Comment & analysis round-up

Quote of the day: “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like a UFO landing, a mistake like that. I’ve been to see the referee and in fairness he’s only going on what the linesman says. He’s working in a team and if someone comes in his ear telling him it’s a goal then I suppose he’s got to give it. I thought it was a goal-kick. What do you say to that? It was a strange sort of feeling because I was trying to calm my team down and get them going but all I could think was ‘what was that for?’” – Aidy Boothroyd.

Runner-up: “The game is crying out for video evidence and it has been for a long time. It’s obvious. Rugby League puts us to shame with how referees can call for replays. I was in the stand at the time and I haven’t seen it since. But when the whistle went I wondered what it was for as I couldn’t see a foul. Everyone trooped back to the centre and then it became obvious that the referee had given the goal. But after speaking to Noel after the game it became clear that the ball went out of play wide of the goal… Let’s get this clear. The responsibility is not with the opposition to right a wrong. It is up to the officials to get it as right as they can. It’s like cricket, do you walk or not if you’ve nicked one behind? As a renowned opening batsman, I used to walk but it’s a hypothetical question. If the referee had come and told me at half-time that they’d cocked it up I don’t know whether I would have let them score.” – Steve Coppell.

Today’s overview: Starting the Sundays in typical fashion, the NOTW splash with a football-sex scandal claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo’s lover is a (not so) “secret… a £2,000-night-drug dealing hooker.”

Onto the football, there are previews ahead of the big Chelsea-Manchester United match today. Daniel Taylor looks into the Red Devil’s problems up-front and suggests that Wayne Rooney may have to be benched, Stewart Robson calls out John Terry as the weak link in the Blues defence, Marcel Desailly believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is not ready to start at Stamford Bridge, while Patrick Barclay talks up the importance of the fixture – “That the season is so young hardly matters; the truism that titles are won in May, not September, neglects the fact that a point secured as the leaves are preparing to fall counts the same as one gained while they burgeon.”

The black clouds are also gathering around Juande Ramos at White Hart Lane. Perched on his high horse, Paul Wilson criticises Spurs for misguidedly opting for style over substance. Rory Smith attempts to stave off any calls for Ramos’ head by reporting that the manager is safe, for now. But no-one seems to have told Neil Silver, who claims “Juande Ramos is on the brink of quitting Spurs, less than a year after taking over as boss.”

Several articles look at the subject of foreign ownership in the Premier League. Nick Townsend celebrates the ownership of Randy Lerner at Aston Villa, Amy Lawrence reports on how Arsenal have purposefully avoided going down the mega-rich owner route, Jamie Jackson reports that Manchester City have scaled back their lofty transfer ambitions, while David Harrison claims that Manchester City’s latest target is Carlos Tevez.

In the best of the rest, Jose Mourinho sings the praises of Steve Clarke, Ian Hawkey looks at Englishmen plying their trade abroad with special focus on Steve Finnan, Richard Sadlier grapples with the fall of Paul Gascoigne, Ian Bell criticises the strength of the English game and Michael Grant looks at the nature of offensive songs sung at football matches.

The NOTW splash with a classic football-sex scandal, claiming Cristiano Ronaldo’s lover is a (not so) “secret… a £2,000-night-drug dealing hooker. The Manchester United ace has NO IDEA, but cheeky prostitute Fernanda BRAGS of her famous conquest to London punters. As she offered a cocaine-fuelled threesome Fernando showed off intimate pictures of herself with winking winger Ronaldo and purred: ‘We’re REALLY good friends.’ Ronaldo has secretly dated Brazilian beauty Fernanda for years. But he’ll go nuts to discover he’s been sharing her with a string of seedy vice punters paying £460 a time.”

Ahead of today’s Chelsea-Manchester United meeting, Daniel Taylor (Observer) looks into the Red Devil’s problems up-front and suggests that Wayne Rooney may have to be benched. “Rooney, however, must be considered the most vulnerable after what, by his standards, has been an erratic start to the season. While Tevez, for example, has won the club’s player-of-the-month award for August and has a happy knack of scoring in big games, Rooney has not scored in any of United’s opening six matches and, although he is regarded as one of Ferguson’s favourites, it is also understood the manager singled him out for criticism after the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last Saturday. With Berbatov making his debut, Rooney had been asked to take Ronaldo’s usual position on the right wing and struggled to have any impact. Ferguson is said to have been shocked by the frequency with which Rooney gave away the ball, although the striker did partially redeem himself against Villarreal on Wednesday. The only certainty is that Ferguson’s recruitment of Berbatov makes it his most difficult selection process since Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham were fighting for two places a decade ago.”

