WeeklySport
Monday, 29 December 2014
Thursday, 27 November 2014
TIPSTER WAREHOUSE - FOOTBALL FEVER!
MAKE CASH ON SOCCER BETS
I know what you're thinking.
No really, I do. A football tipster claiming to make £618.60 in profit. You've heard it all before and it sounds just a little too good to be true.
The difference here of course is that this tipster comes from Tipster Warehouse, one of the most trusted and respected tipster networks online.
The service we're talking about is called Football Fever and boy am I excited to tell you all about it.
Click here to check it out for yourself >>> Tipster Warehouse - Football Fever!
Football Fever is the ideal football tipster service if you don't have the time to monitor or place lots of bets, Football Fever provides you with one or two high strike rate football betting tips per day.
The service mainly covers European leagues but does stretch across other worldwide matches.
WEEKLY SPORT
FREE TIPS NEWSLETTER!
I know what you're thinking.
No really, I do. A football tipster claiming to make £618.60 in profit. You've heard it all before and it sounds just a little too good to be true.
The difference here of course is that this tipster comes from Tipster Warehouse, one of the most trusted and respected tipster networks online.
The service we're talking about is called Football Fever and boy am I excited to tell you all about it.
Click here to check it out for yourself >>> Tipster Warehouse - Football Fever!
Football Fever is the ideal football tipster service if you don't have the time to monitor or place lots of bets, Football Fever provides you with one or two high strike rate football betting tips per day.
The service mainly covers European leagues but does stretch across other worldwide matches.
WEEKLY SPORT
FREE TIPS NEWSLETTER!
Friday, 7 November 2014
Luis Suarez - the definitive biography by the Weekly Sport's own Frank Worrall
He's the best striker in world football today – but also the most
controversial. Banned three times for biting opponents including the shameful episode with Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup in
Brazil, Luis Suarez has also been embroiled in a race row with Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and been public enemy number one at the 2010
World Cup after handballing on the line in Uruguay’s quarter-final against Ghana.
Yet on the field he has brought goals galore and glory to every team he has played for. He transformed Liverpool into a title-chasing team in 2013-14. Almost miraculously, he overcame an ankle injury operation to kill off England with two wonderful goals in the 2014 World Cup.
It was the prospect of such remarkable feats that encouraged Spanish giants Barcelona to offer a mind-boggling £75 million for his services in the summer of 2014 despite his four-month ban for biting Chiellini.
Yet what exactly makes this brilliant, but flawed, man tick? What demons
lie behind his cannibal acts, his cheating and his frequent bust-ups with fellow pros, and the clubs and managers who fall over themselves to employ him? Just why is Suarez incapable of steering clear of controversy?
In this first-ever biography of the Uruguayan superstar, renowned footballing biographer Frank Worrall reveals the good, the bad and the downright ugly traits that define Suarez the footballer and Suarez the man.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
WEEKLY SPORT publishers pledge 100% sport editorial policy, while porno Sunday Sport faces 'the bag'
Press campaigners who
publish genuine sporting news via the WEEKLY SPORT project, have seen a
marketplace victory as UK retailers seek to 'bin or bag' sleazy soft porn titles
called, misleadingly, Sunday SPORT and Midweek SPORT.
The WEEKLY SPORT is
owned and published by Independent News Limited, who actively sought to
establish digital and print titles that truly did as they said on the tin -
provide 24/7 coverage of the week's sport.
This proved to be a great success, particularly prior to the run-up, and during, the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The same team had also been involved with THE SON newspaper, a Christian themed red top, and the highly successful men's lifestyle title, SORTED magazine, which sells in volume via WHSmith,
Last week the Co-operative supermarket refused to stock two newspapers and four lads’ magazines.Their decision came after these titles refused the Co-op’s request that they should be sold in opaque 'modesty bags' to safeguard their main customer base.
The WEEKLY SPORT, SORTED and THE SON newspaper teams say they "could see this coming a mile off" and "welcome the decision as a positive step to prevent offence to women and family shoppers, and to protect children." Ethical and family based publishing has always been key to their editorial and marketing policy.
Co-operative Group chief executive of retail Steve Murrells agrees with these policies, and says: "As a community-based retailer, we have listened to and acted upon the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom said they objected to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores."
The deceptively named Midweek and Sunday Sport newspapers, who actually publish blatant soft porn and sex industry advertising, with very little actual sporting news content, initially agreed to adopt sealed 'modesty bags'. However, their publisher has now told the Co-op that they will no longer comply with the request and will continue to mislead the public. As a result wholesale orders of the offending titles have been binned by the supermarket giant.
The Co-op chief executive reasserted his point of view: “We believe individual, sealed modesty bags are the most effective way of addressing these concerns, so we will no longer be stocking the titles that have failed to meet our request. This action will make our stores more attractive to families with young children, by creating a more family-friendly shopping environment.”
Meanwhile, since their title does not require 'modesty bagging', the campaigning team behind the WEEKLY SPORT project have received some surprise additional venture capitalist support to take their ethical, news sport brand to a much wider marketplace. Investor, Jason Courage, who was so impressed by the positive coverage of the Paralympics, and is himself a longterm wheelchair user, believes the appetite for sporting news coverage continues to be a growing and bankable market.
Courage makes the point: "Observing how SORTED magazine has actually gained readers by adhering to a strong moral editorial approach, convinces me that members of the same team can create a winning formula with a national tabloid newspaper such as the WEEKLY SPORT."
Unlike its rivals, copies of SORTED lads' magazine will remain available at all good stores without the need for censorship covers. Likewise, the WEEKLY SPORT will remain committed to a one hundred percent genuine sport editorial policy.
Ultimately, though, both the Co-op's Steve Murrells and 'angel' investor Jason Courage agree upon one thing: "The consumer has the final say - you pays your money and you takes your choice..."
Here are the three ethical media trendsetters you may choose to follow...
@weeklysport @thesonpaper @sortedmagazine
This proved to be a great success, particularly prior to the run-up, and during, the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The same team had also been involved with THE SON newspaper, a Christian themed red top, and the highly successful men's lifestyle title, SORTED magazine, which sells in volume via WHSmith,
Last week the Co-operative supermarket refused to stock two newspapers and four lads’ magazines.Their decision came after these titles refused the Co-op’s request that they should be sold in opaque 'modesty bags' to safeguard their main customer base.
The WEEKLY SPORT, SORTED and THE SON newspaper teams say they "could see this coming a mile off" and "welcome the decision as a positive step to prevent offence to women and family shoppers, and to protect children." Ethical and family based publishing has always been key to their editorial and marketing policy.
Co-operative Group chief executive of retail Steve Murrells agrees with these policies, and says: "As a community-based retailer, we have listened to and acted upon the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom said they objected to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores."
The deceptively named Midweek and Sunday Sport newspapers, who actually publish blatant soft porn and sex industry advertising, with very little actual sporting news content, initially agreed to adopt sealed 'modesty bags'. However, their publisher has now told the Co-op that they will no longer comply with the request and will continue to mislead the public. As a result wholesale orders of the offending titles have been binned by the supermarket giant.
The Co-op chief executive reasserted his point of view: “We believe individual, sealed modesty bags are the most effective way of addressing these concerns, so we will no longer be stocking the titles that have failed to meet our request. This action will make our stores more attractive to families with young children, by creating a more family-friendly shopping environment.”
