Former Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray admitted that he thought about taking his own life after he was sacked from his position with the television channel due to a sexist remark.
Gray and former co-host Richard Keys were dismissed after making a joke about female official Sian Massey, whilst a second clip of the Scottish pundit making a lewd comment to Sky colleague Charlotte Jackson later emerged.
Gray feels that the dismissal was an over-reaction but admits to having contemplated suicide after his axing.
“Yes. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. I had never felt like I have felt from January 25th (2011) onwards,” he told The London Evening Standard when asked if he has considered suicide.
“It happened on a Saturday morning. I got a call on Monday from Andy Melvin (deputy head of Sky Sports) just telling us “Don’t come in today for Monday night football.” It escalated from there for some reason, I’ve no idea why.
“I have no problems with a woman referee. It wasn’t a criticism, it was a light-hearted quip.
“I wish I’d never said it and, if I caused Sian any problems, then of course I’m terribly disappointed. Richard phoned her, apologised on our behalf and she said “Don’t be so stupid, guys.
“I have four daughters and I was brought up by a wonderful mother on her own. She’s 91 and is distraught about what happened,” he concluded.
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With 89 points on the board and a four-point cushion over Shrewsbury with two games remaining, Swindon can secure the lucrative title of League Two Champions on Saturday when they host Port Vale.
The season has been of mixed emotions on and off the field. An indifferent start to the season saw a 3-0 home win on the opening day, followed by 4 successive defeats in the league leaving Swindon 4th bottom on the 27th August. Many fans were calling for Paolo to be sacked and with the ensuing public bust-up with Leon Clarke numerous Robin’s fans doubted Paolo’s temperament and managerial skills.
Following on from August’s events, September could be seen as a success with four wins from six and a jump in ten places in the table. October started brightly and finished without defeat. This was the start of 1 defeat in 22 matches in all competitions.
A turning point in the Robins season was in the 93rd minute at Northampton. With Swindon trailing 1-0 at the break, a smart turn by Alan Connell made the score 1-1 but with Oliver Risser being sent off for violent conduct Swindon might have let their heads drop. A great run by McCormack followed by a cross from De Vita set up a vitally important second goal for the Robins. Ensued mass hysteria from the fans and from Paolo himself. Running the half the length of the field to celebrate will live long in the memory of those fans that where at Sixfields that afternoon.
The greatest achievement in this run was the 2-1 home win against Premier League side Wigan Athletic. Goals from Alan Connell and Paul Benson gave Swindon a deserved 2-1 win to set up a tie in the fourth round for the first time since 1996.
With a fourth round exit from the FA Cup at Leicester, Swindon’s only hope of going to Wembley was in the Football League Trophy. With a 2-1 victory against Southend earlier in December, the tie was set for a two legged affair with fellow league two opponents Barnet. After a 1-1 draw, the stage was set at the County Ground for what was a memorable night. An Alan Connell header found its way to the back of the net to seal a 2-1 aggregate victory and secure a return to Wembley to face Chesterfield.
Swindon climbed the table throughout February and after coming from behind to beat Shrewsbury 2-1 at the County Ground, Swindon where top of League 2. With the ensuing victories over Accrington and Burton, the Robins had secured 10 league victories in a row and opened up a 4 point gap over Cheltenham.
March will be much remembered for the losses to Oxford and losing at Wembley for the second time in 24 months. Swindon struggle recently to get ‘over the finishing line’ has been well documented. Two defeats in a row has seen some doubt over the strength of the team when key players are missing but undoubtedly this season has had more highs than could have been anticipated.
A year ago Swindon Town’s relegation had been confirmed, and with uncertainty over which manager would start the season, many were worried about the direction Swindon Town Football Club were heading. Paolo has transformed the club and team and will be remembered for playing football with style, passion and grace in a league where free-flowing football is rare. Planning for next season is vital, along with strengthening the squad and developing the players already on-board.
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Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to make an approach for Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, and will put past altercations behind him to bring the Portuguese manager back to Stamford Bridge, according to The Daily Mail.
The ‘Special One’was sacked by the Russian back in 2007, but since then has gone on to massively successful periods with Inter and Real Madrid.
After Mourinho guided the Santiago Bernabeu club to the La Liga title last weekend, Abramovich is set to make the tactician his number one choice for the role of permanent manager.
Despite Roberto Di Matteo’s heroics in getting the club through to the FA Cup and Champions League finals, it is believed that the Chelsea owner wants a more established coach in the hotseat before next season.
Meanwhile, defender Branislav Ivanovic is targeting victory at Wembley on Saturday, which he feels will give the side momentum going into the Champions League final.
