to go with someone else. It was only the day before the game that I had an idea I might not start. I had played against Brazil and Germany in my two previous games and thought I had done well for him. So to be left out was upsetting. But I’m not bitter about it.”

Shorey then turned his attention towards Joleon Lescott and claimed that he thinks the Everton player ‘did quite well’ - surely damning him with faint praise! Shorey continued:

“Lescott has played left-back for Everton in the past so it’s not a foreign position to him and I thought he did quite well. It was just a decision the manager had to make and the disappointment will drive me on.”

So who do you think is more fit for the England left back berth, Lescott is a supreme centreback and has been successfully shunted over to the left back slot at Everton, but is he better than born and bred left back Nicky Shorey?

Two Men Enter; Blackburn Rovers Special - Souness vs Hughes

A couple of seasons ago the plucky young manager on the tip of everyone’s tongue was David Moyes but now everyones attention has switched to Mark Hughes, who has successfully converted his playing pedigree to the managerial dugout.
Staying in Lancashire - another playing legend, Scottish firebrand Graeme Souness has been tipped to fill the void at Wigan, and the moans from press and fans alike have been audible all over this Scepter’d Isle. So according to accepted current thinking, Souness’ managerial skills are far far less than the mighty Mark Hughes; or so you would think?
The Times’ stat-meister Bill Edgar disagrees with the perception that Hughes has transformed Blackburn from the grotty shambles that Souness created. In the three seasons that Souness was in charge at Blackburn Rovers Edgar tells us that Blackburn finished sixth, tenth, and fifteenth, exactly mirroring Hughes’ record at Blackburn: sixth, tenth, and fifteenth. And the icing on Edgar’s statistical cake is the fact that Souness brought Blackburn up from the doldrums with instant promotion, and even won the League Cup in 2002. Hughes’ cup record? Three cup semis.
So is Souness really equal (or superior) to Mark Hughes?

Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves: Everton’s Moyes vs Liverpool’s Benitez

Usually Two Men Enter involves pitting people mano-a-mano in an overall assessment of their abilities, but this week we’re focusing on who will come out on top in the Merseyside Derby this weekend. A battle of tactical nous, blood, guts, and most likely a few sendings off.

Which of these two opposing forces do you prefer? David Moyes, the modest Scotsman with big aims, or Rafa Benitez - whose rotation policy has brought the Champions League to Liverpool.

Moyes, at the helm of what he proclaimed to be “The People’s Club”, has succeeded in transforming Everton from relegation battlers into European challengers, all on a very modest budget (Yakubu excepted), and with some very impressive results, most notably galvanizing his tight unit to get 4th place and a Champions League spot. After his league succcess however, Moyes’ men failed to push on in Europe. But another famous win over their Red rivals could give Everton the boost they need to push on this season.

Benitez, on the other hand, whilst succeeding in Europe has underperformed domestically, continually infuriating fans with his team’s below par Premier League performances. After the shock departure of Pako Ayesteran, can Liverpool , currently in a league slump of sorts, motivate themselves to beat a fired up Everton and provide the impetus to soar up the league.

Both men have shocking grooming habits but whereas Moyes can’t be blamed too much for his natural hair colour (flaming ginger), Rafa’s decision to sport very dodgy facial hair could be seen as a symptom of his side’s poor league form.

Everton and Liverpoo, these two famously old rivals will meet next weekend, but which manager will be the pride of Merseyside. Who do you choose, Benitez or Moyes?

Tottenham’s Calamity Paul or Arsenal’s Mad Jens - who would you choose?

Which of these two bumbling ‘keepers would you entrust with goalkeeping responsibilities at your club? Whilst Robinson adds to his horrendous error portfolio pretty much every time he plays, Lehmann stood out like a sore thumb at Arsenal, doing a very passable Richard “Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em” Wright impersonation.

Englands #1 gaffe king, Paul Robinson, has seen as many clean sheets as an inveterate bedwetter this season but, perhaps buoyed by McClaren’s “he’s our Schmeichel” rhubarb, Robbo thinks he can handle the Russians, especially with the help of some leggings.
Robinson told the Daily Mail:

“I am going to wear some kind of leggings or tracksuit bottoms to prevent burns and grazes. They will also help me slide across the top of the astroturf rather than dive and just stop still. The only thing is the way the ball bounces. As silly as it sounds, they may water the pitch but that will bring the ball on to you and it will be better for goalkeepers.”

On the other side, Jehns Lehmann has had an atrocious season, and is now playing second fiddle to Manuel Almunia - both of these goons could be dropped in goal and they’d still concede goals like it was going out of fashion. Whereas Robbo and Jens are both prone to regular mistakes, Jens has the market cornered in egotistical lunacy. Robinson may be confidently predicting a masterful performance between the sticks, whilst cavorting around the goal in leggings, but Lehmann actually thinks he is still Arsenal’s #1… So which of these two would you go for?

