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Bank moves to force Gillett and Hicks to sell Liverpool in month

Matt Scott — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:42:57 GMT

• RBS places club's loans into its toxic-assets division
• Deadline for refinancing of owners' loans is 6 October

Tom Hicks and George Gillett's ill-starred reign as owners of Liverpool looks like having less than a month to run after the club's loans with Royal Bank of Scotland were placed into its toxic-assets division.

The deadline for the refinancing of the owners' personal loans from RBS is 6 October, and that now looks set to be the date that Hicks and Gillett's association with England's most successful club will end. The bank's decision to switch the debts to its Global Restructuring Group is the strongest possible signal that these loans will not be extended.

The co-owners' previous attempt to refinance the debts in June, when they are believed to have offered to secure the loans against their US assets, was overruled by the club's board, led by the chairman, Martin Broughton. Now, with the loans having been shifted into RBS's so-called "bad bank", where all toxic assets have been housed since last year, it is clear the club's lender has also adopted a more steely stance towards the Americans.

One source with a knowledge of Liverpool's dealings with RBS said: "If it has been taken out of the hands of the corporate banking department they'll have a much more ruthless approach on 6 October." An informed view from another source close to the situation is that the bank would hope to sell the club, possibly at a knockdown price, in the coming weeks or as soon possible after 6 October.

According to the club's accounts to July 2009 Liverpool's owners owe £237.4m to RBS. Through companies in the UK and overseas, Hicks and Gillett are also personally exposed to tens of millions of pounds in other commitments to the club and its lender. These have been a mixture of cash, which the pair have injected through equity, and guarantees to the RBS loans. Last year's accounts stated these amounted to £145.3m, but it is believed to have risen dramatically after the last refinancing agreed five months ago.

RBS would hope to achieve an orderly sale without having to take control of Liverpool. However, depending on the terms of the April refinancing agreement – which have never been made public – that may prove difficult if the co-owners, who value the club at £800m, refuse to go quietly.

One tool at RBS's disposal is to force the insolvency of Liverpool's UK parent and associated companies. It is clear from mortgage documents lodged with Companies House that in the event of default RBS has the power to place Kop Football and Kop Football (Holdings), as well as Gillett's loan-security vehicle, Football UK Ltd, into administration. However that would be unpalatable for the bank, Liverpool's board and the Premier League since it would require the imposition of a nine-point penalty on the club.

By exercising those clauses the bank would also effectively take control of Liverpool. Although RBS's restructuring group describes itself as being responsible for "the management of any problem lending portfolios", the bank has no long-term plans to hold the club as its subsidiary. Instead it is expected RBS would prefer to fulfil another of its stated aims – the "maximising [of] debt recoveries" – by selling the club in short order.

That means there are also strong signs RBS will now be prepared to accept a knockdown price in order to cut its ties. During negotiations with prospective buyers Broughton, and the investment bank advising him, Barclays Capital, have maintained that Liverpool's debts with RBS must be paid in full as a minimum sale price.

Provided buyers still retain an interest in taking over Liverpool beyond 6 October, it will mean a more orderly sale process. There would be only one party for purchasers to negotiate with and the club's debts would be manageable.

The departure of Hicks and Gillett is an outcome that would delight Liverpool fans. The Kop Faithful group wrote in an open letter to the RBS group's chief executive, Stephen Hester, this week: "Hicks and Gillett were proved to be no more than a pair of liars. The promised 'no Glazer style buy out' was all of a sudden [a leveraged buy out] – a club £350m in debt to effectively buy itself, when it had been sold for less than £180m in what seemed no time before."

Matt Scott

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Defoe facing three months out of action

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:22:28 GMT

• Striker has surgery on ankle ligaments
• Injury was suffered while playing for England

Jermain Defoe will not play for "around three months" after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right ankle last night.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker may miss all of his club's Champions League group matches and two England internationals.

A statement on Spurs' official website read: "Following a review by an ankle specialist, Jermain Defoe underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right ankle yesterday evening.

"The striker was forced off with the injury during England's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland on Tuesday and has been ruled out of action for around three months."

Defoe, 27, scored a hat-trick in England's first Euro 2012 qualifying match, against Bulgaria, at Wembley a week ago.

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Neville's disdain for rivals resurfaces

Daniel Taylor — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:46:07 GMT

• Neville says he respects Liverpool despite despising them
• Mocks clubs trying to succeed by 'throwing money at it'

Gary Neville's public dislike of Manchester City has resurfaced as he made a candid admission of his "hatred" for Liverpool but also acknowledged that he has more respect for them than the club Sir Alex Ferguson derided as Manchester United's "noisy neighbours".

Neville was prominently involved in the hostilities between the two Manchester clubs last season, caught making a one-fingered sign towards Carlos Tevez as the City striker celebrated scoring against his former club in the Carling Cup semi-final. The former England defender was also given an official warning by the Football Association for the way he celebrated Michael Owen's stoppage-time winner in the league meeting at Old Trafford, running along the touchline to goad City's supporters.

His latest remarks are likely to go down badly at both Anfield and Eastlands, with Chelsea possibly implicated as well, but Neville has never hidden his feelings for United's rivals and did not shy away when asked whether it was true he hated Liverpool. "When I was younger there was no doubt about it," he said. "I was a United fan, they [Liverpool] were winning everything and it was a horrible time for my club, to be honest, through the 70s and 80s.

"I suppose it came from jealousy through my childhood – jealousy, hatred, passion for your own club. You don't want them [Liverpool] to win anything, and you don't like the people who are winning, just like I've seen in the last 15 or 16 years, from a good side, everybody is now 'we all hate Man United' – and they hate Man United because we are winning."

It was here that Neville made what can be taken only as a thinly-veiled reference to City, the biggest spenders in English football for the past two years.

"I have more respect for Liverpool, in a sense of their tradition and their history, than I do some of the other clubs that have come on the scene in the last few years, throwing a load of money at it." He then added pointedly: "They [Liverpool] have got a good history – you have to hand it to them – and they have been successful."

Neville's comments fall into line with a career in which he has frequently courted controversy but, by his own admission, is probably now in its final season. "Two years ago I thought it would be my last season. Last year I felt the same. I recognise this one could be as well. I am on a one-year contract. If I don't perform or the club don't want me anymore, I will be gone. That is life. In the 19 years I have been here, it has happened to better players."

Patrice Evra, the United left-back, has lost his appeal against the five-match ban imposed by the French football federation for his part in the World Cup players' mutiny against Raymond Domenech. Evra argued that it was unfair to single him out just because he was the captain but a hearing in Paris threw out his case.

Daniel Taylor

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Everton lose Rodwell until Christmas

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:35:25 GMT

• Everton midfielder suffered injury at Aston Villa
• Rodwell may struggle to play in Christmas programme

The Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell is facing up to three months out with an ankle injury according to a report in the Liverpool Daily Post.

The 19-year-old damaged ankle ligaments in a challenge with the Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock in a 1-0 defeat at Villa Park almost a fortnight ago. He was withdrawn from the England under-21 squad, although swelling around the injury meant that Everton's medical team were unable to ascertain the full extent of the damage immediately.

Rodwell, who faces a battle to return in time for the busy Christmas and New Year period, was making his first Premier League start of the season at Villa Park but was forced to leave the field with 20 minutes left.

Everton's manager, David Moyes, had hinted that he would be sparing with his use of Rodwell until the second half of the season.

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And Pele doesn't even make the list ...

Rob Smyth — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:34:25 GMT

From Mr Fallrueckzieher to Roger Boli, via Mark Hughes, here are half a dozen of the best acrobatic belters ever

NB: The point of the Joy of Six is not to rank things, only to enjoy them

1) Klaus Fischer, WEST GERMANY 4-1 Switzerland, international friendly, 16/11/1977

To write a piece on overhead kicks without mentioning Klaus Fischer would be as remiss as doing an essay on Scottish psychos with imaginative use of pool cues and beer glasses and not citing Francis Begbie. When it came to acrobatic goals he was the Fischer King or, as the Germans put it Mr Fallrueckzieher (Mr Falling Kick).

Fischer was an underrated player who scored 32 goals in 45 games during that semi-forgotten era of West German football between the sides of Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus (what any other country would give for a semi-forgotten era that included a European Championship win and two World Cup finals), and he is largely remembered for one thing: an extraordinary, incomparable portfolio of scissor kicks. In fact, ridiculously, he's still doing it at the age of 60. (Sexagenarians are advised not to try this at home, unless they are into the pain thing and want to pull 15 different muscles simultaneously.)

His most important came in the epic 1982 semi-final against France, but his most celebrated came in a friendly against Switzerland five years earlier: a ridiculous effort that was voted Germany's Goal of the Century. Fischer scored an even better one a year later in 1978, but it was tediously disallowed for dangerous play. He could manufacture an overhead kick from almost any position in the box; it gave a whole new meaning to the idea of pumping it high towards the big man.

The Germans have loved such acrobatic efforts ever since Fritz Walter's famous scorpion kick in the 1956, and they were frequently voted Goal of the Season. But only one person won the prize on three different occasions with them: Mr Fallrueckzieher.

2) Mark Hughes, WALES 3-0 Spain, World Cup qualification Group 7, 30/04/1985

The internet has largely been a disaster, turning us into dumbed-down, self-indulgent eejits, but it does have some good going for it. Before YouTube and the like, it was extremely rare that you would be able to see that second tier of great goals, because they were never shown on TV. Growing up, Mark Hughes's life-changing scissor volley in Wales's famous demolition of Spain in 1985 had an almost mythical quality: it was so adventurous and full of derring-do that every time it was described he seemed to get higher in the air until it got to the point that he was doing it from a parachute, having been dropped out of a fighter aircraft in the middle of World War II before time-travelling back to 1985 while in mid-air.

For once, reality didn't disappoint. It's an incredibly athletic effort, and even more remarkable because the ball actually spins sharply back towards Hughes when it bounces, yet he still manages to control the volley perfectly. Quite how Hughes was able to consistently lift those tree-trunk thighs so high is anyone's guess, but when it comes to scissor kicks he is right up there with the likes of Hugo Sanchez, just a rung below Fischer. He even managed to partially redeem a 5-1 defeat in a Manchester derby. But this will always be his masterpiece. Not even a commentator screaming "brrrrrrrrrrrrrrilliant!" in the most extreme Welsh accent this side of the Fast Show doctor can tarnish it. God bless the internet!

