LONDON (DF) -- With all eyes on today's historic FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against crosstown foes Manchester United, under-fire Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has vowed to take the game to rivals United, defiantly proclaiming he's not afraid of being sacked at the end of the season.
A series of sub-par performances have left Mancini's side desperately clinging onto the fourth and final UEFA Champions League spot, only three points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, having played a game more. Regardless of the result, today's Manchester derby stands poised to set the tone for City's remaining league fixtures.
"We must play our normal game," said Mancini at his pre-match press conference. "I am not afraid of Manchester United. I am not afraid of losing my job. As a manager, you don't think of these things. I am only afraid of losing."
Liam Murphy, a former City trainee who now follows the club with the Manchester Evening News, believes today's match could prove to be the defining moment of Mancini's tenure as City boss.
"I'm afraid it's make or break time for Roberto," alleged Murphy. "Our form has been simply spastic this season. Fantastic attacking flair mixed in with dreadfully dire defensive dross. A Champions League place is a must for us this season, without a doubt, but if we blow it today, against United of all clubs, I think he's already gone."
"It's really entirely up to him," Murphy continued. "Should he beat United, go on to win the FA Cup and finally bring a trophy back to this club, all the criticism, all the negativity regarding his tactics, all the discussion of his terrible transfer dealings, all the media stories claiming he's an inept manager and in way over his head, it'll all disappear."
"You know how they always say 'beware the wounded animal'? Maybe Mancini will surprise everyone and come out fighting."
Manchester United's wing sensation Nani has declared his disappointment after being excluded from the PFA Players' Player of the Year shortlist. The young Portuguese was baffled by the snub, and said his petulance, diving, and feigning injury should have had absolutely no effect on his fellow professionals including him in the shortlist. -- (Daily Mail)
Former Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has claimed the club would not be in a relegation fight had he not been sacked by owners Venky's in December. Sources at Blackburn agreed, saying they believe Allardyce was referring to the fact he would have already had the club relegated by now. -- (Daily Mail)
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti insists he isn't afraid of dropping £50m flop Fernando Torress and risking the wrath of Roman Abramovich. The former AC Milan boss revealed that even though Abramovich picks the team, he's the one who hands in the final lineup to Premier League officials before the game. -- (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal supporters have reacted angrily to the news that American tycoon Stan Kroenke will launch a takeover of the club after purchasing a further 32% of the club's shares. The Arsenal Supporters Trust has urged its members to resist any potential offers to prevent Kroenke from single-handedly making the club competitive by injecting cash for high profile, quality signings in the summer. -- (Telegraph)
Under-pressure Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will allow striker Emmanuel Adebayor to make his loan move to Real Madrid permanent in the summer. The defensive-minded Italian tactician insists City don't need a commanding striker who has the ability to score goals and win games. -- (The Sun)
Newcastle United are preparing an ambitious £19.2m bid for Anderlecht's 17-year-old wonderkid Romelu Lukaku, with first team boss Alan Pardew admitting the club's scouting network had unearthed the gem on Football Manager. Pardew said: "They signed him last week, and so far he looks good." -- (Metro)
Sunderland have revealed they are being sued by one of their own fans who was knocked unconscious by a wayward strike from former player Djibril Cisse during a 2008 training session. The Sunderland legal team will claim the fan was negligent and knew he was taking his life into his own hands by standing 30 yards to the left of the goal when Cisse was practicing shooting. -- (Metro)
NEWCASTLE (DF) -- Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton has hit-out at England manager Fabio Capello and his coaching staff for overlooking him in March's international squad selection, claiming he's the best English central midfielder in the game today and twice the player of England regular Gareth Barry.
The tough-tackling former Manchester City player, who received his one an only England cap in February 2007, was critical of the defensive tactics used during the recent fixtures against Wales and Ghana and charged that Capello picks his squads based purely on reputation and Italian mentality.
"Honestly, I think I'm the best English midfielder," alleged Barton in an interview with a French magazine. "In terms of English players, well, Jack Wilshere isn't bad, but Frank Lampard's on the way down and Steven Gerrard's been injured a lot. Scott Parker is one dimensional. Gareth Barry is absolute tosh."
