Ahead of the Game: Capello Assures FA Over Tax Probe

AHEAD OF THE GAME

Alpha mail. The only truly useful football e-mail

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008. 1600 GMT
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The news in 60 seconds

CAPELLO ASSURES FA OVER TAX PROBE
Controversy continues to stalk England managers with the kind of relentless dedication the paparazzi normally reserves for Britney. Fewer than ten days since starting his new job, Fabio Capello has become the latest in a long line of England bosses to have his name put through the ringer. His tax affairs are being investigated, although he's reassured the FA that it's nothing to worry about.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3196373.ece

BLACKWELL SHOWN THE DOOR
If AOTG had used yesterday's e-mail to launch a diatribe against its employers - and it has no reason to do so, for they are the most blessed and benevolent benefactors in the ether - we wouldn't expect to be sitting here typing today. Sadly, the same thing applies to Kevin Blackwell, the Luton Town manager, who has had his contract terminated by the club's administrators after criticising their management of the club.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article3197154.ece

STORRIE HITS BACK AT SOL
Peter Storrie has launched an attack so stunning that it probably breaches Sol Campbell's human rights. The Portsmouth chief executive has hit back at criticism of the club's transfer record. "How can someone like Sol go around and keep saying these things?" Storrie asked. "We are one of the top spenders in the Premier League. We are puzzled as to why he keeps making these statements and comments." He should be used to it by now.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article3198545.ece

FA TO HONOUR MUNICH VICTIMS
The FA has denied reports that it has cancelled plans for a minute's silence before Ingerrlund's friendly with Switzerland in honour of the victims of the Munich air crash. It had been suggested the governing body was scared that fans could not be trusted to go 60 seconds without hurling abuse at someone.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3198280.ece

BORO'S ALVES WRANGLE
We've no idea whether Afonso Alves is worth all the hassle, but the fact he's playing in the Dutch league and is considering a move to Middlesbrough suggests he isn't. Nevertheless, the Teesside club face a legal wrangle after AZ Alkmaar claimed he had signed a pre-contract agreement with them.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/middlesbrough/article3198574.ece

SHEARER WANTS NEWCASTLE JOB
"If they want ... someone with experience then I'm not that man," Alan Shearer said today, revealing that he's been told he won't be the next Newcastle United manager. He went on to say some other stuff about why he thinks he can do the job, but as far as we're concerned, that quote just about covers it.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3195172.ece

DESCHAMPS THE FAVOURITE
Newcastle have been in contact with Didier Deschamps, a man whose managerial CV makes Big Sam look like Sir Alex, about taking over at St James' Park. Still, a player dubbed The Water Carrier for his ability to do the unglamorous tasks should be right at home with a squad of undiluted mediocrity. Harsh? Perhaps.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3193298.ece

HICKSVILLE, MERSEYSIDE
"Liverpool's lurch from champions of Europe to Hicksville, USA, is another chapter in the book called 'How Not to Run a Football Club', which started off as a slender paperback but must now stretch to the size of a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica." Martin Samuel explains how Liverpool's American owners have got it wrong. Again.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article3193659.ece

BRAZEN BILIC
Slaven Bilic earns only £45,000 a year. Admittedly, that's more than nurses, teachers, firemen and AOTG - but it wouldn't cover Fabio Capello's designer glasses or one of Rio Ferdinand's parties. The Croatia manager explains why it is worth working "almost for free" just to ruin English summers. The good news is he may already have jumped ship for a pay rise before England next meet Croatia.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3193305.ece

FA CUP TEAM NEWS
Nicky Butt and Alan Smith are suspended, so Nigel Pearson, the Newcastle caretaker-manager, won't have to worry about which one (both?) to drop for tonight's FA Cup third-round replay against Stoke City. Julien Faubert could start for West Ham United against Manchester City.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3186344.ece

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If you've got another couple of minutes