3) Guti, REAL MADRID 4-0 Villarreal, La Liga, 14/04/2001

This is a scissor kick, but not as we know it. For two reasons. One, Guti is vertical - which evokes similar turn-of-the-millennium efforts by Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet - but more importantly because he uses the side of the foot rather than the laces. Athleticism, improvisation, grace and most of all perfect control: this goal is as unique as a snowflake.

4) Manuel Negrete, U.N.A.M. 2-0 Puebla, Liguilla quarter-final second leg, 12/05/1985

The hosts of major tournaments split broadly into two types: those who hope to win it (1988, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006), and those who know they won't (1986, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2010). The latter group have two aims: to overachieve and to have one moment that will keep them warm as the grim reaper lumbers towards them with that look in his eye. Mexico certainly managed both in 1986. They reached the quarter-finals (the only occasion came in 1970, when they also hosted the tournament), and Manuel Negrete scored one of the World Cup's most memorable goals, a gloriously accurate scissor-kick against Bulgaria.

To most of the world it was revelatory, but to those who knew Mexican club football it was not a surprise, for Negrete had scored a much better effort (no, really) 13 months earlier. Scissor kicks are notable for their physical dexterity, but here he also shows remarkable mental dexterity to work himself into position, like a speed chess grandmaster, while under extreme pressure from two defenders. It was a crucial goal too: a late equaliser in the second leg of the Liguilla quarter-finals that took the game to extra-time (Negrete's U.N.A.C. eventually won on penalties). When it comes to scissor kicks, non, Negrete ne regrette rien. Sorry.

5) Juan Carlos Oblitas, PERU 2-0 Chile, Copa America Group 2, 20/08/1975

Some goals are bigger than others. For almost a century, Chile and Peru have been arguing over who invented the bicycle kick, like neighbours squabbling over a backyard fence. (Although, bizarrely, the former Aston Villa P45 manufacturer Doug Ellis also claimed to have created it.) And while Juan Carlos Oblitas's legendary goal in 1975 doesn't really change anything in historical terms, it's such a perfect moment that Peruvians can ignore all logic, show this video and endeavour to end this argument with imperious, Brentish 'NEXT!'.

It's also, just ahead of the inevitable Fischer and Dennis Tueart, the earliest overhead kick of which we could find footage. We might take such goals for granted now, but back then they were as young, fresh and new as The Beatles' song structures. And, almost as an afterthought, it helped Peru to win their only Copa America of the last 70 years.

6) Roger Boli, WALSALL 3-1 Southend, 30/08/1997, Division Two

It is a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a bloody Walsall footballer! The scissors kick isn't always the most graceful of manoeuvres, involving as it does the sort of whirl of arms and legs you usually only see when horny* freshers play drunken Twister, but sometimes it can look impossibly beautiful. Marco van Basten, a man who could make an extended sojourn around the inside of the nostril with the index finger look elegant, scored a wonderful effort against NAC Breda, but we've gone for this flying effort from Roger Boli, part of a memorable hat-trick for Walsall in 1997.

It's goal that you can, to tweak one of the naffest album titles of the 1990s, file under easy viewing; a negligee-smooth feast for the retinas. It is also, we can say without fear of contradiction, the greatest goal ever scored against Southend by a man whose brother put the head on Stuart Pearce.

* Yes, on reflection, this word probably is tautologous

Rob Smyth is joint editor of retrombm.com, a site devoted to football history.

Rob Smyth

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West Ham anger fans with legends snub

Matt Scott — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:06:06 GMT

• Lyall and Greenwood families have season tickets taken away
• West Ham failed to give any prior notice of their decision

West Ham United have sparked anger among their fans by taking away privileges from the families of John Lyall and Ron Greenwood without notice. The late managers are East End royalty, having been responsible for the only meaningful trophies West Ham have won in their 115-year history.

That was recognised last year when the main gates to Upton Park were renamed in Lyall's honour and a Greenwood and Lyall Lounge was opened. Both families had received complimentary directors' box tickets but, following the takeover by David Sullivan and David Gold - who have made great play of their credentials as West Ham fans – last season, that privilege was downgraded to a pair of season tickets.

The families only learned that these too had been taken away when calling the club in early August to ask what the arrangements would be for the new season. "I fully appreciate the financial plight of the club and can understand the reasoning why the season tickets have been withdrawn," said Lyall's son, Murray. "But what I do find unacceptable is that no one in authority had the decency to contact us and explain in person."

Lyall's widow, Yvonne, added: "After my husband's 34 years' loyal service to the club in a playing, coaching and managerial capacity, I feel my family should have been shown greater respect and understanding given our tragic loss four years ago and the legacy he left behind."

It has "appalled" Amanda Jacks, a lifelong Hammers fan, who said: "West Ham trade as a family club but no supporter would treat their family this way. The strength of feeling from the West Ham support will only demonstrate what an ill-considered decision this is."

Portsmouth's paperwork

The transfer of Portsmouth's Football League share to a company said to be controlled by Balram Chainrai was not rubber-stamped by the League's board yesterday. And so the club remain in administration, which is not the outcome anyone would have expected when the administrator, Andrew Andronikou, was talking about "blue sky ahead" and how the club would soon be "out of the clutches of the Football League".

It is believed there was insufficient paperwork for the League to ratify the club's takeover by PFC Realisations. If so, it would not be the first time Pompey have had a problem with their paperwork this week, with Liam Lawrence's loan from Stoke City to Fratton Park also held up over late filing of documents.

"From our end, all documentation was sent on time, well before the 6pm deadline," Andronikou said. "I was there myself to see it." According to what Digger has heard, from the League's end it did not arrive until after 8pm. Who to believe?

Friends in high places

Aston Villa fans may be underwhelmed by the arrival of Gérard Houllier in the Second City but his appointment can have done the club no harm in the eyes of Uefa. The former Liverpool manager has served as a technical assessor for the European football body and has a close relationship with its president, Michel Platini. Indeed, he was having dinner with Platini when the latter was taken ill at the World Cup in South Africa. Indeed it is believed he even accompanied Platini to hospital. With Platini widely expected to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa's president in a few years, it surely cannot hurt Villa to have friends in such high places.

West Brom Kick It Out

West Bromwich Albion supporters have teamed up with the anti-racism campaign Kick It Out to create banners hitting back at Lokomotiv Moscow fans who directed a banana jibe at the Nigeria international, Peter Odemwingie, when he left to join the Baggies. One has a picture of Odemwingie celebrating his winner against Sunderland last month with the words "Thanks Lokomotiv". The other, with pictures of Lawurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson – the club famously broke new ground by fielding three such influential black players – as well as Odemwingie, states: "The only colours here are blue and white."

Redknapp court hearing

Harry Redknapp faces a court hearing over alleged tax evasion within 24 hours of his club's home Champions League tie against Werder Bremen. A scheduled hearing involving lawyers for Redknapp, Peter Storrie and Milan Mandaric – who deny charges of tax evasion – was due at Southwark Crown Court next week but has been postponed after legal teams requested more time. It will now take place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 November, meaning it begins the day after the Bundesliga side travel to White Hart Lane. Southwark Crown Court's diary clearly does not pay too much heed to Redknapp's football commitments. Next week's scheduled hearing would in any case have clashed with his club's trip to Werder Bremen.

Matt Scott

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Beckham says England career is still alive

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:51:30 GMT

• Midfielder says 'I'm not ready to finish yet'
• May make playing return for Galaxy next week

David Beckham believes he can resurrect his international career, after talking to the England manager, Fabio Capello.

The Italian said last month that he considered the 35-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder to be too old for selection but a public outcry caused him to back-peddle on his comments. The former England captain said he had since spoken to Capello and he said he was confident that he would be picked if his form warranted selection.

"If you're performing and you're playing well then you have a chance of being in the squad," the midfielder said, after training with the Galaxy yesterday. "The thing about my situation now is just getting back on the field and getting back fit. Then what happens after that, we'll see."

Capello said that he was no longer interested in picking Beckham, though he had not consulted the player, hours after Beckham, who missed this year's World Cup in South Africa because of injury, said that he was fit enough to resume playing and talked about his dedication to the England cause. Beckham ruptured an achilles tendon while playing on loan with Milan last season.

"Obviously it was a surprise at the time but I spoke to him shortly after that and he explained everything to me and it was brushed under the carpet, so to speak," Beckham said. "He's always supported me. He's always looked after me in many ways and I've got the utmost respect for him.

"I think I've learned that a) I'm not ready to finish yet and b) how much I love the game. I know it sounds very cliched but being out six months and being away from the game, I didn't enjoy it one bit. So that's when I knew that I'm not ready to just get on the beach and relax."

Beckham had hoped to play for the Galaxy this weekend but he may have to wait another week.

"The biggest thing is that I've been taken off the [injured] list now," he said. "I'm back in now. I'm back in with the squad, I'm back in with the team."

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Thompson rejects Houllier offer of Villa post

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:41:40 GMT

• Former assistant did not want to uproot his family
• Pair won six trophies together at Liverpool

Phil Thompson has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join Gérard Houllier at Aston Villa as he did not feel he would be able to commit fully to the job.

Thompson was Houllier's assistant between 1998 and 2004 at Liverpool, during which time the pair won six trophies. Although Thompson was flattered to be offered a role, the thought of uprooting his family did not appeal, and nor did the idea of a daily commute from Liverpool.

"Had circumstances been different, I would have been delighted to accept the chance to join Gérard Houllier and work with him and Patrice Bergues once again at Aston Villa," Thompson told the Liverpool Echo.

"But I had to weigh up the pros and cons and while it was both flattering to be asked, not to mention hugely enticing, I really had no other choice but to turn the offer down.

"When you work with Gérard, you are signing up to 12 hour days; on top of that, you have to go to reserve games, scout players and also head off to check up on forthcoming opponents – in other words, you have to be totally committed.

"Now don't get me wrong, I would love to throw myself at such a challenge again but, at the same time, I do not want to uproot my wife and my two boys; I'm not someone who could live away from them through the week.

"What's more, the thought of doing a daily commute on the M6 does not appeal. We all know that stretch of road, at the best of times, can resemble a car park but to do the job properly, you really have to be living in the vicinity of the training ground.

"I would have been cheating Gérard, the club and the fans and that would not have been fair. Aston Villa are a terrific club with a great history and I remember only too well being on the end of a 5-1 drubbing there in 1976."

