Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
Neymar: dreaming of Salford
Transfer balls: Are Manchester United buying Neymar?
The Sun says Barcelona will offer the Brazilian £500,000-a-week.
Can United top that?
In another article the Sun says Man United will “play the long game”. Neymar is 23, Will United wait until he’s, say, 43, before swooping?
In a remarkable spout of balls, Neil Curtis writes:
IT WAS thought the pull of Manchester United in world football had diminished since Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out at Old Trafford. The very fact that Neymar is about to have his wages doubled at The Nou Camp to £500,000 a week shows it hasn’t.
Eh? Is the thinking that because United want Neymar, Barcelona have been panicked into making him the third best played player in the world, after Messi and Ronaldo?
Such is the concern surrounding United’s interest in the Brazilian star, 23, that he will be propelled into the same wage brackets as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Two other players who United would not hesitate in trying to get to Old Trafford.
This isn’t news. It’s PR. We’re told United would love to buy the world’s top players. Well, so would every other club. Would the players want to join United?
Any indication from the Messi camp that he is after pastures new and they would be straight in there.
Looking desperate and assuring the Argentinean that his national team-mate Angel Di Maria loved living in Manchester and playing under Louis Van Gaal.
Twice they have attempted to get Ronaldo back to Old Trafford and there is still a romantic view that he will play out his final couple of years as a professional back at the club where he made his name.
And twice they have failed. As for romance, surely Ronaldo returning to Sporting Lisbon, from where United bought him, would be a sweeter story.
There was much scoffing on social media when SunSport broke the story that United had tried to get Neymar.
Tried. And failed. Such is that “pull” of Manchester United.
It remains tempting for someone who would be happy to be THE star at another club on the same level as Barca. United are a club under the executive vice chairman Ed Woodward who are not afraid to ruffle the feathers of the likes of Real and Barca.
Real and Barca then puff our their plumage and strut off with the world’s best players. After such puffery, Curtis then reads Neymar’s mind:
Whether United get Neymar any time soon or not, they have put down a marker for the future. By making that shock move, they have made the player think about options that were not previously there. They have made him think about a future elsewhere.
Yeah, because one of the world’s best players had no idea other clubs would like him to play for them.
Anorak
Posted: 29th, October 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Chelsea balls: The Sun sticks its napkin into its collar, picks up a knife and fork and tucks into Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Stoke – a Premier League playing at home – beat Chelsea on penalties in the League Cup.
The Sun’s back page tells us that the result means Jose Mourinho is “on the brink” of leaving Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho is “clinging to his job by a thread”. Chelsea did a “crash ‘n burn”. Chelsea “plumbed new depths”.
To recap: Stoke City are a top-flight side playing at home. They won in a penalty shoot-out.
The Sun’s match reports goes:
It cannot be disputed his [Mourinho’s] players gave their all for him last night. This time, unquestionably, they threw everything at it.
Sure, they showed new levels of commitment, determination and dogged resistence [sic] as they clawed their way back from the loss of a sensational Jon Walters goal. Of course, they kept going to deservedly snatch a stoppage-time equaliser through sub Loic Remy. But that should really be a given from the reigning champions.
Can a team plumb news depth by playing as champions should? Apparently, yes.
Anorak
Posted: 28th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
How boring is Jose Mourinho? Don’t bother answering. It’s a rhetorical question. The Mail says the Chelsea boss is a huge bore.
Michael Henderson states:
Not many people are listening any more. Mourinho, who was never as interesting as some lickspittles imagined, has become a bore
So boring is Mourinho that he occupies most of the Mail’s back page. Chelsea were knocked out the League Cup by Stoke City – but both clubs are overshadowed by the boring one.
Matt Lawton’s match report is headlined:
“THAT PUTS JOSE ON THE SPOT”
Chelsea lost on penalty kicks. But the pun plays second fiddle to Mourinho’s first name – like all legends he only needs one – the mad bore.
