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[h=1]Carlos Tevez faces Manchester City isolation but may find a way back[/h] Manchester City's owners will seek to balance backing Roberto Mancini with the need to avoid a dispute that could end in court



  • Carlos-Tevez-Roberto-Manc-007.jpg
    Manchester City's manager, Roberto Mancini, right, does not want to select Carlos Tevez again. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

    Manchester City are likely to level the maximum possible disciplinary sanction against Carlos Tevez and leave him out of the first team if their investigation finds he did refuse to take the field at Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, but they will stop short of sacking him.
    The undiminished fury throughout the club is understood to extend from the manager, Roberto Mancini, up to the owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and the chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, in Abu Dhabi. They are furious at Tevez not only for grossly offending the values of team sport but also, as they see it, staining City's first ever Champions League away match, which had taken three years' work and £600m of Mansour's money to attain.
    Yet senior figures at the club, overseeing the exhaustive task of reviewing television footage and interviewing everyone in the dugout, including Tevez and Mancini, to establish conclusively what happened in Munich, are also aware that the black-and-white instincts of football, to sack the Argentinian, may not be the best considered response.
    Tevez's accounts – saying after the match that he was not mentally prepared, then arguing the following morning there had been "a misunderstanding", followed by the suggestion he was only refusing to warm up again, but was ready to play – may look threadbare, but could give him enough rope to survive as an employee.
    City's directors and Mubarak, who handle multi-billion-pound investments and affairs of state in the other positions they hold in Abu Dhabi, have executive understanding of employment law and its tenet that summary sacking is an employer's ultimate sanction. Judges hearing a case – and ending up in court is an outcome City will want their review process to avoid – take a dim view if no attempt has been made at settling staff disputes first through disciplinary procedures or reconciliation.
    The fact that, by agreement with the Professional Footballers' Association, a fine of two weeks' wages is the most swingeing a football club can apply may not seem punishment enough, yet City will also see firmness in their support for however Mancini decides to play it thereafter. The manager will be seen as fully justified if he makes good on his post-match promise not to play Tevez for flagrantly defying a manager's necessary authority.
    For a sportsman seeming dislocated from his environs – in England for five years but still speaking few words of the language, living apart from his wife and children, falling out explosively with the club that pays him a galactic salary – playing football is agreed to be the force that gives Tevez his reason to be.
    Depriving him of that, or at least making him train and play with the reserves, will be a serious punishment and demonstrate support for Mancini, while also showing City's other players that the club is prepared to do just that, however much it pays them.
    Senior figures at the club are adamant they do not want to be forced to sell Tevez at a swingeing loss on the £47m they paid, which is why they did not easily allow him to leave for Corinthians for a mooted €40m (£34.7m) last summer and insisted on bank guarantees, which were not forthcoming.
    All of which leaves open the faintest possibility of reconciliation. Beyond the outrage about the striker's conduct on Tuesday, he is a world-class footballer to whom the club pays £250,000 a week, and the best outcome for all concerned, and the club as a whole, is for Tevez to be making his trademark wholehearted contribution on the field.
    Mubarak understands that leadership is about making the right decisions for an organisation even, or especially, when they are difficult. Tevez's statement, that he was and remains ready to play, has the tiniest beginnings of the huge new leaf he will have to turn over if he is to win back favour.
    He has his grumbles of course: he believes his relegation to brief substitute appearances has not been managed with great respect by Mancini. Tevez's world-view – centred firmly on his own place in it – recalls he has been crucial over two seasons to Mancini winning City their first trophy, the FA Cup, for 35 years and raising the club to a level at which other major stars would be prepared to sign.
    Tevez observes that once such players started to arrive, notably Sergio Agüero, and Edin Dzeko, who has delivered his own apology, Mancini has acted high-handedly, banishing Tevez to a few minutes here and there rather than employing him as a still-valued member of the squad.
    The correct way to make such feelings known is not to show defiance when asked by the manager to come on with the team 2-0 down at the Allianz Arena. Nevertheless, Mancini's post-match reaction, that Tevez "must never play for the club again" does not have to be written in stone for City to be seen to support the manager.
    If the Argentinian can find it in himself to take his punishment, knuckle down and, as the management at City are seeking with their response, do the right thing, there could still be a way back for Tevez, the seething embodiment of modern football, and his sadly tarnished image

 
[h=2]Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal, 4pm Sunday 2 October[/h] [h=1]Arsène Wenger takes aim at Manchester City collecting strikers[/h] • Arsenal manager says he will not talk about transfers
• Harry Redknapp wants Spurs to be London's top club




  • David Hytner and Jamie Jackson
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 23.03 BST Article history
    Robin-van-Persie-007.jpg
    Arsenal's Robin van Persie is said to be of interest to Manchester City in place of Carlos Tevez, to Arsène Wenger's dismay. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

    Arsène Wenger has reacted with belligerence and no little cynicism to Manchester City's interest in Robin van Persie, maintaining that his captain at Arsenal is under contract for a further two years and will not be sold.
    City are exploring the option of signing a striker in January, following the controversy that has engulfed Carlos Tevez, who has been suspended after his refusal to play as a substitute at Bayern Munich on Tuesday, and Van Persie, whom City have admired for some time, has been talked of as a possible solution. The Holland international is in no hurry to discuss a contract extension at Arsenal and has suggested that it would be better if he were to wait until next summer, which has not only caused alarm behind the scenes at the club but has been noted with interest at City.
    Wenger is no fan of how City have used the petrodollars of Abu Dhabi to press for major honours and he clashed with them this summer, when he felt they had unsettled the midfielder Samir Nasri before buying him for £24m. Nasri became the fourth player to leave Arsenal for City in recent times, after Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Touré and Gaël Clichy, and Wenger was exasperated at the link with Van Persie.
    "Anybody who wants to sign one of our players … everybody has my phone number and can call me," he said. "I never said I was unhappy with Man City but I don't know why we speak about transfers. I will never answer any more. Robin is under contract until 2013. This is a story created to create a story. There is no truth in it. Why should we sell players in January? Man City already have problems because they have too many strikers, they pay half of the league for them to play away somewhere. Why should they want to buy strikers? It's very difficult to understand."
    Wenger, in cagey and defensive mood before his team's visit to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, believes City should not be allowed to subsidise their players' wages while they are on loan at other Premier League clubs. He feels it gives them an unfair hold over the competition and he would be particularly aggrieved if Adebayor, who is on loan at Tottenham, made a decisive contribution to the derby.
    "I know the salary of Adebayor," Wenger said. "I don't know who pays it but somebody must pay it. I don't agree with the rules but my job is to adapt to the rules. If the Premier League wants my opinion, I will give them my opinion with pleasure."
    Wenger marked the 15th anniversary of his appointment at Arsenal with defiance and zero fanfare. "Maybe people expected us to crumble completely with the start that we had but they don't know us well enough," he said. "We have a very strong mentality. Don't come to quick conclusions, there is a long way to go."
    He bristled when asked about his encounters with Tottenham's supporters. "I know who I am and I don't need to know what people chant to know who I am," he said. "The advantage of having experience in life is that you know who you are and you depend much less on what people say."
    The Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, believes now is the time for his team to become "top dogs" in London, an achievement that, by putting them above Arsenal and Chelsea, would almost certainly guarantee them a Champions League berth. The last occasion Spurs finished as the capital's best side was in 1995. When Redknapp was asked if his team can achieve dominance he said: "Yeah, but if I start saying we should be top dogs and then they go and chin us on Sunday, then everyone says: 'Serves him right for opening his big mouth.'"
    Tottenham stand four points behind Chelsea and two ahead of Arsenal after three consecutive wins, with the signing of Scott Parker in the summer strengthening their hopes of finishing above them. Redknapp said he believed at one stage Arsenal were favourites to sign the midfielder.
    "We wanted him and Arsenal were always the team," Redknapp said. "And then Chelsea came in for [him] and I thought maybe he might go there but I thought Arsenal might take him." Redknapp said Parker's first choice was Spurs. "He is not going to move up north. I think Tottenham was the move he really wanted."
    Aaron Lennon is a doubt against Arsenal due to a groin strain but Redknapp is happy with the form of his players. "We've got good options," he said. "Jermain [Defoe] was injured last week so Rafa [van der Vaart] came back in and played off Adebayor and we played slightly differently. Luka [Modric] played wide, Sandro played central with Parker, that was a good combination, two very strong players in there. So we have some good problems to have. Lots of good players."

