Fulham Broadway

The prospects of Chelsea adding the Brazilian forward Robinho to their ranks before the Premier League season starts should become clearer over the next 48 hours because he is expected to meet Real Madrid's sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, in London over the weekend. Robinho has become Luiz Felipe Scolari's principal target in the transfer market now that the manager has assessed his squad on their pre-season tour of Asia and Russia. Indeed Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, was sufficiently confident that the 24-year-old could be lured to Stamford Bridge in a deal likely to cost in excess of £25m that he went public last week on the club's interest in signing him, although he conceded that it might take time to reach an agreement. As Chelsea prepare to take on Lokomotiv Moscow in the Railways Cup this evening Robinho will be in England with Real for the Emirates Cup, to be hosted by Arsenal, and Real are set to make their commitment to keeping him more obvious. Mijatovic is expected to offer him a five-year deal, worth an initial £2.5m a year for the first two seasons and rising to £3.5m for the remaining term, to persuade him to stay at the Bernabéyou. Robinho's camp has sent out mixed messages as to where his future lies. He himself suggested last week that he would be happy to remain in Spain, but his representative, Wagner Ribeiro, has publicly courted potential suitors. Real's coach, Bernd Schuster, has expressed a desire to retain him, particularly given the Spanish club's inability to prise Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United, and welcomed him back to the team's training base in Austria this week after his recovery from a groin strain. Scolari remains relaxed about whether the signing will go through as he considers a side against Lokomotiv today that will be indicative of the team to face Portsmouth in the first league game. "If we add player A, player B or player C, then great," he said. "But I have good players with quality already." Chelsea may start with Andriy Shevchenko, after Milan conceded that they would not be able to take the Ukrainian back to San Siro this summer. Scolari, aware of Roman Abramovich's desire for a certain style to go with success, said: "I am not contracted to play pretty but for Chelsea to win championships. If you play well and win championships, then great. This is the philosophy that the owner wants. There wasn't a situation that Roman said to me: 'We have to play beautiful.' He is very simple, calm, calm. He said, 'Do better for Chelsea.' That's it." Guardian

Bentley joining the Yids and saying "I grew up through the Arsenal youth team but it's not a problem for me, all my heart is at Tottenham." made me laugh. Then I started thinking about Lampard, Rooney saying he was an Evertonian through and through, Kenyon stating he was ''ManUtd for life'' etc etc They're all liars, and I hate to say it but it hasnt always been like that. Its since the introduction of silly money that has correlated with any sense of loyalty. And my point is ? Nothing really, it just worth remembering that when a player says they are ''*insert club here* through and through'' ...it's 99% certain to be bollocks...

Cheers for that. Yup going to be some competitive games now. Kenyons Shirt Selling Asian Kick-a -Bout Tour is done, and during the break Kenyon can go and open Abramovichs wallet and use the shirt money, to sort out this Robinho nonsense.

Railway Cup games all in one day ? ''On August 1st Chelsea, Milan, Sevilla and Lokomotiv at the reserve field at the Lokomotiv stadium. All the matches will take place in one day...''

Lol, I've got that fucking tune in my head now, and I just know its going to stay all day......

Lol hes definitely been head hunted. Amy-Agent 13 has a ManUtd avatar or something. Cant see the problem.

Lol , Hes such a cheapskate hes using the media to say ''remember me ?'' instead of going for jobs. It was clearly apparent early on Pizz, Haim, and Sidwell were freebie mistakes that would be offloaded...apart from that not too many changes required

There wernt going to be multiple changes in my opinion, as it was Grants ineptitude that resulted in a trophyless season. Sidwell and BendOver out for combined £10 m...good bit o' business

It shows how the players performed in spite of him, yet came within a mosquitos pube of copious amounts of silverware. To me, with Huge Balls Felipe taking the reins, it highlights how little the squad needs to change....

Chelsea plan talks with Milan in Moscow over Shevchenko's exit Chelsea are set to meet officials from AC Milan in Moscow this weekend to negotiate the transfer of striker Andriy Shevchenko. The clubs will be in the Russian capital competing in a pre-season tournament and could face each other on Sunday depending on results from their first games. Milan are desperate to resign their former striker, who has failed to make much of an impact since his £30.8million move from the San Siro in 2006. AC Milan bound? The Italians are desperate to sign Chelsea's Andriy Shevchenko. He looked short of match fitness and confidence after coming on in Chelsea's 2-0 win over a Malaysia XI. AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: 'If I see Shevchenko in Moscow, I will say hello to him. 'The player will not go to any other Italian club apart from Milan. Mail

Times saying this Morning that the deal for the tight shorted inadequate, is done and dusted for £5 million.....