All the same, Thompson is delighted to see Houllier working in the Premier League again after a six-year absence and has no doubt the former Lyon manager will be a success at Villa Park.

"It's fantastic to see Gérard back in the game and I have absolutely no doubt that he will do a terrific job," added Thompson. "I've heard some people try to say that he is not the right man to take over from Martin O'Neill but the Aston Villa supporters I have heard are genuinely happy with the choice.

"He has got a wealth of knowledge, knows the game inside out and it will be a fantastic occasion when Liverpool tackle Villa at Anfield in the first weekend of December.

"It would have been great to strike up the partnership we had at Anfield and to be involved in the day-to-day running of football club again really did turn my head. But there were other things to consider and my family comes first; to take on such a job, everything had to be right and that wasn't the case."

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Bruce makes clear his England ambition

Louise Taylor, David Hytner — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:06:06 GMT

• Sunderland manager says job would be 'wonderful'
• Redknapp says he might be too old to take job

Fabio Capello's announcement that he intends to step down as England manager in 2012 has served as a starting gun, opening the race to succeed the Italian. Despite playing down his own candidacy, Harry Redknapp did concede that he would not be able to turn down the job if it were offered while Steve Bruce made it clear that he would happily accept the baton.

"Of course I would like to manage England," said Sunderland's manager. "I rarely blow my own trumpet, I don't promote myself but I'd have a go, why not? It must be the time of your life to manage your country, even though you know what's going to go with it. It must be wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

"I would have thought Harry Redknapp must be the main contender but there's not many of us Englishmen managing in the Premier League, so why not?"

Asked if the post would be worth the inevitable hassle and scrutiny that accompanies it, Bruce's reply was unequivocal. "To be England manager, it would be 100% worth it," he said. "You need a thick skin of course, but then you need one of those to work up here in the north-east.

"If you're going to do something in life you've got to try to get to the top, that's what I've always tried to do. I've striven for whatever I've done, so, if that's the highest I can go, I've got to aim for it."

The former Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Crystal Palace, Birmingham and Wigan manager accepts there are no guarantees. "I think it's all about timing," Bruce acknowledged. "It's about what you do over the next 18 months. There might be a new kid on the block by then. It's about whether your stock's good at the time."

When Steve McClaren managed Middlesbrough he alienated Teesside fans by failing to disguise his burning ambition to coach his country but Bruce believes their Sunderland counterparts will view the situation more generously.

"This is a terrific job, a fantastic job," said the 49-year-old. "But I think if I got offered England or, was in the frame, it would mean I'd done a very, very good job here. I think most of our supporters would be happy with that."

When it came to discussing his own ambitions to swap Tottenham for England, Redknapp came over a little coy. Asked if he would turn the chance to succeed Capello down, he replied. "No, but I don't want to start saying I want the England job, because I don't. It's not something that I push myself for. I think I think there's enough lads out there, given the opportunity, to do a great job.

"There's a lot of good English managers out there who never get the opportunity to manage at a higher level, who would be just as good and just as clever given the chance. I really believe that."

Indeed, Redknapp envisages multiple contenders. "It ain't a bed of roses, that's for sure," he said. "But people will always take it because, if you're English, it's the pinnacle of your career if you're in management. You've got to take the job if you get offered it."

Already 63, Tottenham's manager hinted that the vacancy's timing was, nonetheless, possibly wrong for him. "I will probably be too old," said Redknapp. "If Capello is too old I will be too old."

Louise Taylor

David Hytner

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Blatter reiterates call to scrap extra-time

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:40:15 GMT

• Games may go straight to penalties after 90 minutes
• Governing body could revive 'golden goal' rule

Sepp Blatter has announced that Fifa is considering scrapping extra time at World Cups or reviving the 'golden goal' rule.

Blatter, the Fifa president, wants to encourage more free-flowing football at tournaments and was concerned teams' priority in the last World Cup in extra-time was to secure a penalty shoot-out.

Football's governing body will now look at whether they should go straight to a shoot-out after 90 minutes or re-introduce the golden goal rule where the first team to score in extra time wins the game.

Blatter said: "We have to try to find a way to encourage free-flowing football in tournaments like the World Cup, with teams playing to win. We plan to take the opportunity to look at the concept of extra time as well.

"Often we see teams set themselves up even more defensively in extra time, in an attempt to avoid conceding a goal at all costs. To prevent this, we could go directly to a penalty shoot-out at full time, or reintroduce the golden goal rule. We'll see what emerges from the committee meetings."

Blatter said some teams at the last World Cup in South Africa played for a draw from the first whistle.

"Football has become such a strategic game, with teams moving as a unit," he said. "It can be an impressive sight; gone are the days of simple tactics where you attacked then defended.

"But in the first few matches of the group stage in South Africa, we witnessed some teams that went out to avoid defeat, that were playing for a draw from the outset. This is a topic that I would like to discuss at upcoming Football and Technical Committee meetings."

Blatter stressed however Spain's triumph was well-deserved and he also praised the quality of Argentina, Germany and Ghana.

"For several World Cups now, we've been expecting a new champion to emerge," he added. "There was an element of hope that the champion would come from a continent that hadn't produced a winner before. South Korea came very close for Asia in 2002, while this time around, a couple of centimetres were the difference between Ghana making the semi-final and being eliminated.

"That said, Spain's success was well-deserved; in my opinion, they along with Argentina produced the highest quality of play. On top of that, they're both young teams, just like the German side that finished third, and Ghana. That's a good sign."

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Saints cleared to open talks with Adkins

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:06:49 GMT

• Adkins has led team to two promotions in four seasons
• Assistant Andy Crosby also expected to move south

Scunthorpe United have given their manager, Nigel Adkins, permission to speak to Southampton about the vacant managerial post at St Mary's.

Adkins, 45, who has steered Scunthorpe to two promotions in four years on a meagre budget, has emerged as the man Southampton want to replace Alan Pardew, who was sacked last month. Andy Crosby, Adkins' assistant manager, is expected to follow him to the south coast, but the two clubs have yet to agree a compensation package.

"The club has given permission for manager Nigel Adkins to speak to Southampton," read a club statement. "Nigel and his assistant Andy Crosby have agreed terms with the Saints but the club have yet to agree a compensation package with the League One side.

"The club will update fans as and when there's more information."

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Andy Carroll

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:06:00 GMT

The Newcastle striker stars as a blue alien and Ms Vorderman. Next: send us your Bébé's and you could win a £100 bet

Which stadium is closest to a big road?

John Ashdown — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:21:44 GMT

Plus: Forgotten man-of-the-match performances (2); Stefan Schwarz: spaceman; Kevin Street gets in touch; and When did Iceland beat Zaire in the World Cup final? Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk. You can now follow the Knowledge on Twitter at twitter.com/TheKnowledge_GU and buy the latest edition of our book, More Knowledge too

GROUNDS CLOSE TO MAJOR ROADS

"Driving past Colchester United's ground the other day I remarked to myself how close it was to the A12 - seemingly less than a goal kick from the road. Also, the stands are not the biggest, and it's not a 'bowl' stadium, so I reckon it's very possible to kick a ball out of the ground on to the A12," wrote Philip Genochio last week. "So two questions: Has a ball yet been kicked out of the ground on to the A12 and can any other stadium lay claim to being closer to a major road?"

Well, no one has managed to reach the A12 from the Western Homes Community Stadium thus far, say Colchester United, although David Prutton did belt the ball out of the stadium in the process of being sent off against Tranmere last season. The ground, though, was built with safety in mind, and the distance between stadium and road carefully calculated.

Plenty of grounds share Colchester's proximity to a major throughfare. The A23 in Crawley is certainly a road to avoid on a Saturday afternoon:

"Blue Square Premier Division team Crawley Town's Broadfield Stadium is situated right next to the A23 and that is without even a stand separating them," writes Jamie Morrison. "Rather there is a net but that is regularly cleared by the non-league defenders' efforts to put the ball into touch." (You'll notice in the above map that another unusual aspect of the Broadfield Stadium is the Ferrari F1 car parked close to the touchline).

There were several nominations of Walsall's Bescot Stadium and its proximity to the M6:

"In fact the Bescott is generally thought to be the most seen football ground in the country due to its clear visibility from the M6." reckons Tom Bason. Although it would take a serious hoof for the ball to reach the motorway.

"The nearest corner of Elland Road is all of 300 feet from the M621 motorway, well within goal kick range," writes Chris Jones:

"And I wouldn't be surprised if young Kasper Schmeichel could reach it from the goal facing the motorway in front of the South Stand about 800 feet away! (Just the tricky matter of getting it over the Kop first …)"

But in mainland Europe they really know how to combine football stadiums and major transport routes. First, to Frankfurt and FSV Frankfurt's Frankfurter Volksbank Stadion:

"By my reckoning the distance between the east stand and the motorway is no more than 150m," writes Harvey Mayne. "In fact, it is so close that when the new floodlights were being installed and tested, the motorway had to be closed in case it was found that the drivers were being dazzled. Thankfully this was not the case."

But two grounds squash all the other pretenders like a bunch of bananas under the wheels of a juggernaut on the M25. First, Madrid and the spectacular Estadio Vicente Calderon:

Calle 30 runs underneath the 55,000-capacity home of Atlético, and it's not a particularly popular feature with the home fans. Sid Lowe wrote about the subject a few years ago, rather wonderfully describing a journey to the ground as "like a human game of Frogger only without getting three lives".

But the big question is: why on earth is the motorway going under the stand? We asked the good doctor. "Boring answer but it appears to be very simple," writes Dr Lowe. "The M30 was always planned, from way back in 1940s, but not actually built until 1970. The Calderón, on the other hand, was built in 1966. Because the river is right next to the stadium and on the other side is the Mahou (beer) factory, there was no room, except to run it under the stand." As you can see from this picture, the Calderón was reduced to three sides during the road's construction.

Equally spectacularly, the Périphérique (the evocatively-named Parisien equivalent of a kind of combined North Circular and M25) runs underneath PSG's Parc des Princes:

The original velodrome on the site was demolished to make way for the Périphérique, but the city council approved a proposal to construct the road under a newly-built football stadium, though the exact chronology isn't entirely clear. Again, though, it would take a seriously misjudged Hollywood ball to trouble the local motorists.

