Premier League Planet

Saturdays Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:56:00 +0000

The day started with Liverpool's trip to Wolves with King Kenny looking for his first win since taking the reigns at Anfield and he finally got it with a 3-0 win with goals coming from Torres(2) and Raul Meireles, who scored with a volley that rooted Hennesey to the spot.

Arsenal entertained Wigan for the afternoon and Van Persie certainly did that by bagging himself a hat-trick and was unlucky not to make it four but then he decided to put the ball in row z after Walcott had been brought down in the box.

League leaders Manchester United continued sitting pretty at the top of the tree after sweeping aside what Alex Mcleish called a amatuer side, his very own Birmingham City. Berbatov getting the second hat-trick of the afternoon, with Giggs and Nani adding their names to the scoresheet.

Mark Hughes doing the double over Stoke with a 2-0 win at craven cottage with both strikes coming from Clint Dempsey, Spurs could only just manage a point at Newcastle with Lennon's injury-time goal cancelling out Coloccini's opener, Poor old David Moyes having to settle for yet another point for the second week in-a-row with Fellaini coming to his rescue to secure a 2-2 draw against West Ham, leaving the Hammers still in the bottom three. Sunderland have managed to shake off the Darren Bent hangover by winning 2-1 at Blackpool, with the black cats leading 2-0 through Kieran Richardson(2), 40m man Charlie Adam(Holloways valuation) pulling one back from the spot. Darren Bents couldn't have got life off to a better start in the midlands with a debut goal to give Villa a 1-0 win against Mancini's City, Villa must of had cling film over the goal because it was one of those days when the Itailian could only keep jumping up holding his head.....unlucky Roberto.

Nobody seems so Keane

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:08:00 +0000

Well the Robbie Keane fiasco continues again this morning with Sunderland head honcho Niall Quinn ruling out a move for his former international national team-mate. "What we're looking for to help Gyan and Danny Welbeck along is probably a physical presence" Quinn told Kildare TV.

Sunderland know that they won't get much return on the money they would spend on the Irishman, Keane has the physical presence but isn't exactly someone who you could count on, it has to tell you something about the guy when he's had more clubs then a fat bloke at snap time.

Crouchy, Carew thats the kind of physical presence which is required and if at the moment it had to be someone then the first call i would be making would be to White Hart Lane and asking Harry about Crouchy, his work rate is second to none and the amount of balls he wins in the air, well just speaks for itself.

The board at Sunderland have their work cut trying to please the fans because you couldn't exactly attract a big name to the North East because half of the world class players would be asking "Where's Sunderland?".

Todays Transfer News

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Darren Bent's transfer to Aston Villa seems to have caused abit of sour grapes at Sunderland with their chairman Niall Quinn claiming that the striker had been unsettled, but if that was the case then why didn't they refuse his transfer request? it seems to me that the offer was too good to refuse and thats the only excuse Mr Quinn could come up with to explain to their fans on why they had sold their star striker to a another top 6 team.

Liverpool owner John Henry met with Ajax striker Luis Suarez's agent in London on Tuesday with the deal looking just about done for the Uruguay international, it was about time Liverpool gave Torres a partner as the Spainard has spent much of his Anfield life on his own and it is starting to show in recent games with him becoming more and more frustrated with the service.

Fulham and Newcastle are fighting it out for Shaun Wright-Phillips his agent has confirmed, its a move the England international will have to make if he wants to keep in Mr Capello's thoughts, SWP forget about the money, move clubs and get back to were you belong....entertaining the fans.

Rafa to Blame???

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Rafa Benitez has come underfire once again from one of Liverpool's American owners, George Gillett couldn't keep his mouth shut for long even if it was supposed to be a private conversation between him and a member of the Spirit of Shankly supporters group.

Once again Gillett has choosen to jump on Benitez's back as soon as things aren't going right and in any work environment in the world if your boss doesn't like you then they will always be on your back no matter what you do.

Will Gillett come out and give Benitez his backing? Most probably, in which case it will only be done so that the Kop keeps off his back, after all the Yanks were chasing Kilnsmann in the summer which proves they have always been sounding out a replacement for Rafa.

Benitez has a spent net of £105.2m in the transfer market but so has most managers and with Aquilani still to make a start this season, there surely still a pretty decent chance of Liverpool quaifing for the Champions League, which would generate the cash the Americans need to pay their debts.

