- Phil McNulty - Sport Online chief football writer
- 26 Sep 08, 02:06 PM
Newcastle United's appointment of Joe Kinnear as interim manager is proof that owner Mike Ashley and his sidekick Dennis Wise will not be bowing to the mob - and that the club has unlimited powers to surprise.
"Cockney Mafia Out" has been one of the core themes from Newcastle protesters demanding the removal of men like Wise and Derek Llambias after Kevin Keegan's exit.
And despite an international career with the Republic of Ireland, Kinnear is very much regarded as an honorary southerner after a lengthy playing career at Spurs and a managerial reputation forged in the "Crazy Gang" hothouse of Wimbledon.
This means the arrival of the 61-year-old, who has been out of football since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2004, is hardly going to push the protesters from the gates of St James' Park.
Continue reading "Ashley's short-term gamble"
- Phil McNulty - Sport Online chief football writer
- 26 Sep 08, 10:29 AM
Everton and Liverpool devoured column inches and claimed headlines on a daily basis in a summer of sub-plots on Merseyside.
And while Saturday's first derby meeting of the season promises to be dramatic enough on its own, the events of the summer still provide an intriguing backdrop to activity on the pitch at Goodison Park.
Contracts, takeovers, signings (or lack of them) - accompanied by so many differing versions of events that one seasoned observer of Merseyside football told me "it's been like covering four clubs not two."
The stakes are always high in a game that shed its rather fanciful "friendly derby" tag many moons ago - but for Everton in particular, the coming days could shape their entire season.
Continue reading "Time for Everton to deliver"
