SIR ALEX FERGUSON WINS THE DAY-AT A PRICE!

Wayne Rooney does a U turn and stays at Manchester United.Manager Sir Alex played it brilliantly leaving the door open but Rooney's hard nosed agent Paul Stretford squeezed Rooney a new five year IMPROVED money contract with United.Wasn't that what they were arguing about in the first place?All this talk about lack of ambition was both an insult and a false claim for United and Sir Alex.The trophies and medals in his watch tell the tale.No, you have to assume the likes of new moneybags Manchester City turned his agent's head.What really changed it all? I hate to think it was the mob threats at his house and elsewhere.No-one should be subjected to that rubbish and unpleasantness.But the outcome is now settled and once Rooney refinds his form and behaves himself on and off the pitch United will be the winners.Maybe massive money situations cannot buy everything-yet!

LIVERPOOL HAVE NEW OWNERS BUT WILL THEY BRING IN A NEW MANAGER?

You have to think that John W Henry and his NESV group will be better Liverpool owners from the USA than the previous pair Tom Hicks and George Gillett.At least the club is now debt free and Henry's transformation of my favourite baseball team the Boston Red Sox has been remarkable.It bodes well.
I did exchange emails earlier in the year with the new man in charge at Liverpool, Joe Januszewski who is Liverpool and soccer mad! A mutual friend Chuck Taylor made the introduction.Nothing to do with me but it was Joe's suggestion to his boss John W Henry that led to the takeover.Joe ran the Red Sox corporate sales team at the Red Sox.Now he is Liverpool's new chief operating officer replacing managing director Christian Purslow. Where does it leave Roy Hodgson as manager?Results will determine that although apart from Manchester United and Arsenal new owners have a track record of soon changing the manager after take-overs!

GREAT COMEBACK BUT NO CIGAR!

Spurs showed they have a great left back in Gareth Bale.Its the most remarkable hat-trick I have ever seen from a defender and probably the same will go for you.It was dramatic after Spurs trailed 4-0 to Inter in Milan at half time.4-3 is some scoreline but despite the plaudits it was down to one player..Bale..and theere were still no points for Spurs.Its all about points in the group stage.Still Spurs are still in with a decent chance of progressing.

ENGLAND POOR AND MAY NOT FINISH TOP OF THEIR EASY GROUP

England were poor in their 0-0 draw with Montenegro at Wembley-and were lucky to survive their opponents hitting the cross-bar.This Euro qualifier should have been won against a country with a population of just 650,000!Wayne Rooney,with all his problems and absence from the Manchester United team,should not have been selected.Sure England were missing some though injury and yes the opponents swamped defence but Fabio Capello is paid £6 million to deal with all that and get England top of the group.He failed badly in the World Cup and belately blamed the players.This time Senor Capello the buck stops with you...but by then it may be too late!

LIVERPOOL'S FATE DECIDED TODAY-SHOULD GO TO JOHN W HENRY

A Texan court will give its verdict at British lunchtime today and when we know the result I will update this blog.Courts can be unpredictable but the London High Court judge was very firm in his verdict and we would all be mightily surprised now if John W Henry and his NESV group are not in charge of Liverpool next week.Everyone it seems will be glad to see the back of Tom Hicks and George Gillett at Anfield.

WAYNE ROONEY MAY BE MIXED UP BUT DON'T TAKE ON FERGIE

Wayne Rooney has been going through a torrid time on and especially off the field.Most of it self inflicted.Over the many years I interviewed Sir Alex Ferguson I learnt two important things about the long reigning Manchester United manager.One is that he will fiercely protect his players in public but if any of them ever challenge his authority as manager they have to go.....Jaap Stam,Ruud Vann Nistelrooy,David Beckham and Roy Keane are classic examples.Now we have Wayne Rooney contradicting his manager in public.Sir Alex has said Rooney has been suffering from an ankle injury. Rooney says that is not the case.The ankle he says has not been a problem.What is Rooney playing at whether the ankle has or has not been a problem? Rooney must forgive me for therefore thinking that he must one of these things:stupid,arrogant,or wanting a move.All that money and attention can turn young people's heads.I don't know what is inside Rooney's head if he wants to stay at Old Trafford.And please don't come up with that misquoted line in hindsight.Now we wait to see the gaffer's public re-action.

DANNY MURPHY SHOULD BE HEARD

Fulham's captain and mid-fielder Danny Murphy is articulate and experienced whose views are worth listening to.I find it sad that he had to stand down from being and ITV analyst for the England match on Tuesday because he claimed certain bosses sent out teams to deliberately injury opponents.He cited Wolves Mick McCarthy,Blackburn's Sam Allardyce and Stoke's Tony Pullis as the main culprits.Pretty serious charges but there have been a few very dangerous tackles this season.Some pretty horrific.I am not sure Murphy was wise to actually name them.He should have made his points without actually naming individual managers unless he could show examples.But it does raise an interesting point.Its ok to mention the controversial( and in my book as well as no doubt Murphy's) tackles by Wolves captain Karl Henry and Manchester City's Nigel de Jong but not their managers,who will have their strong say on other matters.Managers and players may say no one sets out to injure opponents and you have to accept that although sometimes what you see makes that claim difficult to believe.Football managers have plenty to say on most matters with stinging words whether it is on referees or say Birmingham's Martin Taylor late challenge on Eduardo but as soon as an experienced player like Murphy makes a claim they get all sensistive.Whether Murphy was right or wrong he should not have been pulled off that TV show for an honest view,if in
hindsight ill-advised to mention actual individuals.Leave that to the managers!

