Sagna: Cesc wants to join Barca

Bacary Sagna claims Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas wants to join Barcelona this summer - and hopes Samir Nasri will stay at The Emirates.

Fabregas has once again been linked with a return to the Catalan club, where he came through the youth ranks before signing for the Gunners in 2003.
Barca have failed to sign their former player in each of the last two summer transfer windows, but Sagna believes it could be a case of third time lucky for the Catalan club.
"I can say it's true that Cesc wants to go to Barca," the right-back told former Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Fernandez on France's RMC radio station.
"Fabregas wants to return to his country of birth, to his city, where his family are; he wants to play for one of the best teams in the world, Barcelona, and that's understandable.
"At the moment, however, he is still Arsenal's captain."
While Sagna believes Fabregas may leave London, the defender is hopeful Nasri will stay at the English club.
"Samir is happy at Arsenal, but I don't know what the best thing is for his career," he said.
"He has been one of the best players in the team this season and he is one of the symbols of this team. I hope to find him there when we return for (pre-season) training."
Meanwhile, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has told his club's fans he shares a "profound disappointment" with them but has promised a busy summer in the transfer market as the club look to end their six-year trophy drought.
What had once looked to be a quadruple bid imploded once the Gunners lost the Carling Cup final to Birmingham, and they ended the Premier League season in fourth place.
Another season without success saw some fans voice their unhappiness with manager Arsene Wenger, especially over his apparent reluctance to spend big on new signings.
But at a question and answer session with the Arsenal Supporters Trust on Monday night, Gazidis has pledged to start putting things right.
"Coming off the end of the season, I share with you a sense of profound disappointment," he said.
"It is very clear we had some shortcomings and in this close season we are going to see some turnover of players.
"Some new signings will be coming in and some of our existing squad will be going out. As Arsene has said, it will be a busy close season for the club.
"But also it is important to recognise that it has not been a disaster. We have a young squad and we don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. The trick will be to identify which parts to keep and which parts to turn over. And we will do that within our financial capabilities."

THIAGO SILVA CLAIMS BARCA TALKS

AC Milan defender Thiago Silva has revealed he spoke to Barcelona about a potential move, but says any deal depends on the two clubs reaching an agreement.

Thiago Silva - in talks with Barcelona.

The Brazilian, who recently signed a new long-term contract and earlier this week claimed he would like to finish his career at the San Siro, now admits he is open to a Nou Camp switch.

"I have had contact with people from Barca," he told TV Esporte Interativo in his homeland.

"It's a really cool thing to be able to talk to them (but) now, I'm at Milan.

"It's been just two or three months since I renewed my contract, to the end of 2016, so they would have to speak directly with the club."

Ronaldo pledges career to Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo insists that money is not his main motivation in football and would like to end his career at Real Madrid.

The Portuguese superstar has been linked with a move to big-spending Premier League side Manchester City just two years after his move to the Bernabeu from Manchester United for a world record £80 million fee.
However the 26-year-old, who scored 53 goals in all competitions for Los Merengues last season, does not envisage leaving the Spanish capital for any amount of money.
"I can't see myself leaving Madrid," he told the Cadena COPE radio station. "I'm very happy here, it has been phenomenal.
"If I was after just money I could have doubled what I have in my account.
"But for me the most important thing is how people treat you. If the (Real president Florentino Perez) told me to sign on for 10 years today, I would do it - although I don't know what will happen tomorrow."
The 2008 World Player of the Year won his first trophy in Spain after scoring the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in April. However, Barca came out on top over their bitter rivals, beating Real in the Champions League semi-finals en route to lifting the trophy for the third time in six years and also retaining their league title.
Despite spending his two years in Spain in the shadow of Barca, and in particular Lionel Messi, Ronaldo is optimistic of a future in which Real are once again top dogs in Spain.
"They won (last season) because they were the best, but no team is unbeatable," he said.
"Barca have a great team and a good coach, but we'll get there. We have already shown in the cup and in other games (that we can compete). We want to beat them and difficult things bring a different pleasure."

