Joe Kinnear was a theatrical, comedic goldmine yesterday on Talksport, saying that he’s “more intelligent” than Newcastle United supporters and showing a crushing inability to pronounce the names of Newcastle’s top players. Kinnear called Yohan Cabaye, “Yohan Kebab” and have you ever heard of Hatem Ben Affri? Kinnear went on to make a string of gaffes, calling Shola Ameobi, “Amanobi” and Jonas Gutierrez, “Gaultierez”. Thankfully, Kinnear didn’t have to talk about the likes of Gael Bigirimana and Romain Amalfitano.

When asked about supporter unrest, Kinnear told talkSPORT:

“Look at my record. These people ask what have I done. Where have these people  been – on another planet? I’ve played in five Cup Finals and won the lot. I  played more than 400 games for Tottenham Hotspur.”

“Already they’re jumping on the bandwagon and saying, ‘look out, Pards’. But  I expect it, it’s water off a duck’s arse.”

Joe Kinnear made 258 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur as a player, although he did win five cup finals, but that’s if you count a shared Community Shield trophy as a title.

Not stopping there, Kinnear, who managed Newcastle in the 2008-09 season, spoke of how he signed Tim Krul. The Dutchman made his debut in 2006.

In his first spell at Newcastle, Kinnear called Charles N’Zogbia, “Charles Insomnia.” The Frenchman took great offence to this and moved to Wigan Athletic a few weeks later. If that trend continues, then Newcastle are in severe danger of having a depleted squad as players look to leave after having their names pronounced wrong by “football man” Joe Kinnear.

I can’t wait for the next episode of the Joe Kinnear sitcom.

Anyway, elsewhere in football there appears to be significant movement on the transfer front at Arsenal who are favourites to sign Gonzalo Higuain.

Until a week ago, Juventus had looked favourites to sign the Argentine international, but their £22 million offer was to be paid in five instalments. Arsenal have gazumped that by offering close to £30 million in one lump sum, which is a much more attractive offer and one that Juventus can’t match. As a result, Juventus have turned to Higuain’s compatriot, Carlos Tevez, leaving the road to Higuain wide open for Arsenal.

Signing a player like Higuain would be a massive show of intent and would hopefully convince players at Arsenal who aren’t starting on a regular basis, players such as Thomas Vermaelen and players entering the last year of their contract, like Bacary Sagna, that Arsenal is the place to be. I don’t think those two leaving would have a major impact on Arsenal, but I think it is very important to keep a squad together and those two are big components of the squad and two leaders.

Nothing has been confirmed yet and won’t be for a few weeks yet, but it appears that Arsenal are finally seizing the initiative in trying to challenge for titles once more.

That’s all from me today, lots to do!

See you tomorrow.

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Joe Kinnear has re-joined Newcastle United under the guise of “Director of Football.” Due to the absurdity of the appointment, I could finish the blog here and leave you to chew on that information for the entirety of your Monday. It is a very bizarre development at Newcastle, as Mike Ashley continues to run the club at his whim, flitting from one scheme to the other.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Kinnear said:

“The deal is absolutely done. I signed the deal with owner Mike Ashley on Sunday. I intend to meet Alan Pardew this week.”

“I’m a very good judge of player and a good tactician. Anything to do with football, I’ve been involved in. I intend to make Newcastle far better than they are now. I see a good player and know a good player. I have no other agenda. If I see players at the club right now and don’t think they are good enough I intend to move them on.”

“I’m not picking the team. I’m there solely to make sure he gets the best possible team on the pitch.”

Any bloke who has the job of “Director of Football” essentially picks the team. If what Kinnear says is true, then he will control who Alan Pardew buys and who he sells. For any manager in the world, it is not nice to see a man come in to control player purchasing. The move will undermine Pardew’s role at Newcastle and has the potential to create a degree of uncertainty amongst the players. Will Kinnear-signed players feel as if they have the full backing of their manager, Pardew, when it isn’t him who is identifying what players he wants?

It is said that Newcastle have told Alan Pardew a top ten finish is expected next season and this appointment only makes it more difficult.

Elsewhere in the world, the Confederations Cup has kicked off, with Brazil beating Japan 3-0 on Saturday and as I write this, Italy are being held 1-1 by Mexico. It is nice to see football back on our screens and another good opportunity to watch Brazil.

Rather than Brazil play their matches all over the world like the Harlem Globetrotters, I think it is so important for the Selecao to play every match they can in Brazil rather than at Pride Park in Derby, or at the Emirates Stadium in London. It’s not impossible to think that Brazil have played more matches in Dubai than they have in Brazil over the past five years. Watching Brazil play the other night it felt as if the home support needed this chance to reconnect with their own players.

As a team, there is a lot of improving for Brazil to undergo before World Cup 2014. In the final third Brazil have a rich plethora of attacking players but as a team they are not cohesive enough to beat the better teams. They can certainly get to that level, as they’re a young team now and need time to adapt to each other, but they are a long way from the finished article, which is a very exciting prospect indeed.

