HENDERSON NOT BOTHERED BY GERRARD RETURN
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson insists he is not worried about captain Steven Gerrard’s return from injury affecting his first-team place.
The youngster who joined the Reds last summer for £20million from Sunderland started the first six matches of the season and made the bench during the Merseyside derby.
Gerrard is expected to feature prominently against Manchester United on Saturday making the England U21 captain’s task of holding his place a bit less straight forward – not that he is too bothered.
“I am not really worried about that, I think it’s part and parcel of football… Obviously Stevie is a massive player and is going to play in most games, but I just need to concentrate on what I need to do and work hard every day in training.”
“Given the opportunity, I need to take it and make sure I stay in the team. Obviously the derby was a massive game and everybody wanted to play in it, so I was a bit disappointed not to start, but the team did brilliantly and got a great result and I was fortunate to come on as well.” Manchester United is going to be a bit of a test for King Kenny, does he risk the freshly fit Gerrard or test the nerve of a youngster in form?
GAZZA: SIGNING BOMBS AND ON THE LASH WITH THE GADDAFI’S
Just when you thought it was safe to close the liquor cabinet on Paul Gascoigne’s crazy drunken antics, out pops another that is just as insane as turning up in a cab with a fishing rod to help a murderer.
Paul Gascoigne revealed in a Peirs Morgan Interveiw that he once went drinking with Muammar Gaddafi’s sons and signed a “bomb” in the dictator’s compound.
The former England international said he got Gaddafi’s sons “lamped” during a visit to Libya, when he played for Middlesbrough. “I went to Libya when I played for Middlesbrough and took Gaddafi’s two sons out and got them lamped. I also signed this thing in his compound. I think it was a bomb!” In the same interview, Gazza also opened up about his drink and drug addiction – and how he once drank four bottles of whiskey a day. “At my worst I had 16 lines of coke a day. I was on four bottles of whisky a day for three months. It took two bottles just to stop the shakes.” The 44-year-old is now in rehab.
Here’s to hoping that stories such as this remain in the past – but after hearing that he was once on 16 lines of coke a day and once tried opening the doors of a pub with his house keys at 10am – you can only wonder what on earth is keeping the Geordie alive. At only 44, I hope that the rehab sorts him out.
AND IN A FINAL THOUGHT…
HAMMERS CAN BE SETTLED TENANTS LIKE MANCHESTER CITY
– BARRY HEARN NEEDS TO LEARN
In the tug of war over which team will be moving into the Olympic stadium come August 2014 should really only be going in one direction. West Ham United’s. For all of Barry Hearn’s bleating about sticking up for the little man, he is proving to be an annoying thorn in West Ham and Stratford Council backside. Leyton Orient shouldn’t be considered – because West Ham have the ability to do a Manchester City.
Manchester City inherited the £112m stadium they are in today after the Commonwealth Games took place in 2003. Manchester City Council, who still own the stadium, spent £22m converting the place so that it was suitable for football by removing the running track, removing the temporary stand, lowered the ground level and installed an additional tier to accommodate 12,000 fans.
The terms of rent were that City paid a certain amount from ticket income above the 35,000 of their old place, Maine Road. This generated about £16m for the council since 2003 and the council also retained the control of the stadiums naming rights due to it being a public asset.
Now, when City were taken over by Sheikh billionaires, a deal was made where the image rights were released by the council and the blue side of Manchester sealed a £350m, 10-year deal with the airline Etihad, inclusive of shirt sponsorship and a plan for an 80 acre training ground. Regardless, the council still earn £4m a year due to an agreement with Sport England, who provided the £90m lottery fund to build the stadium in the first place.
Somehow, out of the two clubs that could generate such interested, I’d plump for West Ham. Just don’t mention Tottenham if their plans for building a new home ground falls through!
By Ross Fisher