Eurosport

La Liga - Rossi wants Barca switch: Agent

Villarreal forward Giuseppe Rossi wants to join Barcelona, but his agent denied reports that the Spanish and European champions had seen an offer rejected.

Reports in the Catalan press claimed that the US-born Italy striker was the subject of a £20 million bid that the Yellow Submarine turned down.

While Rossi, who came through the ranks at Parma and has also played for Manchester United, would love to join Pep Guardiola’s side, he insisted that nothing formal had been submitted.

Agent Federico Pastorello said that, with Tottenham and Juventus also keen, Rossi has his sights set on Barca.

"Several teams have fixed their attentions on Rossi and some of them are Italian but it would be a dream for him to play for a team like Barca," Pastorello told Premium Calcio.

"There is nothing concrete at the moment, and it would be great if there were some kind of sign on Barca's behalf.

"With an official negotiation, I believe we could reach an agreement."

Eurosport

La Liga - Malaga agree deal for Monreal

Malaga have agreed to sign Spain defender Nacho Monreal from La Liga rivals Osasuna.

The deal for the 25-year-old left back is set to be completed on Wednesday if he passes a medical, the club said on their website on Tuesday.
Monreal, who has been capped four times by the world champions, came up through the youth ranks at Osasuna. Local media reported he was moving for a fee of around six million euros (£5.3m). Malaga were bought by a member of the Qatari royal family last year and, despite finishing 11th in La Liga in May, have ambitious plans to push for European qualification next season.
Two weeks ago they signed Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on a one-year deal.

Reuters

Chelsea could miss out on Neymar to Real Madrid over €45m price

Neymar has scored three times in five appearances for Brazil but €45m may be too high a price for Chelsea. Photograph: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters

Chelsea could be outbid by Real Madrid for the signature of Neymar unless they pay €45m (£39.7m) to Santos, according to a source closely involved in negotiations for the striker.
After reports in Spain on Tuesday stated that a deal to take Neymar to Madrid was near completion, the insider said: "If Chelsea will not pay €45m he will go to Real."
Neymar is Chelsea's prime summer target, so to miss out on a forward who has scored three goals in five Brazil appearances would cause severe frustration for the owner, Roman Abramovich. Whether the billionaire would be prepared to pay nearly £40m for a player who only made his first-team debut in 2009 and is an unproven force in European football is questionable as Chelsea were not prepared tocomment. Asked if there was sense that the Russian would be prepared to finance the deal, the source said: "No. €45m is a lot for a boy of 19."
The west London club are still searching for a successor to Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked last month. Guus Hiddink, the Turkey coach, is thought to be the favourite, and despite consistent denials from the Dutchman, the announcement of the Turkish Football Federation president, Mahmut Ozgener, that he would not seek re-election increased speculation today that Hiddink would take charge.
However, Cees van Nieuwenhuizen, Hiddink's agent, said: "Guus has a contract with the federation. Not an individual."
While Chelsea's chief executive, Ron Gourlay, refused to be drawn on whether Hiddink will return to the club where he had a successful three-month spell in 2009, he did claim that a new manager will be in place within a fortnight.
He said: "As far as the manager is concerned, the process is going well but now is not the time for me to comment on who the next manager is going to be. We will announce things in the usual way but hopefully in the next week or two, we'll be in a position to announce who our new coach will be," he said.

Arsenal will spend £30MILLION on stars to stop fan backlash

Arsene Wenger is looking to make a £30million statement of transfer intent to head off a growing Arsenal fan backlash.

Gunners chief Wenger is close to landing £12m Ivory Coast striker Gervinho from French champions Lille.

The Arsenal boss is also keen to push through a deal for a centre-back - either Blackburn captain Christopher Samba or Bolton's Gary Cahill.

And as Emirates chief executive Ivan Gazidis implicitly accused Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy of making unacceptable wage demands, it emerged that Wenger is tracking striker Leandro Damiao of Brazilian side Internacional and AIK Stockholm's Sweden Under-21 full-back Alexander Milosevic.

Gervinho, who has also been on the wish-list of Spurs and Newcastle, looks set to be the first major arrival of the summer.

Lille general manager Frederic Paquet revealed: "He actually wants to go and expressed his desire to leave for England.

