This week, the annual Trofeo TIM pitted the top three clubs in Italy against one another, and Jose Mourinho was given his first run out in front of the Italian big boys. Unfortunately, Inter lost to eventual trophy winners Milan 4-3 on penalties after a deadlocked ninety minutes (that’s ninety special Italian 30-second minutes. See comment below, Ed.), and they put in a disappointing performance in a 1-0 loss to Juventus.
Jose’s excuse for the sub par performance was the Nerazzurri’s over-crowded treatment table - in Tuesday’s loss to Juve Marco Materazzi joined Cristian Chivu, Ivan Cordoba and Walter Samuel on the sidelines - and he has brushed off the friendly tournament as a trifling matter:
“Fortunately, we could afford to lose the two friendly games we played. The important games will start in one month and we
West Ham boss could be granted the first P45 of the season
Every season, punters stake a significant amount on the first managerial sacking, but in the opast few years, the bookies have been clearing up. Who could have seen bumbling clowns Sammy Lee and Chris Hutchings outlasting two-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho? And the year before did anyone really see Charlton, having stood by Alan Curbishley for 15 years, sacking Iain Dowie just three months into the season? Curbishley is the unlucky favourite this year (5/1, bet here), but in preparation for a big shock, chickendinner have surveyed all of the sack race contenders…
Alan Curbishley
» West Ham’s last two managers - Glenn Roeder and Alan Pardew - were both sacked in the first half of the season.
» Glenn Roeder was sacked after just two games in his third season in charge in 2003. This will be Curbishley’s third season at West Ham.
» However, West Ham have only had eleven full-time managers in their 113-year history - no other Premier League club has had fewer.
» Three managers have left West Ham while they were a Premier League club - Billy Bonds, Harry Redknapp and Alan Pardew - but of those only Pardew was removed in the middle of a season.
Kevin Keegan
» All seven full-time Newcastle Premier League managers have left in the middle of the season.
» Newcastle have ridiculously sacked three managers in August over the last past ten years - Dalglish, Gullit and Robson - winning the sack race on each occasion.
» Keegan has a track record for resigning mid-campaign. He left the England job in the middle of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup and he left both Newcastle and Man City mid-season.
» But Keegan has never spent less than a year at a club, which would mean staying on until January 16. By that point last season, eight managers had left their club.
Sick of sticking to the same old weekly pattern of tomorrow following today etc? Then great news, man! Here’s what the papers are going to be saying in the morning…
Calderon wastes opportunity
Ramon Calderon has become an expert in sending out mixed signals over the last few weeks, telling the world and Rafael Nadal that Ronaldo is on his way to Real Madrid one minute, then making out he was just kidding the next. Now Marca have reported that the Glazers are ready to sell Ronaldo after all, but given a chance to stir things up on Radio 5 Live, Calderon thought it best to deny everything. What is that little minx up to?
Fat Ronaldo going Dutch?
PSV Eindhoven have been so impressed with Ronaldo’s big blubbery stomach (pictured) and smooth smoking technique that they want to bring him back ‘home’ to, um, Holland. “Perhaps something beautiful will happen this summer,” honked manager Huub Stevens, before mysteriously adding, “it’s possible that we can eventually make use of him in another role as well.” Hang on - Holland? Another role? Gimp mask? Don’t do it, Ronny!
Fans of the French club who sold Drogba to Chelsea in the first place are so desperate to bring him back that they are trying to raise £22 million to buy him. The church-hall style fundraising thermometer has been put on the wall, but so far made just 5,000 euros (about £4,000) has been collected. Only another £21,996,000 to go, mon frères…
The Frank Lampard saga latest
The ultra-reliable Daily Star claim Lampard has once again refused to sign the four-year deal being offered by Chelsea, while Jose Mourinho has cheekily called Lamps the best professional he has worked with.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Jose is intent on charming Lampard to Milan
Andrei Arshavin latest
The Russian forward has been spotted
Inter have allegedly decided how much they wish to spend on Frank Lampard, but the newspapers have invented three different prices ranging from £8-11 million, while the Daily Star claim there has been no offer at all.
Despite all the signs to the contrary, however, Big Phil Scolari has claimed there is no chance of Lamps reuniting with his former lover Jose Mourinho this season.
