Ahead of the Game: Baros Poised For Pompey Switch

The news in 60 seconds

BAROS POISED FOR POMPEY SWITCH
’Arry Redknapp, who has even turned Benjani into a goalscorer, will be testing his famed skills of man-management after he confirmed the club want to sign Milan Baros, the former Liverpool forward, on loan from Lyons. “He will make a terrific loan because he knows the English game,” Redknapp said. No mention of what he learnt at Aston Villa, mind.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/portsmouth/article3246292.ece

BURLEY UNVEILED AS SCOTLAND BOSS
George Burley has expressed his delight after he was confirmed as the new Scotland manager. There’s precious little to snigger at in this story, so we’ll just report it straight. “To be asked to be manager of my country is a great honour," Burley said after the SFA agreed compensation with Southampton.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article3246336.ece

CECH’S BABY BOOM
It’s all about the Petr of tiny feet for the Chelsea goalkeeper. After becoming a father for the first time, Petr Cech has dedicated Chelsea’s victory in the Carling Cup semi-final last night to his wife and new baby daughter Adela. “The victory was just the perfect ending to the day,” Cech said. Ahhhhhhhh.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article3246635.ece

TOON TAYLOR’S DEAL ON HOLD
Kevin Keegan has told Steven Taylor, the only Newcastle defender who doesn’t look like he’s auditioning for a slapstick comedy, that his contract negotiations are on hold.  “Anything like that won’t even be considered by myself for a while - and that’s no disrespect to any players that have got contract problems, because I don’t know who they are,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3246496.ece

CAPELLO TAKES LMA ROLE
The League Managers Association may have greeted Fabio Capello’s appointment with the enthusiasm that’s normally reserved for wet lettuce and Bombay duck, but that hasn’t stopped the organisation from appointing the England manager as its chairman. “We are delighted that Fabio has agreed to maintain the tradition of the England manager taking the role as LMA president,” Howard Wilkinson said, through teeth more gritted than an Alpine road in ski season.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3245245.ece

ARSENAL SNAP UP PRODIGY
Stop press: Arsenal buy English player. The North London club are close to sealing a deal for Luke Freeman, the 15-year-old Gillingham prodigy. “We cannot stand in the way of such a fantastic opportunity [to play reserve-team football before disappearing without a trace and resurfacing at a Championship club where he can rebuild his career in a few years’ time],” Paul Scally, the chairman, said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3245949.ece

CARROLL SERVICE
Bottom of the table with only seven points a massive 50 goals already scored against them – and things have just got even worse for Derby County. Roy Carroll, the former Manchester United and West Ham keeper, has joined. “Roy is a terrific keeper - he’s played at the very highest level and I’ve worked with him briefly before so I know what he’s all about,” Paul Jewell said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/derby/article3246066.ece

FERGUSON SLAMS ‘LACK OF CLASS’
Sir Alex Ferguson has offered his support to Rafa Benitez, and not just because Liverpool are 14 points off the top and unlikely to ever mount a serious league challenge under the Spaniard. He’s hit out at Liverpool’s new owners for their lack of class after they admitted courting Jurgen Klinsmann. “What happened with [Klinsmann] was a bad piece of business on Liverpool’s part, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article3241461.ece

RAMOS ON THE DIET DOCTOR
Juande Ramos tells Guillem Balague about the revolution in the club’s training methods that has helped the players to shed weight and gain results. The Tottenham manager gives the inside line on his diet doctor, how he is changing the culture of training and the need to show more tactical awareness.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/tottenham/article3241388.ece

TEAM-MATES DON’T HAVE TO BE MATES
Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner may have gone head-to-head like a couple of stags performing a mating ritual on Tuesday, but Tony Cascarino says there’s nothing wrong with a bit of passion. He says we’re all just blowing the incident out of proportion – team-mates don’t have to be friends.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3241382.ece

