Disgraceful Chelsea cry conspiracy

When the dust settles on Stamford Bridge tomorrow and the Chelsea players wake up to headlines and pictures of their behaviour the morning after the night before they might just understand why there is absolutely no sympathy for them from the footballing world.

In a Champions League semi-final second leg that saw Andreas Iniesta score a 93rd minute goal that sent Barcelona through to the final on the away goals rule, denying Chelsea a second successive European final appearance, was also a game that was marred by the ill-discipline of some of the Chelsea players.

At the final whistle the Norwegian referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, was surrounded by a number of Chelsea players, notably John Terry, the captain, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba - who had run onto the pitch to remonstrate with the official - who, it was felt, had ignored four certain penalty appeals. Drogba's rant could see him face action from UEFA as he was caught swearing into the Sky television cameras shouting "It's a disgrace, its a f****** disgrace" and then, reports suggest, further abusing Ovrebo in the tunnel.

So Chelsea felt aggrieved that they were denied, in their opinion, four definite penalties which, presumably, would have settled the tie but the way in which some of their players conducted themselves during the closing stages of the game and at the final whistle was, without question, wholly unacceptable. To see Terry, the captain of both Chelsea and England, berating the referee at the end of the game was an absolute embarrassment, made even more embarrassing when he was quoted as condoning Drogba's actions.

What sanctions UEFA decide to dish out to the Stamford Bridge outfit remains to be seen but with suggestions that UEFA president, Michel Platini, had directed the referee to enforce decisions in order to avoid a second successive all-English final it is unlikely that they will get off lightly.

This conspiracy theory was just one of the many excuses Chelsea used to divert attention away from the fact that they had failed to kill off Barcelona in a game which had presented them plenty of chances to do so. Having made a perfect start through a sublime Michael Essien volley, Barcelona knew that they needed to score to level the tie, something they'd failed to do at the Nou Camp a week earlier. Chelsea were once again resolute in defence but, unlike in Barcelona, also looked willing to attack.

The first of Chelsea's penalty appeals came shortly after the Essien strike when Florent Malouda, the Chelsea midfielder, was held back and felled by the Barcelona right back, Dani Alves, on the edge of the area for which a free-kick was awarded. This would suggest that the referee conceded that it was a foul but, as the offence clearly started outside of the penalty box, only worthy of a free-kick rather than the penalty Chelsea were pleading for. Surely the most hardened Chelsea supporter would admit that, on reflection, it would have been an extremely generous decision had a penalty been awarded.

In the second half, and with Barcelona still failing to find any real rhythm, Chelsea created another opening which lead to the second penalty appeal, which was equally as dubious, but one which often divides opinion. Drogba raced onto a through ball with Barcelona full back, Eric Abidal, in hot pursuit and when inside the area went down claiming that Abidal had tripped him with Victor Valdes, the Barcelona goalkeeper, collecting the loose ball. In real time it did appear that Drogba may have been brought down but the more replays that were shown the bigger the doubt was that it was a penalty. The Chelsea striker may also have been a victim of his reputation for being somewhat theatrical in those situations, nevertheless it wasn't the stone-wall penalty that Chelsea were stating it was at the end of the game.

In between the aforementioned penalty shout and the third potential penalty, Drogba had a glorious opportunity to put the game beyond doubt but could only muster a stab at goal which was saved by Valdes having created the space to score an almost certain goal for a striker of his calibre. Barcelona were also reduced to ten men before the third, and most convincing penalty appeal, arrived when Abidal was harshly adjudged to have brought down Nicolas Anelka, the Chelsea forward, as the last defender when replays showed that no contact was even made.

It was Anelka who was involved in the next episode of Chelsea's spot-kick denials when, having received a ball from the left, he flicked the ball round Barcelona's former Manchester United centre-half, Gerard Pique, who clearly handled the ball, preventing the Chelsea front man a clear shot on goal. Pique's reaction, when running away with the ball, was that of a guilty man and was extremely lucky not to have been penalised.

As the game wore on, with Chelsea still emerging with decent attacks, Drogba was brought off by Hiddink who was of the belief that his striker was injured but, judging from Drogba's reaction, it was another case of the Ivorian feigning injury which, this time, backfired. The withdrawal of Drogba encouraged Barcelona to push forward with more conviction and it soon became an increasingly nervy atmosphere within Stamford Bridge and in the penultimate minute of injury time an Alves cross eventually found its way to Lionel Messi after Essien failed to clear, Messi then rolled an exquisitely weighted ball to the edge of the area which was dispatched with equal aplomb by Iniesta which sparked a mass pile-on involving the Barcelona players and staff near the corner flag.