The Yanks need to get back in the board room and stop reading the book by Mike Ashley on how to run a football club.

The Blog is Back.

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:09:00 +0000

The Barclays Premiership blog is back and every day there will be a daily update on different headlines that are shaking the world of the best football league on the planet.

The blog will based on how i see the Barclays Premier League day-in-day-out and i hope you'll leave your comments on how you see the headline.

Please feel free to comment and most of all don't be shy.

The Silver Tongued Cavalier

ANNAN LOOKING FOR WIGAN SWITCH

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Rosenborg midfielder Anthony Annan has claimed that is on the verge of signing for Wigan in the summer.

The Ghanaian has revealed that a host of Premiership clubs are tracking him including Everton and Blackburn, but its Wigan that he will join at the end of the season.

"This is something fresh that has come up and I am quite confident it will end well," he told Ghana newspaper 90 Minutes.

"They have shown a keen interest so I hope finally my desire to play in England will come true next season.

"Wigan is not so big but to me it is all about starting well from one of these clubs where you can enjoy a lot of playing time to prepare you well when the top clubs come calling.

"There has been interest from some other clubs across Europe but I think I will go ahead with the Wigan offer because if it works out it will improve my game considerably. They have played well this season and have ambitious plans for the next season which I want to be part of."

JOHNSON ON COME BACK TRAIL

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:01:00 +0000

Manchester City's Michael Johnson makes his comeback for the reserves tonight(Tuesday) at Middlesbrough after nearly seven months out.

The midfielder has been in the treatment room since September suffering from a long-standing groin injury.

The 21-year-old has only made a handful of appearances for City this season and the news will be a timely boost for manager Mark Hughes.

He said: "He has got to the point now where he is comfortable with the pain he will work with.

"He's had a frustrating kind of injury that young players sometimes find difficult to cope with - they just want to play."

BLATTER PLEASED WITH MP INQUIRY

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:05:00 +0000

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has expressed his satisfaction at the All-Party Parliamentary Football Group for recommending that the Football Association and the respective Football Leagues adopt the FIFA proposed 6+5 rule.

The proposed 6+5 rule means that a team must only have five foreign player's in any starting eleven.

In Blatter's statement on FIFA's official website he states that they would like the rule to be implemented over several years so to ensure that clubs can adjust the composition of their teams.

The main argument for this ruling is for the clubs to invest in domestic talent and restore the competitiveness of competitions and to reach an harmonious development of football worldwide.

FIFA have obvoiusly watching the Premier League for some years now and all the millions that foreign investers are spending, maybe there wouldn't of been a problem if they had been spending the money on English players but with alot of money up for grabs in European competitions now, it would be hard not to bring in the world best player's with their high wages and when you bring them in, that's when you HAVE to qualify for Europe and if you don't the bubble bursts.

EVERTON TARGET JOAO MOUTINHO EXTENDS SPORTING DEAL

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:43:00 +0000

Sporting Lisbon have confirmed that Joao Moutinho has signed a new contract to stay at the club until 2014.

The news will come as a bitter blow for Everton's David Moyes and a host of Premiership clubs who were keeping constant tabs on his situation at the club.

The Portuguese club have officially confirmed the one year extension to the midfielder's current contract and the new deal also has a buy-out clause of 22.5 million euros.

BELLAMY TO MISS REST OF THE SEASON

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Mark Hughes has revealed that striker Craig Bellamy looks certain to miss the rest of the season.

The Welshman is still struggling with a knee injury that he picked up while he was on international duty last month and it was thought that he had recovered but unfortunately he suffered a re-occurrance of the injury in City's defeat to Hamburg in the UEFA cup.

Manager Hughes has vitually resigned himself to losing the striker for the rest of the campaign.

"Craig has got to have complete rest for two weeks then he comes back for strength work. Hopefully he might get the last couple of games, but the probability is that he won't." Hughes explains to the clubs official website.

City fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that Bellamy recovers before the end of the season because if there's one thing that's needed at the Eastlands, its European football and if they haven't got the lure of European football then they won't have the stars.

BALLACK: WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE LEAGUE TILL THE END

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Michael Ballack has revealed that Chelsea now has the focus to go on and win all their remaining Premiership games and push Manchester United and Liverpool all the way to the title.

