A closed shop is not looking for trade. And the Big Six are not looking to become seven any time soon either. Certainly not eight.
So, if the word from recent Premier League meetings is to be believed, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are what are known as useful idiots. It is suggested both are cosying up to the elite cabal, the Super League clubs who not so long ago were looking to stampede over the horizon, destroying the Premier League in the process, and leaving the clubs who remained choking on their dust. Newcastle and Forest have big ambitions and see the six as their natural allies. If this is true, they are even more foolish than they look.
And Forest, certainly, look foolish right now, with their unadorned red shirts, the result of an inflated sense of importance. They had sponsorship offers at £5million, considered reasonable for a newly-promoted club, but felt they could get double. Turns out they were wrong. And while £5m would not have made much of a dent in a summer spending spree that has so far pushed them to the lofty heights of 19th, it would still be better than nothing. Which is what Forest’s shirts look like they are worth right now.
Newcastle have ambitions of breaking into the Premier League elite after their takeover
But both the Magpies and Nottingham Forest are what are known as useful idiots to the Big Six
Newcastle are faring better but if they think they are any more welcome in the ranks of the elite than among the disgruntled 14, they are wrong. The likes of Tottenham and Arsenal fear their rise as much as West Ham and Everton, and the only reason Manchester City abstained on rules that appeared to target Newcastle’s ability to raise commercial revenue from Saudi enterprises is they believe it is as much an attack on their links to businesses in Abu Dhabi.
If Newcastle want to know the true nature of the six, ask City, the last members through the door. City are in because, without them, without Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, the competition would lose some of its allure. Yet just about every regulatory move made by the elite clubs of England and Europe in the last decade has been designed to curb City.
Forest certainly look foolish right now with unadorned shirts after snubbing sponsorship deals
And Newcastle are no different. From financial fair play to related party agreements, the rules are to limit access to the upper echelons, not to drop the red rope cordon.
If Newcastle and Forest think these people are their friends, it is only because the six hope they can skew Premier League votes against the rump of 14, making it impossible for the smaller clubs to get anything done.
Divide and conquer, that is their strategy. Remember Project Big Picture, the first attempted Big Six power grab, in league with another useful idiot, Rick Parry of the EFL? As part of the proposal, the votes of the nine longest- serving clubs in the Premier League would count for more than the rest. So the Big Six, plus Everton, Southampton and West Ham.
Both clubs are cosying up to the Big Six, who are not looking to become seven anytime soon
They would all have got ‘long-term shareholder status’ giving them the power to veto new owners, decide on the chief executive and amend rules and regulations. And what would be needed for these vetoes and changes? A two-thirds majority of long-term shareholders. So six. Welcome to Patsyville, Everton, Southampton and West Ham. Population: you.
This is no different. The Big Six do not want new blood. They did not even want six. Left to their own devices, they would only be three. And everyone would be playing in red.
Don’t listen to Madrid’s media mind games, Jude
Jude Bellingham is only the third teenager to score in four consecutive Champions League appearances. That the others were Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe shows the company he is keeping.
You will notice, too, that neither of his contemporaries were performing this feat from midfield. So the idea that Real Madrid are offering a ‘now or never’ opportunity to join them this summer is errant nonsense.
Madrid’s shameless media mouthpiece, Marca, is pushing this idea, just as they are pushing that Mbappe is unhappy at Paris St Germain, just as they will one day push that Haaland wants out of Manchester City. And Madrid will be buyers whenever the chance arises – even though Mbappe and Haaland both rejected them in the summer.
The thought that they might be too proud to suffer rejection is preposterous and Bellingham, who appears to have been well advised in his career so far, will know that. If he wants to move to Madrid, good luck; if he wishes to bide his time, they will wait. They are always prepared to wait, just as they are always ready to play these games through the media.
Jude Bellingham should pay no attention to Real Madrid’s latest mind games in the media
A bad sign for Boro
In 2001, when Steve McClaren decided to branch out on his own having been Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United, he had his choice of clubs. Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough were all courting him and McClaren sought his boss’s advice. Don’t pick a club, he was told, pick a chairman.
McClaren went to Middlesbrough to work with the much-admired Steve Gibson. This week, Michael Carrick spoke to Middlesbrough about succeeding Chris Wilder, only to withdraw from contention. What has changed about Gibson’s project that it no longer holds appeal?
Mendes fails to work usual magic for Wolves
When Manchester United needed a manager, Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, knew just the man: Julen Lopetegui. No surprise then that with the position at Wolves vacant, club executives travelled to Spain this week to offer Lopetegui the job.
He may not be Portuguese but if he comes recommended by Mendes, that’s close to the same thing. Wolves are completely in hock to the man who supplies the majority of their starting XI.
Unfortunately, Lopetegui did not fancy his first opportunity in English football being a relegation battle, and turned them down. For a good club, with good players, Wolves’ strategy has left them fishing in a very shallow pool.
Jorge Mendes (L) failed to work his magic and convince Julen Lopetegui (R) to join Wolves
No silver lining for Ujah’s team-mates
CJ Ujah is not a cheat, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit. He just made a foolish mistake. It still amounts to a 22-month ban and cost Great Britain’s sprint relay team Olympic silver medals, but Ujah is glad to have his name cleared.
The problem is, nobody is a cheat in athletics. There is always an explanation, some form of mitigation that allows the accused to dissemble whatever the verdict. Confessions are rare.