"We have developed contacts with Arsenal. We will soon discuss with them to see what they want and see what they offer - but he is a player of value."

The move comes after Gazidis and Wenger came under sustained inquisition at a meeting of Arsenal supporters.

The chief executive had to reiterate his "100 per cent support" for Wenger, who has transformed the club since his arrival in September 1996.

As some fans' groups spoke of a potential "mutiny" if Wenger did not splash the cash this summer and reap tangible reward, Gazidis was pressed on the fact that Nasri and Clichy appear to be on their way out for nominal fees - way below their true market values - this summer to avoid them walking out for nothing in 12 months time.

After insisting he did not want to "discuss individual players", Gazidis added: "Every single club makes mistakes and certainly we do as we go through the journey. But almost everybody who analyses this area looks at Arsenal as a role model for efficiency of spending.

"We try to avoid the situation where valuable players are allowed to run down their contracts but we also try to avoid the situation where spending runs to unsustainable levels.

"Sometimes those two things are inconsistent and you need to make a judgement call and draw a line. We do that as well as we can and better than most."

That means refreshing the squad, with Samba appearing the more likely defensive arrival, especially with Manchester City and their bottomless cash reserves also on Cahill's trail.

Damaio, 21, who is also a Tottenham target, ironically made his Brazil debut at the Emirates against Scotland earlier this year. He boost Wenger's fire-power and potentially open the way for Andriy Arshavin's mooted return to Russian football.

Spurs had made the running for the £10m-rated striker but Arsenal can offer him Champions League football rather than the Europa League.

Liverpool are also interested in Milosevic, who is still in his teens.

'Crazy' Shearer accepts surprise offer to become new Cardiff boss

Alan Shearer is ready to become the new boss of Cardiff.

The England and Newcastle legend will end his exile from frontline football, and ditch his role as Match of the Day pundit to take over at the Bluebirds.

Shearer will appoint Tommy Craig as his assistant, after Cardiff's speculative approach to the 40-year-old paid off.

Watford boss Malky Mackay had been favourite to take over, but Shearer delighted Cardiff by saying yes to their surprise offer.

The former England star was contacted more in hope than expectation.

But after talks he decided to take the job, this second crack at management after an eight-game spell with Newcastle ended in relegation in May 2009.

Shearer will take over from sacked Dave Jones and be given money to re-build the side.

He spoke last season of wanting to do his managerial apprenticeship and that he was happy to take a club with ambition in the Championship or below.

But his move to Cardiff will not help their chances of bringing Craig Bellamy back.

Bellamy and Shearer clashed in their Newcastle days and a second loan spell for the Manchester City striker is now unlikely, but an offer will be made to the controversial star.

Ironically Shearer's first job will be to buy two new strikers. Michael Chopra has also left for Ipswich and Jay Bothroyd on a free transfer.

Cardiff's move came after sifting through several experienced candidates and coming down to a final two of Mackay and Huddersfield's Lee Clark.

Shearer says he's mates reckon he's "crazy" for wanting a managerial role.

But he says he has "craved" being back and "challenging" himself again.

Shearer says: "When I was playing it was great, but it's still within me that I want to give it another crack at management. I would like to keep on challenging myself, it's just the way I am.

"It's the way I always have been. After 20 years as a player, I'm used to a challenge, the excitement, the adrenaline. I honestly don't think I have a choice, I will always crave that.

"It is imperative that you have the chance of success at my next job.

"It's just a case of, if the right one comes along.

"I loved my time at Newcastle, I loved those eight games despite what happened. If you're in football, it is like a drug. I love the game, and if the right job offer comes along, definitely.

"My friends do tell me I'm crazy for wanting to get back into management. There isn't any long-term security, do I need the hassle? But I do. I love it. I miss the highs and lows of winning and losing.

"It's horrible when you lose, the suffering, but you have to have that to appreciate the good times. Newcastle ended badly, but there is part of me that wants to have another crack at management."

United set to sign £27million Sanchez from under City's noses

Manchester United are ready to seal a £27million deal for Udinese’s Chilean star Alexis Sanchez - under the noses of Manchester City and Barcelona.

