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t’s beyond belief that a football club the size of Rangers could even contemplate entering administration. But that’s the harsh reality they’re facing right now. An unpaid £9 million tax bill accrued since owner Craig Whyte bought the club from Sir David Murray in May has left the Gers’ SPL title defence in tatters following a 10-point deduction. Despite challenging at the top of their respective league, playing European football every season and holding the status of being Scotland they’ve managed to end up in a hazardous financial position.

That uncertainty resonated with me personally as a Newcastle United fan who almost saw his club suffer a similar fate. Relegation to the Championship in 2009 almost crippled the Magpies leaving supporters like myself unsure as to whether we’d ever recover. Years of heinous overspending, second-rate, money obsessed players and an owner incapable of making diligent football decisions left the Geordie nation staring into the abyss. Like Rangers, who’s future looks bleak under Whyte, the former Premier League giants had engineered their own demise and turned on the portly gentleman plonked in the executive seats. However whilst fans of the Scottish club are lusting after their owners blood it’s an entirely different picture at Newcastle these days.

It’s hard to believe almost five-years have passed since reclusive businessman Mike Ashley swooped in to save the club from financial ruin after former owner Freddy Shepherd frittered away most of the finances at St James’ Park chasing the European dream. Ashley was the best thing since sliced bread upon his arrival. Sitting with the fans at away games, chugging beer, sacking Sam Allardyce and replacing him with local messiah Kevin Keegan. He was the toast of the Toon. Even downing an Emirates pint put him in the Geordie good books. Nothing could go wrong. Well actually yes it could. You all know the story by now. Keegan left, fans revolted, the ‘Cockney Mafia’ tag was born, Dennis Wise, Joe Kinnear, Alan Shearer, Relegation. Enough said.

The toxic atmosphere around the town centre threatened to provoke uproar. Ashley had never anticipated becoming a figure of hostility. From my point of view he never fully understood how much the football club meant to supporters. To him it was just a business but to the Toon Army it’s a part of their extended family. But that was the problem. Ashley was just a businessman. He had no discernible knowledge of how to run a football club and the trust he placed in certain people to make decisions of a footballing nature backfired spectacularly. The premise of creating a team that would report between the manager and chairman looked fool proof on paper. But what Ashley didn’t understand was that the bond between owner/chairman and manager is an important relationship that doesn’t require a middleman to facilitate communication.

Realistically losing their top-flight status should have caused the demise of a club that once came close to winning the league title in consecutive seasons. Uninterested players, astronomical wages, transfer fees and debt left over from the previous regime and uncertainty on who would be guiding the club through it’s first campaign in England second tier for 18-years left supporters fearing the worst. Rumours that the Sports Direct mogul was preparing to sell the club were gripping the North East. Whilst the Magpies were put up for sale on a few occasions Ashley was also formulating a plan that is still in action to this day. Without him the club would still be trying to drag itself out of the gutter. Anyone continuing to doubt his business acumen should continue reading. You don’t become a billionaire over night.

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With the financial fair play rules coming into play Ashley decided it was time Newcastle dispensed with the big names and operate under strict regulations. His plan was to reduce debt, cut costs but not at the detriment to the playing squad. No more marquee signings, panic buying or thirty-somethings brought in to plug holes. How refreshing is that in the modern day by the way? Transfers are planned, well thought out and only sanctioned if they represented a good deal for the club.More importantly they had to be the right player for the dressing room. Players are scouted extensively sometimes for years on end. Chief scout Graham Carr is the man responsible for all that and has fast become the clubs biggest asset. Kudos to Ashley once again!

Carr’s talents have unearthed gems like Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Davide Santon and new number nine Papiss Cisse. But whilst his keen eye brought these players to our attentions credit must go to Ashley and chief executive Derek Llambias. It’s their negotiating skills that have made it possible for these individuals to pull on the famous black and white stripes without compromising the financial policies in place. Ashley and Llambias aren’t the type to give in to anyones demands or be held to ransom. Just ask Joey Barton. Anyway that group of players alone cost just over £20 million. A little over half of the £35 million received from Liverpool for Andy Carroll 12 months ago. You don’t see many people criticising that transfer anymore do you? Throw free buy and leading scorer Demba Ba into the mix and it’s even more satisfying for us Geordies.

