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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was reportedly involved in a furious half-time row with Carlos Tevez during Sunday's victory over Newcastle United.

According to The Sun, the Italian coach reacted angrily to suggestions from Tevez, his captain, that City's tactics were wrong.

Jonas Gutierrez equalised Tevez's 18th minute penalty to send the sides in level at the break.

Substitute Adam Johnson slotted home a 75th minute winner for the home side with Tevez hauled off by Mancini shortly afterwards.

Mancini installed the Argentina captain as his captain during the summer in a move which raised some eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Kolo Toure praised the motivational words delivered by Mancini at half-time in what was a hard-fought encounter.

"Newcastle put up a hard fight and were tough opponents," the defender told the club's official website.

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"It was difficult after Thursday because we had only two days to recover and work. We started the game slowly and we were not pleased with that. Then we conceded a sloppy goal.

"The right things were said at half time, the manager had the right words and we worked harder in the second half and we are really happy that we got the three points."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Inter president Massimo Moratti has confirmed that the Serie A giants are interested in bringing Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez to Italy.

The Argentina international looks set to leave the Etihad Stadium this January after one too many indiscretions and acts of indiscipline.

AC Milan have been heavily linked with the South American forward, and have already had a loan offer for Tevez refused by Roberto Mancini’s men, who would prefer to sell the attacker.

Moratti however has admitted that Inter want to beat their rivals to Tevez’s signature.

“Our interest in Tevez is real, it’s not a joke,” Moratti told fcinternews.it.

“We think it might be a good operation. We tried to get information (from City) to understand how things were, if there was room or not (for us), then we’ll see if we can take him or not.

“It’s not a matter of being optimistic or pessimistic, but just wait and see what happens.

“There are still 20 days at the end of the transfer market, there is so much time,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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As a sixth trophyless season draws to a close for Arsenal, there are two things that will still be the same from the previous five, number one is that the pies will still be incredibly overpriced and Cesc Fabregas will be the centre of yet another transfer saga. This is I’m sure, not only just tiresome and boring for Arsenal fans but for fans in general of the beautiful game. Barcelona will pretend they aren’t interested, Wenger will say the usual cliché ‘We need to build the team around him’ and Joey Barton will beat up a team mate for being too cheerful, all the previous three things are undeniable facts. But come the end of the transfer circus this summer where will the Spaniard find himself? With each day, will come a different back page story about how close the deal is or isn’t to completion but would it be such a bad thing for Arsenal if they lost their ‘El Capitan’.

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Stop press, hold the back page and ignore the above (apart from the the Joey Barton bit). Gareth Bale, Neymar, Carlos Tevez and Didier Drogba all come to mind before Cesc in the silly season that is the transfer window; add to this Nasri, Wilshere and Szczensy all of which are stronger candidates for Arsenal’s player of the season, is Fabregas really big back page news any more?

Yes he is a playermaker, yes he can score goals and yes you still think something might happen when he has possession but doesn’t this ring true of the ‘lesser’ players such as Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, Birmingham’s Sebastian Larsson and West Ham’s Mark Noble. I’m not for one second suggesting, with all due respect, that the aforementioned players will make the Barca starting eleven but would Fabregas necessarily? Because after all 2009/10 was a brilliant season for Arsenal’s talisman and yet throughout the 2010 World Cup, Fab found himself playing the role of the monkey to Spain’s numerous Catalan organ grinders.

“Fabregas sets up Camp somewhere Nou” this headline in the Saturday morning papers, if it were to happen, would certainly interest all us football fans. However come Sunday morning’s headlines would it only be the red contingent of North London who would be dwelling on Fabregas’ departure ? Everything is about timing and the Emirates Nou Camp tug of war, peaked last summer and as for now will be the warm up act to this year’s media circus, which no doubt will be White Hart Lane versus Old Trafford.

