The Madridistas are 100% wrong about Our Gareth

Gareth's trademark er, shape thing

As the bookies fall over each other to shorten the odds on Gareth Bale returning to the Premier League this summer, spare a thought for the man himself.

Pilloried everywhere he roams, on the pitch even in the car park, Gareth Bale is a man under pressure to perform at Real Madrid.

But the world’s most expensive player is at the Bernabeu for a reason.

Here is a young Welshman, who through sheer weight of personality and self-belief, forced his way from left-back to wing back to left-winger and finally centre-forward, scoring half of Tottenham’s goals the season before last.

All this via a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he was nearly offloaded.

From the Real Madrid museum at the Bernabeu

If his first season at Real was dreamy, his second has proved a rude awakening

Stooping to score a brilliant header befitting the Champions League Final, he also used every sinew of his admirable physique to score one of the goals of the season in the Copa Del Rey Final.

Two trophies, two great goals and a gaggle of ungrateful, spoilt Real fans with short memories.

How dare those fans kick his car while driving out of Madrid’s training ground after defeat in Barcelona. Had Ronaldo not been offside, he'd have scored.

And the 25-year-old should ignore everyone of them. He’s earned the right to play for the Galacticos.

Champions League night at the Bernabeu

And he is a Galactico.

Not only that, he's a man of character. Just look at the vigour and patriotism with which he dons the Welsh shirt. How his performances have put Wales in with a shout of qualifying for a major tournament for the first time in two generations.

The man towers above the Madrid booboys, literally and metaphorically. What have they done but pay a few quid for their tickets year-after-year? Sure they can boo (if it empowers them) – but they don't have the right to hooliganism.

Tough it out and rise above it, Gareth.  The Madridistas are absolutely wrong about you.

Pep talk on Premier League was a Bayern bluff

Pep Guardiola’s near-theatrical “I want to manage in the Premier League” gush turned out to be the most elaborate "come and get me plea" in the electronic media age.

Pep flirted with England's elite - then signed for Bayern!

The former Barcelona boss, on sabbatical after stepping down at Camp Nou last season said, "As a player I couldn't realise my dream to play in England. But I hope in the future, I have a challenge to be a coach or a manager there."

He added: "It is unique to play in that league. I want to feel the supporters, the environment, the media and the style of the players and everything.

But in the very same day as those words were trumpeted through press and social media, Guardiola agreed terms with German giants, Bayern Munich. So much for feeling the English game then.

Pep guided the Catalan giants to an incredible haul of 14 trophies in four seasons. Auf wiedersehen, Pep!

Then again, Bayern's a prudent and sober choice for someone of Pep's experience and calibre because they resemble his old club, Barcelona in many ways:

Bayern is 82% owned by the fans in a setup similar to that of the Catalan giants and like Barca, they're one of the big two clubs at home.

They also have an enviable youth policy and a desire from the cream of the crop to play for them. It's a hunger shared by just a handful of the world's top clubs.

They're also perennial and viable Champions League performers and sign players from other domestic clubs.

All of these similarities will aid Guardiola to repeat his stellar achievements in the Bundesliga and beyond.

He's spent time away with his family in New York, sampling life and culture in a completely new environment. Despite the growth of the MLS, Manhattan remains one city where Pep can remain almost anonymous in the crowd.

But in signing for the Bavarians, he's ready to step back into the limelight.

Meanwhile, we all know what Jose thinks of English football. The ex-Chelsea boss has a long-held desire to return to these shores when his time at Real Madrid comes to an end.

Jose is open to an English return

England and Spain have been vying toe to toe to be regarded as the best league in the world for the last decade. Perhaps Spain have nosed ahead the last couple of seasons if the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards are a barometer.

But I believe English football is about enter another golden era. Television rights in this country are up 70% from next season – which means while wages are being controlled for lesser talent, English clubs will be able to top dollar and premium for real (or perhaps Real) talent.

Don’t be surprised if the brain drain of managers to England isn’t matched by Latin stars choosing Wigan on a wet Wednesday night too.

Germany's grabbed a superstar coach - but while the Bundesliga's among the most competitive of European leagues, only England has the financial clout to attract a basket of top names.

You heard it here first: English club football is about to enter a period of renewed dominance - and will leave even Spain - and Germany in its wake.

Messi's well-deserved Ballon d'Or crowns an amazing year

He can't wear that again. I hope he only rented it.

Lionel Messi deservedly collected his fourth consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Or at a glittering ceremony in Zurich not least because of his bling-encrusted choice of dinner jacket and matching bowtie!

Not even Roxy Music's sax player would've chosen something that brash. Even John Barnes gasped at his choice of evening wear!

Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta were the two others nominated, but in a year of individual goalscoring achievements with an astonishing 91 for the calendar year, few would argue with the pre-eminence of the Argentine in 2012.

So who voted for who? Here's a fascinating slideshow which demonstrates the tactical voting and nepotism in some of the voting. Despite that, FIFA can more than justify the three that were nominated this year.