The German feels that after victories against Liverpool and Arsenal in the Champions League and the FA Cup respectively, has proved that Chelsea are now back on track and ready to claim back the league title that Manchester United took from them last season.

Chelsea's win against Arsenal on Saturday in the FA Cup once again showed how they can dig deep and turn the game around after falling behind, but as the Chelsea midfielder tells the clubs official website, its about staying focused and maintaining the mental attitude that continues to win them matches.

'In the last two games we have come back from 1-0 and 2-0, we have shown great character and that is what we have to keep doing.

'We have to be really focused like we showed against Arsenal in the FA Cup and against Liverpool in the Champions League last week.

'We are focused on the league until the end, we know it will be difficult to go top, because in the last two games the other teams were a little bit lucky, but that's what you need to stay on top.'

Gus Hiddink's half-time team talk must of been something but was it the same for the Arsenal game?

'The Champions League game it was a little bit more difficult because we were 2-0 down and we weren't looking too good, but against Arsenal it was a draw, so at the break things were a bit more quiet,' explained Ballack

Didier Drogba is playing out of his skin at the moment with nine goals in twelve appearances and the German knows that he has the ability to keep producing the critical goals in the most important games.

'He is a player who can decide big games, he is a strong player mentally and physically and that is what he showed against Arsenal.'

Ballack explains why Arsenal was such a tough game.

'Everybody knows they [Arsenal] can play football, they can hold the ball and it is difficult to get the ball off them. You have to run a lot, you have to fight a lot and that's what we did. But they had the same problems because we played well.'

Next stop Everton but will they be seeing the fixture as a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final.

'They are doing well at the moment, for us on Wednesday is another big game, another difficult game, but we play at home and we will want to win it as usual.

If you see the last games we really played good football, we came back from difficult situations and now we can go further and maybe win more titles.'

HESKEY OFF THE MARK

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:38:00 +0000

Aston Villa's Emile Heskey bagged his first goal for Aston Villa on Saturday and couldn't of be more delighted.

The England forward finally broke his duck against West Ham in 1-1 draw and as Emile tells AVTV, it was nice to get his first goal in front of the home fans at Villa Park.

"It was very nice to get the first goal at Villa Park and hopefully I'll get many more.

"It was just nice getting the goal and going 1-0 up. In recent weeks we've been going behind and having to come back, but it was nice to go ahead."

"I just anticipated him (Noble) playing it back to the goalkeeper so I got there and it was disappointing that it hit the inside of the post.

"The lads have taken to me really well so hopefully we can carry on in that same vein. It's been really good."

SHUT IT!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:45:00 +0000

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez have been warned to end their war of words right now.

The ultimatum has come from League Managers Association chief Richard Bevan who stepped in yesterday to try and defuse the situation.

Fergie's battle with Benitez has been on going all season and has the title race hots up then so does their feud. Fergie's latest rant came on Friday when he called his Liverpool counterpart rude and arrogant for calling Everton a small club and for a gesture he made during Liverpool's win against Blackburn a few weeks ago.

Yesterday Fergie continued his rant by saying: “I made my point about it. I don’t understand why he did it.

“I don’t want to go on about it any more. I made my point. There is no point carrying it on. It’s plain for everybody to see now. I have made my issue about it.”

Fergie seems to watching Benitez's movements very carefully looking for any opportunity to have a swipe at him.

United's chief is still smarting from January when Rafa Benitez pulled out a piece of paper during a press conference and starting tearing strips out of Sir Alex's previous rants for him to only reply that Rafa was 'disturbed'.

If the war-of-words continues then i think the only way that it will ever be resolved would be to for Nanny Bevan to put Fergie on the naughty step and Benitez in the corner, both need to take a leaf out of Chelsea's Gus Hiddink book and just get on with it.

TAYLOR TO HAVE SCAN

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Newcastle United's Steven Taylor is scheduled to have a scan on his ankle today.

The 23-year-old first picked up the injury against Arsenal last month and had only just returned to the side when he suffered a re-occurrence of the problem during the game against Spurs on Sunday.

The defender only managed 45 minutes before being replaced by Alan Smith at half-time.

And boss Alan Shearer told nufc.co.uk this week: "We felt Steven was ready to start and he'd had a good couple of days' training.

"But he's felt it again and we had to take him off at half-time.

"He'll have a scan on Tuesday so we'll know more then."