Two Men Enter: Walcott vs Bale, which would you choose?

It’s Two Men Enter time, and now we’re looking at two boys….Spurs’ Bale and Arsenal’s Walcott…Who do you choose?

It is the North London derby tomorrow, at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are itching to improve their tepid at best start to the League, whilst Arsenal are looking to continue onwards and upwards, whilst kicking Spurs in the teeth to boot.
There will be some interesting encounters, starting with the two managers. One has just declared his undying commitment to his club, the other is still hanging on, the divorce papers seemingly caught up in red tape after the powers that be sought a quickie divorce…

The match up that really intrigues us is the battle between Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott. The Daily Mail has told us that the two

“were starry-eyed 15-year-old room-mates at the Southampton Academy when they made their way nervously to Norwich for an Under-18 fixture one evening in January 2005.”

These one time bedroom buddies now play for two mortal enemies, Bale, who shook off an early season injury has looked promising in glimpses, most notably in the full blown gallop and goal against Fulham. Walcott will probably be on the bench tomorrow, but he has toiled with a talent-numbing shoulder injury, since Sven threw him in the England World Cup squad.

So who would you rather have. The Gareth ‘The Next Ryan Giggs’ Bale, or Theo ‘Sven’s Gamble’ Walcott…..

TWO MEN ENTER: BARRY vs LAMPARD.

Two Men Enter is a new CaughtOffside feature, where we’ll pit people against each other and ask you, the readers, to determine who comes out on top. Today we have the pressing question that has come out of England’s International Games. Mr Gareth Barry of Mr Frank Lampard?

Steve McClaren’s last two results have been his best. A good victory over Israel, a great victory over Russia and a heart pumping return for Michael Owen (Britney: THAT is how you do a comeback luv, get yer bum over to the north east and suck in the revitalizing Geordie air!).

Many people seem startled by this sudden upsurge in England’s results. Has McClown taken a page out of Sir Alf’s book and played a team rather than a putting out bunch of disinterested cash munching cows onto the Wembley turf? Their was a oh-so-sweet daisy chain of cute friendships blossoming all over Wembley on Wednesday. Mica Richards arm-in-arm with his old City bud SWP, Mickey Owen skipping in unison with Emile, the two Chelsea Cole’s down the left, and a friendship now given a chance on the football field: Gareth Barry & Stevie Gerrard. Now before the Aston Villa man, gets a Stevie “G” tattoo in a personal space, and puts up his “Gareth & Stevie” sticker on the top of his Ford Cortina windscreen - we have to establish one thing. GARETH BARRY OR FRANK LAMPARD. Stick with cool as a cucumber Gareth or go back to Frank, a favourite of the legendary “boo-boys”. So which is it? BARRY vs LAMPARD - WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?

Tottenham’s Martin Jol vs Everton’s David Moyes: Who Would You Rather Have?

Two Men Enter is a new CaughtOffside feature, where we’ll pit folks against each other and ask you, the readers, to determine who comes out on top. This time it’s two of the Premier League’s promising young gaffers going head to head.

CaughtOffside Needs Your Help!

Inspired by Steve McClown’s patriotic battle-cry of “GET IN THEIR FACES LADS!” we’ve got all aggressive. Its blahhrdy International Week though so aside from beating each other up in the COS office their isn’t much to get the aggression out, so instead a hypothetical between two up and coming Premier League managers seemed a better idea.

We originally had this as a fist fight, but it wouldn’t be fair unless we allowed groin shots which is pretty much all Moyes could use to bring down the ogre that is Martin Jol.

In the Blue corner we have David Moyes, manager of the “People’s Club” Everton FC since 2002, he has systematically culled countless dead weight players, whilst actually bringing in some bargains too, like Cahill and Arteta (we won’t mention the nightmare signings of Kroldrup and Beattie). At the same time Moyes has pushed Everton’s progress to the other side of the League table, his finest hour so far has been to secure a Champions League spot (only to crash out to eventual semi-finalists Villareal). Moyes’ record against Spurs hadn’t set the world alight until last year, and they now have back to back away victories at “The Lane”. Recently Moyes has started to even splash the cash, bringing in Andy Johnson and Yakubu for hefty fees. The poster boy for patience and faith in a “five year plan”

In the Lilywhite corner is Tottenham manager Martin Jol, the poster boy for lack of patience and faith in a “five year plan”. He has consistently threatened to shatter the glass ceiling and move into the Champions League places. Jol’s job security is tracing paper thin these days, thanks to an impromptu Spurs board field-trip to see Sevilla’s Juande Ramos, but would we even be having this debate if it wasn’t for some rancid lasagnas? What has been arguably most impressive about Jol’s reign is his constant impressive acquisitions - making for a very impressive, and young squad, he improved them further this summer. And lest we forget, Spurs had an atrocious start to last year’s Premier League, so all is not lost!

So if you had to pick one of the two to manage your club, who would it be and why?