Category Archives: Football

Live 4 Liverpool :: Liverpool eye up Hungarian ace

LIVERPOOL are interested in Balazs Dzsudzsak, according to Sky Sports. The Dynamo Moscow winger is contracted to the Russian side until December 2015. But his agent Jozsef Vorosbaranyi has claimed that the Reds are looking to approach Dzsudzsak. The 26-year-old scored 5 goals in 27 matches last season, catching the eye of Brendan Rodgers. Vorosbaranyi told fcinter1908: “Numerous clubs [...]

Joe Kinnear muddies waters at Newcastle with shambolic interview

• Appointment as director of football yet to be confirmed
• ‘I can open the door to any manager in the world, anyone’

Newcastle United have still officially to confirm Joe Kinnear’s controversial appointment as their director of football but this omission failed to prevent him giving a shambolic and often contradictory interview on Monday night.

The installation of the club’s former manager as, among other things, controller of transfers was expected to be rubber-stamped on Monday morning so, by the evening, the enduring silence from St James’ Park hinted at a hitch. Kinnear, though, told Talksport he had signed his contract on Sunday night.

Yet that proved the least of the jaw-dropping moments of Kinnear’s interview. During his conversation with Andy Goldstein and fellow former Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould, the 66-year-old claimed responsibility for signing Tim Krul [a goalkeeper recruited by Graeme Souness] as well as James Perch [bought by Chris Hughton], said “Derek Llambezee [Derek Llambias, Newcastle's managing director] had resigned as director of football [a position he has never held]and talked about Shola Amenobee, Yohan Kebab and Hatem Ben Afre rather than Shola Ameobi, Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa.

Kinnear also claimed that he has spoken to Alan Pardew on the phone and is meeting Newcastle’s manager for lunch on Tuesday before then turning on the “negativity” of Newcastle supporters by insisting he had “more intelligence than them”.

Then there was his claim that he has been named manager of the year three times when he has, in reality, won the award once, and the boast that his “worldwide” contacts were so extensive no door was closed to him.

“I heard a silly comment of ‘what can I attract?’ I can open the door to any manager in the world, anyone, that’s the difference,” said Kinnear. “I’ve spent my whole life talking to [Sir] Alex Ferguson, week in, week out. I can pick the phone up at any time of the day and speak to Arsène Wenger, any manager in the league. In all the divisions.”

Despite Kinnear earlier maintaining that Pardew was “delighted” by his impending arrival, Newcastle’s manager on Monday failed to supply any comment for draft versions of the club’s official press release regarding the new director of football’s arrival, thereby perhaps explaining the delay in its publication.

While Pardew was briefed in advance about the 66-year-old’s new role and seemingly accepted it was “a done deal” – Kinnear variously said he was approached “three weeks” and “10 days” ago – it is understood the manager did not envisage the job’s remit would be quite as extensive as the incoming director of football imagines. Nonetheless, Pardew was said to remain “relaxed” about the newcomer’s advent.

Senior figures at Newcastle were apparently taken aback by the considerable sphere of influence that Kinnear claimed he will enjoy on Tyneside as he spoke to television and radio reporters on Sunday. With a club statement scheduled to be released on Monday morning and the former Wimbledon manager due in Newcastle on Thursday, it had been thought he would keep his own counsel until everything was finalised.

That has proved impossible but, having said on Sunday that he had the last word on player purchases, Kinnear backtracked on Monday night. Possibly accepting he had originally gone too far, he claimed: “We [he and Pardew] both have the final say.”

Although Llambias – who is away on holiday – has been involved in transfer discussions with Kinnear, the decision to hire him was very much down to Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner and the man who first recruited the former Tottenham full-back in 2008 following Kevin Keegan’s departure.

Heart problems ended Kinnear’s five-month stint as manager but, to the considerable dismay of the bulk of Newcastle fans – not to mention those he dubs “the snidey” local press – he is now en route back to the north-east to oversee football operations.

Many predict trouble ahead with Pardew but, in an interview with the Evening Chronicle, Kinnear – who also declared he would block the unsettled Cabaye’s mooted move to Monaco – demurred. “Before I had a meeting with Mike, Derek said he’s informed Alan, and Alan said, ‘Great news. I’m delighted with that,’ he claimed. ‘At last I’ve got somebody who’s a football guy.’