HIDDINK PRAISES DROGBA'S WORK RATE

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Gus Hiddink stood back and watched Didier Drogba destroy Arsenal's back-line on Saturday and knew that he had witnessed the full circle of a player this season.

Drogba had not been himself up until February of this year when his confidence was at an all-time low, he was a bit part player, goals were scarce and the team looked to be on the decline and their title dream slipping away, then Gus Hiddink replaced Phil Scholari, restored confidence and made them believe that they could achieve anything again, the goals returned and belief was back at Stamford Bridge.

Hiddink's arrival has brought a return of nine goals from twelve appearences from Drogba and as the Dutchman tells the clubs official website, its Drogba that he just can't stop talking about.

'If you have to play him it hurts. He is physically very strong, he is brave because he is going into duels not knowing what is happening.

'Just power is not enough, I like the clever players who can reads the game, where the danger comes. We are talking about Drogba but I don't want to make many exceptions, but [you can] use the work of Alex who I think is a little underestimated in the recent period here.

'He is of tremendous value to the team, and is doing a great job. But then I forget the rest of the team as well, and I am proud of those guys.' asked what he had done to turn his game around? Hiddink quickly dismissed it was anything to do with him.'First, it's him, because the player himself is producing what he is producing recently, not just in the goals, but also as a personal contribution towards the team. He is coming in every day and practicing very hard, and smiles also,' said the Dutchman.

'In the first week we had a good talk, good training sessions and some team talks. I explained what i expected from everyone and they reacted, and he reacted as well.

'We don't demand every game one goal, but when he is delivering he is so sharp to get it done. He is also saying "Guys this is the moment we have to deliver", giving an example as well.'

ARSENAL DUO TO MISS ANFIELD TRIP

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Arsenal will be without Robin Van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor for their trip to Anfield on Tuesday night.

Van Persie is struggling with a groin problem that he picked up in Saturdays FA Cup game against Chelsea and Adebayor is just being rested as a precaution after complaining of a tight hamstring.

Bacary Sagna is back in the squad after suffering from sickness but the Gunner's manager Arsene Wenger revealed in Monday afternoon's press conference that he was unsure if the right back would start or not.

“From Saturday we have lost Robin van Persie, who has a little groin problem,” said Wenger.

“Emmanuel Adebayor is rested. He has a little hamstring alert and we don’t want to take a gamble on him.

“Bacary Sagna is back in the squad we’ll decide if he can play tomorrow.”

MANCHESTER UNITED SCRAP 'ONE YEAR' SEASON TICKET

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Manchester United have announced that they are to scrap the 'one year' season ticket scheme at the end of the 2008/09 season.

United took the decision following a ruling by the Office of Fair Trading into there sale and the fact that the Manchester club could not guarantee the ticket holder's entry into cup matches.

The tickets were launched in 2006 and have never been accepted by the Manchester United supporter's because of the cup ticket allocation saga.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust which have always contested the way the cup tickets were allocated, never had the intention of forcing United's hand by totally abolishing the scheme but were just trying undermine the controversial cup scheme.

''This is a significant victory for supporters and we welcome the changes secured to season ticket terms and conditions and the commitment to ongoing monitoring to ensure they are operated fairly in future,'' said MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo.

United have reacted calmly to the OFT's announcement on Tuesday and are looking at amending their working practices to ensure the true clarity of their season ticket sales in the future.

''We are very pleased that a season ticket will continue to include cup matches,'' said United chief operating officer Michael Bollingbroke.

''That is central to our strategy and we have made the necessary changes for next season to avoid the situation where holders of 'One Year' season tickets were not guaranteed tickets for some cup games.

''While the number potentially affected was small, we accept that all season tickets should come with that guarantee in future.

''Most of the other changes to terms and conditions reflect existing practice, but their inclusion in the terms provides fans with greater reassurance and transparency.

''This is good news for the club and for season ticket holders.''

MP'S WARN OVER HEFTY DEBT'S

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

A group of MP's have held an enquiry in to the way that the Barclay's Premier League is run and they want a change in the rules to prevent new owners from saddling clubs with huge debts.

The all-party Parliamentary Football Group which has no direct say in how the league is run, would if implemented, prevent takeover's similar to the Glazier family that took control of Manchester United from Manchester United PLC(David Gill CEO right).

The MP's also would stop owners issuing loans to clubs such as Chelsea's Roman Obramovich to be treated as debt.