 

[h=2]Everton v Liverpool, noon Saturday 1 October[/h] [h=1]How 25 years of poor planning left Merseyside trailing Manchester[/h] Back in 1986 Liverpool and Everton were England's top clubs but now they play second fiddle to their neighbours




  • The-rundown-area-around-A-007.jpg
    The area around Anfield, where Liverpool remain thanks to planning problems and a lack of strategy and cash. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

    The short, history-suffused walk from Anfield to Goodison Park often transports pedestrians back in time. Emerging from the maze of tight Victorian terraces surrounding Liverpool's ground, the route winds gently downhill across the green expanse of Stanley Park, passing its imposing centrepiece, the beautifully restored, grade II-listed, 19th-century Isla Gladstone Conservatory.
    Down the years this monument to an era when, as the then gateway to the Americas, Liverpool was one of the British Empire's great ports has echoed to plenty of noise from the two stadiums each situated within half a mile of its precincts. The cheers can rarely have seemed louder than during the 1980s, when Merseyside gloried in its status as England's foremost football power and, for a time, Everton regularly challenged Liverpool for the title. Yet as the two great rivals reconvene at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime for the latest derby meeting, another city, 35 miles east along the M62, now arguably houses the two finest teams in the land.
    There are myriad reasons why Manchester United and Manchester City look so dominant but, leaving Stanley Park and stepping into the dense, terraced streets surrounding Goodison Park, it becomes clear that stadium location has much to do with the cities' respective football fortunes.
    Whereas Manchester United were surrounded by sufficient open space to enable them to dramatically expand Old Trafford, Manchester City's move, facilitated by the local council, from Maine Road into the former Commonwealth Games arena flanked by acres of disused brownfield land, proved a prime attraction when Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour sought a football investment for his petrodollars.
    David Fairclough was born nearby to both Merseyside clubs, and the former Liverpool striker describes their comparative decline as "an emotive subject for me which I blame on a lack of vision and foresight". One source of a problem with many roots can be identified at local government level.
    "Manchester as a city moved forward quicker than we did," Fairclough says. "Winning the race to become European Capital of Culture [for 2008] has changed everything but, until we won it, it was almost as if we were stuck in our own little republican bubble; people just accepted our world the way it was. Then everything changed. Liverpool is an amazing, fantastic place now, it's really buzzing and, despite the recession, this is the most exciting time in the city's regeneration I can remember. It's just a shame the current vision and foresight didn't come earlier – or extend to the football clubs."
    A lack of clear boardroom strategy, something compounded by cash shortages and sometimes truculent planning officials, certainly conspired to stymie development of Liverpool's long envisaged new citadel in Stanley Park. Similar stumbling blocks prefaced the collapse of first Everton's proposed move to an intended 55,000-capacity ground within the King's Dock regeneration area and then, more controversially, a mooted switch outside the city boundaries to a proposed site share with Tesco at Kirkby.
    As John W Henry, Liverpool's owner, ponders either extending Anfield or commencing digging in Stanley Park, Everton are torn between a necessarily limited expansion of Goodison or moving out of town. Not that Bill Kenwright, their financially challenged owner, can afford either option. A rare British face at the helm in a sphere peopled increasingly by American billionaires, Russian oligarchs, Gulf Arabs and Asian tigers, Kenwright seems almost as anachronistic as Goodison's charmingly atmospheric yet frustratingly impractical Victorian architecture.
    "Stadiums are not the entire story but Liverpool's should have all been sorted out years ago, it shouldn't even be an issue now, and it's the same for Everton," Fairclough says. "They've both paid the price for not having the vision to see they needed new grounds."
    The original Anfield "super sub" believes assorted Liverpool managers should also shoulder their share of blame. "When it came to refreshing the dressing room [with new players], one or two have maybe taken their eye off the ball," he says. "And I think a couple didn't grasp that winning the Premier League is more important than doing well in the Champions League."
    As head of restructuring and insolvency at the accountant PFK, Trevor Birch feels finding a new home is Everton's priority. Birch, a former chief executive at Goodison, points out that, considering Manchester United's matchday revenue is roughly five times that yielded by his old club, the manager, David Moyes, has performed miracles. "David is armed for hand-to-hand conflict but he's competing against armoured artillery," Birch says. "The gulf is just too great for Everton to compete when Manchester United earn £3m a game and Everton generate £500k-700k."
    He fears Kenwright will struggle to sell. "When someone looks at purchasing Everton they have to think about building a new stadium and that costs £300m to £400m. Who at a club which has incurred losses of £30m over the past five years is going to make that sort of investment?"
    While the applause reserved for Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, at this week's Labour party conference in Liverpool prompted mixed feelings among scousers of Red and Blue footballing persuasions, neither Moyes or Kenny Dalglish begrudge their fellow Glaswegian his moments of glory. "No one has any divine right to success," Liverpool's manager says. "You have to work for it. If someone is better than you, they're going to be successful."
    Dalglish declines to debate whetherobdurate city council bureaucrats have proved enemies of on-field meritocracy. "There's no point me getting involved in politics," he says. "I can't pass any educated comment. I would much rather Liverpool were the most successful team but we have to earn it. The responsibility is on us."
    If much of the wider resentment and suspicion involved in an inter-city rivalry, inflamed in 1894 when the newly opened Manchester Ship Canal prompted a decline in orders for Liverpudlian merchants, has faded now, the footballing enmity still burnsso fiercely that regaining top spot remains paramount. "Our years of success were amazing and they can return," Fairclough says. "I'm quite optimistic about Liverpool now. Kenny fits the bill as manager and the new owner seems to have the right balance between respecting the club's heritage and increasing revenue."
    A man who during the 1970s and 1980s won six League titles and three European Cups at Anfield is rather less confident about the Goodison prognosis. "Their situation is disappointing for the city, we need two strong teams," he says. "Everton are a bit worrying."
    Additional reporting by Andy Hunter

 

[h=1] [/h]
[h=1]Carlos Tevez affair has strengthened Manchester City's Roberto Mancini[/h] The manager might have dealt better with Carlos Tevez and his team were badly beaten but the club and fans are behind him




  • David Conn
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 23.03 BST Article history
    tevez-and-mancini-007.jpg
    Carlos Tevez sits behind the manager Roberto Mancini during this month's draw at Fulham. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

    At the unusually packed Manchester City press conference with Roberto Mancini an elephant was in the room and its name was Carlos Tevez. City prefaced proceedings with a statement. The club's in-house lawyer, Simon Cliff, was in attendance and had ordered that no questions, "direct or indirect", would be permitted on the Tevez affair, which is consuming the club in heart and mind. This was in order "to safeguard the integrity of the investigation" into Tevez's non-performance in Munich, which City are conducting so seriously that Cliff is centrally involved in it.
    Journalists, then, took turns feeding Mancini bait with angelic innocence, tiptoeing round the elephant with: How is team morale? Are things back to normal? Have you calmed down since Tuesday?
    Mancini did not bite. Instead he enjoyed the stage and the proscribed harmlessness of the questioning. Morale is good, he promised. "We are not in a difficult moment," he said, with assurance. "We are on top of the table," he pointed out. "We can have a fantastic season." Smiling, lean, loving the unseasonal sunshine – "The weather is incredible; I do not know why …" – he appeared genuinely relaxed. And so he embodied the mighty paradox produced by City's week from hell.
    Whatever the club decides to do with its errant former captain and poster boy at the end of its corporate investigation, Mancini has already won. Tevez's defiance of the manager at the Allianz Arena has resulted in Mancini being wholly supported by the men who own and run City. The entire management, up to the owner, Sheikh Mansour, whom Mancini was political enough to call "the most important person at the club", have united behind the manager to show Tevez who is boss.
    All the skirting round the big questions hanging in the room meant that others have not been asked of Mancini. One could almost forget that what actually happened on Tuesday was that Mansour's extravagantly expensive City team were thumped 2-0 by a Bayern Munich side who were better drilled and more knowing than City's collection of stars; and that before the game Jérôme Boateng said, with inside knowledge, that the Sheikh's millionaire acquisitions lacked the "togetherness" that the German defender now finds more rewarding at Bayern.
    City tried to brush that off but then went down to a quicker, more purposeful Bayern team: Edin Dzeko flounced, Pablo Zabaleta struggled to keep his head and Tevez, as he seems to need to do, claimed the headlines for himself with his ultimate defiance. "Togetherness," on the highest stage, did seem rather lacking.
    Mansour set his sights on the Champions League when he acquired and began to mega-fund City three years ago. After Bayern's victory and Napoli's shrewdly achieved 1-1 draw at Eastlands two weeks earlier City, for all their money, now face a challenge to qualify from the group stage. Yet the Tevez madness has meant few questions have been asked about this more meaningful business of the week.
    Asked if there really is team spirit at City and not just, as some including Boateng are saying, an assembly of supremely well-paid individuals, Mancini replied: "When you build a new team, which started two and a half years ago, it is important to have good players and also good men. With good men you can build a strong team for the future. This is very important. When you have good men, you can lose some games and it is not important, but in the end you can achieve your target 100%. I have good men. I am sure of this."
    Tevez's behaviour this week has directly challenged that claim, that City's galactico-style squad is shaped into a team by a core of character. The new City, dedicated to conducting themselves in a proper, sophisticated manner, have a recruitment policy underpinned by Brian Marwood, their head of football administration. He compiles hefty dossiers on even the best-known players, incorporating details on their character, for the board to consider before approving another multi-million-pound purchase. Marwood has explained that the signings of Yaya Touré and Patrick Vieira were made to install players who had experience of winning on the biggest stages. The chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, on his trip to City for the Napoli game, said he believed Mancini now had the squad he wanted and needed.
    As City's stated policy, delivered at almost unlimited expense, is to have two high-quality players in each position, managerial skill was always going to be vital in handling the top-class players who were necessarily left out. Tevez sulks that now Sergio Agüero and Dzeko have arrived and he is no longer the first name, after the goalkeeper Joe Hart, on Mancini's teamsheet; he has not been treated with befitting respect. The fact that his reaction in Munich to such perceived indignity was so outrageous has meant the club and fans have united behind the manager, and nobody is asking whether Mancini might have dealt with Tevez's barrel-sized ego a little more effectively. When managers are asked how they will cope with upset in-form players who have been left out, the standard English answer has always been: "It's a nice problem to have." Yet here, leaving out Tevez has produced a problem, however much it was the player's own fault, that is so great we cannot even mention its name for legal reasons.
    Admirable a football man as he is, there are questions to be asked of Mancini. The crumpled nature of Serie A following match-fixing scandals meant that his three titles with Internazionale were not won against the mightiest possible opposition and his sides were out-thought and out-fought in the Champions League. He has yet to prove he is one of the great European coaches, able to instil true team purpose in players taking the Sheikh's shilling. Napoli, having survived a first-half pounding at Eastlands, worked out that City's creative threat mostly comes through David Silva; they wrapped him up in the second half and nearly pinched a win. Tactically, the questions are there, at the top.
    If any of this was playing on the minds of the men in Abu Dhabi – not that they were thinking of removing Mancini after the mess that was Mark Hughes's sacking – it has been swept aside now as the club rallies to support what Sir Alex Ferguson called "the authority of the manager". It is a very basic position that Manchester City are in, with lawyers, executives, the board, Mubarak and Mansour buried in a process to assert their manager's authority over a player who had always been known, for all his faults, to give 100% and who lifted the FA Cup for City four months ago.
    The unintended consequence of Tevez's antics in Munich is that the manager he so impudently defied has finished the week of a 2-0 Champions League defeat immeasurably stronger. Smiling, relaxed, supported, Mancini's camp even let it be known this week that once Tevez is gone – which could be at great expense, ultimately to Mansour – they could quite fancy Robin van Persie, yet another Arsenal gem, to add to his collection.