Early tip for at least a nomination next year? Radamel Falcao, who figured in many a player's personal top three - including the third choice of England manager Roy Hodgson.

Falcao's certain to be top of the shopping lists of all the major European clubs.

Barcelona's gentlemen crowned greats as FIFA's guttersnipes gun each other down.

Brilliant Messi

What an extraordinary weekend in football. In the Champions League, Barcelona lived upto the hype to produce a stratospheric team display at the very moment it counted most.

At the same time, what started with Lord Triesman's complaints to Parliament over England's failure to win the 2018 World Cup bid has ended in disgrace and ignominy for FIFA. An extraordinary implosion has left Sepp Blatter as the only cowboy standing in the saloon bar shootout. The town ain't big enough for Mohammed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner.

New Wembley's first European final was supposed to be between peers. Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson, already previous winners were aiming to claim a fourth European Cup for their respective clubs. In the end, United were trumped as the Govanator was first to acknowledge calling the 3-1 defeat "a hiding".

Because for all the tabloid headlines of drunken nights, love trysts and horrid WAGs, of bungs, dodgy expenses and allegations, it turns out winning can after all be achieved with grace, fairness, planning and hard work.

Because Barcelona play football the right way. Another concession from the generous Fergie, who looked a forlorn figure at full-time on the Wembley pitch. Beaten thoroughly - every which way.

Football, Bloody 'ell: Forlorn Fergie

Because though Wayne Rooney is a star player, he's not in the mould of one from Barcelona, where foundations extend way, way beyond the 90 minutes of game time. Rooney strayed from his Wembley instructions and Fergie bawled at him on the touchline for everyone to see. So incensed was the 67-year-old, it launched a bilious, coughing fit. Rooney to Barca one day? No chance.

Because Puyol, already a world and European champion at club and international level, who came on toward the end of the game, ducked out of his role as captain in hoisting the trophy aloft, so Eric Abidal, who spent most of the season recovering from testicular cancer could have the honour instead. 

Mes Que Un Club and Football, bloody 'ell, you might say.


Mes Que Un Club

And so to FIFA, where years of conniving and collecting dirt on each other is being mudslung for our entertainment.

The headlines are set to be sponsored by Warner, who unleashing periodic nuggets to the media, he's dubbed a Football Tsunami.

That he uses that word to describe his tittle-tattle is a measure of the man. An amoral urchin, who together with a generation of FIFA representatives are about to get their comeuppance.

UEFA's been growing in status over FIFA for many a year. The formation of the Champions League was a masterstroke, acknowledging the growth of the European city states over their countries. If the 2010 World Cup threw up knackered horses in a steeplechase, this year's European Cup was one for the thoroughbreds.

Now FIFA has no moral authority to govern the game as UEFA looks on at the top of the world game. Michel Platini constantly rejects the notion of standing for the FIFA presidency.

Meritocracy wins the day. The start of a Football Spring?

Birmingham City Transfer Swoop!

BREAKING NEWS! Birmingham City have made a £100million offer for Mr. Messi.

If successful, owner Carson Yeung's also promised to follow up with bids for Mr. Bump and Mr. Tickle!

Click here for Jose Mourinho: Motorway Man and Fergie's missed his chance to quit at the top.

Fergie's missed his chance to quit at the top

As Chelsea turn the title race around, United succumb to German efficiency in Europe. Are United prone to mistakes in their haste to win matches? Is Fergie reaching for the pipe and slippers under the weight of the Glazer's debt bubble? Jonny's view:

It was all set fair: Rome, May 2009. A second consecutive Champions League Final. Victory over Barcelona would've confirmed Manchester United as the undisputed greatest on the planet. Well, they'd already mopped up a hattrick of Premier League crowns and claimed the first-ever meaningful World Club Cup.

A third European title beckoned for Sir Alex Ferguson and having drawn level on eighteen with Liverpool as Champions of England, Fergie had fulfilled his promise of "knocking the Reds off their perch".

But Barca outplayed United. With 150 goals and six titles to their name, Messrs. Messi, Henry and Eto'o flicked mud at United's glister.

Then with Cristiano Ronaldo's defection to Madrid confirming Spain's economic and footballing superiority over England, Fergie might've wished for one more heroic 90 minute push from his never-say-die troops against Barca.

That way he could've left: unbowed, undefeated, the Greatest Of All Time.

But his boys lost badly - and like Muhammad Ali, the street fighter doesn't know when to stop.

Eleven months on, Bayern Munich have put paid to United's European bid at quarter-final stage and Chelsea have turned the title race upside down just as United were closing in. They look beatable by a dozen teams in the Premier League: emerging Villa emphatically planted their victory flag in Old Trafford soil, followed up by the ignominy of losing at home to Leeds United, two divisions below them.

Far from being the man in control, the hairdryer has a lower voltage. Sentiment's playing a role in some of his selections.

That the much-decorated Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are still figuring isn't the Fergie of five years ago. No, back then they would've been on the Slow Boats to Everton, Newcastle and alike.