The group also back Sepp Blatter's 6+5 rule which states that each team can only field a maximum of five foreigners in any starting eleven.

Group chairman Alan Keen MP said: "We are saying that before someone can take over a club they have to pass a test, and should be financing the takeover on money they put in and not on debt.

"We are worried about incidents where people have taken over clubs such as Manchester United where the Glazers, who have never in the past shown any interest in football, and used the club's assets to secure loans for the takeover.

"If people come into a club simply to make money, or just gives the club a loan, we are worried that at some point they will take it out and threaten the existence of that club.

"A lot of money goes from the Premier League down into the grass-roots and if someone comes in purely to make money they might decide they do not want to give any more money to the Football Foundation.

"Clubs are not mere companies and Manchester United is different from British Home Stores. Supporters feel they own the club. They deserve more than clubs just being cash cows.

"The financial world has learnt a serious lesson in the last year that living by the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' can lead to catastrophic results. There is a real danger that English football could go the same way.''

The group says that it would welcome the Maximum of five foreign players rule to enable the development of domestic talent.

"If we wish for the fortunes of our national team to improve, we must ensure that young domestic talent is given the opportunity to get experience at the top level,'' says the report.

"We recommend that a measure is brought in to ensure that a minimum number of domestic players are to be included in a club's starting line-up.''

The MP's say that they would also welcome more independant members on the FA Board, the Premier League board and the Football Regulatory Authority.

I FEEL MORE SORRY FOR SOUTHGATE THAN SHEARER

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:03:00 +0000

What does Mike Ashley really think he was going to achieve by appointing Alan Shearer as manager?

I don't mean to sound negative about it but come on he's not really a Harry Redknapp is he?

The only thing i think Alan Shearer will bring to Newcastle at this moment in time is probably more shirt sales.

I have the most utter respect for Shearer and ever thing that he has achieved in his career but to think you can just walk in and turn things around at a club that's run more like a circus than a football club then your living with your head in the clouds.

Somehow Mike Ashley has diverted the attention from him making a mockery of the Toon to Alan Shearer saving them from relegation and if he doesn't save them then the storm will be hell of alot worse for Ashley.

Ashley needs to cast his eye over to the Riverside and take a look at Middlesbrough, They have been up against it for the last couple of seasons now and what do they do? get on with it. Gareth Southgate has got to play Arsenal and then Manchester United and then of course Newcastle and the way things are going he could well pick up something at St. James park and drop the Toon even further in the mere.

Alan Shearer i hope you save them, and i hope i end up with egg on my face but as you look at it from afar it just doesn't look good at all.

LAMPARD: WE MUST MAINTAIN THIS SPRIT

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:56:00 +0000

Frank Lampard must be struggling to remember which competition he is playing in every time he walks through that changing room door.

Chelsea are still in the mix for the Premiership, Champions League and FA Cup, slowly even i'm starting to get abit lost with Chelsea's fixture list so god knows what going through Franks head.

Gus Hiddink has raised spirit's at Stamford Bridge and that's what Lampard wants to maintain after their 2-1 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final last Saturday.

Next stop for Chelski is Everton on Wednesday and with spirit's high they now know that they have the momentum to maybe finish with 3 trophies filling their cabinet, it was a different story before Hiddink took over the reign's from 'Big Phil' and The Dutchman seems to have got back the control of the dressing room that Scholari had lost and restored the confidence back in to striker Didier Drogba, who has been on fire ever since returning to the starting eleven.

As Frank Lampard pauses for thought, he takes time out to talk to the clubs official website about the high spirit's, Drogba and the fixtures that will mould Chelsea's season.

'There is a long way to go before we get there [the FA Cup Final], there are a lot of games and a lot of fighting,' said Chelsea's vice-captain.

'Everton are a fantastic team, very physical and they have a fantastic manager. It will be very tough but we have got self belief and we are playing well in the league.

'We have to make sure that we don't get over confident, we must keep doing the good things that we are doing, we must keep playing together and playing with this spirit that we have. If we do that then we have a very good chance.'

'We can't afford to slip in the League, we must keep going, keep up the pressure and try to win all of our games.

'It is important we keep our form because we have some tough Champions League games and we have to be ready for when the Cup Final comes.

'What's important is that we keep our heads down and take each game as it comes. If we do that then we have a chance. Whether we can win three trophies is something that will be very difficult but we will always try.'

