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....from the BBC live feed.... Celtic in the Premier League? Celtic v Fenerbahce (20:05 BST) Posted at 19:17
Quote:
It is a debate that has raged on and off for as long as I can recall - but Celtic still harbour ambitions of playing in a future British League, according to manager Ronny Deila.
The subject was raised once again when majority shareholder Dermot Desmond predicted such an outcome for Celtic and Glasgow rivals Rangers.
"It takes time but Celtic is a team that should have the opportunity to play in the best league," said Deila.
"Hopefully in the end we can get into the Premiership or a league that is more a British thing."
Thoughts?
...let me think about that one.....no.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
By CStars @chuckdozie --There's nothing worse than an important player leaving a club to supposedly play with better players and move on to the next stage of his career. For the fans who are left behind, there are a number of eventualities that can soothe open wounds: outperform the club in question, replace the player seamlessly, or smirk as the player struggles at pastures new. A wondrous concoction of all three might make you feel exorbitantly smug after predicting despair for the whoever dares to leave your beloved. Things change quickly in football so one can never be too sure of where things stand.
Unfortunately, the present might suggest that Raheem Sterling made the right decision to leave Liverpool, and it's one that Philippe Coutinho may make over the next 12 to 18 months. Liverpool are struggling under Brendan Rodgers, Jordon Ibe hasn't quite replicated the impact of the departed contract rebel scamp, Roberto Firmino hasn't quite settled into the team yet, and Sterling has made a decent start in Manchester. While the 20-year-old is still very much a player who needs to develop and refine parts of his game, he doesn't look out of place playing alongside some experienced and talented Manchester City attackers.
The way Sterling left the club did not reflect well on the youngster, but it was strange to see many Liverpool fans underestimate the considerable potential that lay within the England international's football boots. I've been an enormous fan of Sterling, a player with the necessary technical, tactical, and mental qualities to excel at the highest level. Aidy Ward and his client got their move in the end but should have conducted themselves differently. What did Sterling have to say on the move and his former club? In an interview with the Guardian, the Manchester City number seven had kind words to say about those he worked with on Merseyside.
When everything was going on and it was in the papers every day, everyone at Liverpool was top-notch. I spoke to the manager every day. I spoke to all the players. Everyone outside the club made it out as being something really bad but there was no problem with the manager or the other players. The manager even invited me over to his house to talk. It wasn't anything like as bad as people made out. I don't regret doing the interview because it was frustrating hearing some of the stories about myself and some of the silly money people said I was supposedly rejecting, when it was nothing like that. I just wanted to get my point across but probably there was a better way I could have done it. After that, I wouldn't wish it on anyone; all the negativity that came through. It was difficult for me. I don't mind bad press when it is about football because hopefully you can do something to put it right. It just felt towards the end [at Liverpool] it was a bit personal. People developed this perception of me and it was shocking to find the way that some people viewed me.
Was some of the criticism a bit personal? Liverpool fans still seem obsessed with Luis Suárez despite his shenanigans at the club. Maybe it's because he flirted with leaving, gave Liverpool an extremely productive season, and finally made the move Barcelona. Sterling's representative, as Gary Neville described Aidy Ward, did little to quell the noise surrounding his client. Liverpool probably wanted to score political points considering the fact that a highly-valued young player wanted to leave the club early in his development, something that is quite unusual. It was a mess, but Sterling's surprise was curious. Still, he got his move and is enjoying playing with some top top players.
There are more experienced players here. Obviously, Liverpool had many great players as well but the players here have been at the highest level for many years and you can definitely see that on the training pitch.
This is the part that's hardest to argue with. Sergio Agüero, David Silva, Yaya Touré, and Kevin De Bruyne are quite the collection of attacking players for a player like Sterling to combine with. He had the experience of working with Luis Suárez, Daniel Sturridge, Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for 18 months from January 2013. He continues his development with another set of quality players at a club with higher expectations than Liverpool. Players as young as Sterling shouldn't leave the club so early when there is no will for them to do so. Liverpool will move on from Sterling but should learn from what followed the club's biggest push for a league title for nearly 25 years.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
....from the BBC live feed.... 'Time to look at the Sunderland players' Pearson for the Black Cats?
