The trend seems to be towards a lot of EPL personalities acting like babies. First, I'll talk about Roy Keane. Roy, whom you may or may not remember threw a temper tantrum when his world cup manager for Ireland declared he "was just happy to be in the elimination field," has lost it again and gone ranting and raving about members of his own team and their poor play.
An interview of Keane, the Man United captain, on MUTV had to be pulled by Sir Alex Ferguson because Keane's criticisms were so venomous. The Terrell Owens of EPL publicly criticized fan favorite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his missed goals in recent matches, and has also criticized Dutch phenom and prettyboy Ruud van Nistelrooy saying he should concentrate on scoring instead of "fiddling with your hair." This behaviour is nothing new to the whining Irishman. In Man U's past swoons, he has accused his colleagues of complacency.
Well, first of all, I don't see Roy Keane lighting up the pitch either. Also, old man mouth ought to realize that he is up for contract soon. Putting himself out of favour could put him on a one-way bus out of Old Trafford. However, it seems as Keane has carte blanche to rail on and on about his teammates as history has shown that he ain't gettin' disciplined for these outbursts, other than having his interviews pulled from MUTV.
It's too bad a team brimming with talent has to endure such attitude and such arrogance from their captain. But, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in reply to Keanie's comments, "he's the skipper" which I guess means Keane is getting away with his mouth again.
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Arsene the Arse from Arsenal
Childlike behaviour isn't limited to the players of top English clubs. The Arsenal Gunners manager, Arsene Wenger and Chelsea's manager, Jose Mourinho have been trading words back and forth as often as their teams have been trading goals back and forth. Mourinho was quoted as saying that Wenger is "a voyeur" and that he has "a sickness" regarding his supposed obsession with Chelsea. There's a new twist to this which has the potential to take it above just two child-like managers bickering. Wenger has threatened to sue Mourinho over his "personal attacks." This seems a bit extreme does it not? I mean did John Chaney threaten to sue John Calipari during the days of Temple and UMass rivalry? No, Chaney just threatened to beat the heck out of Calipari, that's all. Perhaps Wenger and Mourinho could take a page out of the book of our finest college basketball coaches.
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In EPL non-tabloid news
Birmingham's manager Steve Bruce is on the hot seat for his squad's dismal start which finds them at the bottom of the table. It is a shame, as injuries have riddled the club this year. Bruce has asked that the board reserve its judgement until after the match vs. the Bolton Wanderers in a week. He feels the squad should be closer to full strength by then.
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Man City, the city of men
Hal, in answer to your question, "Are Man City for real?" The answer is a resounding no. Look at their wins so far this season. Probably the most impressive run started with consecutive wins away vs. the struggling Birmingham and the Coca Cola Championship league luckys Sunderland Black Cats. They were lucky to escape with a draw against Man United. Your Toffees have since put Man City in their place. I make the prediction that Man City will be relegated to the Championship league and battling Cardiff and Plymouth by 2007. And that's me being conservative with my estimations...
- Christopher J. Brigham, Footy Senior Writer & Head Columnist
An interview of Keane, the Man United captain, on MUTV had to be pulled by Sir Alex Ferguson because Keane's criticisms were so venomous. The Terrell Owens of EPL publicly criticized fan favorite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his missed goals in recent matches, and has also criticized Dutch phenom and prettyboy Ruud van Nistelrooy saying he should concentrate on scoring instead of "fiddling with your hair." This behaviour is nothing new to the whining Irishman. In Man U's past swoons, he has accused his colleagues of complacency.
Well, first of all, I don't see Roy Keane lighting up the pitch either. Also, old man mouth ought to realize that he is up for contract soon. Putting himself out of favour could put him on a one-way bus out of Old Trafford. However, it seems as Keane has carte blanche to rail on and on about his teammates as history has shown that he ain't gettin' disciplined for these outbursts, other than having his interviews pulled from MUTV.
It's too bad a team brimming with talent has to endure such attitude and such arrogance from their captain. But, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in reply to Keanie's comments, "he's the skipper" which I guess means Keane is getting away with his mouth again.
* * *
Arsene the Arse from Arsenal
Childlike behaviour isn't limited to the players of top English clubs. The Arsenal Gunners manager, Arsene Wenger and Chelsea's manager, Jose Mourinho have been trading words back and forth as often as their teams have been trading goals back and forth. Mourinho was quoted as saying that Wenger is "a voyeur" and that he has "a sickness" regarding his supposed obsession with Chelsea. There's a new twist to this which has the potential to take it above just two child-like managers bickering. Wenger has threatened to sue Mourinho over his "personal attacks." This seems a bit extreme does it not? I mean did John Chaney threaten to sue John Calipari during the days of Temple and UMass rivalry? No, Chaney just threatened to beat the heck out of Calipari, that's all. Perhaps Wenger and Mourinho could take a page out of the book of our finest college basketball coaches.
* * *
In EPL non-tabloid news
Birmingham's manager Steve Bruce is on the hot seat for his squad's dismal start which finds them at the bottom of the table. It is a shame, as injuries have riddled the club this year. Bruce has asked that the board reserve its judgement until after the match vs. the Bolton Wanderers in a week. He feels the squad should be closer to full strength by then.
* * *
Man City, the city of men
Hal, in answer to your question, "Are Man City for real?" The answer is a resounding no. Look at their wins so far this season. Probably the most impressive run started with consecutive wins away vs. the struggling Birmingham and the Coca Cola Championship league luckys Sunderland Black Cats. They were lucky to escape with a draw against Man United. Your Toffees have since put Man City in their place. I make the prediction that Man City will be relegated to the Championship league and battling Cardiff and Plymouth by 2007. And that's me being conservative with my estimations...
- Christopher J. Brigham, Footy Senior Writer & Head Columnist
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