“Derek explained that I’m coming in as director of football. He [Llambias] is going to go on the finance side and anything to do with football is coming my side.”

Based at the club’s training ground, Kinnear – who also claimed he would shoulder virtually sole responsibility for communicating with Ashley – expects to travel with the squad during a pre-season trip to Portugal, accompany Carr on scouting missions and frequently watch first-team games from the stands.

Meanwhile, Fabricio Coloccini has announced that he intends to remain a Newcastle centre-half rather than seek a move back to his native Argentina. “I will stay,” said the captain.

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Joe Kinnear muddies waters at Newcastle with shambolic interview

• Appointment as director of football yet to be confirmed
• ‘I can open the door to any manager in the world, anyone’

Newcastle United have still officially to confirm Joe Kinnear’s controversial appointment as their director of football but this omission failed to prevent him giving a shambolic and often contradictory interview on Monday night.

The installation of the club’s former manager as, among other things, controller of transfers was expected to be rubber-stamped on Monday morning so, by the evening, the enduring silence from St James’ Park hinted at a hitch. Kinnear, though, told Talksport he had signed his contract on Sunday night.

Yet that proved the least of the jaw-dropping moments of Kinnear’s interview. During his conversation with Andy Goldstein and fellow former Wimbledon manager Bobby Gould, the 66-year-old claimed responsibility for signing Tim Krul [a goalkeeper recruited by Graeme Souness] as well as James Perch [bought by Chris Hughton], said “Derek Llambezee [Derek Llambias, Newcastle's managing director] had resigned as director of football [a position he has never held]and talked about Shola Amenobee, Yohan Kebab and Hatem Ben Afre rather than Shola Ameobi, Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa.

Kinnear also claimed that he has spoken to Alan Pardew on the phone and is meeting Newcastle’s manager for lunch on Tuesday before then turning on the “negativity” of Newcastle supporters by insisting he had “more intelligence than them”.

Then there was his claim that he has been named manager of the year three times when he has, in reality, won the award once, and the boast that his “worldwide” contacts were so extensive no door was closed to him.

“I heard a silly comment of ‘what can I attract?’ I can open the door to any manager in the world, anyone, that’s the difference,” said Kinnear. “I’ve spent my whole life talking to [Sir] Alex Ferguson, week in, week out. I can pick the phone up at any time of the day and speak to Arsène Wenger, any manager in the league. In all the divisions.”

Despite Kinnear earlier maintaining that Pardew was “delighted” by his impending arrival, Newcastle’s manager on Monday failed to supply any comment for draft versions of the club’s official press release regarding the new director of football’s arrival, thereby perhaps explaining the delay in its publication.

While Pardew was briefed in advance about the 66-year-old’s new role and seemingly accepted it was “a done deal” – Kinnear variously said he was approached “three weeks” and “10 days” ago – it is understood the manager did not envisage the job’s remit would be quite as extensive as the incoming director of football imagines. Nonetheless, Pardew was said to remain “relaxed” about the newcomer’s advent.

Senior figures at Newcastle were apparently taken aback by the considerable sphere of influence that Kinnear claimed he will enjoy on Tyneside as he spoke to television and radio reporters on Sunday. With a club statement scheduled to be released on Monday morning and the former Wimbledon manager due in Newcastle on Thursday, it had been thought he would keep his own counsel until everything was finalised.

That has proved impossible but, having said on Sunday that he had the last word on player purchases, Kinnear backtracked on Monday night. Possibly accepting he had originally gone too far, he claimed: “We [he and Pardew] both have the final say.”

Although Llambias – who is away on holiday – has been involved in transfer discussions with Kinnear, the decision to hire him was very much down to Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner and the man who first recruited the former Tottenham full-back in 2008 following Kevin Keegan’s departure.

Heart problems ended Kinnear’s five-month stint as manager but, to the considerable dismay of the bulk of Newcastle fans – not to mention those he dubs “the snidey” local press – he is now en route back to the north-east to oversee football operations.