 

[h=4]Series: The Secret Footballer[/h] Previous | Index

[h=1] [/h]
[h=1]The Secret Footballer: There are few things worse than faking injury[/h] Feign injury, or 'throw one in', and you will never be treated with the same respect again by fellow professionals




  • Being-injured-is-a-misera-007.jpg
    Being injured is a miserable experience. The monotony of rehabilitation can send a player over the edge. Photograph: Markku Ulander/The Guardian

    The saddest part of Carlos Tevez's apparent refusal to play in Munich on Tuesday night was that, physically, there was nothing to stop him. Apart from being supremely gifted, the Manchester City forward is also healthy and fit. How those players recovering from serious injuries, such as Jack Wilshere, Stuart Holden and Tom Huddlestone, must have wanted to hurl a crutch through their TV sets.
    It is hard enough to miss out on a place in the team through merit, but at least the chance of getting some match time remains a possibility when you are fit. Spirits can also be kept high from training and mixing with the squad in the usual way. There is, however, no consolation when you are sidelined with an injury, especially when it is a serious one. From the loneliness of the treatment room to the reaction of your peers (who on the rare occasions that you bump into them talk to you as if you have some kind of incurable disease), being injured is a thoroughly miserable experience.
    The monotony that accompanies months of rehabilitation is enough to send a player over the edge. The best physios I have worked with are the ones that treat you on a one-to-one basis, engaging in your recovery and talking you through every step. The worst physio I ever had used to hand me the same sheet of paper every day with an upper-body weights circuit written on it before wandering off around the training pitch all morning watching five-a-sides. I may not be a medical expert but I know that bench pressing your own bodyweight every day for a month is no cure for a torn hamstring.
    There are times when you can be made to feel guilty if you are injured, and more than one manager I played under made the conscious decision to move the gym as close as possible to the training pitches, so that those players undergoing rehab would do so staring at their team-mates running around without a care in the world. It may have been paranoia on my part brought about by not playing, but I'm sure the coaching sessions looked twice as much fun as they were when I was involved. Had I not had something to focus on every day, I think I could well have lost my mind under an avalanche of core balls and treadmills.
    Even today, with so much medical knowledge at hand, there are a number of managers who are deeply sceptical when it comes to passing judgment on whether or not a player is genuinely injured. It is, though, true to say that some players appear to have a lower pain threshold than others, for even the slightest of knocks. In fact, if one were to look at a few of them through the eyes of an experienced manager then it might be argued that some players are suffering from nothing more than a metaphorically weak heart.
    For the record, feigning injury, or "throwing one in", as it is often known, is one of the worst things that a player can do in the eyes of his fellow pros. Fortunately, I have only encountered it a small number of times and on each occasion the player in question was never treated with the same respect again. Anyone wondering how an injury can be disproved would do well to bend the ear of a disgruntled physio whose professionalism and loyalty are being severely compromised by a player trying to pull a fast one.
    There are, of course, financial implications to being injured but missing out on bonuses and appearance fees are part and parcel of not playing anyway. And while Premier League players won't necessarily have to fend off their bank managers, there are many lower down the leagues for whom injury can severely compromise their financial position.
    Conversely, I know one or two players who have lost out on huge contracts – we're talking tens of thousands of pounds a week – because they have suffered an injury in the middle of negotiations. Although it is often possible to return to peak fitness, they are not always able to get back to the boardroom table with quite the same bargaining power. Not that it is all about money. Whenever I have been injured my first thought has always been: "How long until I can play again?" And I genuinely believe that is the case with 99% of players.
    Our greatest fear is that we will go through the same sort of experience as the friend of mine who will probably be reading this column in a taxi. A serious knee injury just as he was about to sign his first big-money contract ultimately put paid to his football career and forced him to find gainful employment with the local cab firm. Most players know someone with a similar story, yet it doesn't always stop them from taking a risk by cutting corners with their private medical insurance.
    At least my friend knew when to stop playing, doing so before he did his body any real long-term damage. While I feel a great deal of admiration for the attitude and determination of players such as Owen Hargreaves to ultimately prevail, the lasting effects on a body that takes such a battering from the demands of top-level football makes me anxious, from a health point of view, for their future quality of life.
    The highs of football are more than matched by the lows, and they don't get much lower than being seriously injured with all the time in the world to battle against the negative thoughts going round in your head. Football can often become routine and sometimes you really don't appreciate what you have until somebody takes it away. If the prospect of playing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League no longer does it for Tevez, then I'd hate to see him staring at the same four walls in the treatment room.
    Follow the Secret Football on Twitter @TSFGuardian

 

[h=4]Series: The Secret Footballer[/h] Previous | Index

[h=1] [/h]
[h=1]The Secret Footballer: There are few things worse than faking injury[/h] Feign injury, or 'throw one in', and you will never be treated with the same respect again by fellow professionals




  • Being-injured-is-a-misera-007.jpg
    Being injured is a miserable experience. The monotony of rehabilitation can send a player over the edge. Photograph: Markku Ulander/The Guardian