If you've got another couple of minutes

IS THIS WHAT FOOTBALL HAS BEEN REDUCED TO?
If the FA is wondering what will happen at the Manchester derby next month, it could do worse than follow the attached link and read some of the messages at the bottom (http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/01/they-dont-they.html). Putting your faith in human decency sounds like a good idea – at least until you realise that some people know less about respect than the players they watch.
Now AOTG knows its station, which is more Hornby than mainline, and that's why we keep clear of the big issues. But on this occasion we’ve decided to stick our head on the line.
After Ric Turner – a Man City fan – wrote a reasoned and considered article about why he hoped his fellow City fans would observe the minute’s silence to commemorate the Munich air crash but feared the worst, some responded with the kind of sophistication Emmanuel Adebayor normally reserves for a discussion with Nicklas Bendtner.
In fact, if The Sun is right - aren’t they always? - and Adebayor told his team-mate “I’m only on because you’re s**t”, the Togo forward can probably claim to be more sophisticated and witty than some bloggers. 
What should have been a discussion about dignity and respect has become a childlike game of tit-for-tat - but with the emphasis on the tit. A disappointing number of fans - and apologies to the many who have tried to add reason to the debate - seem more interested in who started saying the nasty things first.
To take just one example: “Am I missing something here or do Utd not regularly sing 'Murderers' to Liverpool, and 'we won it 2 times without killing anyone'?”
So, just to get this right, because some Manchester United fans sing bad things, City fans are entitled to do the same on February 10? Or in other words, let’s find the lowest possible common denominator and swarm around it like Chelsea players stalking a referee.
Whatever happened to the moral high ¬ground? When Ric asked for City and United fans to unite, it's fair to say he didn't mean come together in a shameful slanging match.
All of which leaves us with the problem of what will happen next month. If fans can't maintain their dignity now, what chance have they got in two weeks' time when they've had a couple of beers? Should the minute's silence even go ahead?
For what it's worth, here's what AOTG thinks. Of course it should - if for no other reason than it will provide the perfect opportunity to prove that it is only “some” fans who disgrace the sport.
Sit in silence for 60 whole seconds, and if anyone near you ruins the moment of respect, whatever you do, don't shout shssssssh. Wait until the referee blows his whistle, point him out to a steward, get him ejected, have his season-ticket ripped up and then laugh when his face is plastered over every national newspaper and he loses his job.
And if you don't point out the perpetrators, be prepared to accept a sport in your own image - one that lacks the courage of its convictions. 

A KICK IN THE BALLS
After that rant, time for something more in keeping with the spirit in which this e-mail was intended … The Fortuna Dusseldorf striker Bekim Kastrati is used to gags about his manhood, but no one (except perhaps us) was laughing when he was kicked in the balls during his team’s 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Kastrati dusted himself off and played on after rearranging his crown jewels, but he felt unwell after the final whistle and discovered yesterday that he needed an operation on his testicles that would keep him out of action for six weeks.
To rub salt into Kastrati’s wounds – which in itself sounds painful - his team's second goal was scored by his team-mate, Olivier De Cock. 

>>>>>THE TABLOID TALE<<<<<
Fergie Jr defence by mum – The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Sir Alex Ferguson’s missus is set to give evidence for her son when he stands trial for allegedly attacking his wife. 2) Lady Cathy Ferguson, 69, will testify when Darren appears accused of beating up his estranged wife. 3) Yesterday he denied the charge during an appearance at Macclesfield Magistrates’ Court. 4) We don’t know why the fact that his mum will testify is a story, but we’re just here to report what they report.

A quickie before you go, sir?

CROSSING THE LINE
Just to let Derby know what they are in for, Roy Carroll’s proudest moment, dropping the ball over the line against Tottenham and somehow getting away with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud0tEAdk4U0

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT
As soon as we could find a video of this Bendtner-Adebayor clip yesterday, some pesky lawyers pulled it down. Hopefully, they’ve given up worrying about the copyright infringement by now and it’s still working by the time it gets to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6V9QScDaL8

P28 W21 L2 D5
In their first 28 games in charge of Chelsea in all competitions, Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant have identical records.

In TheGame

Reporter: "Gordon, can we have a quick word please?" Strachan: "Velocity". The best of Gordon Strachan’s witty ripostes.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/01/top-ten-gordon.html
From Ade Panic Buy to Eric Djemba-Djemba, so bad they named him twice. Tom Dart on the 25 worst (and the 25 best) transfer window purchases. 
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3229862.ece
Is a minute’s applause really the most appropriate way to honour the lives of 23 people? Martin Samuel replies to your comments on plans to commemorate the Munich air crash in this week’s debate.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/01/martin-samuel-r.html
In Fanzine Fanzone, Stuart Young, our Middlesbrough man, leads the debate about, err, leadership. He wonders whether there is a subtext to Gareth Southgate’s decision to strip George Boateng of the captaincy and asks who the club’s best-ever captain was.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/

