Sunday Stories

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger could be on his way out of Anfield after snubbing a new four-year contract worth £10million. (News of the World)

 

At least six Middlesbrough players, including Stewart Downing, Gary O'Neill, Afonso Alvez, Tuncay Sanli and Julio Arca, are ready to leave the Riverside Stadium if the club are relegated from the Premier League. (Mail on Sunday)

 

Tottenham are set to make an £8m summer move for Marseille striker Djibril Cisse, who is currently on loan at Sunderland. (News of the World)

 

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is also hoping to sign Chelsea's teenage midfielder Jack Cork for £2m. (News of the World)

 

The Football Association has sacked Wembley head groundsman Steve Welch as workmen began installing the seventh playing surface since the £757m stadium reopened two years ago. (Various)

 

Liverpool have held talks with the GMR group, billionaire owners of Indian Premier League cricket team Delhi Daredevils, that could lead to huge investment and an eventual buy-out. (News of the World)

 

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is ready to sell the club for just £120m if they are relegated from the Premier League. (News of the World)

 

Steve Coppell will end his 25-year managerial career by leaving Reading at the end of the season, regardless of whether they are promoted to the Premier League. (Mail on Sunday)

 

Watford manager Brendan Rogers is in line to take over from Coppell if Reading do not win promotion. (News of the World)

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the era of foreign players dominating the Premier League will soon be over because of the declining value of sterling and the imposition by last week's Budget of a 50% tax rate upon high earners. (Various)

 

Avram Grant has told friends the Portsmouth manager's position is his to turn down. (News of the World)

 

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson will be handed a contract extension and a £750,000 bonus for keeping the club up. (News of the World)

 

Roberto Mancini wants to succeed Mark Hughes as manager of Manchester City. (Daily Express)

 

Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe could be set for a return to the club, with Guernsey businessman Tom Scott, a former associate of Lowe, the front-runner to save the club in a £10m takeover. (Mail on Sunday)

 

A consortium with substantial financial backing are on the verge of taking over Southampton and want Alan Shearer as manager. (Sunday Express)

 

The Football Conference has been sounded out about the possibility of taking in Southampton should the club collapse during the close season. (The Non-League Paper)

 

The Italian Ministry of Interior are are considering asking for uniformed British police to patrol the streets of Rome if two English teams reach the Champions League final in May. (News of the World)

[biggs]

Freddie Shepherd ready to finance Shearer deal

 

Apr 26 2009 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

 

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FORMER Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is willing to help finance any attempt to keep Alan Shearer at St James’s Park next season.

 

Shepherd has been approached by several consortiums keen to buy all or part of United from current owner Mike Ashley.

 

As a Geordie still living and working on Tyneside, Shepherd is fearful for the Magpies’ future if they are relegated.

 

The long-time Newcastle supremo would be willing to re-invest some of the £37 million he banked from selling his stake in the club to Ashley if it would help prevent Shearer from leaving in the summer . . .

 

And United from sinking without trace in the Championship.

 

Shepherd told the Sunday Sun last night: “I am willing to do anything I can to help.”

 

I understand moves are afoot by at least one Geordie entrepreneur to bring together people with the financial clout to buy all or part of United from Ashley, and ensure Shearer stays on as manager next season – whichever division Newcastle are in.

 

Shepherd’s involvement would be essential if that group were to have any hope of taking the club forward in the long term.

 

Shepherd has previously said Ashley’s biggest blunder during his disastrous 22 months as Newcastle owner was his failure to appoint someone with experience of day-to-day operations at a Premier League club.

 

Although Shepherd’s own reign at St James’s Park is poorly regarded by some fans, Ashley’s regime – headed by former casino boss Derek Llambias – has overseen disaster at Gallowgate.

 

With Tyneside’s relegation panic extending beyond their huge fanbase, local civic leaders and heads of commerce who dread the knock-on effect of Newcastle going down would welcome Shepherd’s renewed involvement in the club.