“It’s strange to play in the FA Cup final when it’s not the last game of the season but this is better for us because, if we win, it will give us extra confidence for Munich,” the Serb admitted.
“It will be a fight for the trophy against Liverpool but, when there is something to fight for, this group of players are going to fight until the end.”
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Robin van Persie was last week named the finest Premier League player this season by his fellow pro’s, highlighting his consistency and ability across the 2011-12 campaign. It’s hard to argue that the Dutchman has been anything short of inspirational this term, with his goal-scoring touch bagging the Gunners over 20 points alone, and dragging the North Londoner’s up the table after a disappointing opening. Yet, for me, there is one man who has outshone the Arsenal captain, and that is Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.
The Red Devils striker has been in fine form this term, putting the issues of last season firmly in the past and concentration on what he does best, performing on the field of play. Due to van Persie’s goal-scoring flurry, the Manchester United man’s edge in front of the net has gone unnoticed, yet the fact remains that the England international has bagged 26 in the Premier League, just two fewer than his Dutch counterpart.
It’s easy to forget that for quite some time this season United have been fairly poor, with injuries damaging the depth of the squad and hampering Sir Alex Ferguson’s options. As a result Rooney has been, at times, employed in a deeper role, being asked to sit behind the front-line, and dictate play from an almost central-midfield role. Although his performances in this position were not as rampaging as that we are used to when watching ‘Wazza’ his qualities were there for all to see, as the ex-Everton man controlled the pace of the game, aiding his attacking colleagues.
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His performances, not only this season, but down the years have drawn special praise form some of the world’s top talent, with Barcelona ace Lionel Messi stating his desire to one day work with the Manchester United star:
“It would be a dream to play with Rooney if Manchester United ever came to the point where they needed to sell him,” The Argentine told the Daily Star Sunday.
“I would personally go to the Barcelona president and ask that he be signed myself. There are always a handful of players in the world at any one time who can go down in the footballing history books. At the moment, there are maybe (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Rooney, Xavi and one or two more – but I can’t think of one that plays with the desire of Rooney. We all know football players at the top level are blessed with high wages, it’s no secret. But Rooney would play for 100 euros-a-week. You can see the fire in his eyes. It’s that fire which makes him the best of the best.”
Such high praise from, arguably, one of the finest players to ever play the game displays just how talented Rooney is, and his overall contribution to whichever team is lucky enough to have him.
One of the only drawbacks to Rooney’s game has been discipline, with the 26-year-old often suffering as a result of his desire and passion on the field of play. Many have said in the past that the remove his nasty streak would be detrimental to his game and that yellow, and occasionally red, cards are just part and parcel of his style of play. This season however, has seen an air of maturity of the part of the forward, who has ditched his questionable disciplinary record. Since his red card in the Three Lions shirt, against Montenegro, Rooney has curbed his temper, very rarely getting himself on the wrong side of officials, and as a result issues regarding his temperament have been all but removed. Yet, this hasn’t hampered his style of play, as the desire and all-action approach remains as strong as ever every time he takes to the pitch.
Although Robin van Persie has been a fine performer this term, Wayne Rooney has, arguably, been better in my humble opinion. The Manchester United striker has shown further improvement, building on his already vast skill set, and aiding his club’s pursuit of the Premier League title. It seems the Englishman is moving toward the very peak of his career, and this season has shown just how special he is, and his level of performances deserve more recognition than they have received.
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Should Rooney or van Persie been PFA player of the year? Have your say with a comment, or follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter
Liverpool look set to undergo some major surgery to their playing staff this summer as new boss Brendan Rodgers addresses the issue over whether certain players fit in with his ‘philosophy’ or not, and one player that immediately springs to mind as being under serious threat is Jay Spearing, so what does the future hold for the central midfielder?
Spearing was undoubtedly the main beneficiary of Lucas Leiva season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury last term, and played the majority of the side’s game under Kenny Dalglish towards the end of the season, making 16 league appearances and 25 across all competitions.
However, when you look at the sort of manager Rodgers is and the sort of players that he likes for his central midfield roles, Spearing sticks out like a sore thumb as being the antithesis to anything even approaching a ball-playing midfielder.
The problem with him is that he’s caught between two stalls; he’s neither an exceptionally gifted tackler, nor energetic enough to cover ground quickly and for once in the modern-game, his relative lack of size is a determining factor. He has a decent passing range, but is still capable of the odd huge gaffe, as was best shown by his quite simply diabolical showing in the FA Cup final against Chelsea where his poor cross-field pass directly led to Ramires’ opening goal.
