Even ManScum Players Know Neville is a Dickhead

'Sparky tells Neville to 'f*** off''
(Football 365)

Gary Neville was told to "just f**k off" by Mark Hughes during the tunnel bust-up on Wednesday night between ManYoo and Blackburn players, according to reports.

The Neviller arrived late on the half-time fracas, according to the Daily Mail, and began chirping, prompting Hughes to say: "You've always got too much to say for yourself. Why don't you just f*** off?"

Referee Graham Poll then came on to the scene to prevent Neville aiming back a presumably very witty retort.

The tunnel row began when Rio Ferdinand clipped Robbie Savage on the head when they left the pitch. The two then began to wrestle before, surprise surprise, Alan Smith was the next on the scene.

Coaches and players from both teams then reportedly got involved and punches were thrown, before Wayne Rooney apparently became the unlikely peacekeeper and led Savage away from the melee.

It's been an interesting week for Neville, who faces an FA charge of misconduct for his celebration in front of Liverpool fans when Ferdinand scored the winner at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Hughes was alway one of the few ex-ManScum players that I thought was okay (I could never like them), but he has gone up in my estimation now, all Neville has to do now is listen!!!

Sven to Real?

Real Madrid insist they are not looking to appoint a new manager despite being linked with several high-profile bosses, including England's Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The club have pledged their support to current caretaker boss Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, who is under contract until the end of the season.

Reports in Spain have suggested Real are targeting Juventus coach Fabio Capello and Eriksson, who becomes available in the summer, has also been mentioned.

Eriksson is to stand down as England manager after the World Cup, after a series of contoversial events. He has admitted he will listen to offers in the coming months, providing talks do not intrude on his work.

Neville is a Dickhead!

Gary Neville has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.

The ManScum skipper attracted widespread attention with his stupid celebrations after Rio Ferdinand's undeservered last-gasp winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Neville ran fully 60 yards to launch a fist-pumping, badge-kissing reaction in front of the Liverpool fans.

The 30-year-old has until February 10 to respond, although as the case is not on the FA's new fast-track disciplinary process, it appears the worst he can expect is a heavy fine.

After failing to spot the incident during the game, referee Mike Riley has now viewed video footage and confirmed he would have booked the United man if he had seen what happened.

The FA have also been swayed by the concerns of Greater Manchester Police, which have been expressed both to United and officials at Soho Square.

Neville has received the support of the Professional Footballers' Association, while the full-back himself insisted he could not see what the problem was all about in his regular column in The Times. "You are caught up in the moment and, for a few seconds, yes, you do go bananas," he said.

The guy is such a dickhead, it has nothing to do with passion, if it was he would have run up to his own fans and gone mental, the fact that ran half the length of the field just to do it in from of the LFC fans, was inciting the crowd. If you ask me he should get a mandatory 1-match ban. He supposed to be the captain, what an example he is!

Liverpool defender Carragher thinks England squad member Neville went too far, telling the Liverpool Echo: "I think there's a line and Neville crossed it.

"I've heard people say it's justified because he gets a lot of stick from the Liverpool fans, but the truth is he gets the stick because he's been doing that for years. That's why it all started.

"I feel the same way about Liverpool as Neville does about Manchester United and from that point of view we're similar, but I don't act like that when we score against United.

"If I did, I'd expect United fans to give me the same amount of abuse."

The Greater Manchester Police have written to the Football Association to complain about the United skipper's antics.

WHAT A PRICK !

FA Cup 3rd Round is Like Marmite

Good read from the babbling John Nicholson at Football365 about this stage in the FA Cup, or on how great Marmite is

This is my favourite week of the season. Like premature ejaculation, it's a fleeting pleasure but FA Cup third-round day is the stuff of football legend.

It's an expression of the breadth and depth of the game in this country. It's a day that really means something for all the struggling under-achievers, for the once great, for the never have been great, for the hoping to be great. It's also a chance to learn some geography as you remind yourself where Nuneaton really is. I love it all. It's a special occasion.

Read more here.

Cassano Agrees Real Switch

Real Madrid and Roma have reached an agreement on the transfer of striker Antonio Cassano.

Real Madrid's website has confirmed that the 23-year-old Italy international has agreed a contract until 2010, although the transfer fee is yet to be disclosed.

The transfer will be completed following a medical on Wednesday morning, when Cassano will be presented to the press at Real's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The two clubs were struggling to come to an agreement on a fee with Roma believed to be holding out for 8million Euros (£5.5m), but the Spanish media have reported that Real have got their man for 5.5m Euros (£3.8m).