Meanwhile, since their title does not require 'modesty bagging', the campaigning team behind the WEEKLY SPORT project have received some surprise additional venture capitalist support to take their ethical, news sport brand to a much wider marketplace. Investor, Jason Courage, who was so impressed by the positive coverage of the Paralympics, and is himself a longterm wheelchair user, believes the appetite for sporting news coverage continues to be a growing and bankable market.
Courage makes the point: "Observing how SORTED magazine has actually gained readers by adhering to a strong moral editorial approach, convinces me that members of the same team can create a winning formula with a national tabloid newspaper such as the WEEKLY SPORT."
Unlike its rivals, copies of SORTED lads' magazine will remain available at all good stores without the need for censorship covers. Likewise, the WEEKLY SPORT will remain committed to a one hundred percent genuine sport editorial policy.
Ultimately, though, both the Co-op's Steve Murrells and 'angel' investor Jason Courage agree upon one thing: "The consumer has the final say - you pays your money and you takes your choice..."
Here are the three ethical media trendsetters you may choose to follow...
@weeklysport @thesonpaper @sortedmagazine
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Man United gaffer David Moyes is member of God squad
MOYES' FAITH IN CHRISTIANITY
However, in an autobiography Red Card Roy author, Roy McDonough, who played with Moyes in a struggling Cambridge United side in 1984-85 claims that didn't go down to well with him.
Moyes was one of a trio of active Christians at the club, the others being Alan Comfort and Graham Daniels and dubbed by McDonough as "Cambridge's Holy Trinity."
He writes: "The three of them sat in the changing room with a little black book, discussing their beliefs, when they should have been getting psyched up for a relegation scrap.
"I would cut out a lurid tabloid newspaper story and stick it on the noticeboard in front of them saying, 'see that pervert. That's what you will end up like. Vicars messing around with the choir boys.' But they just turned the other cheek."
McDonough admits he "completely lost the plot with the God Squad" after a 3-3 draw at Wigan in which snapping: "I was still in a bad temper after the game, sinking a couple of cans on the coach before launching into a fully blown persecution of the Christians.
"In my mind they were part of the problem. They were too nice on the pitch, not nasty enough to win games, so it was like turning up with eight men each week.
"I battered Moyes first demanding to know why a big ginger Jock from Glasgow Celtic could play with absolutely zero aggression, putting all of his energies into bleating on about Jesus instead.
"Alan Comfort had scored that day, so I gave him a wide berth. But there was no respite for Graham Daniels, who had recently become a father but was out of contract at the end of the season.
He writes: 'And you,' I spewed. 'I'm fighting the world for this team and you're doing nothing. Where is God when we are fighting for our lives and getting beaten every week?
"He's not giving us much help is he? You've no chance of getting an new contract here. Who's going to fend for your baby and put food on the plate?
"Daniels just looked up at the roof of the coach, smiled, and said three words: 'He will provide.' I could have baptized him with a can of beer there and then but I didn't want to waste it. After that I never bothered saying anything again and, and the three of them stuck to their beliefs."
Comfort, who later played for Orient and Middlesbrough, became a vicar. He works in Walthamstow and is Leyton Orient's club chaplain. Daniels is General Director of Christians in Sport.
COPYRIGHT (c) NEWS OF THE WORD
COPYRIGHT (c) NEWS OF THE WORD
Thursday, 9 May 2013
DAVID MOYES: WHY IT COULD WELL END IN TEARS - says Frank Worrall
 |
| Golden handshake from The Boss. |
I THINK it may well end in tears: that David Moyes will find the job too big for him and that he will leave with Fergie stepping back into the brink, just as Sir Matt did all those years ago when Wilf McGuinness failed at Man United.
In my not too humble opinion, there were only two men worthy of the Utd job - Guardiola and Mourinho. Inexplicably, Pep was allowed to join Bayern Munich when everyone in the game knows he hankered after Fergie's job. That leaves Mourinho: he should have been chosen over Moyes.
In my not too humble opinion, there were only two men worthy of the Utd job - Guardiola and Mourinho. Inexplicably, Pep was allowed to join Bayern Munich when everyone in the game knows he hankered after Fergie's job. That leaves Mourinho: he should have been chosen over Moyes.
Worrall's warning to Man U.
Some random points as they zip through my head:
1. Moyes is Utd's Roy Hodgson. Just like old Roy, Utd took him on because he is cheap and he won't upset the applecart. He will keep the majority of the current backroom staff while Jose would have wanted a clean sweep. The Glazers like Moyes because he arrives without having to pay any comp and he costs half what Mou would cost a year.
2. But just as Hodgson is finding the England job a tad too big for him, so Moyes is in for a big shock. I tire of hearing Roy moan about England's lack of players etc - and how he has so tried to convince us we should be grateful to simply qualify for tournaments nowadays. Hodgson is Mr Average: a good boss at West Brom and Fulham, but never big enough for England. Similarly Moyes. Already, I hear people saying he should be given time...that Fergie took three years to bed in. But ask yourself this: would Mourinho ask to be given time? Or would he expect to hit the ground running and win at least one trophy, and probably two, in his first season at Old Trafford? That is the difference: a difference of perception and expectation.
3. If you were a big star in South America, would you want to sign for Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho...or David Moyes? Or would you say, 'who' when Moyes was mentioned?
4. Moyes never won anything at Everton and has a total lack of Champions League experience. Not so Mourinho. We are constantly told Moyes did well at Everton - but he didn't win anything. Yet, on even more limited resources, Michael Laudrup won the League Cup in his first season at Swansea City. I'll admit it: I would rather have Laudrup in the Utd hotseat than Moyes,
5. Why was Bobby Charlton instrumental in choosing Moyes? My sources say it was Sir Bobby and Fergie who decided on Moyes. But Bobby has a renowned antipathy towards Mourinho because he is not the politest of chaps. Well, I am sure any Utd fan would rather have a rough and tumble guy - like Fergie, by the way - than someone who is well versed in the noble arts. And Sir Bobby, for all his talents as one of the greatest footballers ever, was one of the lousiest managers ever when he tried his hand at the tiller of the coal face. Just check out his managerial record. He is hardly qualified to judge managerial potential when he had none himself.
6. Moyes' teams at Everton have always been functional. Never entertaining and cavalier as United fans are used to, and indeed demand.
7. Mourinho was still available when Fergie and Charlton plumped for Moyes. It is a dereliction of duty that - as England did with Hodgson - they installed the wrong man in the hotseat.
As I say, it could well end in tears, with Fergie stepping back in temporarily as Utd try desperately to avoid another repeat of the Busby/McGuiness/O'Farrell farce that dogged the club in the 70s. There's a saying that doing the same thing time after time and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity - have United indulged in insanity with their appointment of another O'Farrell so many years after the original blunder?
Some random points as they zip through my head:
1. Moyes is Utd's Roy Hodgson. Just like old Roy, Utd took him on because he is cheap and he won't upset the applecart. He will keep the majority of the current backroom staff while Jose would have wanted a clean sweep. The Glazers like Moyes because he arrives without having to pay any comp and he costs half what Mou would cost a year.
2. But just as Hodgson is finding the England job a tad too big for him, so Moyes is in for a big shock. I tire of hearing Roy moan about England's lack of players etc - and how he has so tried to convince us we should be grateful to simply qualify for tournaments nowadays. Hodgson is Mr Average: a good boss at West Brom and Fulham, but never big enough for England. Similarly Moyes. Already, I hear people saying he should be given time...that Fergie took three years to bed in. But ask yourself this: would Mourinho ask to be given time? Or would he expect to hit the ground running and win at least one trophy, and probably two, in his first season at Old Trafford? That is the difference: a difference of perception and expectation.
