Spurs to bid for £6m Zokora replacement: Would be a very good signing
May 6, 2008
Didier Zokora is not the greatest player in the world and in fact he can be on his day one of the most frustrating players on the planet. There is now speculation linking a player with similar attributes who would surely do a better job than the Ivorian!
Tottenham have joined the race for £6m rated Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng. Also chasing the 32 year old are Celtic and Sunderland.
Boateng was due to move to White Hart Lane in January but the deal fell through when Didier Zokora refused a move the other way. Boateng admitted last week he will be leaving Boro. (The People)
I am a big fan of George Boateng. He plays with a smile on his face always gives his all and knows exactly what his role is in the team. I have very rarely see him put a foot wrong and for all of these reasons he would be a marked improvement on Mr Zokora. Yes Boateng is no spring chicken but he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down right now so he is well worth signing. What do Tottenham fans think?
Roy Keane in mouth foaming rage at slacker players
May 5, 2008
It was always on the cards, what with Sunderland gaffer Roy Keane claiming that he would put out a strong side against Bolton because it would be unfair on the other teams if he didn’t…Fast forward 90 minutes and Sunderland got beaten 2-0 by Bolton - who still had the cloud of relegation hanging over them - but even though the Mackems had nothing to play for but pride Keano let rip with molten rage.
“Do people think that survival is a time to celebrate?
“If they do, then I don’t really want them at the football club.
“We got safe last week, but that was last week. Do we celebrate again next week? Do we celebrate all summer?”
And Keane claimed that he wouldn’t have any problem in shredding lazy players’ contracts:
“There will be plenty of changes, trust me. I could make at least seven or eight in the summer.
“We have got four or five players whose contracts are up, but I really haven’t got a problem with getting rid of people who have got three or four years left on their contracts, if players think they’ve got that to fall back on.”
Is Keane being a tad harsh on his men or is he right to dish out a verbal walloping?
West Brom and Stoke - any chance of staying in the Premier League?
May 5, 2008
They’ll be dancing in the streets of Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme after Stoke City bagged themselves the second automatic promotion spot on Sunday. The Potters have done magnificently this season, coming from behind on several occasions to land wins or draws against Championship opponents and it’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve their place in the Premier League next season.
Quite whether they’ll stay there for longer than a season is another matter. Many have commented that this season’s Championship has been bereft of quality, with West Brom winning the league with the lowest points total for over two decades. Not that the Baggies or Stoke care at this particular moment in time, with the BBC reporting Tony Pulis, the manager of the latter, in a bullish mood.
“I have to say a special ‘thank you’ to the chairman. Peter showed a lot of character to buy this club and spent a lot of money on it.
“This is a great day for this club and an opportunity for us to build and push on for next year.”
However, the fun starts next week when Pulis and Coates have to start planning for next season. With just eleven points on the board this season, Derby County have demonstrated how promotion to the top flight can go terribly wrong and while the Rams will be much richer for their season in the big time, it’s obvious that the promoted three will be desperate not to disgrace themselves in such a manner.
The new boys will take heart from Sunderland’s efforts this season, a team who were floundering in mid-table of the Championship when Roy Keane took over and have now completed a successful season of consolidation in the Premier League. Birmingham too have shown that the gulf between the teams at the bottom of the top flight and the top of the second division isn’t that great, while the Baggies and Potters will also be confident of finishing above at least one other team - the one who is promoted through the play-offs and has less time to prepare for the new campaign.
Fulham, Birmingham, Bolton and Reading - who are your picks to ‘go down with the Derby’
May 2, 2008
There’s an almighty scrap at the top of the Championship to determine who will be playing Premier League football next season, which teams will the likes of West Brom and Stoke City be replacing? The bookmakers still don’t give Fulham much of a chance, despite their heroic comeback at Manchester City last weekend. A victory against fellow-strugglers Birmingham on Saturday would mean that their top flight safety could potentially be in their own hands!
Surely Reading fans are a touch on the concerned side, considering their team’s inability to score, let alone win a game. OK, so they managed a creditable 0-0 draw at Wigan last weekend, although the decision to bring back Leroy Lita from his loan spell at Charlton smacked of desperation, while the Daily Mirror report tension in the camp ahead of Saturday’s game against Spurs. The Royals record signing won’t play for his ’stupid team’ anymore apparently.
