Rooney is in Chicharitos shadow as Man United close their chequebook, Newcastles Hughton gets support & Tottenham consider midfield transfers
Comment & analysis round-up
Quote of the day: We appealed for a penalty, didnt get it and the ball hit Nanis hand. But the referee didnt blow his whistle and the linesman didnt flag until after the goal was scored, so the ball was still in play. Nani looked at the referee, saw nothing had been given so what could he do? He put the ball in the net. Gomes is an experienced goalkeeper and should know better. He made a mess of it. He thought it was a free-kick and made an error. It was bizarre. Sir Alex Ferguson.
Runner-up: What a farcical way to finish a game. It was deliberate handball. The referee obviously didnt see Nani handball it, so thats why he let play go on. The assistant has seen it, thats why he flagged. So the referee should disallow the goal. How can he give a goal? If Nani has put his hands on the ball, he should be booked, to start with then its a free-kick. If you look at [Darren] Fletcher, he is telling Nani to get back into position, because he thinks were going to counter-attack. Its a free-kick. So Gomes has put the ball down and taken it. Harry Redknapp.
Todays overview: Manchester United fuel the opening two talking point this Sunday.
Joe Lovejoy and Steve Tongue both offer their opinions on Nanis goal against Spurs, with the former almost belligerent in his support for the goal while the latter had more than a spoonful of sympathy for the Lilywhites.
Next, were once again supposed to buy into the belief that Wayne Rooney could play second fiddle to Chicharito. Paul Hayward makes the point by handily referring back to the last few months to contrast the form of the forwards, while Steve Bates uses Rooneys ongoing recovery from injury as a stick claiming that the Mexican striker means Wazza can take his time on the road to recovery. Joe Bernstein takes things to! silly l evels wasting time on the Chicharito merchandise sold outside Old Trafford.
In other Premier League news, Mark Ryan and David Instone both chastise Man City after their loss to Wolves while Piers Morgan departs the Mail on Sunday with words of encouragement for Arsenal. Elsewhere, Chris Hughton receives words of support from both Anna Kessel and Kenny Dalglish.
In the transfers Manchester City and Liverpool are linked with strikers, while Tottenhams midfield could be shuffled as enforcers are targetted and a playmaker could move on.
The Nani Goal: Making sure everyone knows that Nanis goal was legal was Joe Lovejoy. With six minutes of normal time remaining, and Spurs in urgent pursuit of an equaliser, Heurelho Gomes flaunted the golden rule about playing to the whistle, threw the ball to the floor in expectation of a free-kick, and was horribly embarrassed when Nani emerged from behind him and, after hesitating for what seemed like an eternity to see if a decision was going to be given, knocked it past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Sitting on fence somewhat, Steve Tongue gave Tottenham fans a little ammunition with which to argue that the Nani goal should have been chalked off. They claimed with some justification that Nanis bizarre goal in the 84th minute should never have been allowed, the only consolation being that it was not the winner If there was a lesson in thecrucial incident it was the age old one of playing to the whistle; the whistle which, to Tottenhams fury, never came. Naturally the two managers took different views, both correct in their own way: Sir Alex Ferguson felt there was no reason not to play on and Harry Redknapp was equally correct in saying the officials had missed a clear handling offence.
Chica-Rooney: The hugely-debatable notion that Javier Hernandez could displace ! Wayne Ro oney in the United first-team continues to be chugged out of the fifth estate.
Paul Hayward appears to have selective memory as argued Hernandez is the light to Rooneys shade. While the teams talisman plays politics the hungry pup scores late match-winning goals against Valencia, Stoke and Wolves. Against Rooneys one goal in seven months are juxtaposed six this term for Hernandez: two from this right-foot, two from the left and the rest off his head.
Steve Bates hints at the same message through the prism of talking about Rooneys injury. Rooney will miss a further NINE games for club and country after Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed hes out for another five weeks With Mexican kid Javier Hernandez in sparkling form, Ferguson believes there is no reason to rush his star striker back. (Staying on the injury front, the Star gossip Rooney is out for another five weeks and is set miss a total of 15 games for club and country.)
Ridiculous ramping up the Chicharito hype-machine, Joe Bernstein barked stall holders at all four corners of the famous old stadium were doing a roaring trade in 5 Mexican sombreros in tribute to Chicharito, aka 22-year-old Javier Hernandez, whose back-to-goal header against Stoke City last weekend has propelled him towards instant stardom in a similar fashion to David Beckham following his goal from the halfway line.
Spinning off on a tangent, Paul Smith claims Rio Ferdinand will be the next Manchester United star to demand contract talks. The Old Trafford club have left themselves wide open to increasing demands from their star players after awarding rebel striker Wayne Rooney with a five-year deal worth a staggering 250,000 a week.
