“Players injured, driver dead” after Togo bus attack
The Togo national team bus has been machine-gunned by Angolan rebels on the Congolese border ahead of the African Nations Cup.
Two players are reported to be injured and a Togolese sports ministry spokesman in Lome said that the bus driver had been killed in the attack. The Sparrow Hawks are in the country ahead of the African tournament, which gets under way on Sunday.
The two players injured are reported to be GSI Pontivy goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilalé and Vaslui FC defender Serge Akakpo. Others reported injured are an assistant coach, a doctor and a journalist who was following the team. Alaixis Romao, the Grenoble player, told RMC he could count seven people injured.
Hate posting stories like these which are more a reflection on society in general than football. By that as it may this ranks up there with Sepp Blatter’s worst nightmare. With the World Cup in South Africa less than six months away you know phone calls are ringing off the hook in FIFA’s offices to review security measures. For every one’s sake it better be more then the two police officers who didn’t have a chance when those gang of rebels opened fire on the Togo team bus.
Manchester City are on the verge of signing Argentine defender Cristian Ansaldi for £4m from Rubin Kazan. The Times
Ansaldi increased his profile with his performances in the Champions League this year. Just don’t see Rubin selling Ansaldi for only four million however.
Defender Sol Campbell is set for a shock return to Arsenal, but only if manager Arsene Wenger sells Philippe Senderos in the January transfer window. Daily Mirror
Once Wenger shows a player the doorhe doesn’t invite him back. Don’t see Wenger breaking this rule for Campbell.
Liverpool have entered the race to sign Marouane Chamakh with the offer of a pre-contract agreement for the Bordeaux striker, who can leave the French club for nothing at the end of the season. The Guardian
If you are Chamakh and see every striker not named Torres spend time on the bench (Crouch, Keane) or out of position (Kuyt) are you really going to jump at the chance to join Liverpool?
Wolves have made a £3m offer for Hull winger Stephen Hunt. The Sun
Hull has made no sercet they want to trim down their squad but don’t think Hunt is the first place they want to clear out.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is willing to make Kenwyne Jones the club’s highest earner if he can lure him from Sunderland, but is unwilling to pay the £11m the Black Cats want for the striker. The Times
No clue if the £11 million figure is correct but all things consider it didn’t strike me as excessive.
Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, who is now at Monaco, is closing in on a £2m move to Blackburn. The Sun
But Gudjohnsen is also wanted by West Ham and Tottenham. Daily Mirror
It wouldn’t be a January transfer window without a Eidur Gudjohnsen rumour.
Liverpool are expected to conclude a £1.5m deal for Atletico Madrid winger Maxi Rodriguez in the next 24 hours. The Times
This would be a great move for Liverpool if they can pull it off.
Defender Younes Kaboul is expected to leave Portsmouth, with Sunderland keen on the former Spurs player. Daily Mail
Kaboul should adjust quickly with all the former Tottenham players currently playing with Sunderland.
During some downtime over the holidays caught up on some things I’ve been meaning to do and watching The Damn United was one of them. The Damn United for those for don’t know is the story of Brian Clough 44 days as manager of Leeds United
First thing to point out is this movie has some parts which isn’t correct. It’s equal parts Hollywood as it is factual but unless you were living through this era don’t believe it should take away from your enjoyment of this film.
The main reason this movie was great in my opinion is because the acting is so damn good. Michael Sheen plays Brian Clough perfectly. It isn’t easy to play someone who was larger than life but not once have I heard someone criticize Michael Sheen performance. Supporting performances by Jim Broadbent, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall were so great you actually felt like you were seeing life in England during 1974. Also loved how the film makers went back and forth telling the back story of Brian Clough days at Derby County and his current day role at Leeds United. It is a tricky thing to pull off but not once did I feel confused or annoyed when they switched back and forth from the two stories.
To sum it up this is the type of movie you have in the DVD collection where every year or so you can pop into the DVD and just enjoy. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Below are a couple of clips from the movie and a real life clip between Brian Clough and former Leeds United manager Don Revie.
Arsenal may be ready to sell midfielder Cesc Fabregas to Real Madrid – if they get Argentine star Gonzalo Higuain in return. (Spanish newspaper Marca)
Don’t care how badly Arsenal needs a striker there is no way they sell Fabregas in the middle of the season.
Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira has told Eurosport he is leaving the Serie A champions to join Manchester City in a bid to secure more first-team action that would help him earn a place in France’s World Cup squad. (Reuters)
Smart move for Manchester City even if Vieira is a tad long in the tooth. His experience will help just as much in the locker room as on the pitch.
Manchester United have been told they will have to pay £40m if they want to sign Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa.
Full story: The Sun
The sound you hear is Manchester United and the rest of Europe laughing when the Marseille chairmen quote that was the price he’d think about selling Ben Arfa. The same player who Lyon gave up on and by all accounts a coaches nightmare with his attitude.
Cash-strapped Portsmouth have put their entire squad up for sale. Daily Star
Is this news? Portsmouth would sell any player for the right price the last 12 months.