3. If you were a big star in South America, would you want to sign for Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho...or David Moyes? Or would you say, 'who' when Moyes was mentioned?
4. Moyes never won anything at Everton and has a total lack of Champions League experience. Not so Mourinho. We are constantly told Moyes did well at Everton - but he didn't win anything. Yet, on even more limited resources, Michael Laudrup won the League Cup in his first season at Swansea City. I'll admit it: I would rather have Laudrup in the Utd hotseat than Moyes,
5. Why was Bobby Charlton instrumental in choosing Moyes? My sources say it was Sir Bobby and Fergie who decided on Moyes. But Bobby has a renowned antipathy towards Mourinho because he is not the politest of chaps. Well, I am sure any Utd fan would rather have a rough and tumble guy - like Fergie, by the way - than someone who is well versed in the noble arts. And Sir Bobby, for all his talents as one of the greatest footballers ever, was one of the lousiest managers ever when he tried his hand at the tiller of the coal face. Just check out his managerial record. He is hardly qualified to judge managerial potential when he had none himself.
6. Moyes' teams at Everton have always been functional. Never entertaining and cavalier as United fans are used to, and indeed demand.
7. Mourinho was still available when Fergie and Charlton plumped for Moyes. It is a dereliction of duty that - as England did with Hodgson - they installed the wrong man in the hotseat.
As I say, it could well end in tears, with Fergie stepping back in temporarily as Utd try desperately to avoid another repeat of the Busby/McGuiness/O'Farrell farce that dogged the club in the 70s. There's a saying that doing the same thing time after time and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity - have United indulged in insanity with their appointment of another O'Farrell so many years after the original blunder?
Monday, 29 April 2013
MOURINHO 'CHELSEA BOSS' AND FALCAO 'SIGNED FOR HIM BY ROMAN' - says Frank Worrall
I HAVE been saying it for months - Jose Mourinho will be the next Chelsea boss - as many other Fleet Street hacks have put down money on Pellegrini or some other loser.
Now I can confirm that it is '95 per cent certain' that Jose will indeed be back at the Bridge in June.
Not only that - Falcao will also sign for Chelsea in June...and my spies tell me that he is coming in at Jose's request as his 'new Drogba'.
I predict that next year's Premier League will be a straight fight between Man United and Chelsea now that Jose is back. He needs a new left-back, a new centre-back and a midfield enforcer to join Falcao. He could also do with a class winger - Moses is not good enough.
Of the current squad these players are good enough to win the Champions League - Cech, Ivanovic, Oscar, Mata, Hazard, Ramires, Luiz and Falcao. Mikel is too laborious and slow and I am assuming Ivanovic will play right-back rather than centre-half. Ramires plus one will be the defensive twosome in midfield, the three creators are excellent: Oscar, Mata and Hazard and Falcao is indeed the business up front alone. I also think Lukaku is better than Torres and Ba as Falcao's stand-in.
I hear Jose may bring Di Maria from Madrid as his No 1 winger and that he would dearly love to also take Ronaldo with him.
Under Jose's guidance I believe Chelsea could well win the Champs Lge trophy next season to end all this nonsense about a 'new cycle' emerging because Bayern beat Barca.
Barca will be back and I am more than a little bemused by all the talk of how brilliant Bayern are now and how Barca's tika-taka isn't really that wonderful.
For the last 5 years the papers have been telling us Barca are the best thing since sliced bread and that English football - with its power play - is on its death bed.
Now Bayern beat Barca in a distinctly English way - with power and speed - and they are the new gods!
Truth is Bayern are more English than some English teams and only Dortmund of the current Champs Lge semi finalists have been truly inventive - and their style is based more on Barca's creativeness and genius than your traditional power play.
Let's not forget that the feted Bayern were almost eliminated in the last 8....by Arsenal!
No, next season the challengers for the Champs Lge will be Chelsea, Barca, Real, Man United and Bayern. But the Germans could well go out before the semis as they are caught between two stools - wanting to continue their power play (English) but with a manager who wants them to be more inventive and creative (a la Barca). Pep Guardiola has an almost impossible job if Bayern win this year's Champions Lge - upon reflection in a year's time he may well have wished he had gone to Chelsea rather than letting Jose back in.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
BAYERN SIGN LEWANDOWSKI - says Frank Worrall
HAVE just heard from my friends in Germany that Bayern have also signed Robert Lewandowski, the Dortmund No 9.
That is a double blow for volatile Dortmund boss Klopp just hours before the start of their most important game for a decade.
Surely Bayern aren't trying to nobble their German rivals' chances of success against Real Madrid? Not.
That is a double blow for volatile Dortmund boss Klopp just hours before the start of their most important game for a decade.
Surely Bayern aren't trying to nobble their German rivals' chances of success against Real Madrid? Not.
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| Germany Calling : Bayern buy up Lewandowski. |
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
KLOPP RECONSIDERS CHELSEA / MAN CITY MOVE - says Frank Worrall
I HEAR that Jurgen Klopp - the German answer to Mourinho - is suddenly more amenable to talking over a move to Chelsea.
He turned down a request for talks earlier this year as he believed he could take Borussia Dortmund as far as he would Chelsea.
But he has apparently changed his mind after Dortmund agreed to sell their best player - Gotze - to biggest German rivals Bayern Munich.
It makes him feel that others will follow and that he will never catch Bayern if his own club become a selling club.
I had been told that Mourinho was odds on to return to the Bridge - but this may now blow the whole thing apart.
He turned down a request for talks earlier this year as he believed he could take Borussia Dortmund as far as he would Chelsea.
But he has apparently changed his mind after Dortmund agreed to sell their best player - Gotze - to biggest German rivals Bayern Munich.
It makes him feel that others will follow and that he will never catch Bayern if his own club become a selling club.
I had been told that Mourinho was odds on to return to the Bridge - but this may now blow the whole thing apart.
Don't be surprised if the odds on Klopp ending up at Chelsea - or even Man City - drop dramatically over the next couple of days.
 |
| Is Jurgen Klopp about to make a hop..? |
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
VAN PERSIE HAS GONE GREY AT MAN UTD!! - says Frank Worrall
What a difference Robin Van Persie has made to Man United. His goals have helped secure a 20th title and he has been inspirational.
But what a difference Man United has made to Van P! I have never seen a footballer age so much in one season. The Dutchman has gone grey overnight!
Fergie will have to tell him to stop worrying - his first Prem title medal is in the bag and other medals will follow over the next couple of years.
And maybe it's time for a bit of the old Grecian 2000, Robin, old chap!
BAYERN WILL BEAT BARCA
The Champions League semi finals
brings together three of the best four teams in
Europe.
And the fourth - Dortmund - are probably the fifth best so it is quite a tasty prospect.
I believe that Barca are ageing in central midfield and that they are no longer the best team in Europe. Both Real and Bayern are better on their day as Barca look increasingly like a one-man team (Messi)
I take Bayern to beat them over two legs and to set up a tremendous final against Madrid at Wembley.
And the fourth - Dortmund - are probably the fifth best so it is quite a tasty prospect.
I believe that Barca are ageing in central midfield and that they are no longer the best team in Europe. Both Real and Bayern are better on their day as Barca look increasingly like a one-man team (Messi)
I take Bayern to beat them over two legs and to set up a tremendous final against Madrid at Wembley.
I HEAR that Newcastle boss Alan
Pardew is ready to bring prodigal son Andy Carroll back to St James'
Park.
He is likely to return this summer after his loan spell at West Ham expires.
