Thursday Odds and Ends, plus Conte and condiments

There were a couple of interesting stories to make headlines this Thursday, so I thought I would share them with you.

First up…

According to The Sun, Premier League clubs could evoke an “anyone but Newcastle” transfer policy in January. League clubs are still upset over the Magpies’ takeover by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The fund is worth a reported $670-billion (USD).

The Magpies were purchased for $402-million (USD), following a list of various legal issues, as well as concerns from organizations protesting Saudi Arabia’s human rights records. Following extensive negotiations, the Premier League stated it had received “legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control the Newcastle United Football Club.”

Along with the human rights issues, obviously, clubs are concerned Newcastle United will now have the deepest of deep pockets in the league, along with a check book that knows no bounds. New manager Eddie Howe will look to begin rebuilding his 19th place club in January, and will look to flash wads of money to induce transfers.

Secondly…

Steven Gerrard has been named the new manager at Aston Villa, however, supporters of his previous club, Rangers, are extremely upset with how and when Gerrard left the Scottish team. Rangers currently lead the Sottish Premiership by four points over rivals Celtic, plus they are in the midst of their group stage fixtures in the Europa League. Gerrard has been very successful at Rangers, including a league title, however, this is a “what have you done for me lately moment” for the former Liverpool star. Here’s a headline from Scotland’s Daily Record,  “Good riddance Steven Gerrard as Rangers fans fume over early exit and Celtic supporters eye title.”

And finally, there is breaking news out of the Tottenham Hotspur training camp. New boss Antonio Conte has drilled deep into the troubles at Hotspur and has boiled it down to this. According to The Daily Mail, Conte has officially removed ketchup and mayonnaise from the Tottenham training table. Apparently, the new man in charge is unhappy with his squad’s fitness levels, even calling several players “overweight.” He has also removed heavy food and sandwiches from the menu, and has limited the amount of oil and butter used in cooking.

I guess it’s safe to say Tottenham will never have the nickname, “The Big Mac Attack!”

Cheers.

Gunner1953