Archive for October, 2011

The manner in which Manchester City have risen to the top of the English game, on the back of Sheikh Mansour's millions, means there is an element of arrogance around the club.

While that is bound to be a side-effect of such a rapid growth in financial resources and a return to winning silverware, I think some of the players have got sucked into the hype as well. ...

No one can accuse Stuart Pearce of lacking optimism. The England Under-21 coach was unveiled yesterday as manager of the GB Olympic football team and at his inaugural press conference he suggested he will have no problem in choosing exactly who he wants for his squad next August.

"The players will dictate their availability. I think they will be very, very excited and will dictate to their clubs whether they play or not," he said.

Good luck with that, Stu. ...

A colleague was at Anfield on Saturday and needed to make a quick getaway after the game. He explained his predicament to the car park attendant and asked if it might be possible for his motor to be left somewhere he wasn't blocked in.

"Right," said the bloke. ...

This week, defenders of English football have been circling the wagons against a proposal that could destroy the game as we know it.

Plans are afoot, we have been told, to eliminate promotion and relegation from the Premier League.

Foreign owners supposedly want to create an exclusive group of carefree money-makers, unburdened by worldly concerns like finishing in the bottom three.

And it has created quite the furore. ...

Like most people, I was quite shocked to hear about Patrice Evra accusing Luis Suarez of racial abuse towards him during Liverpool's draw with Manchester United at the weekend.

I find it hard to believe in this age of players from all over the world playing in the Premier League that one professional would racially abuse another. ...

Like most people, I was quite shocked to hear about Patrice Evra accusing Luis Suarez of racial abuse towards him during Liverpool's draw with Manchester United at the weekend.

I find it hard to believe in this age of players from all over the world playing in the Premier League that one professional would racially abuse another. ...

I was very surprised to hear Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre controversially admit the club want to break up the collective bargaining agreement this week.

I thought the timing was a bit strange, and it showed a bit of naivety from Ayre. Liverpool didn't even qualify for Europe and they are saying they want more money than the rest of the league. You need to be in a position of authority to speculate on these kinds of things. ...

The England way ahead of an international championship is to head there with a talisman compromised. With the nation praying for the rapid healing of a groin strain or snapped metatarsal, off they go with their main man not fully fit for the fight.

It happened with Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking at the 1982 World Cup, with Bryan Robson at '86 and '90, with David Beckham in 2002, with Wayne Rooney in 2006. All were prevented by ill-timed injury from giving their all to the team. ...

Ian Ayre is not a happy man.

The Liverpool managing director is worried about the manner in which the money from overseas sales of Premier League matches is divvied up. ...

Ian Ayre is not a happy man. The Liverpool managing director is worried about the manner in which the money from overseas sales of Premier League matches is divvied up. At the moment, the £1billion a year is split equally among the 20 PL clubs: Wigan and Swansea get the same as Liverpool and Manchester United.
Ayre believes this is ridiculous. ...