Swede dreams: Liverpool enter chase for goal scoring AZ midfielder

Rasmus Elm has scored 12 league goals in the Dutch league to attract attention from a host of Premier League, Italian and Spanish clubs

Stevie plan B? Rasmus Elm has been compared to Liverpool captain Gerrard

Rasmus Elm is the man Liverpool believe can deliver the goal power to boost their title chances next season.

The 24-year-old AZ Alkmaar midfielder, who will represent Sweden at Euro 2012, is in the form of his life. He has scored 12 league goals this season and been watched by all the top Premier League, Italian and Spanish clubs.

Before being ditched as Liverpool’s director of football a fortnight ago, Damien Commoli had compiled an extensive dossier on Elm.

Kenny Dalglish is well aware of Elm’s ­power-packed ability and will finalise his summer recruitment drive with his club’s owners, the Fenway Group, at the end of the season.

Clearly, Liverpool have been stung by ­criticism that they paid over the odds last ­summer to sign three Englishmen in Andy ­Carroll, ­Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing for a combined fee of around £75million.

The good news about Elm, who resembles Anfield skipper Steven ­Gerrard with his ­shooting power at set-pieces, is that, with only one year to go on his current contract, he can be lured away for around £8m.

[mirror.co.uk]

Last chance: Mancini warns Balotelli to shape up or ship out

City manager is under pressure from senior players and the club’s Abu Dhabi owners over the friction caused by the controversial Italian striker

Player power: Senior City stars have tired of Mario Balotelli's antics this season

Player power has prompted Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to warn Mario Balotelli that he must mend his ways or face being booted out of the Etihad.

Balotelli is once again available for selection for tomorrow night’s make-or-break Manchester derby with United after serving a ­three-match ban for his red card in the defeat at Arsenal.

And Sunday Mirror Sport understands that Balotelli has been left in no doubt by both his teammates and his manager that this is his last chance to save his City career.

Several senior City players have told Mancini that the Italian’s ­behaviour is causing friction in the dressing room. They feel that the Blues’ boss has indulged ­Balotelli to the point where it is damaging both the player and the team.

Mancini is also coming under pressure from City’s Abu Dhabi owners to get the 21-year-old to clean up his act.

He has now given Balotelli an ultimatum – and so far it seems to be working. Mancini said: “Maybe I am the only man in football who trusts Mario. But in this game I think, yes, you can trust him.

“Mario as usual is training well.

“In one game he can score two or three goals – this is the manager’s problem. Mario has apologised to me for the red card at Arsenal, yes. He has been training well.”

Mancini’s belief that the young Italian has learned some vital ­lessons is confirmed by another City insider who said: “There has been a noticeable change in ­Balotelli since his sending off at Arsenal.

“He has settled right down and seems to be focused on his job, which hasn’t always been the case since he came to the club.

“A number of players have made their feelings clear to both Balotelli and Roberto Mancini that they felt one player was being given too much freedom.

“It was beginning to cause ­problems in the dressing room and was also damaging Mancini ­because to some extent he has staked his reputation on Balotelli.” The striker began his penance by issuing an apology for his second red card of the season.

During his ban, he has watched Carlos Tevez strike up a devastating partnership with Sergio Aguero.

Balotelli has scored 17 goals this season, but some team-mates felt he wasn’t doing enough on the pitch to justify the special treatment being ­lavished on him.

The insider added: “All top players are given some ­concessions. That doesn’t cause any problems as long as they are delivering on the pitch. The feeling was that Balotelli was not doing enough to be considered a special case.”

Controversy has followed the former Inter Milan forward throughout his career. But the negative headlines have gone into overdrive since ­Mancini persuaded City to pay £24million 18 months ago for a player described as ­‘unmanageable’ by Jose Mourinho.

That has not gone down well in image-conscious Abu Dhabi. And some of City’s fans are beginning to give up on a maverick who is something of a cult hero because of his ability to go from the sublime to the ridiculous on and off the pitch.

Mancini will once again trust in the Tevez-Aguero axis for tomorrow night’s crunch derby. But Balotelli terrorised United in City’s 6-1 win at Old Trafford in October, scoring twice and will be ready to emerge from the substitutes’ bench if he is needed to make an impact.

[mirror.co.uk]

Squeaky bum time: Lose to City and blow the title, warns Fergie

United boss admits arch-rivals will probably go on to win the Premier League title if they beat his side at the Etihad Stadium on Monday

Red faced: Manchester United let a two goal lead against Everton slip to allow City back in the title race

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his players: “Lose to City and you have blown the title.”

The Manchester United boss has left his men in no doubt about the dire ­consequences that defeat in tomorrow night’s epic derby at the Etihad Stadium.

United lead City by three points, but Roberto Mancini’s men will go back to the summit courtesy of their superior goal difference if they win the 163rd meeting of the teams.

