AHEAD OF THE GAME
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Friday, December 7, 2007. 1600 GMT
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The news in 60 seconds
FA DENIES MOURINHO TALKS
The FA has scotched rumours that Jose Mourinho flew into London to talk about the England job today. "We have got no plans to meet with Jose Mourinho today to discuss the England job," Adrian Bevington, the FA's media man, said. He didn't say anything about tomorrow, Sunday or next week, though.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article3016715.ece
AND ANOTHER NON-STORY
Bevington has been p***ing on a lot of bonfires today. Despite the best efforts of today's papers to fan the flames of discontent, he's poured cold water over reports that Brian Barwick and Sir Trevor Brooking had fallen out over the decision to appoint a foreign boss. Bevington says the two are working together professionally. Disappointing all round.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3016384.ece
FOOTBALL IN MELTDOWN
The PFA has called for action to repel the invasion of Jonny Foreigner after a report showed that there were lots of them in the Premier League. According to Meltdown, as the report is known, only 38 per cent of players in the top flight last season were English - down from 71 per cent in 1992-3. The PFA wants a minimum of three home-grown players in each team.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3017291.ece
NEVILLE SUFFERS SETBACK
Gary Neville, whose last appearance for Manchester United was so long ago that Tony Blair and Steve McClaren were both still in office, has suffered another injury setback. Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced it's not career-threatening and said it's just a little niggle.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3017492.ece
NO REST FOR TORRES
A policy change so dramatic it makes the cut in interest rates seem insignificant. The Bearded One appears to have abandoned his rotation policy by saying Fernando Torres won't be rested against Reading tomorrow, even though Liverpool face a must-win-or-we're-out-the-Champions-League match against Marseilles on Tuesday.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article3017610.ece
DROGBA DOUBT
Avram Grant admits that Didier Drogba, who is almost certain to miss Chelsea's match against Sunderland tomorrow, may need an operation on his troublesome knee. However, there is still a chance the forward could feature against Arsenal on Sunday week - and that he may not need surgery.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article3017661.ece
SAVAGE MUST WAIT
It's the pantomime season, so no surprises that Robbie Savage is itching to get back into the fray after three matches on the bench. Mark Hughes, the Blackburn Rovers manager, says the big bad wolf will have to wait a while before he can start huffing and puffing. "He is a little bit frustrated because he would have liked to go straight back into the side but at the moment he is just going to have to bide his time," Hughes said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/blackburn/article3017478.ece
POWER MAD OR NO-NONSENSE?
Unlike AOTG, which will be staying up to 4am before falling asleep in front of the television and waking up a few hours later with dribble running down its chin and lager spilt on the sofa, the Liverpool players will be tucked up in bed when Ricky Hatton takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr on Sunday morning. Rafa Benitez has banned his players from staying up late because of their crucial match with Marseilles.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article3013620.ece
O'NEILL FANCIES MOURINHO
Today's "Mourinho for England" story comes from Martin O'Neill. The Aston Villa manager is the latest big name - after The Sun , Sir Alex Ferguson, John Terry and everyone in the whole wide world apart from AOTG - to say that The Special One should get the job.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3013596.ece
UNITED KITTED OUT FOR ANNIVERSARY
AOTG is struggling to find a reason to be cynical about Manchester United's decision to wear a unique retro kit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. The kits will be worn in that match only, they will not bear sponsors' or manufacturers' logos and they will not be sold afterwards. The only thing we can hope is that they are being hand-woven by a poverty-stricken 8-year-old in a work house in South East Asia, but even that seems unlikely.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3013603.ece
PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM NEWS
Petr Cech is hopeful of returning for Chelsea after a calf injury, Nigel Reo-Coker returns to the Aston Villa fold, Paul Jewell is fretting after a flu bug threatened to weaken his already threadbare options at Derby County, while David Bentley is suspended for Blackburn. All the weekend team news.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article3015081.ece
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>>>>>FANTASY FOOTBALL WITH BRAINS<<<<<
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* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/playthegame
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If you've got another couple of minutes
WHAT HAS BARWICK BEEN DOING?
Just so we're clear on this, Brian Barwick has spent the past couple of weeks wracking his brain like a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, phoning his friends - 12 leading figures in the game at the last count - while we wait in a suspense-filled silence.
And all so that he could come up with a shortlist - which in time-honoured tradition has been leaked to the press - that is virtually the same as the one that AOTG came up with after spending ten minutes plucking names out of the air while chewing on the lid of a three-year old Bic biro straight after Steve McClaren had been sacked.