The two clubs were struggling to come to an agreement on a fee with Roma believed to be holding out for 8million Euros (£5.5m) but the Spanish media have reported that Real have got their man for 5.5m Euros (£3.8m).

Roma signed Cassano for 30m Euros in 2001 but they were willing to accept a cut-price fee as the striker's contract was due to expire in the summer and he refused to sign an extension.

Real Madrid moved for the Italian star as they are in dire need of reinforcement in attack.

The club sold Michael Owen to Newcastle at the start of the season, and although they signed Brazilian pair Robinho and Julio Baptista, Robinho has failed to shine so far at the Bernabeu while his compatriot has not been a regular starter.

Real then lost Raul to a long-term injury while Ronaldo has spent part of the season on the sidelines through injury and only recently sustained a leg injury, which ruled him out of Friday's friendly with Atletico Madrid and Tuesday's Copa del Rey clash with Athletic Bilbao.

City Tie Up Riera Loan

Espanyol midfielder Albert Riera has joined Manchester City on loan until the end of the season, according to the Spanish club.

City manager Stuart Pearce looks to have finally got his man after opposite number Miguel Angel Lotina agreed to part with the left-sided player, who joined the Primera Liga outfit in the summer from Bordeaux.

City have the option of buying the 23-year-old at the end of the season for £3.5million.

The former Mallorca player has only started four games for Espanyol this season, three of which were in the UEFA Cup, and on Friday met with Lotina to discuss the offer from City.

"I could not promise him minutes and I understand that Riera had an offer which would open doors for him as well as allow him to be better paid," Lotina told Marca.

"On top of this, he has the option of returning here in June or completing his move if they buy him.

"We have a lot to gain and little to lose. Players are those that decide their futures and it is not down to the coaches."

Vieira rules out Gunners return

Former captain Patrick Vieira insisted Arsenal are struggling without him but denied he wants to return.

Arsene Wenger has said selling Vieira was "not a big mistake", even though Gilberto recently admitted the psychological effect which losing his former midfield team-mate had on the squad.

Indeed, without Vieira, Arsenal have already fallen out of title contention, lagging 25 points behind leaders Chelsea ahead of Tuesday's clash against Manchester United.

Vieira, who is now at Juventus, declared: "I don't want to appear presumptuous but I really do think that my absence has been felt [at Arsenal].

"They have certainly suffered psychologically since I left. Maybe it's because they haven't fully understood the reasons why I left or maybe they are only just beginning to understand."

Vieira also scotched weekend reports that he may be considering a move back to Arsenal.

"I know what I want from myself and I know what way I want my life to take. I have signed a long contract with Juventus because these are the most decisive years of my career and they may well be the last team that I play for," he said.

Vieira's former Arsenal team-mate Emmanuel Petit, who formed a formidable partnership with his countryman early in Wenger's reign, agreed with his old friend's assessment.

"They miss the aura of him. He is a protector for the other guys in the team," Petit told Sky Sports 1.

"I think they are missing this, it is a big part. You always miss players (like that) when they leave.

"You cannot count how much they miss this personality in the team."

Vieira left Highbury last summer for £13.7million as the club agreed to cash in on him at the age of 29, rather than fighting to keep him as they had done in previous seasons with Real Madrid.

Pompey chief promises cash injection

New investor Alexandre Gaydamak has dreams of making Portsmouth one of the biggest clubs in the country. Close associates of the 29-year-old multi-millionaire - known as Sacha to his friends - revealed he secretly watched the Portsmouth's 1-1 draw against West Ham at Fratton Park on Boxing day and was also given a guided tour of the area by chief executive, Peter Storrie.

"Sacha regards the club as a sleeping giant with lots of potential on the pitch and off the pitch," said an associate. Gaydamak, who made his money in financial and real estate businesses, has told the club he plans to work closely with chairman Milan Mandaric and play a 'very active' role in the club, attending as many games as possible and taking a key part in the big club decisions.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has vowed not to fritter away the millions of Alexandre Gaydamak if he is given a transfer windfall by the Russian businessman.

Redknapp has also warned he will not be held to ransom, aware some clubs may look to take advantage of his desperation to strengthen a squad he readily concedes is lacking in quality.

Owen out till march after foot operation

Surgeons carried out an operation on Michael Owen's broken toe - but Newcastle's injury problems are increasing still further.

The England striker had an operation at a Manchester hospital where a pin was inserted into the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

The operation is understood to have gone successfully.