United supremo David Gill flew to Barcelona yesterday to meet Udinese’s negotiators who were talking to the Catalans as the auction for the talented attacking midfielder comes to the boil.

And Gill was also spotted in talks with Sanchez’s representatives who have been with Barca - with insiders revealing that the player wants to go to United above all of their rivals.

Sanchez is being bartered around by Udinese, who wanted £30 million but are now under pressure to take less both by United and their South American star’s camp.

United have now gone in hard and official for Sanchez - despite City sending a two-man delegation of Garry Cook and Brian Marwood to Italy over the past few days.

City were hoping to blow all of the other bidders out of the water with an offer, but they have been told again that Sanchez prefers to go to the red half of Manchester.

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants Sanchez as his next major capture, a race that sped up when Paul Scholes announced his retirement. United had been watching the exciting Udinese ace but really got serious as that vacancy appeared.

Sanchez is waiting on United and Udinese sorting out the fee. He is in Chile but has been given permission by his national team to fly off and sign for a new club before Copa America begins in July.

The gifted and speedy star wants to go to United as he believes he has a better chance of a game than he would at Barcelona who have been on his trail for weeks.

Barca failed to match Udinese’s asking price - despite offering cash and various player swaps - and they will now switch their search elsewhere with Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas still high on their wish list.

Penarol look to past glories

South America is gearing up for the Copa America, which gets underway at the start of July, but not quite everything's resolved in the club game just yet. Host nation Argentina still has one round of league matches to go, but of more pressing concern for fans elsewhere on the continent is the two-legged final of the Copa Libertadores, which starts on Wednesday. The fixture features not one, but two formerly iconic clubs from the tournament's formative years in the early 1960s.

GettyImagesPenarol forward Fabian Estoyanoff celebrates beating Velez Sarsfield in the semi-final.

Given the economic rise of Brazil and the prominence the country's clubs have had in recent years, Santos are (although a supposedly 'smaller' club than many of their domestic competitors) perhaps not a surprising name to have in the final. Their opponents, though, are their country's first Libertadores finalists since 1988. They're also the club who won the first two Copas, in 1960 and '61, before Santos took over by winning the next two. It's a genuine retro final, this one: Santos vs Uruguayan giants Penarol.

Santos were expected finalists; in fact they were many pundits' favourites for the trophy at the start of the campaign. Penarol, though, were less so. Uruguayan club sides have enjoyed a renaissance in the competition in recent years, with the country's other giants Nacional reaching the semi-finals in 2009. Combined with last year's World Cup semi-final appearance by the national team, this final for Penarol will ensure the nation will be more optimistic than ever going into next month's Copa America. Uruguayan football is on the up.

Penarol have got this far whilst seeming to do the bare minimum, it must be said. They qualified from their group in second place with a goal difference of minus five, won both their round of sixteen and quarter-final ties by a single goal, and put Argentina's Velez Sarsfield (the other favourites along with Santos) out on away goals in the semi-finals. All the same, their return to the final of a competition they once dominated is noteworthy. It certainly feels as if it's more than mere coincidence that it comes so soon after Uruguay's own return to the latter stages of the World Cup.

Penarol's campaign might have been minimal in terms of victory margins, but they've impressed all the same during the knockout phase. Defending champions Internacional were dumped out in the first knockout round with a 2-1 away win after a 1-1 draw in Montevideo; Chileans Universidad Católica came from an impressive double-header against Inter's city rivals Grêmio, but couldn't do enough, and in the semis, Velez's Uruguayan forward - and former Nacional player - Santiago Silva missed a late penalty which would have put the Argentines through, but that didn't change the fact that a team who'd cruised through the competition beating sides by two or three goals suddenly came up against a brick wall.

The defence has been the foundation of Penarol's Libertadores run, with Alejandro González, a 23-year-old centre back-cum-right back, looking a real talent among more established players. A few of the more experienced players have been in Europe - Luis Aguiar has played in Portugal and Russia, whilst the wonderfully named Fabián Estoyanoff (middle name - I'm not making this up - Larry) has turned out for several Spanish clubs - and Matías Mier, scorer of the crucial away goal in the semi-final, is a 19-year-old left-sided midfielder who's always looked comfortable since joining the club at the start of this year. It really has been a team effort, though.

