There Is Only One Sinnacle

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Once I heard about Rafa Benitez lashing out at Massimo Moratti basically drawing a line in the sand asking Inter to back him in the transfer market or sack him my first reaction was how long Rafa was biting his lip wanting for the right time to make this request. Rafa couldn’t make this request after losing to Leece for example so Rafa waits til the Club World Cup which is an event whose idea I like but let’s face it beating TP Mazembe great story as it was is like beating a Serie B team in the Coppa Italia.

I love how Rafa Benitez keeps biting the hand that feeds him. From Valencia, to Liverpool and now Inter Milan anytime something is going wrong it’s the clubs fault. When Rafa beats Real Madrid in the Champions League he is a genius. When Liverpool don’t advance out of the group stage the following year it’s ownerships fault. If I was Moratti I’d send him back on the first plane back to Spain.

For a smart man Rafa Benitez should of never took the Inter job to begin with. You can’t top what Jose Mourinho did with this Inter team last year, it’s foolish for an elite coach to even try. Benitez coming out and saying Inter will play much better football than they did last year was also dumb to say. Inter scored the most goals in Italy. In the Champions League while they parked the bus in Barcelona they also took them on to a tune of a 3-1 victory in the first leg. Last year’s Inter team also played three strikers up front against Chelsea at Stamford bridge. To say you can play better football not only insults Mourinho not that he cares about such things but more importantly it insults all those Inter players who give it everything they got all last year.

I can just picture Wesley Sneijder saying to Rafa at practice “this is not how we did it last year.” just to annoy him. Does Rafa have some right to be annoyed at the lack of transfer funds? Yes, he has some right but it isn’t like he was going into this blind. I’m sure he knew what the deal was going into the season. Have Inter had some bad luck with injuries this season? Yes but cry me a river these things happen. What shouldn’t happen even with injuries is a club who won everything last year shouldn’t be 13 points back of first place. (with two games in hand) There is nothing to this Inter sqaud to suggest they are going to turn it around but of course somehow this is Moratti fault and not Rafa’s who contiunes to deflect blame from himself. It worked in Liverpool, it won’t work in Milan.

To repeat a previous point Rafa was stupid to take on the Inter Milan job. Inter was Mourinho’s team, it was always going to be an uphill task without blowing up the club which he has no power to do. Rafa should of sat back enjoyed some time off and waited for the Liverpool job or another top level gig to come open as Benitez would be on the top of this list. Now Benitez is this close to getting the sack with his repetition bound to take a beating everywhere outside of Liverpool.

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Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is set to offer Newcastle £20m for striker Andy Carroll and could use forward Peter Crouch as part of the deal. Daily Express

Could you picture the anger Newcastle fans would have if they sold a local kid to Tottenham? If I was a Newcastle fan I’d tell Carroll to ask how Paul Gascoigne move to Tottenham went.

West Ham are lining up a January swoop for Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
Full story: the Sun

Things are bad for Adebayor but not this bad.

Blackburn want to start their rebuilding process by signing Blackpool’s Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Blackpool can’t hold on to Charlie Adam considering how little by comparison they pay players.

Birmingham will bid £6m to pinch Tottenham forward Robbie Keane from under the noses of neighbours Aston Villa. the Sun

Birmingham need someone who can score goals and considering what is out there and out of those players who would go to Birmingham Keane would be the best choice.

Manchester City are reportedly planning a January move for AC Milan forward Ronaldinho.
Full story: caughtoffside

I’m sure Robinho will say great things about life in Manchester.

Arsenal’s Brazilian midfielder Denilson is attracting the interest of Spanish giants Barcelona.
Full story: imscouting

As the water boy?

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly interested in securing the signing of Zenit St Petersburg’s attacking midfielder Danny. Metro

I’m all for more Portuguese players at Manchester United. I’m still Sir Alex still remembers Danny ripping Manchester United apart in the UEFA Sup Cup a couple of years ago.

Chelsea have put a possible £15m move for Blackburn defender Phil Jones on hold after his season-ending knee injury. Daily Mirror

Poor kid, everything was going up for Phil Jones now he has to clear a hurdle both physically and mentally of over coming this injury.

Liverpool striker Milan Jovanovic could be allowed to leave in the January transfer window, having failed to make an impact since joining in the summer. Teams in Germany and Italy are interested in the Serbian.
Full story: Daily Mail

If a tress falls in a forest….

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is planning a double swoop for Tottenham striker Peter Crouch and Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. caughtoffside

Why do the press link Hodgson with players? He clearly has little say in the matter.