But Owen, who suffered the fracture on New Year's Eve at Tottenham, will be out for 10 weeks.

Essien likely to miss African Nations Cup

Jose Mourinho believes Michael Essien will miss the African Nations Cup and stay with Chelsea for treatment on his ankle injury.

The Ghana international was unable to walk after yesterday's 3-1 win over West Ham following a 13th-minute challenge by Nigel Reo-Coker which resulted in him being taken off on a stretcher.

Essien is waiting to learn the full extent of the injury but early indications suggest he has suffered ankle ligament damage which could sideline him for weeks.

And Mourinho told his club's official website, www.chelseafc.com: "Essien I think is not going (to the African Nations Cup).

"To have treatment, it is better to stay with Chelsea. He would be going (to Egypt) for nothing."


Expect Ghana to go out in the group stages and then Essien to make a miraculous recovery in time to play the next Chel$ki game.

Jose gives England a chance

Mourinho believes England's rich vein of defenders will give them every chance of lifting the World Cup next summer.

"I think they can win it," he said. "They have the best group of central defenders in the world - John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, Ledley King - I think as a group of four or five they are the best.

"Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard are a twin in midfield. They are fantastic mentally and technically.

"After that they have very good players but of course South America are strong and there are still other teams in Europe that are strong."

Sven: Owen's England spot is safe

Sven-Goran Eriksson has reassured Michael Owen that his England place is safe - even if he becomes a bit-part player at Real Madrid ahead of the World Cup finals.

Eriksson revealed that Jermain Defoe would be given the chance to play alongside Wayne Rooney in next week's friendly in Denmark as Owen is suspended for the next World Cup qualifier against Wales in September.

However, Owen will still be involved and appears almost certain to regain his spot against Northern Ireland four days after the Wales game and start the World Cup finals - if England qualify - as the team's attacking spearhead.

That is even though he could find himself fifth-choice striker at Real this season following the signings of Robinho and Julio Baptista, with only Newcastle seemingly interested in bringing him back to the Premiership.

Eriksson is nevertheless unruffled by doubts over how many games Owen will start this season and he has given the Real striker, who is now ranked fourth in the list of all-time England goalscorers, his unequivocal backing.

Indeed, he even claimed that England could benefit from Owen spending half of the season on the sidelines - as then he would be fresher for the tournament.

Eriksson declared: "I want to qualify for the World Cup and then I want to have Michael Owen with me, that's for sure. He's always shown that he's very important for England.

"Whatever happens, you have to see the positive side and, if he's fit, then - whatever happens - Michael will be an important man during September, October and hopefully next June.

"Obviously if he never plays a game, that's different, but he played 19 or so league games for Real last season and that's okay.

"I'm sure that he will play for Real, even if he stays there. Maybe not every game, but every second or third game, and he will come on as a substitute in many games, I'm sure of that.

"I shouldn't complain that much if he doesn't play all the games anyway. I know he wants to play more than he did last season, but he was always fresh when he came to the national team and was hungry to play. That's very good for us."

While Owen, Defoe and Rooney are effectively assured of their places in Eriksson's World Cup squad - if England qualify - then there is still one spot up for grabs.

With the likes of Emile Heskey and James Beattie having fallen by the wayside, the England coach is looking for a physical alternative to Rooney.

And while he will continue to monitor the form of Andy Johnson despite Crystal Palace's relegation, Peter Crouch is the leading candidate after impressing on the summer tour of the United States.

Crouch is currently injured, ruling him out of the Denmark friendly, but he is clearly at the forefront of Eriksson's thoughts, especially after his move to Liverpool.

"Obviously, if we have Defoe, Rooney and Owen, then he can complement those three very well," said the Swede.

"If he's good enough, he's very interesting because of his height and he wins everything up there, but he also has good feet. It will be very interesting to see what he does this season at Liverpool. That was a big step for him."

Owen and Rooney nevertheless remain his first-choice pairing - and it will take a seismic shift in his thinking for that to change now.

Jose: "I have a Heart"

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho admits he will feel guilty if some of his players fail to make next summer's World Cup finals in Germany.

Mourinho called for calm among his players if some of them find themselves sitting on the sidelines in the early part of the new Barclays Premiership campaign.

Mourinho fears that they will panic over their chances of reaching the finals if they are out of favour.

The Chelsea coach said: "I think all of them have the ambition to go and I told them that, if some don't go, I will feel a little guilty.

"I will feel part of it, part of the success and part of the disappointment, so I want to help them all to go.