"The only reason Barry is picked is because he's used to playing that slow Italian stuff at City," Barton continued. "Did you see the game against Germany at the World Cup? Barry's got a very good agent. He's also discreet and always agrees with the manager. He's like the guy who sits in the front row and listens to the teacher. I certainly don't lose any sleep when I play against him."
Despite his stinging criticism of those in charge, the industrious midfielder confirmed he will continue to make himself available for selection. Those who know him best in Newcastle seem to share Barton's rigid point of view, with many United supporters believing him to be the cure to England's international malaise.
"I think Joey is spot on," suggested one Newcastle supporter outside St. James' Park. "He always has been. He deserves another cap. So does Kevin Nolan, come to that, but that's another punch-up entirely. The England team needs some fresh blood and Joey is the perfect person to provide fresh blood."
"England was best when they had Newcastle players in the squad. Peter Beardsley, Alan Shearer, quality, quality players from the Northeast. Now who do we have representing the Northeast? Sunderland players. I'm amazed England haven't been relegated yet."
MADRID (DF) -- Despite conceding four goals and scoring none at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp believes his Spurs side are still in a winning position heading into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid at White Hart Lane.
Spurs will be without targetman Peter Crouch for the return leg in London after the lanky striker was sent off in the fifteenth minute by German referee Felix Brych for two bookable offences. In spite of Crouch's enforced absence, Redknapp is sure his side have the firepower to progress.
"Yeah, we'll give it a go," said Redknapp when questioned by reporters outside the team hotel. "Obviously, the lads are gutted by tonight's result, but we're confident enough to know we can turn it around."
"Their defense has more holes than Crouchy's head, at the moment," continued Redknapp. "We didn't test them tonight because of the early sending off, but we'll score six or seven at the Lane for sure. I can't imagine a reason why we wouldn't."
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho claimed in the pre-match build up he would have taken a 0-0 result at the Bernabeu, but on loan Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor's early goal combined with Crouch's red card inside fifteen minutes turned the tide of the tie heavily in favor of Mourinho's free-flowing Galacticos. Even with the four goal cushion, the Portuguese insists their job isn't done.
"Yes, we are in a good position, but anything can happen in football," professed a pragmatic Mourinho after the match. "There are still 90 minutes left to play and Spurs are capable of scoring four goals themselves. I'm comfortable in England, I'll be back there next season, but for now I won't be comfortable until the final whistle."
Mourinho added: "Hopefully we will get a neutral referee in the return leg who won't be influenced when Harry flashes his checkbook."
The FA will severely reprimand Manchester United's Wayne Rooney after the striker was caught swearing into a television camera against West Ham on Saturday. FA bosses insist Rooney's behavior was completely unacceptable, but plan to stop short of a ban due to the importance of United's upcoming fixtures. -- (Daily Telegraph)
Gareth Bale has insisted he would have "no qualms" about moving abroad in the future, should interest from top European clubs persist. Bale thinks his growth as a player could be aided if he played for a club with a real history of success. -- (Press Association)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has blamed fixture congestion for his side's slumping form in recent weeks, despite being knocked out early of both domestic cups and the Champions League. The Frenchman believes his players are still overworked and shouldn't be forced to play every week. -- (Daily Mirror)
AC Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi has claimed Mario Balotelli's off-field antics will prevent him from pulling on the Rossoneri shirt in the future. The fiery Italian Prime Minister, under investigation for questionable ethics in his own right, said Milan fan Balotelli should use him as an example of how those at AC Milan behave off the field. -- (Press Association)
Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed he cut all ties with Manchester City because fans refused to show him enough love. Adebayor insists the relationship is over, despite his being forced to return to Manchester in the summer. -- (The Sun)
Sven-Goran Eriksson's Leicester City will make a summer move for injured Manchester United striker Michael Owen should they gain promotion to the Premier League. Former England manager Eriksson believes Owen would be the perfect addition to his overrated, aging squad of players. -- (Daily Mirror)
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has contended the midweek Champions League trip to Madrid was not weighing on his players' minds as they played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Wigan. Redknapp reportedly told reporters that an away match at Wigan holds relatively the same importance as any old Champions League quarterfinal with Real Madrid. -- (Daily Mirror)
BIRMINGHAM (DF) -- Aston Villa's under-pressure manager Gerard Houllier has hit back at critics who have suggested there is a sense of disharmony emanating from his squad by declaring the club are a united front, despite allegations of training ground bust-ups, player rebellions, and binge drinking.