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The decision to sack Chris Hughton and bring in Alan Pardew has also turned out to be a masterstroke none of us thought possible. The way events have transpired he is the best manager Newcastle have had since Sir Bobby Robson. The club are currently one point and two places away from the top four under the current regime. Who could have predicted that at the start of this season?

Like every human being on this planet Ashley has made mistakes but quickly learned from them and Newcastle United are better off for that. Looking at Rangers’ plight I can honestly say, Sports Direct Arena aside, I would’t swap him for the world. From the ashes he’s risen like a phoenix….or should that be magpie?

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An injury-time equaliser from Mehdi Ballouchy salvaged a point for New York Red Bulls in a 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo in the MLS on Saturday.Jamaican Dane Richards scored in the first minute for New York but the lead did not last long as Brad Davis responded from the penalty spot inside the first 15 minutes.

Houston had not won in the last three matches but continued to press Hans Backe’s side, who were also similarly out of form.

And it was a change from Backe’s opposite number, Dynamo boss Dominic Kinnear, that changed the complexion of the match when Spanish attacker Koke was brought on from the bench with 15 minutes to play.

It took Koke just seven minutes to find the back of the net and as the match headed into injury-time it seemed that there was to be only one winner, until Moroccan midfielder Ballouchy made his late, dramatic intervention.

In other matches, three goals in 11 second-half minutes decided the outcome of the Philadelphia Union’s 2-1 home win over the Chicago Fire.

Defender Sheanon Williams’ 64th-minute opener for the hosts was quickly cancelled out by Ghanaian Dominic Oduro as proceedings were levelled.

But Guatemalan Carlos Ruiz had the final say as he scored with 15 minutes remaining in a win that lifts Philadelphia above New York in the Eastern Conference.

Chris Barrett’s 26th-minute goal gave the LA Galaxy, who top the Western Conference, a 1-0 away win at Chivas USA while defender Jeff Parke’s strike in the third minute of injury-time gave the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City.

Goals in the last 20 minutes from Ellis McLoughlin and Bobby Convey gave the San Jose Earthquakes a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution although they had to survive a late scare, while the Portland Timbers recorded a 1-0 win over Columbus Crew thanks to a goal from Eric Brunner.

Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs believes that the team spirit in the Red Devils’ dressing room will help Wayne Rooney recapture his form.

Team spirit has been a huge part of United’s recent success and Giggs is certain that this togetherness will allow Rooney to get back to very best.

Rooney has failed to replicate his scintillating form of last season which saw him score 35 times for United as they finished runners-up to Chelsea in the Premier League.

He endured a torrid World Cup campaign with England and has carried on his indifferent form into this season, scoring only once in 5 appearances.

His dip in form has coincided with lurid reports about his private life which have been dominating the headlines in recent weeks.

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The troubled striker is currently out injured with an ankle injury which will leave him sidelined for around three weeks.

SEE INTERVIEW WITH RYAN GIGGS BELOW:

Twitter and football were in the news again this week, with the non-story in the Telegraph of certain City players getting annoyed at the tweets of certain United players, as more and more footballers join the twitter revolution. Tedious stuff, but it shows that footballers need guidance when communicating with the real world. The other week, Wojciech Szczesny became the latest footballer to get himself into Twitter hot water. Szczesny’s joke that his team-mate’s leisure attire made him “look like a rapist” was ill-advised to say the least.

