AHEAD OF THE GAME
Alpha mail. The only truly useful football e-mail
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Tuesday, November 13, 2007. 1600 BST
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The news in 60 seconds
SHOREY HIGH AND DRY
Nicky Shorey has admitted that he was "gutted" that Joleon Lescott was preferred to him at left back for England's qualifier against Russia. He says he doesn't understand why he was left out, but unlike AOTG dealing with its latest IT problem, he's not bitter about it. "It is just one of those things," the Reading player said unconvincingly.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2864372.ece
NEVILLE ON 'NO-WIN' SITUATION
Phil Neville is the latest England player to offer his support to Steve McClaren. Neville says the England head coach is in a no-win situation. "If you get a victory, the players get the plaudits," Neville said. "If you lose, the manager gets slaughtered."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2864325.ece
MEET THE ISRAELIS
That's not a film with Ben Stiller, but an opportunity to meet the team who carry England's hopes on their shoulders. We introduce the likes of Ben Sahar, the Chelsea player who is having a law named after him, Shimon Gershon, Israel's answer to Sol Campbell, and a goalkeeper who is better than Paul Robinson ... and we don't mean Scott Carson.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2859481.ece
THE COST OF FAILURE
Tony Cascarino on how the weight of a nation piles unbelievable pressure on England managers. If the team fail to reach the Euro 2008 finals, Steve McClaren won't be able to step outside his front door.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2859805.ece
BERBATOV'S WINNING SMILE
If only Dimitar Berbatov backtracked as quickly when he lost possession. The Sulky Spurs striker, whose languid performances have been the centre of attention after speculation about a move to Manchester United, says he is happy at Tottenham and that Juande Ramos is The Perfect One.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/tottenham/article2864470.ece
KITSON'S 'BLASPHEMY'
Arsenal are so good that they've even got a Tottenham fan singing their praises. Dave Kitson, the Reading forward, admits it's "blasphemy" to say it, but even though he supports Spurs he wants the Gunners to win the league. "You hope that a team who play as well as that win something, and that approach is justified because it is just magic," he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article2864474.ece
UNITED WARY OVER ROMA TRIP
Manchester United will give their fans until December 1 to decide if they want to pull out of the trip to watch the Champions League match away to Roma. Some supporters are fearful of travelling to the match because of the recent violence in Italy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article2863853.ece
JEWELL REJECTS WIGAN
Paul Jewell has ruled out the prospect of getting Wigan Athletic out of the hole he helped them to dig. Jewell doesn't say why he doesn't fancy a job that has less prospects than Steve McClaren, but the fact he put the squad together may help to explain his decision.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/wigan/article2862270.ece
RIDSDALE WARNING
Peter Ridsdale, the Cardiff City chairman, has as good as given manager Dave Jones his notice. The Fizzy-Pop Championship team are in twentieth position and Ridsdale says he will make a decision on Jones's future in the next 48 hours.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article2863022.ece
McLEISH'S BRAVEHEARTS
Alex McLeish has been banging drums, rattling sabres and generally bigging up the battle before Scotland's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy on Saturday. "It's a football match, 11 against 11, and I'm sure the Italian guys are as human as anybody else," he said. "If we can rattle them then it should be very interesting."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2863448.ece
GOLD WARNS YEUNG
David Gold, the Birmingham City, co-owner has given warning that he is losing faith in Carson Yeung's takeover. "There is a little over a month to go before the deadline for Mr Yeung to produce the funds he needs," Gold said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/birmingham/article2859545.ece
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>>>>>FANTASY FOOTBALL WITH BRAINS<<<<<
* Register today for PlayTheGame, more emotional than The Bulgarian Sulk
* It's free and you can still enter
* Win monthly prizes and tickets to the Euro 2008 final
* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/playthegame
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If you've got another couple of minutes
COMPUTER SAYS YES
It may seem more insane than Jungle Janice on I'm Nearly A Celebrity, but the sheepskin coat is about to be replaced by anoraks with internet connections. Post-match rants at referees will be ditched in favour of whinges about dodgy ISDN lines while sloppy second-line support will now carry the can for dodgy defending. Ebbsfleet United, the Blue Square Premier club, have agreed to a takeover by MyFootballClub - the online project that will let fans pick the team for the princely sum of £35 a year (something that Roman Abramovich paid several hundred million and still couldn't do).
Still, even if the idea is more controversial than 24-hour drinking, it has at least one advocate. "Picking 11 players and formations isn't a precise science and luck often plays its part," Liam Daish, the Ebbsfleet ISDN manager, said as 20,000 cursors hovered above the Sack The Manager button. Bet he didn't say that at his job interview.
Unsurprisingly, those whose jobs don't depend on the project's success are not quite as excited by the possibility. David Sullivan, the Birmingham City co-owner, for one. "I look forward to the experiment but I think it will be an utter disaster, although I could be very wrong," Sullivan said. But then what does he know? He pays Steve Bruce £1.6 million a year to do a job that 20,000 fans have already paid for the privilege of doing. And AOTG bets they wouldn't spend £4.25 million on Clinton Morrison.