MOTD2 Extra Posted at 12:53 --BBC pundit Alan Shearer: "When you look at how many managers they have had, they can't all be bad managers. Dick Advocaat is not a bad manager. There must be a fundamental problem at the club for none of these talented managers to work. I would be amazed if Sam Allardyce were to go in there in the current circumstances."
--Former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert: "Advocaat went in there and did brilliantly at the beginning. They got him to change his mind to stay instead of leaving. He is not a bad manager".
--Journalist Henry Winter: "His body language and everything he said indicates someone who is going. It is sad. At some point you have to look at the players. There is a culture of players going there and not playing. It is a proud club, like Newcastle. You can change the manager and yet they need to look at the players. Maybe they should look at the kids? Nigel Pearson will be one of the favourites for the job."
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
...is it just me or is "The Special One" slowing sliding off-the-rails?
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
....from the BBC live feed.... Advocaat gone Posted at 13:32 Sunderland confirm that Dick Advocaat has left his position as head coach with immediate effect.
--17.6% - Dick Advocaat (3 wins from 17 games) has the lowest win percentage for a Dutch Premier League manager ever. Outlawed. (OptaJohan, 4 Oct. 2015) Advocaat leaves Sunderland Posted at 13:37 More on the departure of the 68-year-old.....
“I want to thank everyone who has stood behind me," said the Dutchman. "This is a very special football club, with so many great people, but I feel it is the right time to do this - not for me, but for the club.
"I have made the decision to go after only eight games as I felt it was important to give everyone time turn things around - like we did last year."
With hindsight, one could argue the end of last season was the right time.... Assistant head coach Zeljko Petrovic has also left the club. Advocaat leaves Sunderland Posted at 13:40 Sunderland, of course, are second from bottom of the table, levels on points with Newcastle.
The club's owner has spoken of his sadness about Advocaat's decision - and his admiration that the Dutchman has not taken a financial settlement.
Sunderland AFC chairman Ellis Short said: “I am truly saddened by Dick’s decision, but I respect him for his honesty and for doing what he feels is right for the club.
"He is a man of integrity and a true football person. He was hugely respectful of the club in taking this decision and he acted 100% in our best interests. It is also testament to his character that he has forgone any kind of a financial settlement, something which is very unusual in football."
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Brendan Rodgers has been out of a job for eight days, but the former Liverpool boss is already being lined up for a return to the Premier League.
With Jurgen Klopp arriving at Anfield amid much fanfare, it’s easy to forget that Rodgers led the Reds to the brink of the PL title in 2013-14 before a downturn over the past 12 months following the sales of top players such as Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard leaving, plus lengthy injuries to Daniel Sturridge.
However, he may be climbing back on that managerial horse sooner than one would think, that’s if you believe the Monday morning gossip.
Reports from the UK claim that Rodgers, 42, could take over at Aston Villa as Tim Sherwood has held “crisis talks” with Villa’s American owner Randy Lerner over the international break. During his first full season in charge at Villa Sherwood has managed just four points from a possible 24 and the Midlands club have failed to win a game since the opening day of the season.
With Villa in the relegation zone, Sherwood is under intense pressure to deliver as he brought in a number of new players in the summer (but did lose Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph) and many have yet to settle in England’s top-flight. As well as Rodgers, former Manchester United boss David Moyes has also been mooted as a possible successor to Sherwood if Villa decide to cut their losses and fire the former Tottenham Hotspur boss.
A lot of this will have to do with Sherwood’s side and if they can pick up points against Chelsea and Swansea City in their next two games, but Rodgers could be handed an opportunity to save Villa from what is almost certainly going to be another season of struggle at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
Whether or not Rodgers would take on this challenge, or deem the Villa job to be beneath him, is another matter, but these reports seem to suggest what many Liverpool fans do not believe: Rodgers is a good manager and will be a very attractive proposition to most PL teams.
Yes, he’s been ridiculed for his David Brent-esque press conferences and many other idiosyncrasies, but his ability to build an attacking brand of soccer and a strong youth program at clubs like Swansea and Liverpool must be applauded.
