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What we learned this week... Manchester City do not want to win the Premier League
Roberto Mancini's side surrender an advantage in the title race, while Harry Redknapp is stuck in a football timewarp and Darren Bent reaches an unheralded century of goals
3 Feb 2012 08:21:00
Getty Images
By Jamie Dunn
Manchester City do not want to win the title
“They don’t want it lads!”
Anyone who’s taken their frustrations out over never quite being any good at football out at the park on a Sunday morning will have had that phrase barked at them by their manager or overweight 40-something-year-old goalkeeper, before the opposition goes on to batter your team in a result which better resembles a cricket score. Turns out they did want it.
But Manchester City, it seems, really don’t want it. After letting a two-goal lead slip and barely scraping past Tottenham with a last-minute penalty at the Etihad Stadium, it looked as though Roberto Mancini’s side had created a decent cushion they could maintain for the remainder of the season.
But then Everton beat City, as new Goodison Park signing Darron Gibson did what he does best, kicking the ball really hard in the general direction of the opposition’s net to earn his team what was, overall, a well-deserved win - albeit via a deflection.
"Probably it's my fault because we didn't prepare very well for this game," Mancini said after the game, apparently not particularly bothered by the outcome. "I thought before the game it was going to be easier but it is never easy."
Mancini had best prepare his side for Saturday evening’s clash against Martin Jol’s half-awful, half-awesome Fulham if they want to stay top of the Premier League, after Manchester United moved joint-top of the table and Spurs closed the gap back to five points.
However, the loan signing of David Pizarro, the choice of football connoisseurs everywhere but not Roma coach Luis Enrique, is bound to help prevent City rolling over and letting Manchester United tickle their collective belly.
Harry Redknapp travelled back in time on transfer deadline day
Come with WWLTW on a journey, now. Back to simpler times, before Wayne Rooney had a hair transplant and before Joey Barton was on Twitter.
It’s the 2005-06 season, Tony Blair is the Prime Minister and fans nationwide are confident Sven-Goran Eriksson can guide England to World Cup glory in Germany. If only we could see us now.
Meanwhile, Manchester United finished runners-up to a dominant Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, with fit-again striker Louis Saha scoring 15 goals in all competitions for the Old Trafford club, earning a place in the France squad for the World Cup.
That same season, Ryan Nelsen was a regular in a Blackburn Rovers side which finished sixth in the Premier League, losing just three home games and conceding a mean 17 goals at Ewood Park in the process.
Fast forward some six years, and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has swooped for the pair on the last day of the January transfer window. The difference though is Saha, now 33, has managed just two goals in 20 games for Everton so far this season, while a 34-year-old Ryan Nelsen has played one solitary match over the entire campaign.
It could yet prove to be a tidy bit of business by Harry ‘I’m not a wheeler-dealer’ Redknapp, who saw Roman Pavlyuchenko leave the club for Lokomotiv Moscow on the same day for several million more than it would have cost to sign the pair, but these are very much acquisitions for the short term.
It’s almost as if Redknapp isn’t planning to stay at White Hart Lane too far beyond Euro 2012…
Darren Bent is the least celebrated centurion in Premier League history
Aston Villa striker Darren Bent joined illustrious company on Wednesday when he scored his 100th Premier League goal, becoming just the 21st player to reach the landmark since the top flight became all branded and commercial.
But, despite reaching his century at just 27-years-old, for some reason the striker is unlikely to raise his bat to the pavilion to as much fanfare as the other incumbents.
Alan Shearer is worshipped in Newcastle, while Robbie Fowler is actually called ‘God’ by Liverpool fans. ‘Sir’ Les Ferdinand is lauded by the Magpies support as well as QPR and Spurs faithful, Frank Lampard, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are all celebrated veterans who consistently score goals from midfield, and Matt Le Tissier is the modern day Southampton legend.
Elsewhere, Thierry Henry is so loved at Arsenal they’ve let him have a kick-about on his holidays, and even Emile Heskey, for all his latter day lumbering, is mostly affectionately lambasted.
Bent could potentially double his tally before he retires, which would make him one of England’s finest goal scorers in recent history, so why is the striker not as celebrated as those he rubs shoulders with?
Maybe we should ask Ipswich fans. Or Charlton fans. Or Tottenham fans. Or Sunderland fans.
Sunderland are the Premier League’s real great entertainers
Forget Arsenal and their philosophy, Tottenham’s gung-ho approach and Barcelona-lite Swansea, with official best passer in the whole world, the mighty Leon Britton. Sunderland are the most entertaining side in the Premier League right now.
Because, as much as WWLTW loves slick passing, fluid movement and pacey wingers, there are very few more enjoyable sights than a ruddy good netbuster, and Martin O’Neill’s side has been delivering them in spades.
Craig Gardner is capable from any range as his Ronaldo-esque free-kick at Wigan and dipping volley against Swansea proved earlier this season, but on Wednesday, Fraizer Campbell – remember him? – let fly with an unbelievable strike which boasted power a man of his stature should not be able to generate.
Add to that the best striker who isn’t actually a striker in the Premier League in Stephane Sessegnon, and a frenetic manager in O’Neill who couldn’t keep still if he were surrounded by a swarm of angry wasps, and you’ve got the sort of club this column can get on board with.
'In WWLTW from next week, we'll be running a regular 'Chants of the Week' section, so get your suggestions in below... as well as your suggestions for Quotes and Tweets of the Week for that matter! Get posting...'
Manchester City do not want to win the title
“They don’t want it lads!”
Anyone who’s taken their frustrations out over never quite being any good at football out at the park on a Sunday morning will have had that phrase barked at them by their manager or overweight 40-something-year-old goalkeeper, before the opposition goes on to batter your team in a result which better resembles a cricket score. Turns out they did want it.
