There Is Only One Sinnacle

Alway enjoy when Rangers win the SPL how it’s mentioned that it’s a World Record 53rd league title. You can argue the merits of this considering Scottish football is a two team league with the other ten clubs just filling out the numbers but there is no denying the quality of the job Walter Smith has done with Rangers the last two years.

After helping Scotland get on the European map during his brief team as head coach the former Manchester United number two and Everton manager was faced with another tough job in taking over from Paul Le Guen horrible run at Rangers. Not only has Walter Smith guided Rangers to a UEFA Cup final and leap frogged Celtic to the top of Scottish football, he did it with his hands tied in the transfer market due to the uncertain status of Rangers ownership.

The last splash in the transfer market was back in August 2008 when Rangers (wisely) paid 5 million for Maurice Edu. Since then it’s been make do what you got and Smith has done it without complaints and has done a brillance job of keeping his players away from the mess going on upstairs. For Rangers sake hope Walter Smith decides to stay on for another season.

What a sick pass by Angel Di Maria who allowed Oscar Cardozo to rip it just inside the near post. One of his three goals on the weekend to lead Benfica within a point of their first Championship in five years. I know it’s going to happen but hate the idea of seeing this team break apart a year or two before this group can become something really special.

Arsenal have handed captain Cesc Fabregas an unprecedented £3m payment and upped his wages by nearly 50% to £110,000-a-week to keep him at the club and warn off the advances of Barcelona.
Full story: Goal.com

I’m not saying Fabregas wants to leave Arsenal for Barcelona but I am saying money isn’t going to be the reason why he stays with Arsenal.

Real Madrid captain Raul will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury, raising questions about whether the 32-year-old striker may have played his last match for the Spanish giants – with a move to England or the United States possible in the summer. (Press Association)

If it is Raul’s last game with Real Madrid it seem touchy he scored in his final appearance.

Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia has been sacked after his side lost 5-1 to Hoffenheim on Sunday – only four days before the German side are due to meet Fulham in the second leg of the Europa League semi finals. (Associated Press)

I’m rooting for Fulham to make it to the Europa League finals. It would remind me of when Middlesbrough made it to the UEFA Cup finals only to be slapped by Sevilla.

Manchester City and Chelsea have enquired about the availability of Barcelona’s Brazilian right-back Dani Alves, who is in ongoing contract negotiations with the Spanish club. Sport (Spanish newspaper)

Moving on with the Sevilla theme he we have Dani Alves who Chelsea could of signed three years ago but couldn’t close the deal.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing a £35m bid to bring Atletico Madrid’s Argentina striker Sergio Aguero, 21, to Old Trafford. Caughtoffside.com

At first look you would think Aguero and Wyane Rooney wouldn’t mesh well together but then again Tevez and Rooney did so you never know. Still can’t see it happening.

Manchester United and Everton will battle it out to sign 17-year-old Dutch winger Bob Schepers from second division side SC Cambuur-Leeuwarden. the Sun

If Bob Schepers wants to play anytime soon he should go to Everton, if he wants a nice signing bonus then United is the way to go.

Barcelona are interested in Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy and could offer Spanish striker Bojan Krkic as part of a potential swap deal. Caughtoffside.com

Arsenal would love this. In basketball you don’t think a big man for a guard. In soccer you should never trade a striker for a defender. Bojan may of lost some thunder thanks to Perdo this season but Barcelona would be foolish to let him go.

Liverpool are ready to beat Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal for the signature of Charlton’s 18-year-old striker Jonjo Shelvey for £3m. Daily Mail

If Fabian Delph deal from Leeds to Aston Villa was double the 3 million pound fee quoted here you know Charlton isn’t going to sell Shelvey for that amount.

West Brom want to sign Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard in the summer but he may have to take a pay cut to stay in the top flight. Daily Mail

There isn’t many players I’d want to pick off Hull bone as they are going down next season but Bullard, injury troubles and all is one proble I’d be looking to sign.

West Ham co-chairman David Gold says manager Gianfranco Zola “deserves another crack” at leading the club after securing Premier League survival. Daily Mirror

Zola at least deserves a summer where he isn’t hand cuffed in the transfer market.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce claims striker Darren Bent should be in the England squad for the World Cup in South Africa this summer after scoring 25 goals for the Black Cats this season. Daily Mirror

On goals alone Bent deserves a place but no way he is going. His brief England record isn’t very good and when Bent isn’t scoring he isn’t very useful in other areas.