 

Shearer himself is understood to be aware of a local group’s plans to get on board at St James’s Park, but is committing himself to nothing other than Newcastle’s survival battle.

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle may look to bring Roddy Macdonald to St James’s Park for a THIRD spell as club doctor.

 

Shearer confirmed controversial former Rangers doctor Ian McGuinness left the same post at Newcastle last week.

 

Macdonald is at Aston Villa, having left United in 2007, and is highly rated by Shearer and Michael Owen.

[Yorkie]

Convincing quote there.

[TRon]

 

...I understand moves are afoot by at least one Geordie entrepreneur to bring together people with the financial clout to buy all or part of United from Ashley, and ensure Shearer stays on as manager next season – whichever division Newcastle are in.

 

 

How much financial clout can they have if they can only buy Newcastle at a knockdown price?

[Dave]

This thread threatens to be really awesome.

[Liam Liam Liam O]

This thread threatens to be really awesome.

 

No it threatens to go the exact same way as all of the other ones.

[Guest Phil K]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

[Anon]

I understand moves are afoot

 

Someone's been taking lessons from anal.

[Guest LucaAltieri]

I rejoiced when we got rid of Fat Fred... I imagine most on here did.

 

I will rejoice when Ashley leaves, too.

 

Both of them are clowns. Both of them make the club look tin pot (Ashley with his spending and war with the fans, Fred with his gob and buy high, sell low transfer policy).

 

If Ashley does sell up then we need some fresh air, not simply go back to the old stench.

[TRon]

I rejoiced when we got rid of Fat Fred... I imagine most on here did.

 

I will rejoice when Ashley leaves, too.

 

Both of them are clowns. Both of them make the club look tin pot (Ashley with his spending and war with the fans, Fred with his gob and buy high, sell low transfer policy).

 

If Ashley does sell up then we need some fresh air, not simply go back to the old stench.

 

Ah yes....the old buy high sell low policy. How we forget...

[BottledDog]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

[Guest toonlass]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

[Guest LucaAltieri]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

 

Shepherd.

[Cronky]

I think we've learned by now that the inclusion of the word 'consortium' is a sure-fire indication that the story is bullshit.

[Minhosa]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Speak for yourself. I don't.

[Nobody]

I rejoiced when we got rid of Fat Fred... I imagine most on here did.

 

I will rejoice when Ashley leaves, too.

 

Both of them are clowns. Both of them make the club look tin pot (Ashley with his spending and war with the fans, Fred with his gob and buy high, sell low transfer policy).

 

If Ashley does sell up then we need some fresh air, not simply go back to the old stench.

Good post.

[S.S.R.]

Shepherd make a lot of money off the sale and hopes to get it back on the cheap.

 

Sitting there like a vulture and making out like he's a saviour.

[Raconteur]

Shepherd make a lot of money off the sale and hopes to get it back on the cheap.

 

Sitting there like a vulture and making out like he's a saviour.

 

Well, in the fat one's defence, he banked 37m from the sale and I don't think he can expect to pick up the club for that!

 

He's always felt like he was shafted over the sale, why wouldn't we expect him to sound like a jilted lover?

 

[Guest Phil K]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

 

In comparison to Ashley, YES - and I have heard many mention that they'd prefer Shepherd, yes.

In comparison to nearly anyone else, an emphatic NO

 

But would you want to continue with a man who gave the job to an ill man who couldn't get a job with Div 1 or Div 2 sides ?

[dustynrg]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Que? 

 

That would be like going back to your ex girlfriend/wife after she had taken all your money, your car  your Wii and the extra money you'd been hiding in a vase to pay for your season ticket.

[Tooj]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

 

In comparison to Ashley, YES - and I have heard many mention that they'd prefer Shepherd, yes.

In comparison to nearly anyone else, an emphatic NO

 

But would you want to continue with a man who gave the job to an ill man who couldn't get a job with Div 1 or Div 2 sides ?

 

Of course Glenn Roeder never happened.

