Paper Talk: a football Freudian slip

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FOOTBALL is the gift that just keeps giving. Today we've got a footballing Freudian slip, Fergie's belt, Liverpool's Suarez gamble and Jose Mourinho's quiet time. This is Paper Talk Weekend Wash-Up.

PELLEGRINI'S WHOOPS

Maybe it was the emotion of the moment, maybe it was a language thing, maybe it revealed something of Manuel Pellegrini's real ambition.

The Manchester City manager suffered the football equivalent of a Freudian slip after City's 3-1 Capital One Cup defeat of Sunderland, saying how much he enjoys coaching a big club like Manchester United …

Asked whether the expectation to win trophies was a problem, the Chilean responded, "No, I love pressure. To manage a big team like Manchester United and to have pressure in all the competitions is very good."

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Watch the interview here.

Hmm, you might have to ask David Moyes about that. Doesn't look like he's enjoying it.

But, Pellegrini is at least focused on getting all he can out of this season for City, urging his players to collect more silverware after the Wembley triumph — which, it seems, is only a small triumph.

"We will evaluate the season when the season ends in May," the City manager says in The Guardian.

"We won today just one trophy but nobody can think that's enough. Why? I don't think top players or an important group can be satisfied with one trophy."

Samir Nasri certainly isn't: "We want to win everything. We are going to compete for the league, for the FA Cup and we are going to try to make something in the Champions League," the Frenchman said.

"It is going to be difficult but, like I said, I hope this cup is going to bring confidence to the team and we will fight until the end. We are champions and we deserve our victory. It means a lot to our fans; I'm really happy. We are going to fight for the league, the FA Cup and the Champions League."

ELLEN DEGENERES'S ADELAIDE CONTROVERSY

A-League club Adelaide United appears to have taken a serious line on its social media strategy. One club employee, perhaps with a little too much time on their hands, joined the two million-odd other Twitter users around the world to retweet Ellen Degeneres's group selfie at the Oscars.

But after a couple of negative replies, the club responded with a Draconian: "We can confirm we are reviewing admin rights and the RT'er will be banned from the account!"

Fox Sports Football is a servant of free speech and good-hearted banter, so we're calling on the Reds heirarchy to rethink its decision.

FERGIE TIME

What a life Sir Alex Ferguson is enjoying in his retirement. Hanging out with former Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall, still revelling in positive press as people hail his genius in taking an awful Manchester United to the title — and now the 72-year-old is mixing with the Hollywood elite at the Oscars.

Invited to LA as a guest of the British consulate, Ferguson took time out of his schmoozing schedule to give his backing to David Moyes, saying his successor just needs patience.

"They will be all right. It's early days and there have been a lot of changes. He [Moyes] needs time. I was there for 27 years, so with a new manager, it takes time. But they'll be OK."

Is it just us or does that sound like someone who's really not that bothered anymore? Perhaps the current United squad could do with a visit from the former manager and one of his treasured possessions — the belt his favourite schoolteacher used to punish him with.

Fergie was bequeathed the belt by his former teacher in Glasgow, Elizabeth Thomson, and recently told The Times that he credits much of his success to having his backside walloped in the days when kids really knew respect!

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"Six from that belt and you were in absolute agony. That was the punishment you had, in my case, usually for fighting in the playground," Ferguson revealed.

"Mrs Thomson endeavoured to make you be the best you could be. Yes, that part of me comes from her."

Right then … Cleverly, Smalling, Mata — shorts down!

MONEY UNITE D

Manchester United is all about glory, about winning, about the beautiful dreams of wonderful football.

Which is why the Old Trafford isn't really that bothered about possibly missing out on a Champions League spot next season under a faltering David Moyes — they'll just take the club on a lucrative world tour, selling tickets and merchandise to committed fans in all corners of the globe.