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho denies he will take charge of Ghana for their World Cup campaign.
Full story: Sky Sports

Imagine Mourinho turning down the England job to manage Ghana. Just a weird story.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants Sol Campbell to stay with the Gunners for another year and believes the defender could be valuable to England at the World Cup. Goal.com

Sol Campbell makes a better option on Arsenal’s bench then Mikaël Silvestre.

Manchester City are lining up a £50m bid for the Spain international and could offer an incredible £200,000 a week to lure him to Eastlands. Guardian

Benitez says Torres, who is 12 months into a four-year contract at Anfield, is not for sale. The Times

The current owners can’t sell Torres, even for 50 million. The second they sell him Liverpool’s value will drop. Not good when your trying to sell the club.

France legend and Uefa president Michel Platini says he does not expect Raymond Domenech’s team to do well at this summer’s World Cup – but he sees England, together with Spain and Brazil, as one of the three favourites for glory. (Groupe Hersant Media)

You could of said the same thing four years ago as well. Everybody was sleeping on France four years old with people thinking they were too old and too far removed from their 1998-2000 glory days.

Meanwhile, the Gunners have joined a growing list of Premier League clubs interested in the signature of Everton teenager Jack Rodwell. However, the Merseyside club are set to increase the midfielder’s wages to ensure he stays at Goodison Park. The Times

Rodwell is English, no way this happens even if I’m a huge fan of the player.

Manchester City are keen to tie up a deal for Germany international Mesut Ozil before the 22-year-old Werder Bremen midfielder has the chance to make a name for himself at the World Cup.
Full story: The Independent

Not words I say everyday but smart of Manchester City to have interest in Mesut Ozil and smart of them to try and sign him before the next World Cup.

Brazil striker Luis Fabiano has hinted Manchester United would be his destination of choice if he leaves Sevilla in the summer. Daily Express

Even with his skill, considering his age if Manchester United had wanted him previously they would of signed him.

West Brom are preparing a move for out-of-favour Stoke striker Tuncay, but will face competition from Fenerbahce. Daily Star

A move back to Turkey would do Tuncay some good. Too good of a player to just be coming off the bench.

Newcastle manager Chris Hughton has warned fans it will be difficult to recruit big names to St James’ Park in the summer. Daily Mirror

I for one will be interested to see how Newcastle will do in the top division next year after ripping apart the Championship.

Manchester United want to beat local rivals Manchester City to the signing of teenage Nigerian midfielder Ramon Azeez. Daily Mail

Watch Ramon Azeez to be laying about his age and really he is 22.

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has spent this season on loan at Birmingham, is a £10m target for Arsenal. Daily Star

Makes so much sense. Arsenal wouldn’t have to worry about a goalie for the next 5-10 years with Hart between the sticks.

Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon could be set to return from a four-month injury lay-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. Daily Mirror

Lennon and James Milner could be scary on the wings for England this summer.

England boss Fabio Capello is desperate to take Tottenham’s Ledley King to the World Cup despite the defender’s recurrent injury problems. Daily Mirror

This would say a lot about how Capello feels about his central defenders if he brings in Ledley King.

ESPN did one better this time and got Bono to do the voice over for this World Cup spot. Must admit I liked it. Got goosebumps when they shown the stadium lighting up with fireworks.

Juventus will offer Arsenal Italian national team goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Felipe Melo in return for winger Robin van Persie (1345 BST). Daily Mirror

If this was an North American sport this offer would make sense. Melo would add steal to the midfield and everyone knows Buffon’s class. Arsenal do have depth in attacking players but since this isn’t North America this will never happen.

Juventus are so confident that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will join them in the summer that they have already started approaching some of his first-choice backroom staff about their availability (1215 BST).imscouting.com

No matter what happens between Juventus and Rafa Benitez it’s time to part ways from Liverpool.

Liverpool are lining up a surprise summer move for Wolves’ Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey (1150 BST). Daily Mirror

For what reason? Reina isn’t the problem and back up goalies shouldn’t be the first area Liverpool look to when buying players this summer.

Manchester City have made Liverpool’s Fernando Torres their number one summer target, and are preparing a £60m bid for the Spanish striker. Daily Star

Liverpool can’t see Torres, if they did Liverpool wouldn’t even be the best team in their own city nevermind country.

Manchester United are lining up a £20m summer move for Tottenham defender Gareth Bale, whom they first tried to sign from Southampton three years ago. Daily Express

First Carrick, then Berbatov, sounds about right that in every two years Manchester United opens up the cheque for a Tottenham player.

United striker Dimitar Berbatov could be on his way to AC Milan in a summer swap deal with Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar going the opposite way. Caughtoffside.com

Both are pretty similar with Huntellar being younger.