Also in today’s entertaining Daily Mail – these stories all from just TODAY:
Jose Mourinho walks out of Chelsea post-match interview after refusing to answer ‘negative’ question about team’s defending in Capital One Cup defeat by Stoke – Simeon Gholam
Guus Hiddink hints at interest in Chelsea job if Jose Mourinho leaves, saying ‘top class football is always attractive’ – Adam Shergold
Loic Remy wants Jose Mourinho to stay at Chelsea and has backed the boss to lead Stamford Bridge club to top four finish – Press Association Reporter
Chelsea have lost HALF of their 14 games since Eva Carneiro row… where has it gone wrong for Jose Mourinho’s champions? – Jonny Singer
Mourinho still the right man for Chelsea, says Remy – Reuters
Loic Remy tells Chelsea not to sack Jose Mourinho – Press Association
Defiant Mourinho doesn’t need ‘assurances’ as Chelsea exit Cup – Reuters
Jose Mourinho’s job as Chelsea manager hangs by a thread… but Blues boss insists he does not need further reassurance from owner Roman Abramovich over his future – Chris Wheeler
Stoke 1-1 Chelsea (AET: 5-4 on pens) PLAYER RATINGS: So, who played his heart out for Jose Mourinho? – Chris Wheeler
Under-fire Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has no luck once again as holders crash out – Press Association Reporter
In any other business, Chelsea’s suffering boss Jose Mourinho would get a sabbatical to save him – Martin Samuel
Get a load of all those lickspittles on the Mail’s payroll.
And get a load of some other Henderson bon mots:
Like some footsore wanderer, beset by vagabonds, Jose Mourinho stands at the crossroads, looking for the path that will be his salvation. In vain, alas. One sign reads ‘disgrace’, the other ‘despair’. And both lead, as night follows day, to ‘dismissal’.
Jose inspires journalist to 19th Century epiphany!
Charged on Monday by the FA with misconduct, following his latest acts of petulance on Saturday, when Chelsea lost their fifth league match of this wretched season at West Ham, Mourinho is once again wearing a face longer than a day without breakfast.
All over by brunch!
It appears, from his extraordinary behaviour in the past three months, that he wants to be released from his bondage at Stamford Bridge, and it shouldn’t be long before his wish is granted.
Jose in S&M Hell!
Will angels pluck a thousand harps to send him on his way? Will the tears of loyal supporters run like rivers along Fulham Road? Hardly. It has been clear for some time that many Chelsea fans find his narcissism as tiresome as the rest of us. When he goes, next week, next month, next year, it will be with everybody’s blessing.
Jose in Homer-erotic reverie!
Harsh, you say? Not harsh enough. In terms of pots won, Mourinho has been a remarkably successful manager. Nobody can take those titles away from him, and nobody ever will. Yet, apart from the supporters of Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, who can say, hand on heart, that the teams he has sent into the field have raised spirits?
Well, aside from every single Chelsea fan, how about this chap, who writes for the, er, Daily Mail:
And still Henderson goes on:
Mourinho’s teams are not designed to delight, or even entertain.
Or as the Mail’s Pete Jenson outs it:
He ends:
Besieged by foes, he sits in his bunker, cursing all who would doubt him. But not many people are listening any more. Mourinho, who was never as interesting as some lickspittles imagined, has become a bore. We are approaching the final act, not with tears but mocking laughter. To borrow from My Fair Lady: ‘Poor Jose, how simply frightful. How humiliating. How delightful.’
Editorial meetings at the Mail must be a riot. Hendeson v the Mourinho Lickspittles – hundreds of them all writing about the most boring man in the world.
Anorak
Posted: 28th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Chelsea balls: the media continue to guess about Jose Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge.
You might see English football’s champions losing matches as a sign of the Premier League’s strength. But the narrative is that the top teams who spend the most must always win. Anything less than the predictable procession has the media’s nodding heads demanding the bigger club’s manager is sacked. So it is for Jose Mourinho. Chelsea have lost five from 10 matches so far. They are nine points off a Champions’ League berth. There are 28(!) matches to go.
It would be nuts to sack Mourinho. But all papers have an agenda. Just look at the Mirror’s back page: Stoke beat Chelsea and the entire back page is dedicated to the losing club’s manager.
Having decide that Mourinho must go,. the paper pick his successor.
The now dire Daily Telegraph says Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola is not free until next summer. Carlo Ancelotti is “expected to reject a return to Stamford Bridge on a temporary basis”. But former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink could fancy it. You know, maybe. The Daily Mirror says Ancelotti, 56, would consider the Chelsea job if he was offered it on a permanent basis.