>>>>>THE RIVALS<<<<<
* Revealed: Adebayor told Bendtner I’m on because you’re s**t – The Sun
* King Cole: Joe strikes for Chelsea as Grant taunts critics on his way to Wembley – Daily Mail
* Cole Spurs on Chelsea – Daily Express
* BLUES THE DADDY: Cech misses birth to inspire Chelsea – Daily Mirror
* FA demand footage of Arsenal bust-up – The Daily Telegraph
COLE FIRED: winger powers Chelsea to Carling Cup final as Everton run out of steam – The Independent
* Liverpool owners lack class says Ferguson – The Guardian

Joe Bloggs’ Soapbox

[yesterday’s AOTG about Webbsfleet] "There could be signs that fans are already losing interest in the gimmi ... sorry, club. Although 95.9 per cent of voters were in favour of the takeover, only 18,112 of the 27,278 members could be bothered to vote on the single most important decision the club will ever take."
At 67%, that's a higher turnout than the last two general elections, which are (in theory, at least) the single most important decision that British citizens will ever make. And is it not possible that as is the case with many general elections, the result was such a foregone conclusion that some people just don't bother? After all the work put in by the MyFootballClub team to get this far, I don't think anyone ever doubted that the final step of getting the members' approval would be under any threat. If anything, I'm amazed that over 4% of voters found reasons to vote against the takeover. Come on the 'Fleet! 
Our thanks to Ben Graham, but surely voter apathy shouldn’t kick in until at least after the first election?

I would just like to ask one question of Mr Keegan.  If he has not watched a game of football in three years as he claims, how on earth does he have such an extensive list of targets to sign in the transfer window?  Are agents just throwing the names of the likes of Scott Brown, Woodgate and Ferguson around?  Given he was out of touch, I was expecting a short list which had such illustrious names as Jardel, Bruno Cheyrou and Robbie Fowler. Next thing you know he will be trying to sign the likes of Jari Litmanen...
Al from Glasgow – quite right, although we’d add that the fact that he’s interested in Woodgate is proof that he hasn’t been watching football for three years…

I would agree with most people that a minute’s silence is the most appropriate tribute to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Munich Air disaster. I also agree with most people that, unfortunately, it will probably not be adhered to by all. There is really no way in which this can be stopped, but I do have an idea I would like to put forward in response to this. With the number of television cameras and press photographers that will be in attendance at the game, in addition to the CCTV cameras located around the ground, I would like to see those who do not respect the tribute plastered on the pages of every paper and news programme the following day, in addition to them being banned from every ground in the country for life. Maybe the threat of this action will be enough to stop them ruining the tribute, and if not then at least we can ensure that the rest of us no longer have to share our football grounds with these people anymore.
Sean Cronin. Agreed.

Yes, I am a gloating Spurs fan, and very happy to be one. Tuesday night was the best night of my life (well one of them).  I have been to many matches against the Gooners but unfortunately, never one where we won - well now we have.  To say I am happy is an understatement, everyone at work is so surprised to see me with the biggest smile in the world on my face and also wondering what I was up to on Tuesday night!!  One comment I would like to make though is why don't the Gooner fans get real, all I have had all day today is that we beat a bunch of kids who play in the reserve team.  Well nearly half that bunch of so-called kids play in the first team.  Bad LOSERS is what I say, Gooner fans are only happy when they are winning and for once they didn't.  We looked like a completely difference team last night and if that is what Juande Ramos is doing for us, keep him forever.  The Glory Glory days are back at White Hart Lane and may they continue for a very, very long time.  Let's carry the confidence over to the ManU match on Sunday and stay in the FA cup - COME ON YOU SPURS.
What’s that reserve-team tournament that Gilberto and William Gallas played in? Was it the World something or another? We’re pleased Vicky from Bournemouth has something to smile about.

[Yesterday’s AOTG] And expect … Chelsea to get beaten, make a massive scene, argue about every decision, surround the referee and fight among themselves. Then say they didn't want to win it anyway. Stuff that up the place where you keep the rest of your anti-Chelsea crap!
It was meant to be a dig at Arsenal as well … but considering the circumstances (and the fact we’ve had another pop today), Phil is more than entitled to throw that one back at us.

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Tomorrow’s news today

- Sir Alex Ferguson reveals the two best players during his United reign
- Is Grant a tactical genius?
- It’s like watching Brazil - Havant’s “Jairzinho” reveals all
- Dustman lifts lid on preparations

And expect…

Petr Cech to celebrate a clean sheet by pulling a dummy out of his shorts and sticking it in his mouth.

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