Gylfi Sigurdsson looks set to sign for the club, while Steven Gerrard has proven while on England duty so far at Euro 2012 that he’s extremely capable in a deeper-lying, more reserved and disciplined holding role as he comes to terms with accepting that he’s not quite the box-to-box midfielder he once was.
Add into the mix the return of the hugely missed Lucas, Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey, who began to show a degree of promise with an extended run in the side towards the back-end of last season and Spearing’s chances already look limited before a spending spree even begun.
Rodgers midfield triumvarite of Allen, Britton and Sigurdsson at Swansea worked well, and with the Icelandic international set to follow his mentor Rodgers to Anfield, even someone with as much experience as Alberto Aquilani begins to look surplurs to requirements, let alone Spearing.
Rumours that the club are in the hunt for former Wigan holding man Mohamed Diame refuse to go away, as the club kept in place the deal set up before Dalglish departed, as they seek to add more steel to their engine room, with the side guilty of letting the opposition play far too much in front of them at times last term.
If truth be told, if he wasn’t a local-born player, Spearing’s time at Liverpool would have been up some time ago, but the crucial currency of geography has afforded him more opportunities than his ability is worth. Even as a squad player, he may survive for the time being but he’s simply not good enough to be kept around the club in the long-term and he looks to be operating on borrowed time.
Do you think Spearing will be kept at the club much longer?
You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1
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When you have an off-season as entertaining as what we’ve experienced this summer, it’s not a surprise that supporters are suffering a serious dose of dizziness. After a month of tiki-taka carousels and managerial Magic Roundabouts, the new Premier League season is being met on a backdrop of motion sickness. But amongst it all, Aston Villa’s appointment of a certain Paul Lambert, feels as if it’s got lost in the shuffle.
Villa fans didn’t so much feel motion sickness last season, but Alex McLeish induced salmonella. Throw in the deeply upsetting illness to skipper Stiliyan Petrov and it felt as if 2012 was amounting to something of an annus horribilis at Villa Park. The appointment of a new manager, especially after the tenure of McLeish, was always likely to be greeted with cautious optimism, but the wounds of the 2011-12 season won’t heal overnight.
Yet supporters should be able to afford themselves a wry smile at the countless feet of column space that the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Andre Villas Boas and even Michael Laudrup’s managerial appointments were afforded. The steely Lambert can galvanise Aston Villa in a way that maybe none of the aforementioned trio can.
One of the most poignant images of last season, was a banner held aloft in the Holte End, addressing one Alex McLeish. It bestowed the words: “It’s not where you came from, it’s where you are taking us.” To underplay the impact of appointing a coach with such ties to a rival club, is failing to grasp the sensitivities of football. No matter who they are, supporters are always going to greet their arrival with a degree of scepticism and blunted loyalty.
George Graham won Spurs their first bit of silverware in eight seasons, but supporters always struggled to get around his Arsenal past. Although McLeish didn’t exactly ride into Villa Park with a résumé that held as much gravitas as Graham’s. Despite his League Cup win, McLeish had been relegated twice in three years and advocated, shall we say, a pretty attritional style of football. That’s reasonably hard to buy into on it’s own, let alone the fact he arrived from Birmingham City.
The fact that he came from St. Andrew’s mattered. But the fact that supporters didn’t think he was any good, mattered more.
And come the climax of last season, fans fear for the future was felt just as urgently as their anger for the present. Writing in the Heroes and Villains fanzine back in May, Stuart Griffin seemed to capture the mood to a tee:
“There is a feeling that the club as a whole is utterly rudderless. No leadership or direction at the top, outside of getting the wage bill down. No real idea of where we are going or how we are going to achieve it”
“The fans have lost hope and unless that is renewed, next season will be horrible.”
Paul Lambert doesn’t have a magic wand and he isn’t going to soothe the worries about the top. But he won’t stand for a rudderless ship. Lambert has the drive and intensity to bring back the hope that got blasted away like the long ball that infected the McLeish brand of football.
For starters, you can guarantee that Lambert won’t stand for any of the gutless performances that Villa seemed to produce last season. One of the biggest critiques of Alex McLeish’s reign, was that in spite of the football his teams played, they always seemed to play with courage, heart and a ballsy work ethic; this never seemed to manifest itself at any point last season.
Lambert gets the best out of his players. Many who plied their trade for Norwich in the team who finished 12th in the league last season, played under Lambert for Norwich and even Colchester United, during his time in League One. David Fox, Marc Tierney, Grant Holt and Wes Hoolahan aren’t players you’d have thought would have got anywhere near this Villa team two years ago. Lambert has got them playing above them.