    The saddest part of Carlos Tevez's apparent refusal to play in Munich on Tuesday night was that, physically, there was nothing to stop him. Apart from being supremely gifted, the Manchester City forward is also healthy and fit. How those players recovering from serious injuries, such as Jack Wilshere, Stuart Holden and Tom Huddlestone, must have wanted to hurl a crutch through their TV sets.
    It is hard enough to miss out on a place in the team through merit, but at least the chance of getting some match time remains a possibility when you are fit. Spirits can also be kept high from training and mixing with the squad in the usual way. There is, however, no consolation when you are sidelined with an injury, especially when it is a serious one. From the loneliness of the treatment room to the reaction of your peers (who on the rare occasions that you bump into them talk to you as if you have some kind of incurable disease), being injured is a thoroughly miserable experience.
    The monotony that accompanies months of rehabilitation is enough to send a player over the edge. The best physios I have worked with are the ones that treat you on a one-to-one basis, engaging in your recovery and talking you through every step. The worst physio I ever had used to hand me the same sheet of paper every day with an upper-body weights circuit written on it before wandering off around the training pitch all morning watching five-a-sides. I may not be a medical expert but I know that bench pressing your own bodyweight every day for a month is no cure for a torn hamstring.
    There are times when you can be made to feel guilty if you are injured, and more than one manager I played under made the conscious decision to move the gym as close as possible to the training pitches, so that those players undergoing rehab would do so staring at their team-mates running around without a care in the world. It may have been paranoia on my part brought about by not playing, but I'm sure the coaching sessions looked twice as much fun as they were when I was involved. Had I not had something to focus on every day, I think I could well have lost my mind under an avalanche of core balls and treadmills.
    Even today, with so much medical knowledge at hand, there are a number of managers who are deeply sceptical when it comes to passing judgment on whether or not a player is genuinely injured. It is, though, true to say that some players appear to have a lower pain threshold than others, for even the slightest of knocks. In fact, if one were to look at a few of them through the eyes of an experienced manager then it might be argued that some players are suffering from nothing more than a metaphorically weak heart.
    For the record, feigning injury, or "throwing one in", as it is often known, is one of the worst things that a player can do in the eyes of his fellow pros. Fortunately, I have only encountered it a small number of times and on each occasion the player in question was never treated with the same respect again. Anyone wondering how an injury can be disproved would do well to bend the ear of a disgruntled physio whose professionalism and loyalty are being severely compromised by a player trying to pull a fast one.
    There are, of course, financial implications to being injured but missing out on bonuses and appearance fees are part and parcel of not playing anyway. And while Premier League players won't necessarily have to fend off their bank managers, there are many lower down the leagues for whom injury can severely compromise their financial position.
    Conversely, I know one or two players who have lost out on huge contracts – we're talking tens of thousands of pounds a week – because they have suffered an injury in the middle of negotiations. Although it is often possible to return to peak fitness, they are not always able to get back to the boardroom table with quite the same bargaining power. Not that it is all about money. Whenever I have been injured my first thought has always been: "How long until I can play again?" And I genuinely believe that is the case with 99% of players.
    Our greatest fear is that we will go through the same sort of experience as the friend of mine who will probably be reading this column in a taxi. A serious knee injury just as he was about to sign his first big-money contract ultimately put paid to his football career and forced him to find gainful employment with the local cab firm. Most players know someone with a similar story, yet it doesn't always stop them from taking a risk by cutting corners with their private medical insurance.
    At least my friend knew when to stop playing, doing so before he did his body any real long-term damage. While I feel a great deal of admiration for the attitude and determination of players such as Owen Hargreaves to ultimately prevail, the lasting effects on a body that takes such a battering from the demands of top-level football makes me anxious, from a health point of view, for their future quality of life.
    The highs of football are more than matched by the lows, and they don't get much lower than being seriously injured with all the time in the world to battle against the negative thoughts going round in your head. Football can often become routine and sometimes you really don't appreciate what you have until somebody takes it away. If the prospect of playing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League no longer does it for Tevez, then I'd hate to see him staring at the same four walls in the treatment room.
    Follow the Secret Football on Twitter @TSFGuardian

 

[h=2]Manchester United v Norwich City 3pm Saturday 1 October[/h] [h=1]Rooney and Hernández can match Yorke and Cole, says Sir Alex Ferguson[/h] • Manchester United's top strikers back to face Norwich
• Javier Hernández 'can score 25 goals in a season'




  • Andy Hunter
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 23.03 BST Article history
    Javier-Hern-ndez-Manchest-007.jpg
    Javier Hernández returns from injury for United against Norwich, along with his strike partner Wayne Rooney. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

    Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández can match Manchester United's attack during the 1999 treble-winning season as he welcomes the forwards back from injury to play against Norwich City.
    The United manager confirmed Rooney has recovered from the hamstring strain that sidelined the England international against Stoke City and Basel, while Hernández is over the dead leg he suffered at the Britannia Stadium which also kept him out of the 3-3 Champions League draw with the Swiss champions.
    Despite an impressive start to the season by Danny Welbeck, Ferguson admits Rooney and the Mexico international carry United's greatest threat and believes they could be the club's most potent partnership since Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed an instant rapport 12 years ago.
    "They haven't played a full season together yet," the United manager said. "Yorke and Cole scored 52 goals in that season between them, which was exceptional because Yorkie [had] just joined us. It was his first season. Unbelievable. I think Yorkie that season was probably one of the best strikers in Europe. For a first season player he was amazing. He and Andy just hit it off immediately. I would like to hope [Rooney and Hernández can emulate 52 goals] but you never know. It's a tough league."
    Ferguson did not discount the prospect, however. He added: "The goal threat was immense on a regular basis when Hernández came into the side just after Christmas. The boy has come back and scored two goals so far. I really do expect him to score 25 and over because he has got something in that box.
    "Wayne has had a fantastic start to the season and has got nine goals at the moment. The capability is there and I've got Welbeck, and I've got [Michael] Owen, and I've got [Dimitar] Berbatov, and I've got [Federico] Macheda and I've got [Mame Biram] Diouf. It's a terrific unit, that."
    The United manager reiterated his concern at the "cavalier" attitude from the Premier League champions that allowed Basel to recover a two-goal deficit at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
    Ferguson said: "People have said our performance on Tuesday was careless and we underestimated our opponents, and I think there is an element of truth about that. I certainly wasn't happy. Even in the first half I could smell we were too lax. We could have lost three goals in the first half. We could have scored three goals but that is the way we are playing at the moment. That cavalier attitude. Maybe people can enjoy it but it certainly doesn't win leagues. We have to be better defensively."

 

[h=2]Manchester United v Norwich City 3pm Saturday 1 October[/h] [h=1]Rooney and Hernández can match Yorke and Cole, says Sir Alex Ferguson[/h] • Manchester United's top strikers back to face Norwich
• Javier Hernández 'can score 25 goals in a season'




  • Andy Hunter
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 23.03 BST Article history
    Javier-Hern-ndez-Manchest-007.jpg
    Javier Hernández returns from injury for United against Norwich, along with his strike partner Wayne Rooney. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

    Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández can match Manchester United's attack during the 1999 treble-winning season as he welcomes the forwards back from injury to play against Norwich City.
    The United manager confirmed Rooney has recovered from the hamstring strain that sidelined the England international against Stoke City and Basel, while Hernández is over the dead leg he suffered at the Britannia Stadium which also kept him out of the 3-3 Champions League draw with the Swiss champions.
    Despite an impressive start to the season by Danny Welbeck, Ferguson admits Rooney and the Mexico international carry United's greatest threat and believes they could be the club's most potent partnership since Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed an instant rapport 12 years ago.
    "They haven't played a full season together yet," the United manager said. "Yorke and Cole scored 52 goals in that season between them, which was exceptional because Yorkie [had] just joined us. It was his first season. Unbelievable. I think Yorkie that season was probably one of the best strikers in Europe. For a first season player he was amazing. He and Andy just hit it off immediately. I would like to hope [Rooney and Hernández can emulate 52 goals] but you never know. It's a tough league."
    Ferguson did not discount the prospect, however. He added: "The goal threat was immense on a regular basis when Hernández came into the side just after Christmas. The boy has come back and scored two goals so far. I really do expect him to score 25 and over because he has got something in that box.
    "Wayne has had a fantastic start to the season and has got nine goals at the moment. The capability is there and I've got Welbeck, and I've got [Michael] Owen, and I've got [Dimitar] Berbatov, and I've got [Federico] Macheda and I've got [Mame Biram] Diouf. It's a terrific unit, that."
    The United manager reiterated his concern at the "cavalier" attitude from the Premier League champions that allowed Basel to recover a two-goal deficit at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
    Ferguson said: "People have said our performance on Tuesday was careless and we underestimated our opponents, and I think there is an element of truth about that. I certainly wasn't happy. Even in the first half I could smell we were too lax. We could have lost three goals in the first half. We could have scored three goals but that is the way we are playing at the moment. That cavalier attitude. Maybe people can enjoy it but it certainly doesn't win leagues. We have to be better defensively."

 
[h=1]Redknapp surprised Arsenal snubbed Parker[/h] Published 21:45 30/09/11 By Darren Lewis

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...-beat-him-to-Scott-Parker-article806577.html#
Wolves-Tottenham-Scott-Parker-Premier-League+cropped


Harry Redknapp is surprised Arsenal did not beat him to Scott Parker.
Arsene Wenger had been mulling over a move for the West Ham man for some time, with fans expecting the Frenchman to instil more solidity into his side.
But Redknapp managed to take advantage of Wenger's hesitation and land the England midfielder for Tottenham - and Parker has repaid the faith with an excellent start to the season.
On the eve of the first north London derby of the season, Redknapp said: "I thought maybe they would take Scotty. That was always my one concern.

"We wanted him and Arsenal were always the team and then Chelsea came in for him and I thought maybe he might go there. But I thought Arsenal might take him.
"They nearly took [defender Gary] Cahill from Bolton. I thought they wanted to take Scott. I could see him going there are one stage.
"I think in the end we went in for Scott when there was no-one else there, really. He is not going to move up north to wherever.
"And I think Tottenham was the move he really wanted."
Despite the problems at Arsenal in the early weeks of the season, Redknapp is guarding against writing off the Gunners too soon.
He added: "Arsene is having a bit of a dip, but he will come out of that. What is a dip? A few games? The season has only just started.
"If I start saying we should be top dogs and God knows what and they they go and chin us on Sunday, everyone will be saying: 'Serves him right for opening his big mouth!'
"But we are getting better and you need your best players.
"Man United without Rooney and one or two others are not as good.Arsenal without Vermaelen, Wilshere and one or two others are not the same.
"We are not as good if we haven't got one or two of our best players. That's football.
"Arsenal have injuries. Vermaelen is a top player and they have missed him."
Simon Bird's Premier League previews and predictions (Week 7)
Adebayor set to face former club Arsenal
Koscielny ruled out of Spurs match
Adebayor: I want six goals against Arsenal
Redknapp: Adebayor won't 'over-react' if he scores


​
 
[h=1]Arsenal tell RVP to shake Adebayor's hand[/h] Published 00:01 01/10/11 By John Cross

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...rth-London-derby-tensions-article806604.html#
robin-van-persie-arsenal-cropped


Robin Van Persie has been urged to shake hands with Emmanuel Adebayor before kickoff in tomorrow's north London derby.
Adebayor, on loan at Tottenham from Manchester City, is public enemy No.1 with Arsenal fans for allegedly stamping on ex-team-mate Van Persie's head in a September 2009 game, following his acrimonious exit to join City.
Van Persie did not shake hands with substitute Adebayor when City met Arsenal in April 2010 but both clubs are anxious that nothing is done to inflame tensions ahead of the White Hart Lane showdown.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has also told the club's fans not to abuse Adebayor.

