Alan’s Diary: Wayne Rooney, Joe Kinnear But Jose Mourinho Comes Up Smiling

Alan’s 2013-14 Season Diary takes a look at the latest football news with his views on Jose Mourinho’s master class, Wayne Rooney, Joe Kinnear and more…..

Alan’s 2013-14 Season Diary continued

Monday 3 February

As I start typing this it is half time in the Man City Chelsea game. Man City could have had at least two goals in the first 10 minutes but the luck that Mourinho complained about transferred itself to Chelsea temporarily.

Referee’s Assistant [Photo: Alan Hill] Liam at the football?[Photo: Alan Hill]Latest lookey-likey: a linesman at the Etihad and Liam from ITV comedy Benidorm.

After that though, Chelsea dominated the rest of the half. It sticks in the craw for a Spurs supporter to say so but Willian justified his section over Mata. His pace through the middle, Hazard’s change of pace on the left and Eto’o sprinting in from the right hand side visibly knocked the confidence out of the Man City’s defenders.

They have now stated the second half in the same way but wasted another 3 good chances, which they may regret against a team of City’s quality. The luck then reverted back to Man City with Chelsea hitting the woodwork twice more and then City getting a free kick for what was actually a nasty foul by Toure on Willian at the edge of the area. Final score 0-1.

The very ‘Happy one’ [Photo: Alan Hill]The Sky commentator called it a “Mourinho master class”. Dead right. I love it when I get the predictions right before a game but I got this one wrong big time. Along with the expert pundits I was convinced Jose Mourinho would “park the bus” at the Etihad and was looking forward to seeing him squirm when he came up with his excuses afterwards. As it turned out, nothing could be farther from the truth. Mourinho deserves all the plaudits. Once again, he outwitted everybody. Once again, the Happy One.

Club Owners

I have written satirical blogs about club owners but in truth it is no laughing matter. Oliver Kay in the Times points out that there is a petition on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s website to address what he calls the corporate vandalism that has jeopardised so many football clubs in recent years. Just in case you would like to sign it, the address is: here http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/59884.

A “Gimme” in Football

His colleague Giles Smith is always good for a laugh. He suggested that they should introduce the “gimme” in football, like they have in golf, where one player can grant his opponent the hole when ball is so close that to miss the putt would be almost impossible. Or as in snooker when a player would require so many snookers to catch the other, it’s a waste of time trying. His example of when to use it was after West Ham’s defeat in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final. The second leg was a waste of everybody’s time and effort because City were so far ahead. He says Allardyce should have been able to go and knock on the City dressing room door at the end of the first game and say, “OK, you can have that”.

Of course with United losing again, neither the match nor my diary would be complete without a frustrated Rooney clattering into an opponent after the ball has gone, in preparation for Brazil.

Wayne Rooney [Photo: Alan Hill]

Rooney again! [Photo: Alan Hill]It’s like being tied to the railway track and seeing the train coming from the end of a very long tunnel. Here is this week’s episode. Even the BBC highlighted it on Match of the Day 2.

You must be Joe Kinn here

Monday 3 February pm

Joe Kinnear has resigned from his director of football post at Newcastle after just 9 months, displaying typical behaviour in front of the TV cameras before doing so. That’s the sort of pose I used to strike in official school photos when I was a child but he had a key post in a multi-million pound business. Says it all really. It’s just a few days since the closure of the transfer window in which he presided over the sale of Cabaye and a failure to replace him. I just hope Joe’s health is OK having been in such a pressure post following his heart trouble. Despite his apparent erratic behaviour, he is still regarded with affection by most long-standing Spurs fans of a certain age.

Ashley and Kinnear [Photo: Alan Hill]

Joe’s off! [Photo: Alan Hill]Joe Kinnear waving goodbye with Mike Ashley.

“I told you not to spend  MyCash Lee.” “Right then, that’s it. I’m off – and don’t call me Lee.

– and Finally

I was tempted to use this as a lookey-likey, if you get my drift…Two little sh*ts in the frozen North. One was installed with little thought and no partition between them in time for the winter Olympics.

[Photo: Alan Hill]