[Fatwax]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

 

In comparison to Ashley, YES - and I have heard many mention that they'd prefer Shepherd, yes.

In comparison to nearly anyone else, an emphatic NO

 

But would you want to continue with a man who gave the job to an ill man who couldn't get a job with Div 1 or Div 2 sides ?

 

Of course Glenn Roeder never happened.

 

Slightly different though, Roeder would never have got the job full-time if he hadn't have somehow got us to finish 7th and beat the mackems 4-1. He was just a suitable caretaker manager who was already at the club and had given us a string of good results.

 

Kinnear offered nothing to validate his appointment a) in the first place b) and then until the end of the season and c) be supposedly offered a 2-3 year contract.

 

Both situations are farcical either way, but one of them at least had a skewered logic. I remember a few people at the time thinking we should have given Roeder a year long contract, but I just wrote them off as idiots.

 

 

 

[Tooj]

It shows how atrocious and disastrous Ashley and co have been that we long for the return of Shepherd

 

Long for the return of Shepherd?

 

Who is longing for the return of Shepherd?

 

In comparison to Ashley, YES - and I have heard many mention that they'd prefer Shepherd, yes.

In comparison to nearly anyone else, an emphatic NO

 

But would you want to continue with a man who gave the job to an ill man who couldn't get a job with Div 1 or Div 2 sides ?

 

Of course Glenn Roeder never happened.

 

Slightly different though, Roeder would never have got the job full-time if he hadn't have somehow got us to finish 7th and beat the mackems 4-1. He was just a suitable caretaker manager who was already at the club and had given us a string of good results.

 

Kinnear offered nothing to validate his appointment a) in the first place b) and then until the end of the season and c) be supposedly offered a 2-3 year contract.

 

Both situations are farcical either way, but one of them at least had a skewered logic. I remember a few people at the time thinking we should have given Roeder a year long contract, but I just wrote them off as idiots.

 

 

 

 

I was being facetious. 

[Fatwax]

[DubblyDubblyDubbly]

Terry unhappy with Hammers abuse 

 

Terry acknowledges Chelsea fans during Saturday's game

Chelsea skipper John Terry believes a section of West Ham fans went too far with abuse aimed towards himself and team-mate Frank Lampard at Upton Park.

 

A number of Hammers fans taunted the pair during Saturday's game as West Ham were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea.

 

The duo celebrated Salomon Kalou's winner in front of the home fans and objects were thrown in their direction.

 

Asked if he felt the West Ham fans had crossed the line, Terry said: "I think they did, personally."

 

Terry's family, who are West Ham fans, stayed away from the match after learning through the internet the 28-year-old would be targeted.

 

Hammers supporters have not forgotten that Terry spent five years with their academy before joining Chelsea as a 14-year-old, while Lampard joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2001 for £11m.

 

"I can take it, Lamps can take. It's a little bit more than that but I'm not going to give them a chance to say I'm whinging," added Terry.

 

When you get that stick you just want to prove them wrong and shut them up. I think we did that

 

John Terry

"When we scored, I went running over to Lamps and gave them a bit back. There's nothing wrong with that."

 

Referee Mike Dean spoke with Terry to ensure he did not incite home supporters, but the England skipper feels that players should be allowed to express their emotions more openly.

 

"If they can give they can take it, and if I can take it I can give it. That's the way it's got to be," said Terry.

 

"They have to expect a bit back. When they do get a bit back they all get the hump a little bit. But that is football. I'll take it the rest of my career and I'll certainly give a bit back in my career."

 

Terry insisted the abuse he had to contend with on Saturday made Chelsea's victory all the more enjoyable.

 

"Walking home with three points and them walking home with nothing, you can't buy that and they can't buy that," he said.

 

"As a player coming here, knowing you are going to get stick, I swear me and Lamps are so fired up before the game and determined.

 

"When you get that stick you just want to prove them wrong and shut them up. I think we did that."

 

 

Cockney fu**ing wan*er.