GettyImagesSantos' Jose Bischofe shoots past Caldas defender Elkin Calle during the Copa Libertadores

Lest this final seem set up as a game of Penarol's defence against Santos' attack, it should be mentioned that for the most part Santos haven't exactly been free-scoring either, even with the presence of Neymar, perhaps the continent's most hotly-tipped young forward at present. Indeed, throughout the knockout stages, unlike Penarol, Santos have yet to win a game by more than a single goal. The second leg of their semi-final was a brilliant game - a 3-3 draw with Cerro Porteno of Paraguay - albeit dampened a little by the fact that after Santos' opener just two minutes in (which put them 2-0 up on aggregate) it never really looked like Cerro would get through, having already missed their own chance for an away goal.

Both sides, then, have come this far in large part due to defences that have held firm when it really mattered, although that 3-3 draw demonstrates that when Santos' attack have to dig deep, they can do. Against the might of a side from the financially strong Brazilian league, a Uruguayan side must surely start as second favourites. But then, no-one this time last year thought Uruguay would be the last Latin Americans left standing at the World Cup. And Penarol have, after all, come this far by springing a few surprises of their own.

My first visit to Montevideo was in January 2007, and whilst I'll never forget catching Penarol against Nacional in a pre-season friendly in the legendary Estadio Centenario, the main impressions I took of Uruguayan football were twofold: an enormous respect and pride for the achievements of the past - Montevideo almost feels like a trip back in time to the football historian, with the plaque commemorating victory in the 1924 Olympic Football Tournament still on a wall by the docks - and a realism about the present. The local newspaper on the day I left the city claimed that, Diego Forlan aside, the nation didn't have enough players in the world's top leagues, nor clubs going far in the Libertadores.

Three-and-a-half years on, I returned to Montevideo to cover the Uruguayan reaction to the nation's first World Cup semi-final since 1970. It felt like football in the nation of only 3 million people was on the up again. Penarol's place in the final of the Copa Libertadores, whether or not they win the trophy, feels like confirmation of that fact. A truly classic fixture of 1960s football is back.

Fifa risks war with Europe's clubs over international friendlies

Sepp Blatter could be on a collision course with Europe's clubs if Fifa expands the international calendar. Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Fifa faces fresh conflict with Europe's leading clubs over plans to introduce five more international friendly dates into the already crowded football calendar.

The world governing body is understood to have held internal discussions on the insertion of five extra friendly matches into seasons when World Cups and European Championships do not take place. It would raise the total number of international dates from 12 to 17.

Without counting potential cup replays, that would mean a player in England who was ever-present for club and country while reaching domestic and Champions League finals could be required to play 86 times in a single season.

Fifa's discussions have not included the clubs whose fixture lists will be affected by the changes and who are preparing to push back against what they consider to be a Fifa land-grab. The European Professional Football Leagues association, which groups together 30 leagues across Europe, has made Fifa's incipient plans a top agenda item for its general assembly on 8 July. The EPFL chairman is the Premier League's Sir Dave Richards.

"Fifa has been quite busy with its own internal issues, with the presidential elections," said the EPFL chief executive, Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros. "Now these have taken place we believe it is time for Fifa to move forward in discussions with the leagues. The leagues and clubs face the consequences of the decisions made at Fifa level. The national leagues are the bread and butter of football and our members represent 1,000 clubs."

The elite clubs that make up the European Clubs Association, which was born upon the disbanding of the G-14 pressure group, believe there are already too many international breaks in the fixture list. The ECA will also fight the proposals.

"It is so stupid," said a senior ECA figure from a European Cup-winning club. "Ridiculous. Does a national team need more than 12 matches a year? They want 17 matches now, with friendlies in single days. [The Uefa president] Michel Platini is going to control the media rights centrally, to the detriment of domestic clubs and leagues."

There is an assumption that the greatest net beneficiaries will be the federations of smaller European nations. They are expected to draw more income from the centralised broadcast- and sponsorship-rights deal struck last year. The ECA source also complained that this was driven through Uefa's political structures without consultation with the clubs.