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HOULLIER?
Liverpool fans were out in force at Anfield last night, waving anti-American banners with the self-satisfied justification of Amnesty International demonstrators at a Stop The War demo in Trafalgar Square.
As if it's not bad enough that the Yanks come over here with their ideas about profit and money, now they want to sack Rafael Benitez, the man who took the club from the depths of fourth in the league to the nose-bleeding, vertigo-causing heights of three places off the top. Have they got no ambition? How dare they undermine a man who can achieve such spell-binding statistical consistency despite spending the GDP of a small Eastern European country?
Meanwhile, Newcastle fans are up in arms after the club - previous managers Big Sam, Glenn Roeder, Graeme Souness - were linked with a former France manager whose previous team (Lyons) won back-to-back league titles. Before that, he had taken an underachieving club on Merseyside to victory in the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. He even turned them into Premier League challengers, albeit for one season only.
Anyway ... Gerard Houllier lost his job, in the end, because like Rafa, he failed to close the gap with the top two. So why is it that everyone loves Rafa and yet ridicules Houllier? Admittedly, Benitez has won the European Cup, which is no small feat (or small fluke, depending on how you look at a team that finished fifth in the league that season but came from 3-0 down in the final to win on penalties against palpably superior opposition).
Indeed, for every criticism of Houllier, Benitez receives praise for the same thing. The Frenchman is dismissed as the man who masterminded the Mickey Mouse Treble; the Bearded One is lauded as the most discerning tactician since Rommel - because he won a cup competition. Houllier is mocked as that bloke with the dodgy ticker who sent pulses racing with all those duff French players like Bruno Cheyrou and Anthony Le Tallec; Benitez is revered as the bloke with the dodgy beard who signed Josemi, Antonio Nunez, Mark Gonzalez and Andriy Voronin.
So we thought we'd try something controversial and judge the two managers by their results. Just for good measure, we thought we'd include Liverpool's league positions under Roy Evans, too.

Rafa Benitez
2008 (so far): fourth - 12 points off the top
2007 - third - 21 points off top
2006 - third - 9 points off top
2005 - fifth - 37 points off top

Gerard Houllier
2004 - fourth - 30 points off top
2003 - fifth - 19 points off top
2002 - second - 7 points off top
2001 - third - 11 points off top
2000 - fourth - 24 points off top

Houllier and Roy Evans
1999 - seventh - 25 points off the top

Evans
1998 - third - 13 points off top
1997 - fourth - 7 points off top
1996 - third - 11 points off top
1995 - fourth - 15 points off top.

Aside from proving that AOTG has nothing to do during the long dark January evenings except surf soccerbase, what do these statistics prove? For a start, that Tom Hicks (and Mike Ashley) could do worse than sound out Roy Evans - because he got closer to breaking into the big two than either of his much-vaunted successors.

SAMUEL'S DEBATE
Martin Samuel went in studs first on two-footed tackles in this week's Debate and our Chief Football Correspondent wants to know whether the Premier League is bringing out the worst from its imported talents. Unsurprisingly, John Obi Mikel is not the only one to see red over the issue - although Samuel is dangerously close to diplomatic as he replies to your comments.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/01/the-debate-ma-1.html

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>>>>>THE TABLOID SCANDAL<<<<<
Ron: I love tarts - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Cristiano Ronaldo admits he's hooked on tarts ... the edible variety, of course. 2) The Manchester United winker - who allegedly invited five hookers back to his Cheshire mansion for "an orgy" last year - loves tucking into the treats on his way home from training. 3) "I like the English cake shop - with the cream cakes," he said. "I must confess that sometimes, after a tough session of training I weaken and have something that is very bad for me." 4) And we thought the diving so-and-so was more partial to a roll or two.
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A quickie before you go, sir?

PERFECT PATO
Alexandre Pato, the latest South American sensation, scoring for AC Milan on his debut. He signed in August last year but hadn't been seen until Sunday. Let's hope he hasn't spent all six months working on that celebration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORfOd4v_WEE

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500
It was almost forgotten among last night's banners at Anfield. Jamie Carragher made his 500th appearance for the club.
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In TheGame

In Fanzine Fanzone , our Chelsea man asks what it takes to be a flop if Steve Sidwell, Lassana Diarra and Tal Ben Haim can all claims to be stars. Maybe Mateja Kezman?
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/
Gabriele Marcotti and Guillem Balague are poised like Michael Owen in the six-yard box, ready to pounce on your comments about TheGame Podcast . Have your say on Alex McLeish, Big Sam and the Africa Cup of Nations.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/01/rapping-with--1.html
Is it time for Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to disappear like a bungalow in a West Country flood plain? The Americans have undermined their manager, the foundations for the new stadium are sinking into the ground and the fans are fed up with bailing the club out every other day. Have your say on the water torture.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/01/rapping-with--1.html