Stewart Robson calls out John Terry as the weak link in the Blues defence in the Sunday Telegraph. “Chelsea’s biggest problem is also in defence: because John Terry is their weakest link. He is fortunate to be playing against United but I believe Chelsea are a weaker side because of it. In recent weeks his lack of mobility would have been severely exposed had it not been for the brilliance of Ricardo Carvalho. Everybody has debated whether or not Terry should have been dismissed against Manchester City last week, but few have discussed the reasons behind him committing the foul. Having been confronted by Jo in a one-on-one situation he should have delayed the Brazilian by retreating, giving other players time to recover. Yet, fearful he would be embarrassed by Jo, he sold himself so that his lack of pace was not highlighted. Having watched Terry closely, I think he tries to hide his lack of athleticism and ability by simply promoting his leadership qualities.”

Graham Chase (Sunday Telegraph) speaks to Marcel Desailly, who believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is not ready to start at Stamford Bridge. Desailly: “From what I saw against Villarreal, I don’t think Ronaldo looked like a player who could play from the start on Sunday. It’s not good for him to make any risks after a long injury. It was good what United did for Ronaldo against Villareall. He was anxious to see the reaction of the crowd and he was able to feel the pitch again for 30 minutes, to breathe again but he needs to do that before he can deliver great games.”

In the Sunday Telegraph, Patrick Barclay talks up the importance of Chelsea-Manchester United. “That the season is so young hardly matters; the truism that titles are won in May, not September, neglects the fact that a point secured as the leaves are preparing to fall counts the same as one gained while they burgeon. Nor does the match United have in hand, due to their Monaco defeat by Zenit St Petersburg in the Super Cup, offer any guarantees (it is at home to Fulham). And they face further disruption to their Premier League programme due to the obligation to visit Tokyo in December for Fifa’s Club World Championship. So a home win at Stamford Bridge could prove every bit as significant an indication of how Luiz Felipe Scolari will fare in his first season as the victory Eidur Gudjohnsen’s goal provided at the start of Jose Mourinho’s managerial tenure in 2004. Nine months later, you may recall, Chelsea went to Old Trafford as champions, a status they emphasised by winning 3-1, with Gudjohnsen again among the scorers.”

Perched on his high horse, the Observer’s Paul Wilson criticises Spurs for misguidedly opting for style over substance. “Doubtless Ramos is still a good manager and will do his best to reverse the trend from silk purse to sow’s ear, but no manager in the world could be expected to sanction the sale of three goalscorers – Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov – while getting in return a single Russian striker who will need time to adapt. Similarly Spurs sold Steed Malbranque, not only a fine midfield player but a case-hardened Premier League performer, and brought in the talented though delicate Luka Modric and have been playing David Bentley out of position. Now their supporters are complaining the team looks lightweight. They could have their work cut out against Steve Bruce’s pie monsters this afternoon. Should the unthinkable happen and Spurs lose another match to unfancied opposition, the pressure on Ramos will be intensified and the fate of Martin Jol last season recalled.”

With that being said, Rory Smith (Sunday Telegraph) attempts to stave off any calls for Ramos’ head by reporting that the manager is safe, for now. “The opening salvos of this season at White Hart Lane bear an uncanny resemblance to the stuttering start which ultimately cost Martin Jol his job last year. Yet the Dutchman’s replacement, Juande Ramos, should not start to fear the summons to chairman Daniel Levy’s office for the moment. Sources close to the north London club’s board insist that Ramos is bulletproof for the foreseeable future, that Levy is sure he has got the right man and that the mood around the club is different to that in the final days of Jol’s turbulent reign. Levy is believed to be happy with the Spaniard’s summer purchases and, even in the worst case scenario, would give him until the end of the season to prove his credentials. It is a security Jol, undermined by the public pursuit of the then Sevilla boss, was never allowed.”

Adding to the confusion is Neil Silver (People) who claims “Juande Ramos is on the brink of quitting Spurs, less than a year after taking over as boss. The Spanish coach and his family are struggling to settle in England and Ramos has told close friends he is homesick. Ramos is said to be seriously considering his future at White Hart Lane and looking at a return to Spain.”

Nick Townsend celebrates the ownership by Randy Lerner of Aston Villa in the Independent on Sunday. “The American may possess all manner of foibles we have yet to discover, but for the moment he represents a species thought to be nearing extinction: a football club owner with a positive approval rating. Admittedly, there is an element of ABD here; Anyone But Deadly. And it is true that Doug Ellis didn’t always get it right and certainly had his critics at Villa Park. But he did what few other chairmen may have done, that is meticulously to vet his successor’s background, integrity and good intent (as fortune would have it, he also secured the appointment of one of Britain’s finest managers, too, before standing down). As Newcastle followers survey the damage inflicted on their own club, they would no doubt cast an envious eye at Villa, a club of roughly similar stature in the English game, and ponder the question: why not us?”

