Capello - Photo Paul Blank CCA

Fabio Capello will not quit England early… says Alan Nixon in the Mirror today, due to his love of golf. The bullshit detector started beeping furiously at that headline, and unfortunately it only got louder as we scanned through the article text (all 407 words of it):

Fabio Capello will stay on as England boss for the next two years - and one of the main reasons is his love of golf.

It’s a good reason to stay in international management, we grant you, but not necessarily in the England job. After all, we’re pretty sure that there are golf courses everywhere. Unless - and the article doesn’t specify, sadly - Fabio is only interested in links golf.

The Italian has become hooked on the sport since coming into the country and pals reveal that his obsession is so great that it is why he won’t quit as the national football coach.

Fabio doesn’t strike us as the kind of guy to keep a bunch of ‘pals’ - especially the sort who are so indiscreet that they’d let slip that his love of golf will ensure he remains in his current (football) job.

Capello is so crazy on golf that he plays a couple of times a week, has brought his handicap down to single figures and even has a putter and a practice green at his FA office.

… And they couldn’t possibly be moved to any other country anywhere, could they? Evidence.

The Three Lions chief is so caught up in his new passion that he talks about it in his spare time - even MORE than football according to some of his closest associates.

Well, think of the article this way; it could have  been a 407 word tirade about how Fabio needs to start getting focused on football rather than golf - Fab hooks World Cup dreams out of bounds - just as well the media like Capello, then.

Capello has been the target for rival countries after his success with England, but his top allies reveal he will definitely see out his contract and carry on for the two years after the World Cup finals.

Top allies. That’s a new one. Not naming names, though.

There had been concern that Capello may see the South Africa showcase as the time to cut and run, but those in his camp are convinced he will carry on…with golf one of the driving forces behind his decision.

The ‘…’ suspense trick about golf being a reason doesn’t work as well when it’s already been used in the headline and it’s featured in every other paragraph in this article, which is already entirely meaningless empty speculation based on his unrelated hobby of playing an outdoor sport in a country where the weather is more often than not dreadful - as opposed to, say, Italy.

One top England source revealed: “Fabio is a private guy and also a competitive sportsman. He played a bit of golf before he came to England, but since he has arrived it has taken over his spare time.

“Fabio spends more hours playing, practising and talking about golf than you could imagine. The fact he is good at the game also keeps him happy.”

One top England source revealed: “Fabio likes golf.”

Capello was a fierce midfielder in his playing days and took that kind of steel into his football coaching. But now he has found another sport to work on and bring out his skills.

The word is that Capello’s handicap may be as low as six, a dramatic drop since he came to the London area where he finds the courses and time to work on his swing.

For crying out loud - think about this. Does it not occur to you that ‘pals’, ‘top allies’ and a ‘top England source’, who possess the knowledge to make pronouncements about Capello’s career plans, should really know what handicap Capello plays off? I mean, if he’s really playing all this golf, and talking about it non-stop, might he not mention that he plays off six? Seems like the sort of thing he might be rather proud of. This sort of stuff makes brains hurt.

Capello is so content with his lot - also having time off in his Alpine retreat - that he seems sure to stay as England boss for Euro 2012 because life is so sweet for him.

And when he weighs up his future in the summer it will only take the thought of the fairrways and greens of his adopted ‘home’ to make sure that he stays in the top job.

Yes, that will be what he thinks of. If that’s the only factor, why bother waiting till summer? Let’s hope he’s forgotten all about how mind-bogglingly insane the press got when it came to the John Terry and Wayne Bridge incident, and all he can think about is his next round of golf.

The glory days - Fratton Park hosts AC Milan - Photo bhhardinge CCA

Portsmouth’s financial woes have been amply documented all week, especially given their winding-up court case on Wednesday. They continue to exist, but their future hangs by a thread. So the following Mirror article is really a lesson in the bleeding obvious:

Portsmouth star set for quick exit

Algerian midfielder Hassan Yebda is set to quit crisis club Portsmouth - because they cannot afford to buy him.

On-loan Yebda, 25, was offered to Portsmouth by his club Benfica but the Premier League strugglers say they do not want to pay the £4m to make the deal permanent.

Portsmouth are struggling to find £7.4m in tax in order to still exist this time next week. Who knew that they wouldn’t be splashing £4m on that in order to sign a defender?