Fifa denied there were firm plans to pursue a 40% increase in the amount of international football played. However, it did confirm that talks have taken place.

"The general secretaries of the six confederations sit down with Fifa's secretary general first to discuss this issue, and it is likely that a meeting will take place this coming autumn to first discuss the international match calendar beyond 2014," said a Fifa spokesman. "Any consensus that they then reach is taken forward to the executive committee for further discussion and ultimate ratification."

Neither the proposing nor the ratifying body involves any representation from the clubs or leagues. However, the spokesman added: "The views of clubs will be considered in the decision-making process, [as will the] different domestic and confederation club calendars in different parts of the world."

Fifa has often been accused of giving scant regard to clubs who employ international players. At the Fifa congress in Zurich on 1 June the deputy general secretary, Markus Kattner, gave a presentation explainingthat the World Cup generated $3.7bn for Fifa. Of this, $40m was carved out for clubs as compensation for the use of their players during the month-long tournament. It worked out as an average of $100,000 per club.

Clubs and leagues will now confront Sepp Blatter's organisation to seek a meaningful and influential place within its governance structures. "We want to be engaged in discussion in a constructive and inclusive manner," said the EPFL source.

The ECA insider summed up the mood among clubs. "We at the ECA are really fed up," he said.

Randy on the road to making big mistake

TEAMtalk Editor Simon Wilkes shares the Aston Villa fans' sheer disbelief that Randy Lerner is trying to appoint Alex McLeish as manager.

Villa fans: In a state of shock

What on earth is Randy Lerner thinking?

I was on TEAMtalk duty when the story broke on Sunday that Alex McLeish had resigned as Birmingham boss by email - and nearly fell off my chair when he was immediately installed as favourite for the vacant Villa Park hot-seat.

Having grown up in Lichfield, just 15 miles from Birmingham city centre, most of my family and old school/college mates are either Villa or Blues fans (I'm a lone Albion supporter) so I'm inherently aware of the hatred that exists between the two clubs.

I genuinely believed the conspiracy theories that the McLeish talk was an initial smokescreen and that Villa were poised to recruit David Moyes from Everton, with the former Rangers gaffer going to Goodison.

The only reason I believed that was because the thought of McLeish crossing the city to take charge of Villa was simply unfathomable - especially as his stock has never been lower after being captain of Birmingham's sinking ship, which is now docked in the Championship.

I know he ended Blues' long wait for silverware by lifting the Carling Cup last season - and yes he won trophies aplenty at Ibrox before taking over the reins of the Scotland national team.

But McLeish's managerial style of play could not be further from that demanded by the Villa fanbase, and I simply can't accept that the Villa board have "taken his tenure at our local rivals and the strong emotions associated with this very seriously", as they claimed on Tuesday night.

I can confidently predict that if Lerner ploughs on with this strategy, it will be the most unpopular appointment in Premier League history.

There was a backlash on Merseyside when Roy Hodgson got the gig as Rafael Benitez's successor - but there was a large number of Liverpool fans who at least gave the former Manager of the Season a chance at Anfield, and only turned against him when results and performances were not up to scratch.

In this case, there will be no honeymoon period for McLeish - and even if he has thick enough skin to take the abuse that will no doubt come his way from the stands, it will cause a poisonous, destructive atmosphere among the Villa squad and in the dressing room.

Villa fans are already reeling from the news that Ashley Young has all-but sealed a big-money move to Manchester United, with his fellow England winger Stewart Downing likely to also head through the exit door this summer.