Keeping on the topic of foreign owners, Amy Lawrence (Observer) reports on how Arsenal have purposefully avoided going down the mega-rich owner route, speaking to Gunners’ chairman Peter Hill-Wood. Hill-Wood: “‘Regarding Manchester City and the Arabs buying it, we obviously can’t compete with the money they are spending so there is no point trying. We’ve got to succeed some other way. We bore people silly saying we’ve got to have a business plan that is sustainable. We want the club to be thriving in 50 years’ time, not just this year.’ Tellingly, the club generate two-thirds more income at the Emirates than they did at Highbury.”

Interestingly, Jamie Jackson (Observer) reports that Manchester City have scaled back their lofty transfer ambitions. “The prospective new owners of Manchester City will not take a ‘fantasy football’ approach to transfer spending and have no plans to make a much reported £135m offer for Cristiano Ronaldo. The scaling back of ambitions, according to sources involved in the takeover deal, follows an extended period of due diligence by Abu Dhabi United Group (Adug), the private investment fund of the Abu Dhabi royal family, which is finally expected to complete its purchase of the club this week.”

Not so according to the NOTW’s David Harrison, who claims that Manchester City’s latest target is Carlos Tevez. “Cash-rich City believe they can smash the relationship between Tevez and Sir Alex Ferguson — and capitalise on their neighbours’ failure to offer the Argentine striker a permanent contract before the end of the season. As well as having the financial backing of their new owners the Abu Dhabi United Group, City can now call upon the services of Tevez’s agent, Kia Joorabchian.”

Continuing his weekly column, Jose Mourinho sings the praises of Steve Clarke in the Sunday Telegraph. “Steve and I worked very well together at Chelsea, won many trophies, and I think he is ready for more. In fact, this is what I think about Steve Clarke: if, at this moment, he had the chance to manage a club, even a big club like Chelsea, he would be ready for that. He is that good. He is an intelligent guy and always looking to improve. He is very open to co-operation and learning. He has a good relationship with the players, knows how to handle them. I think he is much, much better than many managers who are in charge of teams at the moment.”

Ian Hawkey (Sunday Times) looks at Englishmen plying their trade abroad. ” Serie A has an English player in its ranks, although unless you are from Newcastle and have a keen interest in that club’s academy, you’ll have missed the roundabout way Kris Thackray has made it as a professional. Thackray is 20 and has a contract with Reggina, a top-flight team from a city roughly between the toe and the stiletto heel of the Italian peninsula. He has captained their reserve team and is spending the first half of this season on loan with a Serie C club, common practice for a player of his age in Italy, and given that his Serie C borrowers are from Naples, this is likely to be a sound crash course in street-wisdom.”

In a sad article in the Irish Independent, Richard Sadlier tries to understand the fall of Paul Gascoigne. “Coming to terms with life after football is a challenge to every footballer. These days most will have made enough money to avoid having to work for a living post-retirement. While huge amounts of disposable income and free time are very much a part of their lives anyway, once they walk away from football, the structure and discipline of their daily routine goes with it. This may not sound too shabby a lifestyle to most, but to those not balanced enough to cope, it can be a recipe for disaster… His long battle with alcoholism and depression should not be played out in such a public way, but no matter what he does, one of the most iconic figures of British football will never be too far from the news.”

Countering the wave of self-applause often heaped on the Premier League, Ian Bell (Sunday Herald) criticises the English game. “I am becoming a little fatigued with “the best league in the world”. Watching the English Big Four eviscerate the usual suspects is one thing. To witness Spurs toil against Wisla Krakow, to see Everton make a meal of beating Standard Liege at home, to watch the newly-bloated Man City steal it from poor Omonia Nicosia, you are bound to pause for thought. Pause, and say: I can find such places on a map. But England’s finest are not so very fine, after all, in the end, on the telly, and when it matters, are they? They are not very good at all… The billions pouring into the English game have led us to expect a little more, surely, than Jo finding the net, very late, in the GSP Stadium. That’s in sunny Cyprus, by the way.”

Staying in the Sunday Herald, Michael Grant looks at the nature of offensive songs sung at football matches. “Tottenham have strong connections to the Jewish community so rival supporters at some of their matches think it is clever to make long hissing sounds to signify the Nazi gas chambers. Nice, eh? That almost seems circumspect compared to “songs” about the Munich air disaster which occasionally assault the ears of Manchester United and their fans. Rangers have sometimes had to put up with something similar about the Ibrox disaster… Those examples are among the indefensible extremes. Not all songs and chants are open to such black and white interpretations. Over the past few days Scottish football has had to make up its mind on where a relatively new number, The Famine Song, sits on the sliding scale of offensiveness. Is it a tasteless wind-up or is it bigotry?”