And with so many fixture's coming up its bound to start showing in the squad's physical fitness?

'It is tiring but we are professionals and we should be able to get through that,' reckons Lampard.

'Every player is enjoying the business end of the season, especially as we have got ourselves in a position where potentially we could be very successful this year.

'So it's tiring but as a professional you rest between games, you keep training well and then, when the games come, you hope you are going to get some glory at the end of it all.'

And your thought's on Drogba?

'For me Didier Drogba is an all-round player and a complete striker.

'In the form he is in there is no better striker out there, the way he shrugs people off and runs through. He is the best out there for me.'

The question on everyone's mind is will Gus Hiddink be at Chelsea next season?

'It makes no odds to us at all, we have complete concentration and what happens in the summer has nothing to do with us, that will be decided by the club.

'As players we just enjoy the moment and try to finish the season successfully.'

£100,000-A-WEEK FOR COLE

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:30:00 +0000

Joe Cole looks set to be offered a new four year deal worth £100,000-a-week at the end of the season.

Chelsea are looking to tie their England midfielder down with a new contract or they could see him walk away at the end of the 2009/10 season for nothing.

Cole's injury plagued Chelsea career looks set to be extended and that is mostly down to his form when he is actually fit, but Chelsea fans won't see him grace the turf at Stamford Bridge again until pre-season at least.

Whoever the new Chelsea manager is, he certainly thinks alot about Joe Cole and i know what you might be thinking? Yes i know they haven't announced who he is yet but through past experience these things are normally a done deal by February/March and the name plaque on the door by June.

DALGLISH TO RETURN

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 07:25:00 +0000

Kenny Dalglish looks set to return to Anfield claims the News of the World this morning.

The Kop legend is understand to have been asked by manager Rafa Benitez to take up a ambassadorial and advisory role at the club.

Dalglish will play a major role in the youth academy and with his knowledge and understanding of the game they hope that's the key to attracting the cream of the young talent.

A source close to Dalglish told me last night: "Kenny believes there have been a lot of positive changes behind the scenes at Anfield recently.

"And being Liverpool through and through, if the club thought he could be of any help whatsoever to Rafa and to Liverpool then, of course, the idea would be interesting to him."

Dalglish would welcome the chance to work back at the club he left in 1991 and continue the love affair they shared for a number of years.

'King Kenny' as the Kop call him has never severed ties with the club and still has a good relationship with Benitez and senior players like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

FERGIE'S £70M MASTERPLAN

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 05:42:00 +0000

MANCHESTER UNITED will target Brazilian superstar Kaka to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sir Alex Ferguson will put a spectacular £70million plan in place when - not if - the Portuguese winger demands a summer move to Real Madrid.

Despite the denials, there has been a growing suspicion within United that 24-year-old Ronaldo will force a move to the Bernabeu after setting his heart on the switch.

United would use the world record fee to try to lure Kaka, along with Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery as tney.

Kaka, who turns 27 this week, committed himself to the San Siro when Manchester City failed in their £100m bid for the striker.

Footballing reasons were behind his rejection of a world record deal but United are more in tune with his on-field ambitions.

Fergie, who has admired Kaka for years but previously thought him way out of his price range, also knows there is no better time to try to lure him to Old Trafford.

In what may turn out to be a sweet irony for the United boss, the potential influx of funds from Ronaldo's sale may not have come at a better time.

AC Milan are in need of massive rebuilding job and are expected to lose manager Carlo Ancelloti to Chelsea at the end of the season. They've failed to challenge for the Italian title again and didn't even qualify for this year's Champions League.

Kaka has regularly shown his frustration and expressed fears about the club's future unless they recruit more young talent. He even asked for Milan to bid for Liverpool Steven Gerrard this week, a player they have no chance of signing.

Fergie will have observed such signs of unrest and, in contrast to his city rivals, will be confident he can persuade Kaka to revive his career in England.

As well as Kaka, United are expected to bid for Ribery, while Wigan's Antonio Valencia is already seen as a 'done deal,' with on-loan Spurs striker Fraizer Campbell likely to head to the JJB as a makeweight in the transfer.

A move for Kaka would also spell the end of Carlos Tevez's fading hopes of a permanent United deal.

But it's the Ronaldo conundrum which is dominating the United boss's pre-season considerations, forcing him to formulate a transfer strategy on the assumption he may leave.