Right-o, I’m done for the morning. See you tomorrow!

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The fact that Chelsea have a new manager again is, in itself, nothing very new – but the return of the Special One Mourinho is likely to make them more competitive than they have been in a while. On the other hand, the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United seemed like a genuinely earth-shaking event, but what impact have these changes had on the bookies odds for next season?

Well surprisingly little so far, with United still rated the favourites to win the title next year, with most bookmakers, at 2/1. Manchester City disappointed everyone last season, and the sacking of Mancini was inevitable as a result, but the continued lack of a replacement may be why they are still rated second – although you can get 2/1 on them at a few sports betting sites as well.

Mourinho should make Chelsea more serious contenders than they have been in several seasons as well, although they are considered a relative outsider bet, behind the Manchester sides at the moment. It is a difficult title race to call in advance, because there are a lot more unknown quantities involved, meaning it could be smart to hold off on betting, and play at an online casino site for the moment.

After all these sites are becoming more popular than ever with sports fans, thanks to the development of top quality sporting themed slots games like Soccer Safari and the availability of mobile casino phone apps. This video slots game about crazy animals playing each other in a jungle World Cup, features hilarious animations of warthogs, buffalo, cheetahs, elephants and lions, as well as top jackpots of $8000 and inexpensive gaming. What makes it even better though is that, if you find yourself getting into it, you can carry on playing once the season starts – even at the matches – by downloading mobile casino apps to your phone.

Andre Schurrle

Good morning.

As I trawled through the various football websites this morning, all I saw was this…

Tumbleweed. Lots and lots of tumbleweed. The transfer window hasn’t opened and won’t do so until the July 1st, so we should all calm down in that regard. At the moment it feels as if we’re waiting for that one big move to really get the ball rolling around Europe’s biggest clubs.

Big deals have already happened, don’t get me wrong. Neymar has left home to play for Barcelona where his talents will really be put to the test. For me, a football player cannot lay claim to being the best player ever unless they have have successfully conquered Europe. South America is a rich breeding ground for talent, but Europe is the place where players become true greats of the game. Neymar joining Barcelona is a big move, but it hasn’t set anything else in motion. Not yet, anyway.

Chelsea’s agreement to sign German international, Andre Schuerrle, is a fairly big deal, but it is one that surprises me. Rather than splurge £18 million on Schuerrle, I don’t see any reason why Kevin de Bruyne couldn’t be given a chance. I understand that it is a move that has been in the pipelines for quite some time, but it isn’t the transfer I expected from Chelsea. Strikers, Chelsea. You need strikers. Good ones as well, not a £7 million Senegalese bargain signing from Newcastle United. Nor a washed up £50 million Spaniard.

As soon as Carlo Ancelotti is officially announced as Real Madrid’s new manager, then I expect we will see a torrent of movement. Gonzalo Higuain will be the first player to leave Real Madrid , along with Kaka, Jose Callejon and possible Pepe (gut feeling on Pepe). Those players will need replacing and it’s who Ancelotti will persue that will shake everything up. Gareth Bale and Edinson Cavani will surely be on the hit-list and moves for them would send everybody into action.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract negotiations has the potential to shake things up in a violent way. Yesterday Ronaldo announced via his Twitter account that rumours suggesting he has renewed his contract are false. This doesn’t mean he’s rejected them, it just means he hasn’t reached an agreement yet. Personally, I see no reason as to why Ronaldo would want to leave Real Madrid, especially with Jose Mourinho now out of the picture. There aren’t many places to go after Real Madrid, but should Ronaldo decide that a change of scenery is needed, then everything will explode.

In relation to the earlier tumbleweed, this is all I can muster up for this morning. Don’t blame me, it’s the same with every other blog as well.

Enjoy your Friday!

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Of course, the answer to the above questions is a resounding “no.” Now that the 2012/13 season has passed and we’ve lived and breathed its every emotion, it is time to review what happened and chew on every little incident from every team. Now, I’m only one man, I can’t talk about every team as that would be impossible. Instead, for the next month, we shall be hosting fan reviews on here, where we interview a willing volunteer who answers our questions about their team. Fifth in line to be interviewed, is Mat Batchelor, a Leicester City supporter and co-owner of this very blog, who will be talking about “that” match against Watford, Anthony Knockaert’s goal against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Lloyd Dyer’s six pack and a lot, lot more. This is what Mat had to say:

1) On a scale of farce to ten, how has this season ranked for you?

I would have to say 6. Yet again Leicester City failed to achieve their target of promotion. Despite some very memorable moments (mentioned below), I don’t think these detract from the fact the club is now many more millions of pounds in debt and in my eyes no further on as a team. I’m not saying the team is “that bad” but I don’t see where that investment has gone? Players’ wages I guess…

2) On paper, Leicester had maybe the most potent strike force in the league last season. David Nugent is a classy player as we’ve seen and Chris Wood looked sensational when he arrived in January. Where have things faltered?

