| Mancini praises Tevez and Given • Argentinian has been 'outstanding' in December• Manager not impressed by Christmas fixture scheduleRoberto Mancini, a fortnight into his reign as Manchester City manager, has singled out Carlos Tevez for special acclaim and described Shay Given as being among the world's five best goalkeepers.Tevez scored eight times in seven games during December to bring his total to 12 since moving from Manchester United in the summer, while Given has not conceded a goal in Mancini's first two games since replacing Mark Hughes."I do not like to pick out individuals because we have been collectively very good in the two games we have won against Stoke and Wolves but Carlos Tevez has been outstanding," he said. "He is a world-class striker who has shown that he is in top form. He is playing with a smile on his face and eight goals in the month of December is just an incredible effort. Confidence is a great thing with players and especially when it comes to goalscoring."Carlos is not just putting the ball in the net, though. His team ethic is fantastic and he has a good understanding with the players around him. His movement and pace worries defenders and he is clever, too. He has scored 12 times already for City since he came to the club and that is an impressive ratio. But like I said, I have been impressed with everyone from Shay Given, who is one of the best five goalkeepers in the world, rightthe way through the side. They have shown a great appetite for their work and pride in their performance."Mancini, who won the Coppa Italia with Lazio, Fiorentina and Internazionale, takes his team to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup tomorrow admitting he has been taken aback by the demands of the English game."In Italy it's impossible to think you could play two games in three days like you do here but England is England," he said. "I have been really pleased with the way the players have responded. We have worked hard on concentration and organisation and we will need both of those things against Middlesbrough. It has been a busy period and getting enough rest and recuperation into players has been vital. We have many injuries and some of the players may have to play when they could do with a rest."Middlesbrough's manager, Gordon Strachan, goes into the tie without Dave Kitson who has returned to Stoke, and the midfielder Isaiah Osbourne, ineligible under the conditions of his loan from Aston Villa. In addition, the striker Leroy Lita is suspended and Jérémie Aliadière, David Wheater and Emanuel Pogatetz are doubts. However, Marcus Bent yesterday returned to the Riverside on loan from Birmingham for another 16 daysto ease the manager'sStrachan's .Roberto ManciniManchester CityPremier LeagueDaniel Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Is it time for Rangers to cash in on Boyd? Should Rangers cash in on their coveted striker – or hold on to ensure a Scottish Premier League crown?If you are already fed up with Kris Boyd transfer speculation, there is little solace to be gained from the fact we are only in day seven of this transfer window.The Rangers striker has been Scottish football's most talked about player for some time now, on account of his prolific goalscoring despite his widely perceived shortcomings. Now, the debate over where he will spend the rest of this season – let alone the rest of his career – is keeping paper mills in operation.Boyd's recent form has been as timely as it is a potential annoyance to Rangers. Five goals against Dundee United on 30 December took the 26-year-old past Henrik Larsson's record as the Scottish Premier League's leading goalscorer. While that may be a slightly false claim to fame – the current league format is only a decade old – it does highlight how far ahead of the other strikers north of the border Boyd is in terms of finding the back of the net.Unfortunately for his club that touch, allied to a general improvement in his all-round play, has not gone unnoticed. Birmingham City and Middlesbrough lead the queue for Boyd's signature at a time, crucially, when he has only five months remaining on his contract. That, added to Rangers' widely publicised financial woes, represents a major problem for the Ibrox hierarchy.Boyd is apparently miffed that he is yet to be offered new terms in Glasgow, but the key subplot to this whole affair is that he has little interest in a move. If the former Kilmarnock player is to leave his boyhood heroes, it is thought he wants that to be in the summer at the earliest and to Newcastle United, by virtue of a childhood worship of Alan Shearer. It seemed Boyd was being deliberately obtuse a year ago when he priced himself out of a move to Birmingham, albeit Alex McLeish's current run at St Andrew's makes them now a more appealing draw.It is unlikely that Boyd would seek a vast improvement on his current £12,000-a-week salary to stay put. Rangers are due to get round the table with the player's representatives within days but, at a time when the club's first-team coaching staff are working without contracts, what chance has Boyd of being handed even slightly better terms?Potential salvation comes in the form of Pedro Mendes, the midfielder who is being tracked by Sporting Lisbon. If Rangers can offload Mendes, thought to be their highest earner, there could be scope to push some money Boyd's way. Mendes, initially influential after arriving from Portsmouth, currently doesn't seem much of a loss.Yet, as has become the way at Ibrox, such decisions are subject to greater scrutiny than ever. The club's board may have said in all sincerity at their recent annual general meeting that players do not need to be sold in January. However, that is an altogether different case from having to persuade bankers that such players categorically will not leave if a hard, cash offer comes in. A fee of about £1.5m for Boyd is relative peanuts to Birmingham but, added to a wage saving in excess of £200,000 until the summer, would surely be looked upon favourably by the bank.The job of Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, and the chief executive, Martin Bain, is to convince those at Lloyds that the potential £15m gain of a championship win and qualification for next season's Champions League outweighs those figures. There is no guarantee Rangers will win the SPL with Boyd in the team yet what is clear is that their challenge would be undermined significantly – if not fatally – by the departure of such a prolific scorer. Smith, already short on personnel, needless to say does not have another goal machine in reserve.There are those of us who partly hope Boyd moves to England so we could finally find out exactly how good he is. While his improvement has been marked this season, he has not turned into David Villa yet.Others, though, argue with a degree of legitimacy that scorers of Boyd's ilk have a natural talent that will allow them to blossom in any environment. The idea that he would score even more goals at a top English Premier League club because of a higher quality of supply, nonetheless, would seem to be undermined by the equally impressive ability of defences. Rangers, like Celtic, also create so many chances in Scotland that strikers of even moderate ability will thrive.Rangers and their supporters face an anxious 23 days. If a bid for Boyd is forthcoming – and it is almost certainly will – that conundrum involving the league title, a player who wants at least to see out the season and monetary worries must somehow be worked out.Those Rangers fans who have claimed season tickets will not be renewed if Boyd is allowed to leave should divert their attention to the previous, and not current, board regime at the club when seeking an explanation as to why every pound is a prisoner. Similarly, they should not get bogged down in the territory where one player is deemed more meaningful than the club itself.Boyd, though, is highly important to Rangers both in terms of points and pounds. The coming three weeks will tell which counts over the other at Ibrox.RangersTransfer windowScottish Premier LeagueEwan Murrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Arsenal keep up the pace Arsenal maintained their push for the Barclays Premier League title with a 2-0 win away to Bolton Wanderers on Monday. foxsports.com.au |
Man U's O'Shea done for season Manchester United's defensive problems have grown with the news that John O'Shea is out for the season. cbc.ca |
Premier League action in pictures In pics: The talking points from the night's top flight games telegraph.co.uk |