For fans there is little to gain from these accounts – some generic tweets speaking of joy at a victory or disappointment at a defeat hardly make for exhilarating viewing, as most footballers know they can’t say anything too controversial or risk losing two weeks’ wages. Joey Barton is the exception of course, but managers seemed to have given up on trying to control him, and if he wasn’t in the public eye then no one could give a damn about what he says. Occasionally a footballer will let the mask slip, leading to twitter meltdown, and trouble for such players as Luis Enrique, Ryan Babel or Nathan Eccleston.

I follow at least five Manchester City players, but I’ve no idea why. I follow Michael Owen to make my life seem more interesting, and TSF (the secret footballer) because he has more to say of interest under the cloak of anonymity.

Whilst Manchester United have a relaxed attitude to squad players on Twitter, accepting as an inevitable price of progress, Alex Ferguson is dead against it, not surprisingly. Most managers would probably prefer their squad to remain out the public eye wherever possible. In an era when a story and a scandal can be created out of pretty much anything, managers don’t need the hassle of players interacting with fans this way, because a significant section of those fans will not want to do anything more than goad or wind up the footballers. And that’s the problem – we have for decades bemoaned how detached from normality footballers have become, how far-removed they are from the “common man” – but when technology comes along to at least partly redress the balance, the system is abused. Players receive media training, but I doubt it includes social network sites. The NFL on the other hand has a social media policy that all players must adhere to.

But whilst reading Joey Barton’s daily hypocrisy or his quotes of Wittgenstein and Nietzsche, or Michael Owen’s stunning expose of his love of cooked chickens; the last few months have revealed a darker side to the networking site.

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Footballers are discovering that putting yourself in the public eye leaves you open to abuse of all kinds. Calling someone rubbish is one thing, Piers Morgan taunting Rio Ferdinand another, but the recent spate of racial abuse of footballers is on another level altogether. Last week an Arsenal supporter was threatening death for Aaron Ramsey for a perceived bad performance at Swansea, adding that he knew where he lived. Nice.

Football already makes us fans ridiculously angry at times, and twitter can be used to condense that anger and bring out the worst side of some people, and the in-built prejudices and bigotry they harbour.

Stan Collymore was one of the high profile targets of racial abuse on Twitter recently, but there have been plenty more, no doubt not just against footballers of course (Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati left Twitter in June after being bombarded with racist messages). The problem is that behind a keyboard, these internet warriors thought that they co do anything and get away with it – thankfully Collymore and others thought differently, and arrests have been made.

The race rows involving high-profile footballers hasn’t helped Twitter’s image. The predictable drawing up of  viewpoints along club-lines has led ironically to fans displaying candid racist thoughts whilst arguing their side.Collymore “favourited” many offensive tweets to expose the abuse to users of the social networking site. He also said: “Have a look at my favourites. Tell me Twitter shouldn’t do something”. And he’s right – surely there has to be a check on such views. Twitter commented on the ongoing Stan Collymore racism storm, saying that tweeting racist abuse will always be taken extremely seriously. Only time will tell.

Thankfully the police are taking comments seriously, and deleting the account does not give the abuser an escape route. But the abuse continues. In the first ban of its kind, football fan Luke O’Donoughoe, 22 was was banned from Norwich City matches for life, and was investigated by police after allegedly posting racist comments on Twitter. In November 2011, two teenagers were arrested after racist abuse on twitter towards Newcastle’s Sammy Ameobi. Manchester City footballer Micah Richards also suffered racist slurs over the net. Premiership footballer Louis Saha was subjected to foul-mouthed racial abuse, and a Scottish premier league footballer has suffered similarly.

Gradually, it must be hoped that the users of twitter who think they hide behind anonymity will come to realise that they are responsible for their actions. Racist abuse is not a surprise – there are endless racists out there, and there always will be. But regarding social networking and the bond between players and fans, it must be hoped that Twitter becomes a more inviting place for footballers to visit, or we may soon see the trend of footballers joining Twitter being quickly reversed.

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It’s coming up to a year since United signed an unknown quantity from Mexico. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez signed from Guadalajara for an undisclosed fee believed to be just £6 million.

