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Toadying up; and siralexing

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

  • Barry Glendenning and Scott Murray
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 16.14 BST <li class="history">Article history
    china460.jpg
    Liverpool didn't waste any time. Photograph: Guardian ASIAN HANDICAP?

    The Fiver's never been one to prostrate itself before the altar of the Big Buck and acquiesce to the wishes of sponsors. In fact, if we were a betting tea-timely football email, we'd log on to Blue Square, one of the world's leading UK Sports Betting Sites, right now and wager everything we have &#8211; yes, all £3.21 &#8211; on us never, ever toadying up to a sponsor just because they'd bunged a few quid our way.
    Liverpool Football Club may soon find themselves having to take a similarly strong stand, now that Gavin Law, a big cheese with their shirt-sponsor, Standard Chartered, has said the bank would like the club to sign some Asian players, in order to exploit one of the bank's largest markets.
    Of course the notion that a multi-national financial institution would try to 'exploit' anyone or anything for financial gain might seem preposterous in this day and age, so it's possible that Law was attempting an April Fools' Day prank when he said: "We would love the club to have players of nationalities from the markets in which we operate. They are not going to get them from all 75 but if they could sign some &#8211; if they could get a Korean, Indian, Chinese player &#8211; look what Park [Ji-sung] has done for [Manchester] United in terms of coverage in Korea."
    Now the Fiver has no doubt that, should a player of sufficient attitude and ability from any country in the world, apart from the red half of the Republic of Mancunia, become available, he would be welcomed to Anfield with open arms by Liverpool fans and management alike. However, the Fiver can't help but feel that Kenny Dalglish will have plenty to say if he thinks his hand might be forced in the transfer market by interfering sponsors, not least because the number of Indian footballers to have hacked it in the Premier League remains resolutely at zero.
    And before all 1,057 of the pedants among you begin typing chippy missives beginning with the words "I think you'll find ...", even when counting Michael Chopra, who is of Indian descent, the number of Indian footballers to have hacked it in the Premier League remains resolutely at zero.
    QUOTE OF THE DAY

    "He's never bought me a drink. I've been with him at Boyzone concerts and he's still never bought me a drink" - still traumatised by the memory of having to endure a performance by Ireland's premier pop puppets sober, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish reveals that Andy Carroll's only alcohol-related problem is his unwillingness to get the round in.
    APRIL FOOL OF THE DAY

    "Can someone talk me thru what I'm seeing? Ronaldo sold to Spain for 160mill?? Does that mean he can jus change country and play for Spain?" - QPR midfielder Wayne Routledge takes to Twitter upon hearing that Cristiano Ronaldo had been 'sold' to Spain in a bid to aid Portugal's economic recovery, as reported in this morning's Independent.
    "Ok, ok..." #aprilfools #gotme" - Routledge, 10 minutes later.
    "If I make mistakes I'm sorry, I'm only human ..." - Routledge's Twitter bio.
    FOOL OF IT

    April Fools' Day allows normally morally upstanding citizens, for one morning only, to find out how much fun it is to wilfully spread misinformation. Tee hee, spaghetti is grown on trees. Haw haw, there is an island in the Indian Ocean called San Seriffe. Chortle chortle, they've both emigrated, leaving not so much as the name of a continent by way of a forwarding address, so there's no point you going home - which has burned down by the way - from infant school at all, and no amount of crying's going to bring your parents back you whining little ... hey, get your hands off me officer.
    It also allows common folk to experience what it feels like to be a football manager. For these chancers spew disingenuous claptrap in press conferences 365 days a year, issuing spurious injury dispatch after questionable medical report, deliberately laying false trails for journalists and fans to scamper down. And every single time we fall for the subterfuge, ambling off in the wrong direction with big stupid innocent grins on our faces. To use a technical term, we've been fergusoned.
    "Medical staff have told me that Ronaldo, Marcelo and Karim Benzema can only play in Bilbao," fergusoned Jose Mourinho today, referring to Real Madrid's fixture after their Big Cup first leg against Tottenham on Tuesday. 'Arry Redknapp meanwhile has also been furiously siralexing, stopping just short of openly dissembling through a big red brazen face. Asked whether the oft-crocked Gareth Bale is likely to play, Redknapp theatrically ummed and ahhed before being deliberately and obstructively vague. "We will have to see," he twinkled. "His hamstring is still a little bit tight. You never know with those injuries. Until he pushes it, we wouldn't be sure."
    Oh wouldn't we? He must think we'll fall for anything; expect both Bale and Ronaldo to start. Anyway, enough of that: does anybody want a glass of this expensive diet water we bought off that man with the revolving bow tie this morning?
    DOUBLE YOUR MONEY WITH BLUE SQUARE!

    Open an account with online bookies Blue Square, placing a bet of at least £5 and they'll give you a free £10 bet, win or lose! (Terms Apply) Register now.
    FIVER LETTERS

    "Owen Davies asks if this is a new low: 'Fiver readers stealing lines from early episodes of They Think It's All Over?' It is now" - Ian Williams.
    "All right-minded people will applaud Lord Ferg's latest crusade for freedom of speech and the exposure of truth no matter how painful (yesterday's Fiver). However, if he is looking for empathy or commiseration perhaps he should speak to the makers of a documentary exposing the allegedly unethical behaviour of a little-known football agent. I'm sure they will be able to compare notes on paranoia and unforeseen and unjustified consequences when highlighting the truth" - Barry Lynch.
    "Re: advice to teenagers regarding old telephone services (yesterday's Fiver). Really, you have to be kidding. To imagine that anyone below the age of, say, 30, would log into olde worlde email, open an email and read reasonably well constructed and spelt out sentences is preposterous. Maybe a Fiver twit or Facetube, Ibook thingy would open up a new demographic for the Fiver. Jst mite av 2 chg ur grammar n stuff like" - Tom Moore.
    "Re: yesterday's last line. I'm a fan of the USMNT, being American and all, but it's hard to tell which is worse, that song or our 1990 World Cup fiasco. Sadly, it might be the latter, because I have a terrible feeling that the song wouldn't have given up five goals to Czechoslovakia" - Daniel Strauss.
    Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver.
    BITS AND BOBS

    Neymar has refused to apologise to the SFA which, in a demonstration of pettiness breath-taking even by its own low standards, wanted him to say sorry for thinking the banana chucked at him during a match in which he was booed throughout may have been thrown by a racist. "At no point did I accuse anyone, so I do not understand why I have to retract what I said," he said. Over two legs, we make that Neymar 3-0 Scotland.
    In an attempt to outdo the Scottish FA in the pettiness stakes, Fifa and Uefa have suspended the political tinderbox that is Bosnia-Herzegovina from world football because its federation refuses to replace its three-member presidency with a single leader.
    And Lord Ferg has criticised Premier League blazer-in-chief Richard Scudamore's plan to clamp down on players and managers for abusing match officials. "I don't think managers disrespect referees," said the Manchester United boss, who is currently serving a five-match ban for ... ah, you know where we're going with this.
    STILL WANT MORE?