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But Manchester City, it seems, really don’t want it. After letting a two-goal lead slip and barely scraping past Tottenham with a last-minute penalty at the Etihad Stadium, it looked as though Roberto Mancini’s side had created a decent cushion they could maintain for the remainder of the season.
But then Everton beat City, as new Goodison Park signing Darron Gibson did what he does best, kicking the ball really hard in the general direction of the opposition’s net to earn his team what was, overall, a well-deserved win - albeit via a deflection.
"Probably it's my fault because we didn't prepare very well for this game," Mancini said after the game, apparently not particularly bothered by the outcome. "I thought before the game it was going to be easier but it is never easy."
| TWEET OF THE WEEK |
 |
"Just finished Doing A number 4 and just realised there aint no Toilet rolls.who wants to go shops for me?" - Emmanuel Frimpong gets into a spot of bother...
|
Mancini had best prepare his side for Saturday evening’s clash against Martin Jol’s half-awful, half-awesome Fulham if they want to stay top of the Premier League, after Manchester United moved joint-top of the table and Spurs closed the gap back to five points.
However, the loan signing of David Pizarro, the choice of football connoisseurs everywhere but not Roma coach Luis Enrique, is bound to help prevent City rolling over and letting Manchester United tickle their collective belly.
Harry Redknapp travelled back in time on transfer deadline day
Come with WWLTW on a journey, now. Back to simpler times, before Wayne Rooney had a hair transplant and before Joey Barton was on Twitter.
It’s the 2005-06 season, Tony Blair is the Prime Minister and fans nationwide are confident Sven-Goran Eriksson can guide England to World Cup glory in Germany. If only we could see us now.
Meanwhile, Manchester United finished runners-up to a dominant Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, with fit-again striker Louis Saha scoring 15 goals in all competitions for the Old Trafford club, earning a place in the France squad for the World Cup.
That same season, Ryan Nelsen was a regular in a Blackburn Rovers side which finished sixth in the Premier League, losing just three home games and conceding a mean 17 goals at Ewood Park in the process.
Fast forward some six years, and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has swooped for the pair on the last day of the January transfer window. The difference though is Saha, now 33, has managed just two goals in 20 games for Everton so far this season, while a 34-year-old Ryan Nelsen has played one solitary match over the entire campaign.
It could yet prove to be a tidy bit of business by Harry ‘I’m not a wheeler-dealer’ Redknapp, who saw Roman Pavlyuchenko leave the club for Lokomotiv Moscow on the same day for several million more than it would have cost to sign the pair, but these are very much acquisitions for the short term.
It’s almost as if Redknapp isn’t planning to stay at White Hart Lane too far beyond Euro 2012…
Come back, Louis! | "Tottenham are in for me? I'm out of here!"
| What we will learn this weekend... |
 Chris Samba will watch Robin van Persie score five goals for Arsenal against a hastily-assembled Blackburn back four from a remote location as his self-imposed exile continues.A potentially frosty confrontation between John Terry and Rio Ferdinand will be avoided when Chelsea face Manchester United as both players are ruled out with broken toenails, or the fixture is postponed until after Euro 2012. |
Aston Villa striker Darren Bent joined illustrious company on Wednesday when he scored his 100th Premier League goal, becoming just the 21st player to reach the landmark since the top flight became all branded and commercial.
But, despite reaching his century at just 27-years-old, for some reason the striker is unlikely to raise his bat to the pavilion to as much fanfare as the other incumbents.
Alan Shearer is worshipped in Newcastle, while Robbie Fowler is actually called ‘God’ by Liverpool fans. ‘Sir’ Les Ferdinand is lauded by the Magpies support as well as QPR and Spurs faithful, Frank Lampard, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are all celebrated veterans who consistently score goals from midfield, and Matt Le Tissier is the modern day Southampton legend.
Elsewhere, Thierry Henry is so loved at Arsenal they’ve let him have a kick-about on his holidays, and even Emile Heskey, for all his latter day lumbering, is mostly affectionately lambasted.
Bent could potentially double his tally before he retires, which would make him one of England’s finest goal scorers in recent history, so why is the striker not as celebrated as those he rubs shoulders with?
Maybe we should ask Ipswich fans. Or Charlton fans. Or Tottenham fans. Or Sunderland fans.
Sunderland are the Premier League’s real great entertainers
Forget Arsenal and their philosophy, Tottenham’s gung-ho approach and Barcelona-lite Swansea, with official best passer in the whole world, the mighty Leon Britton. Sunderland are the most entertaining side in the Premier League right now.
Because, as much as WWLTW loves slick passing, fluid movement and pacey wingers, there are very few more enjoyable sights than a ruddy good netbuster, and Martin O’Neill’s side has been delivering them in spades.
| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
 |
"If she was as nice as Rosie [Arry's dog!!!] they have got a good wife." - Harry Redknapp is in puppy love
|
Craig Gardner is capable from any range as his Ronaldo-esque free-kick at Wigan and dipping volley against Swansea proved earlier this season, but on Wednesday, Fraizer Campbell – remember him? – let fly with an unbelievable strike which boasted power a man of his stature should not be able to generate.
Add to that the best striker who isn’t actually a striker in the Premier League in Stephane Sessegnon, and a frenetic manager in O’Neill who couldn’t keep still if he were surrounded by a swarm of angry wasps, and you’ve got the sort of club this column can get on board with.
'In WWLTW from next week, we'll be running a regular 'Chants of the Week' section, so get your suggestions in below... as well as your suggestions for Quotes and Tweets of the Week for that matter! Get posting...'
Follow Jamie Dunn on 
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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