"A *football game is a fantastic day that everyone has to enjoy and with a *positive atmosphere it is even better," he said.
"So let our fans get behind our team and forget about the rest."
Simon Bird's Premier League previews and predictions (Week 7)
Adebayor set to face former club Arsenal
Koscielny ruled out of Spurs match
Adebayor: I want six goals against Arsenal
EXCLUSIVE: Mertesacker's a lifelong Gooner
Redknapp surprised Arsenal snubbed Parker
Belief is key in north London derby - Pires
Wenger: My vision is to make Arsenal 'the best club in the world'
Arsenal chief pleased with 'very solid' financial results



​
 
[h=1]Baines 'could never play for Liverpool'[/h] Published 22:00 30/09/11 By David Maddock

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...-never-play-for-Liverpool-article806564.html#
Everton-Aston-Villa-Leighton-Baines-goal-Premier-League+cropped


Leighton Baines has revealed to Everton fans that their summer of misery in the transfer market could have been a whole lot worse.
On the eve of the Merseyside derby, the local boy and Goodison Park hero has lifted the lid on a daring plan by bitter rivals Liverpool to spirit him away across Stanley Park.
But before Blues supporters start reaching for their protest banners once more, Baines has insisted the dramatic transfer could never happen, even though he is desperate to take another step up in level.
"I was made aware of it, but as far as I am concerned, it was never an option," the England defender insisted. "When you're from Liverpool, it's either Liverpool or Everton, one and not the other.

"For me, it wouldn't have got beyond the story stage. You are one and you stick with that - you don't do both.
"If you're brought up in the area and know what it means to everyone, you understand it more. Once you know the people and you're a part of it, it's not something you do.
"But my mates were probably more aware of the stuff that was going around than I was.
"To be honest, because I'm playing, I find it a bit easier to detach myself.
"With some people, it's football and nothing else. Phil Neville is like that here, it's pretty much everything for him, but I try to detach myself and get into other things."
That's easier said than done when you're a Liverpool-born player who is idolised by the Blues and coveted by the Reds.
For Baines, it is made even harder by the fact his family has always been split down the middle between Anfield and Goodison.
Even his dad was a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool fan.
Baines Snr claims to have now finally switched allegiances, but his boy has his doubts!
"My family is still split," said the defender. "There has been no crossover to Everton from the Reds in my family since I joined the club. They still want Liverpool to win.
"All the cousins who I grew up with and who are a bit older than me, and were big Reds, are still the same. There is not the slightest bit of interest or compassion for the fact I'm playing for Everton.
"The only one who has come across is my dad, but he had to make a bit of an effort, what with being my dad, didn't he? I don't know if he still slyly roots for them but he comes to every home game and a lot of the aways and I'd say he definitely follows Everton now.
"I'll probably get him slaughtered by his mates for saying that. For all I know, he might still leg it down the boozer with a Liverpool scarf on when they're on telly!"
While Baines has insisted the connection with Liverpool was never a goer in the summer, he admits a link with German heavyweights Bayern Munich was far more serious.
And even though he is committed to the Everton cause, he does concede he yearns for a chance to play in the Champions League.
When pressed on whether he would have been tempted by Bayern, he confessed: "It is a hard question to answer. There was a stronger interest in that one. There was definitely something there but maybe it didn't get to the bid stage.
"It wouldn't be ideal leaving this league, but I do have ambitions to get to the Champions League level and hopefully the tide will turn at some point and enable us to do that here.
"It would mean a lot to do it here. It has been a while since Everton were at that level and it looks a tougher task, given the money other teams are spending.
"I do have those ambitions to play at that level. Sir Alex Ferguson said this week that the Champions League is bigger than anything and it is. It is the pinnacle and everyone would like to get there. I will just get my head down and keep doing what I am doing."
That means continuing to impress as possibly the best English left-back in the Premier League right now - and putting one over the old enemy on Saturday lunchtime.
Even if his family won't approve.
Simon Bird's Premier League previews and predictions (Week 7)
Moyes sweating on Cahill fitness ahead of Merseyside derby
Liverpool's Gerrard unlikely to start derby
Dalglish: Merseyside derby isn't what it was
EXCLUSIVE: Rodwell issues derby-day warning
Moyes: Financial clout is irrelevant on derby day
Dalglish not worried about poor defensive record


​
 
[h=1]Chelsea boss admits: I'm a petrol-head[/h] Published 21:59 30/09/11 By Martin Lipton

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...orbikes-in-his-spare-time-article806576.html#
Chelsea-Andre-Villas-Boas+cropped


Biker boy Andre Villas-Boas has revealed his real sporting dream - riding in the toughest rally on the planet.
The Chelsea manager admitted he gets his kicks outside the dug-out by indulging a passion for off-road motorcycling in the mountains of his native Portugal.
And the Blues chief, who has five powerful bikes and shared ownership of a dozen sports cars, said he would love to take part in the 6,000-mile Paris-Dakar Rally - infamous as the most dangerous race in the world - when he ends his managerial career.
Villas-Boas, who faces the rather shorter trip to Bolton and a reunion with close pal Owen Coyle on Sunday, joked: "The manager is allowed to ride a motorbike. Not the players - but the manager escapes!

"The passion for two wheels is something that grew in me. My first bike was a Yamaha XT 350cc, a heavy engine at the start. Then I've had Hondas and KTMs, as well as the trials bikes I've got.
"I have a bit of a crazy head, so I like enduro-bikes - I go into [the]mountains with the big rocks and almost kill myself!
"When I first took my licence - I was coaching the Porto youth team then - I rode in a national competition and broke my arm. I've had a couple of accidents, so now I try to be more careful.
"But the feeling when I'm on the bike with the throttle open is fantastic."
Villas-Boas has been spotted at the Monaco and Belgian F1 Grands Prix this year and was also co-driver in a practice stage of the Algarve Rally, reinforcing his unlikely image of a speed freak.
"Of course, my responsibilities to this job come first," he added. "When things don't go your way [they] take over your life and your emotional state. If we lose, I have a two-day hangover, so I try to win every game to avoid this bitter feeling.
"Saying that, defeats can be more formative, while messages from victory can fuel your ego the wrong way.
"But I'm not one of those people who are obsessed with the game. I don't live and breathe it 24 hours a day or go home and watch second division German football.
"I have tremendous passion for football but my bikes are my escape.
"I have one that was ridden in the Paris-Dakar and I would love to ride the rally [myself] one day. But it's expensive - and maybe something for when my career ends."
Villas-Boas' Chelsea career is just beginning, of course, and he is set to recall Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge - Fernando Torres begins his three-match domestic ban - at Bolton, with Frank Lampard continuing in midfield.
With three points required, friendship goes out the window as well.
"Owen and I have kept in touch since we met doing the same Pro Licence course in Scotland," recalled Villas-Boas.
"He put me under pressure to have Sturridge on loan this season - 20-30 messages after I arrived - but I told him, 'Definitely not.'
"And he can try again in January - but he will have no chance!"
Simon Bird's Premier League previews and predictions (Week 7)
Bolton down to bare bones for Chelsea match
AVB to unleash fit-again Drogba on Bolton
Villas-Boas used to kick me up in the air - Coyle
Coyle: I knew AVB would be a star four years ago
 
[h=1]Saturday's gossip column - transfers and rumours[/h]
gossip_466.gif

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal striker Robin van Persie as a ready-made replacement for wantaway forward Carlos Tevez.
Full story: the Independent
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has warned Bolton boss Owen Coyle that he has no chance of re-signing striker Daniel Sturridge on loan. He said: "He can try in January - but he will have no chance." (The Times)
Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul fancies a move to Paris St Germain, the club he supported as a boy.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Montenegro international winger Stevan Jovetic is still being 'eyed' by Chelsea despite being at an advance stage in negotiations at current club Fiorentina.
Full story: Metro
Brazil legend Roberto Carlos, the new manager of Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, has revealed the club would like England manager Fabio Capello to take over the reigns after leading England at next summer's European Championship. Midfield duo Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are also top of their transfer wish list.
Full story: Daily Mail
Tottenham have joined AC Milan in the race to sign Genoa striker Rodrigo Palacio.
Full story: talkSPORT
Barcelona and Bayern Munich look set to go head to head to sign teenage Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha.
Full story: Daily Star
Valencia are set to hold contract renewal talks with striker Francisco Alcacer in a bid to put an end to Arsenal's interest in the player.
Full story: talkSPORT
Manchester City could make a shock January move for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani as they look for a replacement for Carlos Tevez.
Full story: talkSPORT
But Italian Serie A side AC Milan could scupper City's plans with a £20m bid of their own.
Full story: Daily Star
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has snubbed any speculation linking midfielder Barry Bannan with a move to Manchester United.
Full story: Footylatest.com
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is rumoured to be interested in signing QPR playmaker Adel Taarabt in the January transfer window.
Full story: Caught Offside