I’ll be honest, when news filtered through that Fergie had snapped an unproved, unheard of, untested striker I was thinking more Manucho – less Solskjaer, another Bellion or Diouf.

He’s surpassed all my expectations, but I’m not alone. It seems Fergie feels the same.

“I really didn’t expect Hernandez to have this impact,” said Ferguson.

“As we said to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, we thought his first season would be about integration.

“Solskjaer played in a few reserves games and scored a hat-trick against Leeds. After that (coach) Jim Ryan came to me and said he is a first team player. We made him a sub the following week against Blackburn and he scored.

“The only advantage for Hernandez was that he’d played in the World Cup so there was a profile attached to him and he had also come from a much tougher domestic competition.

“Hernandez is fantastic at taking up positions inside the penalty box.

“It is natural. He has the instinct to move around and his timing is terrific..

“There have only been a few top strikers who have had that quality.”

Same with Wayne Rooney. What no-one – least of all Rooney – appreciated at that stage was precisely what value Javier Hernandez was about to bring to the club. On 20 October, he had started only four games and scored twice in competitive games. Against Schalke, the partnership with Rooney looked more irresistible than ever.

Discussing their rapid blend – and his own new role as an old-fashioned No10 operating behind the Mexican – in detail for the first time, Rooney said it was not something he had discussed with Ferguson in advance. “I obviously saw and understood Chicharito and the way he plays and I knew if I was playing up front with him I would have to change and maybe play a bit deeper and try and link the play a bit,”

Rooney said. “It has worked for us. He’s been a fantastic signing and has scored a lot of goals – important goals as well – and I’m enjoying getting on the ball and linking play and getting a few goals.

“Sometimes when you play up front on your own you’re not really in the game as much, you’re sort of waiting for your opportunity to score.”

“When you play in the position, you’re always involved. You can get on the ball and create and score goals. As a footballer you enjoy that.”

Though this United squad have been characterised as an inferior one to those who reached the 2008 and 2009 finals, Rooney believes they are superior in certain areas. “We are controlling games a lot better than we probably were in the lead up to those two [Champions League] finals,” he said. “Then we were about counter-attacking and a lot of pace and now I think we are controlling games a lot more and having a lot more possession.

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The most remarkable thing about Hernandez is not just that he scores goals, but that he scores vital goals.

He has netted seven late winners for United during the campaign, including one against Everton last weekend. But is he the best Premier League signing of the season? RFFH says: YES!

The youngster’s exuberant personality is just one of his many attirbutes that has helped him take the English game by storm and settle in so fast at United.

What’s even better about Chicha is his behaviour off the pitch. Without fail after every home game he’s over to the fans and signs every single autograph asked of him. He’s always got a smile on his face, has an infectious positive attitude and according to the boss is last off the training pitch at Carrington.

Ferguson, and every other manager, take risks signing players from foreign countries and how they will adapt to the pressures and style of play of the Premier League.

Chicharito has come from a very physical league, but, in all honesty, the Primera División de México is not on the same level that is played in Europe or England. Hernandez’s work rate and natural goal scoring ability has enabled him to overcome any of the potential set backs.

Snubbed from winning the PFA Young Player of the Year in favor of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere, Chicharito has submerged himself in the hearts of the United supporters with timely goals, but also becuase of his unwavering passion to play for the world’s biggest club.

From day one, the very humble Mexican is respectful and cherishes every moment he is able to pull on the famous Red shirt. Today that kind of loyalty is unheard of and Chicharito should be seen as a role model for his playing ability, but also his gentleman mentality off of it.

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Although he was getting a lot of stick for his early goal celebrations for kissing the crest on his shirt, but those actions were heartfelt, and done out of sheer respect for being given an opportunity to fulfill a dream of playing for a club like Manchester United.

Many players today do not fully appreciate, or utilise, their God-given talents to play the sport most people would play for free – but Hernandez does just that.