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry left at the height of the media frenzy. Francesc Fabregas leaves Arsenal in the summer of 2011 after the media circus has left town?

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Listen to the third episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, who performs a live version of his cult tribute to Mark Viduka, with Razor on backing vocals!

Aston Villa forward Ashley Young believes Gerard Houllier is the right man to bring success back to the Midlands club.

Houllier has agreed to become Villa's new manager and will officially take the reins when he has worked a period of notice with his current employers, the French Football Association.

The 63-year-old won four major trophies during six years as Liverpool manager and Young believes the French coach will bring similar success to Villa Park.

Under former boss Martin O'Neill, they lost last season's Carling Cup Final to Manchester United but Young said:"You look at his history and how well he has done as a manager and he can only bring success here.

"Moving the club forward is what we want and we can't wait to work with the boss.

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"Last year we suffered disappointment in both cups, but fingers crossed it will be different this time. We want to win trophies at Villa."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

After recently hearing an American football pundit talking about how football would be changed if re-invented in modern times, it got me wondering what new additions to the sport would actually be worth considering. There are the serious suggestions that are under a common consensus with footy fans or more wild ideas that’d be worth pondering over a pint with your mates.

With the history of association football dating back for well over a 100 years, there has been many advancements and changes to the game. The disciplinary procedure of red and yellow cards, the offside rule, substitutions or even the duration of matches, but now in 2011, what should we be considering for the future of the game, for better, not worse.

Taking all these points into account, I’ve created a top ten list, some entries are serious and worth some thought whilst others may be more outside the box suggestions.

Click on the officials below to see the top 10 additions that could improve football

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Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are preparing for four fixtures against each other in the space of 18 days.Should Barcelona claim the first Clasico on Sunday at the Bernabeu – a league match – then the Catalans will most likely seal their third consecutive title.

Pep Guardiola’s side, who defeated Jose Mourinho’s men 5-0 earlier in the season, currently hold an eight point advantage over Real at the top of La Liga.

Their second meeting will be in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday, and then in the semi-finals of the Champions League over two legs.

Former Real Madrid coach and current Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque dismissed the title race was over, insisting last week’s results proved Barcelona could still be pipped to the crown.

“It’s true that in La Liga there’s an eight point difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid and that everything seems to be over,” he said.

“But I always say “it seems” because last Sunday, for instance, Almeria were about to defeat Barcelona.”

“It seemed like an easy game for Barcelona and they found it difficult to win, whereas Real Madrid’s game at Bilbao seemed difficult and they won easily.”

Del Bosque does not believe the heavy schedule will compromise the performance of both sides.

“Both teams have sufficient resources to win the three competitions. Barcelona have been a bit more solid, that’s why they’re eight points clear, but they’re both very efficient even though they have different styles and different players.”

The former Real Madrid coach reckons the previous El Clasico, in which Barcelona romped to a resounding win, would not have had a telling effect on either side.

“I don’t think that the 5-0 will have any influence on the game. That result happened some months ago and there’s no aftermath anymore… Barcelona won’t feel more confident for that 5-0, and Real Madrid won’t be afraid either, after the 5-0 loss”.

He also weighed in on the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duel, noting that the differences between the two players made it hard to compare them.

“Cristiano and Messi are the stars of each team, and in addition to it they mark the style of the team. I don’t want to make it overly simple, but those long transitions that Madrid play fit Cristiano’s game. On the other hand, Messi’s combinative style is also Barcelona’s trademark.”

Tottenham have confirmed that Michael Dawson could be out of action until the end of October after he had to be stretchered from the pitch during England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria at Wembley on Friday evening.

A brief statement on Spurs' official website read:"Scans today (Saturday) have revealed that Michael Dawson has sprained his left medial knee ligament and one of his left ankle ligaments.

"The defender has been withdrawn from the England squad after suffering the injuries during last night's 4-0 European Championship qualifying win against Bulgaria at Wembley and is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks."