OTHER GOSSIP
Striker Wayne Rooney wants to captain his club Manchester United and England.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Stoke striker Peter Crouch has set his sights on making a return to the England squad. He said: "I've never wanted to retire for England. My record stands up against anyone." (The Times)
Hungary are set to ask West Brom if injured midfielder Zoltan Gera can join their squad for next month's Euro 2012 clash with Finland.
Full story: the Sun
Everton defender Leighton Baines has said he could never play for Liverpool, but could be tempted to move to a Champions League team.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has agreed a lucrative £16m boot deal with sportswear giant Puma.
Full story: the Sun
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez insists they are a better team since selling striker Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond says midfielder Luka Modric has performed admirably since his summer move to Chelsea fell through.
Full story: talkSPORT
Former Chelsea and Fulham coach Paul Clement is in line to succeed John Jensen as Blackburn assistant manager.
Full story: Daily Mail
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has admitted that England should have been awarded a second goal in last summer's World Cup defeat to Germany. Frank Lampard's shot crossed the line after hitting the crossbar but was not given. Mertesacker said: "England scored more than just one goal! We were very lucky in many situations." (The Mirror)

AND FINALLY
Roberto Mancini's own son has reportedly "done a Carlos Tevez" by refusing to go on as a substitute for Manchester City's reserves.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Former Leicester goalkeeper and current Seattle Sounders stopper Kasey Keller has received a strange tribute from a fan, when his likeness was etched into a corn field to create a maze in Washington. Full story: Metro
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed a passion for motorbikes - and an ambition to take part in the Paris-Dakar Rally.
Full story: Daily Mirror
 
[h=1]Kaboul fancies a move to PSG[/h] Published 21:31 30/09/11 By John Cross

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/tra...who-were-his-boyhood-club-article806612.html#
younes-kaboul-jay-spearing-tottenham-liverpool-cropped


Younes Kaboul has revealed he turned down a summer move to Paris St Germain - but hinted he could still join the big-spending French club.
Tottenham defender Kaboul was pursued by PSG in the last window after the club received a huge cash transfusion from their new wealthy owners.
The 25-year-old says he said no as he wanted to stay at Spurs- but claims he could still head back to France and admits he is a huge PSG fan.
"I am happy at Spurs but I don't rule out a return to France before the end of my career," Kaboul told French radio station RMC Sports. "I could have joined PSG in the summer but preferred the stability of Tottenham.

"I am a PSG fan and I watch the matches on TV.
"I adored the club as a kid and I hope they reach the Champions League next season."


​
 
[h=2]Big interview[/h] [h=1]Paul Scholes: Manchester United's quiet man breaks cover[/h] Paul Scholes was never one to court publicity but this week spoke out in support of Carlos Tevez. Retirement is certainly bringing out another side of the former midfielder




  • Paul-Scholes-007.jpg
    Paul Scholes has highlighted four stars of the future at Manchester United. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

    The next day Paul Scholes's 85-year-old agent, Harry Swales, picks up the phone to discuss his client's enduring appeal. Swales, who wears extravagant mutton chop whiskers and is known as an "old-school" representative, has enjoyed a quiet life with the deal-phobic Scholes but wouldn't want it any other way.
    "He's always been a player who wanted to play and train hard and when he'd finished go home to his family," said Swales, the day after Scholes had launched his memoirs, at Old Trafford. "All he wanted to do was what he did. He just wanted to pick up his kids from school. His satisfaction came from training and being associated with great players and a great manager. The book is the first thing he really did and he's enjoying it because he can express himself. It's not an autobiography, it's a picture story and he likes it that way."
    So no commercial tie-ups at all, then? "The offers didn't come because they knew it was Paul."
    Just when he thought he was safe, along came a scandal, a talking point Scholes was obliged to comment on. By a cosmic twist the shyest of all great English players ("my hero", Sir Bobby Charlton calls him) is forced to recall the day he refused to play in a Carling Cup game at Arsenal in a brief fit of pique at Sir Alex Ferguson. The context was Carlos Tevez's wildcat industrial action during the Bayern Munich-Manchester City Champions League fixture on Tuesday night.
    Scholes says: "As soon as this came up with Tevez I thought: 'Oh shit. It's not that I thought I was going to get asked about it, it's just something I regret doing.'"
    But more of that later. Scholes is now two weeks into a loose coaching role with the Manchester United reserves and has news to impart. In a BBC interview last week Ferguson picked out Paul Pogba, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Will Keane as United starlets. Scholes endorses those picks and adds a fourth. "Three excellent players who you'd hope will get a chance in the first team," he says of the manager's selections. "Tunnicliffe's gone down to Peterborough [on loan] and has done OK down there. Pogba has got amazing talent. He's such a big lad for his age. The physique he's got is unbelievable.
    "I think Will Keane has the capability to be a top-class centre-forward. He's one of the lads I've been working with. He was always someone I liked when I was watching the youth teams. He's just got a presence about him, he's a strong lad and has great feet – the ability to strike a ball. The kind of things [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy had. The first time I saw him I thought 'Jesus Christ' because he was smashing balls in from anywhere. Keane has the potential to do that.
    "Any others? Larnell Cole. He looks a great prospect. He's very small but he's a very clever footballer. He's similar to Shaun Wright-Phillips but a player who can play inside a bit better than Shaun. Shaun's an out and out wide man but Larnell can play in a three in midfield."
    For United's youngsters there could be no greater stimulus than being coaxed by the ginger embodiment of the club's ethos. But there is no guarantee he will keep the tracksuit, the warm coat for cold midweek nights at Rochdale and Bury. "There's no particular job I'm doing, I'm just helping out here and there," Scholes says. "I haven't really done any coaching as such, I've just been having individual words with players and going to the reserve games, Warren Joyce [the reserve team coach] is helping me a lot. We've had two games and two wins so I can't complain.
    "I'm not sure yet. I want to find out whether I really have the desire to do it. It might be three or four months before I know. If I go into something I want to be good at it. I don't want to be a bit-part in something. It's totally different talking to a group of players."
    For Scholes, not playing has painful undertones. He admits to struggling in his later years with a cameo role and knew it was time to escape that torment last May, at 36. Inevitably now he is adjusting to the life of a spectator. "It took three or four months for me to miss playing again. I knew I wasn't going to be playing in the Champions League final [at Wembley, against Barcelona]. You know it's time to go when you're not even under consideration for selection, when you'll do well to get on the bench. You want to think you're good enough to start in a game like that."
    Scanning the changes since he, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar stepped back, he says: "The club just rolls on." In this phase, to a faster, younger, more attacking style than last season, when United were sometimes more mechanical than the best sides Scholes graced in 552 games, in which he scored 150 times.
    "This is such a young and vibrant, quick team. We look like we're going to score goals all the time. We look like we'll concede them a bit too often as well. I like the attitude that we're just going to score more goals than they do. It's not always great for your back lads and your keeper but we go through games looking like we could score five or six. To do that against Arsenal [in the 8-2 game] is just a pleasure to play for a striker or an attacking midfielder."
    Scholes says the impact made by Ashley Young and Phil Jones is easily explainable: "The biggest thing is that they're playing with better players – the best in England. We've won the leagues to prove that. I don't think there's any rocket science to the way we play, it's just good attacking football. It's not complicated or difficult to understand. When you get clever players like Ashley or Phil Jones it's no problem for them to slot into the team."
    The hole left by his own retirement is, he says, too often fussed over and inflated. "I think people are too obsessed with the idea of a replacement. They always talk about replacing a player who scored 15 goals a season. For the last five years I was never that type of player, especially for the last two years, when I was probably only playing 25-30 games a year."
    Nor does he accept that United could still need a specialist defensive midfielder to support the forward play and protect the marauding Jones: "It's a position clubs have become obsessed with. I always feel that if you've got two in midfield and one goes forward the other one stays, it's as simple as that.
    "That's the way we played for a long time. Since [Claude] Makelele made himself famous in that position everyone wants a Makelele. To be fair to him he had to do that in that Real Madrid team because there were five lads who wanted to go forward and he was the only one who even entertained the thought of staying back."
    There is a warm word, though, for Tom Cleverley, the young midfielder who has staked the strongest claim to Scholes's jersey: "Going to Wigan last year helped him a lot. At the start of the year the manager just gave him his head, his four or five games, and he's been fantastic, a breath of fresh air. When he came on in the Community Shield he changed the game and he went on from there. It's just a shame he got that injury when he did."
    The best reason to connect Tevez and Scholes is not to categorise them both as Bolsheviks but to highlight the one-club devotion of the more modest of the pair. But Scholes understands rejection. He says of the Tevez strike: "When you're playing you think sometimes your manager is messing you about a bit. I got that feeling then [10 years ago]. Wrongly. The next day I wasn't going to Arsenal. The manager probably wasn't messing me about. But there all kinds of things going through your head.
    "It was the Liverpool game on the Sunday and we were getting beat 2-0. In the League Cup I knew we would be playing a younger team. He [Sir Alex Ferguson] didn't bring me on against Liverpool until seven or eight minutes to go and I was disappointed not to be playing in the first place. I just got it in my head, maybe as Tevez has now, that I was being messed about.
    "The thing with Tevez is that [Roberto] Mancini's definitely messing him about, which, when you're a player, you don't take kindly to. He's definitely trying to punish him for saying he wants to leave, because without doubt he was City's best player last season. To me it looks like he wants to play, but he can't cope with being sub. When you're a player you get the sense that – he's messing me about, I maybe have to show him I can't be messed about."
    When it ends the publisher mentions the pictorial nature of the publication and stresses: "This is the only book. There won't be another one." Much as there won't be another Paul Scholes.
    Scholes – My Story is published by Simon & Schuster, priced £19.99

