| Jim Gannon leaves Motherwell Fir Park club's board says decision not related in "any way whatsoever" to recent results. telegraph.co.uk |
The Rumour Mill Transfer Window Hootenanny | Barry Glendenning Today's tell-all is feeling the benefits of a quiet night-in watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, then getting a depressingly early nightHello! Thank you! Magnificent! Happy new year! And a very big welcome to all our readers from around the world to the Rumour Mill January Transfer Window Hootenanny, which promises to be a wonderful star-studded musical celebration of the beginning of yet another mind-bendingly tedious 31-day orgy of baseless speculation that'll turn out to be flatter than that paper cup of cheap Prosecco you found sitting on your bedside table this morning. Then drank.Today's Rumours, the first of 2010, won't lie to you. Yet. We had an interesting journey to the show this morning, passing the time by trying to guess which of our fellow London Underground passengers were on their way home from a New Year's Eve spent roistering and which were going to work. The dishevelled looking young lady in the leather jacket, high heels and gold lamé miniskirt who bore a striking resemblance to The Joker because her incessant weeping was smudging her mascara and causing it to run down each cheek in thick black rivulets? Work. She was probably off to fit a kitchen somewhere in Hounslow and was depressed at having to work on a bank holiday. The similarly dressed young lady who'd thrown a consoling arm around a shoulder and kept saying: "Don't worry Jems, he's not worf it, innit?" Probably her assistant.The posh young man in the low-slung denim jeans and over-sized baseball cap who took three stops to roll a cigarette then had to ask his mate to lick the gum on the Rizla because he was so off his head he had no spit left? Work. The comparatively elderly gentleman who fixed the posh young man with a disapproving glare and growled "don't even think about it" when he inserted the roll-up between his parched lips and went rummaging in his jacket pocket for his cigarette lighter? Actually, that was us. Civic-minded to the last.Anyway, it's time for some music on this morning's January Transfer Window Hootenanny, so feel free to look at that picture of Florence Welch from Florence And The Machine, imagine her singing one of those trademark upbeat numbers in which she fantasises about burying an axe in her lover's head, then disposing of his body in a shallow grave prepared in a forest clearing by grave-diggers dressed as clowns.Now, some long-overdue transfer speculation. Manchester City will do little to appease detractors who consider their wad-waving approach to problem-solving to be vulgar by splashing out as much as it takes to bring the Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Internazionale defenders Ivan Cordoba and Maicon to Eastlands this month. Titter if you will – we don't make this guff up, we just help disseminate it after other people have.Alex McLeish is having similarly murderous thoughts to Florence after failing in his attempt to make the Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart as permanent a fixture at St Andrew's as the obligatory drunk comedian at one of Jools Holland's Hootenanny extravaganzas (this year the honour fell to Al Murray, who took up the baton passed on by Lenny Henry last year and lurched with it before falling over). The form English goalkeeper of the moment will remain on loan at Birmingham City but City have no plans to sell him.The Burnley manager Owen Coyle and the recently-departed Manchester City boss Mark Hughes have both ruled themselves out of the running for the vacant manager's position at Bolton Wanderers. Hull City's manager Phil Brown has too, as have today's Rumours, the actress who plays Bianca on EastEnders and Peaches Geldof. "It's flattering when people have such an opinion of you but my only focus is on the FA Cup tie at MK Dons on Saturday," said Peaches. Interestingly, not a single one of Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock, former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley or Son of Ferg Darren Ferguson have ruled themselves out of the running to take over at the Reebok and all are rumoured to be on the Trotters' shortlist entitled "Folk What Might Get Us Out Of The Relegation Zone And Into Mid-Table Safety".On Wearside, the Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has logged on to eBay, typed the words "Alan Hutton" into the search engine and is ready to match the £4m reserve price on the Tottenham full-back that's up for auction. Once that's done, he'll set about securing the spidery scrawls of Wigan Athletic's Honduran defender Maynor Figueroa and Middlesbrough's Sunderland-born winger Adam Johnson.If the Liverpool manager Rafa BenÃtez doesn't want to take Atlético Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez on loan, then the hat being worn by the next musical turn on the Rumour Mill January Transfer Window Hootenanny, Boy George, isn't green. It's well documented that BenÃtez will have to offload some of the expensive deadwood on his books before he can replace them with other expensive deadwood, so he's unlikely to be pleased with the news that Ryan Babel is expected to turn his nose up at the prospect of a move to Fiorentina. Once BenÃtez does get his hands on some lolly, the Daily Mail reckons he'll attempt to bring Ruud van Nistelrooy