Anyway, it throws up some other interesting possibilities, not the least of which is the thought that the post-match presser could degenerate into an edition of Little Britain. "Why didn't you bring on A Defender at half-time, Liam?" "Computer says no." "And are you going to reinforce during the transfer window, boss?" "Computer says no."
Here are a couple of other interesting situations that could arise. A virus - or even worse, Gillingham fans - gets into the system and deliberately sabotages team selection. After all, £35 is a small price to pay to see your neighbours relegated.
Alternatively, the fans sack Daish and the manager takes them to an employment tribunal. His defence? They picked the team, he only did what he was told. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2862403.ece
THEGAME PODCAST
Joey Barton's challenge on Dickson Etuhu may have been brutal, but it's nothing compared to the skirmish that breaks out on the podcast after Tony Cascarino breaks ranks to defend the Newcastle United player's over-the-top challenge. He thinks the game is going soft if a couple of grown men can't kick each other in the nether regions. It's the first of a number of robust 50/50 challenges as the team debate the weekend's hottest talking points: should Big Sam be given his marching orders for claiming he needs five years to turn it around on Tyneside, is Juande Ramos speaking out of turn at Spurs and is Steve Bruce, well, just having another whinge?
The week's stardust comes from Gerard Pique, Manchester United's latest prodigy, as he tells Guillem Balague about Wayne Rooney's goalkeeping, Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance and making the grade at Old Trafford. Gabriele Marcotti leads the debate as well as providing his informed insight into the weekend's tragic events in Italy.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/audio_video/podcasts/thegame/article2840439.ece
NOLAN'S EXTRA BAGGAGE
On a more frivolous note, Bolton Wanderers are third from bottom and deep in a relegation battle, but the players still found time to do a spot of shopping during last week's trip to Munich. The players turned up for their flight home loaded with designer bags such as Gucci, Prada, Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. Kevin Nolan, who forgot his passport on the way out, at least remembered his credit cards. You would have thought he had had enough of carrying overpriced foreign accessories on recent away trips, but he had enough bags to put a WAG to shame.
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1,001
Number of Premier League goals scored by Arsenal after last night's victory away to Reading.
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A quickie before you go, sir?
CONCRETE FOOTBALL
It's a mean practical joke, but funny. A succession of kids tumble as elegantly as Kate Garraway in Strictly Come Dancing as they attempt to kick what appears to be a concrete football.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/911249/very_funny_concrete_football
LIVE PREMIER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS
Emmanuel Adebayor scores a classic Arsenal goal on the counterattack against Reading last night before Marcus Hahnemann is left groping at thin air after tricksy Alexander Hleb pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Highlights from last night and all the weekend's Premier League matches, free of charge.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article2236741.ece
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>>>>>THE TABLOID SCANDAL<<<<<
ANTON IN 'ASSAULT AT CLUB' - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) West Ham ace Anton Ferdinand hit a defenceless man in a brawl outside a club, a court heard yesterday. 2) CCTV allegedly showed the England Under-21 defender punching Emile Walker. 3) Ferdinand, 22, claimed he feared Mr Walker and his friends were about to mug him for his £64,000 watch outside Faces nightclub in Ilford, East London, last October. 3) Rio sat in the court as his brother Anton denied affray.
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In TheGame
Just because Yossi Benayoun isn't prepared to risk his long-term health to support England's cause to qualify for Euro 2008, it doesn't mean we shouldn't get behind Israel. After all, the nation's hopes of reaching Austria and Switzerland hang by a thread as slender as Peter Crouch. We've been dusting down our beginners' guides to Hebrew, flying the flag of David and asking you to send your messages of support before their match against Russia in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Join in with the banter .
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/11/honorary-israel.html
After Joey Barton got let off by an FA loophole, our Sunderland man suggests commissioning a reality TV show in which refereeing hopefuls are attacked with lengths of two-by-four and advertising for the next England Manager in the Agent Provocateur catalogue. It sounds surreal, but he says it's the only way the FA could embarrass itself more.
Elsewhere in Fanzine Fanzone , we're not even a third of the way through the season and our Derby County man is getting tired of the weekly ridicule being hurled at his club. He talks about the pain - and asks whether the chairman has thought of giving Paul Jewell a ring. Surely things aren't that bad, are they?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/
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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
* Clubs force Platini into climbdown - The Daily Telegraph
* Elegant Arsenal display peak form to reclaim the summit - The Independent
* Flamini sets Arsenal strolling back to the top - The Guardian
* Just grand for Wenger - Daily Express
* Ain't life grand for Arsenal - Daily Mirror
* We're top Guns: Adebayor's goal makes it 1,000 - Daily Mail
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Tomorrow's news today
- Some good news! Croatia face striker crisis
- Ronaldo says he'd stitch up England again
- Martin Samuel gives his two-word answer to England's problems
And expect...
David Walliams to apply for the job as manager of Ebbsfleet ISDN
Spread the word. It's like pyramid selling but without the hassle. Click on the following link if you (or your friends) want to subscribe to this newsletter:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2187217.ece
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