Many predict trouble ahead with Pardew but, in an interview with the Evening Chronicle, Kinnear – who also declared he would block the unsettled Cabaye’s mooted move to Monaco – demurred. “Before I had a meeting with Mike, Derek said he’s informed Alan, and Alan said, ‘Great news. I’m delighted with that,’ he claimed. ‘At last I’ve got somebody who’s a football guy.’

“Derek explained that I’m coming in as director of football. He [Llambias] is going to go on the finance side and anything to do with football is coming my side.”

Based at the club’s training ground, Kinnear – who also claimed he would shoulder virtually sole responsibility for communicating with Ashley – expects to travel with the squad during a pre-season trip to Portugal, accompany Carr on scouting missions and frequently watch first-team games from the stands.

Meanwhile, Fabricio Coloccini has announced that he intends to remain a Newcastle centre-half rather than seek a move back to his native Argentina. “I will stay,” said the captain.

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Hearts head for administration over financial woes

• Club faced with winding-up order last week over tax bill
• SPL imposes transfer embargo after players not paid

Hearts are to go into administration, the Scottish Premier League club has confirmed, and they are understood to have approached the accountancy firm KPMG to act as their administrators.

A club spokesman said: “We are not in administration yet but we have served our intention to appoint administrators.”

A number of the club’s creditors have been informed of the latest developments and sources close to Hearts expect a hearing to take place within the “next couple of days”.

Hearts were faced with a winding-up order last week after Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs threatened action over an unpaid £100,000 tax bill, although the majority of that sum has since been paid.

The Tynecastle club were then hit with an immediate transfer embargo by the Scottish Premier League on Friday after admitting they could not afford to pay their players. The club were already under a temporary signing ban after the league was informed of their tax row.

The SPL took action 24 hours after the club’s board said they had entered a “critical” stage in their battle to pay off debts of £25m.

The entire squad was put up for sale in a desperate bid to raise the reported £500,000 needed to see the club through to the start of the new season.

The situation at the two Lithuanian companies which hold large stakes in the club has also increased fears for the future of the Edinburgh club.

The majority shareholder UBIG – which owns a 50% stake in the club – and 29.9% shareholder Ukio Bankas were once controlled by Vladimir Romanov but are now in the throes of being declared insolvent by Kaunas-based authorities.

The club are likely to face a 15-point penalty when the new SPL season kicks off in August.

Top-flight rules state any club suffering an insolvency event will be stripped of 10 points or a third of their previous season’s tally, whichever is the greater. Hearts finished the 2012-13 campaign in 10th place with 45 points.

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Hearts head for administration over financial woes

• Club faced with winding-up order last week over tax bill
• SPL imposes transfer embargo after players not paid

Hearts are to go into administration, the Scottish Premier League club has confirmed, and they are understood to have approached the accountancy firm KPMG to act as their administrators.

A club spokesman said: “We are not in administration yet but we have served our intention to appoint administrators.”

A number of the club’s creditors have been informed of the latest developments and sources close to Hearts expect a hearing to take place within the “next couple of days”.

Hearts were faced with a winding-up order last week after Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs threatened action over an unpaid £100,000 tax bill, although the majority of that sum has since been paid.

The Tynecastle club were then hit with an immediate transfer embargo by the Scottish Premier League on Friday after admitting they could not afford to pay their players. The club were already under a temporary signing ban after the league was informed of their tax row.

The SPL took action 24 hours after the club’s board said they had entered a “critical” stage in their battle to pay off debts of £25m.

The entire squad was put up for sale in a desperate bid to raise the reported £500,000 needed to see the club through to the start of the new season.

The situation at the two Lithuanian companies which hold large stakes in the club has also increased fears for the future of the Edinburgh club.

The majority shareholder UBIG – which owns a 50% stake in the club – and 29.9% shareholder Ukio Bankas were once controlled by Vladimir Romanov but are now in the throes of being declared insolvent by Kaunas-based authorities.

The club are likely to face a 15-point penalty when the new SPL season kicks off in August.

Top-flight rules state any club suffering an insolvency event will be stripped of 10 points or a third of their previous season’s tally, whichever is the greater. Hearts finished the 2012-13 campaign in 10th place with 45 points.