The Villa boss has been under the gun since taking over from Martin O'Neill at the start of the season, due in part to his inability to replicate the Northern Irishman's success. Frenchman Houllier has struggled to retain control of his players and appears to have lost the support of Villa supporters, with many in the terraces during the 1-0 home defeat to local rivals Wolves calling for him to be sacked.
"Everyone is entitled to think what they want but I took the job because it was a challenge," said the former Lyon manager. "The challenge is bigger now because of what happened but sometimes you battle to get in Europe or a cup. Sometimes you dig yourself a hole and you have to dig deeper to find a way out."
In spite of a tsumani of negative press suggesting rampant player discontent, several senior Villa players have taken to the media in recent days to lend support to their besieged manager. American goalkeeper Brad Friedel claimed the Villa squad are fully behind Houllier and remain committed to the task at hand.
"We're all professionals," said stalwart Friedel. "The players are only thinking about keeping the club in the Premier League. We don't have time to worry about our odd tactics, who's going to be manager next week, why we're taking trips to spas during the middle of the season, or why, with such a talented squad, we're not pushing for Europe. Right now, staying up is our one and only concern."
"We just have to hang in there for eight more games," lamented the experienced American. "Whatever happens after that will happen. It's not in our hands. Until we're told to say otherwise, everyone here is behind the manager 100%."
BIRMINGHAM (DF) -- Deep in the midst of an all-out battle for Premier League survival, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy now believes his Wolves side have the upper hand and that a first England cap for Matt Jarvis will be enough to save his club from Premier League relegation this season.
Jarvis was given his full England debut by Fabio Capello on Tuesday evening, replacing Jack Wilshere in the 69th minute of the 1-1 draw against Ghana at Wembley Stadium. Despite spending most of his time on the pitch defending without the ball, the exciting young winger showed glimpses of his fine club form and gave reason for Capello to consider him in future England squads.
"How many clubs have gone down with a regular England international in their side?" asked Wolves' Irish boss McCarthy after the game. "I don't know the number exactly, but I don't think it's ever happened. I've been begging for it all season, and now that Matty has his first full cap, we're not going to go down."
"You don't see sides like Chelsea and Manchester City going down and they're chock-full of England internationals," continued the former Republic of Ireland manager. "Now that we have one at our club, we're going to stay in the Premier League. It's a lift for everyone involved because results won't matter. Come the end of the season, we'll be where we deserve to be."
Dr. Jack Cavendish, a Professor of Football Statistical Analysis at the University of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton supporter, took issue with the Wolves manager's frame of reference. Cavendish claimed, rightly or wrongly, that the number of regular England internationals at a club has absolutely no bearing on the club's relegation chances.
"I don't quite understand his logic or his reading of history," said the renowned Dr. Cavendish. "Portsmouth were relegated just last season with David James in their side and he was a regular England squad member at the time of their relegation. He even played at the World Cup as part of a relegated side."
"To me, Kevin Doyle being ruled out for the rest of the season will have a greater impact on Wolves' survival chances than Matt Jarvis's first cap, but I am just a scholar and I do only study the game for a living. I guess anything is possible through Irish eyes."