 
[h=1]Arsenal to swap zonal marking for man-to-man system against Tottenham[/h] • Gunners altered their defensive system after Blackburn defeat
• Szczescny confident Arsenal know how to handle Adebayor




  • Jamie Jackson
  • guardian.co.uk, Saturday 1 October 2011 22.52 BST Article history
    Wojciech-Szczesny-007.jpg
    Wojciech Szczesny says Arsenal have 'a little secret' that will help them cope with the threat of Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

    Wojciech Szczesny has revealed that Arsenal's defensive problems this season mean that they go into the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday having switched from a zonal to a man-marking system. Arsène Wenger decided on the change following the 4-3 defeat at Blackburn Rovers a fortnight ago. Those goals made it 14 conceded by Szczesny in the league after four games.
    The Polish goalkeeper admits a preference for zonal marking, but he is happy with Wenger's decision. "I really don't mind as long as it works. I personally prefer zonal marking but it is the manager's decision what we are going to do," he said.
    "We have decided to change it since Blackburn. It really doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it correctly and it works. I think zonal works better for us. We have worked on it during pre-season where we never conceded from a set piece and it looked like it was working.
    "We did concede a stupid goal at Blackburn [Alex Song's 50th-minute own goal when no defender dealt with a free-kick] and I hope the man-marking will work for us now."
    The third goal allowed by Arsenal that day was also due to lax defending as Laurent Koscielny allowed a high ball to pass him at a corner. Szczesny admits that their problems from dead balls and aerial deliveries are now acknowledged by the squad and manager.
    "We do realise what our weaknesses are and defending set pieces was our weakness last season. We spent a lot of time working on it during pre-season and we can only get better on it as time goes on," he said.
    Szczesny cited Gaël Clichy's departure for Manchester City, Per Mertesacker's arrival in August and Thomas Vermaelen's long-term injury absence as factors in Arsenal's poor defensive record. He said: "It's a new defence and some of the players have to get used to playing with each other. You can see from game to game we are getting better, but it takes time. I hope we can avoid all the mistakes that we have made at the beginning of the season and if we stick together and keep working hard I am sure we are going to have a lot of clean sheets by the end."
    The injury list at Arsenal is a long one. While tests to Theo Walcott, who has a knee problem, Gervinho (muscular), and Koscielny (ankle), will establish if they can play at Spurs, Johan Djourou, Yossi Benayoun, Jack Wilshere, Sèbastien Squillaci and Abou Diaby are all unavailable for selection.
    Last season the two league fixtures between the old rivals ended with a 3-2 win for Spurs at the Emirates and a 3-3 draw at White Hart Lane. Regarding those four dropped points Szczesny said: "It doesn't really make a difference because when you go to White Hart Lane you forget about everything that happened in the past. It is all about being switched on and being focused for the game. If we are at our very best I am confident we can get the three points."
    "It is a game you always look forward to playing in. You train every game to play in those kinds of games. There are a few players who have never played at White Hart Lane and it will be a new experience for them. I am sure everyone will be at their very best."
    Emmanuel Adebayor faces his former club for the first time in a Spurs shirt and Szczesny, who arrived at Arsenal a year before the striker departed, is keen deny him a goal. The 21-year-old said: "I would love to keep a clean sheet against him, I'm not going to lie. But I am very confident we can do that and get the three points. He is a quality player – probably one of the best strikers I've ever trained with. We won't approach the game in a different way than we usually do. Ade is a great striker and we know how dangerous he is but it is to our advantage that we know how to deal with him. I'm not going to tell you because it's our little secret."
    Live on Sky Sports 1, 4pm

 
[h=1]Robert Pires stirs memories of Arsenal's lost domination over Tottenham[/h] Spurs have turned the tables in the north London derby. On Sunday Arsenal travel along Seven Sisters Road as underdogs




  • Robert-Pires-007.jpg
    Robert Pires was once Spurs' bête noire, but now Tottenham are favourites in the north London derby. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

    As Arsène Wenger prepares to pick a team to take into the enemy's lair at White Hart Lane on Sunday, there is one player out on the training pitches of London Colney who must almost torment him by his presence. Robert Pires is back at Arsenal. He turns 38 at the end of the month, and is keeping himself trim for a suitable opportunity to continue his playing career as long as possible because he cannot quite let go of the game he adores. Pires was one of Wenger's most inspired purchases – not least because of a phenomenal record in north London derbies.
    Considering this was a player who famously sat on the substitutes' bench for an hour of his first game in English football with his eyes on stalks and a heavy feeling in his stomach as Arsenal lost a bruising encounter at Sunderland, Pires was not an obvious choice to throw himself into the hostile heat of the derby. He was booked in his first north London duel, and with his feathers duly ruffled, went on to score eight times in 12 games. Three times he was the match-winner. Twice he delivered an equaliser to deflate the opposition at White Hart Lane. He has no idea what it feels like to lose one of those loaded encounters.
    With such experience on tap, Wenger must feel a tiny bit tempted to at the very least bring him into the dressing room this weekend to build up a team whose wobbles mean they have mislaid the hex they held over Tottenham for years.
    For a decade under Wenger Arsenal enjoyed a 21-game unbeaten spell over Spurs in the Premier League. But since that ended in April 2010, Tottenham's two wins and a draw have altered the psychology of the match completely.
    Pires was a tanned and enviably relaxed spectator at the Emirates during the week as Arsenal squeaked past Olympiakos. He was grateful for the booster of a win ahead of the derby. "Confidence is vital, and it's true that Arsenal have not had a good start to the Premier League," he said. "This is a complicated game. But for the team to have won against Bolton and Olympiakos in the build-up to the derby is important."
    The team's fortitude has been worrying him. As he explained to France Football magazine in the post-mortem of Arsenal's 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford: "I don't like too much to compare teams and players. We had our team, our leaders. This team – and it was already evident last season when you think about the defeat to Birmingham – doesn't have the foundation, the guys who can lift their team-mates back up. Arsène has to build his team like he has always wanted to, with players who love the ball, but with warriors too." He expressed relief to see players such as Per Mertesacker and André Santos arrive with all their experience.
    The difference between the team Pires graced and the current group is striking. But so, too, is the difference in Spurs. Consider the players involved when Arsenal won the title at White Hart Lane in 2004, the climax of the Invincibles' season. A couple of minutes into the game, Tottenham had a corner. It was taken by Johnnie Jackson and aimed at Anthony Gardner.
    When Ashley Cole won possession, Thierry Henry picked up the ball and ran turbocharged towards the opposite penalty area, he slipped the ball to Dennis Bergkamp, whose cross was driven in by Patrick Vieira. The Spurs line-up that day also included Mauricio Taricco and Michael Brown. Arsenal had Sol Campbell, Gilberto Silva and the other goalscorer – Pires.
    Even though Tottenham salvaged a draw, even those with most intense white and blue tinted spectacles would admit there was a gulf in quality. Today, the nature of any discernible gap is such that Arsenal travel along the Seven Sisters Road as underdogs. What they wouldn't do for a younger Pires in the starting XI. "I have big memories of this game," he said last week outside the players' lounge at the Emirates. "Against Spurs it is always special. It has particular meaning, and as players you understand that. It's true that if you have the chance to score against them it is great, as it means so much for the fans."
    There is, incidentally, another recent Arsenal player with eight goals from north London derbies. His name is Emmanuel Adebayor.