FORGOTTEN MAN-OF-THE MATCH PERFORMANCES (2)

Last week we looked at players with little or no memory of their most memorable performances and, as ever, there's a few we neglected to mention. One of Chris Waddle's finest hours came in a Marseille shirt on 20 March 1991. The winger struck a superb volley with 15 minutes to go of Marseille's European Cup quarter-final, second leg against the mighty Milan (the match at at the San Siro had finished 1-1), but in the celebrations appeared to take a hefty clonk on the head (although Marseille claimed he was punched by a Milan player close to the end of the game, he also clashed heads with Paolo Maldini and some versions of the story have him banging his head early in the first half before producing a virtuoso performance). "My head is still very dizzy," said Waddle after the game. "I still don't know where I am really. I do know I got a blow on the head before I scored but I can't really tell you what happened."

And the early 1990s was clearly a dangerous time to be scoring vital goals. "Lee Martin scored the only goal in the 1990 Cup Final replay against Crystal Palace," writes Paddy MacLachlan. "Immediately upon scoring, whether through excitement or a bang on the head as he was mobbed by the others, he completely passed out. When you watch it, you can see quite clearly, with the benefit of hindsight, that he is non compos mentis. Apparently his team-mates were screaming at him to pull himself together as Palace were battling hard for the equaliser, but he remained away with the fairies until the full-time whistle blew."

STEFAN SCHWARZ: SPACEMAN

"Through the use of the internet I am deperately trying to prove to my friend something which I am certain of - that a player around about 5-10 years ago, when signing for their new club, possibly Middlesborough, had contractual agreements set in place that they could not fly to space," writes Andy Simpson. "Can anyone shed some light on this?"

The frustrated spaceman was, and possibly still is, the former Sweden and Arsenal midfielder Stefan Schwarz, whose dreams of intergalactic travel we're never going to be realised during his time at Sunderland, due to the killjoy Black Cats board fearing a clash with a vital midweek fixture. Here's the Guardian's Michael Walker back in 1999:

He could become the club captain, lift the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Premiership title, he could even score 100 goals in his first few seasons back in English football, yet if he achieved all this and more, one comment we will not be hearing from Sunderland's record signing Stefan Schwarz is that he is over the moon.
The route to football's favourite cliche was denied Schwarz the moment he completed his £4m transfer from Valencia as the 30-year-old Swede was forced as part of Sunderland's negotiations to forgo the two tickets he's booked on one of the first commercial flights into space, a tourism venture due to begin in 2002.
Having signed a four-year contract, the former Arsenal player will still be at Sunderland then, and the club have gone as far as to insert a clause in Schwarz's contract forbidding space exploration. As Sunderland's chief executive John Fickling said: 'It means that Stefan cannot turn around and ask for time off to travel to the moon.'
Fickling explained that Sunderland's official position is that any Schwarz moon walk could clash with a potentially crucial midweek fixture. 'Lets face it,' he said, 'in four years' time anything could be possible. I've never dealt with anything like this before and our board had a chuckle to themselves when the details were sent off to the FA.
'We were chatting about the final details of the player's insurance policy when this cropped up. It is normal for the club to protect its interests when we have players with unusual or dangerous hobbies. It just so happens that we found out about these tickets from the player's agent.'
Perhaps it's the agent, rather than Schwarz, who is on another planet.

GOD'S FOOTBALLERS (2)

A few weeks ago we had a look at the footballers who turned to the cloth after hanging up their boots. And, we're very pleased to say, one of their number has been in touch. Here's the former Crewe Alexandra midfielder (and current Nantwich Town manager) Kevin Street:

"I would like to say how interesting this subject is and how it engages usually quiet Christians to come forward and confess their faith. Throughout my career it has been obvious that the majority of footballers are believers in Christ. Some chose to be open and prophetic while others prefer to keep their beliefs to themselves. A survey would provide very interesting results. May I add that being manager of Nantwich Town Football Club is a privilege, I haven't hung up my boots yet and I am now an RE teacher, also there is nothing wrong with being short. But I am even more surprised that you really got your information wrong when you labelled me as skillful!"

KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE

"When I was at school in the early 80s, I remember our teacher reading us a novel about a future World Cup (I think it was 1998) in which the finalists were Zaire and Iceland," recalled Colin Leckey back in the innocent days of 2007. "I seem to remember Iceland winning after nobbling Zaire's Pele-like talisman, who played in bare feet. Have I completely imagined this, or does anyone else recall the book?"

Don't worry Colin, your mind isn't playing tricks on you. The Ice Warrior, from The Ice Warrior and Other Stories (published 1976) by Robin Chambers, tells how Zaire's star player is killed in a bizarre freezer-related accident. The all-conquering, efficient Iceland (a case of taking symbolism too literally) meet bare-footed and mercurial Zaire in the World Cup final - and the evil Iceland manager plots the downfall of Zaire's star player, Odiwule, who can, apparently, bend the ball 90 degrees. When Zaire are awarded a free-kick, Iceland's equivalent of Douglas Jardine swaps the ball with a special refrigerated one he had been keeping under the team bench (how he did this without anyone else seeing in unclear).

When the Zairean maestro strikes the ball his foot and leg shatter (it's those modern boots, you know) and he is killed instantly. The chilly northern cheats win the final. Fast forward 10 years and a vengeful ghost of the victim returns to haunt the Iceland manager, who has, rather unusually, become the county's prime minister.

For thousands more questions and answers take a trip through the Knowledge archive.

Can you help?

"Is the Vicente Calderon also the closest in the world to a river or other body of water?" wonders Stefan Agren.

"Can you tell me which team, club or international, has the worst record in penalty shoot outs?," asks Tranmere Kev. "I ask because last Tuesday my team, Tranmere Rovers, lost their eighth consecutive penalty shoot out."

"When I played low-league soccer in Norway in the 70s sending-offs were rare and you really needed to put in something special. Half a sending-off per team per season at the most," writes M Kare Antonsen. "One of my team-mates was sent off for uttering the word 'matchsticks' to the referee. Anybody else being sent off for such a blatant insult? The story is, of course, that my friend had been intimidating the referee for more than an hour of the game. The referee finally lost his patience, ran up to the player and said: 'One more word from you and you are off!' And he kept his word!"

"When Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005, they had a certain Malian international Djimi Traore in the squad," writes Edward Crick. "At the time of the final Mali were ranked at a lowly 61. Which player comes from the lowest ranked international team at the time of them winning a Champions League winners medal?"

Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk, or twitter.com/TheKnowledge_GU.

John Ashdown

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You are the Ref

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:05:00 GMT

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line.

Keith Hackett's verdict

1) Stay calm and think clearly. First, disallow the goal, because a team cannot change a penalty taker once he has been identified. Second, show yellow cards to both the team-mate who took the kick and the identified penalty taker for unsporting behaviour. And third, award a re-take, with the kick to be taken by a properly identified player. Time has not run out – you extended stoppage time to allow for the conclusion of the penalty. William Lai wins the shirt for this question.
2) You can only award a penalty if you or your assistants saw a holding offence. But stop play either way. Having inspected the shirts, order the whole team – not just these three players – to replace their shirts, and check them carefully. There might be sponsorship implications, but that's not your problem. Restart with a penalty if you saw any holding, or a dropped ball if not. Report the facts after the game to the appropriate competition. Thanks to Justyn O'Hara.
3) Yes: because you had signalled for the corner to be taken, the player has effectively kicked the replacement ball out for a goal-kick. Speak to the player about his angry reaction too, and use his captain to get him to calm down if need be. Thanks to Daniel Brett.

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new Observer YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt of your choice from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.

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Win! Win! Win!

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:08:13 GMT

Tickets to see Tottenham v Aston Villa in the Premier League could be yours

Amazing Altintop and a very quick goal

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:20:41 GMT

Also featuring the greatest ever tennis drop-shot, Hamit Altintop's mindblowing volley and a brilliant 800m comeback

1) Is there a finer sight than the baseball manager having a meltdown? This perky fellow acts like a four-year-old, is ejected from the game, acts like a three-year-old and then decides to give something back to the fans.

2) Another week, another OTT Scandinavian goal celebration. This time Finnish side Jaro roll out the 'Lady Gaga' (Estesark also spotted this one shortly after us, you can collect your spotters' badge below).

3) One of the all-time great batting collapses as Surrey, chasing 237 to beat Lancashire in the 1993 B&H Cup, reach 212-1 when ...

4) Forget Roger Federer's flurry of through-the-legs winners: Victor Hanescu offers up some US Open magic of his own (SpartakKapokovic also gets dibs for this).

5) How to score a goal very, very quickly.

6) Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton attempt to put a Formula One car together. Yes, it's part of a cynical marketing ploy by a certain mobile phone company but the pair seem to be having a genuinely good time and our hearts are duly warmed. Curse you advertising men!

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) Fiona Pocock is trotting towards the try line in the Women's Rugby World Cup and then Nicole Beck decides to intervene...

2) Oh, for the days when commentators said what they really thought.

3) Spurs's new signing Rafael van der Vaart is so good he can create goals at both ends of the pitch, although you probably wouldn't want to sit next to him on the bench.

4) Now nobody likes losing a penalty shoot-out but is it really worth taking a shinty ball to your (helmetless) head?

5) Hamit Altintop went all the way to Kazakhstan and all he got was this mindblowing volley.

6) Our last badge goes to rowingrob, who makes a late, late burst for glory. But not nearly as late and glorious as becapped 800m genius Dave Wottle at the 1972 Olympics.

Spotters' badges: JimmyTheMoonlight, DamTomsk, kayakking, scottyirnbru, leonarpe, Estesark, rowingrob, SpartakKapokovic.

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Rooney to leave United? It could happen

Paul Hayward — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:00:23 GMT

The England striker may be happy to stay but United should fear the cranking and grinding of corporate motivation

Today's billboard footballer is a corporation and with that mutation comes rootlessness, unless you are Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs. When a household name moves clubs, his machine acts first, as if BMW were relocating. David Beckham did not move to Real Madrid in isolation. His industry made it happen.

At Manchester United's end there will be jitters that the chaos in Wayne Rooney's personal life increases the risk of him fleeing abroad when his contract expires in the summer of 2012. The reality is that he would move sooner, because United could hardly allow his transfer value to plunge in the last 12 months of his current deal. It's his life, not ours, and all that, but it would make no sense for him to depart an institution where protection comes with a chance to be part of a deep identity.