With the last roll of the metaphorical dice, Chelsea through caution to the wind and adopted Wimbledon tactics which saw them earn a corner for which their goalkeeper, Petr Cech, decided to be a part of. The corner glanced off of Cech's head and found Ballack who hit a first-time volley into the onrushing Samuel Eto'o. Ballack and the Chelsea players instantly claimed a penalty, feeling that Eto'o had blocked the shot with his arm which the referee could not have been better placed to have judged. Ballack was so incensed that he raced alongside Ovrebo for 40 yards which involved him, at one point, grabbing the Norwegian official which resulted in a booking.

The final whistle was blown a few moments later which cued the scenes that will populate the images of tomorrow's media.

It should be a matter of huge concern for the London club as the discipline of three of its more experienced players, all of whom are captains for their respective countries, was far beyond unacceptable and set a horrendous example to the millions of youngsters who were privy to those ugly scenes. People can forgive reasoned arguments but when a referee is surrounded and circled out so publicly as the deciding factor in a game and in the manner in which it was done then there is absolutely no sympathy to be had.

Did you see Frank Lampard or Essien lambasting the referee or Cech having to be restrained by stewards for fear of an attack on the official? No. So that does that mean that they were less disappointed to have fallen short of reaching a European final than Terry, Ballack and Drogba? Or is it, perhaps, that they accepted that despite the disappointment and nature in which they lost they had the chances to have put the game beyond Barcelona?

If the referee was as bad as Chelsea complained he was, then why didn't a single Chelsea player question the dismissal of Barcelona's Abidal? Or is it OK as long as the decisions are going for Chelsea?

Although originally applauded for their efforts in the first leg, Chelsea have, ultimately, paid for the negative approach which not only saw them stop Barcelona from scoring in their own back yard for the first time this season, but also saw them fail to secure an away goal, an avenue rarely sought on the night, which could have proved decisive. And, if to be ultra-critical, Chelsea need look no further than the theatrics of Drogba which, unquestionably, contributed to the four minutes that were added for injury time and, arguably, denied his side a penalty and a place in the Champions League Final on May 27.

Wembley matches will forever leave that empty feeling

The new Wembley stadium and the decisions made since and during its construction to recoup the £787 million outlayed by The Football Association have often come under fierce scrutiny. Aside from the money-spinning American Football matches, the “Man Vs Machine” event which saw Lewis Hamilton race Sir Chris Hoy and the much-disputed FA Cup semi-finals which are to be staged at Wembley leading to claims by the Manchester United and Everton managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, that the cup has been devalued; there is one major oversight that should have been addressed at the planning stage which looks set to spoil every match played at Wembley from now on.

The people who occupy the corporate seats or, as Roy Keane famously labelled them, the ‘prawn sandwich brigade’, left a bitter after-taste following England’s 4-0 win over Slovakia on Saturday but, sadly, it is something that doesn’t look like changing. Is it becoming fashionable to miss key moments in football history? If its not ITV replacing Dan Gosling’s extra-time winning goal for Everton against Liverpool in their FA Cup replay at Goodison Park with a Tic-Tac advert it’s the FA doing their best at putting as many disinterested cronies in the stadium as possible, at the expense of ‘real’ supporters.

David Beckham won his 109th cap for England against Slovakia, coming on as a half-time substitute and, in the process, surpassing Bobby Moore’s 108 caps - the record number of caps previously held for an outfield player – and you’d think, with the prospect of witnessing a historic event in English football, that fans would be queuing up to see this happen. How wrong we are.
But these people aren’t fans and, worse still, their seats are directly facing the gantry for the television cameras and so when Beckham stepped onto the Wembley turf, becoming the nation’s second most capped player ever for England, the stadium looked empty. So much so that you’d think it was an England Under -21 international, with no disrespect intended but to underline the appearance of emptiness in the stadium.

It is logical to expect there to be a section of seats for tickets allocated to the corporate sponsors of the England team and The FA but, as has been shown at a number of previous international matches at the new Wembley, these people clearly aren’t there for, what most would consider the sole purpose of Wembley, the football. They have no apparent desire to participate in the atmosphere, so why have we got to see their obvious lack of interest every time a bloody game is played there?

A simple bit of planning would have placed the corporate seats underneath the television cameras so that when fans, up and down the country, watching football either at home or in pubs tune in they see the appearance of a full stadium because the real, paying, fans are in their direct view rather than those who are willing to miss half a match because they’re mulling over the free-food on offer.
More alarmingly is that this problem is commented on every time there is a match of importance yet, unsurprisingly, nothing seems to be done. Surely a simple relocation of the corporate seat allocation out of the sight of the camera is both feasible and sensible.