That, according to The Guardian, is the strategy to counter any ill financial effects of dropping out of Europe's elite competition, which would mean a minimum $37m loss in revenue. That's the cynical part out of the way, now the optimism — who wouldn't want to see United play in Australia again very soon? Well, unless David Moyes is still there …

SOCIAL MEDIA RESPECT

Fox Sports' very own Daniel Garb pointed this one out from the Capital One cup final — Liverpool midfielder and former Sunderland star Jordan Henderson somewhat incognito at Wembley to watch his old team. That's pretty cool.

Secondly, respect is due again to Manchester United fan Ash Evans who got in touch with Fox Sports to claim ownership of the "Moyes Out!" tattoo featured in Paper Talk last week. We haven't received another image of Ash's buttock to verify his claim as yet but we can't see why anyone would do so if it wasn't their backside on display.

And finally, we like it when a mascot falls over.

THANK YOU JOSE

It's the moment football fans have been waiting for — Jose Mourinho finally shuts up. It's just unfortunate that we weren't all there to witness such a momentous occasion.

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The Chelsea boss was so displeased at his side's wretched first-half display against Fulham, he gave the silent treatment at half-time, rather than his usual detailed team talk. And it worked.

"Normally I give the players two or three minutes to arrive, to change boots or shirts and after that they know that I start talking," said Mourinho.

"And they were there, ready for me. But I was not ready for them. I decided not to speak — because if I start speaking about the first half I would need more than 10 minutes."

Mourinho also found time to somehow deflect the pressure from his league-leading team and back onto Manchester City, claiming that Chelsea's four-point lead at the top of the table is 'fake'.

"The gap to Man City is a fake advantage. If they win their [two] games in hand, they're top."

Damn, he's good.

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BIG-NAME BUYOUT

If your club is up for sale, you just hope the new owners are the type with a world famous name and bags of money in their pocket.

Which is why some suburban Manchester players and fans are ecstatic that former United legends Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs are set to buy their club.

The Old Trafford stars were pictured on the sidelines at eighth-tier Evo-Stik First Division North team Salford City FC, fuelling rumours they are planning to buy the club and establish an academy to develop young players.

LUIS LOVE

It seems Liverpool fans should be counting their lucky stars for club owner John W Henry's stubbornness. The American has reportedly admitted that Luis Suarez did in fact have a £40m ($75m) release clause in his contract — but that the club simply refused to sell the player.

Arsenal made headlines with its frankly laughable £40m plus one pound offer before the season, with Liverpool saying the striker's clause would not be triggered.

But Henry was quoted at a US conference apparently admitted it could have happened — but the club just wouldn't let Suarez go.

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"Luis Suarez is the top scorer in the English Premier League, which is arguably the top soccer league in the world," Henry is reported to have said.

"He had a buyout clause of £40m. Arsenal, one of our prime rivals, offered £40m plus £1. What we've found … is that contracts don't seem to mean a lot in England — actually, in world football.

"It doesn't matter how long a player's contract is, he can decide he's leaving. We sold a player, Fernando Torres, for £50m, that we did not want to sell, we were forced to.

"Since apparently these contracts don't seem to hold, we took the position that we're just not selling."

Considering the season the Uruguayan has had, that could be the best bit of business Anfield has seen in some years — a feeling backed up by Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, who compared his teammate to the world's best after the win against Southampton in which he scored a goal, set on up and earned a penalty.

"I've run out of words to describe him. We're blessed in this country to have some really top forwards, top, top attacking players," Gerrard told The Mirror.

"But for me, without being biased, he's the best. I've said it many times, I look at Messi and Ronaldo and, yeah, they're world class players.

"But outside of that, you have Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez, who are pushing those two really close."

Marek Hamsik in drag, Ronaldo in gold. You make up your own minds. Source: AAP

FOOTBALLERS WEAR CRAZY OUTFITS

We wish this could be a regular column. First up, have you ever seen a scarier sight than Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik in full drag? The Slovakian is a bit of an eyesore at the best of times but his outfit up to take part in Italy's Mardi Gras celebrations has left us with an image that cannot be unseen.

Then there is former Brazil forward Ronaldo, who did his part for the Rio carnival — on his own float wearing a golden suit. Now that is style you just can't buy.

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