The news is something of a relief to Spurs though as an FA insider had previously been quoted as saying: "Last night we really thought Michael Dawson had broken his leg, but the scan has shown no fracture and no snapped ligament."

Dawson was making his first start for England, having featured as a substitute in the 3-0 friendly win over Hungary last month.

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Earlier in the day it had been confirmed that he would definitely miss England's next game in Switzerland on Tuesday.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Blackburn boss Steve Kean goes into the game against Liverpool still hanging onto his job by thread after being given a stay of execution by the clubs owners.

Beating the Reds will be a gruelling task with Kenny Dalglish’s side keen to return to winning ways after dropping two points away at Wigan on Wednesday. With the Luis Suarez racism scandal currently overshadowing everything on Merseyside their draw at the DW Stadium clearly displayed the effect it’s had on the players. A drab display from Liverpool was summed up by Charlie Adam’s missed penalty as their drive for the top four came to a stuttering halt. Dalglish knows his side need to keep recording victories if they are to finish in the Champions League places. Beating Blackburn, who he led to a Premier League title 16 years ago, will be high on the Scots agenda as continues his rebuilding job at Anfield. With Suarez seemingly distracted by his impending eight game ban Dalglish may opt to give £35 million man Andy Carroll the chance to stake a claim for a first team place against Blackburn. The Geordie striker has endured a frustrating first year since his big money move from Newcastle but could be the man to lead Liverpool to victory at Anfield.

Winning is something that has become alien to Rovers as they continue to teeter on the edge of the abyss. They slipped back to the foot of the table after losing the relegation six-pointed against Bolton on Tuesday leaving manager Kean on the brink. The coach-turned-manager has been given a stay of execution and will be given the opportunity to turn things around at Anfield on Boxing Day. His cause hasn’t been helped by an injury list boasting more players than he has wins during his year in charge with eight players sidelined including goalkeeper Paul Robinson. The former Tottenham man has picked up calf muscle and is rated as doubtful for the trip to Anfield. It’s the last thing Kean needs after seeing his back four decimated by injuries with Gael Givet, Scott Dann and Ryan Nelsen all out until the New Year at the latest. With supporters once again expected to protest against their manager’s presence in the dugout it could be a bleak Christmas for Blackburn.

Liverpool 6th : 30 points

Team news: Liverpool have no new injury worries with Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva the only two players sidelined. Kenny Dalglish may opt to rest Luis Suarez for this one.

Key Player: Charlie Adam

Aside from his missed penalty against Wigan the Scotland midfielder is proving to be one of the bargains of the summer. His passing and driving runs from midfield will be key to ensuring victory over a weak Blackburn side.

Blackburn Rovers 20th : 10 points

Team news: Keeper Paul Robinson is likely to miss the trip to Anfield with a calf strain adding to the ever-increasing injury list Steve Kean has to deal with.

Key Player: Yakubu

Despite Blackburn’s problems the Nigerian striker has been a shining light since his move to Ewood Park scoring 10 goals this season. Supporters will be expecting him to convert the chances made for him on Boxing Day and kick start Rovers’ survival bid.

PREDICTION

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Liverpool will be desperate to get back on the winning trail following their draw at Wigan and will be confident of beating Blackburn. Rovers are in freefall once again and will likely succumb to another defeat that could push Steve Kean closer to the exit door.

Score: 3-0 

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A big week for Tottenham as Harry Redknapp takes his charges to the Bernabeu for the first leg of their Champions League quarter final. Jose Mourinho doesn’t believe Tottenham have what it takes to knock out his Real side, although it wouldn’t be the first time that the North Londoners have upset the odds in the competition this year.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Tottenham blogs that includes Van der Vaart need not to worry, the rise of Luka Modric, while Harry has bargain transfer bucket.

We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.

*

Premier League XI of the Season… so far!

Tottenham’s financial investment cannot just be given up

A £15m gamble by Spurs, or a shrewd bit of business?