For a country bidding to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup, its hardly the best way in convincing the governing body of world football that we are a nation worthy of hosting the worlds biggest tournament when, on the surface, it looks as though our home stadium is a constant state of emptiness.

No Sympathy for Middles-bore-ough

In what is becoming an increasingly imminent reality for Middlesborough Football Club there will be little sympathy if they do eventually get relegated into the Coca-Cola Championship.

There are a plethora of reasons as to why Boro have, somewhat, outstayed their welcome in the Premier League. Many clubs are guilty of being played by the individual and succumbing to their needs and some could argue that the Teeside club had little choice but to retain the services of their most prized asset, Stewart Downing for the rest of this season. But what desire does a player have who hands in a transfer request?

Despite sustained interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Boro held their nerve and kept a player, an England international, who they believed to be key to securing their Premier League status. The truth of the matter is that Downing, although regularly picked for the England squad, is some way short of being considered international quality and is, astonishingly, yet to register a Premier League goal for Boro this season. Perhaps it may change if he were to move to Spurs, but there is little to suggest that he is the shining light that his manager, Gareth Southgate, and chairman, Steve Gibson, would have hoped he'd be when they ignored Spurs' advances in the January transfer window.

Although Boro secured a surprise and vital win at home to Liverpool a matter of weeks ago, a game in which Downing was inspirational, there have been no stand-out performances from either Downing or his team-mates. It shouldn't solely be down to the left-winger to keep his home-town club in the Premier League but for a player who is so, apparently, desperate to move away from the Riverside, fans would be justified in expecting a lot more. Worse still is that Downing still remains a fan-favourite among the home supporters, despite his written transfer request and ongoing attempts to broker a move away.

Loyalty doesn't account for much these days, especially in the world of football, but why would a player who receives England recognition and is adored by his home fans want to move away? And, furthermore, to a club that has been successful in slowing David Bentley's progress. It is a ludicrous situation.

The ludicrous situation that has evolved at Middlesborough doesn't start or end with Downing, he is merely another cog in a noticeably faltering machine; a machine that could be working a lot more fluently had they accepted a bid for their left-winger and showed some faith in Adam Johnson, the England under-21 international, who many on Teeside believe to be better than the aforementioned.

The most laughable situation that has surfaced at this club isn't the fact that they have kept hold of one of the most over-rated players in English football, or that their supporters still show adoration for a player who fails to reciprocate that emotion, nor is it that Johnson's glittering form for England u-21's is so sorely overlooked. The news that supporters have repeatedly been told, by stadium officials, to keep the noise down is nothing short of ridiculous, especially at a time when their team need them more than ever if they are to retain their Premier League status.

If Middlesborough do get relegated, which is looking increasingly likely, it looks certain that they will be going quietly.

End of the Carlos Tevez saga? We couldn’t be further from the truth

This week it had emerged that an out-of-court settlement had been agreed, believed to be in excess of £10 million, between West Ham United and Sheffield United in relation to the third-party ownership of Carlos Tevez which many saw as the end of one of the sorriest saga’s to blight English football.

Almost as soon as the settlement was confirmed the former Sheffield United manager, Neil Warnock, who was in charge of the club at the time they were relegated from the Premier League, publicly stated his intention to assess his legal rights in regards to potential compensation. And why not? The spiral of hypothetical events that descend from this saga start with Warnock who, as he justly believes, would still be in charge of Sheffield United in his “dream job” had his side not been relegated from the top tier of English football on the last day of the 2006/07 season.

For all his critics, and I don’t possess to be Warnock’s biggest fan, you can’t fail to see that he has an extremely valid point and he may well have just opened up the floodgates on the east London club.

It should not be forgotten that this case was the subject of an independent tribunal due to the nature of the circumstances involving the Premier League, West Ham United, Sheffield United and the third-party ownership rules. Prior to the tribunal’s report there was little sympathy for the Sheffield club, with people questioning why it took so long for them to raise their grievances’ and suggestions that they did not have the quality many thought was needed to stay in the Premier League regardless.

However, there was an increasing feeling of wrongdoing when it emerged that there was a breach, by West Ham, in the registration of their Argentine duo Javier Mascherano and Tevez, both who have now moved on to Liverpool and Manchester United respectively.
Tevez, who was seen to play a pivotal part in West Ham’s survival from relegation, scored seven goals in ten games helping the Hammers to win seven of their last nine matches which, at the time, upset not only Sheffield United but also Fulham and Wigan once news broke of the illegalities involved in his registration.
Since the initial fighting talk that united Wigan, Fulham and Sheffield United in their pursuit of justice Fulham and Wigan’s attention’s became somewhat of a distant memory once they had both secured their Premier League status. Sadly, for United, they were left to fight their own battle.