 
Rutashubanyuma said:

[h=2]Manchester United v Norwich City 3pm Saturday 1 October[/h] [h=1]Rooney and Hernández can match Yorke and Cole, says Sir Alex Ferguson[/h] • Manchester United's top strikers back to face Norwich
• Javier Hernández 'can score 25 goals in a season'




  • Andy Hunter
  • guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 23.03 BST Article history
    Javier-Hern-ndez-Manchest-007.jpg
    Javier Hernández returns from injury for United against Norwich, along with his strike partner Wayne Rooney. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

    Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández can match Manchester United's attack during the 1999 treble-winning season as he welcomes the forwards back from injury to play against Norwich City.
    The United manager confirmed Rooney has recovered from the hamstring strain that sidelined the England international against Stoke City and Basel, while Hernández is over the dead leg he suffered at the Britannia Stadium which also kept him out of the 3-3 Champions League draw with the Swiss champions.
    Despite an impressive start to the season by Danny Welbeck, Ferguson admits Rooney and the Mexico international carry United's greatest threat and believes they could be the club's most potent partnership since Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed an instant rapport 12 years ago.
    "They haven't played a full season together yet," the United manager said. "Yorke and Cole scored 52 goals in that season between them, which was exceptional because Yorkie [had] just joined us. It was his first season. Unbelievable. I think Yorkie that season was probably one of the best strikers in Europe. For a first season player he was amazing. He and Andy just hit it off immediately. I would like to hope [Rooney and Hernández can emulate 52 goals] but you never know. It's a tough league."
    Ferguson did not discount the prospect, however. He added: "The goal threat was immense on a regular basis when Hernández came into the side just after Christmas. The boy has come back and scored two goals so far. I really do expect him to score 25 and over because he has got something in that box.
    "Wayne has had a fantastic start to the season and has got nine goals at the moment. The capability is there and I've got Welbeck, and I've got [Michael] Owen, and I've got [Dimitar] Berbatov, and I've got [Federico] Macheda and I've got [Mame Biram] Diouf. It's a terrific unit, that."
    The United manager reiterated his concern at the "cavalier" attitude from the Premier League champions that allowed Basel to recover a two-goal deficit at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
    Ferguson said: "People have said our performance on Tuesday was careless and we underestimated our opponents, and I think there is an element of truth about that. I certainly wasn't happy. Even in the first half I could smell we were too lax. We could have lost three goals in the first half. We could have scored three goals but that is the way we are playing at the moment. That cavalier attitude. Maybe people can enjoy it but it certainly doesn't win leagues. We have to be better defensively."

Click to expand...

may be young and welbeck and not rooney and chicharito..
 
[h=1]Steve Kean hopes India tour will help Blackburn to 'stick together'[/h] • Beleaguered Blackburn manager warned of protests on tour
• 'At times like these you want to stick together,' says Kean





[h=2]Premier League 2011-12[/h]

  • Johnson 56,
  • Balotelli 59,
  • Nasri 73,
  • Savic 87

Blackburn Rovers 0
Manchester City 4




  • Tim Rich at Ewood Park
  • guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 October 2011 23.08 BST Article history
    Manchester-Citys-Italian--005.jpg
    Manchester City's Italian striker Mario Balotelli, second right, celebrates with team-mates after scoring the second goal at Blackburn Rovers. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

    If Manchester City do win the championship in May, this is what it will look like; beach balls tossed around, the constant chants for Roberto Mancini and skies the colour of the shirt Carlos Tevez will never wear again.
    The whole Tevez affair concealed the fact that Manchester City's introduction to the Champions League, which is what the Abu Dhabi oil money was for, is threatening to turn into a very brief encounter. Mancini stressed from the outset that they must avoid Tottenham Hotspur's pitfalls that saw them briefly light up Europe but slip badly in the games that followed. City, who have been drawn away after every one of their European fixtures, seem to be coping pretty well domestically.
    It is just the Champions League they have problems with, which is in itself a strange echo of Mancini's time at the helm of Internazionale. At the end of the match here the Manchester City manager walked on to the pitch, applause to his right, a demonstration demanding Steve Kean's sacking to his left, bound for a flight back to Italy. With him was Mario Balotelli.
    Now that Tevez has been denounced by Graeme Souness as "the epitome of everything the man in the street thinks is wrong with modern football", the young, mercurial Italian seems a picture of reasonableness. He was their most likely route to goal in a first half, when Manchester City seemed unable to wash away the taste of their defeat in Munich. After the interval he sent one shot curling on to the frame of Paul Robinson's goal and then finished off Blackburn and Samir Nasri's cross with brutal elegance.
    He emphasised the depth of Mancini's resources. Tevez was finished, Edin Dzeko banished to the bench after his insipid display against Bayern Munich and midway through the first half Sergio Agüero pulled up with a groin injury that will keep him out for around three weeks. It is hard to think of any club that could cope without £90m worth of striking talent but Mancini did so by bringing on Nasri and moving Balotelli to a more central position.
    "He is a man who can get 20 goals a season if he plays as a central striker," said Adam Johnson, whose goal had begun the rout on a day when the press office again banned questions about Tevez. "He's got all the attributes. It's just a case of putting it together week in and week out. His was a classic striker's goal and you don't really associate him with that. Some people think he is a bit fancy who scores great goals now and again but he is more than that.
    "We showed some resilience. After everything that's happened [in Munich] a few heads could have gone down. We could have crumbled but this shows the strength of the squad we have here. After the restart we totally dominated."
    Blackburn's good fortune lasted until the moment when Johnson trapped the ball with his lime-green boots, took one touch, heard Nasri shout: "Shoot!" and curled the ball into the top corner. It was very similar to the wonderful shot that had salvaged a point at Sunderland in March last year. "You could say it's a bit of a signature goal, a bit of a trademark," he said.
    It triggered a damburst of resentment all over Ewood Park, where shouts for the dismissal of their manager became a crescendo. When the City supporters in the Darwen End began serenading Kean with a chorus of "You'll be sacked in the morning", it was met with applause from the remaining three-quarters of the ground. Kean is David Brent as a football manager. He cannot pass by a positive without accentuating it and wanted to emphasise the first 55 minutes rather than the abject final 35. Had he been captaining the Titanic, Kean would have announced to the passengers that he had taken a delivery of fresh ice for their gin and tonics and that they should concentrate on the first half of the voyage. He said the players were upset and angry at the abuse he had received from the crowd and had to be reminded that his players might be upset and angry at their own performances.

 

[h=1] [/h]
[h=2]Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal[/h] [h=1]Much for Arsène Wenger to be happy about despite Arsenal's defeat[/h] The manager can point to legitimate signs of progress in his side's defence and midfield during a spirited performance




  • David-Pleat-chalkboard-001.jpg
    Arsenal enjoyed a numerical advantage in the centre of midfield, where Francis Coquelin was free to act both as a shield and as an instigator for his team-mates to move upfield. Photograph: Graphic

    Arsenal lost this derby but Arsène Wenger may point to signs of progress offered up by his side even in defeat. Certainly, there was encouragement to be had here from the displays mustered by his midfield, an area of the pitch the visitors dominated for long periods. The Frenchman could even cling to flashes of newfound defensive sureness, which bodes well for the future even if it did not glean his team even a point.
    Playing a higher line at the back, with Per Mertesacker close to Alex Song to deny Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor space to exploit, Arsenal's defending seemed to be keeping Spurs at bay. Bacary Sagna pushed up as tight as possible on Gareth Bale when he could and Kieran Gibbs taxed Rafael van der Vaart's energy levels down the left, meaning the visitors held sway. The full-backs' contribution owed much to the introduction of the tidy Francis Coquelin at the base of Arsenal's midfield, with the youngster not only operating as an effective shield for his backline but, more importantly, offering Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta the chance to challenge Scott Parker and Luka Modric closely and prevent them supplying ball out wide.
    In this period Arsenal were bright and spirited, even relatively comfortable, in a game that was supposed to have left them prone and exposed. Modric, cramped for space and outnumbered in the middle, was unable to conduct Spurs' rhythm. Van der Vaart may have scored against the run of play just before the break but the visitors – the personnel across their backline completely rejigged from those who had surrendered so meekly in losing 8-2 at Manchester United – reimposed themselves after the interval and deserved their equaliser. Coquelin, collecting and distributing neatly, ensured the numerical advantage in the centre rather nullified the home side's threat.
    Indeed, while Mertesacker organised the group, recent calls for the appointment of a defensive coach felt redundant. There was even a change in marking at corner kicks, with responsibilities placed more on individual players' shoulders to pick up their man. Gibbs and Coquelin offered security covering the posts, with Robin van Persie acting as a shield at the front of the six-yard box, and Wojciech Szczesny was afforded some level of comfort coming for crosses knowing he benefited from insurance behind him. The situation demanded a reaction from Harry Redknapp.
    He had initially asked Van der Vaart to move more centrally in a bid to counter Arsenal's numerical advantage but he eventually hauled off the Dutchman and put on Sandro, who ensured the last quarter featured a three‑versus‑three contest in the centre, allowing Modric and Parker chances to spread the play wide to Bale and Defoe and giving Spurs more ammunition to race forward. Sagna's injury did not help Arsenal's cause, providing Bale with a pressure point to exploit down the flank. But until the numbers were evened up in the middle, Tottenham appeared unlikely to claim this contest. Wenger, after his team's recent traumas, must cling to that fact as a sign of progress.

 
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