Manchester City are considering hosting a celebration at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the new season rather than a traditional open-top bus tour – but remain cautious for two reasons.
The waiting Premier League champions who are also in the Champions League final don’t want to take anything for granted, even though they only need one win to secure the title.
They are also wary of making commitments that they cannot meet. Last year Jürgen Klopp promised Liverpool fans a victory parade after their first triumph in the Premier League. That prospect is now highly unlikely due to the pandemic and the view that celebrating winning a trophy that is no longer yours doesn’t look good.
Manchester City are considering hosting a celebration at the Etihad Stadium
Stones could be ordered to tear down the wall
A stone wall penalty could be in sight for John Stones from Manchester City.
The 26-year-old defender had to apply for post-building permission after building a 4-foot boundary wall on his Cheshire block without a green light from his local council.
No objections have been received, but should the authorities decide not to give permission, the English man could be instructed to tear it down. Papers show that it took 11 days to build the wall in the luxury home, which also has an indoor pool, game room, and dog washing area.
UEFA officials suspect Turkey’s place on the red list
Some UEFA members have wondered whether adding Turkey to the Red List was a tactical move by the UK government to move the Champions League final to London.
A move to Wembley would fit on the post-Brexit agenda. Relations between UEFA and Whitehall are stronger than they have been in a while on the late Super League runaway’s back – but that hasn’t stopped speculation.
Barton pretty much gave up on the players
Joey Barton seems to have a good job at Bristol Rovers. In the last two weeks after relegation, players were told by their manager to start training just two days before the game and to take the rest of the week off.
Barton hasn’t been silent about the quality and dedication he’s inherited and is planning a major overhaul to get Rovers back into third stage on the first try.
The glaziers’ fault towards the media team
Save a thought for the Manchester United media team. After the botched Super League fell on them, they had to grapple with the aftermath of the Old Trafford storm by fans last weekend.
If that wasn’t enough, Friday brought a willingness from the withdrawn owners of the club to communicate with fans after 16 years of silence. It was interesting to note that in 704 words Joel Glazer failed to mention the dividends ripped out of the club and the debts he continues to be burdened with thanks to the American leveraged takeover.
There is a growing sense that the glasses are nearing the point of no return and further damage is in sight after The Guardian revealed that The Hut Group got over £ 200million out of a 10-year training kit deal out of concern for potential fans pulled out has setback.
Manchester United owner Joel Glazer has promised a greater commitment to the fans
Buttner the bum of the joke
Easier said, there was a lot of chuckling at United’s training ground when former defender Alexander Buttner posted on Instagram a picture of a mural he believed he had painted at home. It shows Buttner, the Premier League trophy and Sir Alex Ferguson.
The artist could get a hair dryer treatment since Fergie looks like Des O’Connor and has a gigantic hand that looks considerably larger than his head.
The 32-year-old Buttner, who last played for New England Revolution, played 13 Premier League games for United over two years.
Fight against dementia at FIFA
Dementia fighters Dawn Astle and Rachel Walden asked to meet with FIFA’s new medical director after commenting on the relationship between football and increased rates of neurodegenerative diseases.
“We have to find out what they are doing in football, what is causing them,” said Andrew Massey of FIFA. “We think we’re moving forward and headline plays a role in that.”
The comments from the former head of Liverpool’s medical service have raised concern among Astle and Walden, who are advising the professional footballers’ association on the matter, although they may represent progress given their previous reluctance to acknowledge the link. Massey was quick to respond, and a summit is scheduled to take place in the near future.
Murphy’s surprising appearance
Oisin Murphy was stunned while enjoying a race day shindig at Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club last week when he showed up a couple of hours before showing up at 2:45 am down the street.
The 2019 and 2020 flat champion took the microphone and got lyrical about two horses running in the first two races just so the MC could cut in and inform everyone in attendance that they were indeed not runners. Unimpressed, Murphy was asked about his own ride on the Imperial Force and honestly admitted she had little chance. He was right – it was sixth in a field with eight horses.
Oisin Murphy visited Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club hours before spinning down the street
Lots to miss the Olympics
A significant number of officials and supporters are said to be following instructions from the directors of British Swimming and UK Athletics in giving the Olympics a twist.
They will all claim that they are doing this because of the pandemic. However, skeptics believe that the lack of access to Tokyo’s excellent bars and restaurants may have played a key role.
Futile players asking for tighter shorts
Kitmen at a number of Premier League clubs are pressured by futile players to tailor their shorts to show off bulging hamstrings.
There’s an excitement that grips the major league, and some even go so far as to lift a side of their shorts when they think they’re on TV to show the fruits of their labor in the gym.