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>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
* Deschamps' Newcastle ambition - The Daily Telegraph
* High fives for Benitez - The Independent
* Look who's talking: Houllier in frame with Keegan ... but Shearer ruled out - Daily Express
* That's for you, Rafa: Cup spree is ideal response - Daily Mail
* Shearer: Toon want experience. I respect that but ... I could do it! - The Sun
* Benitez plays it straight after Gerrard hat-trick - The Guardian
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The transfer wrap

Fred will meet Tottenham Hotspur today to discuss a move from Lyons. The Brazilian forward has already had advanced talks with Paris Saint Germain, with reports in the French media claiming the club are confident of signing him. (L'Equipe )
Middlesbrough have joined the pursuit of Matt Taylor and are prepared to meet Portsmouth's £4.5 million valuation. Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, will offer Gary O'Neil in part-exchange. (Daily Mail )
Monaco are planning a £3 million bid for Fabio Rochemback, of Middlesbrough, and are monitoring Mohamed Sissoko's situation at Liverpool. Middlesbrough are targeting Afonso Alves, of Heerenveen, and Motherwell's Ross McCormack. (Daily Mail )
Manchester City have been linked with a £12 million bid for Lukas Podolski, the Bayern Munich forward. Podolski has been dropped from the Bayern first team. (Daily Mail )
Alex McLeish, the Birmingham City manager, will try to sign Ludovic Magnin, the Stuttgart left back, if he fails with a third bid for David Murphy of Hibernian. (Daily Mail )
Didier Drogba has confirmed that he wants to team up with Samuel Eto'o at Barcelona. The Chelsea forward has threatened to quit the club in the summer. (The Sun )
Wigan Athletic have rejected a £3 million bid from Fulham for Paul Scharner, the Austria defender. Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, is considering bids for Maynor Figueroa, the Honduran left back, and Erik Edman, the Swedish left back. (The Sun )
Steven Sidwell will turn down a loan move from Chelsea to Sunderland. The midfielder could still joined Everton or Portsmouth. (The Sun )
Jason Roberts has become a £3 million target for Bolton Wanderers. Roberts has slipped to third in the pecking order of Blackburn Rovers forwards. (Daily Mirror )
Alan Pardew, the Charlton Athletic manager, has had a £1 million-plus offer for Andy Gray turned down by Burnley. Ipswich are preparing a player-plus-cash bid and are ready to improve their £600,000 offer for Gareth McAuley, Leicester City's unsettled centre half. (Daily Mirror )

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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox

Re: Andy Neil's suggestion... no, players are not motivated by the thought of medals. In general (and it is a broad generalisation - there are exceptions), they are motivated by money. How about trying the reverse? Clubs can get as many winners medals as they want, but can only pay the 20 most deserving players. This would stop money-grabbing players signing for clubs, just so they can sit on the bench and pick up their pay packet at the end of each month. Albert Luque anyone?
We like the cut of Ben Graham' s jib.

Am I the only one who's had enough of this manager clap trap? It's the men on the pitch who should be the real news. Which is why I think someone should introduce a PFA Olympiad where they all (the players) get to race, throw, jump, dive and perhaps some sort of competitive spitting against each other.
It would still be a side show but it would be entertaining.
Do I have your support?
Adoni Patrikios , start the petition and we will sign it. Although your competition seems to favour El Hadji Diouf, so the rules might need some changing.

Your opening paragraph of Friday 11/01/2008 - comparing Anelka's arrival at Stamford Bridge to that of Veron... What?! Surely as "The only useful football email", you are even slightly knowledgeable in the field of football?
C'mon lads, there really is no excuse for lazy comparisons; Anelka is a proven performer in the Premier League, Veron wasn't.
Was it because it was Friday and you wanted to head to the pub? Or was that another tea-timely email I may have read? Oh.
Lazy? Us? You only replied to the e-mail yesterday. Anyway, Ben Durrant, we were taking you seriously until that last sentence...

Sometimes you just say it better than we do, which is why we've dedicated a corner of this e-mail to your views and boos: sport@timesonline.co.uk

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Tomorrow's news today

- George Caulkin reports from St James' Park
- Hicks and Gillett under fire from unlikely source
- Barton back before court

And expect...

Sol Campbell to ring the Today programme, with Kevin Blackwell on the other line, asking why players aren't allowed to go about their business of criticising the people who pay their wages without having their human rights infringed.

Spread the word. It's like pyramid selling, but without the hassle or the money. Click on the following link if you (or your friends) want to subscribe to this newsletter.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/subscriptions/e-mail_bulletins/

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