City have a tough run-in – with a trip to Champions League-chasing Newcastle followed by the visit of relegation-threatened QPR – while United entertain Swansea before finishing the campaign at Sunderland.

But Ferguson warned: “If City win they would probably go on to win it from there.

“Even though they’ve got to go to Newcastle I think they would have a great chance.

“If we won we’d be strong favourites. Even with a draw we’d be favourites. No doubt about that.

“Two games to go, one at home and one away, we’d have to be happy with that.

“One thing, though, we won’t be going to City just looking to make sure we don’t lose.”

United squandered the chance to maintain their five-point lead at the top last week when Everton fought back from 4-2 down to force a draw with two goals in the closing minutes.

Ferguson has shouldered his share of the blame in allowing City to blow the title race wide open by winning at Wolves.

UEFA president Michel Platini is planning to jet into Manchester to watch a game that has captured the imagination of the world.

Ferguson said: “Given the chances we created against Everton and the quality of our performance, we should have won comfortably.

“Maybe I should have brought on a couple of defenders just to see it off.

“I mean, there was only seven minutes to go and we were winning 4-2. Bloody hell, there you go.”

He added: “I always thought City would be our big challengers this year, particularly after the early-season programme they had.

“I mean, they didn’t really play anyone at the start of the season, and they got off to a flyer because of it.

“We had Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in the first four or five games. We had a really tough start and because City had some good results that projected them forward.

“I always expected them to be there at the end after that.”

United came from 2-0 down to beat City in the Community Shield.

But the champions were humbled 6-1 at Old Trafford in October – equalling the biggest-ever scoreline in a Manchester derby.

Ferguson exacted some revenge by knocking the Blues out of the FA Cup, winning 3-2 at the Etihad in January, but only after the home side had come back from three goals down after having skipper Vincent Kompany sent off.

Ferguson said: “It doesn’t matter what has happened for the rest of the season.

“They’re undefeated at home and we have the best away record. It doesn’t matter. This is a one-off fame.

“The City crowd will be up for it. We expect them to be. But that’s not unusual for us.

“We’ve been to Anfield, the Emirates, places like that. The atmosphere will be just the same.

“I have to trust my players. We have enough experience, enough pace and enough good footballers with determination.

“We’ll be all right in that respect. A game of this nature can be decided by anything – and you only hope it isn’t decided by a bad decision.”

He added: “There is a focus on this game so it’s important that it is good. We’re representing the city all over the world.

“There’s 203 countries going to watch it. Even Michel Platini is coming to watch.

“That creates a certain occasion and we want to represent ourselves in the right way.

“It’s difficult to know how City will approach it.

“My feeling is that he will be cautious. It doesn’t matter, all I know is that we want to do well.”

[mirror.co.uk]

Staying power: Lampard wants to do a Giggs by playing on at Chelsea

‘Talks are planned with the club in the summer and as long as they want me, I would be more than happy to continue’ says Blues veteran

Golden oldies: Frank Lampard still thinks he can contribute to Chelsea's cause at the age of 33

Frank Lampard wants to stay at Chelsea.

The England star, 33, has one year left on his current deal and will open talks at the end of the season.

Lampard said: “I love Chelsea and, ideally, I will be here longer than just one more season.

“I look at people like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United and see what they are still doing and I would love to do the same for Chelsea. I want to emulate them.”

Lampard is preparing for a thrilling finale to ­Chelsea’s campaign as they push for a ­top-four finish in the Premier League, take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final and take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

He added: “I considered playing abroad three or four years ago, that’s true. But I decided to be here at Chelsea for the long haul.

“You can see what can be achieved by players like John Terry and Steven Gerrard who have been one-club men. Talks are planned with the club in the summer and as long as they want me, I would be more than happy to continue.

“As you get that bit older, you can’t play the same way as you did five or six years ago. But I still feel I can contribute. I still feel good and I feel fresh in training and I am enjoying my football as much as ever.”

Next on the agenda for Lampard is today’s derby against QPR.

Inevitably the backdrop to the game has been the on-going debate surrounding John Terry’s alleged racist comment to Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand.

The clash at Loftus Road earlier this season was a controversial affair with Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa sent off, scuffles in the tunnel and John Terry charged with racist abuse towards Anton Ferdinand.

“We will need cool heads and concentrate on winning the three points,” said Lampard.

“ It was a very hot atmosphere when we played there and their crowd were really up for it. It was very hostile. But we have to just set out targets on winning the three points.

“All the talk that will go on is not something for the players.

“There is a lot at stake for both clubs – they want to stay up and we want to get in that top four.”

Gary Cahill is winning his battle to be fit for the FA Cup final. The Chelsea defender was forced out of last Tuesday’s clash with Barcelona with a hamstring injury amid fears he would be absent for the rest of the season.

