Monthly Archives: December 2010

Carlo Ancelotti On The Brink Of Chelsea Exit?

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According to word in this morning’s Currant Bun, the majority of the Chelsea squad are fearing for Carlo Ancelotti‘s future at the club after watching their manager become increasingly disillusioned with life at Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti is rumoured to be in a state of flux ever since watching his erstwhile assistant Ray Wilkins getting shunted from his post, a callous move that has left the Italian despairing over the ruthless nature of Chelsea’s internal politics, the club’s knotted web of power and the various schisms that are opening up within the squad itself.

The rag have also been able to call upon one of their fleet of well-placed ‘insiders’ to shed a little light on the subject:

“The atmosphere isn’t good at the moment. Everyone is convinced Carlo has had enough, though absolutely everyone is desperate for him to stay.

“He’s very, very popular with the players, who believe that he is an excellent manager. But there’s no doubt the squad itself is unsettled and cliques are starting to form.

“I understand resentment is starting to surround the French-speaking players, who are allegedly blaming other team-mates for the club’s indifferent Premier League form.”

Weapons-grade tabloid bum rubbish? Or, given Chelsea’s doleful slump over the past month, a heady cocktail of rumour-juice and truth-nuggets?

Has Ancelotti lost-the-plotti?

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Who Wouldnt Want Giggs In Their Team?

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Since being unveiled as the new Wales manager yesterday, Gary Speed has wasted no time in re-opening the lines of communication with the veterans that former incumbent John Toshack systematically put out to pasture – insisting that the door is open should ageing stalwarts like Ryan Giggs, Simon Davies and Robbie Savage wish to overturn their respective international retirements.

Speed is well aware that his crop of burgeoning youngsters may benefit from playing alongside some experienced heads, and is already planning to hold talks with Giggs over returning to the national side:

“I am sure I will be ringing around. There are a couple who have already rung me to be honest. ‘Sav’ (Savage) has rang me. I’m not sure about Ryan yet, but who wouldn’t want him in a team? I’m sure others will be in touch.”

36-year-old Savage has already publicly declared himself available for selection after being alienated by Toshack – declaring in his Mirror column:

“I’m available to play for Wales again and if Gary Speed thinks it’s the right thing for me to come back then I will do. I think I’m playing well enough to be part of Wales again.

“But I know Gary and he won’t pick people for the sake of giving his old mates a last hurrah. If he says, ‘Sav, it’s over’ then I’ll respect that and I’ll still be a big advocate of him.”

If a Wales call-up will help reduce the amount of ‘screen time’ that Savage is currently enjoying, then I’m all bloody for it.Tweet

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Neymar Will Not Be Joining Chelsea Any Time Soon

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Having been a near-constant fixture on the radars of Europe’s elite since the age of 13, Santos’ wünderkind Neymar has found himself linked with big-money moves to all and sundry on a consistent basis for at least the last couple of years.

Neymar, now aged 18, reportedly came to within a gnat’s knacker of joining Chelsea over the summer and after super agent (and Chelsea rep) Pin Zahavi was spotted chatting to the player’s agent Wagner Ribeiro in Brazil rumours have been flying that a deal may have been struck to take the prodigious Brazilian forward to Stamford Bridge in January.

However, Ribeiro insists that no such deal has been struck and that his client will not be leaving Santos until 2012 at the earliest – telling a Brazilian website:

“Zahavi is a personal friend and only travelled to Brazil to escape from the European winter. The chance that Neymar will leave Santos for Chelsea in this season (2010/2011) are zero per cent.

“Neymar wants to play the Copa Libertadores with Santos. If we wanted go abroad, he wouldn’t have even been here, I speak every day with Santos’ chairman and I can say that Neymar won’t go anywhere until the 2012 Olympics.”

He’s still a bit pap when it comes to cocky penalties mind…

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Now Big Sam gets the sack from Blackburn Rovers

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Just like the sacking of Chris Hughton at Newcastle United last week, the news that Big Sam Allardyce has been given the boot from Blackburn Rovers beggars belief.

It appears that the new Indian owners at Blackburn want to put their mark on the club with immediate effect and despite promises of funds to spend in January they have now decided that Allardyce is not the man for the job.

Rovers are currently in 13th position in a Premier League where five points either way would put them either in contention for a European place or drop them into the relegation zone.

Blackburn lost out to Allardyce’s former club Bolton at the weekend  in a 2-1 defeat and have won only two out of their last five games,, but overall this season have made a good show of themselves, barring the recent 7-1 thrashing at Old Trafford.

Allardyce says he is shocked and disappointed to be leaving the club and despite the news he still wishes the club all the best in the future.

It is understood that first team coach Steve Kean will take temporary charge until a new manager is found.

Quite what the owners of clubs like Newcastle and Blackburn expect is hard to fathom, both were doing as well as can be expected of them in my view and sacking a manager at this time in the season rarely serves any other purpose than to unsettle the team and fans for the remainder of the term.

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The new ‘tinker man’?

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Maybe he’s mellowing in his old age, or merely becoming a little more scrambled, but neither fits, really, as a plausible reason for Sir Alex Ferguson’s compulsion to tinker with his team.

Last night’s Champions League game against Valencia was the 150th successive game in which he has made changes to the starting line up, to surely set some sort of magnificently schizophrenic record.

The Manchester United manager is the ultimate football pragmatist though, as his enduring tenure at the top illustrates, and there will always be a method in his apparent madness, no matter how unconventional.

This season has seen him ever more frenetic in his changes, and ever more bullish in his explanations for them. Yet the simple truth behind them probably lies in the wily campaigner’s creeping contempt for the standard of opposition his side faces in the early part of the season.

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