That’s news to the Times‘ Oliver Kay, who says:
One persistent whisper in football circles is that Ancelotti, out of work since his departure from Real Madrid, is the obvious go-to man should Abramovich find himself looking for another interim manager (or even a permanent one). Those close to Ancelotti insist otherwise; the Italian does not look back on his second and final season at Chelsea, which culminated with an unedifying dismissal in a stairwell at Goodison Park, with the slightest fondness.
In other words: no-one has a foggiest what will happen next but to some it’s fun to guess when a man will lose his job.
Pathetic.
Anorak
Posted: 28th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
The Metro hates football. To it the game is simply about getting clicks. Why else would you describe an injury to a professional player as “hilarious”? Diego Costa was injured playing for Chelsea at Stoke City in the League Cup. This is how the Metro reported the fact:
A man getting injured at work is “hilarious“.
The paper tells us:
Chelsea striker Diego Costa was hospitalised and is facing a spell out injured during the Capital One Cup clash with Stoke.
Costa is in hospital. Hahahahahaha. Jamie Sanderson finds that “hilarious“.
Costa came off after 32 minutes with a rib problem and Sky Sports say he was taken to hospital, and it’s now claimed he faces missing the clash with Liverpool at the weekend. But how did Costa sustain the injury?
Dunno. How? We’re ready to hold on to our sides. This is going to be hilarious.
Blues boss Jose Mourinho revealed the reason in his post-match press conference, and it’s pretty bizarre and frankly a bit funny.
Only a bit funny now.
So writes Jamie Sanderson in his story based on a tweet about Mourinho’s sardonic response to the treatment meted out to his feisty striker.
Anorak
Posted: 28th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: The Daily Mirror says Arsenal are “preparing [a] sensational £68m Gonzalo Higuain bid’. Of course the Mirror is more conniving than that, adding a question mark to the end of the statement. Google doesn’t see those question marks so the poser is presented as fact to the unwary web clicker.
‘Gunners preparing sensational £68m Gonzalo Higuain bid?’
The simple answer is ‘No’. The golden rule is that any headline in a question form can be answered in the negative. But let’s see what the Mirror says below the headline:
The Gunners have been rumoured to be interested in making a play for the Argentine in the last few transfer windows, but any move is likely to have to wait until next summer, report Italian outlet Calciomercato.
Higuain has a £68million release clause in his contract in Naples.
Over there we read (via Google translate) highlights such as:
….the Argentine is still untouchable at Naples…
… The fact remains that the player’s head has always remained on Naple…
….Napoli plan to offer Gonzalo a new improved contract keeping him at Napoli until 2019…
…Higuain has desire to listen to the proposals that come mainly from the Premier League, Arsenal in the lead.
The single mention of Arsenal in 411 words is that they were interested in Higuain. There is not one word from the player, Arsenal nor Napoli. There is not even the “rumour” that Arsenal are planning a huge bid for Higuain. It is utter balls by the Mirror.
Anorak
Posted: 27th, October 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
In the Anorak Inbox today, this missive form a desperate
A UK betting site has offered odds on which England football will come out as gay, following the news over the weekend that two Premier League footballers are set to do so. Players such as Luke Shaw, Daniel Sturridge and James Milner all appear in the low tier with odds of 10/1 or lower, whilst the likes of Joe Hart, Jordan Henderson and Wayne Rooney all appear at odds of 20/1 or lower.
More information can be found below, but please do get in touch if you require any further information.
Thanks
How revolting.
Following the news over the weekend that two Premier League footballers (one of whom allegedly plays for England) are ready to come out as gay, a betting website based in the UK has become the first to offer customers the chance to bet on which footballers might do so. Visitors to the site can take a punt on which footballers they think will make the announcement; with the sportsmen split into low, medium and high tier odds according to the perceived likeliness of their involvement in a potential upcoming announcement.
The odds for different players vary according to likelihood, as judged by Win Cash Live’s trading team…
Speaking about offering odds on which footballers are likely to come out as gay, Ashley Faull (founder of www.WinCashLive.com), said the following:
“…there’s no denying that this is a very hot topic right now and we couldn’t see that any gambling sites were offering odds on which footballers will come out as gay, following the news and rumours over the weekend. We know that there is a lot of speculation and the public will want to see if they can guess correctly, so we’re offering them the chance to get a return on their inklings.”
You think you’ve reached rock bottom but there’s always someone with a new spade whose ready to dig….