    Paella v fish and chips, what's it like standing starkers before the Queen of Spain and Leo Messi's chances of hacking it on a cold, wet night at Stoke: Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa answers the difficult questions in Small Talk.
    James Richardson lifts the big pink organ for which his name is a byword off the table and waves it about in front of the camera in this week's European press review.
    Whistle? Check. Notebook? Check. Pencil? Check. Red and yellow cards? Check. Watch? Check. Other watch? Check. Pompous demeanour? Check. Bloated sense of self-importance? Check. Congratulations, You are the Ref.
    Is the jig is almost up for Ged Houllier at Aston Villa? Yes, writes Stuart James, our man on the highly-sought-after Birmingham and Black Country glamour beat.
    It hasn't gone unnoticed around Fiver Towers that, since getting married in Las Vegas recently, Paolo Bandini has let himself go and stopped shaving. Here's his preview of tomorrow night's Milan derby (warning: may contain foreign words in italics).
    And in not-football, Scott Murray cherry-picks six great Augusta moments in The Joy of Six: The Masters.
    SIGN UP TO THE FIVER

    Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up.
    THE DAILY HEIL? R-E-S-P-E-C-T? HONK!


 
Toadying up; and siralexing

Click here to have the Fiver sent to your inbox every weekday at 5pm, or if your usual copy has stopped arriving

  • Barry Glendenning and Scott Murray
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 16.14 BST <li class="history">Article history
    china460.jpg
    Liverpool didn't waste any time. Photograph: Guardian ASIAN HANDICAP?

    The Fiver's never been one to prostrate itself before the altar of the Big Buck and acquiesce to the wishes of sponsors. In fact, if we were a betting tea-timely football email, we'd log on to Blue Square, one of the world's leading UK Sports Betting Sites, right now and wager everything we have – yes, all £3.21 – on us never, ever toadying up to a sponsor just because they'd bunged a few quid our way.
    Liverpool Football Club may soon find themselves having to take a similarly strong stand, now that Gavin Law, a big cheese with their shirt-sponsor, Standard Chartered, has said the bank would like the club to sign some Asian players, in order to exploit one of the bank's largest markets.
    Of course the notion that a multi-national financial institution would try to 'exploit' anyone or anything for financial gain might seem preposterous in this day and age, so it's possible that Law was attempting an April Fools' Day prank when he said: "We would love the club to have players of nationalities from the markets in which we operate. They are not going to get them from all 75 but if they could sign some – if they could get a Korean, Indian, Chinese player – look what Park [Ji-sung] has done for [Manchester] United in terms of coverage in Korea."
    Now the Fiver has no doubt that, should a player of sufficient attitude and ability from any country in the world, apart from the red half of the Republic of Mancunia, become available, he would be welcomed to Anfield with open arms by Liverpool fans and management alike. However, the Fiver can't help but feel that Kenny Dalglish will have plenty to say if he thinks his hand might be forced in the transfer market by interfering sponsors, not least because the number of Indian footballers to have hacked it in the Premier League remains resolutely at zero.
    And before all 1,057 of the pedants among you begin typing chippy missives beginning with the words "I think you'll find ...", even when counting Michael Chopra, who is of Indian descent, the number of Indian footballers to have hacked it in the Premier League remains resolutely at zero.
    QUOTE OF THE DAY

    "He's never bought me a drink. I've been with him at Boyzone concerts and he's still never bought me a drink" - still traumatised by the memory of having to endure a performance by Ireland's premier pop puppets sober, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish reveals that Andy Carroll's only alcohol-related problem is his unwillingness to get the round in.
    APRIL FOOL OF THE DAY

    "Can someone talk me thru what I'm seeing? Ronaldo sold to Spain for 160mill?? Does that mean he can jus change country and play for Spain?" - QPR midfielder Wayne Routledge takes to Twitter upon hearing that Cristiano Ronaldo had been 'sold' to Spain in a bid to aid Portugal's economic recovery, as reported in this morning's Independent.
    "Ok, ok..." #aprilfools #gotme" - Routledge, 10 minutes later.
    "If I make mistakes I'm sorry, I'm only human ..." - Routledge's Twitter bio.
    FOOL OF IT

    April Fools' Day allows normally morally upstanding citizens, for one morning only, to find out how much fun it is to wilfully spread misinformation. Tee hee, spaghetti is grown on trees. Haw haw, there is an island in the Indian Ocean called San Seriffe. Chortle chortle, they've both emigrated, leaving not so much as the name of a continent by way of a forwarding address, so there's no point you going home - which has burned down by the way - from infant school at all, and no amount of crying's going to bring your parents back you whining little ... hey, get your hands off me officer.
    It also allows common folk to experience what it feels like to be a football manager. For these chancers spew disingenuous claptrap in press conferences 365 days a year, issuing spurious injury dispatch after questionable medical report, deliberately laying false trails for journalists and fans to scamper down. And every single time we fall for the subterfuge, ambling off in the wrong direction with big stupid innocent grins on our faces. To use a technical term, we've been fergusoned.
    "Medical staff have told me that Ronaldo, Marcelo and Karim Benzema can only play in Bilbao," fergusoned Jose Mourinho today, referring to Real Madrid's fixture after their Big Cup first leg against Tottenham on Tuesday. 'Arry Redknapp meanwhile has also been furiously siralexing, stopping just short of openly dissembling through a big red brazen face. Asked whether the oft-crocked Gareth Bale is likely to play, Redknapp theatrically ummed and ahhed before being deliberately and obstructively vague. "We will have to see," he twinkled. "His hamstring is still a little bit tight. You never know with those injuries. Until he pushes it, we wouldn't be sure."
    Oh wouldn't we? He must think we'll fall for anything; expect both Bale and Ronaldo to start. Anyway, enough of that: does anybody want a glass of this expensive diet water we bought off that man with the revolving bow tie this morning?
    DOUBLE YOUR MONEY WITH BLUE SQUARE!

    Open an account with online bookies Blue Square, placing a bet of at least £5 and they'll give you a free £10 bet, win or lose! (Terms Apply) Register now.
    FIVER LETTERS

    "Owen Davies asks if this is a new low: 'Fiver readers stealing lines from early episodes of They Think It's All Over?' It is now" - Ian Williams.
    "All right-minded people will applaud Lord Ferg's latest crusade for freedom of speech and the exposure of truth no matter how painful (yesterday's Fiver). However, if he is looking for empathy or commiseration perhaps he should speak to the makers of a documentary exposing the allegedly unethical behaviour of a little-known football agent. I'm sure they will be able to compare notes on paranoia and unforeseen and unjustified consequences when highlighting the truth" - Barry Lynch.
    "Re: advice to teenagers regarding old telephone services (yesterday's Fiver). Really, you have to be kidding. To imagine that anyone below the age of, say, 30, would log into olde worlde email, open an email and read reasonably well constructed and spelt out sentences is preposterous. Maybe a Fiver twit or Facetube, Ibook thingy would open up a new demographic for the Fiver. Jst mite av 2 chg ur grammar n stuff like" - Tom Moore.
    "Re: yesterday's last line. I'm a fan of the USMNT, being American and all, but it's hard to tell which is worse, that song or our 1990 World Cup fiasco. Sadly, it might be the latter, because I have a terrible feeling that the song wouldn't have given up five goals to Czechoslovakia" - Daniel Strauss.
    Send your letters to the.boss@guardian.co.uk. And if you've nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver.
    BITS AND BOBS

    Neymar has refused to apologise to the SFA which, in a demonstration of pettiness breath-taking even by its own low standards, wanted him to say sorry for thinking the banana chucked at him during a match in which he was booed throughout may have been thrown by a racist. "At no point did I accuse anyone, so I do not understand why I have to retract what I said," he said. Over two legs, we make that Neymar 3-0 Scotland.
    In an attempt to outdo the Scottish FA in the pettiness stakes, Fifa and Uefa have suspended the political tinderbox that is Bosnia-Herzegovina from world football because its federation refuses to replace its three-member presidency with a single leader.
    And Lord Ferg has criticised Premier League blazer-in-chief Richard Scudamore's plan to clamp down on players and managers for abusing match officials. "I don't think managers disrespect referees," said the Manchester United boss, who is currently serving a five-match ban for ... ah, you know where we're going with this.
    STILL WANT MORE?