Gary Neville, Scholes and Giggs are different creatures, you protest. True, to the extent that those senior warriors swallowed the Fergusonian culture 20 years ago. They started at United and they will end there. They are Sir Alex Ferguson's unofficial sons. Rooney is imported Evertonian talent. He bit straight away on United's ethos of insatiability but he represents a more restless breed. His blood is not Old Trafford red.

Allegiance is under the magnifying glass this weekend as Rooney returns to Goodison Park to face his boyhood love in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Evertonians murmur that he seldom shines on his old patch. It must be comforting to think the local lad is answering to some inner voice that tells him not to hurt his old comrades. Not that psychological nuances will be on show at Goodison. Phil Jagielka, Rooney's England colleague, has already paraded insensitivity on that count. "It should be amusing on Saturday," Jagielka says. "There's a good chance he'll be slaughtered. I'll be giving him a bit as well."

Amusing? Hilarious. A twisted comic sense is needed to recast a family's week from hell as a new reservoir of banter. Best to move on sharply to the question of whether England's best player would really think it a wrench to leave Manchester for Madrid, say, given that United managed to extricate him from his blue bedroom shrine in Croxteth without too much emotional fuss.

Rooney's marriage and its potential for withstanding the acid drip of salacious headlines need not detain the football pages, except where personal calamity might tempt him to embrace the old hypothesis that an Englishman travels to mend a broken heart. Unlikely. Poetic self-dramatisation is not his natural state. The noise United fear most is the cranking and grinding of corporate motivation.

This is how it works. Advisers get ideas. Advisers think ahead. A notion that starts in a sleepless night becomes a possibility and then a desired objective. Already we see that Rooney is not on the Scholes longevity chart. He smokes and drinks and blunders across the minefield of our front pages. When precocity collides with hedonism, agents tend to calculate that their star ought to make one big move before deterioration sets in. That way the whole camp can shake the money tree.

There is no hard proof that this is the way the Rooney corporation is plotting but there is anxiety. There are 18 months left on his contract and a suspicion of drift. United always aim to secure extensions before deals reach the 12-month danger zone. This requires Rooney to grab the initiative and accept the huge offer that is already on his table. By definition the delay cannot be at United's end because they want him to stay, for a much higher wage, but there may now be a period of brinkmanship in which Paul Stretford, Rooney's agent, does what agents are bred to do: ask where his client might get top dollar.

At United's Carrington training ground a rebuke awaits anyone whose task it might be to seek condemnation of Rooney's private conduct from Ferguson, whose creed throughout his time in management has been loyalty to his players, if they are loyal to him, and a wagon-circling resistance to scrutiny.

"The one danger is that Wayne's almost had a full career at 24. He should be 28 now and have four years left," Gary Neville told the Observer earlier this year. "To get where I am now he's got 11 years left and he's already played eight or nine. I suppose all he's got to do is look at Ryan Giggs every single day: a guy who's improved every day from 16 or 17 when he made his debut to the age of 36. He's got a living example in the changing room."

Money's carrot is the one thing missing from Neville's analysis: a bad temptation, if it leads Rooney away from the safety he has now.

Paul Hayward

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Liverpool fans will not be rejoicing yet

Andy Hunter — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:32:56 GMT

Tom Hicks and George Gillett have cut the club adrift from title contention and from the faithful

Until Tom Hicks and George Gillett are officially consigned to Liverpool history, there will be no dancing around the streets of Anfield at reports of their imminent demise. Imminent will not suffice for supporters more accustomed to refinancing deals than record signings since the Americans arrived in February 2007 with promises to put spades in the ground, to manage debt and to sit on the Kop once fans accepted them as true custodians of a rich tradition. There may not be the energy for the send-off they deserve when it is all over.

News that the Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing to cancel £237.4m worth of debt next month, thereby ending Hicks's and Gillett's involvement in Liverpool and costing the credit-crunched businessmen a fortune, raises hope among the club's support that the end is indeed nigh. Another uncertain period awaits while a buyer is found, but the Americans' track record of resisting pressure from the banks, the Middle East, fellow directors, a former manager and the financial opinions of prized footballers to remain in control ensures judgment on a state-owned Liverpool must be reserved.

Doubt over the future of Liverpool will not lessen the significance of the co-owners' exit, however, whenever that comes. Hicks and Gillett have been accused of a litany of failure by the numerous protest groups they have unwittingly created. Some of the charges – such as never putting their own money into the club – are imagined; most – the stadium, the debt, transfers, undermining Rafael Benítez and their own dysfunctionality – are real. Alienating a mass fanbase from their club would also be high on that list.

That Liverpudlians cannot identify with a fundraiser for George W Bush (Hicks) is no surprise, nor a fundamental reason for the anger today, but an interminable saga of financial misery and broken promises has dismantled the traditions they vowed to protect. It is not simply that they have handicapped Liverpool as the club that "existed to win trophies" by making a profit on player-trading for the past two years. It is that for many – and yes, this does sound trite – the fun has gone.

As the MP for Walton, Steve Rotheram, whose constituency covers Anfield, said this week when calling for greater supporter ownership at all levels of the game: "Look at what's happened at Anfield. The fans there do not feel engaged. The owners have seen the supporters as part of the problem instead of the solution." They still do, and the removal of Benítez this summer illustrates that also applies to management level.

Gérard Houllier's return to English football with Aston Villa provides a reminder of how little and everything has changed about Liverpool since the need for new investment prompted former chairman David Moores to accept the Americans' £5,000 per share offer. Houllier spent years bemoaning Liverpool's inability to compete financially with Manchester United and Chelsea (though Arsenal's achievements at that time always undermined his argument) and was sacked after an alarming dip in form, bad buys and with Liverpool fearing they could be cut adrift while losing the services of two disillusioned stars – Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard.

Replace Owen with Fernando Torres this summer and the parallels are clear yet, even though the calls for Houllier's removal far exceeded those for Benítez, Liverpool's support is now politicised like never before. Instead of bridging the gap, Hicks and Gillett have cut Liverpool adrift – from title contention, the Champions League and from the faithful. Hicks hoped to win the latter back by ceding to Benítez's demands on his last, powerful contract at Anfield, but he had no chance.

Offering Jürgen Klinsmann a European Cup-winning manager's job turned the tide of public opinion against the co-owners, but a bigger mistake was to redraw plans for a new 60,000-capacity stadium on Stanley Park within weeks of their takeover. It was pre-credit crunch, and planning permission and European funding was in place for a stadium that was estimated to cost £215m.

The American dream of bigger and better then got in the way. Hicks wanted his own architects to create a grander vision (or cash cow) for 72,000 spectators. Gillett objected but not forcefully enough, and their business relationship began to deteriorate just as the financial storm approached. Only a succession of short-term refinancing packages, under increasingly stringent conditions, have maintained their grip on Liverpool to this point, but at a cost beyond what they stand to lose should the RBS assume control.

"We didn't come here to milk the franchise or the club, we are here to try and build a winning tradition on what is already a winning tradition," said Gillett on the day he first set foot inside Anfield. "I don't think it is appropriate for me or Tom to try to convince the fans we understand the sport, the history or the traditions as well as they do. But respect is what we genuinely feel about the history and legacy of this franchise. I hope we can earn the respect of the fans. Give us a few years and then measure us."

The verdict was returned long ago. And they never did buy Snoogy-Doogy.

Andy Hunter

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The basic principles of how to run a club

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:02:18 GMT

The former chairman of Southend United says for too long football clubs have not stuck to workable and dependable business strategies

A football club is different from any other business entity. The stakeholders, in this case are the fans. The fans' investment is their support, while their return comes in the form of the emotional gratification all football fans desire, be it through chasing promotion, surviving relegation or a cup run. In order to guarantee this return, all a football club needs to do is exist. While sounding straightforward, Southend United are one of a number of clubs whose very existence has been threatened, and whose future is only guaranteed by the goodwill or otherwise of the judiciary. Without the existence of the club, the fans will not receive the return their investment deserves.

Despite this clear difference, in order to guarantee the future of all football clubs, the worlds of football and business have to work together. For too long, football clubs have not followed the basic principles of running any successful business. When I was chairman of Southend United, I applied four basic principles that I still use today in varying guises to run a successful business.

Firstly, employ a manager who knows what he is doing. Secondly, unless absolutely necessary, do not sack him — continuity breeds success and it allows a good manager to buy into and develop an idea. Thirdly, use all income generated to run the club — players need to be paid fairly and on time, while bills (in particular local businesses, and Southend United's current nemesis, HMRC) must also be paid promptly. Fourthly, to generate further income, assets must be made to "sweat". In the case of the football club this, for example, includes ensuring the most is made through shirt sponsorship opportunities and corporate sales (all, of course, while ensuring all fans who want to support the club are not priced out of doing so).

Above and beyond these four principles, there is a responsibility on the shoulders of directors (a responsibility that in recent times many have avoided) to ensure that any income the club generates after compliance with principle three, is re-invested in the team. Too many directors have used this income to finance their own external, non-football-related debts.

The Football Association's "fit and proper persons test" for ownership does not go far enough to guarantee such basic responsibilities are ongoing. Further, the directors must also be in a position to fund any additional player purchases, repayable on an interest free basis, and not to the detriment of continued compliance of principle three, should the manager make a good case for that investment.

Beyond successful management of club financial affairs by directors, there needs to be assistance from the Football League to guarantee the long-term survival of all clubs.

Firstly, I would remove the existing rules governing the transfer window, providing a continuing transfer market from the end of the season to the last weekend in March. The implementation of transfer windows has all but destroyed the genuine transfer market that existed in the lower levels of the game. While I recognise these rules were implemented to reward higher quality coaching and team-play, at the lower level of the professional game, a continuing transfer window ensured that clubs could operate on a level playing field when investing in their teams.

Secondly, and perhaps more radically, I would introduce a standard form Football League player contract, guaranteeing players a certain wage, depending on the division they play in, reflecting the difference between competition and resulting club revenue. Any additional revenue the club receives (be that from television contracts or gate receipts) can be redistributed to the players through bonuses.

The majority of clubs have suffered financial problems as a result of relegation, meaning that often they are paying Premier League level wages whilst competing in the second or third tier. If the level of player wages were contractually guaranteed dependent on the division in which clubs compete, clubs would instantly be placed on a sounder financial footing. The players and the PFA would need to be a key partner in this. If the players brought into this idea to ensure the long-term survival of all clubs, they would of course guarantee their own personal income.