Anorak
Posted: 27th, October 2015 | In: Money, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: André Villas-Boas is looking at the Chelsea bench. He’s not vying to replace Jose Mourinho. Villas-boas is looking for sign Radamel Falcao for Zenit St Petersburg.
Why?
Falcao was poor at Manchester Untied and he can’t get into a failing Chelsea side. Why would Zenit want him?
Falcao is on loan from Monaco to Chelsea. That deal would have to be torn up for Villas-Boas to get his man, also on loan. The story is rooted in the Daily Telegraph, which recalls that Villas-Boas and Falcao shared a treble-winning season at Porto, including winning the Europa League.
It’s a real fall from grace for Falcao. Little over a year ago he was being linked with move to Real Madrid.
He was an “ace”:
It’s a short carer in top-flight football.
Anorak
Posted: 27th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
The backpages are dominated by the rumours that Jose Mourinho is on the brink of leaving Chelsea. Having abused Jon Moss, the referee, after defeat at West Ham, Mourinho is reported to have referenced Arsenal boos Arsène Wenger by saying “Wenger was right — you are f***ing soft”. It’s alleged that the Portuguese refused to leave the match officials’ room during half-time.
The Daily Mirror starts the countdown:
ESPN says it would cost Chelsea £30m to sack Mourinho.
The Independent says Jose is off to PSG or Inter Milan.
The Sun says Chelsea will move for Pep Guardiola. The Times says Pep will remain at Bayern. Adding:
One persistent whisper in football circles is that Ancelotti, out of work since his departure from Real Madrid, is the obvious go-to man should Abramovich find himself looking for another interim manager (or even a permanent one). Those close to Ancelotti insist otherwise; the Italian does not look back on his second and final season at Chelsea, which culminated with an unedifying dismissal in a stairwell at Goodison Park, with the slightest fondness.
Who follows Jose? Not easy. Chelsea should stick with him.
Anorak
Posted: 27th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
What do you do when you see racists? Yeah. you remove their targets to a cage. Pies reports on life in go-ahead Ukraine:
The executive director of Dynamo Kiev’s Olympic Stadium has gone on record as saying that segregated stands for black fans may be a “good idea” in the wake of Eastern European football’s latest shameful dalliance with racist abuse. The problem came to the fore once again last week when damning footage circulated of four black fans being attacked in the terraces during Kiev’s 0-0 draw against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Now, in his tireless quest to rid the NSC Olimpiyskiy of such disgraceful scenes, executive Volodimir Spilchenko believes he’s come up with the solution.
“We are trying, maybe, to make a special sector [for black fans] in order to avoid the manifestation of racism,” Spilchenko is quoted as saying in an interview by the Washington Post.
Gob-smacking, isn’t it? You really couldn’t make it up.
Referring to the aforementioned black fans specifically, Spilchenko explained that his administration attempted to make amends on the night but saw their apologetic gestures snubbed. “Representatives of the stadium administration came to these guys and offered them to change seats, even to more expensive ones, but our proposition was ignored,” he added.
Here’s a better idea: let’s segregate Dynamo Kiev from the rest of European football.
Anorak
Posted: 26th, October 2015 | In: Reviews, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: as the Press pile in on Jose Mourinho, the Telegraph says Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola, 44, is Chelsea’s first-choice replacement for the argumentative Portuguese.
He is? Says who?
Matt Law reports:
Intermediaries, working independently and not at the request of Abramovich or Chelsea, are already attempting to gauge whether Guardiola would be interested in taking over at Stamford Bridge when his Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of the season. They want to be in a position to hand Guardiola to the Blues owner if Mourinho is sacked.
Read the rest of this entry »
Anorak
Posted: 26th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Manchester City, Reviews, Sports | Comment
The papers are lining up to bury Jose Mourinho.
The Times says “José Mourinho could be dismissed if his Chelsea side suffer another acrimonious defeat when they host Liverpool on Saturday.”
What sweet joy for Liverpool fans that would be to see newboy Jurgen Klopp send the Chelsea irritant packing.