It means Yebda could leave even though Portsmouth have got a loan agreement for the rest of the season. Spanish club Sevilla are interested while Yebda has also been offered around the Premier League.

Yebda said: “I could have left in January but the money problems made it difficult. I don’t think I will be staying now but I’m hoping that there is a chance for me to stay in England.”

Of course, John Cross’ particular brand of insight follows on from equally sage reporting from Alan Nixon in the paper two days ago. Guess what? If Portsmouth doesn’t exist as a football club, players might leave for nothing!

Portsmouth stars like David James would leave for free if club goes bust

England keeper David James and the rest of his Portsmouth team-mates will be up for grabs if the club goes bust.

The Pompey stars can find new homes immediately should the Premier League strugglers be forced into liquidation by the tax man.

James and fellow wanted men in Avram Grant’s side will be free agents when their pay cheques stop - and can move despite the FIFA transfer window being shut.

And that would start a mad scramble by Premier sides to pick on the Pompey carcass if they become the first top-flight club to disappear.

If the Inland Revenue step in and take charge they will obviously look to cancel contracts, but that also means giving up the rights to any transfer fees - so it becomes a free for all.

The historic move by the tax man has shaken football and threatens to rip up a few rule books. One top Premier League official said last night: “This means that all of football’s artificial laws will be changed.

“Clubs and players have been protected in the past as ‘football creditors’ were always paid first when they went into administration. But that goes out of the window with liquidation.”

James would be one of the first to be snapped up. However his hopes of getting a £50,000-a-week deal anywhere else would be remote in the extreme.

Other fancied players will hope to find ready-made homes. Young centre half Marc Wilson has his admirers, while Algerian internationals Hassan Yebda and Nadir Belhadj will want clubs before the build-up to the World Cup - and a clash with England.

Midfielder Jamie O’Hara will be returned to Tottenham, his parent club, although he could yet be loaned out to a Championship side if he wants first-team football.

However on-loan pair Aruna Dindane and Frederic Piquionne are in even more complicated positions. Dindane is on loan from French club Lens while his strike partner is on loan from Lyon.

Tomorrow’s news in the Mirror - the exclusive scoop that going out in the rain without an umbrella will leave you wet.

Joleon Lescott - Photo wonker CCA

An interesting take on the possibility of Joleon Lescott going to Manchester City appears in the Mirror today from Alan Nixon, who in the search for a fresh angle on yet another interminable transfer saga says:

Manchester City demand to see Joleon Lescott’s medical records before making new bid

This should be good…

Manchester City want to see England centre half Joleon Lescott’s medical records - before making a new and even bigger bid for him.

City officials want to clear up concerns about Lescott’s historic knee problems and will make the unusual move of asking to check on him ahead of any further offer.

Mark Hughes’s club are already willing to pay £18 million and will go to £22 million if they are satisfied that Lescott has no long-standing problems.

The idea of looking at the confidential documents is to avoid the embarassment of making a huge bid and then possibly seeing the player sent back as damaged goods if he ‘failed’ the actual medical.

However Everton will be reluctant to part with the information, especially as boss David Moyes is determined to hold on to Lescott at any price.

Spot any flaws in this approach? Let’s see:

Why now?

If there is genuine concern over the knee, why on earth would they already have made these bids without seeing his medical records? Is there a ceiling point where £18m million or so is fine for a punt on a player who may fail a medical, but £22m is not? That would be the strategy of lunatics.

Everton’s response

Given Everton do not want to sell him, and have rejected both City’s approaches and Lescott’s transfer request, would it not stand to reason that if Manchester City were to ask for this (which as we’ve seen above makes no sense), that Everton would just say no?

City: Alright guys, we want to make a new massive bid for Lescott.

Everton: But we just told you no a few days ago.

City: Yes, but this one’s even bigger.

Everton: We’re still going to say no.

City: You’re not listening. Only one thing, though - we’ll want to see his medical records first.

Everton: Obviously not.

City: Ah, but if you don’t, we won’t bid.

Everton: Ohh… oh no! Gutted.

Avoiding embarrassment

This is also a weak, weak reason to demand these documents. City have already made big bids for him, and pulling out mid-way through because the medical information doesn’t look right isn’t going to make a great deal of difference to anyone - in fact, they might be perceived as principled for not gambling on a player with long-standing problems. Manchester City, given their bids for Eto’o and Kaka, it must be said, do not appear to be a club afraid of a little embarrassment in the quest to get what they want.