As with Bradley Johnson, Jonny Howson and Steve Morison, Lambert has proved he can take players deemed by others to be ‘lesser’ and get the very best out of them. He has hardly been given a transfer war-chest at Norwich, yet he hasn’t needed one, as the likes of Morison et al have shown. Supporters don’t need to loose sleep over the amount of money Randy Lerner will make available. Lambert will invest whatever he gets very wisely indeed.
The style of football too, will come as a huge boost. Lambert doesn’t employ the tiki-taka-lite of Brendan Rodgers, but his own brand of football is direct, pulsating and thoroughly enjoyable to watch.
Supporters can’t get carried away, although the fixture computer has been kind to Lambert and Villa. They play newly promoted West Ham and Southampton in two of their first three away dates and Swansea and West Brom visit Villa Park in September. If Paul Lambert can get Villa staring well, then the momentum could act as a springboard for a great season.
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Next season is going to be a big challenge for Paul Lambert. Expectation won’t be sky high for a team who were in all honestly, lucky to avoid relegation last term. But Aston Villa aren’t a team who should be anywhere near the bottom three. Yet in the nicest possible way, Lambert’s ego and determination demands success.
He is as fiercely determined as any manager in the Premier League. And that’s just the tonic for all involved at Villa Park.
Are you excited for the new season under Paul Lambert? Are are expectations still relatively muted after the events of last season? Let me know what you’re looking forward to at Villa Park next season, follow @samuel_antrobus on Twitter and bat me your views.
No one transfer has quite summed up the excess of the flawed approach to the transfer market during the Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli reign than Stewart Downing and under a new manager, he has a point to prove all over again in what must represent a make or break season for him at the club.
Liverpool paid a whopping £20m fee for him to Aston Villa last summer, seemingly because the club had already sold Ashley Young to Manchester United for £17m and were reluctant to part ways with both wingers in one transfer window, but as ever, money talks and the club got their man.
Out of all the big-money moves given the green light by Dalglish during his 18-month spell in charge, none have disappointed more than Downing. Andy Carroll arrived with the huge fee of £35m, but he still retains the faith of a large majority of the Anfield faithful for the simple reason that when he’s fit and on form, he can be a truly terrifying presence up front, capable of battering the opposition’s defence into submission and his form picked up towards the end of last season as he scored in both the FA Cup semi-final and final against Everton and Chelsea while dismantling John Terry in the league game at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson could still be some player and he’d burdened by expectations of what he should be rather than an accurate assessment of the player he is – quietly efficient, composed and above all, a player that keeps the game simple. Downing, however, came to the club with an already established reputation and at 27 years of age, without much room to manoeuvre in terms of future improvement or sell-on value. He was purchased off the back of a successful season for Villa during which he scored seven goals from midfield and displayed a maturity to his game, often finding himself starting in the middle of midfield. He was signed to provide the manager with more options in midfield, but his poor form only succeeded in causing headaches
Liverpool paid hugely over the odds for him simply because Aston Villa themselves did when they forked out £12m for him from Middlesbrough back in 2009-10. If we’re being honest, that’s about the maximum that you should ever play for someone of Downing’s quality, but when you factor in the English premium that you inevitably pay and the fact that he had improved markedly at Villa Park, then you are left with an inflated price that he was always going to struggle to justify.
I’ll set my stall out now, I’m a Downing sceptic – it’s not that I don’t believe he doesn’t exist (if only), but I’ve never been privy to his supposed powers. Of course, he can whip a decent ball in at pace from time to time, but he’s always looked as if he’s never quite had the pace to trouble a quality full-back, nor the trickery or guile to beat them on the inside.
At Liverpool last term, he could regularly be found guilty or narrowing the midfield, with a reluctance to take on and try and beat his man, while Jose Enrique at left-back was quicker with the ball than he was without it. He completed a pretty rotten 0.6 dribbles per match and failed to register a single assist or goal in 36 league appearances, 28 of which he started. Just to compare, Ashley Young, who enjoyed a similar move to a bigger club and who struggled after a bright start, completed 0.9 dribbles per match and finished the campaign with six league goals and seven assists from 19 starts and six substitute appearances.
Downing struck the only goal of the game during the side’s narrow 1-0 victory over FC Gomel in the Europa League last week in what was a fairly anonymous performance aside from that. He was used on both flanks during the match as Rodgers went with his preferred 4-3-3 system, with Joe Cole, then Raheem Sterling being used on the other side. New signing Fabio Borini often cut an isolated figure up front at times as the side struggled for match fitness against opponents already well into their league season.