Gary Jacob writes:
The Portuguese was given a stay of execution at the start of the month but there is increasing concern among the club’s board at further ill discipline during the 2-1 defeat away to West Ham United on Saturday… Roman Abramovich, who values strong discipline, is believed to have watched the game from Turkey, where the Chelsea owner was celebrating his 49th birthday on Saturday, and there are no plans for him to speak to Mourinho this week. C
Oliver Kay:
Mourinho responded with the anticipated derision when he was asked in a press conference last month about the theory that he suffers from a “third-season syndrome”. He characterised his third season at Chelsea (first time round, in 2006-07) as one in which they won the FA Cup and League Cup, rather than one in which they suffered an eight-point drop in Premier League performance, he clashed repeatedly with the club’s hierarchy and saw his bond with his players become strained. He characterised his third season at Real Madrid (2012-13) as one in which they won the Spanish Super Cup (a two-legged match in August) and reached the Champions League semi-final rather than one in which they won 15 fewer points in La Liga than the previous term and in which relations with players and officials at the club (and the media and the Spanish football authorities) bordered on toxic.
As for how the third season of Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea will be remembered, it is in grave danger of being a case of history repeating — but worse.
The Mail says Mourinho should stay. He’s a “Fan favourite”:
The supporters have not turned on their manager and nor are they likely to. No boss in the Premier League has more goodwill on the terraces than Mourinho and getting rid risks upsetting the club’s following. Fans are the first to voice their displeasure with a manager and, while he retains their backing, it would perhaps be foolish to make a change.
Alan Shearer gets into full hype and utter balls mode in the Sun:
I WOULD love to know what went on at Chelsea in the summer — because something drastic must have happened. When you watch them now and think about how good they were last season, it’s hard to believe it’s the same team, under the same manager.
But what is happening at the moment is crisis after crisis — and Jose Mourinho has not helped the situation at all. You watch Chelsea now and there are no real signs whatsoever of it getting any better. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong for them.
Really? They beat Arsenal, albeit thanks to dire refereeing in their favour.
The Guardian looks at Chelsea:
…the old togetherness is only visible in short bursts these days and the second Mourinho era is in danger of ending in bitter acrimony after Chelsea lurched deeper into crisis with a performance that reeked of indiscipline on and off the pitch at Upton Park.
The Indy wonders who follows Jose?
Jose Mourinho: Who could replace Mourinho and become the next Chelsea manager?
Chelsea fans prepare to look away. Liverpool get ready to laugh:
Better the devil you know. At least Jose’s a winner.
Anorak
Posted: 26th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer balls: Is Paul Pogba leaving Juventus to join a Premier League club? Let’s see what the newspapers have been telling us:
June 30 2015: The Daily Express says Pogba has agreed to join Barcelona.
But is £64m too much or not enough? The tabloids were wondering:
On October 24, 2015 the ever trusty Daily Express had an update on that Barcelona agreement:
The agent told us:
“Those who want him should sit with Juventus and then we’ll see. This summer, there were three or four clubs interested, but he chose to stay at Juventus.”
But the Star told us Pogba wanted to play for Chelsea:
Pogba named his price, said the Daily Mirror:
And why stop at Chelsea? The Manchester Evening News reported in August 2015 that Pogba was wanted by Man City:
Juventus chief Giuseppe Marotta says the Italian club are powerless to stop Manchester City target Paul Pogba leaving if he decides to. City last month cooled their interest in in the French midfield ace after Juve demanded a whopping £71m fee.
But the Daily Express told us Chelsea had bid £80m for Pogba:
Such are the facts…
Anorak
Posted: 26th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Manchester United and Manchester City played out a match so dull it must make all those Americans, Chinese and oil-rich sheikhs tuning in wonder if the Premier League is just hype and more hype, less a sport than a televised festival of consumerism. Let’s compare the marketing with the fact:s
The Guardian:
The BBC:
Before the match the talk was of passion, history and cash.
Daily Mail:
It’s all about the money.
Anorak
Posted: 25th, October 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Arsene Wenger is leaving Arsenal. But when will he go? The Daily Mirror has been hot on the news.
Today Steve Stammers says Wenger will remain at Arsenal until 2019:
The big question is: does John Cross, also of the Mirror, know? On October 15 2015, Cross told Mirror readers that Wenger had named the day of when his Arsenal job ends. And it wasn’t 2019:
More utter balls in the tabloids every day.
Anorak
Posted: 25th, October 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer Balls: The Sun on Sunday says Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, 24, could be on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. Below the rather icky headline “Hazard snatch”, the Sun reports:
French giants PSG are preparing a massive January bid to test the playmaker’s relationship with Jose Mourinho… PSG are willing to offer an improvement on the Belgian’s £200,000-a-week wages and a return to France.
