Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Cristiano Ronaldo's declaration that he's staying put at Manchester United appears to have brought one of the most tedious transfer sagas in living memory to a close, but excuse Early Doors if it doesn't feel like breaking out the bunting and the fizzy pop.United fans may be breathing sighs of...More

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Football management these days is a sophisticated business. Where once it was all flying tea-cups, emotional bullying and expletive-strewn team talks, now it's ProZone analysis, individually tailored dietary plans and Sun Tzu's the Art of War.Shame nobody told Paul Ince.Having been in the Blackburn Rovers hot seat for all of...More

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Desperate for its daily dose of Sky Sports News lovely Georgie Thompson - who is currently, inexplicably being overlooked in favour of the decidedly less comely Vicky Gomersall - Early Doors turned to Sky's 'Premiership Years' programme yesterday and quickly found itself caught up in the thrills and spills of...More

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If there's one thing Early Doors can't stand, it's people assigning undue significance to meaningless pre-season friendlies.That and the usual stuff like rudeness, poor time-keeping, motorsports enthusiasts and world poverty, of course.Take Chelsea's 5-0 win over Milan Reserves in the 'Railways Cup' in Moscow yesterday. Eye-catching? Certainly. Comically one-sided? Sure. Essentially...More

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Wayne Rooney faces a possible assault charge, according to The Sun, after he was accused of spitting at a paparazzi photographer.The Manchester United forward was involved in an altercation after leaving a restaurant in central London and was interviewed under caution by police - not arrested. He is thought to...More

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Under normal circumstances, a big club signing a 21-year-old with all of one senior appearance under his belt would hardly get noticed. Maybe the club just wanted an extra body to fill out the squad, maybe they wanted to give their new Brazilian star somebody to talk to, or maybe...More

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Robbie Keane proudly showed off the 'mythical' Liverpool number seven shirt yesterday, but recent history would suggest he is letting himself in for years of injury and ineffective appearances on the wing.Look at Liverpool's number sevens since 1971 and you'll do well not to notice dramatically diminishing returns.The shirt went...More

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Today is all about you, dear readers, as Early Doors takes a Good Cop, Bad Cop approach to dealing with the general public.- - -CARROTHold onto your hats, audience participation fans. Early Doors cordially invites you to join its Fantasy League!Based on the contention that nice guys always finish last,...More

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You don't mess with Vladimir Romanov. Since taking over at Hearts in 2005 the Lithuanian got rid of more coaches than a failing bus firm.George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas and Stevie Frail have all felt the metaphorical axe's steely blade slicing into the back of their neck.The new manager...More

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Under the Premier League's intense spotlight, it has become difficult for decent players not to get noticed.Such is the relentless hype that ordinary players like Scott Parker and Jermaine Jenas acquire reputations far exceeding their actual ability.Some 'big' club - usually Chelsea, Spurs or Newcastle - believes the propaganda and...More

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