The deal will involved one Newcastle player heading to Liverpool along with a fee of around £7million.
That means the one Toon player will be valued at £10million - so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out it is likely to be a top star at the club.
More than likely a midfielder who is French and whose surname is Ben Arfa.
He is likely to return this summer after his loan spell at West Ham expires.
The deal will involved one Newcastle player heading to Liverpool along with a fee of around £7million.
That means the one Toon player will be valued at £10million - so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out it is likely to be a top star at the club.
More than likely a midfielder who is French and whose surname is Ben Arfa.
STOKE 'LOOK TO BENITEZ'
LAST week I said that Rafa Benitez
was eyeing up the opportunity of taking over at Aston Villa in the
summer.
Well, things have moved on since then.
Apparently Villa are going to stick with Paul Lambert even if they go down. They like the way he is working with the club's promising youngsters and want to give him time to turn things around.
That has prompted a new slant on Benitez's hopes of employment after his interim role comes to a conclusion at Chelsea next month.
It seems Tony Pullis may be leaving Stoke - and that Benitez is one of the leading candidates to take his place.
That suits Stoke and the Spaniard. He gets a job where he can go home every night (his family are based near Liverpool) and they get a manager who can bring a different style of football to the Britannia - but still keep them in the Prem.
Well, things have moved on since then.
Apparently Villa are going to stick with Paul Lambert even if they go down. They like the way he is working with the club's promising youngsters and want to give him time to turn things around.
That has prompted a new slant on Benitez's hopes of employment after his interim role comes to a conclusion at Chelsea next month.
It seems Tony Pullis may be leaving Stoke - and that Benitez is one of the leading candidates to take his place.
That suits Stoke and the Spaniard. He gets a job where he can go home every night (his family are based near Liverpool) and they get a manager who can bring a different style of football to the Britannia - but still keep them in the Prem.
Monday, 8 April 2013
MANCINI 'OUT OF CITY THIS SUMMER' - says Frank Worrall
 |
| Roberto Mancini : On the move? |
Even before tonight's Manchester derby, it appears City have decided to dispense with Roberto Mancini this summer.
It seems the club's new Spanish No 1 and No 2 (both former Barca head boys) do not want to continue with the Italian.
They would have liked Guardiola to take over but now that he has gone to Bayern, they are seemingly keen on Manuel Pellegrini, the Malaga boss.
I think it is a mad move - Mancini has brought the club their first title and FA Cup for years and may even win the latter again this term.
But the Barca boys obviously disagree if the noises coming from the Etihad prove to be correct.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
BENITEZ IS EYEING VILLA JOB - says Frank Worrall
 |
| Rafa Benitez : About to jump ship? |
MY SPIES tell me that Rafa Benitez would like the Aston Villa job if Lambert is dismissed.
His confidence borders on arrogance sometimes but he is a competent manager, whatever people might say. His assessment of the squad he inherited at Chelsea certainly supports that view.
Having said that, I would not want him in charge of the club I support. And I believe Villa would be better served sticking with Lambert.
His confidence borders on arrogance sometimes but he is a competent manager, whatever people might say. His assessment of the squad he inherited at Chelsea certainly supports that view.
Having said that, I would not want him in charge of the club I support. And I believe Villa would be better served sticking with Lambert.
DI CANIO WILL KEEP SUNDERLAND UP
I DON'T particularly like Paolo Di Canio - and I certainly don't like his politics.
But I believe he will prove to be a good manager at Sunderland.
He is young, organised and enthusiastic - and determined to be a winner. He also has an exceptional take on tactics.
I reckon he will keep Sunderland up this season and do well next season - if the board keep faith with him.
But I believe he will prove to be a good manager at Sunderland.
He is young, organised and enthusiastic - and determined to be a winner. He also has an exceptional take on tactics.
I reckon he will keep Sunderland up this season and do well next season - if the board keep faith with him.
 |
| Paolo di Canio : He wants to focus on the football not politics. |
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
THE TRIUMPH AND BETRAYAL OF ROBERTO DI MATTEO, CHELSEA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL BOSS EVER
He lasted just 262 days – 262 days that transformed the fortunes of Chelsea Football Club and finally laid to rest Roman Abramovich’s holy grail. Yes, by winning the Champions League, Roberto Di Matteo made everything Roman had done – and all the millions he had invested worthwhile. But six months later the Russian owner of Chelsea rewarded him for his brilliance…with the sack.
Di Matteo was the manager who took the club to its greatest ever triumph – one which marked him out as the club's most successful manager ever - that balmy night in Munich which now seems an age ago.
Even then, as Roberto celebrated, you could clearly see from the body language that Roman didn't really want to acknowledge his part in the triumph. He never really rated him; he only saw him as a stop-gap and was really forced into giving him a full-time shot at the job until he could get his own full-time next man in (ie Guardiola).
But what Di Matteo achieved that night in Munich was extraordinary - almost miraculous, as he urged on his men to a triumph they really had no right to expect. They were playing the hosts and favourites and emerged with the cup with the big ears against all odds (including beating Barca on the way).
Fast forward six months (to now) and Di Matteo has tried to implement Roman's desire for Chelsea to play a la Barca - with three little guys in Mata, Oscar and Hazard - and passing from the back (which meant keeping David Luiz at centre-back instead of the more reliable Ivanovic).
He has had three months (from August and the start of the new season) to implement a brand new, revolutionary change in playing approach and, as the players inevitably needed time to gell and get used to each other and the new system, he found it difficult to achieve overnight. His reward was to bestabbed in the back. Betrayed for not beating or drawing with Juve away - and let's not forget this is the team who could well go on to win the Champions League. OK, there have also been a couple of dodgy results in the league too, but as Istress again, he was trying to overhaul a way of thinking; from the time of Drogba and Co, when brute force won the day, to a more sophisticated style of play. There were always going to be lean spells as the change took shape.
In essence, he was expected to work another miracle from August to November (changing the mentality and style of play) after already working one in Munich in May. His sacking was the end game – a shocking way to treat someone who had done so much for a football club close to his heart.
RDM deserved better – and Chelsea fans certainly deserve better than the interim, defensively minded joker who will surely now take their team back to the dark ages…even if it is only for six months.
Forget the dreams of being the new Barca for the next few months – Rafa Benitez will underpin his team with a dour defensive edge. Ironic that when Roman wanted to move forwards with entertaining football, he ended up with a man whose philosophy is to bring about the exact opposite.
I wouldn’t be surprised if RDM is laughing in his beer at that irony tonight and probably saying, ‘They deserve each other!’
FRANK WORRALL @weeklysport
 |
| Roberto Di Matteo : robbed of his job. |
Di Matteo was the manager who took the club to its greatest ever triumph – one which marked him out as the club's most successful manager ever - that balmy night in Munich which now seems an age ago.
Even then, as Roberto celebrated, you could clearly see from the body language that Roman didn't really want to acknowledge his part in the triumph. He never really rated him; he only saw him as a stop-gap and was really forced into giving him a full-time shot at the job until he could get his own full-time next man in (ie Guardiola).
But what Di Matteo achieved that night in Munich was extraordinary - almost miraculous, as he urged on his men to a triumph they really had no right to expect. They were playing the hosts and favourites and emerged with the cup with the big ears against all odds (including beating Barca on the way).
Fast forward six months (to now) and Di Matteo has tried to implement Roman's desire for Chelsea to play a la Barca - with three little guys in Mata, Oscar and Hazard - and passing from the back (which meant keeping David Luiz at centre-back instead of the more reliable Ivanovic).