Even if it’s not at Villa, it will be very interesting to see where Rodgers lands next as his three-and-half-year stay at Anfield ended last week.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
(NBC Sports) When will Jose Mourinho learn? The English Football Association handed Mourinho, 52, a suspended one-match stadium ban and a $75,000 fine on Wednesday after he admitted a charge of misconduct.
Following a rough start to the season for Chelsea, their outspoken Portuguese boss launched a stunning attack on match officials following their 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton before the international break.
In post-match interviews with the media, Mourinho said referees were “afraid” to give Chelsea decisions as he felt Radamel Falcao should have been awarded a penalty kick in the second half in particular.
See the video above for Mourinho’s rant. It is also worth noting that as he accepted the charge of misconduct by the English FA, the ban is only a suspended and will only be enforced if he repeats this offence in the next year. What are the odds on that happening? Ironically he was also fined $37,000 and warned about his future conduct by the FA following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Southampton last season where he announced that there was a “campaign” against the Blues.
Below is the statement from the FA in full, as Mourinho will now be wary of his future comments. Or, knowing him, probably not…
Jose Mourinho has been given a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 after he admitted a breach of FA Rules in relation to post-match media comments.
The Chelsea manager was charged for misconduct following the game against Southampton on Saturday 3 October 2015.
It was alleged his remarks constituted improper conduct in that they alleged and/or implied bias on the part of a match official or match officials and/or brought the game into disrepute.
Mr Mourinho’s suspended stadium ban will be immediately invoked should he be found by an Independent Regulatory Commission to have committed a further breach of FA Rule E3 for any comment or statement to or through the media before 13 October 2016.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Newcastle picked up its first win of the league campaign by downing Norwich City 6-2 at St. James Park behind four goals from Georginio Wijnaldum.
Defending was optional as two of the leakiest Premier League clubs proved they need work at the back on multiple occasions, with Norwich looking completely lost.
Newcastle was dangerous from the start, and they’d pick up the opener in the 15th minute as Norwich failed to clear. Moussa Sissoko resisted the urge to pop off a shot from the top of the box, instead releasing Wijnaldum through the back line who touched home to the far post for the lead.
The visitors were galvanized after conceding, and Robbie Brady crashed an impressive strike into the post from a long way out just minutes later. That was the warning shot, as Norwich would pull level on the 20-minute mark. Martin Olsson clipped in a first-touch delivery across the face of goal and Mbokani was there to touch it home with a flying high boot.
Unfortunately for Norwich, their equalizer wouldn’t last long either. It was deja vu for the visitors as Sissoko took the ball in traffic on the touchline and sent in a deep, pinpoint cross that met the head of Wijnaldum, who rose above Steven Whittaker to retake the lead on 25 minutes.
The chances kept coming for both sides. A corner to Norwich in the 26th minute saw a big penalty appeal by the Canaries when Daryl Janmaat tugged Johnny Howson down by the shirt to prevent him from heading home at the near post.
The Magpies would strengthen their position with a third past the half-hour mark thanks to Ayoze Perez. The 22-year-old Spaniard burst forward on the counter, seeing his initial shot blocked before picking up the rebound and sending the ball through the defender’s legs into the net.
Norwich pulled one back as Olsson again picked out an open man from the left touchline, this time Nathan Redmond was all alone at the far post and he struck the cross first-time for Norwich’s second.
The second half proved just as exciting as well as shambolic at the back. Newcastle sealed things with a fourth goal just past the hour mark as Sissoko released Aleksandar Mitrovic with a brilliant ball, leaving the Serbian to hammer it home on the run. Wijnaldum completed his hat-trick for Newcastle’s fifth after finding Janmaat open on the right, who crossed back to the Dutchman for a point-blank header.
The final came with five minutes to go as Wijnaldum cut inside at the top of the box and flashed a shot that clipped Brady’s outstretched foot and found the top corner. The win sends Newcastle to six points, off the bottom and two points shy of departing the relegation zone. Norwich lays dormant on nine points, dropping a place to 16th thanks to the four-goal differential today.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Stoke City topped Swansea City, 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday, to win their third straight Premier League game. Bojan Krkic put Stoke on the board just four minutes into proceedings, and Mark Hughes‘ Potters held on for the following 86 minutes to move within a point of the league’s top half.
