It's not a real day of the week without an entertaining Paolo Di Canio quote. The Sunderland manager is ready to wield the axe after getting fed up of the lack of discipline among his players. He said: "I don't care to have argument with my players but they have to go through the rules. [...]
With Arsene Wenger banned for tonight's Champions League match against Montpellier, recently appointed assistant manager Steve Bould will be in charge in the dugout. Many Gooners had believed that Bould's appointment as Pat Rice's replacement was due to his expertise in the art of player retention, as outlined in the video above.
Here's Fitba Thatba's rejigged (i.e, completely different) AVB rap to mark his appointment as
Tottenham boss. A word of caution: Greeting the postman at the door while humming 'I want to give
you a football boner' is not advisable...
Proof positive, once again, that no-one flows in a gentle Scottish burr like Fitba, no-one.
Muang Thong United had Robbie Fowler. Thailand had Bryan Robson. Now BEC Tero have appointed Sven
Goran Eriksson as 'Technical Director'.
In footballing terms this is a nothing appointment. Yes, it will get a few headlines but it is not
going to bring any benefit to the football club. These appointments rarely do.
Muang Thong United had Robbie Fowler. Thailand had Bryan Robson. Now BEC Tero have appointed Sven
Goran Eriksson as 'Technical Director'.
In footballing terms this is a nothing appointment. Yes, it will get a few headlines but it is not
going to bring any benefit to the football club. These appointments rarely do.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says he had an approach to join Manchester City prior to his
appointment as Swansea City boss two years ago.
Rodgers was out of work after leaving Reading in December 2009 and he was invited to have a look
around City with a view to a possible coaching role.
However, after being impressed by the set-up at the Etihad Stadium, the Northern Irishman was
subsequently offered the job of Swansea manager.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says Andy Carroll has not allowed the summer speculation linking him
away from the club to affect him.
England striker Carroll, 23, has struggled to match expectations at Anfield since making a £35m
move from Newcastle in January 2011.
He has scored 11 times for the Reds in 56 appearances and his future is unclear following the
arrival of close-season appointment Rodgers.
So, let's get the obvious line out of the way first. That difficult second season. Buoyed by the
adrenaline high of promotion into a new division, a team kicks on and exceeds the most apocalyptic
of pre-season predictions. In the lower divisions, this might mean two successive promotions, but
in the Premier League this usually means a mid-table finish of some description.
Brendan Rodgers is pleased with the start he has made to his Liverpool career, but is determined to
keep fighting to prove he is good enough to be in the job.
Liverpool plumped for Rodgers to replace Kenny Dalglish earlier in the summer and the former
Swansea manager has enjoyed a winning start to his tenure.
"We will absolutely respect the Jack Walker legacy and will be actively supporting the organisation
to ensure that Blackburn Rovers remain one of the best-run clubs within the Premier League." -
Venky's chairperson Anuradha J. Desai, November 2010 "We now find the board are not even being
consulted on some of the most fundamental decisions this or any other football club ever makes.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he is still puzzled about why Icelandic
midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson snubbed the Reds to complete a move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this
week.
Rodgers brought a struggling Sigurdsson from German outfit Hoffenheim and coached him to a
brilliant loan spell at Swansea City last season.
David Moyes has drawn parallels between his arrival at Everton a decade ago and the appointment of
Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool this summer.
Rather than going for a marquee name to replace the outgoing Kenny Dalglish, the five-time European
Cup winners opted to give Rodgers a chance.
Last season his Swansea team captivated the Premier League with their version of tiki-taka
football.
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has warned judgmental critics to stay patient as new boss
Brendan Rodgers begins to implement his entertaining football philosophy at the club next
season.
Reina has welcomed the arrival of Rodgers with open arms, explaining that the former Swansea
manager's attacking style is much needed at Anfield.
Chelsea have just confirmed that Roberto Di Matteo is now our permanent manager. Di Matteo signed a
two year contract, putting to bed talk of Pep Guardiola, Harry Redknapp and everyone else!
Quotes taken from the Official Announcement on the Club's Website are as follows: Ron Gourlay:
'Roberto's quality was clear for all to see when he galvanised the squad last season
and helped the club make history, and the owner and board are very pleased he will be continuing
his good work.
Chelsea have confirmed the permanent appointment of Roberto Di Matteo as the club's manager on a
two-year deal.
Di Matteo, 42, guided the Blues to an FA Cup and UEFA Champions League double after he took over
as the interim manager in extremely challenging circumstances.
The Italian's success was unquestionable but his appointment took some time due to Chelsea's
reported pursuit of more experienced names such as Guus Hiddink and Pep Guardiola.
Chris Hughton is the new Norwich City manager after the departure of Paul Lambert. Hughton had
been managing Birmingham City and led to the promotion playoffs where they lost to Blackpool. He
previously manager Newcastle Untied in the EPL and his sacking in December 2010 was a surprise to
many.
The appointment of Andre Villas-Boas by Daniel Levy may have more financial connotations to it than
it does football. The Portuguese was a free agent and thus Levy did not have to spend millions in
compensation fees. Secondly, AVB's failures ...
The dismissal of Harry Redknapp and the new appointment of Andre Villas-Boas supposedly will usher
in a new era for Tottenham Hotspur. Â Both club owner Joe Lewis but chiefly chairman Daniel Levy
state they have a new and exciting vision ...
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2011-12 was a big season for Tottenham's Harry Kane and one in which he chalked up his first
senior appearance for the club as well as his debut first team goal. While his team mates started
training yesterday, Harry has been busy with the England under 19's, scoring in their latest match
against France at their version of the Euros.
