Spurs fans have a good reason to boycott social networking site

In addition to owning nearly 30 per cent of Arsenal football club, lovable Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov owns a chunk of Facebook. Digital Sky Technologies (DST) - a company in which the rotund ex-con* has a 32 per cent share - have already invested $200m into the popular social networking site, and are looking to strengthen their grip:

[A further investment] will give DST 1.54 percent more of Facebook, for a total of 3.5 percent of the company. That makes DST-based in London and Moscow-one of the bigger Facebook investors, with a stake larger than one owned by Microsoft (MSFT).

Tottenham fans who like to spend half their day updating banal statuses and stalking ex girlfriends should bear this in mind: each time you log on to Facebook, you are helping to line the pockets of the man who owns your biggest rivals.

*Usmanov has been known to crush websites that make reference to his incredibly shady past, so you’ll have to do your own research on that one.

Sportswear mogul kicks fellow sportswear mogul while he is down

Currently two points adrift in the relegation zone and with only one league win since December, it’s certainly raining shit on Newcastle at the moment. To make matters worse, Wigan owner Dave Whelan has squinted down at the Magpies from up in seventh place to lay into Mike Ashley, a man who has actively tried (and failed) to part ways with his club.

Whelan’s criticisms do not seem to be directed at his business acumen, football nous or anything else relatively constructive. Instead, he focuses on the disgusting shame Ashley has brought on the entire north east by failing to wear a suit in the boardroom. Casual clothing in a professional environment? It makes us sick just thinking about it:

“When I first went there just after Mike Ashley had bought it he turned up in the boardroom in a pair of jeans, a pair of trainers and a replica shirt.

“Immediately he did that, the club’s gone.

“You don’t do things like that in football. He’s got no class whatsoever.

“He’s representing Newcastle United who were such a proud club.

Joe Kinnear given contract until end of season

Former Wimbledon and Notts Forest manager Joe Kinnear was only supposed to be staying at St James’ Park for one month, while Mike Ashley found a willing buyer for Newcastle Utd.

Today it has been announced that Kinnear is to stay on as manager until the end of the season, implying one of two scenarios has occurred: either the Irishman has demanded more job security and denied potential new owners the chance to start with a clean slate, or Mike Ashley is set to stay at the club for a lot longer than he expected.

Given the very chilly economic winter of discontent we are currently experiencing, it looks like the patrirarch of the cockney mafia will be sticking around…

Spoiler bonus: Think Joe can help Newcastle beat the drop? Play our interactive relegation predictor to find out!

Joe Kinnear still ‘keeping the seat warm’ for Geordie Messiah

Press reports today are saying that Kevin Keegan has met with three separate consortiums (consortia?) bidding to take Newcastle Utd away from the evil cockney mafia, all of whom are interested in re-installing him as boss.

A South African group are waiting to have £280m in staged payments accepted, while the Nigerians have offered to put £200m upfront. There is also a third unnamed consortium, who could possibly be the group of Brits currently sniffing around White Hart Lane.

A completely made-up source friend of Keegan’s told The Sun:

“Kevin’s return as manager is a key issue for some of the bidders.

“They want Kevin to be back in charge otherwise they might not continue their interest.”

KK’s return to St James’ Park might not be as smooth as the report suggests, however, as he will not drop the ongoing £8m constructive dismissal battle with the club.

Wigan owner makes humble appraisal of manager

Wigan owner Dave Whelan last night showed he isn’t afraid of beating a man when he is down, by taking a pop at sports retailer arch nemesis Mike Ashley:

“He is a very good retailer, but at managing a football club, no. Especially with him being a Tottenham supporter and then going up to Newcastle, a club that is a different kettle of fish to most in the land.”

He went on to heap praise on Wigan gaffer Steve Bruce, who is currently fifth favourite to take the reins at St James Park. Whelan said he would support Bruce in any career decision, but alluded to the man from the north east being destined for bigger things than the Magpies:

“One day he will get a big-four job - I realise that, and I think the whole country realises he is one of the best four managers in the world.”

Does the whole country realise that? Yes, he helped Birmingham get promoted twice and kept Wigan away from the danger zone last season, but does he deserve to sit among the Mourinhos and Fergusons of the game?

If you have any thoughts on Whelan’s comments, or know who take up the other three spots in the top managers list, let us know with a comment below.

Shinawatra’s best friend didn’t get the memo

Just a few days ago, City executive chairman Garry Cook was boasting about how Manchester City will be more popular than Coca-Cola around the world, thanks to the ten year plan of a disgraced former Thai Prime Minister. He also assured us that the Citizens were financially stable and uninterested in attracting additional investors:

“I was in Beijing last week,” began Cook, “sitting with [Thaksin Shinawatra] and the second richest man in China and other guys. They all want to be part of Manchester City. I’ve had representatives of companies from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait on. Some of those representatives have actually phoned the supporters’ club because they couldn’t find the club number. So I get the supporters’ club secretary saying to me, ‘So the club is for sale, then, because I’ve got Anwar on the phone from Saudi Arabia?’ This club is not for sale.”

The man who wants a break-away league of 10-14 clubs obviously wasn’t kept in the loop on this one…

[Quote: The Guardian]

And the biggest transfer deal of the day is…

Things start looking good for Manchester City on the pitch, but there’s a right old kerfuffle going on behind the scenes at eastlands. According to Sky Sports, Thaksin Shinawatra agreed a deal last night to sell the club to the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development.

Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, the chief executive of Hydra Properties, will represent the new owners on the board:

“We will release details later, but this is a great event for both the club and Abu Dhabi. Our goal is very simple - to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League, and to begin with, to finish in the top four this season.”

So, just months after Shinawatra sacked Sven Goran Eriksson for failing to meet his ridiculous expectations, along comes a new owner with even tougher targets. Is this good news for Manchester City? Will Garry Cook continue to defend his favourite disgraced Thai? Let us know with a comment below.

Former Thai PM has a semi-ironic educational past

Thaksin Shinawatra (the gentleman who broke the terms of his bail by attending the Olympics, and who is seeking in asylum in Britain in order to escape the arrest warrant issued by the Thailand Supreme Court) is often referred to as ‘Dr Thaksin Shinawatra’. This is because he received a doctorate from the Sam Houston State University in Texas in 1978. The subject of said doctorate and also his masters degree? Criminal Justice.