Wolves are interested in United States’ former Salt Lake City striker Robbie Findley.
Full story: Daily Mail

Here is the Robbie Findley scoring report…..very fast, little scoring touch.

Tottenham Hotspur are said to have put a deal on the table to lure Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta to White Hart Lane. imscouting

Don’t see how Tottenham even wants Iaquinta. Granted he works hard but he isn’t going to fill the net. Iaquinta is like an Italian Emile Heskey.

Chelsea are set to battle Manchester City for the signing of Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.
Full story: imscouting

I’ll believe it when I see Chelsea actually spend money again.

Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas has admitted they suffer from a fear of losing big matches which is counter-productive. Guardian

At least he admitted it. Good coaching Wenger.

Mauricio Espinosa, the assistant referee in England’s World Cup match against Germany, admits he missed the bounce of Frank Lampard’s shot which crossed the line but was not given as a goal.
Full story: goal.com

Oh I’m sure England fans will close the book on this mistake now.

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Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner could be sent on loan to Everton in January with a view to a permanent transfer. The Gunners are interested in Freiburg striker Papis Demba Cisse. Metro

I’d be looking to send a message to many of these Arsenal are treated with kid gloves. Whenver Arsenal loses none of there players have to answer for it. I’d be looking to send a message but shipping under achievers like Bendtner out of town despite his “upside.”

Tottenham are interested in signing former England skipper David Beckham in the January transfer window. The LA Galaxy midfielder does not report back for his club until March. London Evening Standard

Nothing really in it for Beckham at this point going out on loan. He isn’t a part of the England sqaud plus he could use the rest after blowing out his ACL and coming back 8 months later.

Manchester City and Tottenham are leading the chase for Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel, who is the captain of German giants Bayern Munich. Daily Mirror

Also one of the biggest babies in football. He can dish out the rash tackles left and right but if someone touches him it’s rolling around on the ground time.

Liverpool are keen on Zenit St Petersburg right-back Alexander Anyukov. The 28-year-old is rated at £18m. Daily Mail

I want Liverpool to spend money and I think Liverpool knows they need to spend money after seeing the Red Sox’s spend 300 million on two players. Please don’t say it’s two different things, while it is to the fans it’s all the same. It’s like buying your daughter and Ferrari and your son a FIAT. The son is going to end up doing drugs to spite you as a parent. Back to Anyukov, please don’t spend 18 million on a 28 year old right back.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho wants to sign Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez, team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor or Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez in the January transfer window to cover for injured striker Gonzalo Higuain. Daily Mail

Could see why Tevez and even Adebayor would fit in nicely at Real Madrid. Hernandez we already covered last week. This isn’t goal 2 living the dream and Javier Hernandez isn’t Santiago Muñez.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has identified Wolfsburg’s Simon Kjaer as the solution to his ongoing centre-back problem. : talkSPORT

Wolfsburg figured the same thing and it hasn’t happened.

Aston Villa are interested in Villarreal forward Guillermo Andres Lopez. The 18-year-old is also wanted by PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona. Daily Mail

Will then, if all three coaches are really interested which do you think Lopez would choose?

Former Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has told West Ham that he will not talk to the club about taking over at Upton Park while manager Avram Grant is still in charge. Daily Star

It’s a low rent move for West Ham to come out and say Grant needs to win one of his next three games to stay in charge. No need to say that publicly as it doesn’t help matters. Grant around knows the noose is around his neck. No need to point it out to everybody.

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While they are no Portuguese clubs in the Champions League group stages there are four in the Europa League. The same bandwagon I was on last year with Benfica I am this year with Porto who are playing football right up there witht he best clubs in Europe. Sadly, they have a tough test in the knock out round against Sevilla. Liverpool fans must be happy drawing against Sparta Prague. Would be happier if a new coach was in charge by then.

Below are the full Europa League pairings.

Napoli v Villarreal
Rangers v Sporting
Sparta Prague v Liverpool
Anderlecht v Ajax
Lech Poznan v Braga
Besiktas v Dynamo Kiev
Basle v Spartak Moscow
Young Boys v Zenit St Petersburg
Aris Salonika v Man City
PAOK Salonika v CSKA Moscow
Sevilla v FC Porto
Rubin Kazan v FC Twente
Lille v PSV
Benfica v VfB Stuttgart
BATE v PSG
FC Metalist Kharkiv v Bayer Leverkusen

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I’d have those hands a tad higher with my face pointing up to the sky praying to god if I was Arsene Wenger. For the second year in a row Arsenal were drawn against the club they model themselves after except only Barcelona actually win titles. Considering I’m a Jose Mourinho fan boy I’d love for Arsenal to knock out Barcelona but aside from knocking out A.C Milan at the San Siro a couple of years ago whenever Arsenal are up against the elite clubs they come out short. Maybe this will be the year they put it finally altogether….maybe.