After Kevin and Joe left the club yesterday it seems that everyone is waiting for Sunday and an
announcement that Andre Villas-Boas will be joining Spurs as our next permanent manager. Under the
terms of AVB's firing from Chelsea, he isn't entitled to take up a new post until July 01st, at
which point the press seem to think the deal will be done.
Steven Pienaar's immediate future may be settled before too long, assuming the appointment of a
new Spurs manager is confirmed shortly. If that new boss did just happen to be David Moyes then the
South African international might just have a different view as to where he will be playing his
football next season.
There are mixed news stories regarding Andre Villas-Boas today depending on which newspaper or
website you happen to read. In certain parts of the press, suggestions are being made that his
appointment as Spurs manager is imminent while others claim that the Portuguese is about to rule
himself out of the running.
Even those who had read the rumours yesterday may have been surprised to see Steffen Freund
installed as AVB's assistant but the club confirmed the appointment earlier today on the official
website.
The German international midfielder was with us for 5 years as a player from 1998 before heading
to Kaiserslautern in 2003.
The answer to that question depends on which newspaper you read with some sections of the media
claiming that the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas is set to be announced while others report that
the issue is far from settled and are even introducing new names into the mix.
According to the Evening Standard, AVB has now turned down the ongoing approach from Sao Paulo
and has held talks with Daniel Levy this week with a view to signing a three year deal.
Bellamy captained the Championship side spent when he spent the 2010-11 campaign on loan from
Manchester City before joining the Liverpool last summer.
With the 32-year old's future at Anfield remains uncertain after the appointment of new manager
Brendan Rodgers, Whiteley says Cardiff are ready to make their move should new Liverpool boss
Brendan Rodgers decide to let him go.
Pepe Reina believes Brendan Rodgers will need time to implement his style of football at
Liverpool.
Reina, currently at Euro 2012 with Spain, says he is looking forward to working with Liverpool's
new boss and is excited by the possibility of Liverpool playing in a similar style to
Barcelona.
Xabi Alonso today expressed his delight at the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool
manager.
The midfielder was speaking from Spain's base at the European Championships in Poland and
Ukraine, where he and his teammates were busy preparing for their opening fixture against Italy on
Sunday.
Maxi Rodriguez has dismissed reports he has left Liverpool following rumours he had joined Newell's
Old Boys in his native Argentina.
The attack-minded midfielder was expected to leave Liverpool at the end of this season after making
just 21 appearances, largely as a substitute, in the 2011/12 campaign.
Barcelona and Real Madrid legend Michael Laudrup becomes the Swans newest coach. Laudrup's
appointment should continue the attacking style favoured by Brendan Rodgers with the Danish
attacking midfielder steeped in Johan Cruyff's philosophy while at Barcelona. As a player he was
renowned for his precision passing and sporting conduct on the pitch never receiving a red
card.
Barcelona have agreed a one-year contract extension with sporting director Andoni
Zubizarreta.
The 50-year-old Zubizarreta, whose previous deal was due to expire next summer, is now tied to
the La Liga giants until June 30, 2014. There is also a clause in the agreement that would see the
contract extended through June 30, 2016.
Manchester United appeared to signal that the official announcement of David Moyes' arrival as their new manager when a welcome message was inadvertently published on the club's official Facebook page. More to follow.
Liverpool fans will hope that the appointment of Brendan Rodgers will provide their team with both
style and substance during the coming years, but is this ‘Swanselona' (urgh) type football being
hyped up so much that results don't matter as ...
Arsenal Now Have More Influence Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal Chief Executive has joined the FA's
Professional Game Board (PGB) and the FA Council. His appointment to these posts are effective as
of this 2012/13 season. This situation sounds familiar doesn't it? David Dein ring a bell? Either
way, this can be seen as a plus [.
Jack Robinson is hoping to put his injury problems behind him and impress new manager Brendan
Rodgers.
The Liverpool left-back became the club's youngest ever player when he came on against Hull City as
a 16-year-old in May 2010.
Rafa Benitez was the manager in charge then but Robinson has since seen Roy Hodgson and Kenny
Dalglish come and go before the appointment of Rodgers earlier this summer.
It was always likely to happen, but Nottingham Forest's shiny new Kuwaiti owners have made their
first executive move sacking manager Steve Cotterill to make way for a man of their choosing.
The following statement appeared on the official Forest site a short time ago:
"Forest can confirm that manager Steve Cotterill has departed the club with immediate
effect.
The Official Podcast of MLSReserves.com. In this episode Luke and Pedro discuss the meaning behind
Steve Zakuani's embrace of Brian Mullan, why New England is to be feared and who the most
underrated forward in MLS is. Also covered is Eric Wynalda's recent appointment to Interim Head
Coach of Atlanta and whether or not you should see The Amazing Spider-Man.
After a few weeks of speculation is was a relief to see some actual news relating to the club
yesterday as reports came through that Gareth Bale had signed a new four year contract.
Through all of the rumour and conjecture, it did seem likely that Gareth would stay but it was a
relief for many Tottenham fans to see this story confirmed on the official club website.
It appears the club has finally decided on a manager for next season. That man is none other
than Roberto Di Matteo. Please join me in saying: Well done, Roman.
Welcome back
I believe it was The Telegraph that dropped the 411 on this first. Then, over the last
few hours, pretty much every news outlet in the UK has run with it.
Italian football has been criticised for its overtly physical approach. The classic Catenaccio
style played in the past has been altered. A fresh faced Italian with the name of Cesare Prandelli
is the culprit. Prandelli's appointment has allowed...
