Fighting Talk
‘JOSE Mourinho, Chelseas cocksure manager, is making some more headlines this morning with his thoughts.
| ”You can’t come in here. Only Blues allowed…” |
After last nights 0-0 draw between his Blues and Manchester United in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final, Mourinho spoke of an incident at half-time that he says changed the game.
Quoted in the Telegraph, Mourinho said: You saw one referee in the first half and another in the second half. I suggest the referee did not walk alone to the dressing room. There was someone with him. If the FA ask me, I can tell them.
As mysteries go, this is not quite up there with Who Threw The Pizza?, and it loses what power it has when the Telegraph says that there can be little doubt the Chelsea manager was referring to Alex Ferguson.
His complaint seem to be that Fergie spared a word or seven in referee Neale Barrys ear at the interval in an effort to influence him.
If this is true, and, as Mourinho says, the second half really was fault after fault, diving after diving, then the matter is one of great concern.
If this were, say, Italy, we would be raising the issue of match fixing.
And given Spurs goal that was never given in thier game at Old Trafford, talking of a plot to keep a stuttering Manchester United aloft.
Meanwhile, its better news for Adrian Mutu. The disgraced, cocaine-taking former Chelsea striker has, the Times reports, signed a five-year contract to play for Juventus.
After serving his seven-month ban imposed by the FA, Mutu will be free to play for the Italian giants and put the past behind him.
If that move looked unlikely when Chelsea sacked the Romanian, then the Telegraphs story that Evertons aggressive midfielder Thomas Gravesen is to play for Real Madrid is bizarre.
With Fernando Morientes on his way to Liverpool, there is a gap in the Madrid ranks and, rather than opting for another big name, Real are looking to buy the Dane for around £2m.
And that, as the paper says, could place a question mark over the future of David Beckham. Gravesen for Beckham – who would have thought that a season or two ago?
Meanwhile, there is some comforting news for British sports fans to be found in the Guardian, where Roger Federer says that Tim Henman will win a major tournament.
However, before we hang out the bunting for another Wimbledon and some more of that HRT-driven Henmania, the Swiss ace says that, although Wimbledon is Tims best chance, it is the competition he most wants to win.
Which makes Henmans job as hard as it has ever been…’
Posted: 13th, January 2005 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