These two measures, coupled with sound management principles would assist in guaranteeing the future existence of all clubs, thus providing fans with the return on their emotional investment — namely, a club and a team to support.

Mark Rubin is a lifelong Southend United fan. His family owned the club from 1967 to 1983. He was vice-chairman for three years and chairman from 1982-83. During that time, the club was regularly ranked in the top 15 of the wealthiest football clubs in the league. He is a major shareholder and chief executive of a publicly listed property investment company.

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Russia and England fight for World Cup

Luke Harding — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:48:00 GMT

While England promote their 'safe' option, Russia's bid team for the 2018 World Cup want the tournament to be a historic moment

Vitaly Mutko is in a confident mood. Surveying Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, with its luridly green artificial pitch, Mutko recalls watching Russia beat England 2-1 here during their 2007 European qualifier. It had seemed like England's night, he recalled. "Everyone was in a miserable mood at half-time. We were losing 1-0. I predicted we would score twice. And we did," he says happily.

The next installment in Russia's rivalry with England takes place on 2 December, when Fifa's executive committee meets in Zurich to decide who will host the 2018 World Cup. Mutko refuses to make any hubristic pronouncements about Russia's chances. "Self-confidence sometimes leads to tragedies in sport," he says.

And yet with three months to go until Fifa's secret ballot, the Russians appear quietly certain that they and not England will emerge victorious. Mutko's optimism stems from a single powerful idea – that a Russian World Cup would be a more dynamic, more compelling, and more nation-transforming event than a 'safe', and possibly dull, English one. It would, in short, be a moment in history.

At a time when Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, is pondering his legacy to world football, the Russians are pledging to bring the tournament to the former communist bloc for the first time. Asked whether Russia's bid might be more interesting than England's, Mutko jumps off his feet, and sweeps his fist through the air with a triumphant and affirmative "Da". "I would just grab this country Russia and say there will be so much done for football!" he says.

Mutko, Russia's minister for sport, is clearly irritated by recent stories in the British press reporting how Lokomotiv Moscow fans celebrated Peter Odemwingie's recent sale to West Bromwich Albion with a banner showing a banana and the message: "Thanks West Brom." He is also rattled by reports suggesting widespread corruption in Russia, believing these themes have been deliberately overblown to sabotage Russia's bid.

But it is the concept, and not the on-going Anglo-Russian information war, that Mutko believes will win over Fifa. Intriguingly, Sergei Fursenko, the president of Russia's Football Union, talks about Russia's 2018 bid in highly mystical terms. He says that many fans have only a vague idea of what Russia is like, and says that hosting the tournament would enable visitors who come to Russia to experience the "Russian soul". "People are very hospitable and very open. The soul is all embracing, including of foreigners. You have to be not scared of Russians."

Russia's well-organised bid committee – which hosted Fifa's inspection team last month – talk about their ambitions in sweeping terms. They see a Russian World Cup as nothing less than an event of historical proportions, on a par with the second world war and the heroic defeat of the Nazis.

"England had everything," said Alexander Djordjadze, the director of bid planning and operations. "You ruled the world. You invented football. You have the richest league. You are solid and strong as a cultural entity.

"For us the entire 20th century was an immense sacrifice. We are now building a new country. The World Cup would help us make a different people and a new nation. For Fifa to give it to [post-communist] Russia would be a bold political gesture."

Alexei Sorokin, Russia's multilingual 2018 bid chief, believes that the influx of fans to Russia would transform the way the country is perceived by the rest of the world. It would help overcome what he views as a negative and unfair image of Russia, concocted erroneously, he feels, by the western media. "We would be perceived the way we merit to be perceived. It would eliminate this prejudice against us."

The tournament would also showcase what Russia had achieved "in a record period of time" since the collapse of communism.

England's stadiums and facilities are more or less complete – so much so that in August Blatter admitted it would be "easy" to hold the World Cup in England. Paradoxically, this fact may work to England's disadvantage.

Russia, by contrast, is proposing a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, which would transform sport across the world's largest country, and bring football to backward regions stretching from the Polish borders to the Pacific coast.

It has promised new stadiums, high-speed rail links between host cities, new airports, hotels and training pitches. Some of this is happening anyway. Russia is already building six stadiums and has promised to construct nine more if it wins the World Cup. Portraying itself as the meeting point between east and west – in fact the border between Europe and Asia runs through the potential host city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals – Russia plans to stage the tournament in clusters.

The final, a semi-final and the opening match would take place in Moscow's Luzhniki, the venue for the 1980 Olympic Games. Other matches would take place in a northern cluster centred on St Petersburg, a Volga cluster along Europe's longest river, and a southern cluster that includes Sochi, the balmy seaside resort that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, and is a favoured chill-zone for Kremlin politicians.

Mutko points out that Vladimir Putin – Russia's prime minister, who is travelling to Zurich for the Fifa vote – has personally guaranteed all stadiums will be built on time. The bill? For sporting infrastructure alone it will come to $6bn. Over the past decade, eight as president and two as prime minister, Putin has had an overriding mission: to restore Russia's greatness after what he regards as a period of chaos and humiliating weakness under Boris Yeltsin. The later half of his presidential stint coincided with a dramatic downturn in relations between London and Moscow, and England's bitter Luzhniki defeat.

A Russian World Cup would confirm that Russia's is back as a great world power. And it would also be another defeat for England, the icing on Putin's cake.

Luke Harding

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Webb hopes for a little less controversy

Paul Wilson — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:06:05 GMT

Ahead of his first top-flight game since the World Cup final, Webb believes referees' relationships with players are improving

Howard Webb returns to Premier League action for the first time since his bruising World Cup final at what should be a less controversial fixture, between West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow. At least the Yorkshire referee hopes so, since he believes the point of the FA's Respect campaign, which he insists is quietly making a difference, is that officials and their decisions should never become the main focus of attention after a game.

"I personally prefer it when there is no debate about the referees," the 39-year-old said. "I went to watch a rugby league game the other week, and it was nice, not seeing any back-chat to refs, but it's not football. Rugby league and union are great sports but football has the biggest draw on people.

"When the FA introduced their Respect programme in 2008 and the Premier League complemented that with Get On With The Game, it was important that a stance was made. We were in a position where 8,000 referees were walking away from grass-roots football every year, and only about that number were walking in. Numbers were falling, something had to be done. The abuse of referees which was leading to many walking away from game couldn't continue. The number of cards in the Premier League is now down, and on the field of play the relationship between myself and the players is better now than it ever has been – and it was never that bad.

"You'd probably get that response from most of my colleagues. There is a genuine desire to work together. You still see incidents where respect isn't what it should be. You can still find players surrounding referees, trying to make them change their mind over decisions that are quite often correct. That's what you don't see in rugby, but I do think the situation is getting better in football, and the more referees are presented as people the more the level of mutual understanding will improve."That said, Webb is doubtful of the wisdom of post-match press conferences by officials, or appearances on Match of the Day. "Traditionally it is something we've not done but that doesn't mean it is right," he said.

"I can see some of the benefits of football supporters seeing and hearing a ref close up. It would help them understand us as refs and also as people. I have had opportunity on occasions to speak on camera to explain decisions and sometimes mistakes, but one of the worries is that quite often when we are asked to comment it is be about controversy, sometimes it might even involve disciplinary sanction where sub judice comes into play. There's a concern it would be just about the negatives, so we've not gone down that route willingly."

Many of the post-match controversies in the modern game are either created or magnified by the presence of cameras, often picking up what the referee has missed, but Webb believes officials have no need to fear their decisions being scrutinised after the event, especially the ones involving abuse or dissent from players, where the viewing public tend to be on their side. "Referees just need to have confidence to do their job with courage," he said.

"Just do the job you are sent out to do. If you see an incident, there's a camera that will pick it up anyway. In terms of players abusing me or my assistants I would always be strong on supporting my team if a player runs from a distance. If they are already close by and they make a comment that it wasn't a good decision, in the heat of frustration, I can probably live with it. I have no desire to have games end up seven against seven and I understand the passion football creates. That's what makes it the game it is. But then is the frustration acceptable? Has it gone into dissent? If someone has run 30 yards to have a word from one yard then he has had 30 yards of thinking time. As professional people players should know the outcome.

"They should have the self-restraint to think. But players all know by now they are going to get cautioned for taking a shirt off, yet even on a yellow card they'll still do it. That shows the emotion they are experiencing. Personally I don't mind that, but showing glasses to an assistant or waving their arms publicly undermines my authority and I'd do something.

"Uefa are strong on players asking for a yellow card for others now too. In the Champions League that should never happen any more. It has been introduced into the Premier League as a word of advice that if you ask for a yellow card you might get a caution yourself."

One area where Webb believes football could usefully borrow from rugby is in marching players back 10 yards for dissent, more if the process is repeated. Football in this country did adopt such a policy for a short time, only to see the wider game abandon the experiment, apparently because nations unfamiliar with rugby were struggling with the concept. "We tried it and then it was dropped, but I saw some benefits," Webb said. "Territory is not such an advantage in football as in rugby but it can be. If there was an element of flexibility where you could keep advancing the ball, then surely would that have an impact. IFAB made the decision that it wasn't right for football based on their research. The feeling was that it wouldn't be possible to implement worldwide, I think."

One imagines a 10-yard rule would be easier to introduce worldwide than cameras within the goal frame, giant screen appeals, or whatever else is necessary to avoid repeats of the Thierry Henry/Frank Lampard injustices beamed around the globe. "Clearly what happened in South Africa [with Lampard] brought the issue acutely into people's focus," Webb said. "I understand Fifa will re-examine the possibility of introducing assistance, initially on the goal-line, but that will take time.

I've an open mind to anything that makes my job easier, or makes me more credible, though it needs to fulfil certain criteria. It must be 100% accurate, reliable, almost instantaneous.

"We are going into this year's Champions League season with additional referees behind the goals, and that's got to be a positive for me if I have two experienced people I trust. We are still using human opinion in these decisions, and while some goal-line technology might be the way forward, we are in 2010 and we don't have it. That suggests to me it is a difficult thing to introduce, without changing the nature of a game that is fast-flowing and high tempo.

"The ball over the line call is difficult for referees and assistants who may not be right on the spot, and sometimes I feel in a less than privileged position by not having the opportunity to turn to technology, but that's where we are. Whatever we change, you can bet that in 100 years someone will still be sitting arguing about what to change next."