Nonetheless, given that Craig Bellamy looks to be on his way out of the club to Cardiff, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt have already left and that Rodgers has a limited transfer budget, Downing could be set to be handed a key role over the coming season, as one of the more senior members of a fairly young squad.
It looks as if Rodgers is aiming to make his mark at the club, bringing an end to the English contingent’s privileged positions in the dressing room; they are no longer guaranteed a first-team place merely due to the nature of their hefty fee. Andy Carroll has already tasted the sharp end of the stick and unless he starts to perform, so will Downing.
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Downing has always looked as if he struggles to cope with the pressure of playing for a big side – he has for Liverpool so far and in the majority of his 34 appearances for England since making his debut back in 2005. However, as a big fish in a small pond, he can often be seen to perform above expectations, like he did at Boro and Villa and with Anfield becoming a smaller pond than in years gone by, now is the time for him to step up. Another failure like last season will see him marginalised – fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
Ex-Manchester United star, Lou Macari, believes that in order for newly acquired striker Robin van Persie to be successful for the Premier League runners-up he must guard against dropping too deep to receive the ball. Van Persie failed to make an impact from the substitutes bench in a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Monday night as he made his debut for Manchester United after signing from Arsenal for £24 million pounds.
Macari told The Mirror, “I think he should have stayed around the penalty area because that’s where he does most of his good work.” Macari did admit however that the main reason RVP seemingly dropping too deep was to impress his new boss Sir Alex Ferguson, “When Van Persie came on, he realised he only had just over 20 minutes to make an impact. He obviously wanted to get involved straight away on his debut.”
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted after the Everton defeat that his side did not play to van Persie’s strengths when he came on. Indeed, last season Van Persie tormented Premier League defences with his ability to run off the last defender. The now former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song was a great catalyst for Van Persie’s goals as he provided many of the assists from a central midfield position.
To this extent, arguably Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick will be crucial to the success of Robin van Persie in a Manchester United shirt this season. Wayne Rooney will also be important for Van Persie, as he has the guile, class and industriousness to adapt his game to suit Van Persie’s play.
Despite a disappointing debut for Robin van Persie, Macari did jump to the defence of Van Persie saying that it is “ridiculous” to judge the United front man on one performance. Van Persie will have the chance to rectify his ineffectual start when Manchester United play Fulham on Saturday.
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Manchester City are lining up a move for Fiorentina defender Matija Nastasic, who has been labelled the ‘new Nemanja Vidic’, The Sun claim.
The Premier League champions are eager to bolster their squad before the end of the transfer window, with the centre of defence one of the areas that Roberto Mancini wants reinforcements in.
After attempts to sign Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel run aground, Mancini has been forced to look abroad for new players.
With moves for Javi Martinez and Javi Garcia coming to dead ends also, the Etihad Stadium outfit are set to raid Fiorentina for Nastasic.
The 19-year-old has impressed since moving to the Stadio Artemio Franchi last summer from Partizan Belgrade, and is valued at around £12 million.
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It is believed that City are close to agreeing terms with the Viola over a switch for the Serbian centre-back, that will see misfit Stefan Savic move the other way.
West Ham manager has taken unattached defenders John Mensah, Mikael Silvestre and Anthony Vanden Borre on trial with a view to strengthening the Hammers’ back line, according to Goal.
The Premier League newcomers have already bolstered their side with the additions of James Collins and George McCartney from Aston Villa and Sunderland respectively whilst releasing Abdoulaye Faye and Julien Faubert in the summer.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce admits that it is too early for him to make a judgement on the trio, “They have been training with us but there is no decision on whether they will be pursuing their services or not at this moment in time.”
The most recognisable name to football fans is that of former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre. The 35-year-old Frenchman, who won five Premier League trophies as well as the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup with the Red Devils, failed to make an impact at German outfit Werder Bremen and was limited to just twenty-seven appearances. The trial will be Silvestre last opportunity to salvage a career that is very much appears to be in its twilight phase.
The same cannot be said for both Mensah and Vanden Borre, who at 29 and 24 respectively, have seen flourishing careers peter out of late. Mensah, whose talent has never been in question, has always struggled to settle at one club since leaving French side Stades Rennes in 2008. The Ghanaian was limited to just thirteen appearances in four years at Lyon and failed to impress Steve Bruce whilst a loan at Sunderland.
Meanwhile Vanden Borre, who also had a brief spell in the Premier League whilst at loan at Portsmouth, will be hoping to impress ‘big Sam’ after finding himself limited to just a handful of appearances at Belgian side Genk last season.
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