And so they did, eventually forcing the Premier League to hand out an unprecedented £5.5 million fine for West Ham’s illegitimate registration of both Mascherano and Tevez and, perhaps more importantly, to concede that this ultimately resulted in the relegation of the The Blades.
In all of this, and a view that Warnock has vehemently aired on occasions, is the fact that the one man who is, ultimately, accountable for one of the biggest oversights and amateurish dealings in world football, let alone English football, still maintains his job as chief executive of the Premier League; Richard Scudamore.

Nobody wants to see anybody lose their job, especially at a time when jobs are more valued now than they perhaps ever have been, but there are some obvious exceptions. If the lay person were to do anything similar to that of Scudamore, within context, then they’d be extremely lucky to find themselves still in that job. It is an absolutely absurd situation which was further underlined when the tribunal’s report effectively confirmed that Sheffield United were unjustly relegated.

How wrong we all we were to think that this out-of-court settlement was the end of the 'Carlos Tevez affair', it’s merely the tip of the iceberg and for West Ham United and the ever-evasive Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, it could be an iceberg of Titanic proportion; especially given that Ken Bates, the Leeds United chairman, has hinted that he is also seeking legal advice for his right to compensation following the failure to secure contingency payments from Rob Hulse, Matthew Kilgallon and Ian Bennett as a result of Sheffield United's relegation.

When key decisions are to be made, and not the decisions involving a potential money-spinning ‘39th fixture’ abroad, about the legitimate ownership and registration of players then the Premier League knows who not to call upon but, unfortunately, that person happens to be the one person responsible for maintaining the integrity of the Premiership.

The Walkers Bowl...

Just out of interest, how many packets of Walkers crisps would it take to fill Leicester City's home stadium, the Walkers Bowl?

Scolari joins Adams on the managerial scrapheap

Portsmouth have become familiar with being upstaged and this afternoon was no exception with the news of Tony Adams' sacking overshadowed by Chelsea's decision to sack Luiz Felipe Scolari a matter of hours later.

It is, sadly, a sign of the times that we have become accustomed to in recent years with the increasing frequency of managerial changes that is manifesting itself within the top flight. Much has been made of the financial impact that relegation and, in Chelsea's case, the failure to qualify for Champions League football can have on clubs and it is this that has ultimately cost Adams and Scolari their jobs.

Adams had only been in charge of Portsmouth for three months which, even in the current managerial climate, is an extremely short tenure. His predecessor at Pompey, Harry Redknapp, gained 18 points from 13 games before his switch to Tottenham Hotspur. Adams earned 19 in 22 games which goes some way in illustrating the grim situation the FA Cup holders have found themselves in. Hardly stunning form but it is hard not to sympathise with Adams who lost his first choice striker (Jermain Defoe) and his star midfielder (Lassana Diarra) for a total sum of £35m of which only £3m was spent on new players. Adams' record as manager prior to these two sales at the start of the January transfer window was 14 points from 15 games - worse than Redknapp's but not exactly embarrassing.

What proved to be Adams' last game in charge was against Liverpool which, coincidentally, was his first as Portsmouth manager and for anyone who witnessed the dying embers of his managerial stint at Fratton Park will surely extend further sympathy. Having lead 2-1 against Liverpool until five minutes from time it was horrendous defending, bordering on criminal, that cost Portsmouth the game and Adams his job with Pompey eventually losing 3-2.

It is a similar situation that has developed at Chelsea in as much as it seems that the players are immune from any criticism and take no responsibility in their recent run of poor performances which has resulted in the shock sacking of Scolari. The news came two days after Chelsea were held to a goal-less draw at home to Hull City - a game which they should really be winning if they are to claw back ground lost in their title challenge.

Scolari arrived with a big reputation and this came as no surprise having won the World Cup in 2002 as manager of Brazil and having an impressive record as manager of the Portuguese national side. But in Chelsea he was taking on a side which had a collection of players who, on paper, should be world-beaters but, in reality, have failed to sustain the level of performances that saw them win back-to-back league titles under Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager.

Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, has been known to be a fairly erratic chairman in his handling of managers. The departure of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea manager towards the end of 2007 was said to be mutually consented when the reality would suggest Mourinho was sacked by Abramovich following a string of poor, but not terrible, run of results. Sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd were also showing signs of unrest and mocking Mourinho in what proved to be his final matches as Chelsea boss - you can be sure that the same 'fans' were calling for the return of Mourinho in Scolari's last match.