Fergie has maintained since Real first made their move he has no intention of allowing Ronaldo join the Spanish giants who he said 'he wouldn't sell a virus' earlier in the season but he's also mindful of the possibility the player can eventually force the issue.

But the talk of the Old Trafford dressing room is that Ronaldo has already made his mind up and will quit for Spain in the summer.

A source close to many of the United players said: "It's an open secret Ronaldo is off. He's made it clear he's done the year United asked him to do after Madrid's offer last summer and that he's off at the end of the season.

"The United players know it and probably Fergie accepts it. Now it's just a qquestion of sorting the deal out."

If Ronaldo asks to go, even the all-conquering United boss will be powerless. A back-up plan is essential to ensure the champions have suitable replacements and there's no way Fergie will let his young winger leave him in the lurch.

The Ronaldo issue has also become a growing source of resentment within United's dressing room, with many of his team-mates tiring of the constant speculation.

It has been felt for some months the winger has his heart set on a move and although he's continued to contribute massively to the incredible quintet effort - not least with the winner in Porto in midweek - it has never dampened suspicions he'll move on.

The Old Trafford faithful haven't been enamoured by his flirtation with La Liga and the first public signs of a growing unease were apparent last weekend when Ferguson demanded Ronaldo stop sulking when decisions go against him.

When the Portuguese star struck the winner in midweek, his subdued, almost angry celebration appeared to be aimed directly towards the dug-out

Last year's double Footballer of the Year appears to be on the verge of making the all-too familiar mistake of believing United need him more than he needs United. If so, he would appear to have a surprisingly limited knowledge of United's recent history.

Ferguson's reign is peppered with examples of proving no-one is irreplaceable, regardless of their iconic status.

Whether it's Eric Cantona, Paul Ince, David Beckham or Roy Keane, Ferguson has continued to rebuild his squad after their departure to the point where their absence is barely noticed 12 months later.

If his audacious pursuit of Kaka comes off, Ronaldo will become the latest in a long line of players who've discovered United don't waste time licking their wounds when star players move on.

As they continue their unprecedented attempt to sweep the board against Everton this afternoon, typically, somewhere in the depths of their manager's mind will be thoughts of next season and how to make a formidable squad even better.

With or without Ronaldo, there's always another trophy to win, another player to attract and another team to rebuild for Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Real Madrid recruitment circus is preparing to roll back into town, but there's only one ringmaster in Manchester.

GILLETT SEEKING $400 MILLION INVESTMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:49:00 +0000

American George Gillett is seeking a partner to invest $400 Million in to his sports empire which includes the Montreal Canadiens (NHL) and Liverpool FC (soccer).

The French speaking paper La Presse have cited that Gillett has been proposing several business executives about them investing $400 million and becoming a junior partner, but unfortunately there as been little interest.

Gillett is hoping to keep hold of his stake in the above teams but needs investment or he could well end up losing them.

"My family and I regard this possibility as the last resort. We are a lot more interested in some kind of (business) association than in the sale of the Montreal Canadiens or one of our other enterprises," Gillett told the newspaper on Friday.

The American's financial well being isn't really a well guarded secret but it seems that if its not the Montreal Canadiens he's touting about, its Liverpool FC, it seems Gillett has biten off more than he can chew so unless he finds someone else to come to the table, he could well end up with a bad case of heartburn.

BIG SAM DISAPPOINTED

noreply@blogger.com (Silver Tongued Cavalier) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Blackburn Rover's manager Sam Allardyce will be feeling bitterly disappointed this evening after watching his side lose 1-0 to Stoke this afternoon.

The match looked to be heading for an 0-0 draw when Liam Lawrence's shot managed to squirm past Paul Robinson to give Stoke the lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Blackburn now sit just above the relegation zone and Sam Allardyce would of been more than happy to take a point from this game.

"So that all-important clean sheet would have been very important to us today and the point would have been important.

"But the way the goal came about was really disappointing because we've dealt with everything that Stoke have thrown at us and this one wasn't a great ball, it wasn't a great cross but unfortunately it sneaks through and ends up with Lawrence. He showed a really good bit of skill and Paul Robinson was very unfortunate that he didn't quite save it.

"If we'd have got a draw I'd have been happy but we wouldn't have deserved any more than that.

"It is a disappointing day for us and one that we'll have to put behind us and make sure we get ready for Wigan next week."