Why Rafael van der Vaart need not worry

The ‘rise and rise’ of Luka Modric

Harry’s bargain transfer bucket this summer

Transfer gamble pays off for Harry Redknapp

Advantage Tottenham in this battle with City?

WHL, Loftus Rd, Upton Park… The Allen Football Dynasty Simply Grows

A 10 year rollercoaster for Levy at Tottenham

Talented youngster, but is he exactly what Tottenham or Arsenal need?

Old Trafford, WHL or Anfield – where represents the best move?

Tottenham’s Top 10 Transfers – When Levy Got it Wrong

Worth a transfer punt by Tottenham this summer?

*Best of WEB *

Every day I count my blessings – Sun

Two games at a time – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2

If Spurs Were United, We’d Never Be Defeated – Tottenham On My Mind

Spurs and my part in Supporting Our Future – Martin Cloake Online

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And…we’re back – Dear Mr Levy

Should Harry Buy The Best Player By A Mile In The Championship? – Harry Hotspur

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Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s good lady

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After yet another disappointing major tournament for England attentions unavoidably turn to the next generation of English players who will one day be charged with achieving footballing success for the nation. These meaty debates only seem to occur once it has all gone wrong on the international stage. A prevailing view is that the top clubs in the Premier League fail to provide sufficient chances for their young players to compete at the highest level. It is arguably the quest for success and the essential revenue streams which flow from these achievements which prohibits big clubs risking their youth players. Sir Trevor Brooking fears that England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ will not be replicated in the coming years. If a stark void in quality is approaching, one remedy is to have youngsters getting regular first-team football in the upper echelons of the league. The new Premier League rules which force clubs to name eight home-grown players but permit an unlimited number of under-21s may just be the start.

The biggest clubs in the Premier League do spend considerable amounts on their youth systems but have not recently seen a tangible return on their investments. It is not just the fans of Liverpool and Chelsea that are anxiously awaiting the next Steven Gerrard or John Terry. England fans are aware that our prospects in the international arena are inextricably linked to top clubs nurturing and retaining their youngsters. One criticism though is that English clubs continue to pride pace, physicality and strength over creative flair and technique. It is difficult to imagine an English version of Spain’s diminutive Pedro suddenly emerging on the world stage thanks to a combination of skill and attacking intelligence. For those top clubs with a decent record of challenging for honours whilst developing youngsters, lingering doubts still remain. Arsene Wenger will not feel he has the time to blood in one of his young centre-backs this season. There is renewed excitement surrounding youngsters at Manchester United thanks to the emergence of players such as Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck. However it is the club’s foreign youth contingent that will be retained at Old Trafford next season over the aforementioned English duo who will face loan spells once more.

Across the Premier League and lower divisions though there are encouraging signs for the future. West Ham’s famed academy system under the expert tutelage of Tony Carr continues to produce players who duly receive their chances to shine in the first team. A recent report in the Guardian revealed how Watford are leading the way in youth development by merging training with mainstream education, thereby boosting the time they can spend coaching their youngsters. As the recession has started to impact football can we now expect clubs to privilege youth development as their buying power in the transfer market declines? The Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson would surely love to have a bevy of talented youngsters to propel into the squad in the new fiscally restrictive era at Anfield.

If tighter budgets will not force the hand of top clubs maybe the bureaucrats at the Premier League will. New legislation will oblige clubs to register at least eight home-grown professionals in a squad of 25. Moreover clubs will be able to name an unlimited number of under-21s in their squads. The rationale is simple. Over the duration of a long season clubs will have to turn to youth as exhaustion, fixture congestion, injuries and suspensions start to bite. The intention is that academy players, usually restricted to appearances in the early rounds of the Carling Cup will be handed their chance. Many of these youngsters, as with Chelsea, will not be eligible for England but the incentive for improved investment and planning of youth systems for club and country is stronger than ever.

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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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