Karren Brady’s football diary
WOKE up this morning having learned two new things about my husband Paul.
The previous night I had attended the match between Paul's team Burton Albion and Accrington Stanley — whose supporters unfurled a huge banner which read: 'We're the club that refuses to die'.
Not marketing genius, but there you go.
I sat behind the dugout and could hear every cough and splutter.
Firstly, I discovered Paul likes to swear a lot during games and, secondly, he can whistle. Even after our many years of marriage, I never realised he could do either so skilfully.
Afterwards, a lady came up to me in the directors' box and said "Your son is sooooo handsome." I was stunned, as he's still only a schoolboy.
I'd mis-heard. She actually said "Your Sam is so handsome." As my assistant manager who was also at the game with me pointed out, Sam Allardyce has been called many things by many people over the years...
SUNDAY, JAN 8
SAM and the team lost at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.
With a stack of injuries and the main objective being promotion I could see why Sam made lots of changes but, still, it was a shame.
As for James Tomkins supposedly putting in a transfer request which one paper reported — not on Sam's watch he hasn't.
James is an extremely polite, likeable young man and still has 2½ years left on his contract.
MONDAY, JAN 9
THIERRY HENRY and Paul Scholes have both come back to star for their clubs in the FA Cup.
Henry's winner against Leeds was a story you would only expect in a Hollywood movie. Amazing.
As for Scholes, he has been sorely missed in the Manchester United engine room.
Now, in the light of their comebacks and our injuries, I'm thinking of making Alvin Martin and Billy Bonds offers they can't refuse. Maybe even Sir Trevor B.
TUESDAY, JAN 10
MET an old colleague at a party this evening hosted by the Sunderland vice-chairman David Miliband.
When I was 18 years old and working in my first job, this former colleague was the Australian chairman of the company.
He came up to me and in his brusque Antipodean way said: "Do you have any Australian in you?"
I replied "no." His eyes lit up and he responded: "Would you like some?"
Back then, I was very naive and didn't have a clue what he meant, until many hours afterwards.
Suffice to say, he went beetroot when I reminded him of his chat-up line.
WEDNESDAY, JAN 11
ANOTHER comeback in London but this time in the dugout as Mark 'Sparky' Hughes takes over at QPR.
His record meant it was only a matter of time before another top job came along.
Hughes will also enjoy the luxury of having a few pounds to spend at the ambitious West London club.
They've had a bad run of results lately but it still came as something of a surprise to see Neil Warnock go, especially after delivering promotion last summer and taking Rangers back to the Premier League after a gap of 15 years.
Even Hughes expressed sympathy with Warnock who can consider himself very unfortunate.
THURSDAY, JAN 12
THE spirit of sacked Sky TV duo Andy Gray and Richards Keys appears to be alive and kicking in East Anglia.
After Ipswich lost at Birmingham, Paul Jewell claimed they had not been given a stonewall penalty. "Everyone to a man thought it was a penalty, but not a woman."
Assistant referee Amy Fearn's crime was not to award a spot-kick. But then neither did referee Robert Lewis. And what has the fact that she is a woman got to do with it?
Amy defused the situation by simply saying Jewell's comments were water off a duck's back. I look forward to her promotion to the Premier League.
FRIDAY, JAN 13
WOKE up on Friday the 13th not with a scare, but a sense of surprise.
What has Avram Grant got that makes club chairmen keep giving him jobs?
Our former manager, who took us down last season and Portsmouth the year before, has just landed the job at Partizan Belgrade — one of the biggest clubs in eastern Europe.
All I can say is that Avram must have one hell of an agent.
the sun
It’s the end of the Rhodes for Sam
SAM ALLARDYCE has written off his chances of landing Huddersfield hotshot Jordan Rhodes this month after having a £3million bid for the 27-goal striker rejected.
West Ham boss Allardyce admitted: "At the moment I would say, yes, we have given up on that."
the mail
Helping hand: Frederic Piquionne will hope to avoid two successive relegations
Piquionne joins Wolves in a bid to help them avoid the drop
Wolves signed striker Frederic Piquionne, 33, on a free transfer from West Ham.
The one-time France international was available of a cut-price fee.
the telegraph
A private investigator retained by Tottenham Hotspur who obtained West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady’s telephone records at the height of the Olympic Stadium bidding process has been arrested on suspicion of fraud offences.
Howard Hill, a former partner at accountancy firm PKF, was arrested on Wednesday in Cheshire and taken into custody. Police searched a residential address and removed documents.
PKF and Hill, a senior corporate investigator, were engaged by Tottenham to carry out unspecified investigations at the culmination of the bidding process for the stadium, which was won by West Ham. Hill resigned from the company in December.
West Ham called in the police after an exposé appeared in the Sunday Times revealing that a director of the Olympic Park Legacy Company had undertaken paid consultancy work for the club.
The story referred to information gleaned from private telephone records, and in a civil action brought by West Ham last November PKF admitted that it did have copies of Brady’s records.
The court heard that PKF admitted Hill and two colleagues had passed the telephone records to the Sunday Times.
In a statement the Metropolitan Police said: “On 11 January 2012 a man, 57, was arrested at an address in Cheshire on suspicion of fraud offences and was taken into custody at a Cheshire police station. He was later bailed to return in Feb. 2012 pending further inquiries. As part of their inquiries detectives conducted a search of the residential property.”