As much as Giggs still plays well, realistically he's not even a player that Spurs, Villa or Man City would race to sign. Scholes? wonderful servant but nowhere near the level required.

At the back, their squad's threadbare. Were Carrick and Fletcher really used as makeshift defenders? suddenly United's squad seemed no deeper than Stoke or Bolton's.

So the Govanator's missed his chance to quit at the very, very pinnacle of the game - or has he?

There's one way he can bow out with head held high. To go hell for leather for the Premier League title. A fourth consecutive trophy in the Old Trafford cabinet and a nineteenth in all to surpass Liverpool, would mark Fergie as the King of Kings in management. But after Chelsea, it's a Big If.

Click here: United Memories: Cantona at Manchester United

Rooney leaving United? No chance!

As Wayne Rooney's stature in the world game grows, the tabloids are screaming! Manchester United must offload their main man under the weight of a billion dollar debt. Rooney's goals in the San Siro and Old Trafford against AC Milan flag him up as a diamond of the first water.

For Sale to Barca or Madrid at £90million?

United need to service their £715m loan; the Glazers, having whipped twenty million out of the club are restructuring the biggest red balance sheet in football history - just to keep the behemoth afloat.

But the cock-eyed rumour mill fails to factor in the most important pillar at Old Trafford; the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Not while Fergie's at the club will Rooney leave United. Madrid and Barca have two hopes of capturing Wazza: no hope and Bob Hope while the Govanator's in charge. And he is in charge.

And oh yes, United are fighting for the Premier League title, Carling Cup winners - and desite the shock of losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, still did for Milan. A 7-2  aggregate mauling. Does a certain Mark Twain phrase of overstated demises spring to mind?

If Wazza leaves while Sir Alex is in charge, you can be sure the Ravens will have also left the Tower. For it would demonstrate the wave of financial misfortune had swept over the Fergie Empire - and washed it away in a startlingly brutal consequence of the Credit Crunch.

No no no, Fergie is the King Canute of Football's Credit Crunch and Wayne Rooney, once a Blue, is now very much a Red.

Click here: The Champions League has less competitive integrity than the Premier League


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Wenger's plan has a design fault - Fabregas.

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"That Arsene Wenger? he's a genius, mate! He doesn't resort to splashing the cash. He patiently cultivates his international teenagers into twentysomething worldbeaters!".

And his plan certainly stacks up. Arsenal are the big four's only financially viable club who are otherwise saddled with unmanageable debt or funded as a billionaire plaything. Arsenal's £250million overdraft is Good Debt. It's attached to the building cost of The Emirates, which incidentally generates the biggest matchday revenue in the world.

Yes, Wenger and his board visualise a few seasons as also-rans behind Chelsea, Manchester United and the European giants but soon, they'll inherit the world!

But there's one major, major, (major) design fault to the Professor's Grand Plan.

The man Wenger wants to build his team around is a Catalan who dreams one day of returning home to his one and only. Of course, I talk of Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona.

How can Wenger plan around a player who WILL leave the Gunners in six months, two years or some other undefined time?

Speaking in the aftermath of Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-nil win over Liverpool, the Alsatian coach responded to media questions on the transfer speculation with his usual wit:

“Nothing plus nothing, is nothing,” he stated after he was informed of the denial issued by the Barcelona hierarchy.

Wenger holds the 23-year-old star in the highest esteem: "Cesc's vision is comparable to Michel Platini's. It's a compliment but Cesc has it all in front of him, but he has a vision.

"He will still develop. I remember Platini was more of a striker and Cesc is more of a midfielder. He is adding that element to his game, but Platini had more of a striker's mentality. He could stay quiet for a game, then think, 'I will score a goal'. Cesc is a guy who likes to be at the heart of things."

But Fabregas, who's issued a fresh denial about leaving Arsenal, has said in the past he'd like to play for Barcelona some day. It would be a way of Camp Nou nullifying the error of losing their youngster as a teenager to Wenger and Arsenal. It's rumoured Arsenal capitalised on the power vacuum at FCB during the last presidential elections.

You can never say that a single player is bigger than the team, but as Wenger's experienced before, losing big players plots the team's progress backwards. How ironic would it be if Fabregas returned to Barcelona as part of an electoral promise - by Joan Laporta!

At Arsenal where the ethic is: if the first-team is successful, then the rest of the club's success stems from there, Wenger needs to adopt a Plan B - and go into the transfer market.


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European Champions but silly names!

Barcelona were imperious and a class apart, as they swept aside Manchester United to become Champions of Europe for a third time.

Just as in 2006, Barca are acclaimed as the best side in Europe - on merit. With over 150 goals in a treble-winning season, neither United or indeed Chelsea, who the Catalans beat in the semi-final can have any argument with their status as the continent's best team.

But they sure do have funny names. Chubby? Messy? Peaky? Biscuits and Poohole?

They only need to bring Lopez Ufarte out of retirement - and the club shop could become a comedy theatre.

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