They've cooked Steve Kean, and now they're eating him.
No better place to start today’s roundup than Blackburn Rovers’ owners Venky’s absurd advert. I don’t know where it’s going to be broadcast but it’s insane. It really does speak for itself, I have no further comment. Except it won’t have done Paul Robinson’s relationship with opposing fans any good (although he can now justifiably claim that he’s not a pie-eater… he’s a chicken-eater).
In actual football, Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has lamented Aston Villa’s spending power compared to the likes of Man City and Spurs, saying his new club can’t compete with those now chasing Champions League status. Villa might not be spending much this summer, but I would hasten to point out the money they spent under Martin O’Neill, much of it on players who have already left the club. I’d definitely have been interested to have seen what McLeish himself would have spent O’Neill’s £80m net outlay which Villa parted with between 2006-2010, but unfortunately for the Scot, he’ll never find out. His priority remains securing the signing of Charles N’Zogbia, which appears to be imminent.
The Telegraph reckons Liverpool are in for Birmingham City defender Scott Dann for £12m. I could never make my mind up over who was the real hero at the back for Birmingham, Dann or Roger Johnson, who recently made the £8m move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. I guess we’ll find out next season if this goes ahead, and I think central defence is a position Liverpool have long needed strengthening. Overpriced at £12m, of course, but he is English, and at 24 has plenty of years left in him.
Bolton have made some signings, adding Burnley pair Tyrone Mears and Chris Eagles, £3m for the two, to Nigel Re0-Coker, who joined for free after leaving Aston Villa, and Darren Pratley, another free from Swansea. Reo-Coker’s a decent player but I wouldn’t trust him in a 4-4-2, while Darren Pratley’s a gamble, but one perhaps worth taking (why do all the good goals have such fucking terrible music over them on Youtube?)
The Daily Mail says QPR are in talks to sign DJ Campbell £1.25m. While I’ve heard a few people saying that’s tantamount to preparing for relegation, I think it’d be a great signing. Campbell scored thirteen league goals for Blackpool last season and can’t be blamed for their relegation – at £1.25m it’s a bargain, and QPR could do much worse.
There seems to be a lot of scaremongering about Javier Hernandez’s ‘concussion’, sustained in a Manchester United training session in the United States. Apparently he suffered from serious migraines as a child and now the possibility of a ‘long-term brain problem’ has been mooted. Sir Alex Ferguson quelled the concerns by revealing that he got hit in the head by a ball and he spent the night in hospital, which seems a bit extreme but I suppose it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m sure he’s alright.
Finally, yesterday Man City signed Sergio Aguero. Rejoice. That’s one saga over with.