Nugent is an excellent player and in my opinion Premier League quality when given the correct service. I think this was lacking towards the end of the season possibly explaining his ‘dry spell’. Chris Wood was acquired in order to add something different to what Vardy / Waghorn offered. He was on fire after his first few games and even scored on his debut. Sadly, he, along with the rest of the team lost form at the wrong time. Towards the end of the season he looked lethargic and half the player that we signed in January. That said, he has only been with the club for a few months, so I am hopeful he can start the 2013/14 campaign all guns blazing!

3) Jamie Vardy, Marko Futacs and Jermaine Beckford all look likely to leave this season. Which strikers would you look at not to just improve the strike force superficially, but for reasons relating to squad depth as well?

The three strikers mentioned below have one thing in common. At this level they aren’t proven goal scorers. Beckford is perhaps the only exception to this, given that his goal tally in his Premier League campaign with Everton reached double figures. In my opinion we need a striker that has bite and tenacity. Billy Sharp is a personal favourite of mine. Give him the correct service and he will score goals.

4) … and where else would you strengthen the squad?

Everywhere! No, in all seriousness I think we certainly need another solid centre back, especially now ST Ledger will be departing the King Power in the summer. I also think we need a left back as soon as possible. How Paul Konchesky manages to hold down a first team place is beyond me. I might need to get Prof Brian Cox on the case to explain this one to me. I love Brian. I also think we need a forward thinking midfielder, someone who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and take it to the opposition. Someone like Neil Danns would do nicely! Oh wait…

5) Nigel Pearson is in his second spell at Leicester. After failing to get promotion, should he stay or should he go?

This is indeed Nigel’s second spell with Leicester. I think he deserves more time, at the very least 15 games. While we didn’t set the league on fire last season we did finish in the top 6, albeit in an unconventional manner. At times we played some very nice football and with one or two signings and we shouldn’t be too far away!

6) If you could combine the best components of each player at Leicester to turn them into a super player, what would you pick? You’re allowed two components per player, so for example: Nugent’s finishing, Knockaert’s technical ability, Wes Morgan’s forehead, Kasper Schmeichel’s massive hands and so on.

My ‘Leicester City Super Player’ would consist of Andy King’s footballing brain, Ben Marshall’s kicking ability, Wes Morgan’s strength, Jeff Schlupp’s speed, David Nugent’s goal scoring ability, Knockaert’s trickery and Lloyd Dyer’s 6 pack.

7) Anthony Knockaert has enjoyed a good start to life in England, even drawing admiring eyes from clubs in the Premier League. With a bit more refinement, he could be one to build a team around. His end to the season in the play-offs visibly gutted him. How important is it that the manager keeps faith with him, and do you see Leicester eventually playing to his needs? Is he that good?

Anthony Knockaert is without doubt the most exciting player to join Leicester City in many years. He gets the ball out wide and had one thing in mind, dribble and run forward. It is so refreshing to see someone of his ilk at the King Power Stadium. I have been watching so-called “wingers” cut inside or turn back on themselves for too long and not just for Leicester City, I can’t help but find it immensely frustrating! Theo Walcott’s performance against Brazil recently springs to mind.

Knockaert has bags of technical ability that’s for sure, but he certainly knows how good he is. He is cocky and arrogant but loveable all the same. His only downfall is that he does lack pace and relies solely on his quick feet and trickery to beat players. I think this is why he isn’t playing in the Premier League (yet). As a measure of his ability, I couldn’t see him being poached by a top 6 Premier League club but I could definitely see a Premier League club perhaps a Sunderland or Villa making a cheeky offer.

8) It may still be painful, but can you describe the emotions of those last minutes against Watford? Who were you with, where were you, what was the atmosphere like where you were?

The last few minutes at Watford were the strangest in my time supporting Leicester City. I would start by saying that on the night Watford were the better side and deserved to go through. However, when we were presented with a penalty in injury time, I like every other Leicester fan went into meltdown, complete pandemonium. We were one kick away from reaching Wembley, where we would of course slaughter either Palace or Brighton 7-0 and complete our return to the Premier League. How wrong we were, it took under a minute for Knockaert to miss the penalty and for Watford to score. Never have I felt an emotional swing like that one. Fortunately I couldn’t get a ticket and had to watch the game on T.V. with my family. I had to go for a long walk and practice deep breathing exercises. It’s unbelievable to think that there is so much emotion involved in a stupid game of football. I guess this is why we all love the beautiful game so much!

9) On a happier note, what was your best moment of the season?

The best moment of the season without doubt was Anthony Knockaert’s winning goal against local rivals Nottingham Forest on the last game of the season. I genuinely have goosebumps writing this as I reflect on that moment. Both teams had to win to secure a place in the play-offs which made it feel so much more special.

It had been 20+ years since Leicester beat Forest in their back yard. To do so under the circumstances made it very special indeed. A moment I will look back on in 20 years’ time and remember with great delight. Thank you Anthony!

Onward and upward for 2013/14 – “When you’re smiling…”