It’s Real Madrid time to get revenge against Lyon for last year…..do it….be champions. Here are the rest of the pairing in the knockout stage of the Champions League. Including a match up of last year’s finalist who are both very different clubs this season. (Bayern Munich 17 points back in the Bundesliga stadnings…ouch.)

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham Hotspur
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

Was reading the other day about the sudden death of Rushden & Diamonds goalie Dale Roberts. For some reason I felt there was always more to the story as 24 year old goalies don’t drop dead very often.

Now the world knows why, the poor kid hung himself because he couldn’t get over the fact his fiancée slept with John Terry’s brother Fredo Terry (ok, his name is Paul Terry.)

He even looks like a prick. I hope this scumbag hears it in every away ground he plays in. The kicker is that he slept with the girl in Dale Robert’s place. Man the Terry’s are a bunch of scumbags. Mini Rant over.

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Manchester City are reportedly preparing to make a stunning bid for Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta – who would be available for £85m. imscouting.com

Good to see Manchester City agrees with my Rockers theory on Iniesta and Xavi. I don’t think either truely cares about being the best player in the world but if one did a breakup would need to happen.

Manchester United are ready to make a significant offer to entice Barcelona full-back Dani Alves to Old Trafford. caughtoffside.com

I know Dani Alves is looking for a new contract but that doesn’t mean Manchester United is going to give it to him. Manchester United are looking for the next Dani Alves in the transfer market not the current day one.

Real Madrid are poised to test Arsenal’s resolve to keep Gael Clichy by offering France striker Karim Benzema in a swap deal for the full-back. Daily Mirror

No they are not. I may be wrong but I can not recall a straight swap for a defender and a striker. No matter how well Clichy plays the second Benzema starts bagging goals questions will be asked of Real Madrid, questions they don’t want to deal with.

Arsenal meanwhile, have sanctioned the sale of keeper Manuel Almunia who has been told he can leave the club in the January transfer window. The Times

Can’t wait to see the lineup of clubs who would come calling for Manuel Almunia. Still remember laughing about Almunia as the England goalie a year or two back. By far the worst goalie on a top English club.

Italian side Roma are keen to capture Arsenal utility man Emmanuel Eboue. caughtoffside.com

One of my many problems with Wenger is his almost blind faith to players who have not repaid him. Eboue being one of them. He’d be one of the first player I’d send packing.

Liverpool have targeted a move for Villarreal winger Santi Cazorla as Reds manager Roy Hodgson looks to add more creativity to his side. caughtoffside.com

Roy Hodgson and creativity should not be used near each other. Those poor kids who got to watch the Liverpool FC Utrecht 0-0 borefest for free yesterday.

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund have approached Manchester City about signing striker Roque Santa Cruz. imscouting

I know Roque Santa Cruz’s first go around in Germany wasn’t the greatest back when he was with Bayern Munich but if I’m a striker I’d have no problem packing up for live in the free flowing Bundesliga.

Defender Nedum Onuoha is ready to quit Manchester City and join Sunderland for £6m where he is enjoying a successful loan spell. Daily Star

Smart move by the talented Onuoha who wouldn’t be a big enough name for Manchester City as they would rather spend 20 million on a player of equal talent. If I’m Sunderland I’d want to make a deal A.S.A.P.

Stoke are set to make a £2m January swoop for Birmingham winger Seb Larsson – who is out of contract at the end of the season. the Sun

By not signing a new contract it’s clear Larsson wants to test the market and usually when that happens it means the player wants to leave.

Munich forward Mario Gomez is attracting interest from top European clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham and Juventus. sport.co.uk

Could of had him for quite a discount in the summer. Then again in the summer I didn’t believe Gomez would turn it around and display the form he has this year for Bayern Munich.

Cardiff City boss Dave Jones is now the front runner for the job after former Tottenham boss Martin Jol rejected the chance to take over. goal

Dvae Jones would be the first coach I’d look to on a Championship club to come in and coach an EPL club. Been a bridesmaid for the last couple of years with Cardiff.

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The only difference between Roman Abramovich and Newcastle owner Mike Ashley besides a couple of billion is the fact once upon a time spent wisely and lavishly to the tune of three EPL titles in six seasons.