Avram Grant says he wants to spend time away . Photograph:Richard Heath/Getty The former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has admitted that he faced a dressing room that had little confidence in his skills when he replaced Jose Mourinho at the club last year. However, Grant believes he won the players over by guiding them to the Champions League final, the Carling Cup final and to second place in the Premier League. "When I took over Chelsea after Jose Mourinho was fired, the English press and some Chelsea players did not believe in my ability," he said. "But I proved that to them in the last two or three months when Chelsea nearly won three competitions." According to reports the manager, fired in May just three days after losing the Champions League final, has finally agreed a £3.5m compensation deal with Chelsea. He thought he was entitled to £5m after working just six months of the four-year deal he signed in December last year. Avram Grant says he wants to spend time away from football. Guardian ''wants to spend time away from football'' HA HA HA, Why's that then ? Because you can afford to now you've reamed millions out of Abramovich and no one is stupid enough to employ you ?

Agree Steve. I know Chelsea threw Wise a lifeline, but Scouser Barton has had several chances. This is definitely a case where the FA or Premier League should step in.

Well according to several media outlets this morning the Yids are about to spend £17m on Bentley and £19m on Arshevin in next 24 hours. Really up for that UEFA Cup spot now....

Like his brother who murdered that lad in a park by hacking his skull with an Ice Axe, Barton is nothing but a Scouse thug. To reward him by paying him £60 000 a week, sends out all the wrong signals to children and impressionable fans.

Lovely goal. Deco looks very creative, will be good next season. Even though the pitch looks like a rice field.

The stubbing out of the cigarette in a junior players eye wasnt a fight. The beating up of a teenager whilst the team was in Thailand wasnt a fight either. The sustained attack on Dabo was from behind. Totally indefensible. Any other employer regards it as instant dismisal as gross misconduct if you assault someone. What is also sickening is that six Premier Clubs were allegedly interested in taking him on , on comparable wages when he came out of the nick. This is the real reason why Kevin 'I cry a lot' Keegan took him back.

I thought that was instant dismissal ? No appeals, nothing, thats it, out on your arse. Now, not only did Joey 'the wanker' Barton stub a cigarette out in a colleagues eye, he also battered team mate Ousmane Dabo into a bleeding unconscious pulp. He has also driven into a pedestrian breaking their leg and was fined two months wages for battering a teenager in Bangkok. Last Christmas he did this http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul5uVWDexRo It seems Kevin 'fruitcake' Keegan is willing to take him back and pay him £60 000 a week...even though 4 out of 5 Toon fans dont want him, and loads have not renewed their season tiickets because of the return of Joey 'sad twat' Barton. Surely enoughs enough, and the toothless FA or Premier League which last season was so hot on ''respect'' should say something ? but no the deafening silence from the gravy train fat cats at Lancater Gate is so predictable....

Be good to see Sinclair get a runout. They should play him at right back because we dont have enough of those.... ..kick off in a few minuteas ? going to try and find a link now...

Rafas Brain Scan

Liverpool are allowed to tap up players, its not even called that, because they have so much history and dignity.and you cant stop a lifelong fan joining the ''only club hes ever loved''. Players who say they're a big supporter of a club are generally 99% liars. Anyway it's Rafas ''final piece of the jigsaw''.

Welcome BJ -look forwrd to your contributions...

They could well be -Keanes crossing from the right is pretty accurate when hes not up front. But they never have the stamina or consistency to fully challenge. Tottenham and Levy werent happy at all about this, and a footnote to the story was how LFC had to donate an undisclosed amount to a Tottenham charity to avoid 'tapping up' allegations. What is this Tottenham Charity ? The Alan Sugar Apprentice Memorial Trust ? The Keep Berbatov a Yid campaign ??

From LFC website "The lifelong Red was just nine years old last time the club won the league back at a time when he slept under Liverpool bedsheets and walked around in his club tracksuit. He now eagerly expects a league Winners medal with his dream club" MY ARSE

The Chinese games are really just a marketing excercise, with a kickabout tacked on. It does however give them a chance to gel, and Scolari to make preliminary assessments. As you say they wont really come under fire until the Russian games, and from that he will have more of an idea about strengths and weaknesses. A contigency will have been arranged should Madrid continue playing silly buggers, but the arrival of Robinho would almost definitley signal the exit for SWP....