The Daily Star on Sunday then adds that Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Manchester United “could” all bid for Hazard.
The Premier League is little sad, no? For all the hype and hoopla, any foreign player worth their salt wants to play in Spain. And the British Press know it.
The Sun has previously reported:
CHRISTIAN BENTEKE has revealed his pal Eden Hazard dreams of playing for Real Madrid.
Thee years ago, Benteke said:
“I am not surprised at Eden’s success with Chelsea — and he can do even better. He has the qualities needed to become an even greater player. His dream is to join Real Madrid — so I don’t see why he can’t join them in a year or two.”
In 2015, the Star added:
But in 2014, Hazard said:
“Paris [Saint-Germain] have huge players, but Chelsea have more experience and more players in certain positions. And we also have a better experience in the Champions League. I never said that if I left Chelsea it will only be for Real Madrid. The only club that makes me dream is Chelsea.”
Hazard’s a terrific player. He’s one of the best players in the Premier League. The continuing tabloid tales linking him to Spain and PSG only serve to undermine the fable that the Premier League is the ultimate place to watch football. It isn’t. It’s bloated and greedy. If the actual play matched the hype just imagine how fantastic the games would be.
Anorak
Posted: 25th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment
Having picked fights with Dr Eva Carneiro, referees and Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho picked on the enemy that he can never beat: the media.
At a press conference he told the pack:
“I’m not talking about football. In football I’m ready to be criticised, even the stupid ones [sic]. Private life, stupid things you bring to light, I don’t like it. So we go to a different level of professional relations.”
The media used to like Jose. If he won’t supply them with catty remarks and self-aggrandizing bon mots will they forgive him? Rod Liddle reacts in the Sunday Times:
His latest discombobulation came when he was accused of “jostling” a couple of teenage fans who had followed him for 20 minutes in a manner Mourinho described as “intrusive”. We might sympathise with him on this particular issue, especially if the teenagers, wrapped up in wounded self-righteousness, wish to pursue the matter. But the other stuff is more serious.
His fatuous carping about referees deserved opprobrium from the FA and a big fine. His apparent estrangement from some of his players and his readiness to criticise them publicly suggests a man who is approaching the end of his tether. The estrangement reputedly dates back to pre-season and has been evident in every game Chelsea have played since then.
They appear disjointed in defence and ineffectual in attack, their most mercurial players — such as Oscar — benched to make way for a grim thuggishness which is losing Chelsea the sympathy of even those few neutrals who don’t hate them just for being Chelsea.
Mourinho is right that a lot of people are pleased his side have struggled this season, me included. But there’s a reason for that and it isn’t simply schadenfreude. Mourinho’s Chelsea remind me a little of Don Revie’s Leeds United – except this season nowhere near as good. And maybe even less loveable.
Oomph! That’s harsh. Leeds fans will make offence at that throwaway ‘maybe’.
Of course, there is always one news organ that will be forever with Jose. The official Chelsea website continues to amuse and entertain with a style of journalism that Joe Stalin might have consider a little monocular.
Highlights are:
The Blues were beaten in cruel circumstances at Upton Park this afternoon having had to play the whole second half with 10 men.
After West Ham had taken an early lead through Mauro Zarate, Kurt Zouma’s header looked to have crossed the line, only for the decision to go the home side’s way…
The goal-line technology said ‘no goal’. The entire ball had not crossed the line.
….before Cesc Fabregas beat Adrian but saw the goal ruled out for offside when he appeared to have been played onside by the retreating West Ham defenders.
He was just offside.
The 10 men rallied impressively however and were the better side in the second half. Gary Cahill equalised 10 minutes after the break with his first goal of the season, but Andy Carroll’s late header, which came against the run of play, won it for the hosts.
The better team lost!
Moments later we turned defence into attack with a brilliant counter, owing much to the intelligence and desire of Matic…
In no other report will you find word of Matic’s intelligence.
The Blues were unable to clear our lines as the delivery was swung in, and as the ball found its way to Zarate at the back post he drilled it low and hard past Begovic.
The ball “found its ways” to Zarate because Costa produced a weak, sliced clearance.
….Cahill produced a magnificent finish…
Magnificent?
Chelsea accrued seven bookings and Mourinho was sent to the stands for confronting the referee a half-time.