City boss Roberto Mancini is also expected to land Palermo centre-half Simon Kjaer for £18m. The Sun
Kjaer is one of the best defenders who currently doesn’t play for a top tier club. Not to pick on Lescott again but despite his lack of EPL experience would of preferred a player like him on Manchester City compared to them over spending on the now injured Lescott.
A player who could be on his way out of Eastlands is Roque Santa Cruz, with Espanyol keen to sign City’s Paraguay striker on loan.
Full story: The Sun
No offense to Espanyol but if Santa Cruz is on the way out I’m sure another EPL or top European club would be interested.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is tracking CFR Cluj’s 6ft 6in Ivorian striker Lacine Traore – dubbed ‘The New Adebayor’.
Full story: Daily Express
Fits the bill of exactly the type of player Wenger would target.
Tottenham are ready to offer captain Robbie Keane as bait to secure a deal for Aston Villa striker John Carew. Daily Star
Too risky for Aston Villa. With both battling for a Champions League spot it doesn’t make sense to sell Carew to Tottenham even if Robbie Keane comes back in return.
Everton are considering a deal for out-of-favour Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy as boss David Moyes looks to boost his options in attack. Daily Mail
No denying Sam Allardyce would love to get rid of Benni McCarthy who has worn out his welcome with Blackburn.
West Ham hope to wrap up a loan deal for Fiorentina’s former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu early next week. Daily Star
I’ll believe this when I see it.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has launched a £9m bid for Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones. Various
With Ryan Babel also quoted at £9m guess that is the magic number for Birmingham.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he once tried to sign legendary AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini – only to be rebuffed by his father, the former Italy boss Cesare Maldini. “I always wanted to get Paolo here but it was impossible,” said the Scot.
“I met his father at a game and told him how much I’d love to have his son at United. Cesare smiled at me and said ‘My grandfather was Milan, my father was Milan, I played for Milan and now my son is Milan’. And that was it – story over!”
Full story: The Sun
In the end it’s most likely a smart move for Freddy Adu deciding on Aris instead of Hull. While different positions Jozy Altidore can’t catch a regular game for Hull it’s unlikely Adu would break into the first team ranks either. Also like the fact it’s a 18 month loan deal. Usually coaches don’t give players on a loan many first team chances cause of the knowledge in a few months the player is leaving anyway but 18 months should allow Adu to grow into whatever role Aris sees for him.
If I was the head coach at Aris I’d be worried however. Freddy Adu has gone through three coaches in his first year at Benfica, two coaches last year with Monaco and his coach at Belenenses was given the pink slip right before Christmas. That is a lot of turn over.
The flip side of a coach looking forward to a break when a team is playing poorly is a coach must hate a break when a team is clicking. Ranieri will have nightmares all week thanks to 18th place Calgliari scoring two goals in injury team to split the points with a Roma side who figured they were home and dry.
The Gialloblu showed great spirit in the first-half, but a Castellini error proved to be the difference between the two sides…
An own goal gave ten-man Juventus a much needed victory at Parma, as the team started off 2010 on the right track, leaving the title hopefuls nine points behind Inter in Serie A.
When you are a coach under fire like Ciro Ferrara you must love a Christmas break as it allows the players to get away from the game for awhile and hopefully come back fresh. Against a Parma team who were flying high before the break Juventus got some luck thanks to an own goal from Paolo Castellini and held on even with Martín Cáceres being sent off 15 minutes from play. Being nine points back of Inter, Juventus still has along way to go if they want to get back into the race but today’s win on the road is a positive start for the second half of the season.
Huge Penalty Controversy As Mario Balotelli Downs Flying Donkeys
Inter continued their march towards another Serie A title with a hugely controversial 1-0 win over Chievo at the Stadio Bentegodi.
Mario Balotelli scored the only goal of the game on 11 minutes, stroking the ball home on the counter attack seconds after Chievo had what they felt was a clear penalty not given by the referee. In injury time, the referee also failed to award a penalty when substitute Ricardo Quaresma blatantly stuck his hand in the air at the ball in the area.
Must admit love the nickname Flying Donkeys. If I was a headline writer I couldn’t pass it up either. Back to the game. Ok, it wasn’t pretty and Chievo can feel hard done by on a few calls but these are the type of victories which separate Champions from Runners-ups. This isn’t a game anyone will remember at season’s end but it could of easily been a game Inter only walked away with a draw.
Sad news coming out of this game deals with Cristian Chivu fracturing his skull in a clash of heads in a scene which must of reminded Jose Mourinho when Petr Cech suffered the same injury during his Chelsea days.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will launch a £9m move for West Ham striker Carlton Cole if Nicklas Bendtner fails a fitness test on Friday. “If Bendtner is out for another two months we will need to buy someone, absolutely,” admitted Wenger. The Sun
Wonder how many Arsenal fans are now hoping Bendtner fails a fitness test. If that is the case would be interesting to see who Arsenal bring in.