As Ferguson has found out many times before, natural finishers are hard to find, but Hernandez possesses that and the ability to make smart runs inside the area – which makes him even more of a rare jewel.

The way that he works space for himself in such close corridors is fascinating to watch, and exactly why Ferguson is starting him over more experienced professionals like Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen. Hernandez gives real meaning to “fox-in-the-box,” and creates a lot of his goals by outwitting accomplished defenders.

Against Everton, Chicharito faced two very experienced defenders in Phil Jagielka and Sylvan Distin, but he showed composure and calmness thinking of different ways that he could break them down. He used timing, quickness and surreal athletic ability.

Most youngsters can become easily frustrated when they are being hounded by defenders or denied by a string fine saves made by a goalkeeper, but not him. His style of if at first you don’t succeed is typical of a United forward.

That goal, as well as the 11 others he has scored this season, could very well make him a champion in the Barclays Premier League in the first time of asking at Manchester United, and Javier Hernandez has proven that he is worthy of such a lofty title.

Read more of Saad Noor’s articles at Red Flag Flying High

Manchester United’s defeat, sorry draw against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday was tagged as a shining example of the drama of the Premiership by some in the media.  For many United fans however it merely underlined certain frailties that haven’t been addressed since the Fulham game and left a bad taste in the mouth. While following that disappointing  result at Craven Cottage- from a United point of view, there were still some positives to be taken, it’s a little harder to keep your chin up when your side gives away a two-goal lead in stoppage time. It was so painful that I couldn’t put myself through it again on MOTD , me and a mate actually debating whether to watch a sky + recording of X-factor his missus had taped when we got home from the pub. Eventually though it was time for some honest reflection and while it still makes me feel slightly sick, it’s not time to buy a City shirt and sell my soul to the devil just yet. There are several lessons to be learned from Saturdays game and none of them involve Wayne Rooney- that’ll be the last time he gets mentioned in this article I assure you.  Evra’s human and men approaching middle age get tired are among two of the things we learned from Saturdays game at Goodison.

1. Kill or be killed. While three goals is usually enough to see United beat even the strongest of attacking sides, there can be no denying that there was ample chance to put the game well and truly to bed before the final two minutes. Both Dimitar Berbatov and Nani- it’s him again- could have, well should have, done better with chances they had when the game was at 3-1. What’s particularly frustrating about it was that both players are capable of doing much better than they did with their final opportunities and it was a case of being far too lackadaisical  and treating the game as though it was won. There’s no real excuse for not making sure. Berbatov has been on fine form of late and its seems harsh to apportion any of the blame for United’s failure to win at his door. It still grates though that  what should have been a simple goal for Ryan Giggs or Nani had the Bulgarian squared the ball, ended with a rather timid shot that went wide. Nani’s decision making also again was called into question, as he also wasted a good chance at the end when he had better options.

2. Patrice Evra is human. It’s been a long, long time -in a galaxy far far away- that I can recall saying the words ‘Evra had a ‘mare’ but unfortunately on Saturday he did. Not since his debut against City can I remember my favourite United player looking so out of sorts. It was a strange sight to witness and not one I want to see again, but United’s left back gave the sort of performance that you’d associate with John O’Shea on a very bad day. It was totally out of character and hopefully not something we’ll see again soon. Why was Evra so bad? Well he’s had his fair share of bad press since the World Cup plus his appeal against his five match French ban was recently turned down so that may have affected him. Perhaps Fergie should have rested him for an extra week following the World Cup and he is actually suffering from a bit of fatigue. Either way United need all their top players performing to the best of their ability with some more tough games coming up. On Saturday Evra showed that he’s not infallible, let’s just hope it was a minor blip rather than any real problem  the Frenchman is suffering from.