    Paella v fish and chips, what's it like standing starkers before the Queen of Spain and Leo Messi's chances of hacking it on a cold, wet night at Stoke: Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa answers the difficult questions in Small Talk.
    James Richardson lifts the big pink organ for which his name is a byword off the table and waves it about in front of the camera in this week's European press review.
    Whistle? Check. Notebook? Check. Pencil? Check. Red and yellow cards? Check. Watch? Check. Other watch? Check. Pompous demeanour? Check. Bloated sense of self-importance? Check. Congratulations, You are the Ref.
    Is the jig is almost up for Ged Houllier at Aston Villa? Yes, writes Stuart James, our man on the highly-sought-after Birmingham and Black Country glamour beat.
    It hasn't gone unnoticed around Fiver Towers that, since getting married in Las Vegas recently, Paolo Bandini has let himself go and stopped shaving. Here's his preview of tomorrow night's Milan derby (warning: may contain foreign words in italics).
    And in not-football, Scott Murray cherry-picks six great Augusta moments in The Joy of Six: The Masters.
    SIGN UP TO THE FIVER

    Want your very own copy of our free tea-timely(ish) email sent direct to your inbox? Has your regular copy stopped arriving? Click here to sign up.
    THE DAILY HEIL? R-E-S-P-E-C-T? HONK!
 
Time running out for Aston Villa's gaffe-prone Gérard Houllier

Aston Villa's beleaguered manager Gérard Houllier has brought most of his problems on himself in six turbulent months



  • Aston-Villa-fans-Gerard-H-007.jpg
    Aston Villa fans have turned on Gérard Houllier as their team have slid towards the relegation zone. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images It has got to the stage with Gérard Houllier where it is starting to feel like a matter of when and not if he leaves Aston Villa. The club's board continues to claim that is not the case but a series of PR disasters, frequent stories of player unrest and, most significantly of all, the dreadful results that have deepened relegation fears mean the vast majority of fans have already made up their mind about the manager.
    Their vitriolic verdict was delivered at the end of the last home match, when a 1-0 defeat against their neighbours and fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers led to an outpouring of anger that transported those with longer memories back to the 1986-87 season. That campaign ended, rather ominously, with Billy McNeill, who had been appointed in September &#8211; the same month Houllier took over &#8211; being sacked in May after Villa were relegated from the top flight.
    Villa have negotiated several tricky patches since but it is difficult to remember another manager at the club during the past 25 years with a popularity rating as low as Houllier's. David O'Leary, in his final season in charge, was famously greeted with a banner on the Holte End that read: "We're not fickle &#8211; we just don't like you," yet the Irishman was never subjected to the chants and abuse that Houllier endured during and after the woeful defeat against Wolves a fortnight ago.
    It was a display that stank of a club sleepwalking towards the Championship and it raised questions about whether Houllier has lost the support of the players as well as the faith of the fans. The board backed Houllier afterwards and said he would remain in his job until the end of the season, although the supporters will have something to say about that if Villa lose at Goodison Park on Saturday and produce another inept performance at home to Newcastle United on Sunday week.
    So how has it come to this? The reality is that the club's decision to appoint Houllier was never greeted warmly and he did nothing to improve public opinion when he told a French newspaper on the day of his unveiling that he was taking over a club that "according to me has belonged between seventh and 12th place in the Premier League". Villa finished in the top six in the previous three seasons and also in nine of their 18 Premier League campaigns.
    Had that comment been in isolation it might have been brushed aside but instead it was the first of a number of self-inflicted gaffes that have left Houllier with no goodwill to fall back on in bad times. Also against his name are the ridiculous post-match remarks he made at Anfield, when he said: "If I was going to lose 3-0 to anyone it would be Liverpool," and the bizarre and ill-judged decision to sacrifice the FA Cup by fielding a weakened team at Manchester City three months later.
    All the while Villa have gone from Champions League contenders to relegation strugglers in what feels like the blink of an eye. Houllier has picked up six league wins in as many months and 26 points from 25 matches. A squad littered with internationals, including several who excelled for England in the recent fixtures against Wales and Ghana, have to take their share of the blame, but Houllier knows where the buck stops. "I know the manager is responsible for the results," he said on Thursday.
    Come the end of the season he may well reflect that one of his biggest mistakes was trying to alter too much too quickly after the Martin O'Neill years. It is difficult to criticise a few of the changes &#8211; introducing double sessions to improve fitness and asking players earning millions of pounds a year to relocate rather than spend hours commuting every day seems reasonable enough &#8211; but by opting for revolution rather than evolution Houllier upset an influential group of that he needed onside.
    The fall-out has been spectacular. Houllier publicly accused Stephen Ireland of not working hard enough and branded the Norway international John Carew, who has since been loaned to Stoke City, as "stupid". Houllier dropped Richard Dunne after a spat on the training ground with the assistant manager, Gary McAllister, ostracised Habib Beye following another disagreement and made Stephen Warnock, an England squad player in the last World Cup, train with the reserves after dropping him from the starting XI. Then James Collins and Dunne turned a team-building exercise into a drunken row.
    Some events on the field have been just as difficult to explain. After Villa lost 3-2 at Bolton Wanderers last month, in a game that Houllier describes as "the turning point", the manager appeared to blame O'Neill for the manner of the defeat. "We have conceded too many goals at set pieces," he said. "We have to address that. I came to this club on 18 September. They had their habits, they have them for four years and I am not going to change them in the middle of the season."
    It was a bizarre stance to take and one that could prove costly judging by the damning statistics. Villa have conceded 23 goals from set pieces this season &#8211; more than every Premier League club apart from West Bromwich Albion and 10 more than they did when O'Neill was in charge last season. All of which suggests that putting on a simple training session, working on defending dead-ball situations, may be worth doing before the end of the campaign.
    Whether or not Houllier will still be around then remains to be seen. He could not have wished for a more benign run of games after the trip to Everton &#8211; Villa's next five fixtures are against teams within four points of them. It will also not have escaped the Frenchman's attention, though, that a visit to Arsenal follows in the penultimate game of the season before Liverpool, of all teams, arrive in the Midlands on the final day.

 
Time running out for Aston Villa's gaffe-prone Gérard Houllier

Aston Villa's beleaguered manager Gérard Houllier has brought most of his problems on himself in six turbulent months