Anorak
Posted: 25th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Sports | Comment
West Ham United beat Chelsea 2-1, and José Mourinho spent the second half watching from the stand. Why? Because it was claimed that he tried to speak to the referee during the interval, following the dismissal of Chelsea’s midfielder Nemanja Matic.
With such crass behaviour can it be long before Mourinho is given the boot from Stamford Bridge?
“You’re getting sacked in the morning,” sang the West Ham fans at the Portuguese manager, who then put the tin lid on his day out by failing to attend the post-match press conference.
Matthew Syed is not a fan, writing in the Times:
His motivational technique is based upon something very different: me, me, me. It is about the cult of the individual — Mourinho himself. This is predicated, in turn, upon creating a sense of permanent crisis. He sees conspiracies everywhere. The referees, the Premier League, Uefa, the ballboys, the team doctor, Uncle Tom Cobley: whatever it takes to get his players to feel like they are enduring a siege.
In the short term, this technique works. Nobody wants to be in a siege, fighting for one’s life, and so the players respond. But over the long-term, it begins to grate. It is like a narcotic or a sugar rush: you need ever more crises to recruit ever dwindling amounts of emotional response, particularly when the players begin to see through the underlying charade. In the end, it becomes cloying.
Chelsea are the current Premier League champions. Mourinho has talent. But he is so utterly graceless in victory and defeat. Syed adds:
They say that the Real Madrid players eventually became bored of Mourinho, but the truth is that they became ashamed of him. They saw him stab a finger into the eye of Tito Vilanova, his Barcelona rival. They observed him name four referees over whom Barcelona, supposedly, had “special power”. They watched as he was banished from the dugout during a Copa del Rey final and how he stormed out of the stadium without bothering to collect his loser’s medal from the King of Spain. They noted how he insulted the referee again in the car park.
Over three seasons, they saw him traduce, malign and infect — and, in the end, they couldn’t bear it. They were exhausted by the caricature running their club and his juvenile approach to leadership. And with the clarity that comes with time, they saw through it.
If he goes, he won’t be as missed as he think he should be. Well, at least not by fans who don’t support Chelsea. Better than sacking The Special One is to help him with an able sidekick, say, Steve Clarke, Gianfranco Zola or Roberto Di Matteo. Or all three.
Anorak
Posted: 24th, October 2015 | In: Chelsea, Reviews, Sports | Comment (1)
Transfer Balls: Do Arsenal need another striker? Surely if Olivier Giroud is good enough score against the mighty Bayern Munich, and with Theo Walcott finding the net regularly, and Danny Welbeck on his way back from injury, the Gunners forward line is well stocked.
But the Mirror says Arsenal are to “launch a last-ditch attempt to sign Ezequiel Lavezzi”.
Lavezzi’s contract expires at the end of next season, and there has been talk of him leaving PSG. Barcelona are apparently also interested, but Arsenal are keen to take him to the Emirates.
Poor old Barcelona need a striker much more than Arsenal do. Yeah, that one makes sense.
The idea of Lavezzi to Arsenal is echoed in the Metro:
Arsenal make last-ditch attempt to seal cut-price transfer of Paris Saint-Germain star Ezequiel Lavezzi
As the Metro and Mirror report from within the echo chamber, talkSport says Arsenal can forget about it:
The broadcaster notes:
Liverpool and Tottenham target Ezequiel Lavezzi has agreed to join Barcelona next summer
Why would Bareclona want him? It makes little sense.
The Football Italia blog says no deal has been done because Lavezzi wants to play for Juventus. That chimes with earlier news:
Such are the facts when a player nears the end of his contract and his agent picks up the phone…
Anorak
Posted: 24th, October 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer Balls: Manchester Untied will offer Spurs £50m for their striker Harry Kane, says the Daily Star. The paper says United manager Louis Van Gaal is “demanding the Old Trafford top brass” sign the 22-year-old England striker.
The paper says United launched a failed £25m bid for Kane over the summer.
Will Kane and Spurs take the money?
Who know? After all, this is the Daily Star, which told Google News that Kane already plays at Old Trafford:
And:
Such are the facts…
Anorak
Posted: 24th, October 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports, Spurs, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer Balls: The Daily Express says Benfica’s Nicolas Gaitan is NOT heading to Manchester United.
