The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Rio Ferdinand to Tottenham
On Tuesday, only 42% of thespoiler readers disagreed with the sentiment that Rio was finished. For now, Sir Alex is in that minority, although if Ferdinand were to have another couple of iffy matches,he may quickly dust off his ruthless side and bring in Jonny Evans. Needing to play first-team football ahead of the Coupe du Monde, could Rio return to Uncle Harry, and join the White Hart Lane circus?
Thespoiler truth-ometer: GivenDaniel Levy’s reluctance on deadline day to give Harry any cash to sign David James, he surely wouldn’t shell out the huge fee that signing Rio would demand. Ferdinand also seems to be one of those players who love playing for Manchester United. The step down may not appeal to his ego, or the Rio brand.
Jack Rodwell to Manchester United
Despite only making 27 appearances for Everton, Rodwell has been hailed by many pundits as the, ‘next Rio Ferdinand.’ Which is handy for Sir Alex given the form of the old one.
Thespoiler truth-ometer: Although United did sign Rooney from Everton as a youngster, he had played almost three times the matches of Rodwell. Plus, with his development faring so well at Goodison, why go to United?
Federico Macheda to Middlesbrough Since that goal, Macheda has somewhat withdrawn from the scene, with Sir Alex preferring to go with immobility in the form of Berbatov and insecurity in the form of Michael Owen. Is a loan move to Middlesbrough what Macheda needs to get back up and running?
Thespoiler truth-ometer: Macheda was one of the names on Gordon Strachan’s leaked list earlier in the week, and one would expect him to score goals in the Championship. With Jeremie Aliadiere out injured, Boro’s need for a centre-forward has become even more pressing, but the relationship between Strachan and Fergie has never been the best, with wee Gordon even accusing Manchester United of deliberately losing a match at home to Derby in 2001, to help put his Coventry side down. Favours may not be forthcoming.
Ah, isn’t Roberto Martinez a breath of fresh air? Having given an interview in which he complained that everyone in England is running scared of Sir Alex Ferguson, Martinez today boldly stuck to his guns, whipped off his trousers and thrust out his groin in Fergie’s direction denied ever making those comments and scampered away to look for a tree to hide behind.
To read the original interview with the AS newspaper (in Spanish), click here. Meanwhile thespoiler’s Spanish expert has painstakingly translated the entire interview and can confirm the following quotes:
“He (Ferguson) has spent his whole life here and that has weight. Recently he was penalised for saying that a referee wasn’t fit enough and the truth is that they have almost ended up saying sorry to him for fining him. Another person would have been pounded.
Ferguson also has his group of loyal fans among other managers. Steve Bruce, who was his player; Sam Allardyce, who thinks he will be successor at Old Trafford, and others. On the opposite side Benitez is alone and thus gets stick from all sides.”
On their way to winning the Worthington Cup, consider this 4th round tie the coming of age party for Martin O’Neill’s Leicester City. Whacking a strong United side including Keane, Scholes, Cryuff and Poborsky (the latter of whom cost more than the entire Leicester first XI), was typical of O’Neill’s disregard for bigger clubs, and in his time as manager, Leicester won at Anfield three times in a row as well as securing famous victories at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge.
Steve Claridge’s brilliant first was added to by 18 year old Emile Heskey (whatever happened to him) 13 minutes from time, with a Paul Scholes missed penalty in between. United scored three times in the last fifteen minutes to win the league match a week later, but Leicester recovered to finish the season in 9th.
Bolton Wanderers 6 Tottenham Hotspur 1
27/11/1996
Another stunning result on the same night, as First Division leaders Bolton trounced Premier League comedians Tottenham Hotspur. Super John McGinlay bagged a hat-trick, and further goals from Gerry Taggart, Nathan Blake and Scott Taylor were answered to only by a Teddy Sheringham freekick.
Even back then it was customary for sides to rest players for the League Cup, yet incredibly it was Bolton who had left their three key players on the bench. Less incredibly, Gerry Francis was out of work 12 months later, his huge mullet following him out the door a few days later.
Arsenal 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
2/12/2003
The night Cesc Fabregas, at the age of 16, entered the record books as the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal’s history, as the next generation of Wenger starlets battered fellow Premier Leaguers Wolves, in a devastating display of attacking power. Whilst the first team were proving to be literally unbeatable that season, Wenger was showing that the future was pretty bright too
Interestingly, only Cesc and Gael Clichy have survived to the Arsenal first team, whilst MOTM Jerome Aliadiere is currently plying his trade in the Championship
1. Michael Owen should never have signed for Manchester United:
Look at the company he was keeping last night; Obertan, Macaheda, Wellbeck - all clearly reserve players. And this is the category Owen now falls into at United. Ignored when the big games come around, his chances to impress now only arrive in insignificant matches, so the clamour for Capello to pick him is no less ludicrous than expecting Marcello Lippi to give Macheda a call.