  • Aston-Villa-fans-Gerard-H-007.jpg
    Aston Villa fans have turned on Gérard Houllier as their team have slid towards the relegation zone. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images It has got to the stage with Gérard Houllier where it is starting to feel like a matter of when and not if he leaves Aston Villa. The club's board continues to claim that is not the case but a series of PR disasters, frequent stories of player unrest and, most significantly of all, the dreadful results that have deepened relegation fears mean the vast majority of fans have already made up their mind about the manager.
    Their vitriolic verdict was delivered at the end of the last home match, when a 1-0 defeat against their neighbours and fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers led to an outpouring of anger that transported those with longer memories back to the 1986-87 season. That campaign ended, rather ominously, with Billy McNeill, who had been appointed in September – the same month Houllier took over – being sacked in May after Villa were relegated from the top flight.
    Villa have negotiated several tricky patches since but it is difficult to remember another manager at the club during the past 25 years with a popularity rating as low as Houllier's. David O'Leary, in his final season in charge, was famously greeted with a banner on the Holte End that read: "We're not fickle – we just don't like you," yet the Irishman was never subjected to the chants and abuse that Houllier endured during and after the woeful defeat against Wolves a fortnight ago.
    It was a display that stank of a club sleepwalking towards the Championship and it raised questions about whether Houllier has lost the support of the players as well as the faith of the fans. The board backed Houllier afterwards and said he would remain in his job until the end of the season, although the supporters will have something to say about that if Villa lose at Goodison Park on Saturday and produce another inept performance at home to Newcastle United on Sunday week.
    So how has it come to this? The reality is that the club's decision to appoint Houllier was never greeted warmly and he did nothing to improve public opinion when he told a French newspaper on the day of his unveiling that he was taking over a club that "according to me has belonged between seventh and 12th place in the Premier League". Villa finished in the top six in the previous three seasons and also in nine of their 18 Premier League campaigns.
    Had that comment been in isolation it might have been brushed aside but instead it was the first of a number of self-inflicted gaffes that have left Houllier with no goodwill to fall back on in bad times. Also against his name are the ridiculous post-match remarks he made at Anfield, when he said: "If I was going to lose 3-0 to anyone it would be Liverpool," and the bizarre and ill-judged decision to sacrifice the FA Cup by fielding a weakened team at Manchester City three months later.
    All the while Villa have gone from Champions League contenders to relegation strugglers in what feels like the blink of an eye. Houllier has picked up six league wins in as many months and 26 points from 25 matches. A squad littered with internationals, including several who excelled for England in the recent fixtures against Wales and Ghana, have to take their share of the blame, but Houllier knows where the buck stops. "I know the manager is responsible for the results," he said on Thursday.
    Come the end of the season he may well reflect that one of his biggest mistakes was trying to alter too much too quickly after the Martin O'Neill years. It is difficult to criticise a few of the changes – introducing double sessions to improve fitness and asking players earning millions of pounds a year to relocate rather than spend hours commuting every day seems reasonable enough – but by opting for revolution rather than evolution Houllier upset an influential group of that he needed onside.
    The fall-out has been spectacular. Houllier publicly accused Stephen Ireland of not working hard enough and branded the Norway international John Carew, who has since been loaned to Stoke City, as "stupid". Houllier dropped Richard Dunne after a spat on the training ground with the assistant manager, Gary McAllister, ostracised Habib Beye following another disagreement and made Stephen Warnock, an England squad player in the last World Cup, train with the reserves after dropping him from the starting XI. Then James Collins and Dunne turned a team-building exercise into a drunken row.
    Some events on the field have been just as difficult to explain. After Villa lost 3-2 at Bolton Wanderers last month, in a game that Houllier describes as "the turning point", the manager appeared to blame O'Neill for the manner of the defeat. "We have conceded too many goals at set pieces," he said. "We have to address that. I came to this club on 18 September. They had their habits, they have them for four years and I am not going to change them in the middle of the season."
    It was a bizarre stance to take and one that could prove costly judging by the damning statistics. Villa have conceded 23 goals from set pieces this season – more than every Premier League club apart from West Bromwich Albion and 10 more than they did when O'Neill was in charge last season. All of which suggests that putting on a simple training session, working on defending dead-ball situations, may be worth doing before the end of the campaign.
    Whether or not Houllier will still be around then remains to be seen. He could not have wished for a more benign run of games after the trip to Everton – Villa's next five fixtures are against teams within four points of them. It will also not have escaped the Frenchman's attention, though, that a visit to Arsenal follows in the penultimate game of the season before Liverpool, of all teams, arrive in the Midlands on the final day.

 
Football transfer rumours: Javier Hernández to Real Madrid?

Today's gossip is folding in on itself, a vortex of moral turpitude, a waste-disposal unit for truth and the English language


  • Scott Murray
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 08.53 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Javier-Hernandez-007.jpg
    Is Javier Hernández opening his arms to a move to Real Madrid? Photograph: Jon Super/AP [Hack settles down to collate the usual round-up of half-truths, misinformation, and downright lies. Hack double-checks date. Hack heaves a weary, defeated sigh]
    Arsenal will sign Per Mertesacker in the summer, as well as Gary Cahill. Spurs will try to gazump the latter deal, although the fact Arsène Wenger rates Cahill defensively may give them pause.
    Real Madrid will make off with Manchester United striker Javier Hernández. He'll not be missed too much, with the Mancunians paying £25m for Ashley Young. Madrid, meanwhile, are also after £15m Didier Drogba.
    Television professor Brian Cox has plastic balls.
    Liverpool will join Chelsea in a battle to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Willian.
    Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, of Anderlecht, is being linked with a £25m move to Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs.
    The Guardian football site is to close down the comments section on all articles from next Monday morning. It will be replaced by a sign saying "You had your chance, but everything kept degenerating into Manchester United is bigger than Liverpool are less aesthetically pure than Arsenal have won more titles than Chelsea is more blue than Rangers is less bigoted than Celtic, so do one. If you want to say something, write us a letter instead."
    And Aston Villa will sign Charlie Adam in the summer, Gérard Houllier remaining manager and instigating a mass clearou... ah, but you can see right through that one, can't you.

 

Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea now have slim chance in title race

&#8226; The Chelsea manager says they have to win last nine games
&#8226; 'The players believe, and that is good,' says Italian



  • Dominic Fifield
  • The Guardian, Saturday 2 April 2011 <li class="history">Article history
    Carlo-Ancelotti-Premier-L-007.jpg
    Carlo Ancelotti says he is excited by the pressure of chasing Premier League and Champions League honours with Chelsea. Photograph: Henry Browne/Action Images Carlo Ancelotti's conviction that Chelsea are too far behind Manchester United in the title race has wavered. The Italian believes his team's recent revival has now given them "a chance" of retaining their title, though he thinks the reigning champions cannot afford to drop another point if they are to overhaul the leaders.
    Chelsea go into Saturday's contest at Stoke City nine points adrift of the top but with a game in hand and a trip to Old Trafford to come among their nine remaining fixtures, and bolstered by a recent sequence of three successive league wins.
    That form has pepped confidence within the squad that United can be reined in, even if it would take the perfect run-in for the Londoners to secure their fourth league title in seven seasons.
    "The players believe, and that is good," Ancelotti said. "It means they've got good motivation to play, game by game. Nine points &#8211; even if we have a game in hand &#8211; is not too easy. They are not too close. But we have a chance. We will have a chance in the future if we concentrate and are ready for the next game. To have a chance we will have to win all the games in the Premier League. That's our aim, to win all nine games.
    "United cannot win all nine if we do that, because they still have to play against us. But, even so, if they win seven or eight, they'll win the title and we won't have a chance. It's not in our hands. But, for any team, making a mistake at this stage of the season can be dangerous. Not just us.
    "Every team has their own aims at this stage but, if you make a mistake now, you can lose your possibility to win something. Us, United, Arsenal &#8211; they cannot make a mistake either. But, for us, three months ago in November or December, it would have felt like a dream to arrive in this situation now. I don't know what we will achieve in the end, but we now have a possibility to fight."
    Ancelotti is in the rare position of having a full-strength squad from which to choose at present, with Yossi Benayoun and Alex lacking only match practice after lengthy absences with achilles and knee injuries. That has added to the sense of optimism around the club, though the manager admits to thriving amid the pressure whipped up by the run-in.
    "I need that pressure to maintain focus, to stay concentrated on my job," he said. "I like it &#8211; I'm better under pressure. If I'm too relaxed, it's not good. Now, though, I'm excited: we have games every three days, in the Premier League and Champions League. I'd be less excited if I didn't feel my team were in good form and motivated, but they are confident."
    There remain issues for Ancelotti to address, not least coaxing goals from his four main forwards. None of Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou has scored in the league since the Spaniard made his first appearance after his £50m arrival from Liverpool almost two months ago, a record that did not dissuade the manager from claiming they were the best group of forwards in the division. "I think they are," he said.
    "They're one of the best groups of strikers given their skills. I wouldn't swap any of them for anybody. But this team is showing the same skill and ability that we were able to use at the start of the season again. If United drop points, we will be ready."
    Stoke may be without their Norwegian international striker John Carew who has been suffering from a back complaint.