Uche Amako finds no room in this tale of the “saga” to mention that Gaitan already agreed to join Manchester United. We read it in the Daily Express:
Gaitan’s transfer to Man United was confirmed in the Express‘ sister title, the Daily Star:
And:
Such are the facts…
Anorak
Posted: 23rd, October 2015 | In: manchester united, Reviews, Sports | Comment
The Sun leads its sports coverage with the rugby World Cup news that Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City hope they each have enough money to “persuade Lionel Messi to swap Barcelona for the Prem.”
Would Messi come to Manchester or London? The Sun says the Argentine superstar has “given the trio the clearest hint yet that he is ready to listen”.
All three clubs are convinced that Messi is genuinely considering a move to a different environment and that he could become the Prem’s stellar asset for his last few top seasons.
If he signs we get to see the fading great. He’s 28 now. And he’s only coming for the money – “the Argentine growing increasingly angry at ongoing issues with the Spanish tax authorities. Messi and his father Jorge face trial over an alleged £3.1million tax fraud relating to image rights deals despite prosecutors recommending the charges should be dropped.”
Can you leave Spain be a tax exile in England?
Messi’s current deal has a prohibitive buy-out clause of 250million EUROS, making a move this summer infeasible.
Unfeasible for Manchester City’s trillions?
But by June 2017, when he turns 30 and with one year left in his contract, Barca may be more keen to sell, although the English trio would still have to smash their wage structure to accommodate Messi’s demand for a deal matching his current one.
Who wants to pay a fortune to eke a couple of years value from a 30-year-old Messi? Maybe Manchester United want him to team him up with an ageing Ronaldo?
Such are the facts…
Anorak
Posted: 23rd, October 2015 | In: Arsenal, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Everton fans will be delighted to leans via the Mirror that “Manchester United are keeping tabs on Brendan Galloway”, looking to sign the player in January.
Everton’s 19-year-old left back is a good player who will only get better. Everton are a top Premier League side. But that Mirror headline infers that one day, if the lad plays well enough, United’s scouts will advise their bosses that the time is ripe to give Galloway his chance.
Galloway joined Everton from MK Dons in the summer of 2014, signing a five-year deal. Injury to Leighton Baines gave Galloway a chance to break into the first team; talent has kept him there.
Better news for Everton fans is that Galloway has been offered a contract upgrade.
Anorak
Posted: 23rd, October 2015 | In: manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer Balls: Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport says Liverpool want to sign Internazionale central defender Andrea Ranocchia. Jurgen Klopp likes the 27-year-old who’d cost in the region of €18m.
Ranocchia had been heavily linked with a move to Southampton over the summer but TalkSport said the player wanted to remain in Italy. He’s been linked with a move to pretty much every top English club:
The Metro: “Everton ‘approach Inter Milan for Andrea Ranocchia to replace John Stones’”
Daily Express: “Napoli set to rival Manchester United and Spurs for Inter Milan’s Andrea Ranocchia”
Daily Mirror: “Chelsea to target towering Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia in January
Daily Express: “Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal & Spurs target Andrea Ranocchia set to hand in transfer request”
Daily Star: “Everton, Spurs, Newcastle and Crystal Palace set to pounce for Italian star Ranocchia”
Daily Mail: “Man City keen to snap up Inter centre back Ranocchia in exchange for Kolarov”
Ranocchia’s got a busy agent.
Anorak
Posted: 23rd, October 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Gary Monk is magic! The Swansea City manager really is magic. He can make himself disappear. Yesterday the Mirror’s John Cross tweeted:
Garry Monk misses training as pressure mounts at Swansea
Monk missing. Pressure mounting. Two plus two equals… Sacked?!
The Mirror duly reported why Monk was missing:
Garry Monk did not go into training at Swansea today. It is understood that he missed the session because of personal reasons.
Or as Swansea City put it:
Had Monk reappeared, as if by magic?
The Mirror’s John Cross went back to work:
Garry Monk is under mounting pressure at Swansea. The Swans have been on a winless run of six games…. Swansea today moved to deny that Monk missed training by posting pictures of their manager taking a session at the club’s Fairwood HQ. But they confirmed that Monk did miss the team’s warm-down session on Tuesday following the defeat to Stoke the night before.
He missed the warm-down session at Stoke City? Do you even need a manager to supervise that? Did it miss it for “personal reasons”? And ‘moved to deny” sounds a lot like denying and saying the Mirror was wrong.
Such are the facts.
Anorak
Posted: 22nd, October 2015 | In: Reviews, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
