Picture from: freelargeimages.com
Review of the day
Jose digs Pogba
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho told a little anecdote when discussing his former midfielder Paul Pogba. Mourinho said: “We were going to play a team 30 kilometers from Manchester and one of the players asked me after the game if he could return to Manchester without the team and go alone. I told him: ‘If we go to London and you want to stay there, that’s one thing. The guy in the dressing room is still not happy. After all, the car is new and you want to leave the stadium in his Rolls-Royce.”
Pig Trotters gets reprieve
The High Court has given Bolton Wanderers more time to allow former Watford chairman Laurence Bassini to complete the takeover of the financially troubled club. Bassini, who has gone bankrupt twice and was banned from holding senior positions at English Football League clubs for three years in 2013, has said he was a scapegoat for Watford’s financial misconduct and that he would produce evidence to prove it and name and shame those responsible. Bolton now has until May 8 to return to court.
De Jong rejects Spurs offer
Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who is set to join Barcelona in the summer, has revealed that he turned down an offer from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer. De Jong said: “I think they [Spurs’] Providing long and hard. I think Tottenham are a very stable club and they can only get better. They give opportunities to young players and I think Mauricio Pochettino is a coach who really improves young players. I like the style of football they play. I think that suits my game. The timing is wrong. My career at Ajax is not over yet because I haven’t played a full season in my position. “
transfer
West Ham United youngster Vashon Neuville has made an early return from his loan spell at Newport County after failing to force his way into the squad.
Udinese has loaned winger Evandro Costa to Fluminese. The 23-year-old Brazilian had just returned from his loan spell in Austria Vienna the day before.
Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders have loaned three players to USLC’s Tacoma Defiance. Will Bruin, Nuho and Roman Torres will feature for the second-tier club.
Polish midfielder Bartosz Kapustka returns to Leicester City from a loan spell at Belgian side OH Leuven.
Fans fined for trespassing on pitch
Five fans were fined between £80 and £135 each after they stormed the pitch during Newcastle United’s match against Brighton as they celebrated a last-minute equalizer. Four of the men are still under investigation after a female flight attendant suffered a broken nose, according to police.
another permanent caretaker
Rochdale’s caretaker manager Brian Barry-Murphy has been appointed to the job permanently despite the club remaining in relegation under his leadership. The 40-year-old has eight points in four games since taking over from Keith Hill in March. Dell chairman Andrew Kilpatrick said: “The entire team is fully behind Brian and it shows in their commitment. He is young, hungry for success and extremely talented. We have seven crucial games left in the season. I hope everyone will support Brian and the team and give them their full support for the rest of the season and beyond.” Interestingly, just yesterday we were discussing the manager’s widget editor. We can’t find anyone who has gone on to succeed as a permanent manager in English football. Does anyone have an example? Or are Barry Murphy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fighting a losing battle?
Cardiff City seek talks with Nantes to help them get rid of Sala transfer fee
Cardiff City continue to show a disgusting lack of humanity over the transfer fee for footballer Emiliano Sala who sadly passed away, as they continue to refuse to abide by the contract they agreed to and signed. The Blue Jays continue to argue that their agreement with Nantes is not legally binding on technicalities. FIFA has given the clubs involved until April 15 to resolve the dispute amicably. Cardiff City now say Nantes have refused to respond to a request for a meeting: “Cardiff City have requested and been granted an extension to the deadline to respond to FIFA on this matter. Cardiff City have recently written to Nantes FC proposing a meeting to discuss matters surrounding the Emiliano Sala tragedy and transfer plans, in line with FIFA’s request for our two clubs to reach a resolution directly. “The problem is that they now find themselves unable to claim insurance and this is something they should deal with rather than just insist on an agreement.
Sterling criticizes Bonucci
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, who has also been plagued by racism issues, offered his support to under-criticized Juventus forward Moise Kean, who has been criticized by his teammates and partly blamed for his racial abuse. Kean celebrated a goal against Cagliari and was racially abused by Cagliari fans. He opened his arms in front of the crowd, and the racial abuse intensified since then. After the game, both Juventus teammate Leonardo Bonucci and head coach Massimiliano Allegri placed part of the blame for the racial discrimination on Moise Kean, with Bonucci even saying “the blame is 50-50” when talking about the goal celebration. Sterling pointed out Bonucci’s comments and said: “All you can do now is laugh.” Bonucci responded on social media: “No matter what, no matter what… against racism.” Unfortunately, he did not say so directly at the time, but said in a TV interview: “Keane knows that when he scores a goal He had to focus on celebrating with his teammates. He knew he could have done something different too. Yaya Toure also slammed Bonucci for his comments, saying: “It’s unbelievable to have your teammates attack and say something like that. This is completely disrespectful. When this happens, of course people look at the black players, but I feel like Bonucci needs to be a little smarter than that. Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out Out, the Italian Football Federation targets players for its third year without racism.
Mendy tests Pep’s patience
Invariably injured left-back Benjamin Mendy is testing the limits of Guardiola’s patience. Having been injured for much of his time at Manchester City, you would have thought the Frenchman would be focusing on getting fit again, but in fact he is living the life of luxury. In September he arrived three hours late due to a broken toe because he had been in London all night to watch Anthony Joshua’s boxing match for the world heavyweight title, and a number of other incidents were leaked but the club refused to confirm. However, Guardiola questioned Mendy’s behavior after footage emerged of him out clubbing at 3.30am, despite training hours later. Pep said: “I hope he goes home soon, but I have no control over the players in this situation. They are old enough to know what they have to do. I am not his father.” Mendy was not included in the squad for the weekend’s game. It seems likely that he will be replaced sooner rather than later.
Written by Tris Burke April 4, 2019 05:41:33