He has had three months (from August and the start of the new season) to implement a brand new, revolutionary change in playing approach and, as the players inevitably needed time to gell and get used to each other and the new system, he found it difficult to achieve overnight. His reward was to bestabbed in the back. Betrayed for not beating or drawing with Juve away - and let's not forget this is the team who could well go on to win the Champions League. OK, there have also been a couple of dodgy results in the league too, but as Istress again, he was trying to overhaul a way of thinking; from the time of Drogba and Co, when brute force won the day, to a more sophisticated style of play. There were always going to be lean spells as the change took shape.
In essence, he was expected to work another miracle from August to November (changing the mentality and style of play) after already working one in Munich in May. His sacking was the end game – a shocking way to treat someone who had done so much for a football club close to his heart.
RDM deserved better – and Chelsea fans certainly deserve better than the interim, defensively minded joker who will surely now take their team back to the dark ages…even if it is only for six months.
Forget the dreams of being the new Barca for the next few months – Rafa Benitez will underpin his team with a dour defensive edge. Ironic that when Roman wanted to move forwards with entertaining football, he ended up with a man whose philosophy is to bring about the exact opposite.
I wouldn’t be surprised if RDM is laughing in his beer at that irony tonight and probably saying, ‘They deserve each other!’
FRANK WORRALL @weeklysport
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
FRANKIE'S FLUTTERS
THE CHAMPIONS League returns in football this week and the tie that sticks out is Manchester City's visit to Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Last season City failed to even make the group stages but this time round I am convinced they will do much better - even though they have the unenviable task of coping with Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, as well as Madrid in their group.
I take them to grab a draw - 1-1 or 2-2 in the Bernabeu - to emphasise their credentials.
OK, Madrid have got Ronaldo but have they really got as many other players who are better than City's? I would argue not.
I can see Tevez scoring and Aguero too, if fit.
The only thing I would say that worries me about City is Mancini's continued reliance on the lumbering Edin Dzeko. The striker cost £30million but is too slow of thought and action. Balotelli is your man, Roberto, rather than Dzeko if you want to replace Aguero or Tevez at some stage.
Last season City failed to even make the group stages but this time round I am convinced they will do much better - even though they have the unenviable task of coping with Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, as well as Madrid in their group.
I take them to grab a draw - 1-1 or 2-2 in the Bernabeu - to emphasise their credentials.
OK, Madrid have got Ronaldo but have they really got as many other players who are better than City's? I would argue not.
I can see Tevez scoring and Aguero too, if fit.
The only thing I would say that worries me about City is Mancini's continued reliance on the lumbering Edin Dzeko. The striker cost £30million but is too slow of thought and action. Balotelli is your man, Roberto, rather than Dzeko if you want to replace Aguero or Tevez at some stage.
ANDY MURRAY WE SALUTE YOU
IT was wonderful witnessing Andy Murray making tennis history in New York on Monday.
The Scot became our first British Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936 as he beat Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadow.
The feat was all the more remarkable because of three factors.
Murray has had to win his Slam in an era that has seen regularly tackling three of the best tennis players of all time in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the aforementioned Djokovic.
He has also had to carry the constant weight of being the Brit who would surely break through after all those years of heartache and disappointment since the reign of Perry.
And, thirdly, he has had to overcome his own demons and self-doubts - including the fact that he witnessed the Dunblane massacre as a schoolboy when he was just eight, surviving by hiding under a desk.
No wonder he has seemed such an introverted, serious young man over the years.
Andy Murray - we salute you. Enjoy your success and all the acclaim that comes with it.
You deserve it, sir.
FRANK WORRALL
The Scot became our first British Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936 as he beat Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadow.
The feat was all the more remarkable because of three factors.
Murray has had to win his Slam in an era that has seen regularly tackling three of the best tennis players of all time in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the aforementioned Djokovic.
He has also had to carry the constant weight of being the Brit who would surely break through after all those years of heartache and disappointment since the reign of Perry.
And, thirdly, he has had to overcome his own demons and self-doubts - including the fact that he witnessed the Dunblane massacre as a schoolboy when he was just eight, surviving by hiding under a desk.
No wonder he has seemed such an introverted, serious young man over the years.
Andy Murray - we salute you. Enjoy your success and all the acclaim that comes with it.
You deserve it, sir.
FRANK WORRALL
GO NOW HODGSON - BEFORE WE FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR THE WORLD CUP
DON'T say I didn't warn you...when Roy Hodgson was appointed England manager in May, I wrote in this very column that the FA had plumped for the man who was a safe pair of hands and who would come cheap.
I pleaded that if, early in his reign, if it was clear he was going to fail, the FA and Hodgson himself should at least have the decency to jointly hold up their hands and admit the recession England manager for these recession times had been a mistake.
That Hodgson shouldn't have been employed in the first place.
That, OK, he is a lovely guy, a decent ambassador - but he has been appointed above his level.
That if he was out of his depth, he would make a swift exit before things got worse.
Well, I believe we are now at that stage - less than five months into Hodgson's tenure.
The lucky 1-1 draw with Ukraine at Wembley last night showed up Hodgson's deficiencies.
The visitors are hardly world beaters - I would suggest that most teams in FIFA's top ten rankings would defeat them (unbelievably, England are ranked THIRD but under Hodgson a ranking of 15 to 20 would be more realistic).
Yet England huffed and puffed and, to be honest, I thought Ukraine deserved to win.
Sure, the Jermain Defoe goal that never was should have stood. No way did he foul that big lumbering brute who got in his way as he headed for goal.
But you could as easily argue that it was just karma for the perfectly good Ukraine goal that was disallowed when England had the last laugh against them in Euro 2012.
That it equalled things out.
But last night Ukraine were the better team - and it didn't help that Hodgson fluffed his lines.
He called in every excuse during Euro 2012 (he had not had enough time for the team to gell, he was beset by injuries and he needed patience).
We gave him patience but he rewarded us with a team that would have set the world alight in prehistoric times - a dinosaur outfit bedevilled by his own insistence on sticking to a rigid, dull 4-4-2 format.
Last night his team was slightly more fluid but not good enough overall.
Again, the old bloke was at it - blaming the injuries that had robbed him of the likes of Rooney and Terry.
But, putting that to one side, he hardly helped himself with some truly questionable personnel decisions.
Can you explain to me why Aaron Lennon wasn't in the squad - that he is behind even Raheem Sterling in the pecking order is a joke.
Also, what was the point of going to all that aggro in getting Michael Carrick back in the squad - and then not using him from the start?
Surely, Hodgson accepted England's problem was their lack of ball retention in the Euros...but then he goes and leaves out the man who is widely accepted as England's best passer and retainer of the ball!
And why wasn't Rio Ferdinand marshalling that woeful backline in the absence of Terry?
The truth of it all is this: Hodgson is a dinosaur himself so how can we realistically expect England to move with the times?
Would England play like they did last night - with the same personnel - if say Pep Guardiola or even Roberto Mancini were in charge?
The main worry is this: in a lightweight group England may struggle to grab even the runners-up spot if Hodgson stays in command. I am already assuming Ukraine will take one of the two spots up for grabs - but what if Poland or the very real threat that is Montenegro also prove too canny for Dinosaur Roy?
It would take a real act of faith and bravery to boot out Hodgson now...but dare we gamble any further with him? If he wasn't good enough for Liverpool, can he really be good enough for England?
Yes, I know it could prove tricky replacing him now the season is underway.
But wait a minute...isn't there a chappy out there who is out of work and readily available - and who might be able to turn things around?