“It is not clever at all to suspend your own players, it is stupid,” said the 24-year-old. “The sanction is heavy - two weeks!
“I cannot understand their attitude. I refused to play with the reserves and they said: ‘Okay let us meet on Thursday’.
“But in the meantime I received a letter saying I am axed.
“They are not courageous enough to tell me things in the eyes, man to man, in five minutes.
“I am an adult, I can recognise when I make mistakes. I can also admit to people when I am wrong. The team needs all their players for the last two games.
“For sure my future is not with Reading.”
Not exactly what you need when you’re teetering on the edge of the drop zone, although perhaps this will galvanise the rest of the Reading squad, who face a last-day trip to Derby after the weekend game against Spurs. Bolton are in action at home to Sunderland and will at least have the comfort of the Black Cats having nothing to play for after their 3-2 win over Middlesbrough last weekend.
Do you agree with PFA Team of the Season?
April 28, 2008
Especially the decision to not include a single Chelsea player in the line-up? After all, this is a team which could still quite feasibly win the Premier League title, while they are favourites to beat Liverpool and make it to the Champions League final.
Team: James (Portsmouth); Sagna (Arsenal), Ferdinand, Vidic (Man U), Clichy (Arsenal); Ronaldo (Man U), Gerrard (Liverpool), Fabregas (Arsenal), Young (Villa); Adebayor (Arsenal), Torres (Liverpool).
Are there any glaring omissions from the XI selected? Naturally, these things are always subjective, although it’s difficult to argue that any of the above haven’t stood out for their teams this season. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and John Terry might have had more of a look-in if they hadn’t been injured for chunks of the season, while the likes of Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry and Glen Johnson have all performed extremely well for their respective clubs.
Who would feature in your team of the season?
Arsenal and Liverpool both chase a £10m Premier League striker, but is he really THAT good?
April 20, 2008
This rumours falls under the confusion bracket for me. I rate Kenwyne Jones I think he has done a fantastic job at the Stadium of Light and his efforts in a Sunderland shirt should not only be measured by his goal-scoring exploits. However I really don’t see him as top four material although he has now been linked with three of the quartet.
Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones is attracting interest from Chelsea, Portsmouth, Manchester City and Arsenal (Sunday Express) Rafa Benitez is also said to be a fan and has apparently been linked with a move for the £10 rated former Southampton striker throughout the season (various)
The 23 year old forward is much loved in the north-east and Roy Keane will not let him go without a fight and seeing as the Black Cats helped him get a foot hold in the Premier League I would think it unfair for him to use the club as a stepping stone, especially as we are talking about Sunderland, one of the biggest clubs in the country. Jones would be better off staying at the club as I think that Keane will continue to push the club ever upwards. What do Sunderland fans think about the speculation?
Sunderland manager’s in love with his Newcastle counterpart!
April 18, 2008
“When you’re in love with a football manager, it blows your mind,” goes the Dr Hook song (or something like that, anyway). The Times reports that, ahead of Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby, Sunderland manager Roy Keane has been positively glowing in his praise for Kevin Keegan. The Magpies boss endured a torrid start to his second managerial stint at St James’ Park, but three wins and a draw in the past four matches have seen any relegation fears erased and we can all sit down and watch a nice chilled out derby match - errrr.
“I was absolutely delighted to see Kevin go there,” the Irishman said. “I think a lot of people are losing their love for the game. I watched a reserve game the other night and it was shocking - people were just going through the motions. “You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of Kevin’s enthusiasm. I love that. I bumped into Kevin once or twice when he lived in Manchester very briefly. Football can get very robotic, but that’s not what you see with Kevin because he brings something different. I respect him. He’s got a great enthusiasm and I think that’s a vital component in any manager.”
There’s no doubt that it’s great to have Keegan back in the Premier League, although it did at first appear that he might have been out of his depth upon returning as manager. Victory against Fulham three weeks ago has really turned things round for him and the club and it will be interesting to see how he strengthens the squad in the summer.
Manchester City to lose two stars in £22m sales, but why?
April 17, 2008
What is going on at Eastlands? For some reason the media has really dug into Sven and the Man City team even though they are still having a great season - and now two of their young talents appear to be edging nearer the exit door.