"The motivation is high but they have to control their emotions. I can look ahead and guess that in two or three weeks time players will be very worried because they are not playing and cannot be out of the side before the World Cup next summer.

"But choices will be made between January and April and in that time, everyone will be playing.

The Portuguese continued: "Joe Cole, Robert Huth, Tiago, Ricardo Carvalho will be worried but they have to control their emotion and know that, first of all, their national coach trusts them.

"All of them will play matches. I remember Mateja Kezman saying at the end of last season that he did not have any chances for Chelsea, he was never the first choice and so on.

"He played 37 matches so you can imagine."

Cole Appeals Fine

Ashley Cole will take his battle against the Premier League's guilty verdict over the tapping-up affair with Chelsea to the highest authority in sport.

The Arsenal defender had his initial £100,000 fine reduced to £75,000 by an Premier League appeals committee yesterday but is determined to carry on the fight against the verdict on a point of principle.

A statement from the player's solicitor, Graham Shear of Teacher, Stern and Selby, said: "We have considered the appeal committee's comments overnight and discussed the same with Ashley Cole.

"Ashley is absolutely adamant that he will be proceeding to an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as he remains entirely dissatisfied with the result.

"It is interesting to note that Mr Mourinho and Chelsea seem happy with their fines and punishments, however my client feels that he has done little if anything wrong and therefore is not satisfied."

If you ask me it's interesting that the parties that instigated the meeting are appealing, while those who just "went along for the ride" are satisfied.

Cole knew what the rules of the Premier League were, if he had a problem with them, then they should have been challenged in court before, not post hoc after he's already broken them! Here's to hoping that they increase/maintain the fine (as unlikely as that is).

Man Bucks desperate for fans

Man Scum have taken the unprecedented step of appealing for fans to attend tonight's Champions League qualifier against Hungarian club Debrecen at Old Trafford.

For the first time in recent memory, United will throw open the turnstiles until kick-off in an effort to boost the attendance in a stadium whose 67,500 capacity has already been reduced by the decision not to open the top tier of Old Trafford's massive North Stand.

Three new Manshester Buchaneer fans who might see their first game at Old Trafford are the Glazer brothers Avi, Bryan and Joel, who are rumoured to be making the trip - to boost the attendance by at least three!

Perhaps they should have asked UEFA if they could have switched venues for the tie and played the game somewhere in the vacinity of Brighton.

Arsene Attacks

Arsene Wenger declared that Arsenal would attempt to attack their way to the title as he vowed not to compromise his expansive style to keep pace with Chelsea.

Chelsea have strengthened their squad since winning the title by a 12-point margin last season, with Asier del Horno and Shaun Wright-Phillips both signed, while Michael Essien is still being targeted.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have added another attacking alternative in Alexander Hleb, but lost defensive midfielder Patrick Vieira and thereby reduced both their physical strength and height in central areas.

Wenger will remain true to his attacking instincts, having seen his side outscore Chelsea by 87 goals to 72 in last season's title race.

"We play our style, the football we love, and try to be faithful to that," he declared.

"When you get a guy who comes into Highbury and pays £50 to watch a game, he knows that he will see goals.

"You can't expect me to say to him 'sorry my friend, you will still spend £50 but you will not see goals any more. You will watch my team play 11 at the back'. He will stay at home as he is used to seeing goals."

Wenger is nevertheless still expecting more from his defence, even though Sol Campbell is ruled out of Sunday's Community Shield against Chelsea through injury.

Wenger added: "Our target is to defend better than we did last year, but we need to do that without losing what makes us Arsenal.

"Basically, if you analyse the numbers, we finished with the best attack in the league last year and only had an average defence. Our target is to finish with the best attack and a better defence."

Liverpool FC Beef Up Security

All bags will be searched at Liverpool's home matches next season as part of the club's increased security in light of the recent disgraceful terrorist attacks on London.

Although the European champions believe the systems already in place at Anfield are well-tuned and effective, stadium manager Ged Poynton feels that in the current climate, extra precautions are necessary.

He said: "Stadiums are soft options and vulnerable, and it is an impossible task to be 100% safe unless you introduce airport style security.

"Bags have been randomly searched in the past, but from now on every bag will be searched. People have the right to refuse but we also have the right to refuse entrance."

As part of the club's arrangements in existence prior to July's attacks, the stadium is searched before each game and Poynton revealed that other, more extreme measures can be taken in worst-case scenarios.

"We are able to shut the stadium down or close off sections," he said, "and we do practise such eventualities."