 
Ade targets title and Real deal


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Updated Apr 1, 2011 9:19 AM ET
Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor is hoping to fire Real Madrid to the Primera Liga title - and then secure a permanent move to the Bernabeu.
Former Togo striker Adebayor is currently on loan at Madrid from Manchester City - but is dreaming of remaining in the Spanish capital when his current deal expires at the end of the season.
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He said: "This club is fantastic, the environment, the way you work, the atmosphere is excellent.
"I want to succeed here and if I did not think that was possible it would be very difficult to go out and play.
"I have to keep on playing as I have done and taking the opportunities to score because that's what makes me happiest."
Adebayor has scored twice in nine appearances for Jose Mourinho's men but will get the chance to improve that record on Saturday against Sporting Gijon with the home side without leading scorers Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Ronaldo has a hamstring problem while France international Benzema injured a thigh during Les Bleus' clash with Croatia in midweek.
Mourinho claims both men, as well as Brazil full-back Marcelo, are also out of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Tottenham.
Madrid, who have Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain back for the Sporting game after four months out, have an unblemished record at the Bernabeu this season with 14 wins from 14 games.
And Adebayor is hoping that kind of form will see them overturn the five-point deficit to Barcelona and reclaim the title.
He added: "We must win our nine remaining games to have any chance.
"It will not be easy but if we win them all we will see what happens."
Former Arsenal striker Adebayor is not expecting an easy ride against a Sporting side scrapping to avoid the drop, however.
"It will be a very difficult game, but we have to win," he said. "And so we must stay as focused as possible and get the three points."
Sporting boss Manuel Preciado has attempted to diffuse tensions between himself and Mourinho ahead of the game.
Mourinho accused Sporting of gifting Barcelona three points earlier in the season after fielding a weakened team.
Preciado responded by accusing the Portuguese of a "serious lack of respect".
Preciado appeared to have changed his tune when he said: "I think he (Mourinho) is a great coach and I'm sure he is a good guy.
"I have no problem with anyone. It is just a football game."
Sporting, in 15th place, are three points above the relegation zone and Preciado admits there is still all to play for.
"There are up to 10 teams who will fight to stay up," he said. "I think we will need between 40 and 42 points."
 
Pedro: Barca can still improve


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Updated Apr 1, 2011 8:28 AM ET
Pedro has backed Barcelona to keep improving ahead of Saturday's La Liga clash at Villarreal and says their ambition remains as strong as ever.
With nine rounds of La Liga remaining, Barca lead fierce rivals Real Madrid by five points.
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The two teams meet in the league in a crunch clash at the Bernabeu later in the month and also cross swords in the Copa del Rey final, while a Champions League semi-final encounter also awaits if both negotiate their respective last-eight ties - Barca against Shakhtar Donetsk and Madrid versus Tottenham.
Those matches are likely to define the season for both sides, but Pedro says Barca are ready for the challenge.
"We are very ambitious as a team. We want to win trophies and we want to continue our development," he told uefa.com in an interview.
"You can always improve with the team. There are tactical things, finishing in front of goal, speed as well."
Barca won the treble of Primera Division, Copa del Rey and Champions League in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge and retained the Spanish title last term.
But the Catalans fell short in Europe, losing out to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side in the semi-finals.
"Inter played a very good match, defensively, with many players behind the ball, and it's difficult to deal with the (limited) space you have," Pedro said.
"There have also been matches this season where we've had to deal with this."
And the 23-year-old believes his side must learn from those games in order to get the better of teams - like Madrid - who are likely to adopt such tactics in future.
"We have to overcome that system," he said. "We need to use the space well and play the ball around quickly.
"We must try to learn from these games, because in the future we'll have many teams playing like that against us."
Nevertheless, the Tenerife-born forward says Barca are in good shape as the season reaches its climax.
"I think the team is (looking) very good and hopefully we can achieve something beautiful again this year," he said. "But it's still early - it's hard to say."
Barca beat Mourinho's Madrid side 5-0 when the sides met at the Nou Camp earlier on this season and club president Sandro Rosell caused controversy on Thursday by boldly predicting a repeat of that scoreline in the Copa del Rey final.
"I bet on a 5-0 in the cup final, so as not to lose the habit," Rosell said.
But Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta played down the words of his club president.
"I would be content with a 1-0 win," he said. "What the president said is simply an anecdote - let's hope we can get back to talking about football again tomorrow."
Indeed, football will be the only thing on Guardiola's mind as he prepares for the clash at El Madrigal against third-placed Villarreal.
The Barca coach claimed to be hugely impressed by the Yellow Submarine after a 3-1 win for his side at the Nou Camp earlier this season, claiming Juan Carlos Garrido's team were one of the best in Europe.
Guardiola will also be without two of his key players on Saturday.
Captain Carles Puyol is working his way back from injury, but is set to miss out once more, while Xavi is suspended.
Eric Abidal is also out as he continues to recover from an operation to remove a tumour on his liver, but Lionel Messi has been passed fit after suffering an injury scare while away on international duty with Argentina.
"Messi is a spectacle - watching him is a luxury," Villarreal winger Santi Cazorla said.
But despite Barca's attacking prowess, the Spain midfielder says Villarreal will remain true to their own football philosophy.
"We have to be ourselves and try to match them," he said. "We won't change our style and we'll try to have possession of the ball - that's very important."
Brazil striker Nilmar has recovered from injury and will be fit to face Barca.
 
Brazil's Neymar refuses to apologise to Scotland for racism claims

&#8226; Striker says he did not accuse supporters of racism
&#8226; Commends his reception in the UK




  • Press Association
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 09.57 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Neymar-005.jpg
    Neymar scored both Brazil's goals in their 2-0 win over Scotland at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: Jamie Mcdonald/Getty Images The Brazil striker Neymar has refused to apologise to the Scottish Football Association for complaining of racist abuse during a match against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
    The SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, wrote to the Brazilian federation request an apology for Scottish fans, which he said would be welcomed either from Neymar or from the federation. However, Neymar has claimed he did not single out Scottish fans after the match. Consequently, he said he would retract his remarks.
    A banana was thrown on to the pitch and landed near Neymar, who scored both goals including a late penalty as his team won 2-0. Metropolitan Police have concluded it was thrown by a German student sitting in the area of the stadium reserved for Brazilian supporters. The confirmation that no Scotland supporters were involved led the SFA to defend the Tartan Army fans' group, who Regan claims were "genuinely upset and annoyed".
    Neymar, who also felt he had been subjected to racist jeering, posted a statement on his official website today.
    He wrote: "I was surprised on Thursday by a letter from the Scottish FA, in which they demand an apology from me or from the Brazilian Football Confederation regarding the incident involving a banana thrown toward the field during the Brazil v Scotland friendly on Sunday 27 March. Stewart Regan says that the 'accusations' made after the match cast doubt on the reputation of 'good-humoured and respectful' Scottish fans.'
    "At no time, even at the end of the game, still enveloped by the thrill of scoring the two goals that won the game, did I accuse any person or any group of supporters, of whatever nationality, of having committed such an act. All the interviews I gave at the end of the match, in Portuguese, are available for consultation with media companies that covered the friendly.
    "Yes, I did lament the fact, condemn any and all prejudice, but I repeat, at no time did I accuse anybody. So I do not understand why I have to retract what I said. The requirement from the Scottish, after all that happened, seems somewhat ironic, since, if there has been prejudice, it is us, the players, who should 'require' a formal apology."
    Neymar said he had declared the matter closed in his post-match interviews. "I spent a great time with my family in the UK and even stayed a day longer than planned. I only have praise for the way I was treated at every place we visited. The hospitality my family was offered was an honour for us. They were unforgettable days. That said, for my part, I consider the matter closed."
    Speaking after the game, Neymar had said the banana incident was "sad" and claimed he had been the subject of vocal abuse from spectators, which he felt was racist. He told the Brazilian television channel Sportv: "The entire stadium was jeering. This atmosphere of racism is totally sad.
    "We leave our country to play here and something like this happens. It's sad. I'd rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating."