What Ujah, or any guilty athlete, will never be able to adequately explain is why, knowing the rules, he would buy a supplement from Amazon without going through the medical channels at UK Athletics or Team GB. He may have believed he performed the necessary investigations, but he’s not the expert. Nor is he just a silly billy. He behaved recklessly with his career and, more significantly, the careers of his team-mates.
He may be surprised to find they do not share his sense of vindication.
Emma reaps what she’s sown
Excellent news that Emma Raducanu has teamed up with Andy Murray’s fitness trainer to help prepare her for the new season.
Jez Green is credited with transforming Murray physically, who was initially hampered by injury like Raducanu. Murray became an exceptional athlete, capable of wearing down Novak Djokovic across five sets to win his first Grand Slam, the 2012 US Open.
Emma Raducanu teaming up with Andy Murray’s fitness trainer Jez Green is a great move
Green is credited with transforming Murray, who was hampered by injury like Raducanu
Raducanu will hope Green can do the same for her, after a season plagued by injury. More worrying, however, is the fact she has lost her coach Dmitry Tursunov, who has decided to pursue an offer from a player ranked much higher than Raducanu’s 68.
This, sadly, is the product of the Raducanu family policy of treating coaches as short-term guns for hire. Tursunov no doubt didn’t fancy hanging around for the inevitable termination. It will take Raducanu some while to regain the confidence of the coaching community — even those she likes.
Football’s climate hypocrisy exposed
As the Qatar World Cup nears, so does the reality of holding a tournament in the middle of what is basically a desert. It will take 10,000 litres of water a day, per stadium, to keep all the pitches in Qatar at tournament standard, a process that will rely on desalination. This is a costly environmental procedure, powered by fossil fuels, with an unfortunate impact on salt water marine life. So next time football lectures on green issues, never forget it didn’t have to be there. Plenty of nations produce football pitches without significant environmental cost.
One imagines air-conditioned stadiums take their toll, too, despite Qatar’s net zero pledge.
Do UEFA really care if a ref is any good?
Daniel Siebert, of Germany, booked nine players and sent off one when AC Milan played Chelsea on Tuesday. Was it a dirty game? Not especially. Yet this is Siebert’s style, throwing yellow cards at players as soon as a semblance of an edge appears.
Awarded Manchester City’s visit to Atletico Madrid last season, he contrived to book seven after the 90 minutes had elapsed, while missing the most dangerous interaction of the night, Felipe’s mid-air body slam on Phil Foden.
Back then, he had our sympathy. Atletico were a disgrace and it would have been a hard match for any official. At the San Siro, though, Siebert looked to be reacting extremely to not very much at all. He’s not good enough. Not that this ever seems to matter to UEFA.
German official Daniel Siebert had another night to forget in AC Milan’s defeat against Chelsea
Furlan’s finger suited Auxerre nicely
Jean-Marc Furlan, coach of Auxerre, was sent off during last weekend’s defeat by Clermont. He was disputing a decision with referee Mathieu Vernice, and gave the finger to the opposing fans, who were barracking him.
He has been suspended for 10 days, at the end of which he will be sacked. Auxerre said his ‘inappropriate attitude’ did not fit their ‘values of respect and fair play’. Quite probably their position of ‘hovering above the relegation places on goal difference’ also does not fit with the policy of ‘not ending up in Ligue 2’.
It would be interesting to see if Auxerre would have been that outraged by Furlan’s middle digit if he had been top.
It would have been interesting to see if Jean-Marc Furlan’s finger to opposition supporters offended Auxerre had they been top of Ligue 1
Southgate ended culture of cliques
Gareth Southgate’s popularity may be waning but for anyone in any doubt of his achievement, read Micah Richards’ account of what it used to be like to play for England. The cliques, the separate Manchester United and Liverpool tables at dinner.
‘I don’t think we were ever united enough as a team that everyone in the squad was talking to everyone else,’ he recalled.
Southgate found a way around that. Every manager talks of wishing to get a club spirit with England, but he achieved it. And it’s not as if those club rivalries no longer exist. The biggest challenge for his successor will be to not let it slip back to where it was before.
Walker blow would hit Southgate hardest
It would be a blow for England to lose Reece James or even Trent Alexander-Arnold but nothing impacts on Gareth Southgate’s plans like being without Kyle Walker. He is unique in being able to operate at right back or right centre half, which gives Southgate flexibility and makes his hybrid three-four-five man defence work.
Walker might not be the best right back at Southgate’s disposal, but none of his contemporaries have sufficient experience to fill that role. We think we have an embarrassment of riches in Walker’s position, but he is truly a man apart. It would be a huge blow if he was not ready for Qatar.
One of Gareth Southgate’s biggest triumphs has been ending the clique culture at England
Losing Kyle Walker to injury would be a huge blow for Southgate ahead of the World Cup
Red Bull overspend is no small offence
There were 1,341 laps scheduled for the 2021 F1 season, and, although not all were completed, Max Verstappen won the drivers’ championship on the 1,341st. As a sliver of the planned racing it equates to 0.074 per cent. So quite how an overspend of less than five per cent by Red Bull constitutes a minor transgression is a mystery.
If a title can be won on goal difference every goal is important. The same with every run in a Test series. And as F1 responds to money, it seems strange anything up to $7.25million is considered trifling. Still, it’s F1, so what the director says goes. Race director, programme director, who can say?
W Series racing may not return next year. ‘We have not been in receipt of funds due to us,’ said chief executive Catherine Bond Muir. It is a blow and may not be the last. In times of recession, commercial decisions will be made and it won’t be the Premier League bubble that bursts. It will be the little bubbles that rely on good intentions, the possibility of growth and optimism.