LIVERPOOL NEED TO BEAT HICKS AND GILLETT IN COURT NEXT WEEK

Liverpool must win the High Court case next week in order to accept the £300 million bid from Boston Red Sox owner John W Henry and his consortium and get rid of the current owners,fellow Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett.Henry has proved what he has done at the Red Sox and would be a real hero in turning the great English club around.Randy Lerner has done a good job at Aston Villa,Henry will I am sure do even better at this big club.Liverpool may be worth more than £300 million but in current times and with the Royal Bank of Scotland about to call in their £200 million from Liverpool,its a fair deal with the investment promised by Henry.By the way when Villa's previous owner Doug Ellis was open to sell the club he turned down George Gillett for Lerner.Villa fans should be very grateful...as Liverpool fans will be if the three other members of their Board win next week's court case to allow the sale to go through.The sooner this happens the better for a great club and their supporters!Its a disgrace that it has to go to the High Court,in view of everything we have been told this week.

ROY HODGSON AND LIVERPOOL STRUGGLING

Roy Hodgson was voted manager of the year by his peers after a good season by Fulham standards.Liverpool's expectations are far,far higher.Today the club that have not won the League title for donkeys years (while great rivals Manchester United do it with the frequency of shampoo!)are languishing in the relegation zone which just six points from 7 games,7 goals scored and 11 conceeded--all under Hodgson!The latest defeat 2-1 at
Anfield no less to the still favourites for relegation Blackpool.I know,I know Hodgson is class and its a long season.Rightly you argue you don't become a bad manager overnight but I will tell you what, Liverpool have for a variety of reasons become an average team.The club has the wrong owners,the wrong attitude and some pretty disappointing players.I feel for Roy Hodgson but he took the job knowing the score.Now he need to get some scores-quickly!

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON LATEST MANAGER AT LEICESTER

Sven Goran Eriksson has become Leicester's eighth manager in the three years that Milan Mandaric has been chairman.Nigel Pearson was not encouraged to stay at the end of last season despite being the best of the seven.The League Managers Association understandably condemned Mandaric for the latest sacking of Paulo Sousa after just nine games but failed to point out that Sousa walked out of Swansea after serving just one year of a three year contact.You cannot always have your cake and eat it.Ther LMA,like lots of other bodies,have selective memories.You get what you see with Mandaric,an ambitious,impatient,ruthless chairman but I have told Milan several times that you don't get success by quickly changing your manager so many times.Ian Holloway may have ultimately got Leicester relegated but where are Blackpool right now.Personally I did not think Sousa was what Leicester needed.I certainly don't rate him above Pearson who was told he was free to talk to Hull.Now Eriksson who has a two year contract and is seriously wedged up from football.He did ok for England,ok for Manchester City.But will he do it for Leicester without huge financial backing and top class players?I really doubt it.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION GREAT START TO LEAGUE SEASON

Barclays Premier League manager of the month is West Bromwich Albion's Roberto Di Matteo and the player's award went to his stunning new striker Peter Odemwingie.The Baggies have been yo-yoing between the Premier and Championship in recent seasons but this time it looks different.Di Matteo is getting the best out of talented wingers Chris Brunt and Chris Brunt while tightening up the defence.Albion's recent 3-2 win at Arsenal followed up by the weekend's 1-1 home draw with Bolton leaves them sixth in the league with 11 points from 7 games,five clear of the drop zone.Long way to go but what a fine start.

KARL HENRY HORROR TACKLE CONDEMNED BY HIS BOSS

Well done Wolves manager Mick McCarthy for stating that Karl Henry deserved to be sent off for an ill-timed,reckless tackle on Wigan's Jordi Gomez.McCarthy has defended Wolves reputation of being a dirty team but that tackle,two sent off in the last four Premier League games and an average of 3 yellows per game(7 PL matches to date) is not exactly helpful!

GERARD HOULLIER GETS HESKEY TO PLAY

Emile Heskey has most things going for him...size,speed and the skill to score.Too often he has been found wanting in other areas.Even Martin O'Neill did not resurrect the Leicester Heskey into the Aston Villa Heskey..and then along came Gerard Houllier and the Liverpool at his best Heskey suddenly gets it all back!Pity he did not do it for England but at least its happening again now for Villa.The question now is for how long?
Meanwhile Houllier moans about the referee in Saturday's 2-1 deat at Spurs,playing a little bit more added time than indicated in the first half.Maybe he should have highlighted his team's failure to capitalise in that first half.Ah well,always the ref never the players who cop it from managers in public.Bring back Brian Clough-types.

TECHNOLOGY WORKS FOR FANS BUT NOT UEFA OR FIFA!

Baseball spectators in Philadelphia can now use their machines to order food to be delievered to their seats while watching play.They can tap in their order and credit card details and wait for their food to arrive!Here in Europe UEFA have refused to use technology for major decisions in their European competitions.Instead they have added actual goal-line area officials one of whom some how missed Twente goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov rushing metres off his line to save Rafael van der Vaart's penalty for Spurs at White Hart Lane.The penalty itself was disputed.The referee would not say whether it was the extra official or him.Very helpful! This is not the first instance of it not working.The video replay is to overcome human error!Football is stupid not to use it.Rugby League is a non-stop action game but I watched video used well in the weekend Grand Challenge final at Old Trafford.But it will not be used there for football.Barmy!In the end by the way Spurs won their European Champions League match 4-1 but that's not the point.It might have been a match decider............