Manchester City will sell Stephen Ireland to Sunderland for about £8m in the summer (The Sun). Sven faces a tough fight to keep Michael Johnson from Liverpool as Rafa considers making a £14m bid for the teenager (various)
Both Ireland and Johnson have been pivotal to the success that City have had this season and if they left it would surely send the wrong signals in terms of what Sven is trying to achieve. I have no doubt that Eriksson and the fans will do all they can to convince these two to stay. Let’s hope it works!
Watch Manchester City live online
Who is your PFA player and young player of the year?
April 14, 2008
It’s likely that Cristiano Ronaldo will win both awards this season, but who else do you think deserves recognition for their outstanding performances? Surely David James is currently playing the best football of his career at Fratton Park and is a central reason why they stand on the verge of winning the FA Cup and a top six finish in the Premier League?
What about Fernando Torres? He’s been pretty pretty good throughout his first season in English football, ever since he turned Tal Ben Haim for Liverpool’s opener against Chelsea in August. The Guardian reveal the nominees for both awards:
Gordon Taylor, the PFA chief executive, yesterday paid tribute to each nominee in his association’s two categories. Of Ronaldo he said: “The debate about whether he’s as good as George Best will go on and on but for him to have broken George’s goalscoring record from a wide position is phenomenal.”
Taylor also had unstinting praise for Torres: “There have been many great Liverpool No9s down the years and he has carried on the tradition this season, responding brilliantly to what was a massive challenge. All of which speaks volumes about his strength of character as well as his ability.”
On the subject of James, Taylor said: “It is a tribute to David that goalkeepers are rarely nominated but he fully deserves to join the elite list because he continues to be a top-class keeper - the most consistent in the Premier League this season - and an excellent role model.”
Player of the year
Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd
Fernando Torres Liverpool
Steven Gerrard Liverpool
Emmanual Adebayor Arsenal
Cesc Fábregas Arsenal
David James Portsmouth
Young player
Ronaldo
Torres
Adebayor
Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa
Ashley Young Aston Villa
Micah Richards Manchester City
Are there any glaring ommissions from the list? Micah Richards aside, there’s a distinct lack of defenders in the list. Richard Dunne has played out of his skin for Manchester City this season, while Nemanja Vidic has also been excellent for United. What do you think?
Will Manchester City really sack Sven?
April 13, 2008
They may have recorded an unlikely win at Sunderland, yet many of the Sunday newspapers are reporting that Sven-Goran Eriksson is in the firing line at Manchester City. The Times reports that the Swede’s days could be numbered after the team’s poor results in the past few months, which has led to them sliding down the league table.
Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai billionaire who owns City, is unhappy that his club have tumbled from third to eighth, with qualification for Europe now an improbable hope. Thailand’s former prime minister made a place in next season’s Uefa Cup the minimum requirement after a promising start under Eriksson.
It seemed like a match made in heaven back in August, when the new-look City team won their opening game at West Ham before beating Manchester United in the derby. Indeed, it seemed probable that they would easily bag a UEFA Cup place as we entered the final month of the year, but the habit of recording home wins seems to have deserted the club who have been without a decent striker for much of the season.
Will City fans be glad to see him go or is this precisely the lack of continuity which has seen the club’s fortunes fluctuate wildly in the past couple of decades?
Watch Manchester City live online
Sunderland manager plans training with All Blacks
April 8, 2008
If you see the likes of Kenwyne Jones and Craig Gordon lining up to do the haka before next season’s derby with Newcastle United, there will be an explanation for it. The Australian Daily Telegraph reports that Sunderland manager Roy Keane is going to be hooking up with the New Zealand rugby union team over the summer in an attempt to learn some motivational techniques to bestow upon his players back home. What’s the betting that the All Blacks don’t also learn a thing or two from the Irish firebrand?
“I have the green light to have three or four days with them,” he said.
“I don’t know if I will be allowed into any team talks. I’ll keep my head down and just watch them, try to plug into what they are always about.”
Keane said he had always been fascinated by the All Blacks’ pre-match haka.
“If the haka didn’t inspire you before a game, what could?”
Keane has certainly mellowed out since his playing days at Manchester United, although he’s not averse to leaving players behind if they’ve been late for the coach, or dropping players from the squad if they’ve not shown a satisfactory attitude. It seems to have done the trick, with Sunderland pulling away from the drop zone after three consecutive wins in the league, will they now kick on and become the number one club in the north-east?
