The under fire Cardiff manager has come under further pressure this week following a 1-0 loss to recently relegated Blackburn. The result may have been expected with a freshly appointed manager in the Blackburn dugout and a team made up of a lot of Premiership players who came down with the club, however Cardiff struggled to create any chances against the better side.

Continuations of last weeks walk out protests before the end of the match were followed up with some less than supportive banners being held up in some sections of the ground by the Welsh fans. One fan afterwards described the team as being Too defensive and toothless up front. Rumours in the local press have suggested the pressure is getting to ex-Juventus front man Raffaele Palladino who is becoming unsettled in South Wales.

Also, Albin, who was publicly criticised by the fans for his performance last week, will be under no illusions as to his own insecure position in the squad after Jaques showed no support for the player in dropping him immediately from the team.

The glimmer of hope for Jaques comes from his chairman who has refused to pander to the medias requests for an interview on the position of the clubs manager, but how long can he avoid the inevitable questions that will be raised while Cardiff continue to struggle?



Last week Cortez spoke about his love for his first professional club and his admiration for his manager Simon Jenkins. In a live broadcasted match against surprise fellow relegation battlers Real Betis Cortez put on a good performance grabbing himself a goal and generally looking very lively.

Following reports that a number of scouts from Manchester and London would be at the game to see the talented striker, he will have done his prospects of a high profile move no harm with such a performance.




Manchester United have had what can only be described as a disastrous start to the new season. A team steeped in history, many pundits are already writing them out of the Premiership title race as they sit 6th with 7 points less than Chelsea already.

The manager can be credited for trying to address the age issue of the squad since the end of last season when they faded away from a more youthful looking Chelsea side. However the manager is sure to be disappointed with the lacklustre effort being shown by some of the younger players being given their chances.

Despite Rooney, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho showing signs of good form, United dropped more points this week at home to an impressive looking Spurs side. No doubt the pressure will be growing on the manager now who surely has to win something this season to keep hold of such a high profile job?




Darren Ambrose this week joined Coventry in a swap deal that saw Dennis Rommedahl move from the Ricoh Arena in the other direction. Ambrose delivered a farewell shot at the Charlton manager for being too negative in the transfer market.

I love Charlton, I love the place and the fans. The stadium is great to play in too. I didnt want to leave. He [McGuigan] hasnt brought anyone in and the club is in a slide backwards. He didnt fight for me. I feel disappointed.

His comments may strike a note with many a Charlton fan. The average age of this weeks team was a staggering 33 with veterans like Makelele, Thorne and Myhre all well past their best now theyve reached 37, with Thorne being the only signing of late in a free transfer.