But appointing Harry Redknapp now would be an even braver move - and an acceptance from the FA suits that they got it wrong in the first place.
Come on David Bernstein...you're 70 and are about to leave as your legacy the failure of Roy Hodgson, the man you stubbornly - and wrongly - went for despite all the evidence that he wasn't up to the job.
You still have a chance to go down in history as the man who then admitted he had messed up - and saved England - by bringing in 'Arry, the man who took us to Rio with smiles and style.
FRANK WORRALL
I pleaded that if, early in his reign, if it was clear he was going to fail, the FA and Hodgson himself should at least have the decency to jointly hold up their hands and admit the recession England manager for these recession times had been a mistake.
That Hodgson shouldn't have been employed in the first place.
That, OK, he is a lovely guy, a decent ambassador - but he has been appointed above his level.
That if he was out of his depth, he would make a swift exit before things got worse.
Well, I believe we are now at that stage - less than five months into Hodgson's tenure.
The lucky 1-1 draw with Ukraine at Wembley last night showed up Hodgson's deficiencies.
The visitors are hardly world beaters - I would suggest that most teams in FIFA's top ten rankings would defeat them (unbelievably, England are ranked THIRD but under Hodgson a ranking of 15 to 20 would be more realistic).
Yet England huffed and puffed and, to be honest, I thought Ukraine deserved to win.
Sure, the Jermain Defoe goal that never was should have stood. No way did he foul that big lumbering brute who got in his way as he headed for goal.
But you could as easily argue that it was just karma for the perfectly good Ukraine goal that was disallowed when England had the last laugh against them in Euro 2012.
That it equalled things out.
But last night Ukraine were the better team - and it didn't help that Hodgson fluffed his lines.
He called in every excuse during Euro 2012 (he had not had enough time for the team to gell, he was beset by injuries and he needed patience).
We gave him patience but he rewarded us with a team that would have set the world alight in prehistoric times - a dinosaur outfit bedevilled by his own insistence on sticking to a rigid, dull 4-4-2 format.
Last night his team was slightly more fluid but not good enough overall.
Again, the old bloke was at it - blaming the injuries that had robbed him of the likes of Rooney and Terry.
But, putting that to one side, he hardly helped himself with some truly questionable personnel decisions.
Can you explain to me why Aaron Lennon wasn't in the squad - that he is behind even Raheem Sterling in the pecking order is a joke.
Also, what was the point of going to all that aggro in getting Michael Carrick back in the squad - and then not using him from the start?
Surely, Hodgson accepted England's problem was their lack of ball retention in the Euros...but then he goes and leaves out the man who is widely accepted as England's best passer and retainer of the ball!
And why wasn't Rio Ferdinand marshalling that woeful backline in the absence of Terry?
The truth of it all is this: Hodgson is a dinosaur himself so how can we realistically expect England to move with the times?
Would England play like they did last night - with the same personnel - if say Pep Guardiola or even Roberto Mancini were in charge?
The main worry is this: in a lightweight group England may struggle to grab even the runners-up spot if Hodgson stays in command. I am already assuming Ukraine will take one of the two spots up for grabs - but what if Poland or the very real threat that is Montenegro also prove too canny for Dinosaur Roy?
It would take a real act of faith and bravery to boot out Hodgson now...but dare we gamble any further with him? If he wasn't good enough for Liverpool, can he really be good enough for England?
Yes, I know it could prove tricky replacing him now the season is underway.
But wait a minute...isn't there a chappy out there who is out of work and readily available - and who might be able to turn things around?
But appointing Harry Redknapp now would be an even braver move - and an acceptance from the FA suits that they got it wrong in the first place.
Come on David Bernstein...you're 70 and are about to leave as your legacy the failure of Roy Hodgson, the man you stubbornly - and wrongly - went for despite all the evidence that he wasn't up to the job.
You still have a chance to go down in history as the man who then admitted he had messed up - and saved England - by bringing in 'Arry, the man who took us to Rio with smiles and style.
FRANK WORRALL
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
FRANKIE'S FLUTTERS
I'M planning a wee flutter on Andy Murray to break his Grand Slam jinx by winning the US Open on Sunday.
Having said that, knowing Murray he'll probably go and lose his quarter-final to Marin Cilic today!
Seriously though, Murray seems a different player since he won the Olympics gold medal at Wimbledon - it is as if a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
So come on, Andy, don't blow it again - we're expecting you to do the business for us in America this week.
Football-wise, the focus turns to the international game. I expect England to win both their opening World Cup 2014 qualifying ties - against Moldova on Friday and Ukraine next Tuesday.
Certainly anything less would throw immediate doubt on the job being done by new boss Roy Hodgson, who must do without the injured Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll. I would have thought those two injuries would have provided Hodgson with the perfect opportunity to have given the prolific goalscorer Darren Bent a recall.
Let's hope the failure to do so does not rebound badly on Hodgson.
FRANK WORRALL
Having said that, knowing Murray he'll probably go and lose his quarter-final to Marin Cilic today!
Seriously though, Murray seems a different player since he won the Olympics gold medal at Wimbledon - it is as if a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
So come on, Andy, don't blow it again - we're expecting you to do the business for us in America this week.
Football-wise, the focus turns to the international game. I expect England to win both their opening World Cup 2014 qualifying ties - against Moldova on Friday and Ukraine next Tuesday.
Certainly anything less would throw immediate doubt on the job being done by new boss Roy Hodgson, who must do without the injured Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll. I would have thought those two injuries would have provided Hodgson with the perfect opportunity to have given the prolific goalscorer Darren Bent a recall.
Let's hope the failure to do so does not rebound badly on Hodgson.
FRANK WORRALL
LIVERPOOL: RODGERS OUT, REDKNAPP IN
IT is going from bad to worse for Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.
The dream job he left Swansea for just a couple of months ago is rapidly turning into a nightmare.
A big part of the problem is that owner John Henry (who likes to show off his smart-looking wife and act the big shot) does not want to spend any more big money on turning Liverpool around.
His attempt to win over the fans through an open letter on the club's website was a Machiavellian move - the idea being that he trusts them and wants to appeal to them directly when, in reality, the letter merely confirmed the fact that he wants to pull the wool over their eyes and takes them for mugs.
Every point he made on the letter could have been argued against or been used to show him in his true colours - from his claim that he wants to run the club better than any previous administration (ie spend no money to ensure no debts are incurred) to his belief you cannot buy talent but should produce it with young kids (again spend no money).
Basically, Henry is a bean counter who wants to run Liverpool on the cheap and is praying he can get away with it - but I know Liverpool fans are canny and many pals of mine who support the club say they have already marked Henry's card.
The fact that he would not cough up the extra £2million needed to buy Clint Dempsey from Fulham only served to confirm he was a cheapskate - and that he did not back the judgment of Rodgers.
Which in itself is bad news for Rodgers. He was under the impression that he was coming to Liverpool as the man in charge of ALL footballing matters. Hence his stubborn refusal to accept Louis van Gaal in the role of Director of Football.
But now Rodgers finds Henry himself is taking on that role - with numerous ill-informed 'advisers' helping him decide transfer policy.
I personally do not believe that Brendan Rodgers is up to the task of being the manager of such a world-renowned, iconic club as Liverpool FC.
What has he done and what has he won? Eleventh place in the Prem last season - with a Swansea team set up for him by the much more talented Roberto Martinez - and the sack at Reading.
Is that enough to be over-promoted to Liverpool FC?
