Sunday Supplement Podcast - 08/08/10

Lots of talk about Cappello obviously after the World Cup debacle; after a very poor campaign I think there is a genuine desire for the squad to change - new blood, building towards the next World Cup - the 'golden generation' should be pensioned off having consistently underachieved.
Seems sensible, doesn't it?
Not to the assembled journos. Apparently, he shouldn't have discarded the squad players who didn't feature at the WC for the upcoming friendly. They weren't really good enough to play in the starting eleven at the WC, but they are good enough now. And by apologising at his press conference last week (not his idea, but he felt like he had to say it, under instruction from the FA apparently) he's become the press's poodle.


"Cappello got the worst out of the players" according to The Sun's Dr. Evil, Rob Beasley.

And

"JT was absolutely right to speak out" - yet the papers panned him for it afterwards, if I remember correctly.

And why do these journalists refer to their colleagues & the rest of the industry in the 3rd person, like things appearing in the press have nothing to do with them?

Plenty of excuses for Rooney's form, largely centered on England "playing in the wrong way". Did England really change the way they played from the successful qualification campaign? If they did it's no wonder the panel were slagging Cappello off.

Onto Liverpool's impending takeover, possibly by the Chinese state. Roy Hodgson gets a glowing report following a routine passage through the first qualifying round of the Europa cup as his tenure begins at one of the established "Big 4" clubs. Not a great deal of concern about the ownership passing to a foreign state, but we're still at the conjecture stage with this. Expect some human rights based hand-wringing should this come to pass... we shall see.

Cesc Fabregas was next up for discussion. He's "totally committed" to the Arsenal cause apparently. No real mention of a summer's worth of tapping-up from Barcelona, which would have been big news if it had been a British club naturally.

Which leads nicely onto Tottenham; the Harry Redknapp love-in continues, but being a friend of the sports media helps dissipate any criticism. Three players will be bought when Tottenham get past Young Boys according to those in the know - no names are mentioned, but 'Arry's hardly behind the door when it comes to discussing transfer targets.

And finally Manchester City. It's been another bumper transfer window for City as they try and force there way onto the Premier League's top table. Rob Beasley "fears that Manchester City are going the same way as Chelsea". As a Manchester City fan, so do I...


Here's a long but interesting piece written by fellow blue Howard Hockin, regarding the MCFC bullshit-merry-go-round which deserves a mention here to illustrate a point regarding City "distorting the transfer market"

http://www.footballfancast.com

Obviously I'm biased, but surely the football glitterati have always distorted the transfer market for everyone below them? It's the law of the jungle, and I can tell you now it's much more fun being at the top of the food chain than the bottom.

MCFC bollocks quote of the day was "It looks like Adebayor is through the door", despite City saying very publicly last Friday that he's wearing the number nine shirt this coming season and will definitely not be leaving.

Some other noteworthy quotes - "Mancini to be out of work by bonfire night" according to Beasley, "City blew Chelsea out of the water" with a £24m bid for James Milner (has Abramovich finally run out of money?) "Craig Bellamy would love to go to Tottenham" but "would he take a £40k pay cut?"
I think that's a bit of a 'no brainer' lads.