Paul Wilson

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Houllier has fight to win over Villa fans

Stuart James — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:10:41 GMT

Club ask unconvinced supporters to get behind the former Liverpool manager as successor to Martin O'Neill

The search has lasted 30 days but Aston Villa have finally got their man. The Villa Park board should be feeling relief and satisfaction after identifying a successor to Martin O'Neill, yet one of the club's non-executive directors has been busy posting messages on supporters' websites defending the decision to bring in Gérard Houllier and warning fans that derogatory remarks might scare the Frenchman off before he has said bonjour.

It is a strange backdrop to the arrival of a new manager, whose appointment was officially confirmed tonight, and one that contrasts sharply with the open-arms welcome O'Neill was given after he took over four years ago, when he was hailed as Villa's saviour. General Charles C Krulak, right-hand man of the chairman Randy Lerner, had not joined Villa at that point, though had he been in post it is safe to assume he would not have been fighting fires over O'Neill's recruitment as he has with Houllier.

Although it is difficult to gauge the overriding mood of Villa fans about the former Liverpool manager – message boards generally carry negative rather than positive comments – there does seem to be some apprehension about the Frenchman. It is almost as if the more sceptical Villa fans want to run a highlighter pen over the end of his six-year-reign at Anfield, when things started to unravel, and overlook everything else on his CV.

That seemed to be the point that Krulak, who has earned notoriety for his candid messages, was trying to make when he turned on the more critical Villa supporters.

"Take Mr H for example," Krulak wrote. "Whatever anyone thinks of him, he deserves respect from the fans of this club. He has a fine record with multiple clubs and deserves better for the amount of effort he has put into his chosen career than to be ridiculed by AVFC."

Houllier is unlikely to lose any sleep over the criticism, despite Krulak's concerns that "any manager worth their salt is going to do some due diligence on the club and that would probably include reading up on the fans and the type of support they might receive". The reality is that Houllier will have far more important things on his mind as he gets to grips with being a manager again for the first time since 2007 and returning to the Premier League after a six-year absence.

On the face of it, both timescales present potential problems, but those close to Houllier are confident he will readapt to frontline management in England with the minimum of fuss. "Football is his life," said Rick Parry, the former Liverpool chief executive. "The fact he's wanting to get back into the hurly-burly of football at this stage, when he could easily put his feet up, sums him up. I have the utmost respect for him and he will bring a wealth of knowledge with him to Villa."

There is a sense that Houllier still remains upset at how Liverpool treated him at the end. He recently claimed that when Rafael Benítez, his successor, left Anfield last summer, one of the Liverpool players sent him a text that said: "Boss, he hasn't beaten you." The problem for Houllier, however, is that he seems to be remembered more for the poor signings that tarnished the end of his reign than the four trophies he collected along the way.

With Brad Friedel, Stephen Warnock and Emile Heskey all having played under him at Liverpool, the Villa squad will be well briefed as to what to expect. The 63-year-old is set to bring in Patrice Bergues, who worked alongside him at Anfield until 2001, as his assistant, although it remains to be seen whether there will be a role for Kevin MacDonald, who took over on a caretaker basis when O'Neill resigned. It could be a wise move to keep MacDonald given the respect he commands from the players.

Getting off to a good start at Stoke on Monday would be another step in terms of winning over the doubters, many of whom seem to have ignored the unenviable position O'Neill placed Villa in when he quit five days before the season started. It is easy to pick faults in the appointment of Houllier, but much more difficult to come up with a better choice of manager from a limited field.

"There will always be some people against a manager because he is not the one they wanted, but I think the majority will give Gérard a go," said Dave Woodhall, the editor of the Heroes and Villains fanzine and a supporters' trust board member. "The people I have spoken to accept it was an horrendous time to be dropped in it, and that Houllier is the best available at the moment. I'm sure he'll get the reception an Aston Villa manager deserves."

Stuart James

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Ghost goals as Serie A returns

Paolo Bandini — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:05:27 GMT

Serie A returned to action with a big new arrival, harsh treatment in Bologna and a Hulk-like Sinisa Mihajlovic

For a round of fixtures that brought only 15 goals, Serie A's opening weekend was certainly eventful even if some of the games were not.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did rather well in that regard, taking his seat among the directors and dignitaries at San Siro for one of the weekend's more entertaining games – his new Milan team-mates put four past newly promoted Lecce without reply. In the seats either side of the Swede, his agent Mino Raiola and Milan's vice-president, Adriano Galliani, glowed with satisfaction. A seat further down, Silvio Berlusconi glowed with what one suspects is hundreds of Euros worth of fake tan.

"I am incredibly happy," Galliani declared before the match, and well he might after sealing a transfer that defied all expectations. Barcelona gave up €45m plus Samuel Eto'o to secure Ibrahimovic one year ago, yet Milan will pay nothing to the Catalan club this season – when the striker is technically on loan – then only €24m, in instalments, after that. The Swede agreed to take a pay cut from €12m to €8m a year, although bonuses could take him back up towards the former figure.

Critics may still consider that a large sum for a player does not address an area of particularly great need, but supporters can counter that Ibrahimovic's 16 goals during a supposedly disappointing 29 La Liga games for Barcelona was more than any of Milan's strikers managed last year. Before that he managed 57 in 88 Serie A fixtures for Inter.

Ibrahimovic's declaration that "I won't leave Milan until we've won everything" prompted more than one pundit to joke that he could be there some time, but such cockiness is not totally without foundation. It should be remembered that he has finished top of whichever league he has been playing in for the past seven seasons.

Certainly the fans have been won over, a banner in the Curva Sud reading: "Summer transfers: many youngsters and one great champion … the right mix for becoming a great champion once again. Thank you." Another was unfurled with the message: "At Milanello, at San Siro and at the club. Welcome back president." It was a far cry from July, when Berlusconi was heckled by the club's fans when he showed up at a training session.

Ibrahimovic's arrival was followed by a cryptic suggestion from Berlusconi that Milan are "ready to move" if one other target, widely assumed to be Robinho, becomes available and cynics have been quick to note that this flurry of activity follows a difficult spell for the Italian prime minister. The Alleanza Nazionale leader Gianfranco Fini pulled out of Berlusconi's centre-right coalition just before the summer break, sparking talk of an early election. It would not be the first time the Milan owner has sought to use football for political ends.

But success on the pitch, at least, is attainable. Mlian's first team yesterday featured six players in their 30s, four of whom were 33 or older, but they are not alone in boasting an ageing side. A study over the summer showed Serie A to be the second-oldest league in Europe, after Cyprus, and the team Inter started with against Atlético Madrid in the European Super Cup had an average age of over 30.5 years. Deficiencies at full-back and the inexperience of the manager Massimiliano Allegri make a strong Champions League run unlikely, but a title challenge is not out of the question.

Indeed, while it would be foolish to read too much into one weekend's results – especially when Milan were facing such compliant opposition – the Rossoneri certainly looked a far better bet than the other supposed candidates. While Milan were rejuvenated by a healthy Alexandre Pato and a leaner-looking Ronaldinho, Juventus seemed utterly unimproved by close to €60m of new signings.

If Juventus' 3-1 defeat away to Bari was met with shock and anger last season, this year's 1-0 loss – their first opening-day reverse since 1982 – brought only resignation. There were six new faces in the starting XI, and a further two brought on before the end, but the performance was all too familiar. With both teams lined up in a 4-4-2 there was no question of Juve having been outwitted; they were simply outplayed by a team with more energy and more ideas. In the end Juve managed two shots on target to their hosts' eight.

Almost all the new signings were underwhelming. Fabio Quagliarella looked every bit the man who had not had a chance to train with his team-mates; Milos Krasic and Simone Pepe failed to get behind their opposing full-backs and Marco Motta, just as in his Roma days, is the defender who just won't defend. At the back Leonardo Bonucci and the goalkeeper Marco Storari escaped without particular blame, but that's about the best that could be said.

The new manager Luigi Del Neri had the twin excuses of players needing time to gel and being tired from Thursday's Europa League win over Sturm Graz, although he refused to bring up an even greater grievance – the sale of Diego. After Del Neri had insisted all summer that the Brazilian was a key part of his plans, the club's decision to sell him to Wolfsburg this week looks like a massive folly. A team already short of creativity could ill-afford to lose a player who showed flashes – albeit only intermittently – of real talent last season.

Juve may yet be active in the remaining two days of the transfer window, with reports today that they will move for Milan's Marco Borriello, likely to be the odd man out after Ibrahimovic's arrival. Not that they'll be the only ones spending big – as Bari's goalscorer Massimo Donati explained at full-time. "I want to show you a text sent to me by my friend Paolo," he said, before holding his phone up for reporters. "Teletext said you wouldn't play," read the message. "But I bet on Bari to win 1-0 with a goal from you anyway. Nice one!"

But if it was a disappointing weekend for Juventus, it was a worse one for Franco Colomba, sacked by Bologna just two days before their opening game against Inter. Sergio Porcedda, the team's new president, claimed Colomba had complained too much about the club's transfer dealings and failure to bring in more experienced players. The former Parma, Chievo and Torino manager Mario Beretta is favourite to take over after he was sacked by PAOK in July – after less than a month in the job.

That just leaves our ghost goal – 'scored' by Edinson Cavani during Napoli's 1-1 draw at Fiorentina. His header from an Andrea Dossena cross after just seven minutes crashed down on to the line but was incorrectly deemed to have crossed it by the referee Andrea Gervasoni. On the sideline Sinisa Mihajlovic looked ready to burst, Hulk-like, from his too-tight shirt, but managed to restrain himself before helping his team regroup to claim a more than merited draw.

"They got it wrong and they know that," Mihajlovic said. "It wasn't a goal, but in football these things can happen." For Serie A this season it seems the acrimony can wait till week two.

Talking points

• Roma were scarcely more impressive than Juventus as they laboured to a 0-0 draw with Cesena. Perhaps it was the absence of a real crowd – just 18,600 made it into the stadium as Ultras staged a protest against the tessera del tifoso outside – but the Giallorossi lacked energy and invention against a spirited but limited opponent. Claudio Ranieri finally has the one signing he wanted all summer, the centre-back Nicolás Burdisso, but with Adriano out for a month there is little alternative up front to the listless showing of Mirko Vucinic and the bad-tempered one of Francesco Totti.