3. Rio’s return can‘t come quick enough. The name on almost every United fans lips at full time, was not Wayne..sorry I almost forgot, was not any missing striker, it was that of Mr Ferdinand, who’s return now seems to be more vital than ever. The freedom with which Cahill managed to score Everton’s second was slightly worrying, the fact that Mikel Arteta had enough time to make a brew before he banged in the equaliser was shocking. A few people pointed the finger at Jonny Evans for either -or both- goals and while I think it was a team -lack of- effort that contributed to them rather than one individual there’s no doubt that Rio’s return would help sort the defence out no end. The question is will Ferdinand be-in true Take That style- back for good? After all a man who last season was behind Ledley King in Premier League appearances can hardly be counted on to play the majority of games. In the past I’ve actually advocated giving Evans a chance even if Rio’s fit just because the Irish defender stays fit and would benefit from a stable run in  the side. However, even I have to admit that it would be foolish not to put a fit Ferdinand back in the side. His organisational skills or ‘silks’ as he calls them on twitter, were sorely missed at Goodison. While were on the subject of changing the defence, is it not time to forget about playing Gary Neville in difficult games? That may sound harsh but I for the life of me can’t work out why Wes Brown has become a reserve team regular recently and also why he no longer seems a viable option at right back? People will say Rafael is too inexperienced but how is he going to gain big game experience if he doesn’t play in the big games.  Like Evans It wasn’t Neville’s fault for the goals but is he really the best man for the job at right back? I think not.

4. United have a squad but they need to use it. Having three outfield players over 34 playing a full 90 minutes was a bit of a strange decision by Sir Alex Ferguson to say the least. Both Neville and Scholes looked a bit dead on their feet towards the end of the match, and had either or both been replaced then things may have been different. Neville gave the ball away for their third while Scholes failed to pick up Arteta, yet can we be surprised? Neville’s hardly had any match practice while Scholes has been ever-present this season. I can understand  why Fergie took off Evra for Park, but I don’t see what harm it would have done to introduce Rafael or Darron Gibson- or both -for Scholes and Neville. Then there was Nani who seemed to disappear towards the end, leaving poor old Gary Neville totally exposed down the right hand side. Why Fergie was reluctant to change it, when there were obviously tired legs out there baffles me slightly.

5. Teams aren’t giving up anymore. In the past even away from home it’s not been unusual for certain teams to simply accept that they’ve lost the game when United are leading with only a couple of minutes left. I’m not claiming that teams cannot be bothered, just that some opposing players allow their heads to drop slightly in the closing minutes as they succumb to the idea that the game is now lost. However, this is no longer the case. As Fulham showed two weeks ago and now Everton have proven, teams are not going to roll over and die against United anymore. If United are to wrestle the title from Chelsea’s grasp- and for the record I’m not buying into the idea that it’s practically impossible after only four games and no defeats- then they’re going to have to prepare for battle. A result against United is still the premier scalp for many players, and the air of invincibility that Fergie’s men had a couple of seasons ago has long gone. Teams are willing to fight to the death- not literally , unless its Wolves if the press is to be believed- so it’s time for United to roll up their sleeves and get ready for 94-minute slogs. Last season many a United fan -myself included-laughed at the ‘noisy neighbours’ penchant for conceding late goals- well if their not careful that particular affliction could become one associated with the Red half of Manchester.

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Read more of Justin’s work on his blog “Name on the Trophy” or follow hin on twitter at http://twitter.com/jaymotty

Sir Alex Ferguson believes that there are still plenty of twists and turns ahead in the title race. Speaking ahead of their game against Bolton Wanderers, the Scot suggested that he expected United and all their title rivals to drop points in the coming months, especially against the teams at the bottom who will be fighting for their lives to stay in the Premier League. The Manchester United manager also took the time to praise Arsene Wenger’s decision to bring in Thierry Henry on a short term loan deal as a masterstoke and believes the 7 weeks he spends at the club could help shape the rest of Arsenal’s season.

Elsewhere in the news Mark Hughes has reacted angrily to Martin Jol’s comments and insists he is at QPR for the long haul; Villas-Boas confirms transfer approach, while Steven Gerrard secures his Liverpool future.