Alexander Hleb to Barcelona
Hleb has confirmed he wants to leave because his style of play (brilliant one minute, woeful the next) doesn’t match Arsene Wenger’s. He also decided to take a dig at Cesc Fabregas, who wanted him to stay, by calling him selfish.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: He will leave, with Barca his preferred destination
Didier Drogba to stay
The Blues are begging someone to pay the reasonable enough sum of £24 million (just £200,000 more than they paid) for the Ivory Coast striker but nobody is willing to show him some love.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Milan may renew their interest
Tottenham Reserves to Blackburn
Juande Ramos is so desperate
Luis Felipe Scolari met his many of his squad for the first time yesterday, and things are certainly looking promising for the Blues: the Brazilian has already introduced Deco to the camp, and Rom’s bottomless kitty could bring in the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Arshavin and Eto’o.
However, Scolari has been out of the domestic game for nearly eight years, and it could take him months to acclimatise to the nuances of the English game. Only one man has ever been able to lift the Premier League trophy in his first season at a club - a cocky Portuguese chap who came fresh from winning two consecutive league titles, the UEFA Cup and the Champions league with his previous outfit.
So will Big Phil’s pedigree and Chelsea’s limitless resources be enough to secure the Blues their third Prem title this century? Let us know what you think with votes and comments below.
The Special One purchases a fittingly special property
Just uner four weeks ago, Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho purchased a beautiful property in the picturesque Portuguese town of Setubal (pictured above). This sprawling villa is simply lovely, but its location some 2,100km away from the new office makes it a tad inconvenient. Hence, the Special One has splashed out on a new pad on the edge of Laka Como, about 50km north of Milan.
In addition to stunning views, the new place has a swimming pool, tennis courts, marble floors and carefully selected antique furniture for his beloved pooch Gullit to make a mess of. The mansion also has a helipad, meaning trips into Milan that would take an hour or so by road can be completed in minutes.
The property was previously owned by Italian multi-millionaire industrialist Antonio Ratti, who died in 2002.
As soon as we find pictures of Jose’e new crib, we’ll let you know.
While his unrefined team mates summer on continental beaches by day, and shout slow drunken English at frightened waiters by night, old Lampsie prefers the rustic markets of Taormina in succulent Italy. This, of course, is a tell tale sign that he must be moving to Inter. You heard it here first.
It’s July 1st folks, which means that the transfer windows have been flung wide open, and all those birds that have been trapped indoors can finally fly away to be grossly overpaid elsewhere. Badly constructed analogies aside, the day’s transfers have been pretty quiet so far, and the latest rumours are a mix of random hearsay and continuing sagas. Let’s kick things off with one from the latter category…
Frank Lampard to Inter Milan
The Deco signing looks like Chelsea’s way of showing Frank where to stick his long-term contract demands. Mourinho claims he is willing to wait until Lampard’s contract expires, but is he just forcing Chelsea’s hand?
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: The ball is in Inter’s court
Dimitar Berbatov to Man United
Ronaldo or no Ronaldo, a new striker appears to be at the top of United’s wishlist. Ferguson said he only envisages signing one player this summer - could Berbatov be his man?
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: It seems inevitable that he will leave, and where better to go?
Fernando Torres to Chelsea The Daily Star wanted a special story for the opening of the transfer window so made up discovered Abramovich would offer £85 million if Liverpool
Today’s alliterated movers and shakers in the world of soccerball
The papers believe Frank Lampard is one step closer to the European fashion capital because Jose Mourinho has taken five days off his holiday to broker the deal. Yes, that’s a full five days he’s missing from his year-long vacation, so you know he means business.
Cristiano Ronaldo latest
Sir Alex Ferguson’s threat to let Ronaldo rot in the reserves is threatened by a FIFA ruling allowing players to rip up their contracts if they don’t play in 10% of matches. We doubt Fergie will be too scared: he could just play him in the Community Shield, League Cup, a nothing Champions League group game and against Hull and Stoke.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Another stupid FIFA rule that will have little effect on the deal
Italian football to accept Adebayor defeat
AC Milan no longer believe they have a divine right to any Premier League player they want and will give up pursuit of Adebayor after Arsenal rejected an offer. Real Madrid may wish to take note. Dick Advocaat’s announcement that Andrei Arshavin will move to Spain or England won’t do much good for Italy’s ego either.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Kudos to Milan if true
Aaron Lennon to Newcastle
So let’s get this straight. After a massive losing streak, King Kev stumbled