In both scenario's you can't help but notice that it is, ironically, poor management that has cost both Adams and Scolari their jobs - management from the top that is. Tony Adams, although having managerial experience with Wycombe Wanderers, was thrown into an impossible job as he was always going to be compared to Redknapp who, in truth, exceeded all expectations with Portsmouth. To add to his woes, Adams was given a paltry sum of money to spend on new players and it is Portsmouth who have failed Adams as he was not ready to manage a Premiership side at this stage of his career.

And in Chelsea you have a hierarchy who appear to get cold feet when their side under-perform for a couple of games when the simple facts are that Scolari guided them into the knock-out stages of the Champions League, the fifth round of the FA Cup and are by no means out of the title race. How long before Chelsea are longing for the return of Scolari?

Crikey O' Riley

This afternoon Chelsea met Liverpool at Anfield in an encounter that many believed would go some way to determine who Manchester United's main contenders for the Premier League title would be.

Having been absolutely outplayed by United when Chelsea went to Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago they would have been keen to set their stall out early and frustrate a Liverpool side that have drawn 5 of their twelve home games this season.

It was by far a vintage Chelsea performance but then consistency has eluded them, somewhat, this season and, without causing their opponents too many problems, were quite comfortable in frustrating Liverpool who, by all accounts, were all over the visitors.

Chelsea created few chances but, with Didier Drogba and Deco among the substitutes, they might have considered a late assault if the scores had remained level. But what Chelsea hadn't counted on was the referee, Mike Riley, sending off Frank Lampard for a tackle he couldn't have been any closer to unless he was on the receiving end of it - Lampard becoming the 4th player in 16 Premier League games to be shown a red card by Riley.

The sending off was farcical and Lampard can count himself extremely unlucky to have been given his marching orders for a tackle that replays showed (not that anyone needed one) him clearly winning the ball in a challenge with Xabi Alonso, the Liverpool midfielder.

This was a match that Chelsea manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, billed as a 'make or break' game for his side's title chances and he was understandably frustrated at a refereeing decision that ultimately allowed Liverpool to benefit from their numerical advantage - eventually running out 2-0 winners thanks to Fernando Torres' late brace, the first of which was scored in the 89th minute.

Torres' second was scored a minute later with Ashley Cole, the Chelsea left-back, caught in possession by Yossi Benayoun who then squared the ball for Torres to score one of the easiest goals he is ever likely to score. But by this stage the result was a formality, the damage had already been done and as Scolari said in his post-match comments: "When he (Lampard) was sent off it changed the game for us one million percent. We lost the middle and did not have the ball. They created more chances and had more possession. And they were able to score the goals after that decision."

What makes Mr Riley's performance even more worrying was the fact he overlooked a blatant red card offence when Jose Bosingwa, the Chelsea right-back, put his boot into the back of Benayoun and then pushed him over. The FA will surely exercise retrospective action if the incident doesn't appear in the referee's match report.

In truth, Liverpool did dominate a Chelsea side that has looked out of sorts for too long and they threw caution to the wind after Lampard's sending off which is what they didn't do against Arsenal back in December. Yet if they are to prove that they are improving their weaknesses they must go to Portsmouth on Saturday knowing that anything less than 3 points is a failure - which has been something of an achilles heel in recent seasons.

Harry Hou?

After the initial effect on Tottenham Hotspurs' fortunes which earned him the nickname Harry Houdini it appears that Harry Redknapp is fast running out of excuses and ideas.

In midweek they managed to see off Stoke City with a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane but for anyone who saw the match it was far from a convincing performance and Stoke often exposed their defensive frailties. This was followed up today with a 3-2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers, a team that hadn't won a league match since December 20.

When Redknapp first arrived he was full of compliments for the squad he had inherited from the previous manager, Juande Ramos. Statements of intent along the line of "this squad is too good to be in the bottom half of the Premier League" and, when questioned whether he would try persuading David Beckham to White Hart Lane, "who needs Beckham when I've got (David) Bentley?" - those kind of statements, everything was 'cushty'.

The first few results suggested that Redknapp might be the right man for the job but as time has surpassed so has his memory of his initial opinions of the squad. Moaning about the squad depth and the lack of quality in certain areas of the pitch is surprising given that there are 12 regular international footballers at his disposal and a host of players on the fringe of the international stage -the likes of Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon and Fraizer Campbell surely not far off.