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Football transfer rumours: Laurent Koscielny to Barcelona?

Today’s fluff has seen Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy twice

Never let it be said that the Mill does not move with the times. It’s not only GCHQ who set up fake internet cafes to gather information. The Mill has a couple of pretend swanky eateries with superfast broadband strategically placed around the land’s training grounds in order to pick up odd nuggets of news from any agents, of the football rather than secret variety, who happen to pop in for a macchiato and a muffin. Although, when we say “swanky eateries with superfast broadband” we of course mean “greasy spoons with an old Atari 800 in the corner”. And when we say “macchiato and a muffin” we of course mean “tea with eight sugars and a dubious sausage”.

And it’s thanks to one of the many missives intercepted by our team of crack operatives that we can bring the news that Bayern Munich and Barcelona are set to slug it out for Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny. “Laurent is part of a shortlist of three or four players for both clubs,” according to Koscielny’s Mr 12.5%. “Yes, I’m as surprised as you are,” he didn’t add.

Arsenal, though, have grown weary of Newcastle’s Francophile transformation into the old Arsenal and have decided to become the new Newcastle. But without Joe Kinnear. The Gunners are keen on lil’ Lille winger Dimitri Payet and are ready to splash £8m on Guingamp midfielder Gilbert Imbula. Also hoping to swap Ligue 1 for N5 is Marseille’s Andre Ayew, although the French side will have to persuade Arsène Wenger to part with Gervinho in exchange.

Manchester United and Chelsea exchanged a long email chain in an attempt to come up with a Rhyming With Sprinkle XI (kids today, huh?). Norwich’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel, former Celtic man Andreas Hinkel, Simpson phone prank mainstay Ivana Tinkle, deceased Austrian chess grandmaster Adolf Zinkl, WWF ring announcer Howard Finkel and 20-year-old Vitesse Arnhem midfielder Marco van Ginkel were all mentioned before they decided to give it up as a bad lot, although both clubs have decided to make £15m bids for Van Ginkel (and Chelsea are considering a move for Tinkle).

PSG are planning to offer £85m for Gareth Bzzzzzzz … PSG are to offer Andre Villaszzzzzzzz … PSG want to spend £25m on David Luizzzzzzz …

Hidden in a 34,000-word 67-page email from Brendan Rodgers to Real Madrid, which mostly consisted of management-speak and percentages plucked from nowhere but also featured, intriguingly, a chapter on 13th-century Nepalese pottery, was the suggestion that Luis Suàrez’s move to the Bernabéu is dependent on Liverpool getting a little sweetener in return. A little sweetener by the name of Spain Under-21 international Alvaro Morata. The Reds are also edging closer to Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who they’ve poked on Facebook, while Pepe Reina has changed his status to “It’s complicated”.

Aston Villa’s Paul Lambert keeps googling “bargain buys from Europe” and the latest name to pop up is Sevilla defender Antonio Luca.

Steve Bruce’s regular visits to whotobuywhenyourebackinthepremierleague.co.uk have seen Hull put Villa’s Darren Bent, Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley and Besiktas;s Allan McGregor in their sights. His trip to goodgoalieswhodontplaythatoften.net suggested a £5m move for Manchester City’s Costel Pantilimon.

Joe Kinnear popped in for a cheese bap on Sunday and opened a file entitled: “MY TO DO LIST”. Our ciphers discovered the top few entries to read: “1) Look up journalists to swear at. 2) Find World’s Best Football Manager mug left in canteen four years ago. 3) Sign 17-year-old striker Olivier Kemen from Metz.”

Roberto Martínez has started following Victor Moses on Twitter, Spurs have checked out the MySpace page of Botafogo defender Doria and Roma’s Erik Lamela has been all over Zoopla ahead of a prospective move to north London.

And finally, from the tiny fake rusty burger van in a layby that passes for the hangout for those in English football existing outside the Greatest League In The World, we’ve discovered, thanks to a series of carrier pigeons ensnared with fake bird seed and a wire tap on the string between two plastic cups, that Barnsley want to bring Dale Jennings back from Bayern Munich and that Middlesbrough and Birmingham City are keen on the Norway Under-21 central defender Thomas Rogne.

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