 —  —  —  — 

If the factual parts of the article are this ridiculous, imagine what the opinion part is like on the facts - thanks David Maddock, for helping us understand the situation at Goodison Park:

No one thought Everton would be able to resist Manchester City’s Arab millions on offer for Joleon Lescott, not least because the defender had a patchy campaign last season, and, early on at least, looked the most vulnerable component of a solid Gooodison unit.

Ok, ignore the spelling the mistake of Gooooodison, and he still had a good season, even scoring five goals, and representing England.

But that was ignoring the singular quality of David Moyes. Here is a manager who is so committed to the idea that Everton are a club heading back towards the greatness that is part of their heritage, that he will let nothing get in the way of achieving that goal.

Not even much needed cash to strengthen his squad. And there is a reason behind that.

Yeah, you’d hate ‘much needed cash’ to get in the way of achieving that goal…

If Lescott were allowed to leave, then it would signal to other top clubs that Everton’s best players were buyable.

Mikel Arteta is wanted by many top clubs, and Jack Rodwell has already arrived on the Old Trafford radar. If the Blues simply flogged off their family jewels at the first opportunity, then how long before they lost more diamonds?

‘Flogged off the family jewels’ - isn’t that a euphemism for something?

Lescott may still go, but if he does it will be for a ridiculous fee after some serious hard bargaining. And that will send out a simple message to other clubs.

Everton will only sell if the money gets so preposterously high that it is impossible to resist. And remember, even Manchester United got to that point when Real Madrid offered £70million for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Unbelievable. The most famous transfer, possibly of all time, has been talked about all summer, famous in no small part because of how much he cost, and you’ve got the fee wrong. Good try though.

In the meantime, the Goodison faithful can rest easy that their club is in the capable hands of a man who believes in Everton, and who will do everything possible to return them to their rightful place amongst the game’s elite.

And the Mirror can rest easy knowing that they have such wonderful experts to explain these things to us.

Samuel Eto'o - Photo makeroadssafe CCANCND

Are we about to see the end of one tedious transfer rumour saga in the next day or two? The Sun and the Mirror clearly think so - they’ve got the lowdown on the Samuel Eto’o Manchester City deal, and they know that there’s a deadline in place:

Mirror: Samuel Eto’o given 24 hour deadline to sign for Manchester City

Sun EXCLUSIVE: City D-Day for Eto’o

All seems fairly clear then - there’s a deadline in place and we’ll know what’s happening soon. Not a real deadline of course, given that the only real deadline is August 31st, but a pretend deadline, which injects a little urgency. And we can wait another 24 hours, can’t we?

Well, we would if D-Day, as the Sun’s headline suggested, was actually a day, but it is in fact a weekend:

MANCHESTER CITY have given Barcelona a weekend deadline over Samuel Eto’o.

City thought they had a deal in place when the Spanish giants accepted a £25million offer for the Cameroon hitman.

Eto’o agreed wages of £200,000 a week - after tax - but knows Barca are keen to cash in now with just one season left on his contract.

So he is holding out for half the fee Barca receive, arguing they could lose him for nothing as a free agent next year.

Now City have decided enough is enough and want a definite answer from the Spaniards in 48 hours.

A D-2-days then. Perhaps this will be the last of the Eto’o saga, but given that there’s not an agreement between the tabloids on the details, it casts an air of suspicion over the whole proceedings. Especially since this was a deal that the News of the World suggested was done as far back ago as June 27th. And if it’s true, as reports have it, that they have ’special’ access to the innermost thoughts of many people in the spotlight, you’d have thought that that would be true. And since it evidently wasn’t, why start trusting now?

As for deals that are bound to happen in the next few days, here’s a reminder of why the Eto’o deadline isn’t worth taking too seriously:

June 21st: Carlos Tevez agreed to join Manchester City TWO WEEKS ago - and will complete the s47.5 million transfer in the next few days.

19 days and counting, Alan Nixon.