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Brazil's Neymar refuses to apologise to Scotland for racism claims

• Striker says he did not accuse supporters of racism
• Commends his reception in the UK

  • Press Association
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 09.57 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Neymar-005.jpg
    Neymar scored both Brazil's goals in their 2-0 win over Scotland at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: Jamie Mcdonald/Getty Images The Brazil striker Neymar has refused to apologise to the Scottish Football Association for complaining of racist abuse during a match against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
    The SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, wrote to the Brazilian federation request an apology for Scottish fans, which he said would be welcomed either from Neymar or from the federation. However, Neymar has claimed he did not single out Scottish fans after the match. Consequently, he said he would retract his remarks.
    A banana was thrown on to the pitch and landed near Neymar, who scored both goals including a late penalty as his team won 2-0. Metropolitan Police have concluded it was thrown by a German student sitting in the area of the stadium reserved for Brazilian supporters. The confirmation that no Scotland supporters were involved led the SFA to defend the Tartan Army fans' group, who Regan claims were "genuinely upset and annoyed".
    Neymar, who also felt he had been subjected to racist jeering, posted a statement on his official website today.
    He wrote: "I was surprised on Thursday by a letter from the Scottish FA, in which they demand an apology from me or from the Brazilian Football Confederation regarding the incident involving a banana thrown toward the field during the Brazil v Scotland friendly on Sunday 27 March. Stewart Regan says that the 'accusations' made after the match cast doubt on the reputation of 'good-humoured and respectful' Scottish fans.'
    "At no time, even at the end of the game, still enveloped by the thrill of scoring the two goals that won the game, did I accuse any person or any group of supporters, of whatever nationality, of having committed such an act. All the interviews I gave at the end of the match, in Portuguese, are available for consultation with media companies that covered the friendly.
    "Yes, I did lament the fact, condemn any and all prejudice, but I repeat, at no time did I accuse anybody. So I do not understand why I have to retract what I said. The requirement from the Scottish, after all that happened, seems somewhat ironic, since, if there has been prejudice, it is us, the players, who should 'require' a formal apology."
    Neymar said he had declared the matter closed in his post-match interviews. "I spent a great time with my family in the UK and even stayed a day longer than planned. I only have praise for the way I was treated at every place we visited. The hospitality my family was offered was an honour for us. They were unforgettable days. That said, for my part, I consider the matter closed."
    Speaking after the game, Neymar had said the banana incident was "sad" and claimed he had been the subject of vocal abuse from spectators, which he felt was racist. He told the Brazilian television channel Sportv: "The entire stadium was jeering. This atmosphere of racism is totally sad.
    "We leave our country to play here and something like this happens. It's sad. I'd rather not even talk about it, to keep the subject from escalating." Football

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Valdano: Jose will bring success


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Updated Mar 31, 2011 1:23 PM ET
Real Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano has predicted coach Jose Mourinho will provide the club with "many glorious afternoons".
Valdano and Mourinho have endured a fractious relationship since the Portuguese arrived at the Bernabeu last summer, with hostilities between the two at times barely concealed.

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Mourinho demands more control than most coaches in Spain and that has necessitated Valdano taking a step back.
But the former Argentina international denied the situation had made his life difficult.
"I have always felt comfortable at Real Madrid," he told realmadrid.com. "My role is more of an institutional one now compared to before and my job entails matters that are not only related to sports.
"I said I would distance myself from the team following the Copa del Rey match against Sevilla and I have done just that.
"Mourinho is the leader of a team that continues improving from a football standpoint and I am sure it will bring us many glorious afternoons.
"He feels protected by the club and feels more comfortable every day, as he himself recently stated.
"That goal has been accomplished and that is what it is all about, being that he is an important person within the club.
"The team is more competitive each day."
Valdano also stated his relationship with president Florentino Perez remains as strong as ever.
"I have a close relationship with Florentino Perez," he said. "I have a lot of faith in him and I feel comfortable and secure.
"He has not changed as a person. He continues thinking big and continues loving this club.
"He is very demanding and he lays out the strategy. He knows exactly what Real Madrid members want and time has proven him right."
 

Stewart Downing: Players are to blame for Aston Villa's poor season

&#8226; Midfielder defends under-pressure manager Gerárd Houllier
&#8226; Houllier criticised by fans after run of one win in six games




  • Stuart James
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 22.30 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Stewart-Downing-Aston-Vil-007.jpg
    Stewart Downing, right, says the Aston Villa players have been the villains of their season not the manager Gérard Houllier. Photograph: Peter Ford/Action Images Stewart Downing believes the Aston Villa players must take their share of the responsibility for a disastrous season that has left the club fighting to avoid relegation.
    Villa travel to Everton on Saturday only one point above the bottom three and with pressure mounting on the manager Gérard Houllier after a run of one win in six Premier League matches. Houllier faced severe criticism from the club's supporters after the 1-0 home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers a fortnight ago, when the team were booed off.
    Downing, however, believes that the finger of blame for Villa's transformation from top-six contenders to relegation strugglers should be pointed at a squad replete with internationals. "It was tough at the start when Martin [O'Neill] left four or five days before the start of the season," said Downing. "Kev [MacDonald] came in and did quite well and then we knew Gérard was coming in. [But] I don't think we can blame the management [for what has happened]. It is the same set of players without James Milner.
    "I have not spoken to [Houllier] about the abuse he got [from the fans]. But he seems fine and is smiling and talking to the lads. It is not very nice for him but he has been in football a long time and I am sure he understands why these things go on. I think it is easy to blame him because he is at the helm. But no matter what team he picks, we have to go out and get the points. He can instruct us to do things and if anyone is to blame it is us as a team."
    Downing suffered relegation with Middlesbrough in 2009, when he was the club's captain, but he believes that the current Villa side is much better equipped to survive. "We had a lot younger team with a lot of players playing their first season in the Premier League," said Downing, recalling his time with Middlesbrough. "I was probably one of the oldest players at 24-25. Here there are a lot of experienced players. We are probably a lot stronger than that Middlesbrough team."
    At the end of that season, Downing joined Villa for £12m, although he had to wait until November to make his debut for the Midlands club because of a toe injury picked up playing for Middlesbrough. He remains indebted to Villa for the belief they showed in him at a time when he was on crutches. "On a personal note I want to do well because it was a serious injury and the club put a lot of faith in me," said Downing.