Funny how you don't hear Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, or Tony Mowbray, the West Bromich Albion manager, bemoaning their 'lack of squad depth'. That's because they don't throw their toys out of the pram the moment it looks like a bit of elbow grease might be needed and, above all, because they have a style of play that they stick to religiously, regardless of how unconventional it may be. The long throws at Stoke may be a bit 'route one' but they're effective and they help win games and the passing game that saw West Brom win the Coca-Cola Championship last year hasn't been altered -in fact, Mowbray went on record to say that they won't change their style of play even if it sees them lose every game.

And this is one of the many problems that Redknapp must pay close attention to. He may have the credentials to keep Spurs' afloat in the Premiership but he isn't exactly breeding confidence within his squad.

Take for instance his fierce criticism of Darren Bent following his last-minute miss against Portsmouth two weeks ago where Redknapp said: "You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one. Bent did not only have part of the goal to aim for, but he had the entire net - and he put it wide. Unbelievable. I was just so frustrated."

Yet it was Bent who almost saved Redknapp's blushes today, scoring two after coming on as a half-time substitute which lead to Redknapp, in David Brent-like fashion, conceding that "He's (Bent) got absolutely nothing to prove to me, I know he's a good player. He was excellent today and we need him here."

Redknapp's changed his tune but only because he now knows that Jermain Defoe, the player that he made Spurs re-sign for nearly £6 million more than what they sold him to Portsmouth for 12 months ago, looks set to be on the sidelines for several weeks with a foot injury.

And with just over a day left of the transfer window it will be interesting to see who Redknapp will bring in to halt the slide that, at present, sees his side sitting in 14th and only 2 points above West Brom who are at the bottom of the league.

And when the January transfer window finally closes so will Redknapp's mouth and the endless excuses and contradictions that flow from it because Spurs are now in need of a real Houdini act, not an imitation.

City's pursuit of Kaka could pay dividends for United

The amount of money that is being talked about in regards to the potential transfer of Kaka from AC Milan to Manchester City is hard to fathom, especially given Woolworths could have been thrown a lifeline for a fraction of the £108 million that could see the Brazilian move to Eastlands.

But according to City's manager, Mark Hughes, the deal makes "football and business sense" -a comment that would surely have raised a few eyebrows. Now you wouldn't have heard him saying that if he were still in charge at Blackburn Rovers but things have changed and now it appears that a bid in excess of £100m, with wages reported to be in the region of £500k a week, is considered normal business.

Everyone expected City to flex their financial muscle and to spend big but not to the extent that would see the previous world-record transfer fee that took Zinedine Zidane from Juventus to Real Madrid for £46m dwarfed by just over £60m. Kaka is an extremely talented footballer and one who has the undoubted technical ability to fit into the Premier League but, as many will testify, being a great player in Serie A is a completely different kettle of fish to being a great player in the Premiership.

When Manchester United bought Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio for £28.1m in 2001 there was an air of expectation that came with the Argentinian because of his ability and status as one of the best footballers in world football at the time. However, it didn't quite go to plan for either United or Veron, who was eventually sold to Chelsea two years later. This is the huge cost that City need to wary of. Yes, Kaka is a supreme talent and he rightly earned the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award but the speculated wage he would be on should he move to Eastlands would surely breed resentment, jealousy and maybe the odd pre-meditated tackle.

Of course, the same could be said of any big money transfer where there is always an evidential risk that the player could be injured in their first game and if this logic was applied before finalising each deal then there would be a shortage of big name players in the Premiership.

If City were to pull off this transfer it would draw a lot of conclusions, such as Abu Dhabi Group's seemingly bottomless well of money as well as Kaka's ambition, or lack of. But the profound effect that this transfer could have for City's fiercest rivals, United, will have Sir Alex Ferguson raising a glass of his favourite red wine - and it's not hard to see why.

Cristiano Ronaldo has just been crowned the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, a matter of weeks after picking up the prestigious Ballon d'Or (or European Footballer of the Year) following a mesmerising season in which he amassed 42 goals in all competitions. So if Kaka, who was the previous winner of the World Player of the Year, warrants a bid in excess of £100m then what would that make Ronaldo worth? Surely it would be more than what City would, hypothetically, pay Milan for Kaka. And given that Ronaldo is yet to recapture the form that won him universal praise last season and the continuous speculation about a move to Real Madrid, United might just be rubbing their hands at the prospect of giving their invaluable asset a price-tag.

David Beckham: An International Treasure

David Beckham made his full debut for AC Milan on Sunday against Roma, a game in which he played 89 minutes and that ended in a 2-2 draw.