 

News

Frank Lampard going nowhere

Christopher Samba offers rejected

Gerrard secures Liverpool future

Mark Hughes in it for the long run

Everton hit with injury woe

Van der Vaart issues City threat

Andre Villas-Boas confirms transfer approach

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Transfer Talk

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Lille’s permanent move for Cole helps Sow seeds for striker arrival at Anfield – Daily Mail

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Cahill set for medical at Chelsea – BBC

Sunderland plot cut-price Zamora swoop – Mirror

Tottenham: Can we please Jav Jimenez? – Sun

Come and get me: Hazard gives green light to Man United and Chelsea – Daily Mail

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Getafe president Angel Torres has confirmed the sale of the La Liga club to the Royal Emirates Group for a fee of up to 90 million euros.The Dubai-based Royal Emirates Group announced they had completed the takeover last Thursday, before Torres reportedly said the next day that a deal had not been finalised.

After four days of limbo, Torres has now confirmed that the sale will go through, bringing with it a much-needed increase in the club’s budget to approximately 65 million euros.

Getafe finished sixth in La Liga last season, but are down in 14th this time around, just two points clear of the relegation zone with five matches remaining.

“We trust in the people that come so the club can keep growing,” Torres said, referring to the new owners.

“I’m a winner. I’m not content to be in 14th place or suffering like we have this year. I want to be among the top six and in European positions.”

“Neither me or my partners have money or help from the Spanish banks to build a project, or a budget to make that a reality.”

The takeover deal attracted controversy after it emerged that the club was to be rebranded ‘Getafe Team Dubai’ in a publicity stunt from the new ownership.

But the Royal Emirates Group have since confirmed the original name and crest will not change, while the present staff of the organisation will be retained.

Getafe mayor Pedro Castro insisted that he would not allow Getafe use of the public Coliseum Alfonso Perez Stadium if the name change went ahead.

“If I’m here it is to guarantee the social policies – no matter who owns the club,” Castro said.

“If it is not like this, these are municipal facilities and are not going to be used for any other things than these social policies.”

“I say it clearly – they are municipal, 100 per cent of the council, and it is the council who decides how they are used and if these social policies that Getafe have been maintaining are fulfilled.”

Winger Florent Malouda claims Chelsea do not receive the credit they deserve.

The Blues have started the defence of their Premier League title with back-to-back 6-0 routs of West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic.

However, Malouda, who has himself scored three goals in the two games, is unhappy that title rivals Manchester United and Arsenal continue to take more plaudits for their styles of play.

"It is difficult to know why people still seem to think Arsenal and United play the best football," claimed the Frenchman.

"Even when we finished on top of Arsenal, people said they played better than us.

"If you want to win the league, you have to be efficient, but when you look at how many goals we are scoring, you surely have to recognise there is real quality about us.

"The manager has worked at making sure we control games and you are seeing an evolution in our play. We are keeping more clean sheets but also scoring a lot more goals.

"It is not enough for us now just to go 1-0 up. We have developed a killer instinct and want to finish teams off.

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Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has clarified that striker Darren Bent is not for sale, and will not be leaving the club during the January transfer window.

The England international has been linked with a move to Liverpool over the last couple of days, as The Reds’ look for a solution to their goal-scoring problems.

Despite Bent having had an inconsistent campaign thus-far, mainly down to injuries, the Scottish coach has stated that the attacker will be staying at Villa Park.

“Yes, I say that now. He won’t be leaving,” McLeish told Mirror Football.

Bent scored the third goal in Villa’s 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and the forward is keen to get back to form for the rest of the season.

“It has been a frustrating time for me with injuries but I am now going in the right direction,” Bent stated.

“Long term I don’t think it was anything serious. I probably need to do a bit more work in the gym to get things stronger and just take it from there really.

“Hopefully that’s the last of my injury problems and I can look forward to some more time on the pitch and scoring goals now,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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