Watch Manchester United live online
Liverpool ‘flop’ gets closer to Anfield exit, thank god!
April 7, 2008
There is a danger that a player becomes the victim of his own reputation. There are many who will tell you that Harry Kewell isn’t all that bad, well maybe not many but a couple! There are a few who will say he didn’t get a fair crack of the whip, and there are even some optimistic fans out there who will tell you that Rafa should give the former Leeds man another contract in the summer. The fact is all the above are wrong, 95% of the Liverpool faithful have had more than they can stand of the one-time wing wizard and would probably celebrate the moment he emptied his Anfield locker, well that time is near at hand.
Harry Kewell has an admirer in Sunderland boss Roy Keane who is said to be keen on bringing the Aussie to the Stadium of Light in the summer. (various)
A part of me wishes he does well at Sunderland and he does have the talent, on occasion, to marvel the fans. The question is how long would not so mild-mannered manager Keano stand for his lack of tackling back, his constant injuries and bouts of poor form? I ask Sunderland fans, would you look forward to Harry standing on the wing, waiting patiently for the ball and then being subbed on the hour having barely dirtied his stripped shirt?
Newcastle to beat Sunderland and Aston Villa to £10m hot prospect
April 6, 2008
Things seem to be going better and better for Kevin Keegan on Tyneside, with three straight wins lifting Newcastle to safety and now they can push on and look to the summer with renewed optimism and Kevin has a number of top quality players in his sights as he aims to spend big to push the St James’ Park outfit in the right direction.
Northeast rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland are battling with Aston Villa for £10m rated Celtic winger Aiden McGeady. (News of the World)
Even given Roy Keane’s pulling power and Martin O’Neill’s Celtic connections I would still consider Keegan to be leading the pack chasing given the size and grandeur of a Newcastle side looking to move up the table to a position more befitting it’s fans and history. 22 year old McGeady is an exciting player who may see his future away from the SPL and it surprises me that more clubs aren’t beating at his door for a move across the border.
Why attack Spurs for no reason at all?
April 3, 2008
Can someone explain why the Sunderland boss, and one time Manchester United legend, Roy Keane has decide launch a fairly mindless swipe at Spurs? It’s not like it’s a pre-match verbal volley to spark up a fight of a contest!
Sunderland boss Roy Keane has told Tottenham striker Robbie Keane he must move to a Champions League club to prove he’s world class.
“Robbie is a very, very talented player, but world class players are those who have done it on the biggest stage, the Champions League is a higher level of football than international football and if these lads aren’t playing, then they’re not playing at the highest stage.
“It’s not an insult to these players, but the top players are in the Champions League every season, influencing games and we don’t have that.
“I would have thought (Keane could play in Champions League) but I don’t see Tottenham getting into that.” (various)
Whilst the points that Roy makes are in some ways partly valid, the question is why is he making them? I guess any manager could question the motivation for a number of players lining up for Sunderland are they just doing so in the pursuit of using the Black Cats as a stepping stone to a club with aspirations beyond a relegation fight?
I think it is churlish to state that you only become a world class player if you play for a Champions League club. I guess that means Kenwyne Jones shouldn’t really bother lining up at the Stadium of light, if he really wants to make it big he really should move to Liverpool?
Sunderland boss turns on Sir Alex
March 29, 2008
Sunderland gaffer Roy Keane has gone all Luke Skywalker on his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson by unleashing a molten rant on all the hypocrites in football - and if you read between the lines and pick through the charred wreckage of Keane’s diatribe there is a pointed reference to his former boss:
“You hear other managers, and I am talking big managers, talking about respecting referees, but the same managers have been sent off for foul and abusive language. Makes me sick some of them.”
One of the most startling things about Keane’s rant is that he says he has now turned over a new leaf since becoming a reformed person since becoming a manager. This whiter-than-white Keane claims that:
“If you rant and rave on the sideline it doesn’t reflect well on the team. It doesn’t mean to say I don’t appeal decisions but I’ve not sworn at or abused any officials since I got the job.
“Give it another 10 years and maybe that will change but that’s something I don’t want to do.”
It looks like the former glass chewing, imposing midfielder has eschewed the wild life and is on the straight and narrow!
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