]]> http://www.sportwithoutspin.com/2009/07/10/the-etoo-ultimatum-because-deadlines-are-exciting/feed/ http://www.sportwithoutspin.com/2009/07/01/the-mirrors-inside-line-on-the-new-west-brom-boss/ http://www.sportwithoutspin.com/2009/07/01/the-mirrors-inside-line-on-the-new-west-brom-boss/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:56:21 +0000 Sport without Spin http://www.sportwithoutspin.com/?p=2011

Welcome to the Albion, Roberto - Photo ahisgett CCA

Alan Nixon, the Mirror columnist has been busy working on articles throughout the week on how greedy Samuel Eto’o is being, and perhaps hasn’t had enough time to turn his attention to the fast-paced world of Championship managerial merry-go-rounds. Not that it stopped him, however, from giving us the lowdown on the new appointment on June 29th:

Alan Irvine will be named West Brom’s new boss today

Alan Irvine will be named West Brom’s new boss today - as his transfer fee was thrashed out with Preston last night.

The highly-rated Scot has come out top of Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace’s wanted list after a lengthy selection process.

He will finally be unveiled today if the details of a £1million compensation figure can be sorted out.

North End wanted the full seven-figure sum up front for the former Everton No.2 who took them to the Championship play-offs in his first full season in charge.

However Albion want to pay some of the cash but leave the rest of the payments based on achievements - like winning promotion back to the Premier League.

Not only is the deal cast in stone, then, but the minutiae of the severance package are known to the Mirror, and they can sit back smugly as the deal unfolds. While we all waited for it too, we noted down the following words:

Irvine is desperate to take over from Tony Mowbray at The Hawthorns in a move first revealed by Mirror Sport on May 29 but it has taken a month for West Brom to get their man.

The Baggies initially cut their short-list down to three managers and then took a late interest in both Sheffield Wednesday’s Brian Laws and MK Dons’ rising star Roberto Di Matteo.

Remember - Irvine is desperate to take over, and then considered (and presumably disregarded, given how confirmed this appointment was) a couple of other men, including Roberto Di Matteo.

So here at Sport without Spin we sat waiting (sometimes crying when there was no fresh news) for this to pan out, and though we had to wait until last night, it was all eventually worth it. Here’s the BBC’s report:

West Bromwich Albion have appointed former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo as their new head coach.

The 39-year-old, who guided Milton Keynes Dons to last season’s League One play-offs, has signed a one-year rolling contract at The Hawthorns.

Albion’s board approached Di Matteo late on Monday with a view to making him Tony Mowbray’s successor.

Preston manager Alan Irvine was also on a shortlist of two, but he rejected the chance to fill the Baggies hot-seat.

So close. Surprising that ‘desperate’ Alan Irvine would reject a post he was so desperate for, especially having been offered the post, but there you are. And Di Matteo was being approached right around the time that Alan Irvine was due to be unveiled. Perfect.

Incidentally, Irvine rejecting the position is not the story that West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace tells - from the same BBC report he is quoted:

“We shortlisted two outstanding candidates, spoke to both of them after receiving permission from their clubs, and ultimately Roberto was the unanimous choice of the board.”

On an interview on the Preston website, Irvine doesn’t paint quite the same picture:

As the chairman has already stated, the situation with my contract is common with a lot of contracts, where there is a clause that there will be compensation in the event of me going to another club. That then allows other clubs to approach the club and ask permission to speak to me. That permission was granted, which I think is right, because it is better for people to have the opportunity to talk to anybody who is interested in speaking to them, but it doesn’t mean that it is a fait accompli that you will move.

I still had a decision to make after having a chat with the people at West Brom and the decision was that I wanted to stay at Preston.

It’s probably pointless for the West Brom board to be unanimously behind Irvine’s appointment if he has already ruled himself out of the running. But the biggest question here is where does this leave our friend, the unequivocal Alan Nixon at the Mirror? Fortunately, he’s still up to speed on the newest developments:

Mk Dons have been unable to stop Di Matteo’s exit after he got the call following Alan Irvine’s shock decision to snub West Brom over a proposed compensation clause.

Relegated Albion planned to name Preston boss Irvine as Tony Mowbray’s successor after talks.

But the Scot refused to commit to the Baggies as they insisted on a £2million buy-out clause in the contract.

Instead, Albion chairman Jeremy Peace handed former Chelsea hero Di Matteo a 12- month rolling contract.

“Shock decision to snub” - of course, it all comes down to an unproven £2m buy-out clause in the contract. Given that he was already on a contract with a seven-figure compensation clause, it seems unlikely that this would be a sticking point. Especially if you were desperate to take over. Of course, another explanation is that once you’ve set a hyperbolic standard, it’s hard to return to normality.