Would You Hire These Guys?

The silly season is upon us. With money bags such as Manchester City's owner flashing the cash on whomever his petroleum-soaked little heart might fancy, you have to wonder what will become of those excellent-yet-damaged players. You know who we're talking about... the brilliant ballers bereft of better judgement.

It would appear that sir Joey Barton has deemed his image rehab complete at Newcastle United, and will now venture to pastures anew after contract talks with the club fell apart. With a rap sheet such as his, one would think he'd find reason to keep his head down, even if he is the best midfielder in the Premiership... according to himself.

He's not the only one on the way out, it appears.  It looks as though the eminently huggable Genaro Gattuso wants to challenge his skills at Anzhi Makhachkala (a Russian premier club, not a condiment), while it's anyones guess where Barry Ferguson's bird will land now that Birmingham will be playing ball in the Championship next year.

As with every transfer window, the bad boys too will be on the march.

Oh the permutations...

Seven years is a long time for one of the country's mostly widely supported football clubs to go without a championship.  It came down to the last day of the Absa Premiership, but Orlando Pirates did the deed against Golden Arrows, edging them  2-1 in a contest that went right down to the wire with a late goal from Isaac Chansa ensuring the trophy would head back to the Orlando Stadium.

There are those who will say that neighbours and fierce rivals Kaizer Chiefs handed them the victory on 7 May when they drubbed the eventual second placers Ajax Cape Town 4-0. Whatever the case, the Chiefs showed their class by being among the first to congratulate the Bucks on their achievement.

Ultimately, it comes down to Ajax's lapse in focus on the 7th and also on the final day of the season.  A 2-2 draw was all they could muster at home against a Maritzburg United team that finished only three points above the relegation places. When titles come down to goal difference, you really only have yourself to blame.

Ballers Are Football's Biggest Supporters

At least, in the  vertical sense. But considering that it's a fast growing sport in the US and everyone loves a good investment, it's not unlikely that affiliation between the sports won't continue to grow.
Two years ago Kobe Bryant, an NBA MVP winner, was on the cover of ESPN's magazine wearing Barcelona's kit.

Fellow NBA player Steve Nash has been heavily involved in the MLS and Major League Baseball player Albert Pujols was a prat of a franchise that tried to set up a team in St. Louis (they played one season before disbanding).

But making news right now is LeBron James, who has recently been announced as the proud owner of a minority stake in Fenway Sports Group, the owners of Liverpool FC.

That's right, the best basketball player in the world is now the Red's boss, sort of. Game schedules mean he won't be able to attend too many matches in person, but maybe having another American as an owner will give LFC the edge in convincing Brad Friedel to sign with them next season as opposed to Tottenham.

James is currently taking a lot of heat from fans for a transfer from the Cavaliers to the Miami Heat, a move fans are calling traitorous and cowardly. Considering the Liverpool motto is "You'll never walk alone" he'll probably be grateful for a little bit of warmth and hospitality from the other side of the puddle.

Abramovich on the Rampage

The Chelsea owner is looking for his seventh manager in 8 years as owner at Chelsea, following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti after the 1-0 loss to Everton.

Considering he just bought Torres, the winds of change are undoubtedly blowing through the corridors of Stamford Bridge, and people are wondering what other changes the Russian is going to make. His approach has a "my house, my rules" tint to it, and maybe that's what need to be re-vamped. It's no good hiring a Yes man if his tenure depends on results, because that's a rock and a hard place no-one has any hope of getting out from between.

Abramovich may simply want a silk glove for his iron fist but perhaps what he needs is a counterpart, someone to stand up to him and be given the space they need to achieve the results he desires. Or maybe he should stop playing with finger puppets and just do the job himself. If he were to act as owner/manager, would he give himself as little room for error as his predecessors?

Marco Van Basten and Guus Hiddink have both shown interest. Who do you think would do a good job?

Sami Hyypia is the Epitome of Value

There aren't many players nowadays that anyone could say offer astonishing value for money. In England's Barclaycard Premier League, Chelsea forked out £50 million for Fernando Torres. It took him over 700 minutes to score his first goal last weekend.

Contrast that to Liverpool's former central defensive behemoth Sami Hyypia, who recently retired. Bought from Dutch club Willem II Tilburg for a paltry £2.5 million in 1999, Hyypia's plaudits on the red half of Merseyside include a treble in his first season (League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup), THAT Champions final where they turned around a 3-0 scoreline at halftime to win the trophy in 2004, and another FA Cup in 2006.

The same amount of money he was purchased for was offered by Stoke City in 2009, but Liverpool turned the money down. He had basically not devalued in ten years.