On Friday night PKF said in a statement: “Howard Hill resigned from the firm on Dec 15 and we have not had any communication with him since.”
Two other men were arrested in connection with the case last November, a 29 year-old from Sussex and a 39 year-old from Surrey. Both were bailed until mid-February.
In court PKF and Hill denied being “engaged in any unlawful activity” to obtain the phone records or employing any third parties to do so.
Lawyers for Tottenham told the court that the club had not received a copy of Brady’s phone records, and in a statement denied any involvement in illegal activity.
“Tottenham Hotspur did not instruct PKF to engage in any unlawful activity and PKF have confirmed that they did not,” it said in a statement.
Baroness Ford, the chairman of the OPLC, has also alleged that her board were put under surveillance by Tottenham, a claim denied by the club, which described it as “appalling”.
the mail
Return to management: Grant had been out of work since May last year
poor sods what have you done to deserve this?
New job for Grant as ex-West Ham boss announced Partizan Belgrade manager
Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade have named Avram Grant as their new coach after sacking Aleksandra Stanojevic over a dispute with the club's board.
Grant, the former Chelsea, Portsmouth and Israel boss, returns to management a little over six months after being sacked by West Ham following their relegation from the Barclays Premier League.
Stanojevic was sacked, despite the defending Serbian champions sitting 10 points clear in the league after 15 games, after what the club described as 'violations of the statute and general laws of the club'.
Return to management: Grant had been out of work since May last year
Return to management: Grant had been out of work since May last year
A Belgrade statement read: 'The weight and breach of contractual obligations is such that there has been a permanent and complete distortion of relations and cooperation between the board of the club and Aleksandra Stanojevic and his work at FC Partizan is no longer possible.
'The board of directors is confident that Avram Grant is at the top of his profession and can achieve the results that are expected from our army of fans.'
According to reports in Serbia, Grant has been offered substantial bonuses if the club qualifies for next season's Champions League.
He steered Chelsea to the 2008 Champions League final and was in contention for the Premier League title to the last day of the season, after taking over from Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in 2007.
But his contract was terminated at the end of the season after he missed out on both trophies to Manchester United.
He then had spells at Portsmouth and West Ham, who were both relegated under his stewardship.
Stanojevic won the Serbian league and cup double last season and also took Partizan to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2003.
But he fell out with Djuric along with former managing director Mladen Krstajic, who was sacked on Boxing Day after a long-term conflict with the president.
Grant had been out of work since his Upton Park sacking in May 2011.
The Serbian first division resumes on March 3.
offricial site
portsmouth match preview
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Tottenham are battling to keep Jermain Defoe after the striker complained about a lack of playing opportunities.
Times (subscription needed)
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has offered David Beckham the opportunity to return to the Premier League with Tottenham on a two-month deal.
Metro
Queens Park Rangers are to submit an improved bid of £3.5m for the transfer-listed Chelsea defender Alex.
the Guardian
QPR are also lining up a loan move for former Portsmouth and Sunderland midfielder Sulley Muntari. The Ghana midfielder's contract with Inter Milan expires at the end of the season.
Daily Star
Brazil Under-20 star Henrique is set to join QPR on an 18-month loan deal.
Lancenet (in Portuguese)
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes has confirmed the club's interest in Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez but he concedes that pulling off the deal remains "highly unlikely".
Metro
Argentina international Tevez is willing to take a 40% pay cut, to £120,000-a-week, to force through a transfer to Italian side Inter Milan this month.
Goal.com
Chelsea and Manchester United have been given a major boost in their pursuit of Lille's Belgian star Eden Hazard after he let it be known he would be interested in a move to the Premier League.
Daily Mail
Aston Villa are considering a loan move for Slovenia midfielder Armin Bacinovic, who plays for Italian club Palermo.
Daily Mail
Manchester City's Serbian full-back Aleksandar Kolarov is a target for Juventus.
Daily Mirror
Sunderland are eyeing Fulham striker Bobby Zamora as the Cottagers negotiate with Catania over Argentina forward Maxi Lopez.
Daily Mirror
Norwich City boss Paul Lambert has admitted his frustration at being unable to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.
Eastern Daily Press
Fulham have entered the race for Watford striker Marvin Sordell, and now look to be the favourites to land the England Under-21 star.
talkSPORT
Bolton are set to replace Chelsea-bound Gary Cahill with United States defender Tim Ream. The 24-year-old, who plays for New York Red Bulls, would cost around £2.5m.
Daily Mail
The agent of Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero has said that the 24-year-old could move to Liverpool in the summer.
International Business Times
Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Manchester City's phenomenal start to the league campaign, describing their results in the first half of the season as one of the best performances in a long time.
the Guardian
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted that, although he's loving life at White Hart Lane, he would have to consider any offer he received to become England boss.
talkSPORT
New Everton signing Darron Gibson has revealed he was convinced to move to Goodison Park by former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney.
Liverpool Echo
New QPR manager Mark Hughes is furious with Fulham manager Martin Jol who has accused him of lacking staying power.
Daily Mail
Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says players no longer know how they are allowed to tackle.
Daily Mail
Chris Samba's future at Blackburn has been plunged into doubt after he missed training on Friday. The £12m-rated centre-half told a French newspaper on Thursday that he wanted to leave Ewood Park.
the Sun
Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo is set to join Angolan first division club Kabuscorp.
babe of the day
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