Indeed, the only difference between the two lists is that we added a couple of English names into the mix, just in case someone remembered that international football (the clue is in the name) was meant to be a competition between countries rather than a glorified Champions League.
Anyway, before we stumble off our wobbly soapbox like a drunk singing karaoke at the Christmas party ... the reason we used that dodgy simile about a quiz show is that, unlike Barwick, we asked the audience. More than 10,000 responded to the online poll, with 37 per cent backing Jose Mourinho, 16.5 per cent calling for Jurgen Klinsmann and 13.5 per cent clamouring for Fabio Capello. No one really wants Marcello Lippi (3 per cent) or Martin O'Neill (6 per cent).
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/11/who-should-be-e.html
So is this really a list of candidates? Because it sounds depressingly like our opinion poll. Just a list of names, who look good on paper. Because if Mourinho (or O'Neill or Klinsmann or Capello) don't want the job, they're not actually on the shortlist.
The more we think about it, the more it sounds like last time. And who did we end up with then?
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>>>>>THE TABLOID SCANDAL<<<<<
ROONEY PAYS FOR A JUMP - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) It's not what we thought, sadly. 2) Wayne Rooney has bought Coleen six parachuting lessons in a bid to win a bet with his wife-to-be. 3) So no visits to grannies, brothels or anything else that's dodgy. The closest to a scandal we can find in the story is that while Coleen will be showing her derring-do, Wayne will be stuck on the runway. 4) He claims it's got something to do with insurance issues, but then so would we.
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66
Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored that hat-trick in '66, will be 66 tomorrow.
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A quickie before you go, sir?
A BIRTHDAY PRESENT
In celebration of Sir Geoff Hurst's birthday, here's a little montage of that glorious day 41 years ago. A bit of jingo is no bad thing on a day when even our own players' association has been putting the boot into the English game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twYFgixkqJE
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In TheGame
How desperate are Fulham? That's the question Tom Dart asks as he looks at the club's increasingly frantic attempts to draw fans to Craven Cottage.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/12/fulhams-cottage.html
Football's best (and only) agony uncle, Tony Cascarino , answers your questions. From the ideal pre-match preparation to the best way to deal with prima donnas. http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/12/footballs-best.html
Keep up to date with Gabriele Marcotti and Guillem Balague's little squabble - and stir the broth if you so wish - on the blog for this week's TheGame Podcast .
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/12/on-the-road-and.html
In Fanzine Fanzone , James Henderson, our Sunderland man, on the perils of The Glass Spider - and why Keano is right to crack down on Anthony Stokes. Elsewhere, our Newcastle fan, Gareth Harrison, reports on the night St James' Park found its voice again, while our Man City laureate has been shooting the breeze with Sven. http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2007/12/slide-away.html
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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
* Zokora hit by missile as ugly scenes mar Spurs' progress - The Guardian
* Is this clever, Trevor? Barwick and Brooking at war over Curbishley plan - Daily Mail
* Sven taking the Michael: Eriksson set to go back in for Toon misfit Owen - Daily Express
* Mourinho jets in after FA talks to Capello over England post - The Independent
* Five men in Brian Barwick's sights as he closes in on a world-class manager (but no Englishmen) in the frame - The Daily Telegraph
* MELTDOWN: Leaked PFA report confirms we do have too many foreigners - The Sun
* JOIN ME: Sven winning battle to take Owen to City - Daily Mirror
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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox
Re yesterday's Arsene Wenger story - surely he would have been draped in St George's Flag rather than a Union Jack if he wanted to show how committed he is to the England cause? And while we're at it, God Save The Queen is the anthem for the United Kingdom and the bulldog is British...
Mark Fogg from Sheffield makes a fair point.
Leave Stevie G alone, I have it on the QT that he is hoping to qualify as one of our divers at the next Olympics. His dive in the recent Newcastle game to earn Nicky Butt a booking would have earned at least a 9 out of 10. At long last we could be bringing home some gold medals!.
Andy Horrocks , from Newcastle Upon Tyne, dives to our rescue.
Send your mail to: sport@timesonline.co.uk
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Tomorrow's news today
- Walcott finally coming of age
- The Fink Tank reports from the footballing laboratory
- Benitez feels the heat
And expect...
Rafa Benitez to be caught stealing TVs from his stars' home on Saturday night - but to deny that he was responsible for the hit on John Arne Riise's place a few weeks ago.
You can't spread the word at the moment, so it's not like pyramid selling at all. We're updating our registration system so no one else can sign up for a couple of weeks at least. Consider yourselves members of an exclusive club.
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