Had Owen swallowed his pride and signed for a lesser club, he might be seeing some action in the Premier League, in the process testing himself against international-calibre defenders. When he fails to make Fabio’s 23 in June, he has his own pride to blame.
2. Goalkeepers should stop guessing in shoot-outs:
Following his heroics in the Peace Cup Final penalty shoot-out in the summer, a friend of thespoiler went to interview Brad Guzan to suss out his penalty-saving secrets. Guzan revealed that he has never understood why many keepers merely guess where the penalty is going, and hurl themselves in that direction before the kicker makes contact with the ball. His own preference was to wait, and rely on natural reaction to make it in time.
This worked to extraordinary effect, saving four penalties, bringing to mind Mark Bosnich’s awesome performance against Sunderland in the same competition 16 years ago. So is Guzan right? Are keepers bottling it at shoot-outs?
3. Michael Laudrup is spending today sitting by the phone:
For those who didn’t get their copy of Marca delivered this morning, Real Madrid got soaked 4-0 by 3rd division Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey last night. Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini described himself as, “very embarrassed”, although “very sacked” may soon prove more appropriate.
A full eight weeks after this fixture was first played, Aston Villa finally booked their place in the quarter finals of the inaugural League Cup, scoring five times against their lower league opposition. Villa of course were the competition’s first winners, beating Rotherham United in the final.
The first attempt had ended 3-3 at Villa Park, whilst the first replay at Home Park ended goalless. Thespoiler happily admits it pines for the days of the endless replay, a terrific addition to the cold, winter nights. Police - make it happen!
Coventry City 5 Nottingham Forest 4
28/11/90
Having won the previous two installments of the League Cup, Forest arrived at Highfield Road confident of protecting a 22 match unbeaten run in the competition. Terry Butcher’s Coventry were doing what Coventry always did back then - they were just outside the relegation zone.
Forest had beaten Cov in the 1990 Littlewoods Cup semi, and the Sky Blues came out looking keen to take revenge. Very keen in fact. A Kevin Gallacher hat-trick and a goal from Steve Livingstone (watch out for a dreadful blooper from Stuart Pearce in the build up,) put them 4-0 up after just 35 minutes.
Half-time arrived with the score incredibly at 4-3, after two from Nigel Clough and a scrappy Gary Crosby goal put Forest within distance of forcing a replay. Garry Parker soon made it 4-4 after the break, with a typical Parker screamer. Yet it was to be Coventry who had the last laugh as Livingstone scored again, 25 minutes from time.
Post-match, Brian Clough was as quotable as ever, remarking:
“Fingers crossed, I’m still in work. But blow me, after that defensive performance, our chairman would have every right to think about giving me the sack.”
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 6
28/11/90
Having taken part in a 21 man brawl a month earlier, the tie of the round between Arsenal and Manchester United, promised a real treat. And we weren’t disappointed.
On the greatest ever night of League Cup action (Villa and Middlesbrough also shared five goals in a thriller), a new star was born at Highbury. 19 yr old Lee Sharpe’s hat-trick (including a sublime first) and goals from Blackmore, Hughes and the awesome Danny Wallace (after a wonderful touch from Sharpe,) served notice of the type of football United would spend the next 18 years playing. Within 20 months, they were Champions.
Arsenal would go on to win the league that season, conceding just 18 all season and losing just one under the raised arms of George Graham, yet having disposed of Liverpool in the previous round, United now accounted for the other best team in the land, in the days when the League Cup was still a competition for first XIs.
As well as a breakthrough for Sharpe, that evening’s ITV highlights also proved a breakthrough for Clive Tyldesley, at that time a third choice commentator behind Brian Moore and Alan Parry. But the dramatic nature of events at Highbury meant the nation stayed up to hear Clive call the goals. He too never looked back, and his slight Utd bias to this day perhaps dates back to this match.
United lost in the final that season, whilst Sharpe later revealed in his book that Fergie still gave him the hairdryer treatment in training the next day, for giving an unauthorised post-match interview to the newspapers.
Above, a memorable evening at Oakwell over a decade ago, but Barnsley’s task may be slightly easier tonight for the absence of Schmeichel, Beckham, Cole, Sheringham et al. Sky Sports 2 at 7:45 is the place to be if you want to see Championship strikers humiliating Rio.
Elsewhere, the U17 World Cup continues where the U20 left off last week - in a vapour of anonymity. It’s Argentina v Germany at 3pm, before Brazil and Mexico are allowed to stay up a bit past their bedtime, to entertain us at 6pm. All the fun on Eurosport 2. There’s a Eurosport 2?
More informative than being told Peter Crouch has a good touch for such a big man
1. All hail Thomas Vermalen:
Let’s not bother actually. He may have scored four goals already, but Arsenal have never conceded more than eleven goals in their first nine Premier League goals. Until now - they’ve shipped thirteen this season already.
2. Referees favour Manchester United:
Which would be why they are the only club in the league to have received more than one red card this season.
3. Aston Villa are such a threat on the break.
Only a threat to those sitting behind the goal. Villa have had the least shots on target of any Premier League club this season.
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