Was that enough to earn Kenny Dalglish the boot (Last season Kenny won the League Cup, took Liverpool to the FA Cup Final and 8th in the Premier League...I say it again, Rodgers has NEVER WON ANYTHING.)
I also despise the way Rodgers is also trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the fans, the Press and anyone who will listen by consistently pleading for patience as he tries to improve the standard of football at Liverpool. This really stinks - it is a disgrace that Rodgers is being allowed to get away with comments such as 'The job is bigger than I thought, it will take time to get the passing game I want.' The implication being that the passing game is alien to Liverpool - that the club has never witnessed good football and that only he can put that right.
What absolute crap! It is insulting to the work done by Dalglish and the likes of Bob Paisley and Shankly before him - Liverpool have always played good football and been admired for their passing skills. How dare some nobody like Rodgers claim to be the man who is going to be the messiah of style at Anfield - the man who brings decent football to a club that has been universally renowned for it over the years!
His arrogance is staggering. But the truth is he really offers nothing more than the king's new clothing.
I say again - what did he win at Swansea or elsewhere and what right has he to claim that he will bring better, more successful football than Dalglish?
How can Liverpool fans be expected to trust the words of a man who farms out on loan their most improved player of the last season, Andy Carroll? Rodgers does not fancy Carroll because he is big - and that would supposedly be at odds with the football he wants to play. But Carroll is one of the most impressive big men with the ball at his feet; he is skilfull and can pass as well as anyone. He is certainly in a different league to the laboured Fabio Borini whom Rodgers splashed £10million for.
And isn't he a much better footballer than the journeyman Danny Graham who 'starred' regularly for Rodgers at Swansea? Yet Graham is also a six-footer like Andy Carroll - so why didn't Rodgers get rid of him too?
It seems to me that Rodgers is trying to carve out an image for himself as the new Pep Guardiola with all this crap about passing football. Rodgers might be better served allowing his Liverpool team first to play football that gets results. By allowing his backline to defend as they did (so successfully) under Dalglish and by trying to sort out the basics of the team before aiming for the beautiful game. Liverpool are not in the bottom three for nothing.
But I doubt he will be able to do it...he is not good enough.
There is a way out of this torment - for both Rodgers and Henry - before it staggers on to an even worse state and Liverpool even get embroiled in a real relegation dogfight.
Rodgers can resign on the grounds that the job description he was provided with has not been adhered to. He can point to Henry's unwillingness to back his judgment on the aforementioned Dempsey.
Rodgers then leaves with a wad in his back pocket for constructive dismissal and his head held high. He can then go on to deliver his 'magic' with some other club in the bottom half of the Premier League or the Championship.
And Henry can bring in the man who is truly suited to the wheeler-dealing he so craves - the man who would bring in money to buy new players from sales. And the man who would no doubt bring back Andy Carroll and help develop a devastating partnership between him and Suarez.
Yes, Harry Redknapp. The man who took Spurs from the bottom of the table to the top four.
You might ask how Henry would sell this to the Liverpool fans. How could he present such an obvious U-turn given that he has stated he wants a young, bright manager to bring entertaining football?
Given the hole Liverpool are in, does it really matter about saving face?
Henry could keep his trap shut and let 'Arry do the talking.
If we cut the crap, Henry wants success without spending big bucks. Can Rodgers do that? Are Liverpool fans willing to applaud regular 11th place finishes in the league?
Rodgers out, Redknapp in - it is the obvious solution...and I can guarantee the Kop would love 'Arry. A true footballing man...like Kenny Dalglish, funnily enough...
FRANK WORRALL
The dream job he left Swansea for just a couple of months ago is rapidly turning into a nightmare.
A big part of the problem is that owner John Henry (who likes to show off his smart-looking wife and act the big shot) does not want to spend any more big money on turning Liverpool around.
His attempt to win over the fans through an open letter on the club's website was a Machiavellian move - the idea being that he trusts them and wants to appeal to them directly when, in reality, the letter merely confirmed the fact that he wants to pull the wool over their eyes and takes them for mugs.
Every point he made on the letter could have been argued against or been used to show him in his true colours - from his claim that he wants to run the club better than any previous administration (ie spend no money to ensure no debts are incurred) to his belief you cannot buy talent but should produce it with young kids (again spend no money).
Basically, Henry is a bean counter who wants to run Liverpool on the cheap and is praying he can get away with it - but I know Liverpool fans are canny and many pals of mine who support the club say they have already marked Henry's card.
The fact that he would not cough up the extra £2million needed to buy Clint Dempsey from Fulham only served to confirm he was a cheapskate - and that he did not back the judgment of Rodgers.
Which in itself is bad news for Rodgers. He was under the impression that he was coming to Liverpool as the man in charge of ALL footballing matters. Hence his stubborn refusal to accept Louis van Gaal in the role of Director of Football.
But now Rodgers finds Henry himself is taking on that role - with numerous ill-informed 'advisers' helping him decide transfer policy.
I personally do not believe that Brendan Rodgers is up to the task of being the manager of such a world-renowned, iconic club as Liverpool FC.
What has he done and what has he won? Eleventh place in the Prem last season - with a Swansea team set up for him by the much more talented Roberto Martinez - and the sack at Reading.
Is that enough to be over-promoted to Liverpool FC?
Was that enough to earn Kenny Dalglish the boot (Last season Kenny won the League Cup, took Liverpool to the FA Cup Final and 8th in the Premier League...I say it again, Rodgers has NEVER WON ANYTHING.)
I also despise the way Rodgers is also trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the fans, the Press and anyone who will listen by consistently pleading for patience as he tries to improve the standard of football at Liverpool. This really stinks - it is a disgrace that Rodgers is being allowed to get away with comments such as 'The job is bigger than I thought, it will take time to get the passing game I want.' The implication being that the passing game is alien to Liverpool - that the club has never witnessed good football and that only he can put that right.
What absolute crap! It is insulting to the work done by Dalglish and the likes of Bob Paisley and Shankly before him - Liverpool have always played good football and been admired for their passing skills. How dare some nobody like Rodgers claim to be the man who is going to be the messiah of style at Anfield - the man who brings decent football to a club that has been universally renowned for it over the years!
His arrogance is staggering. But the truth is he really offers nothing more than the king's new clothing.
I say again - what did he win at Swansea or elsewhere and what right has he to claim that he will bring better, more successful football than Dalglish?
How can Liverpool fans be expected to trust the words of a man who farms out on loan their most improved player of the last season, Andy Carroll? Rodgers does not fancy Carroll because he is big - and that would supposedly be at odds with the football he wants to play. But Carroll is one of the most impressive big men with the ball at his feet; he is skilfull and can pass as well as anyone. He is certainly in a different league to the laboured Fabio Borini whom Rodgers splashed £10million for.
And isn't he a much better footballer than the journeyman Danny Graham who 'starred' regularly for Rodgers at Swansea? Yet Graham is also a six-footer like Andy Carroll - so why didn't Rodgers get rid of him too?
It seems to me that Rodgers is trying to carve out an image for himself as the new Pep Guardiola with all this crap about passing football. Rodgers might be better served allowing his Liverpool team first to play football that gets results. By allowing his backline to defend as they did (so successfully) under Dalglish and by trying to sort out the basics of the team before aiming for the beautiful game. Liverpool are not in the bottom three for nothing.
But I doubt he will be able to do it...he is not good enough.
There is a way out of this torment - for both Rodgers and Henry - before it staggers on to an even worse state and Liverpool even get embroiled in a real relegation dogfight.