So Lerner is basically kicking them when they're down with this move, and to get a feel of the sheer shock reverberating around the Midlands, here are a handful of messages from TEAMtalk's Villa Your Say board:

avfc_yup (Aston Villa): I'm not relly sure what to say to be honest my head is all over the place I want to keep believing its just part of a smoke screen for a bigger and better appointment but I dont think I believe it anymore! The statement pretty much says it all for me - it sounds like he's getting the job and they are trying to bring us down gentely. Dont get me wrong he's the last person I want as our manager but regardless we have got to get behind the team or it could be even worse than we already think it may be.

sam the mouse (Aston Villa): I've been giving Randy the benefit of the doubt so far, trying to keep faith that he has a good plan for the future and we just don't know about it yet. Well, Gingerscotti may not have signed on the dotted line yet but it's clearly going to happen. So now I'm letting rip: OH. MY. GOD. What do the board think they are playing at? This is going to be a total sodding disaster. Useless manager, relegation specialist, utterly terrible football, never going to attract any top quality players or hold onto the good ones we do have. We'll never be on the telly, until the last day of the season when everyone tunes in to watch a proud club lose its Premiership status for the first time. The atmos at the first home game will be dripping in poison. If you thought things were bad under Houllier, you ain't seen nothing yet. And what must the squad be thinking? All our pretensions of ambition are going to look pretty empty now. We can kiss Downing goodbye, he'll be gone by August. Bent will probably follow him by January. But hey, why worry because we can all look forward to watching Cameron Jerome running about up front on his own. Oh, and we'll no doubt end up spending 15 million or something stupid on Foster too, who's no better than Brad Guzan. I literally cannot believe this is happening. Utterly, utterly inexplicable.

villansoph (Aston Villa): "Managers come and go but Aston Villa will always be Aston Villa", people say. But what is a football club without fans? What is the purpose of a football club if it has nobody to attend each game or buy its merchandise? Fans constitute the meaning behind Aston Villa F.C. Pity the General and co. don't see it that way. Fans are the most vital cog in any football club. Regardless of what does and doesn't make one 'a good fan' or a 'loyal fan', they should be one of the most important influences in any decision. All this talk of "Villa as a business" - spare me. How is putting us at the behest of somebody who has been relegated twice in four seasons a good business strategy? That long-haired idiot from the Apprentice would know better. Disillusioned.

villan73 (Aston Villa): I realise this might upset dan, but i'll say it anyway. Firstly, i was a Houllier supporter. He had my support because he had a very good history with clubs. His football was attractive, he has good european contacts. Worst thing to happen for Villa was his heart problems. Now, onto McLeish. I will not step into the ground, or spend another penny on anything Villa, if that man walks into Villa Park. I will also have lost all faith in the current Villa board, which i have been beginning to already over this whole fiasco. They have just issued a statement stating their intention to interview and, basically, to hell with the vast numbers of Villa fans showing their displeasure at even the possibility of McLeish. Some will now scream that this is just an interview and doesn't mean he'll get the job, that the board are going through process. Possibly true. Some may say it's the board taking the pi55 out of the press. Again, possibly true. But what is beyond doubt is that they have managed to make the worst lead up to a managerial appointment in the history of the EPL. Aston Villa are currently the joke of English football in pretty much 100% of the media. It's a car crash. The board are showing every sign of not having a clue about football in England, god only knows who is advising them, Carson Yeung perhaps?

bacon vicious (Aston Villa): What the hell is Randy Lerner thinking? The only less popular appointment he could make would be a Middle East dictator or maybe that Serbian war criminal. This is madness.

iantaylor (Aston Villa): I've been a supporter of Aston Villa for just short of 30 years. I've spent money on Aston Villa (lots of it), for just short of 30 years. I've therefore been an investor in Aston Villa for just short of 30 years. I've seen little return on my investment in terms of success, but sure I've been blessed with many many good memories. What I have seen in that time are many false dawns. Many, many false dawns. If Villa appoint Mcleish, I'm walking away and I won't have any regrets. I'll always wish the Villa well after Mcleish is sacked but I won't return. This embarrassing pursuit, strongly outlines to me what a mug I've been taken for by the club that I invested copious amounts of money and love in. The club are charlatans. They promise much but never deliver. I'm skint. The money I do have will go elsewhere now. I'm not lining the pockets of idiots who can't manage. No more. Never again.

Simon Wilkes: I think they get my point across perfectly - and show what makes TEAMtalk such a great site.

We provide the perfect blend of breaking news, speculation and done deals, supplemented by heartfelt and passionate opinions from you, our army or readers, who are the real stars of the show.

I share your utter shock and state of disbelief that is actually unfolding.

That is all.