Titi lays into his national manager in front of whole French squad

After helping France reach last place in their group at Euro 2008 - an embarrassment that was compounded by an awfully-timed post-match marriage proposal - it it highly surprising that Raymond Domenech has managed to cling onto his job. The pressure on the national team coach has intensified once more, as Les Bleus’ disappointing 1-1 draw with Romania on Saturday was preceded by a barrage of criticism from team captain Thierry Henry.

In a press conference last Friday, Henry raised a few eyebrows when he claimed the team have “always had problems” during Domenech’s reign. According to a report in French paper le Parisien, Domenech then gathered the players and staff into a meeting room, where he offered the following:

“I hope today you’ll be better in training. So far, I have not seen guys who wanted, who were fully prepared for the important meeting on Saturday.”

After an awkward silence, the tense atmosphere is said to have been broken by captain Thierry Henry, who replied:

“Coach, we too have something to say. I speak for the entire squad.

“We are getting bored during your training sessions.

The First Lady of French football

Shortly after he guided the France to last place in Group C and a humiliating early exit from Euro 2008, national team manager Raymond Domenech performed a spectacularly mistimed marriage proposal live during a press conference. The focus of his request was Estelle Denis, the popular French sports TV presenter with whom he has two children.

Despite their lengthy relationship and shared offspring, the 32-year-old journalist said no. Ouch.

Croatia boss wants Premier League job now that his stock is falling

Slaven Bilic’s agent Rudi Vata has claimed that the prospect of managing nouveau-riche Portsmouth “would excite” the former Everton defender:

“Slaven is open to offers and there is interest from Portsmouth. There are different clubs who want him but he is very interested.

“Portsmouth have tried to get in touch, but there is no concrete offer at this stage. But the idea of working with and building the club would excite him.”

The Croatia boss was linked with numerous Premier League posts last year but

It’s the First Lady of German football

Popular Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack met waitress Simone Lambe over ten years ago, when she was a humble waitress in her native East Germany. The couple fianlly tied the knot last summer, shortly after Captain Ballack failed to guide his nation to Euro 2008 victory over Spain.

Spain/England, Wednesday 9pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

England have won five consecutive away games and Spain have lost their last two matches in Seville but despite those good omens, our friends at chickendinner can’t see anyone beating the Euro 2008 winners right now. Here are five reasons why Vicente del Bosque’s side should triumph:

1. Spain are unbeaten in 28 internationals, of which they have won 25. They haven’t lost since a 1-0 friendly loss to Romania in November 2006.

2. That incredible unbeaten run started with a 1-0 victory over England two years ago at Old Trafford.

3. Spain have also triumphed 1-0 in their last two home games against England.

Is Arsene Wenger really about to spend £20 million?

Tottenham have been linked with Andrei Arshavin ever since Euro 2008 but Zenit St Petersburg have confirmed to Sky Sports News that they are holding transfer talks with Arsenal regarding the Russian playmaker.

A quick glance at the reaction of Spurs fans online shows that some are pretending they never wanted him in the first place and gleefully predicting he will flop in England while others are fearful that he could make as big an impact as Dennis Bergkamp did upon his arrival in 1995.

Will Arsenal really pay almost £20 million for one player and if so, who will he replace in the starting line-up? Let us know what you think with a comment.

The Spoiler looks into Chelsea’s prospective signing

According to this morning’s press, Chelsea are all set to invest the money raised from the imminent Wayne Bridge sale in a CSKA Moscow player known as “the Russian Ronaldinho.”

The eagle eyed among us may have seen Yuri Zhirkov impress his way into the Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament last summer, and here’s a few more facts about the 25-year-old Russian:

• He can play left back or on the left wing, and is known for his hard work, creativity and showboating.
• His brilliant goal against Hamburg (shown above) earned him the honour of best goal of the Champions League 2006/07, according to UEFA’s magazine Goal.
• He also performed his own version of Ryan Gigg’s legendary FA Cup goal - see it here.
• His agent has been trying to increase his transfer value boasted that Barcelona, Juventus and three Premier League clubs are chasing him.

Chelsea fans, do you think he will be a good signing? Let us know below…

Were you paying attention this year? Find out here!

John McCain, Jonathan Ross and anyone involved in the world banking system may not agree, but 2008 has been a fantastic year. We saw a brilliant European Championships tournament (unencumbered by the inevitable disappointment of seeing England crash out), a thrilling Champions League campaign, and we are currently witnessing one of the most exciting Premier League seasons since its inception.

Away from the field, we’ve seen countless incidents of players disgracing themselves in nightclubs, Cristiano Ronaldo has put away more WAGs than anyone thought possible, and a website that tells you everything you need to know about the beautiful game experienced its first year in business.

In celebration of all things football in 2008, we’ve lovingly compiled a quiz that should separate the Porfessor Wengers from the Alan Smiths out there. Have a crack at it, try not to cheat and please send it to a friend if you enjoy it…

1. Carlisle, Derby, Southampton, Sunderland, Stoke – whose career path is this?

2. Name the four Euro 2008 semi-finalists.

3. In January, Ashley Cole allegedly cheated on his ridiculously good looking wife with a ropey hairdresser – name her.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon D’or this year – who came second and third?

5. Which randy Italian said this in his autobiography?

“I was engaged four times in eleven years, and I experienced some adventures. I slept with between 600 and 700 girls, 20 of whom belong to the world of the show business.”

6. David Beckham played his second season at the LA Galaxy this year. Where do they play their home games?

7. Which three players missed penalties in the 2008 Champions League final?

8. Who did Manchester Utd beat at the Champions League semi-final stage to reach Moscow?

9. Who wears number 26 at Arsenal?

10. West Ham are now sponsored by SBOBET. Name their last two shirt sponsors.

11. Kaiserslautern, Bradford, Middlesbrough, Fulham – whose career path is this?

12. As of Christmas Day, who was Gareth Bale’s last league win against?

13. Who was the first Premier League managerial sacking of the calendar year?

14. Jimmy Bullard made the England squad for two World Cup qualifiers this year. Who were the opponents in these games?

15. Who is this Euro 2008 star?

16. Who said this in August?

‘I will never stay to live in England, that’s for sure.’

‘The climate here is something special! You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it’s all cloudy again. The winters are mild but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20 degrees Celsius. And it rains, rains, rains!

‘In England they say that Manchester is the city of rain. Its main attraction is considered to be a timetable at the railway station where trains leave for other, less rainy cities!’

17. Who won the men’s football tournament at the Summer Olympic Games?

18. Which two WAGs appeared on this year’s I’m a Celebrity?

19. Against which side did Avram Grant play his final league game as Chelsea manager?

20. Bayern Munich, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bolton, Manchester City - whose career path is this?

21. Which Liverpool star proposed to his fiance in a graveyard?

22. The final day of the 2007/08 season saw an 8-1 scoreline, name the two teams involved.

23. An Arsenal player scored the first goal of the 2008/09 season. Name him.

24. Who won November’s Manager of the Month prize?

25. Who is West Brom’s kit manufacturer?

26. Who is this?

27. Who scored the only goal of the 2008 FA Cup final?

28. Which Brazilian said this?

“I couldn’t have got any fatter, I was running out of clothes.”

29. West Ham, Millwall (loan), Chelsea, Portsmouth - whose career path is this?

30. Cristiano Ronaldo finished the 2007/08 season as Premier League top scorer - exactly how many league goals did he get to earn him that honour?

See how you did by checking the answers after the jump…