Rodgers can resign on the grounds that the job description he was provided with has not been adhered to. He can point to Henry's unwillingness to back his judgment on the aforementioned Dempsey.
Rodgers then leaves with a wad in his back pocket for constructive dismissal and his head held high. He can then go on to deliver his 'magic' with some other club in the bottom half of the Premier League or the Championship.
And Henry can bring in the man who is truly suited to the wheeler-dealing he so craves - the man who would bring in money to buy new players from sales. And the man who would no doubt bring back Andy Carroll and help develop a devastating partnership between him and Suarez.
Yes, Harry Redknapp. The man who took Spurs from the bottom of the table to the top four.
You might ask how Henry would sell this to the Liverpool fans. How could he present such an obvious U-turn given that he has stated he wants a young, bright manager to bring entertaining football?
Given the hole Liverpool are in, does it really matter about saving face?
Henry could keep his trap shut and let 'Arry do the talking.
If we cut the crap, Henry wants success without spending big bucks. Can Rodgers do that? Are Liverpool fans willing to applaud regular 11th place finishes in the league?
Rodgers out, Redknapp in - it is the obvious solution...and I can guarantee the Kop would love 'Arry. A true footballing man...like Kenny Dalglish, funnily enough...
FRANK WORRALL
FABREGAS WANTS TO RETURN TO ARSENAL!
IT'S one of those weeks when you hear some crazy inside tips about star players and their futures.
The Ronaldo to United with Rooney to Madrid story was staggering enough but there's one brewing down in London that could prove equally as mind-blowing.
My sources at Arsenal tell me that Cesc Fabregas is unhappy at Barcelona and that he has told pals at Arsenal that he would love to return to the Emirates.
His story is the one of the big fish in the smaller pond who is lost and lonesome when he becomes the small fish in the bigger pond.
His dream move back to his hometown club has not worked out as he would have hoped - he is not a guaranteed starter and his form has suffered.
The John Snag he faces is obvious: Arsenal could not afford to buy him back, or pay his wages. So would they be willing to offer Barca Jack Wilshere in a straight swop deal?
Or will he end up returning to England and playing for Man City or Chelsea?
I would not be at all surprised to see Cesc back here by this time next year. He is a class act.
FRANK WORRALL
The Ronaldo to United with Rooney to Madrid story was staggering enough but there's one brewing down in London that could prove equally as mind-blowing.
My sources at Arsenal tell me that Cesc Fabregas is unhappy at Barcelona and that he has told pals at Arsenal that he would love to return to the Emirates.
His story is the one of the big fish in the smaller pond who is lost and lonesome when he becomes the small fish in the bigger pond.
His dream move back to his hometown club has not worked out as he would have hoped - he is not a guaranteed starter and his form has suffered.
The John Snag he faces is obvious: Arsenal could not afford to buy him back, or pay his wages. So would they be willing to offer Barca Jack Wilshere in a straight swop deal?
Or will he end up returning to England and playing for Man City or Chelsea?
I would not be at all surprised to see Cesc back here by this time next year. He is a class act.
FRANK WORRALL
RONALDO SWOP FOR ROONEY AND £25MILLION
I HEAR from my spies at Old Trafford that Sir Alex Ferguson may indeed be planning to show Wayne Rooney the door.
The relationship between the United boss and his star player has been an uneasy one for some time now.
Recently, Fergie dropped him for being overweight and out of condition - and as we watched Wayne labour for England in the Euros we could all see that the self-styled 'big man' was not fit.
Now, as Fergie enters the last two years of his dictatorship at United, the boss wants to leave with one (or even two) final Champions League trophy wins.
That was why he bought Robin Van Persie - to secure the goals that would ensure United would not be dumped at the group stages once again.
The Champions League remains the holy grail for Fergie, as I discovered when I did his biography two years ago.
He believes that a team and manager are ultimately judged by their domination (or lack of it) in Europe. That a team like United should have won the trophy five or six times on the run, rather than just three overall (including two under his tenure).
That is why all the whispers behind the scenes at United are now concentrated on WHEN Ronaldo will return and not IF.
The big problem, of course, for Fergie is that the Glazers would never sanction the £80million transfer fee Madrid would want for their star man...a like for like cash return on their investment after they paid that for the Portuguese in 2009.
That is why Fergie bought Van Persie - to replace Rooney, not to work alongside him. The idea is that he could use Rooney as part of the carrot to bring Ronaldo back. Rooney would be rated at £55 or even £60 million - so the Glazers would have to fork out a further £25million. Fergie is allowed that figure for incoming transfers each summer, so could take it in one early slab in January as long as he agreed he would not spend anything in the summer unless he sold someone from his existing squad to bring in cash.
That plus Rooney would pay the fee for Ronaldo - but then you have the problem of his wages. United are working on the plan that the commercial value of Ronaldo would provide a hefty chunk and that they could also offload Nani for £25million to make up the difference in cash coming in and the freeing up of his salary.
The Glazers are up for the plan - it would in one swoop get many of their critics off their backs and leave them looking like heroes for once. They would be the men who brought back to United their best player since Georgie Best.
And the partnership of Van Persie and Ronaldo would lead Fergie to those final two Champions League wins he so craves before he retires - while the fact that Ronaldo was back at Old Trafford would provide yet another justification in Mourinho's mind that he too should quit Madrid to take over at United in the summer of 2014.
Truly a case of trebles all round!
FRANK WORRALL
The relationship between the United boss and his star player has been an uneasy one for some time now.
Recently, Fergie dropped him for being overweight and out of condition - and as we watched Wayne labour for England in the Euros we could all see that the self-styled 'big man' was not fit.
Now, as Fergie enters the last two years of his dictatorship at United, the boss wants to leave with one (or even two) final Champions League trophy wins.
That was why he bought Robin Van Persie - to secure the goals that would ensure United would not be dumped at the group stages once again.
The Champions League remains the holy grail for Fergie, as I discovered when I did his biography two years ago.
He believes that a team and manager are ultimately judged by their domination (or lack of it) in Europe. That a team like United should have won the trophy five or six times on the run, rather than just three overall (including two under his tenure).
That is why all the whispers behind the scenes at United are now concentrated on WHEN Ronaldo will return and not IF.
The big problem, of course, for Fergie is that the Glazers would never sanction the £80million transfer fee Madrid would want for their star man...a like for like cash return on their investment after they paid that for the Portuguese in 2009.
That is why Fergie bought Van Persie - to replace Rooney, not to work alongside him. The idea is that he could use Rooney as part of the carrot to bring Ronaldo back. Rooney would be rated at £55 or even £60 million - so the Glazers would have to fork out a further £25million. Fergie is allowed that figure for incoming transfers each summer, so could take it in one early slab in January as long as he agreed he would not spend anything in the summer unless he sold someone from his existing squad to bring in cash.
That plus Rooney would pay the fee for Ronaldo - but then you have the problem of his wages. United are working on the plan that the commercial value of Ronaldo would provide a hefty chunk and that they could also offload Nani for £25million to make up the difference in cash coming in and the freeing up of his salary.
The Glazers are up for the plan - it would in one swoop get many of their critics off their backs and leave them looking like heroes for once. They would be the men who brought back to United their best player since Georgie Best.
And the partnership of Van Persie and Ronaldo would lead Fergie to those final two Champions League wins he so craves before he retires - while the fact that Ronaldo was back at Old Trafford would provide yet another justification in Mourinho's mind that he too should quit Madrid to take over at United in the summer of 2014.
Truly a case of trebles all round!
FRANK WORRALL
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