Liverpool's poor-neighbours Everton have also moved to reassure fans that their Goodison Park ground is well-protected by security arrangements already in place.

"We have lived through this for years," said Norman Whibley, the stadium's security officer.

"Liverpool FC has in years gone by been considered a potential target so we have tried and tested plans."

The club have reviewed these plans after the events in London, and Whibley also revealed that Goodison Park security staff will meet with Special Branch officers for advice on further action that can be taken to stave off the threat of terrorism.

Whether Everton will follow Liverpool's lead and introduce searches is uncertain, though it is thought that the Premier League will recommend similar measures for all clubs in anti-terrorism guidelines to be revealed later this week.

Last week, Darlington became the first English club to announce comprehensive and compulsory searches of all bags at their ground after a bomb scare forced the cancellation of a pre-season friendly with Middlesbrough.

Pardew: 'My squad as good as big three'

Loopy West Ham boss Alan Pardew has made the extraordinary claim that his squad is a match for Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Pardew's team is one of the favourites for relegation from the Premiership and boasts such stars as Tomas Repka and Bobby Zamora, but in his head they are on a par with the three favourites for the title.

Pardew said: "I have to focus on the players we have here now who I rate as good a squad as even Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in most respects.

"We are back in the top division and all the players have their tails up. We don't want anything at the moment to take the edge off that.''

It is interesting to note that that Pardew left Liverpool out of the group he compares his squad too. Of course even he isn't so loopy to think his team were on par with the Champions of Europe. Now if only Arsene, Jose and Ferg can get the message!

If Up, Then Out

Paul Ince could battle on beyond the end of the season if Wolves fail to secure promotion to the Barclays Premiership.

The former England international, who will turn 38 in October, plans to retire on a high by driving the Molineux club back to the top of the English game.

But he does not intend to hang up his boots if Wolves fail to live up to their reputation as favourites for one of the three promotion spots.

"I did say that I'd retire if we get promoted because I couldn't play in the Premiership again but I didn't say what would happen if that doesn't come off," he said.

Wolves open their campaign with a tough fixture - a trip to Southampton, one of three teams who have dropped into the Football League - but Ince is relishing the start of his 20th season as a professional.

After a career which pre-dates the huge influx of money into football following the inception of the Premiership, he admits it is not the same game as the one he started in at West Ham in 1986.

But the former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool midfielder has no plans to leave football behind.

"I've been playing the game for over 20 years and things have changed a lot in that time," he said.

"One of the biggest things is the respect for the senior players isn't there so much now.

"But it's the game that I love and I don't want to be away from that. I'd certainly like to give management a try but who knows what will happen."

After the three relegated teams, Wolves are rated as the club most likely to succeed in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Wenger's love for Owen not enough

Arsene Wenger has insisted that he will not make a bid for Michael Owen because he doesn't believe the England striker would dovetail with Thierry Henry.

Owen is believed to be searching for a return to the Premiership after being reduced to fifth-choice striker at Real Madrid.

However, despite being in 'love' with the player, Wenger has ruled out making a bid for Owen.

"I have nothing against Michael Owen. I love him," the Arsenal boss declared.

The stumbling block, though, is the perceived incompatibility of the Owen-Henry partnership.

"We have Thierry Henry who scores 25 goals a season and can they live together? I don't know. Thierry is not yet the age to play a little bit deeper. I like Owen but I look more for a deeper kind of striker. I have Dennis Bergkamp but he is getting older."

Without the guarantee of first-team football, Wenger claimed it would 'dishonest' to bring Owen to Highbury.

"It would be dishonest to take an international player like him and put him in the same situation he has at Real Madrid," said the Frenchman.

Wenger also denied making a bid for Newcastle's unsettled midfielder Jermaine Jenas, but did concede, "I am a fan of Jenas." A bid for the England midfielder could be imminent.

Nevertheless, Wenger says he is not looking for a replacement for Patrick Vieira, describing the former Arsenal skipper as 'irreplaceable'.

"We will miss Patrick in our team when we have the ball because he was always there to take the ball," he said. "When he had three players on his right shoulder and two on his left, he wasn't scared. But if Juventus came and bought Patrick Vieira at 29 years of age, and they have scouts everywhere in the world like we have, that shows you can't get another Patrick Vieira."

Another Viera, Uruguay goalkeeper Sebastian, is expected to join Arsenal, though. Personal terms are said to have been finalised on Thursday and the player could be unveiled as early as Friday afternoon.