 

Stewart Downing: Players are to blame for Aston Villa's poor season

• Midfielder defends under-pressure manager Gerárd Houllier
• Houllier criticised by fans after run of one win in six ga Stuart James
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 22.30 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Stewart-Downing-Aston-Vil-007.jpg
    Stewart Downing, right, says the Aston Villa players have been the villains of their season not the manager Gérard Houllier. Photograph: Peter Ford/Action Images Stewart Downing believes the Aston Villa players must take their share of the responsibility for a disastrous season that has left the club fighting to avoid relegation.
    Villa travel to Everton on Saturday only one point above the bottom three and with pressure mounting on the manager Gérard Houllier after a run of one win in six Premier League matches. Houllier faced severe criticism from the club's supporters after the 1-0 home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers a fortnight ago, when the team were booed off.
    Downing, however, believes that the finger of blame for Villa's transformation from top-six contenders to relegation strugglers should be pointed at a squad replete with internationals. "It was tough at the start when Martin [O'Neill] left four or five days before the start of the season," said Downing. "Kev [MacDonald] came in and did quite well and then we knew Gérard was coming in. [But] I don't think we can blame the management [for what has happened]. It is the same set of players without James Milner.
    "I have not spoken to [Houllier] about the abuse he got [from the fans]. But he seems fine and is smiling and talking to the lads. It is not very nice for him but he has been in football a long time and I am sure he understands why these things go on. I think it is easy to blame him because he is at the helm. But no matter what team he picks, we have to go out and get the points. He can instruct us to do things and if anyone is to blame it is us as a team."
    Downing suffered relegation with Middlesbrough in 2009, when he was the club's captain, but he believes that the current Villa side is much better equipped to survive. "We had a lot younger team with a lot of players playing their first season in the Premier League," said Downing, recalling his time with Middlesbrough. "I was probably one of the oldest players at 24-25. Here there are a lot of experienced players. We are probably a lot stronger than that Middlesbrough team."
    At the end of that season, Downing joined Villa for £12m, although he had to wait until November to make his debut for the Midlands club because of a toe injury picked up playing for Middlesbrough. He remains indebted to Villa for the belief they showed in him at a time when he was on crutches. "On a personal note I want to do well because it was a serious injury and the club put a lot of faith in me," said Downing.
 
Barca allay Messi injury fears


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Updated Mar 31, 2011 8:29 AM ET
Barcelona have confirmed Argentina forward Lionel Messi does not have a muscular injury - and he could face Villarreal on Saturday.

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The 23-year-old missed Argentina's friendly with Costa Rica this week because of a worry over his right groin, but Barcelona are satisfied it is nothing serious and he could yet face Villarreal on Saturday.
"Leo Messi arrived this morning at Barcelona, along with his team-mates (Diego) Milito and (Javier) Mascherano," read a club statement.
"After completing tests the doctors have ruled out any adductor muscle injury in his right leg.
"The player will continue physio treatment until Saturday and will then be evaluated ahead of the match against Villarreal."
Fellow forward Bojan Krkic is a doubt for the trip to El Madrigal after straining his ankle while playing for Spain Under-21s on Monday.
 
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  • Report Abuse Sangre_Celeste
    • 4/1/2011 11:36:20 AM
    It's not just CR, its any Portugese player. Which, really, it's ok to support your national team, but not every player. It's like someone defending Balotelli b/c they are Italian (or Ghanain). It's like me defending Colochini or Di Michelis.
  • Report Abuse bargentina
    • 4/1/2011 10:42:24 AM
    Another tread ruined by a childish hater. Then again, when CR is your hero what else can you expect. To answer your earlier remark, no I don't need to know any player personally to judge their behavior ON THE FIELD. I'm just trying to explain to you why people question CR's actions more then Messi's. And that's simple because his character on the field is one of far more class and humbleness. But go ahead, keep sticking up for CR. Someone has to.
  • Report Abuse Sangre_Celeste
    • 4/1/2011 10:18:21 AM
    I'd say it defeats the purpose when you call someone out for incorrect spelling, and then make that mistake. This stupid old man feels as if he has to point out a very obvious analogy. I guess we should do him a favor and point ours out as well.

    Keeping a child caged up does not make her/him your wife.

    The clown has checked out.
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:42:05 PM
    I have a wife,four dogs and a black cat(huhhhhhh, scary) which walks all over my keyboard....
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:39:03 PM
    No Florida elephant, i am NOT lonely..
    hell if you are lonely get a dog, because your significant other apparently does NOT cut it with you anymore.
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:36:37 PM
    SevennSeven is lonely
    yup, that is why you are answering my posts....
    Nope, i am lonely and you are not..
    Don't cry for me Argentina..
    don't cry for me Argentina.
  • Report Abuse TigerTank1942
    • 3/31/2011 6:32:14 PM
    You must be really lonely 7up
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:31:01 PM
    Don't cry for me Argentina
    I am Evita Peron the *****
    I am your president and more.
    Don't cry for me Argentina.
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:26:48 PM
    Are you getting a good laugh or not Sangre Cceleste?
  • Report Abuse SevenNSeven
    • 3/31/2011 6:25:13 PM
    And your handle indicates that you do know that the tiger tanks where blown to pieces by patton's little tanks.
    leave it up to the germans to build tanks that where gas gusslers when they had NO PETRO.
    have i covered a lot bases here or not?
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Barcelona, Madrid wait on Messi, Ronaldo injuries


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Updated Mar 31, 2011 10:16 AM ET
Barcelona and Real Madrid head into Saturday's Spanish league matches waiting on injury worries to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona travels to third-place Villarreal with a five-point lead over Madrid but with Messi nursing a minor right leg problem that was discounted as serious by medical scans taken Thursday.

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"The good news is that he has no muscle injury, though he will have physiotherapy until Saturday, when a decision will be made on his availability for the La Liga game against Villarreal," the club said on its website.
The Argentina forward isn't the only player in danger of missing out on what could prove to be a decisive game in the league title race. Barcelona and Madrid meet on April 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with Madrid hoping to cut the points deficit before then.
Defenders Carles Puyol and Maxwell as well as forwards Pedro Rodriguez and Bojan Krkic are recovering from injuries that risk leaving the Catalans without a full squad at El Madrigal stadium. Midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez is also out due to suspension, while Eric Abidal continues to recuperate after an operation to remove a liver tumor.
Villarreal is on target for a record number of points in a season but Madrid's hopes it can snatch all three from the two-time defending champions could be wishful considering Barcelona is unbeaten on the road this campaign. It can set a club record 27th straight league game without defeat at Villarreal, after matching the original mark from 1974.
"We'll have to pretty much play perfectly to have a chance of beating them," Villarreal and Spain forward Santi Cazorla said. "Xavi and Puyol's absences are notable but they have enough players to fill in.
"I prefer to play against Messi because you always enjoy playing against great players. I just hope he doesn't have a typical day against us."
Villarreal is battling Valencia for third and the last automatic Champions League qualifying spot. The pair are tied on points, with Valencia at Getafe on Saturday.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, continues to be bothered by a lower left leg injury and Madrid coach Jose Mourinho may not risk the Portugal forward against Sporting Gijon with a Champions League match against Tottenham coming up on Tuesday.
Madrid is also likely to be without Karim Benzema, which leaves Emmanuel Adebayor as the most likely starting striker even though Gonzalo Higuain could make his return from injury. Argentina striker Higuain has been recovering from back surgery and is unlikely to be available for a full 90 minutes, after being sidelined since November.
Madrid will honor former player and recently retired Brazil striker Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu.
New Hercules coach Miroslaw Djukic makes his debut in Sunday's game at Real Sociedad after the last-place club fired Esteban Vigo on March 20. Hercules - the only team to beat Barcelona this season - hasn't scored an away goal in 11 matches and has lost nine of 11 to sit four points from safety with nine rounds to play.
The 30th round of games are being played as originally scheduled after a Madrid judge squashed a potential matchday work stoppage on Wednesday.
In Sunday's other games, it's: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Mallorca; Espanyol vs. Racing Santander; Levante vs. Malaga; Sevilla vs. Zaragoza; and Osasuna vs. Atletico Madrid.
On Monday, Almeria hosts sixth-place Athletic Bilbao.
 
