Blackburn star makes up bizarre excuse for bad behaviour
Blackburn’s El Hadji Diouf gave the world yet another example of his sparkling personality at the weekend, when he was overheard by home fans at Goodison Park shouting “F**k off white boy” at an errant ball-boy.
Keen to stress that he would never impart offensive comments at a stranger, the Senegalese star has vehemently denied the incident:
“I didn’t even speak to him. I just told the assistant ref that the ball-boy should respect the players.
“For a kid to say things like that is unacceptable.
A chance to get excited months before anything actually happens
Tottenham have finally been granted their wish to kick-off a Premier League campaign at home but Liverpool will be the visitors for their first opener at White Hart Lane since 2004.
Spurs fans can take some comfort though from the fact Arsenal have been given a challenging away game on the opening weekend against Everton.
Wolves are the only promoted side who start at home - against West Ham - and the last five to have done so have avoided defeat. Every new arrival who has opened their campaign on the road over the last three seasons has lost and Birmingham and Burnley face tough trips to Man United and Stoke.
Badge-kisser tries to ease the tension with his former club
Wayne Rooney was hauled off the pitch by Sir Alex Ferguson to avoid being sent-off in his last meeting with former club Everton after baiting their fans by kissing the badge on his Manchester United shirt.
Before that game, Rooney spoke of a determination to score his 100th career goal against the Toffees but this time he is acting far more diplomatically, insisting he still considers Everton his second team.
Even more surprisingly, the one-time owner of a “once a Blue, always a Blue” shirt refused to rule out supporting Everton at Wembley
Something interesting happens in woefully dull game
[Unless you’re really bored, skip to 1.06 in the video]
While Manchester Utd have been out of town winning an extremely important giant golden Toyota key, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have all failed to win. Last night Chelsea gave the Reds a great opportunity to begin their annual catch-up by drawing at Everton, in a game that had most people at Goodison Park struggling to keep their eyes open.
The only good bit came in the 35th minute, when John Terry decided a mistimed two-footed studs-up challenge on Leon Osman was the best course of action. Apparently unaware that this is not acceptable behaviour on a football field, a raging Big Phil screamed “Were you afraid of the crowd?” at ref Phil Dowd before banning his players from talking to the press.
Small Newcastle crowd at Goodison: effective anti-Ashley strategy, or shortage of welcome mats in Everton district of Liverpool?
A couple of goals at Goodison Park for the Magpies yesterday and the determination of Tottenham to win the Championship next season have, for the time being, allowed Newcastle to leave bed number one in the Premier League intensive care unit. But that doesn’t mean angry Newcastle fans are quite ready to take a fresh look at Mike Ashley’s management skills just yet. Indeed, some are even more inclined to make him pay for the eccentric route he’s currently taking the club in search of glory.
On the forum pages of today’s Newcastle Chronicle, the Geordies were discussing why there were only 900 travelling fans at Everton yesterday, to which one “Supamac” said:
Keith Wyness has mysteriously disappeared into the Mersey night
In December 2004, a few months after Chief Exec of Aberdeen FC Keith Wyness was poached by Everton, the blue side of Mersey reinvigorated their plans to leave Goodison Park for a 50,000 out-of-town stadium complex in Kirkby.
The rotund Scot, who also voiced approval over the 39th Premier League game, was instrumental in the controversial relocation plans, but last night he caught Everton off guard and handed in his resignation. Obviously still in shock, the Toffees’ official site was only capable of mustering a single sentence on the subject:
Everton Football Club wishes to announce that Keith Wyness has resigned his position as Chief Executive Officer and director of the Club.
Many fans fear that his resignation indicates the plush Kirkby stadium, which could be used in the World Cup 2018 (should we be chosen to host), will no longer happen. Others who have been speculating on Everton’s deathly silence in the transfer market and who support the ‘Keep Everton In Our City’ will no doubt be delighted that Wyness has waddled off into the sunset.
Sure, Chelsea are favourites to come away from Merseyside with three points tonight,but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Avram Grant will get a good dressing down from his Russian billionaire friend tomorrow morning.
The damning statistics
* Chelsea have failed to beat any of the other top seven Premier League teams away from home.
* Chelsea didn’t win any of their last five league matches of the 2006/07 season. [In fact, they drew all five of them, and I think there’s great value in a 5/2 stalemate tonight.]
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