England manager Fabio Capello plans to risk the wrath of the Wembley faithful by sending out a team of reserves to face Ghana on Tuesday. Capello insists he will keep the regulars on the bench in reserve for when the regular reserves flounder against the World Cup quarterfinalists. -- (Daily Mail)
Arsenal wonderkid Aaaron Ramsey will resign as Wales captain as early as next week, citing a consensus in the press that his lack of experience, and not the inept tactical gameplan laid out by Welsh manager Gary Speed, caused the team to lose 2-0 against England on Saturday. -- (Daily Mirror)
Wayne Rooney has hit out at the England coaching staff for not reminding him he was on a yellow card before Saturday's game in Wales. Rooney claimed he had "no idea" he had picked up a yellow card earlier in the campaign, and that he "shouldn't have to care" about being booked for petulant challenges. -- (Daily Star)
Disgruntled Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has ruled out future move to manage Manchester United by saying he would require at least a £20 million salary and a transfer budget in excess of £150 million if he were to return to England. United would only be able to offer a transfer budget of that size by selling their entire first team squad and Old Trafford. -- (Daily Express)
Blackburn manager Steve Kean is keen on bringing Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy back to the Premier League, but the move could be scuppered by Hamburg's asking price for the player. The former PSV hitman has been shopped around on a free transfer, a price much too low to meet Blackburn owners Venky's demands for a headline-grabbing, big money signing. -- (The Guardian)
Manchester United's glass midfielder Owen Hargreaves fears he will be out for the remainder of the season after suffering a shoulder injury in training. The club's medical staff hopes the former England international will be fit in time for the start of the 2013-2014 Premier League season. -- (Daily Mail)
Aston Villa's American goalkeeper Brad Friedel has denied media claims of a player revolt against under-fire manager Gerard Houllier by insisting the Villa players will stand by their manager until he's sacked at the end of the season. -- (Telegraph)
NEWCASTLE (DF) -- Newcastle United's Irish duo Leon Best and Stephen Ireland have apologized to teammates after being pictured at a Newcastle nightclub last Friday, the night before their side were lumped 4-0 at the Brittania Stadium by a rampant Stoke City.
The pair had been ruled out of last Saturday's trip to Stoke due to injury and Magpies boss Alan Pardew insisted they both stay at home to continue their recovery. After unflattering pictures of Best and Ireland appeared in several local tabloids, the two were forced to issue an apology to teammates and supporters.
A statement released through the club read: "Because we had both been ruled out of the game at Stoke and didn't travel with the team, we thought that going out to a bar was appropriate ahead of Saturday's game and we fully regret being caught."
"We were asked to have our photograph taken and we removed our shirts because we are good friends, but of course the resulting coverage in the press suggests a far different night out. Whilst our actions were not wrong, we feel inclined to mention neither of us had consumed much alcohol and we were out for only a very short period of time, several hours at the most."
Local journalist and Newcastle United supporter Andy McLean said he believed the statement to be an empty gesture from both players. "I hope the club investigates this further and punishes these kids for their behavior. I'm sure by now they've both seen the first Goal film. They should know this sort of clubbing doesn't fly in Newcastle."
Speaking to the Evening Chronicle, United manager Pardew confirmed discipline would be forthcoming and that he was waiting for everyone to return to the club before taking action.
"All I want to say on that is that as Leon Best has travelled with Ireland, we've not faced each other yet," said Pardew. "There will be discipline involved, for sure, they broke club rules, but I want to see them together in my office before I say anything more."
"Dropping them won't be a difficult decision for me, should it come to that," he continued. "They're both short on form and I think their attitude and level of talent would fit in well with the reserves."
LONDON (DF) -- Tottenham playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart will leave Spurs in the summer following a heated argument with manager Harry Redknapp, set off by the Dutchman's decision to storm straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the 71st minute of Spurs' 0-0 draw against West Ham at White Hart Lane.
Redknapp took to the press immediately after the game to make it clear he was unimpressed with Van der Vaart's actions. He told a group of gathered reporters that he believes players should be respectful and watch the game with their teammates after they're substituted, regardless of circumstances or ego.
Van der Vaart, currently away on international duty with the Netherlands, later claimed his petulant act wasn't meant to be disrespectful, but those who know the Spurs midfield maestro well believe it's just the tip of the iceberg.
"He finds his position within the squad completely untenable," said a source close to the former Real Madrid man. "I think the relationship between him and the manager has gone beyond repair. Rafael has been in this situation before. He came to Tottenham to play full games and that's not happening. If he wanted to play 20 minutes, he could have stayed in Madrid. This stuff doesn't just blow over."
"It will blow over," claimed a Spurs spokesman regarding the row. "Rafael is away with Holland and Harry is in Bermuda, vacationing with his son and several agents. When they come back, I'm sure it will no longer be an issue. Time heals all wounds and ten days is well long enough to heal anything in football."
With Spurs on the outside looking in for next season's fourth and final Champions League spot, the source close to Van der Vaart believes any argument with Redknapp over playing time could prove to be a moot point in deciding the Dutchman's future.
"Rafael needs to play in the Champions League and Tottenham won't be there next year. He's already planning on leaving, the club knows this, so, at this point, anything the English manager says is really only meant to attract attention to himself."