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  • Report Abuse bargentina
    • 3/31/2011 11:52:45 AM
    Was Villa this inconsistant for Valencia? No way did he get set up with as many scoring chances as he now has with Barca. Seems like he feels he can be complacent on this team.
  • Report Abuse Diosesdel10
    • 3/31/2011 7:58:06 AM
    these guys get these injuries because they are Overworked Athletes at the TOP of Their Game.

    If theyweren't the BEST of the BEst, they'd be seriously injured.

    Hoping Madrid give ADe the Starting Spot and let Pipa come iin for a good 25-30 mins.

    And REALLY Hoping Pepe Rossi does his thing against Barca, showing them why theyneed to sign him.Ithink he'd dobetter than El Guaje has done there.

    Not so much for Real Madrid's title aspirations butfor Villareal's Champions League aspirations... maybe i'm lying, prollymore for RM tittle hopes, tho i still believe it's Barca's title.
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Hutton out for a month - Report


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Updated Apr 1, 2011 8:15 PM ET
01/04/2011 19:32 +0100

The Scot, who has played 27 times for the club this season, will now miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid - the first of which is in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. The news comes as a bitter blow to Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, who is already without a number of defenders. Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Younes Kaboul are all injured while William Gallas is a serious doubt for Saturday's match at Wigan and Tuesday's game in the Bernabeu because of a knee problem. Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong are Redknapp's only two fit natural centre-halves, while Hutton's rival at right-back, Vedran Corluka, can also play there if needed. The Spurs boss will now be hoping that none of Corluka, Bassong or Dawson is injured in Saturday's game at the DW Stadium. Should Spurs overcome the odds and beat Real Madrid, Hutton would likely miss the first leg of the Champions League semi-final but should be available for the return fixture.


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  • Report Abuse irishyid
    • 4/1/2011 8:24:09 PM
    Fooking injuries are piling up.
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Martinez: No favours from Spurs


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Updated Apr 1, 2011 2:15 PM ET
01/04/2011 13:26 +0100

The Spaniard is not expecting any favours from Tottenham at the DW Stadium, despite the Londoners having the glamour of a Champions League tie at Real Madrid to look forward to next Tuesday. Martinez believes Wigan will have to be at their best even if Spurs boss Harry Redknapp opts to hold certain players back ahead of the trip to the Bernabeu. Martinez said: "They have got such a wonderful squad. "I don't think they will play with 10 men! If they play with 11 they will have a great team out there. We will have to be perfect. "Nowadays these players are well used to playing a lot of games in a short period of time. "Their players have been involved at international level and they know how important it is to finish in the top four of the competition. "I don't believe you can afford to be on the football pitch and not be fully committed or think you are not 100%. I don't think that happens in football. "It is going to be two important games for Spurs and we expect a very tough game against them." Wigan boosted their chances of survival with a dramatic last-gasp win over fellow strugglers Birmingham on their last outing a fortnight ago. Beating Tottenham - a side which thrashed them 9-1 and 3-0 last season - would also earn Wigan an impressive double having won at White Hart Lane in August. Martinez added: "That would be a real achievement. "We all know the last two campaigns of Spurs, they have been phenomenal. They are making history. "We are playing Spurs in between them playing AC Milan and Real Madrid. "That shows you how far they have progressed and it is a real test for us. "They have wonderful, world-class players that can affect the game in one second. "The concentration levels are going to be really important. "But we are in a position where we cannot afford to look at the opposition. "We need to look at ourselves and reach a certain level in each game. We have to give our lives to get as many points as we can." Although bottom, Wigan are just three points off 13th and retain genuine hope despite spending most of the campaign in the relegation zone. In such a tight competition Martinez is aware that a good result against Spurs will mean little if it is not followed up by more strong performances. The former Swansea manager said: "From now until the end of the season the margins are going to be very small. "Points are going to get bigger and bigger in significance in the table. "We are looking at it as a whole. In the next eight games we need to get enough points to achieve our aim and the home fixtures are going to be very important." Wigan boast a full-strength squad and a pitch in fine condition after being relaid in February. Martinez accepts the surface will also help opponents play better football but that was not his main concern "We need to be as good as we can," he said. "The opposition are going to be very difficult to play against in whatever conditions we play in. "They are really good footballers, a very good team. We need a surface where we can be ourselves and impose ourselves on the game. "That will get the best out of the talented squad we have got. "We need to be focused on what we can do and how difficult we can make things for Spurs tomorrow. "If we allow them to impose themselves, they are very tough opposition."
 
Louis Saha out for the season as Everton's injury woes continue

&#8226; French striker has operation on injured ankle
&#8226; Saha 'probably won't be available again', says David Moyes



  • Andy Hunter
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 April 2011 22.30 BST <li class="history">Article history
    Evertons-Louis-Saha-007.jpg
    The Everton striker Louis Saha reacts after sustaining his season-ending ankle injury against his former club Fulham last month. Photograph: Paul Thomas/Action Images Louis Saha has suffered an all-too familiar injury setback, with David Moyes confirming the Everton striker is unlikely to play again this season following ankle surgery.
    The 32-year-old, Everton's leading scorer in all competitions this season with 10 goals, damaged ligaments when landing awkwardly against his former club Fulham two weeks ago and his fears of facing a lengthy lay-off have been confirmed by specialists.
    "He's really down and disappointed," said the Everton manager. "He's devastated in fact because he was getting a bit of form and finding a bit of consistency in being fit. But he's needed an operation on his ankle and probably won't be available again this season."
    Saha's career has been blighted by injury problems and he joins an extensive list of senior Everton players unavailable to Moyes. Marouane Fellaini is not expected to feature again this term due to a similar ankle problem, while Mikel Arteta has suffered a hamstring tear. Tim Cahill, Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman are among the doubts for Saturday's home game against Aston Villa and with Moyes unable to recall Yakubu Ayegbeni or James Vaughan from respective loans to Leicester City and Crystal Palace, he is reliant on raw strikers Jermaine Beckford and Victor Anichebe for the remainder of the campaign.
    Despite the latest reminder of the scarcity of resources at Goodison, Moyes has reiterated his intention to remain Everton manager for the long-term, albeit providing he receives assurances over the club's future from chairman Bill Kenwright and the board this summer.
    Moyes, who has two more seasons remaining on his contract, said: "I don't think my contract will need to be looked at this summer because it's not like a player. If the chairman wants to, then that's down to the chairman and the board. I'll have a chat with them at the end of the season.
    "I do see my long-term future here. I've no reason to think anything else. This could still end up not a bad season. But only at the end will I be able to have a look and ask, 'What do we need to do better?' or 'What have we got to do to improve?' I think there are assurances I would be hoping to get but at the moment it's not really on the agenda."
    Moyes, meanwhile, has backed Gérard Houllier to arrest Villa's alarming slump towards the relegation zone, providing his former Liverpool adversary is allowed time to implement changes. The Everton manager said: "They've introduced one or two new players and quite a few young players. There's a wee bit of a transition period going on there and you need to give the manager time to do that.
    "I really think Villa have got enough to stay up. They have got good players but it's the strangeness of the Premier League. Who knows? I don't think I could pick who the three are. I just wouldn't expect Aston Villa to be one of them."

 
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