or Roman Pavlyuchenko to Anfield.That small, excitable and bespectacled man you can see attempting to swing a grappling hook over the wall of the Britannia Stadium is the Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who is throwing the Stoke City Christmas party organiser James Beattie a lifeline. Stoke City's bean-counters have valued the striker at £2.5m, which they would put towards their Let's Sign Kenwyne Jones From Sunderland fund.Oh ... and before we forget, Chelsea will sign Valencia striker David Villa for £40m. Actually no, Chelsea will not sign David Villa for £40m. It's déjà vu all over again. Have a happy New Year from all at the Rumour Mill January Transfer Window Hootenanny.Transfer windowBarry Glendenningguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Roberto Mancini uncorks the red wine to shake up Manchester City diet • Manchester City manager adds alcohol to the mix• Italian-style diet can perk up team's performanceRoberto Mancini has revealed that he is aiming to shake up his players' diets at Manchester City by adding Italian favourites such as pizza to the menu, served with a glass of wine.Hailing from a culture where alcohol is sipped at mealtimes instead of necked at speed in pubs and nightclubs, Mancini will seek to show his squad how a decent glass of red can perk up their pre-match meals and improve performance."I will calmly make corrections to what they eat before matches," City's manager told the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. "You need more chicken, pizza, carbohydrates. As well as a glass of wine, which isn't being served."Fabio Capello has told England's players to drizzle olive oil over a Mediterranean salad instead of squeezing ketchup over a plate of chips. But Mancini's plans come as more of a surprise. Another ÂItalian, ÂGianluca Vialli, famously gave his Chelsea players a glass of champagne in the dressing room before his first match in a charge – a 3-1 victory over Arsenal – but it rare for players to be encouraged to consume alcohol.Mancini's touch has worked to perfection at City so far, though. The team, who play Everton at Goodison on Saturday evening, have won all four of their matches since he took over and he believes he has improved the side he inherited from Mark Hughes and sees a bright future."I have given City more balance and a greater sense of conviction," he said. "The potential is incredible, but you need to draw it out. And the road ahead is long." He added that he was relishing the "challenge" of playing against "immortal" sides such as Liverpool and Manchester United, City's opponents in the Carling Cup semi-final this month.Mancini, who also admitted that his long-term ambition is to move back to Italy to take over the national team, said that he had been struck, since his move to City, by "the incredible fans, very strong players and a well-organised club".After finding himself "in a completely different world", the former Internazionale coach said he had been working 24-hour days to make the switch to English football. Mancini noted that he had been given a warm welcome in England by fellow expatriate Italians Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola. However, his relationship with Capello, described yesterday by one Italian insider as "mutual, silent hatred", does not appear to have improved. "No, I haven't heard from Capello," he said of the England coach.Asked about his ambitions, Mancini did not rule out an eventual return to Serie A, where he coached Fiorentina before winning three league titles with Inter. "What seems impossible today may happen tomorrow. Inter, Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Roma, who knows?" he said. "One day I would like to coach the national side, or a national side. But right now, and for many years to come there is only City."Having moved into a hotel, Mancini plans to bring his wife to Manchester permanently next season, Corriere dello Sport reported, adding that Mancini dedicated City's 4-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers that took them to fourth place in the Premier League on Monday to his father.Mancini said he had held six or seven tactical discussions with his players since taking over three weeks ago, and singled out Carlo Tevez, scorer of a hat-trick against Blackburn, as an "extraordinary striker, serious and deadly on the field."He added that the unsettled forward Robinho "only needs tranquillity and goals. If he wants to win he has found the right team and despite the rumours he has not told me he wants to leave."Mancini said he was glad to leave behind the constant squabbling over fouls and refereeing decisions that dominate discussion in Italy, where pundits pore repeatedly over slow-motion replays."Here it is about football and gossip, and not referees, dodgy goals and suspicions," he said. "Every country has its culture and here I see respect among players, even after a bad foul. That is the fascination of English football – the spirit."Roberto ManciniManchester CityPremier LeagueTom Kingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Arsenal confirm Campbell's return Arsenal have confirmed that veteran defender Sol Campbell will return to the club until the end of the season. foxsports.com.au |
Adu: No Regrets Over Move to Europe ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Freddy Adu is confident his game will pick up in Greece despite a spotty career in Europe. feeds.nytimes.com |