For those who doubt and continually question Beckham's worth on a football pitch, and there are a large number, here are a few statistics from the match on Sunday:
Minutes played - 89
Shots on target - 1
Shots off target - 0
Key passes - 1
Long passes - 7
Long-pass accuracy - 100%
Passes - 64
Pass completion - 84%
Crosses - 12
Cross completion - 8%
Tackles - 2
Tackles won - 100%
Fouls conceded - 1
Fouls won - 2

These, to anyone who understands statistics, are are pretty impressive considering this is Beckham's first competitive match since his season with LA Galaxy ended on 26 October. Ironically, these figures were published to run alongside a story that threw up every word and phrase in the book that suggests Beckham is no longer good enough to play football, let alone in Serie A. Perhaps the journalist didn't understand the figures or perhaps he thought that Beckham's 'long-pass accuracy' used to be 200% when he was in his 'prime'. Of course, you can't get better than 100%, but at times you'd think that you can with the level of dissatisfaction that was voiced in this particular article.


It appears that Beckham can't step onto a football pitch these days without people questioning his ability which leads to the inevitable "quit while your ahead Becks" message being relayed across all media platforms, as if they're doing him a favour. In truth Beckham has probably created more work for journalists and critics (certainly critics) than any other sporting figure in the history of sport. But what is it that annoys these people to the extent of criticising a player who, quite clearly on the above evidence, can still cut it at the top-level?


Like it or not, Beckham seems destined to equal the late, great, Bobby Moore's 108 cap landmark for England making him the second most-capped player behind Peter Shilton, who amassed 125 caps as goalkeeper between 1970 and 1990. There have been some ridiculous comments in regards to this 'issue' and one which I remember reading questioned how a 'talentless celebrity' (I think they meant Beckham rather than Jordan) could possibly be allowed to equal a record held by the inspirational Moore.


Some may disagree but Beckham was an inspirational captain and, similarly to Moore, lost a bit of public faith as captain. Let's not forget, Moore's reputation was tarnished following an arrest at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico for theft, he was later released but, so often in life, stuff like this sticks. Rightly though, Moore is remembered for what he did on the pitch and that should be the case with Beckham. It would be wrong, but so obvious, not to point out his heroic performance against Greece in which he scored a last-minute free-kick which drew the game level at 2-2 - enough to gain England automatic qualification for the 2002 World Cup. That was a true captain's performance, deputised by the superb Nigel Martyn whose own performance is so often overlooked in that match, which answered all his critics in the most dramatic way.


Beckham so often proves people wrong and overcomes his demons in such a way that objectors to him should just let him bow out on his own accord. Who can forget the barrage of abuse that he faced in his own country on his return from the '98 World Cup in which he was blamed for the nation's exit to Argentina? Burning effigies, mock dolls hung from lamp-posts with Beckham shirts on and constant booing up and down the country whenever he played for his beloved Manchester United. It's testament to the man himself that he ever wanted to captain a country that was so unrepentant in their criticism. This is a man who later faced the demons of '98 by driving home a penalty in the 2002 World Cup group stage against Argentina which all but ended their involvement in the competition.


In the said article which provoked this response, it was mentioned that Beckham "in reality" has been in decline even before he left United. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but Beckham left United for Real Madrid in 2003 which would have made him 27 years of age which, for an average player, would be a pretty worrying state of affairs as the following years are widely regarded as being a players' 'peak'. Similarly damning evidence (I will stop this sorry persecution of this ill-informed soul shortly -it was probably just an off-day, but then I read today's article) comes when you consider that Beckham played an influential part in Madrid winning La Liga under Fabio Capello. Beckham's professionalism was the main reason he got himself back in the starting line-up after Capello had gone on record as saying he would never play for Madrid again after it emerged that Beckham had agreed to join LA Galaxy. But this was a player supposedly in decline four years prior to this achievement.


This is somewhat refreshing, a player who is often seen as a 'prima-donna' and who could have retired years ago showing a willingness to succeed that puts most professionals to shame. Beckham has the respect of the national manager, Capello, who has labelled Beckham "a model professional" and the support of a nation, contrary to media coverage.

Whilst we seemingly have players who don't really value the pride of pulling on their nation's shirt, players like David Bentley who decided that he had more important things to do than represent the Under-21's in the U21's European Cup and players like John Terry, the England captain, and Steven Gerrard who declare themselves injured prior to an England friendly but miraculously recover in time to play for their respective clubs a few days later.

