BITS AND BOBS

Last updated : 19 February 2007 By Editor

* Cardiff manager Dave Jones, talking about Leeds fans songs about his court case:

"I haven't heard it for years and I can't help it that Leeds fans still live in the past, but I'll tell them to go to the court as the notes are still there.

"They can go and see what happened, but I wonder how they'd feel if it was done to them when their family are in the stand.

"Those cowards want to take a long, hard look at themselves but it's a sad indictment of society.

"But I don't give two hoots about them behind the goal because they know nothing."

 

* The Times on Craig Bellamy's alleged golf club attack on John Arne Riise - see our news yesterday if you missed it:

Craig Bellamy was not the only member of the Liverpool squad to disgrace himself in Portugal but it might have always been asking too much to hope that, if controversy ever flared at the club, he would have nothing to do with it.

How BenÍtez must be regretting allowing his players to go out last Thursday night. The manager had been persuaded by some of the squad to allow them to enjoy a meal and some drinks out before they flew back home from their five-day training camp in the sun-baked Algarve resort of Vale do Lobo the next day. It was a reasonable request that drew an equally fair response - yes, but remember who you are, where you are and that you have your biggest match of the season so far against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

What ensued was an insult to BenÍtez, who had treated his players with the respect they expect only to have it thrown back in his face by one or two miscreants. No wonder the manager will think twice the next time his players ask to go out when overseas.

The evening had started well enough and in good humour at Monty's Restaurant and Bar, but alcohol changed all that. Bellamy is alleged to have got involved in a drunken row with John Arne Riise when the Norwegian - who was not said to be drinking - declined the opportunity to take part in karaoke.

Others, including Jerzy Dudek, Jermaine Pennant and Robbie Fowler, are also alleged to have got involved in a row of their own and, despite the best efforts of Steven Gerrard, the captain, and Peter Crouch, the forward, to keep the peace, the police were called. Enough to persuade the troublemakers to calm down? Apparently not.

Trouble flared again when the party were escorted back to the Barringtons Club and Barringtons-Centro Desportivo hotel, and even though no one was charged or arrested, the noise was such that June and Peter Lover, a retired couple from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, were woken up at about 1.30am and watched in despair from their apartment as armed police, some from Portugal's riot squad, attempted to restore order.

"There must have been at least five police vehicles and a dozen police under our window," Mrs Lover said. "The noise was terrible and we simply couldn't sleep through it. At first it sounded like late-night revelry and we knew the Liverpool squad were downstairs. But then things seemed to get out of hand and the police arrived." Mr Lover said one player with an Eastern European accent, thought to be Dudek, the Poland goalkeeper, was handcuffed by police before eventually being released. And only when a member of Liverpool's management team arrived did things calm down.

"He kept telling the police how much he loved them, as if he was pleading to be allowed to go free," Mr Lover said. "At one point, the police seemed to be slapping him around the face, trying to bring him round and sober him up because he was so drunk. He kept apologising over and over again but the police didn't want to know. It was only after a while that the police found someone from the Liverpool management, who managed to calm things down and talk quietly. Eventually, the police let the player go after some negotiations and he seemed very relieved indeed and kept thanking them.

"We have many teams around the complex and there is usually no trouble at all, but this was not a very pleasant experience. It was thoroughly shameful and brings a terrible name to a club like Liverpool. These players get paid so much and are often so young, but for something like this to happen is awful." Where Bellamy was at this point is unclear, but the forward, still angry with Riise, had allegedly made a beeline for his teammate back at the hotel and hit him around the legs with a golf club. Age Hareide, the Norway manager, seemed to confirm the alleged incident yesterday when he said that Riise was "fine" and "escaped without injuries".


* Press covering the Hearts match on Saturday were given peanuts and bananas as instructed by owner Vladimir Romanov instead of the usual tea and biscuits.


* The Times on Chelsea's £80m loss:

Chelsea have insisted that Roman Abramovich, their billionaire owner, has no intention of walking away from the club despite it recording losses of £80.2 milllion over the past year.

Simon Greenberg, the club's director of public affairs, offered the reassurance this morning as Chelsea released figures for the year ended June 2006. Costs have been cut by 42.9 per cent, which keeps the big-spending Premiership champions on target to break even by 2009-10.

Asked if the figures were a sign of success on the financial front, Greenberg said: "No, I do not think it is success. It is moving in the right direction, reducing losses and increasing major income streams. Our turnover was up and football activities increased income by 6.6 per cent."

Greenberg believes cost is important to Abramovich, who has ploughed around £500 million into the Stamford Bridge club. "It matters to him and it matters to us as we have an ambitious and challenging target of breaking even by June 2010," he said. "We are on track or at least hope to get very near to it.

"We are not spending as much as we used to do on players' wages and they are more manageable. Although wages are slightly up across the group, players' wages are down by 2 per cent. We think that has become more stable and as revenues grow the business will become more successful."

ORDER RED ISSUE MAGAZINE HERE. A 10 ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION TO THE BEST FANZINE IN THE COUNTRY FOR LESS THAN £25 FOR UK RESIDENTS