Swansea boss Paulo Sousa could be the man to replace Hull’s management consultant Iain Dowie at the KC Stadium. Daily Mail

Paulo Sousa should of got the Sporting job. No way should he take over Hull, greater things are in store for him.

Cardiff manager Dave Jones is a shock contender to replace Gianfranco Zola as West Ham manager, should the Italian leave the club in the summer. Daily Mirror

Don’t see why it’s a shock. Jones always has Cardiff near the playoff places every year without having much to spend on players. Would be a better choice to coach an EPL club than the likes of Dowie and Brain Laws.

Liverpool are lining up a bid for Rangers’ £8m-rated teenage defender Danny Wilson, with the youngster being loaned back to the Gers next season. Caughtoffside.com

Wouldn’t be the worst move Liverpool could make in the transfer market.

Real Madrid look set to beat Chelsea and Manchester United to the signature of Benfica’s Argentine winger Angel di Maria. imscouting.com

Real Madrid and Benfica get along quite well so all things being equal if Real Madrid are prepared to pay the price then di Maria will be off to Madrid.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez says their marathon trek to Madrid for their Europa League semi-final has been a positive experience as it has brought the team closer together. the Times

If they lose watch the excuses fly.

Give credit to Red Bull management they are sure pulling out the stops to provide some interesting football in new Red Bull Stadium this summer. On the heels of announcing a friendly against Juventus, The New York Red Bull will take part in a mini tournament featuring Manchester City, Tottenham and Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Now focusing on being Portuguese for a minute, smooth move by Red Bull management getting Sporting Clube de Portugal to come over with the large Portuguese population in New Jersey and New England. I’m sure a lot of people are marking their calendars for July 22 to Sunday July 25 when this mini tournament takes place.

We are only 50 days away from the World Cup. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. Have a feeling I’m going to hear Knaan – Wavin Flag a million for times this summer. As Knaan is Canadian been hearing this song daily for close to a year now. The good news is I still like it when clips of football are shown along side it as is the case with the video below. My favorite part comes at the 3:30 mark. Oh Figo what a wonderful crosser of the ball you are. Nuno Gomes may not be much but it could of been a different story had he and not Pauleta started for Portugal. Sheds tears…..my second favorite part is at the end they only show the World Cup being raised and not Fabio Cannavaro raising it. Almost like it never happen.

Chelsea are stepping up their summer recruitment plans and are watching closely long-standing targets midfielder Frank Ribery of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero. goal.com

Have a feeling Frank Ribery will enjoy readhing this headline compared to the ones he has been linked to in the previous days.

AC Milan are planning a £20m summer swoop for Manchester United’s Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. The Sun

A.C Milan should just wait a year and see Berbatov value far even further to the 10 million dollar range.

Liverpool are preparing to ruffle the feathers of city rivals Everton with a move for the Toffees’ midfielder Steven Pienaar. Daily Mail

With no one knowing for sure he will own the team never mind coach the team next season it’s pretty hard to nail down any transfer rumours concerning Liverpool.

Manchester City are planning to swoop for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young, with Craig Bellamy, Martin Petrov and Shaun Wright-Phillips all set to depart Eastlands this summer. Daily Mirror

Aside from Bellamy if Manchester City plans to sell Martin Petrov (who I like) and Shaun Wright-Phillips (who I don’t) they will need to eat up a good deal on their current contracts.

Bolton will place a £17m price tag on defender Gary Cahill if he makes it into Fabio Capello’s England World Cup squad for this summer’s tournament in South Africa. The Sun

Sunderland set the bar when they signed Michael Turner for 12 million from Hull last year. Any team asking for Gary Cahill will at least have to make a bid between 12-15 million.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Everton boss David Moyes is the man to succeed him at Old Trafford. Apparently, Ferguson is ready to step down as United manager after one more season. The Sun

Moyes is a great coach and has many more hits in the transfer market than misses but boy those would be some huge shoes to fill.

Italian side Juventus are ready to give Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez until the end of the season to decide if he would like to take over as their new manager. They originally set a deadline for the end of this week. Daily Mirror

Coaching Juventus isn’t what it use to be.

Portsmouth are expected to announce that their debts total £119m when their accounts for the last financial year are released later on Wednesday.The Times

If your a bean counter at Portsmouth how do you not press the panic button once losses hit 50 million, nevermind double that?

I’m going to allow myself to enjoy the bliss of seeing Inter Milan shut Messi down on the way to defeating Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg of the Champions League semi finals. Sure, Barcelona can hammer Inter at home in the second leg but the pressure squarely falls on Barcelona who two weeks ago everyone was saying were locks for the La Liga and Champions League titles. Now they may not win either.

P.S To Roma anytime you wanna drop points please feel free.