Stoke took their early lead through Krkic, who both drew a penalty through an Ashley Williams‘ challenge and converted the ensuing spot kick. Bojan raced into the Swansea penalty area and sped by the lumbering Williams, who was then lured into a half-hearted challenge from behind and fell victim to an easy tumble from the Spanish midfielder.
Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland found himself in a world of trouble when he flubbed a simple pass out of the back with a pair of Swansea attackers nearby. Andrew Ayew gave chase, Butland slid in aggressively to win the ball from the Ghanaian attacker and arrived in the nick of time to avoid clattering into Ayew and being sent off for a reckless challenge.
Jonjo Shelvey so nearly equalized for Swansea in the 58th minute (above video), but the England midfielder’s powerful strike from a tight angle down the right beat Butland, smashed off the inside of the far post, mere inches from crossing the goal line, and bound back into the field of play.
With the victory, their third of the season, Stoke (12 points) catapult all the way up to 11th in the league table, a point ahead of Chelsea and a point behind a three-way tie (Southampton, Everton and Liverpool) for eighth. Swansea (10), meanwhile, remain in 13th following their third defeat of the still-young season.
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
“So here’s to you Vincent Kompany, City loves you more than you will know. Woah, woah, woah!”
Sung to the tune of “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel, Manchester City’s fans adore their captain Vincent Kompany. He loves them right back.
Recently I sat down with one of the best central defenders in the world to talk about being a Man City player for nearly a decade, his aspirations for more trophies during the 2015-16 season and of course, the massive Manchester derby against bitter rivals United on Sunday (Watch live, 9:05 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra) at Old Trafford.
Here is an excerpt from the piece — titled “A True Mancunian” — which is now live on NBC SportsWorld, the home of our longform content.
Would lifting his Premier League trophy as City’s skipper be more rewarding than say, winning the UEFA Champions League or finally making it past the Round of 16 and into the semifinal or final?
Kompany isn’t too fussed, but just doesn’t want “the neighbors” Manchester United, or any other PL team to be crowned Champions of Europe.
“Right, so if I am being diplomatic then I have to say, obviously, that they are equally important,” Kompany said, with a serious look on his face. “There is just one thing. You don’t want to see anybody else winning it in your backyard. It is not a case of you want to win the Champions League instead of the Premier League, it’s more the case, for example, it hurts less to see Barcelona lifting the title than it would hurt if ‘the neighbors’ did it. There is huge rivalry in England and I think that is a big part of the story. You are always thinking ‘okay, we want to win the Champions League’ but you cannot afford to drop your guard because before you even know it it’s not just the title that is gone but that Champions League qualification is gone as well, in a sense where you can’t finish in the top four in the league. There is never really a moment where you can be at ease in England. The difference between being Champion and being top four is so little. Then again, the Champions League is a huge priority for the club.”
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
Things kicked off, big time, at half time at Upton Park on Saturday.
With Chelsea losing 1-0, just before the interval they had a tight offside decision go against them when Cesc Fabregas scored, then Nemanja Matic was shown a second yellow card and sent off.
As Chelsea’s players remonstrated angrily with the officials who took some time to shown Matic a second yellow with Diafra Sakho going down softly, John Terry and Cesc Fabregas were both booked as the Blues lost the plot.
The camera then panned to the sidelines as Jose Mourinho was livid and laughed in disgust about the decision.
--6 - Jose Mourinho has lost six of his last 12 PL matches as a manager, prior to this run he's lost six of his previous 64 in the PL. Fall. (OptaJoe, 24 Oct. 2015)
However, as half time arrived, Mourinho was invited into Jon Moss’s room and was sent to the stands by the referee where he watched the second half with a face like thunder.
There was some initial confusion around whether or not Mourinho had chosen to watch the second half from the stands, but ProSoccerTalk can confirm the referee sent him from the bench.
Chelsea went on to lose the game 2-1, their fifth defeat in 10 Premier League games so far this campaign as the reigning champs are languishing in 15th place on 11 points.
Looks like another FA charge could be heading Jose’s way. It just keeps getting worse for Chelsea and their under-fire manager who refused to speak to the media after the game.
....couldn't happen to a nicer bastard....
Conversations 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' - Bill Shankly, Liverpool F.C.
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