LIFE’S A BEACH. BECAUSE IT’S A FIVER INVOLVING BOURNEMOUTH (BRIEFLY). AND BOURNEMOUTH HAS BEACHES
In the space of just five years, almost to the day, Brendan Rodgers has gone from being sacked by Reading to being tipped for the sack at a far more prestigious club. It has been a meteoric rise for the Northern Irishman, it being understood that meteors do not rise at all but instead fall at tremendous speed before exploding in spectacular style. And with Liverpool currently en route to Bournemouth (except for Brad Jones, who is believed to have set off early in the direction of Aberdeen), we must ask: does Milk Cup elimination at the hands of the Championship leaders count as a spectacular explosion?
Of course, not all meteors explode. Some collide with other heavenly bodies to create a godawful mess. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Rodgers’ signing of Mario Balotelli counts as one such collision. A headline that momentarily assailed the Fiver this afternoon suggests that Robbie Savage has offered an opinion on the matter, but nothing has ever been gained from listening to Robbie Savage so we won’t be telling you what he said. You’re welcome.
Besides, Balotelli isn’t even available to play tonight. It will be interesting to see who Rodgers does deploy up front. Will he opt for Rickie Lambert, in whom he appears to have little confidence, or will he plump for Fabio Borini, in whom he appears to have less? Perhaps he will give Raheem Sterling another chance to improve his finishing? Maybe he’ll unleash Martin Skrtel again? Maybe Simon Mignolet could be sent on to wreak havoc in the opposition’s box for a change?
Whoever Rodgers picks up front will, according to the manager, be part of a united and highly motivated unit that is absolutely not riven by dressing-room discontent, contrary to media rumblings. “Our dressing room is very strong,” boomed Rodgers as he ironed $tevie Mbe’s tracksuit. “We are very fortunate to have a captain who is a strong leader in the dressing room and that has been very important during my time here. Unrest is totally untrue. Of course we are unhappy at not winning games, these are competitive players who almost won the league last year and they won’t be happy at losing because they are competitive people. Our spirit is very strong and once we get that break, we will show that.”
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE TONIGHT
Join Paul Doyle from 7.45pm GMT for MBM coverage of Bournemouth 2-1 Liverpool in the Worthington Cup.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We hate to do this but it is our job to protect the players. Players haven’t been paid for months and encounter serious financial problems. Clubs are on the verge of going bankrupt. On top of that, I received the shocking news that one of the clubs totally disrespects players’ rights and even allows hooligans to threaten their players” – FifPro suit Theo van Seggelen warns players against joining Serbian clubs.
FIVER LETTER
“I’m interested to learn that Alan Pardew predicts a bright England future for Harry Kane (yesterday’s Bits and Bobs). Of the 42 players listed in the Newcastle United squad, just 10 are English and none of those have ever represented their country at full international level. Perhaps their manager would be better placed to comment on Fren … oh, hang on, he bought Gabriel Obertan” – Alistair Drummond.
• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you’ve nothing better to do you can also tweet the Fiver. Today’s winner of our letter o’the day is: Alistair Drummond, who gets a copy of The Secret Footballer’s Guide to the Modern Game. And that’s your lot until the regular Fiver returns on 5 January 2015.
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JOLLY MERRY OLD CHRISTMAS BITS AND BOBS
Jolly merry old Christmas dept, part one: Angry Michael Garcia has quit his role with Fifa’s ethics committee in protest over the handling of his findings.
Jolly merry old Christmas dept, part two: Angry Nigel Pearson has accepted an FA charge after his friendly touchline chat with a fan in Leicester’s 3-1 loss to Liverpool.
Jolly merry old Christmas dept, part three: Angry Ronald Koeman accused Sheffield United’s Nigel Clough of a lack of respect after his Southampton side’s Milk Cup exit. “I think the behaviour of Sheffield United’s bench, I never saw that and that’s the reason I didn’t shake hands,” he fumed.
Jolly merry old Christmas dept, part four: Angry Players’ Union Fifpro have called for an investigation into why the Club World Cup quarter-final between Cruz Azul and Sydney Wanderers was played on a sodden pitch that “posed a serious threat to the health and safety of all players”.
Jolly merry old Christmas dept, part five: Angry Petr Cech says the Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro called for a stretcher three times before one eventually turned up to aid the stricken Kurt Zouma at Derby on Tuesday.
And jolly merry old Christmas dept, part six: Angry Radamel Falcao fears for his long-term Manchester United future. “Obviously I have to analyse the situation, see if I play more and see what decision the board takes,” he wailed.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING
Nat Coombs reviews the stellar playing career of Thierry Henry.
STILL WANT MORE?
Another day, another Forgotten Story. This time, Simon Burnton delves into the tale of Tommy Ball, the first and only English professional footballer to be murdered.
A day in the life of Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. By Stuart James.
Tackle our fiendish sport quiz of 2014 … if you dare.
Paul Wilson picks out 10 memorable football moments from 2014.
It’s the Knowledge Christmas special, including the footballers who have appeared in panto. Oh no they haven’t, etc and so on.
The World Cup should stay where it belongs, reckons Marina Hyde: in Switzerland.
Get your MLS end-of-year awards while they’re hot.
Oh, and if it’s your thing, you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.
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