Arsenal are set to lose highly-rated Spanish midfielder Fran Merida, who has snubbed a new deal at the Emirates and is set to join Atletico Madrid. Daily Star
Usually it’s young players leaving their clubs to join Arsenal and not the other way around. Merida must of read the tea leaves and saw with Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere in the mix the future didn’t look too bright staying with Arsenal.
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has played down suggestions he will leave the club for Real Madrid, insisting he has “a marvellous understanding” with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The Sun
If you believe press reports all that is missing would be a show to the face or Vidic writing a tell all book complaining how the Neville brothers whine about everything. (Good job Jaap Stam.)
Bolton are prepared to cash in on £15m-rated defender Gary Cahill in order to provide prospective new manager Owen Coyle with substantial funds during the transfer window. Daily Mirror
Is selling your best player the best move you can make when you are in the regulation mix? Wonder what changed between Coyle and Burnley. He turned down Celtic six months ago to stay with Burnley. Did his relationship with Burnley board change as his ambitions didn’t match theirs or did he look at his players and feel he the talent wasn’t there to keep them up?
Tottenham have renewed their interest in Miguel Veloso after seeing the Sporting midfielder score in the Portuguese Cup win over Braga. The Times
Quite a goal too.
Former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who plays for Estudiantes, has been linked with a shock £7m move to Manchester City. Daily Mail
This is the dumbest transfer rumour I’ve read yet. Yes, I know Veron has a history having played with and coached by Roberto Mancini by why would City or Veron for that matter go club to a country he flopped not once but twice?
Liverpool have turned down Birmingham’s £9m bid for winger Ryan Babel, as the price falls short of their £12m valuation. Daily Mirror
Even if Birmingham does meet Liverpool’s price tag does Ryan Babel pack his bags? I’d love to see the reaction on Rafa’s face if he finds out Babel turned down a move to Birmingham.
West Ham striker Alessandro Diamanti has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to AC Milan saying, “Right now I am thinking only about the salvation of West Ham. I do not care about anything else.” The Sun
Diamanti to A.C Milan is also up there in dumb rumours.
Real Madrid are ready to capitalise on the growing rift between Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson and Nemanja Vidic by bidding for the defender. Vidic was a late withdrawal for Sunday’s FA Cup match against Leeds, which United lost 1-0. The Times
Manchester United should just make it official then and announce they have become a feeder club to Real Madrid if this transfer ever happens.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is keen to bring Atletico Madrid’s Argentine winger Maxi Rodriguez to Anfield this January, initially on a short-term loan deal. Daily Mirror
Tottenham will attempt to beat the Reds to Rodriguez’s signature though by offering midfielder David Bentley on loan as part of the deal. Daily Mail
Boca, Liverpool or Tottenham for Maxi Rodriguez? If I was Rodriguez I’d head back home for six months as he’ll play for Boca where Rodriguez will hope to get back on the World Cup radar.
Liverpool are also looking to offload players during the transfer window with Italian left-back Andrea Dossena set to sign for Napoli in a £5m switch. Goal.com
Mentioned this on twitter as you can see to the left but bears repeating, even if Liverpool is selling Dossena they should be happy getting rid of a player who was ill suited for English football.
Birmingham will test Liverpool’s desire to hold on to Ryan Babel by bidding £8m for the Dutch winger in January. Independent
It’s a price Liverpool should at least consider for Ryan Babel.
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Italian striker Giampaolo Pazzini for £22m but Sampdoria will only let him leave if the 25-year-old is loaned back to them for the rest of the season. Daily Mirror
Pazzini has kick started his career since Sampdoria picked him up from Fiorentina this time last year.
Manchester City are in advanced discussions with Inter Milan to bring French midfielder Patrick Vieira back to the Premier League. Vieira left Arsenal for Juventus in 2005. The Times
Smart move for the simple fact Vieira knows what it’s like to win and he should command respect for the rest of this Manchester City squad.
West Ham and Bolton are both chasing Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes, who is out of favour at Benfica and desperate for first-team football to boost his hopes of making his country’s 2010 World Cup squad. Daily Mirror
Shrugs shoulders. Don’t see English football being a fit for Nuno Gomes.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is set to axe seven players for Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final with bitter rivals Manchester City following his side’s humiliating defeat by Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup. Striker Dimitar Berbatov and right-back Gary Neville head the list of those for the chop. The Sun
This shouldn’t be shocking news. When you play your second string team and they slip up, it’s unlikely they will be seeing another start in the following game.
Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has held clear-the-air talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti and team-mate Frank Lampard after appearing to suggest he was being overlooked by the former and that the latter was given preferential treatment in a recent interview. The Times
During this meeting Malouda should be told to shut up and come the summer if he wants to go he’ll get to pack his bags.
Darts legend Phil Taylor, who claimed a record 15th world title on Sunday by winning the PDC world final, says he can help England win the World Cup this summer by delivering a rousing team talk to the players. The Sun
Phil the Power Taylor. England’s greatest Athlete.