It seems that Beckham would get less stick if he decided not to turn up for an England match than having the level of pride he does in representing his country. This is a man who recognises the fact that he can still play a part for the national team and is willing to do anything to prolong his international career and if he is as amateur-ish and 'passed-it' as some would have you believe then why on earth would a club the size of AC Milan want him? Simple. They wouldn't.

Dismay in dressing room not helping Chelsea's title charge

When Luiz Felipe Scolari, or 'Big Fil' as they'll be saying on the terraces at Stamford Bridge, took over as Chelsea manager he already had a squad that most managers could only dream of assembling, they were and are, until May this year, the second best team in Europe. To think that this team have been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Championship side Burnley and forced to replay their FA Cup tie against Southend is surely, for all connected to the club, a sign of worrying times.

Add to the equation a dressing room with the likes of John Terry, the England captain, Michael Ballack, the Germany captain and Didier Drogba, the Ivory Coast captain, and you instantly have a mix of strong characters who will, inevitably, speak their mind. Indeed it has been reported that Ballack and Drogba have been the supposed protagonists of the recent dressing-room 'fall-out' having questioned Scolari's continuous inclusion of Deco, the Portuguese midfielder, despite a string of poor performances.

This is, though, merely the tip of the iceberg of the problems at Chelsea. This is a side who seemingly everyone was touting for the title before a ball was even kicked back in August, partly due to the players bought in and partly because of the new manager installed to win the silverware. Having managed a host of clubs in Brazil and the national teams of Brazil and Portugal, winning the World Cup in 2002 with Brazil, Scolari arrived in England with a glowing reputation with many predicting that he'd be the one to De-throne Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United's dominance.

This was back in August though and, with hindsight being the wonderful thing that it is, things clearly haven't gone to plan. In Scolari's defence, Deco started the season spectacularly with a goal on his debut against Portsmouth and scoring the only goal against Wigan with a sublime free-kick which started to justify the superlatives that were being lavished on the midfield playmaker upon his arrival. But since then Deco's performances have been ineffective and, having missed a month early in the season due to injury, his confidence has evidently dipped and his team-mates have noticed.

In addition to the players' opinions of Scolari's support of Deco there has also been reported criticisms of his use of substitutions, particularly in the 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United when some players had sarcastically reminded their manager that they were looking to win the match rather than settle for a draw having gone behind to a Craig Bellamy strike in the first half.
When there is speculation of this kind, when players are almost mocking their manager, then there is surely cause for concern. There does seem, though, to be a huge respect for Scolari and why wouldn't there be? He's a World Cup winning manager after all. But as with many players from the continent, manager's aren't immune from adjusting to the demands of the Premier League and, of course, the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich. And you need look no further than Avram Grant, Scolari's predecessor, who had the envious job of maintaining the high standard set by Jose Mourinho and the back-to-back league titles he won as Chelsea manager.

If the truth be told Chelsea haven't replaced Mourinho and they have subsequently struggled as both Grant and Scolari have failed to get a grip on the characters in the dressing room and have failed to channel their frustration in the right way. But the players getting on their managers back isn't helpful to either the club's title ambitions or the manager's confidence.

A Harsh Lesson in Media for Tevez

News travels fast and that is something that Carlos Tevez, the Manchester United striker, has found out the hard way.

During a radio interview in his home country, Argentina, Tevez aired his frustration at his lack of first-team football this season with the Red Devils and suggested that he would join any club willing to offer him a serious long-term contract. These are comments which are sure to have riled his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be keen to invite his striker into his office for a private meeting.

Ferguson has had to deal with his fair share of outspoken players in his 22 year reign at the helm of United and Tevez won't be the last but, as it stands, Tevez isn't officially a United player and if he wants to be he hasn't done himself many favours.

For someone who declared his love for the club upon his loan agreement from West Ham United (or is it Kia Joorabchian?) saying that it was his "dream" to join United he has soon grown uncomfortable with the dawning reality of being United's third-choice striker behind Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

The comments were borne out of a mixture of frustration of falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford and the constant speculation surrounding his future. The future becoming increasingly more uncertain following the arrival of Berbatov for £30 million in the summer and the suggestion that Tevez would be an expensive substitute at a reported cost of £30m.

United fans love Tevez for the same reason they love Rooney and loved Diego Forlan, because they will run endlessly for the team. But United fans may not look on this too kindly given that at the first sign of difficulty he's become unsettled and that, according to his comments on the radio, he would be willing to sign for anyone who offers a serious contract that satisfies his long-term needs.

But time is on Tevez's side and he will surely play a part in United's assault on all league and cup fronts at this stage of the season. After a ticking off from Ferguson, it is up to Tevez to show that he is worthy of securing those long-term needs at the club of his dreams.