City Suckers: Mark Ryan goes for Manchester Citys jugular after the Citizens lost at Wolves on Saturday. Roberto Mancinis Premier League title challenge seemed to fall apart as Manchester City were outplayed by a team with something money cannot buy spirit.
Bye-bye Piers: Piers Morgan delivers his last column for the Mail on Sunday today as the toff prepares to take over the Larry King Live show on CNN, and his uses his final article to talk about his beloved Arsenal. I hope we win something big this season. Not just so that Wenger can prove everyone who questioned him wrong. But because it would be such a wonderful victory for football. It would show that you cant just buy trophies and prove that a man who has a long-term dream, and backs himself to achieve it however rough the criticism, can realise it against apparently insurmountable odds. And can anyone, hand on heart, deny that Wengers determination to always, ALWAYS play football in the most beautiful, skilful, sublimely enjoyable way does not deserve it? So, as I take my final bow from this column, I say this on behalf of all Arsenal fans: Vive La Wenger!
Black Bosses: After Paul Ince was appointed managers at Notts County, Anna Kessel reminds readers of the wholly disproportional lack of black managers in England. With Chris Hughton in charge at Newcastle, that is two out of 92 clubs in the four top divisions who currently employ a nonwhite manager to steer their team. The appalling figures highlight the disparity between the percentage of black players on the pitch about a quarter at the last survey and the paucity of black faces in the dugout. While racist chants have almost disappeared at football grounds in this country, discrimi! nation lives on unchallenged in the boardrooms.
Staying on the same footing, Kenny Dalglish fumes at the rumours that Chris Hughton may be let go by Newcastle. At any other club, Hughton would be given a big pay hike, the stability of a long-term contract and maybe a quid or two to spend on new players to help Newcastle preserve their status in the Premier League But thats not really the way it happens at Newcastle. Personally, I cant think of any manager they could appoint who would deliver better value for money than Hughton, whose operations on a relative shoestring have been extremely impressive.
The Mail on Sunday go a step further in predicting who may replace Hughton at St James Park. Popular reserve-team coach Peter Beardsley or his assistant , Steve Stone, are the probable candidates.
FIFA-gate: Tired of hearing about scandals relating to the rival bids for the 2018 World Cup, a sour Paul Wilson today vents in the Observer. I am sick of hearing about the handbags and the glad rags, the bought votes, bent votes and bid books. I do not care who said what about whom and, though a row between England and Russia about who has the worse drink and crime culture ought to be entertaining, bidspeak renders it instantly boring. England have been so poor in recent World Cups, in fact, that they should beware the South Africa effect, should their bid be successful. It would scarcely be the greatest advertisement for English football were the hosts to go out before the knockout stages. Englands World Cup record as hosts is currently 100%. Played one, won one. It may not be such a bad idea to keep it that way.
Transfer Lies: The People come out swinging this Sunday as they try to torpedo all chatter of a Manchester United recruitment drive this January. Alex Ferguson has dealt an instant blow to Wayne Rooneys hopes of top new players being rolled into Old Trafford by insistin! g: We wo nt be buying anyone in January.
Once again Fernando Torres is linked to Man City in the tabloids. Dean Jones farts City have vowed to outbid any of their rivals when it comes to landing Fernando Torres next year.
The People claim that a 15m bid by Man City for Sunderlands Jordan Henderson would need to rise to 30m to be successful, that Liverpool could buy Charles NZogbia for 9m, Roque Santa Cruz may move to Leicester as well as Ishmael Miller, QPRs Jamie Mackie is a 3m Everton target, Derek Boateng is supposedly a 4m target for Spurs, and Newcastle may swoop for Swanseas Darren Pratley.
The News of the World tease online readers (who now have to pay to read their stories) by spitting out headlines that Yaya Toure has had a big bust-up with Roberto Mancini, Manchester United have opened talks to bring David De Gea to Old Trafford, and Sulley Muntari is poised to move to White Hart Lane.
The Star report that 10m-rated Peter Crouch is on Liverpools shopping list, while the Mail on Sunday splash with news that Barcelona will switch attention to Luka Modric after losing patience over Cesc Fabregas. Staying in the pseudo-tabloid, Liverpool are linked with Mainzs Adam Szalai and Roma front man Mirko Vucinic.
Managers On the Move: Could Big Sam be turfed out of Ewood Park? Alan Nixon spews Allardyce will be looking for full compensation if there is any attempt by the Indian-based VH Group to get rid of him or interfere in transfer dealings.
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