But Chelsea insiders believe Cahill may yet be fit for Saturday’s Wembley showpiece.

[mirror.co.uk]

Flying the Dream: aboard Boeing’s brand new ‘jet lag-busting’ 787 Dreamliner

Nigel Thompson joins a demo flight aboard the Boeing’s revolutionary aircraft, which can fly 9,400 miles in one go

Thomson and First Choice will be the first UK airlines to take delivery of the Dreamliner in May 2013

Manchester United’s iconic Old Trafford football stadium is called the Theatre of Dreams.

So it seemed highly appropriate that I got a glimpse of the Red Devils’ home from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on a 500ft wing-waggling flypast at the city’s airport this week.

This revolutionary new “greener”, “jet lag-busting” passenger plane is seen as the greatest advance in aviation since Concorde and this week was on the UK leg of a world tour, which took in Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick airports.

I joined the Boeing crew and a team from Thomson Airways – which will be the first in Britain to take delivery of a 787 – at Manchester for a plane tour and two-hour test flight.

It’s a very fine looking jet with elegant, sweeping lines and distinctive flexible wings which rise up to 10ft at the tips on take-off, though it’s perhaps not as awesome close up as the mighty Airbus A380 double decker superjumbo.

But it’s inside that’s going to impress Thomson and First Choice passengers from May 2013 – swiftly followed by fliers travelling with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Holidaymakers heading from Manchester, Gatwick, East Midlands and Glasgow to Cancun, Mexico, and Sanford, Florida, on Thomson Airways will have the first opportunity to fly on the new jets.

It will offer travellers noticeable improvements, including:

● Moister air for less chance of dehydration and headaches;
● Cleaner air that’s had irritants such as perfume and alcohol removed;
● Lower cabin pressure, which is less tiring;
● Bigger windows and dynamic LED lighting;
● Wider aisles and higher ceilings; and
● A smoother, quieter journey.

While you can hardly avoid your body being say five times zones adrift from UK time if you’re in Florida, these are all factors which should combine to help to alleviate the effects of jetlag when you get off the plane.

The Dreamliner is made largely of carbon/polymer resin and consequently is lighter than similar sized aircraft and uses 20% less fuel, hence its “green” tag.

It also offers a tremendous range, up to 9,400 miles, which brings the realistic and tantalising prospect of direct flights to destinations such as Bali, Hawaii and even Perth.

You read that right – Australia in one go. Amazing.

Stretch out: Legroom will be 33-34" in Thomson economy, more than on MOST leisure flights

Hi-tech: You can plug in your smartphone aboard the Dreamliner

Nigel in the cockpit: Luckily the Dreamliner was still stationary in Manchester Airport

Keep Reading >>

[mirror.co.uk]

Q&A: Juliette Binoche on Filming a Masturbation Scene in Elles

Must Read !!!

Hillary Clinton Rejects Jason Segel’s Casting Suggestion, Remains Coolest Person on the Planet

by Julie Miller

BY CHUNG SUNG-JUN/GETTY IMAGES.

Earlier this month, we noted Hillary Clinton’s sudden surge in coolness after the Secretary of State spent a night dancing and drinking beer at a bar in Colombia, where she was attending an international summit. (President Obama, who attended the same summit but was not pictured in blurry bar photos the next day, we theorized, had faked an illness so that he could catch up on Mad Men and aimless Wikipedia searches in his hotel room.) But just how is Hillary Clinton accelerating her awesomeness this week? By coolly rejecting tenuous casting offers for popular prime-time television shows.

On last night’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jason Segel appeared to promote his new comedy The Five-Year Engagement. But before discussing the movie, the comedic actor excitedly dove into an anecdote about how, according to Segel, the stateswoman recently got in touch with him to turn down a role that she was never officially offered on his CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother.

“Every time I’m on the red carpet and [reporter ask me], ‘Who is the mother going to be?’ I always say Hillary Clinton, just as a joke. And then I got a letter in the mail that was like, ‘I appreciate your request but I must say that I am very busy doing politics. If the opportunity ever arise, I would be happy to do something together. —Hillary Clinton.’ [Laughing.] I got a rejection letter from Hillary Clinton.”

Watch the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Episode Video >>

That’s right. If you make a snide joke about casting Hillary Clinton on the red carpet, she will allegedly locate her coolest stationery, find your address, and personally reject your fake casting offer. (Not to mention create an entertaining anecdote that topic-bombs the late-night-talk-show segment you were supposed to dedicate to your upcoming movie.) Point: Hillary Clinton. At this rate, Clinton will either inspire her own Chuck Norris–style satirical factoids, start quoting Tupac Shakur on Capitol Hill, or spur her own Ryan Gosling–style meme, which she will respond to in the coolest fashion possible. Oh wait.

[vanityfair.com]