What they do have in common is the fact they poke their noses into football affiars way too much. If these rumours of Carlo Ancelotti leaving at the end of the season are true can you blame him? Furthermore how much of a mess is Chelsea at the broadroom level when Ancelotti was able to handle Silvio Berlusconi for eight seasons but wants to pack it in after two in Chelsea?

Here you have Abramovich who ran off one of the best coaches in the world in Jose Mourinho. After that right or wrong you have to admit it was a tad cruel sacking Avram Grant when he did all he could do to keep Chelsea in the EPL title race and was one John Terry slip away from winning a Champions League. Scolari was a mistake which Abramovich had to write a big cheque to make him go away. With Mourinho not coming back anytime soon Chelsea found the perfect coach in Carlo Ancelotti. While he didn’t win the Champions League he did return the club to the top of English football winning the EPL and FA Cup double while having to deal with distractions like the John Terry-Wayne Bridge saga.

The main reasons why Chelsea fans should be asking questions of Roman Abramovich is the simply fact that Chelsea hasn’t spent much in the transfer market the last two seasons but still except to win the Champions League. Once upon a time the first club papers would link to Carlos Tevez is Chelsea. We all know now aside from one summer signing Chelsea won’t be flashing an open chequebook in the transfer market. That in itself is fine, Abramovich has poured enough money into Chelsea he can justify not wanting to spend 100 million. What he can’t justify is the bloated board room staff each having their own agenda and usually not making Carlo Ancelotti job any easier. If Ancelotti leaves will fans finally start asking questions of how Abramovich is slowly running Chelsea out of the top tier of European football?

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Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko could be on his way to Manchester City. The Bosnia international wrote to a City executive earlier in the season to thank them for their efforts in trying to sign him and is still keen on a move to Eastlands. the Guardian

All this proves is like a lot of people, they want their hands on some of that oil money.

City boss Roberto Mancini may choose to strengthen his front line with Ajax striker Luis Suarez as well. IMScouting

Luis Suarez reminds me on Arshavin back in 2008 where each passing day their transfer value slips alittle.

Stuttgart defender Serdar Tasci, rumoured to be a target for Arsenal and Tottenham, could be available in January according to his agent. Sport.co.uk

Considering Stuttgart is already on their 3rd coach this season it doesn’t shock me to see players wanting to jump ship.

Manchester United are considering an approach for Everton left-back Leighton Baines as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra. Metro

Bayern Munich have been warned off any approach for Baines who is a £10m target for the Bavarian club.
Full story: the Sun

Leighton Baines must be enjoying this newfound interest in his services.

Tottenham may attempt to lure former Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes back to north London. The 27-year-old, now at Atletico Madrid, is valued at a minimum of £8.5m. IMScouting

Do the press link Tottenham with former Arsenal players just because it makes for a decent headline? Reyes hated English life, don’t see him going back.

Manchester United are set to renew their interest in £9m-rated Valencia winger Joaquin.
Full story: talkSPORT

Maybe if this was five years ago it would make sense.

Liverpool are weighing up a move for West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Tottenham winger David Bentley. caughtoffside.com

I’d take a shot on David Bentley even if I think he is soft. Carlton Cole is rubbish.

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor is set for a £2m exit after failing to agree a new contract at St James’ Park. Everton, Aston Villa and Wolves are all interested in the 24-year-old. Daily Express

Can’t blame Steven Taylor if he wishes to cut bait from Newcastle.

Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte could be Alan Pardew’s first signing as Newcastle manager. Saints striker Rickie Lambert could also form part of a £3m double swoop. the Sun

I’m sure Newcastle fans will love seeing their club go out and sign two players from League One.

Real Madrid and Arsenal are considering a swap deal involving full-back Gael Clichy going to Spain in exchange for forward Karim Benzema. caughtoffside.com

Not a chance this happens.

The Premier League is monitoring developments at Blackburn amid concerns that the involvement of sports rights and player agencies may breach the league’s rules. (Daily Telegraph)

Former Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce could take up a lucrative managerial post in the Middle East after flying out to Dubai in the wake of his sacking at Ewood Park. Daily Mirror

Now the Premier League does something. It’s shameful how they let anyone own a football club.

Manchester City fans wrote “Once a Blue, Always and Blue” in the dirt on the back of Carlos Tevez’s Hummer as they attempt to convince him to stay at Eastlands. (Daily Mirror)

That will change his mind. Stupid fans, players play for Manchester City for the money. This rings true with most top clubs. The only club that can pull Tevez’s heart strings is Boca Juniors.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes that his mind games caused Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney to blaze his penalty over the bar in the clubs’ clash on Monday. Daily Mirror

It’s not like he saved the penalty. It went flying over the bar. Besides Arsenal still lost.