• Sebastian Giovinco more than lived up to billing on his Parma debut, setting up Valeri Bojinov's opener against Brescia with a delicious chip over the defence and generally causing all sorts of bother as he orchestrated play in the final third. Sterner tests await, but once again the Ducali seem to have made shrewd investments this summer.

• Sampdoria shook off their Champions League hangover with a 2-0 win over Lazio. Samp's manager Mimmo Di Carlo said when he arrived that he would stay faithful to the 4-4-2 that got the team fourth place but, after the play-off defeat to Werder Bremen, he seems to feel more free to try his own ideas – moving Stefano Guberti up behind the attack to give himself more of a diamond midfield. So far, so good, as Guberti got the second.

Results Bari 1-0 Juventus, Chievo 2-1 Catania, Fiorentina 1-1 Napoli, Milan 4-0 Lecce, Palermo 0-0 Cagliari, Parma 2-0 Brescia, Roma 0-0 Cesena, Sampdoria 2-0 Lazio, Udinese 0-1 Genoa

Latest Serie A table

Watch Serie A video highlights

Paolo Bandini

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Sir Alex Ferguson: Ryan Giggs 'will not' replace John Toshack in Wales

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:38:29 GMT

• Manchester United manager says 'It will not happen'
• FAW searching for replacement

Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out any chance of Ryan Giggs succeeding John Toshack as Wales manager.

"I spoke to him. It will not happen," said Ferguson.

Once it became obvious Toshack would be leaving his post, following last week's Euro 2012 qualifying defeat by Montenegro, Giggs was linked with the job. The Football Association of Wales is searching for a replacement.

Giggs, 36, was an obvious choice among those who remember how well another Manchester United player, Mark Hughes, did when he found himself in a similar situation.

Giggs, who retired from international football in 2007, after winning 64 caps for Wales, has been taking coaching badges in preparation for a life after he retires as a player.

However, it was always felt Giggs would prefer to concentrate on his playing career and Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, has confirmed that is exactly the way it is going to be.

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Manchester United's Michael Carrick out with achilles injury

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:08:15 GMT

• Sir Alex Ferguson says 29-year-old out for three weeks
• Midfielder has not made Premier League start this season

Michael Carrick has been ruled out of action for three weeks with an achilles tendon injury.

The Manchester United midfielder has made only one Premier League appearance this season, replacing Paul Scholes late on in a 3-0 win against West Ham United at Old Trafford on 28 August. He started the Community Shield victory over Chelsea before the start of the league season.

Carrick, 29, was a member of Fabio Capello's England squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but did not take the field. He was an unused substitute for the recent Euro 2012 qualifying victories against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

It means Carrick will miss tomorrow's visit to Everton and the home matches against Rangers and Liverpool that follow in a busy week.

Ferguson had some good news to impart, however, as he will have Rio Ferdinand available for the first time this season.The defender has made a quicker than expected recovery from the knee injury he suffered on the first day of World Cup training in South Africa.

"Rio Ferdinand could have played for the reserves against Stockport last night," said Ferguson. "He wanted to play but his training performances are so good I didn't see any point.

"He is in the squad. With three games this week, it is good that he is back in the fold."

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Football transfer rumours: Harry Redknapp to apply for the England job?

Simon Burnton — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:14:10 GMT

Today's flim flam has discovered that Italy is a different country

Wayne Rooney sex-marriage-hooker-hell-torment-nightmare latest: the England ace has told Sir Alex Ferguson that he may need to go on compassionate leave for a while in a bid to save his marriage. "I'm desperate to get her back. I'll do anything to get her back," he told a friend, while arranging for a fleet of vans to deliver loads of flowers to his marital home yesterday. "I realise what a fool I've been." His marriage is in such a precarious state that Mrs R went shopping yesterday without her wedding ring before putting it on again later, leaving commentators frankly at a loss over what to say.

Yet more bad news for Rooney in The Star, who reveal that both of the women involved in his alleged threesome were at the time in relationships with extremely dangerous gangsters. One was going out with a convicted armed robber, while the other was involved with a man who is this very morning in prison awaiting sentencing for illegally smuggling gun parts into the UK. One "senior security source involved in celebrity protection" told the paper: "Listen, you've clearly just made me up so just write whatever you want."

If Rooney really wants to get close to his wife all he needs is to slap on a bit of David Beckham's new aftershave and wait for Mrs R to get overcome with irresistible urges. He can, if he chooses, follow this handy instructional video guide. But he should not, repeat not, get himself stuck in a lift with Nolberto Solano, not only because the stubble burn could rule him out for six to eight weeks but also because the Peruvian might be a bit bitter about women given that his house has been repossessed and it's all his ex-wife's fault. "She's moved to Greece and she was supposed to be in charge of the situation," he said. Solano and Rooney could however have a lovely chat about their respective vices: trumpets and strumpets.

Confirmation that the England job will be up for grabs in two years has provoked a string of premature applications. "You've got to take the job if you get offered it," said Harry Redknapp. "To go on the international stage would be exciting," added Sam Allardyce. "I would love to have a go. It must be the proudest moment of your life," tub-thumped Steve Bruce. So there we are then, sorted.

Redknapp didn't stop there, though, thoughtfully issuing a lay-off-the-booze plea to footballers everywhere. "People have a drink, we all drink. We've all done it. I'm not sitting here saying I never have. Of course I have. I've liked to drink all my life," he said. "But these lads now, you can't do it any more. The days now, everyone's got a camera."

Redknapp almost certainly needed a drink last night to cope with the flashbacks of Marco Boogers he must have experienced after Tottenham's big-name Dutch signing Rafael van der Vaart talked about his caravan-dwelling past. "The caravan was the way my family lived. My father was born in one and it is a lifestyle. Maybe it is not a normal one but I always liked it."

But Van der Vaart was resoundingly outwackied by fellow deadline-day arrival Asamoah Gyan. "In the national team everybody knows I can sing," said the Sunderland new-boy. "I like any kind of music with a good rhythm. I write my own songs and sing them to my team-mates." And here's proof of his vocal prowess, a duet with Castro the Destroyer, "Ghana's 50 Cent". Sample lyric: "African girls they be, them be sweet, them be sexy like cheese."

Can the Mill be the first to suggest that Gyan should not be allowed to follow Beckham into the personal aftershave brand business? The erstwhile England captain's new fragrance is called Intimately Beckham Yours, which is quite cheesy enough. The thought of Gyan touting an effort entitled Stinking Bishop is nearly enough to have us getting all Van Gogh with our noses.

Anyway, Sunderland's lyrical gangsta also revealed why he likes to wear the No3 shirt – though he's been saddled with No33 at the Stadium of Light – "It is a powerful number. I'll give you an example: if you are lifting something heavy, you count to three before you lift." You've got to say, the man's got a point. You do count to three before you lift.

Scott Parker has signed a new four-year deal at West Ham, with his weekly wage flying up by almost 3% from £67,000 a week to £70,000. "I always knew this was where I was going to be," he said. Avram Grant is set to miss West Ham's visit to Stoke next Saturday because it clashes with the Jewish festival Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and he is going to be busy repenting that day. "It is difficult to stand in the way of religious conviction," said David Gold.

Simon Burnton

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Daily Mail indulges in hypocrisy in its Wayne Rooney reporting

Roy Greenslade — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:54:08 GMT

I can do no better than repeat verbatim this item by the Press Gazette's entertainingly acerbic diarist, Grey Cardigan:

The Daily Mail's take on the Wayne Rooney affair:

Miss Wood, 23, a university lecturer's daughter, and Miss Thompson, 21, the privately-educated child of a wealthy oil company executive, have turned out to be flag-bearers for the celebrity-mad, lascivious culture that has consumed the nation.

And at the bottom of the piece?

Have you got a story on a celebrity? Call the Daily Mail showbusiness desk on 0207 938 6364 or 0207 938 6683

Brilliant!

Roy Greenslade

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Football quiz: The Knowledge

John Ashdown — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:06:00 GMT

Today's questions are wondering just how closely you've been reading the Knowledge

John Ashdown

You are the Ref: Brad Friedel, Aston Villa

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:05:00 GMT

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Wales rip up the timetable to force out 'disappointed' Toshack

Stuart James — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:30:10 GMT

• Manager reveals employers went against his wishes
• 'I was quite prepared to go on to the next two matches'

John Toshack was effectively forced out of his job as Wales manager after being denied the chance to oversee next month's 2012 European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland. The Football Association of Wales claimed the decision was made by mutual consent but Toshack revealed that his employers went against his wishes when they accelerated the plans that were in place to review his position after the Switzerland match.

Although the FAW gave no explanation for its decision to sever ties with Toshack earlier than it had planned, the governing body was placed in an uncomfortable position once it became public knowledge after Friday's defeat in Montenegro that the 61-year-old was ready to step down if results were poor against Bulgaria on 8 October and Switzerland four days later. Toshack met FAW officials after returning from watching Bulgaria face Montenegro on Tuesday and was persuaded to end his six-year tenure this week.

"I didn't decide to finish. I was quite prepared to go on to the next two matches," Toshack said. "I did say to the [FAW] president after the game in Croatia, in the summer, where for a number of reasons I was disappointed, that after the first three group matches we would review everything. And even after the disappointment of the game in Montenegro that was still the way I felt. But it's generally felt it might be better for someone else to take over for these two matches."

The Croatia match continues to grate with Toshack. He organised the friendly at the end of the season to provide Wales with similar opponents to Montenegro but was dismayed when 14 players withdrew from his original squad, several of whom he suspects were fit. "It was such a poor turn-out. I'm not saying some of them weren't genuine but I do know that some of them could have been there, and that disappointed me. I do feel, having looked at other teams, we do have far too many pull-outs."

Toshack also endured more than his share of international retirements and he expressed frustration at the way many of the players handled their decision. "Ryan [Giggs] is the only one who did it the right way. He didn't phone up; he came to see me the day before the game against New Zealand. He explained his thoughts to me and even then didn't say 'tomorrow'. To pick up the phone on a Sunday evening, I don't think is the right way to do things."

The former Real Madrid manager admitted Wales have regressed since the 3-0 victory over Scotland last November but maintains there is "a good team waiting to come out". It remains unclear who will be in charge against Bulgaria – the FAW has insisted it will not be rushed into an appointment – although Brian Flynn, the Under-21 coach, is a leading contender. Toshack seemed less convinced about the merits of turning to Giggs. "I think an ex-player going into management should start at the bottom and learn [his] trade."

Stuart James

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