Managerial Firings the Order of the Week

Welcome to another week of Football Circus where we will attempt to provide you with some of the oddest football stories from around the world over the past week. In order to do so, we will this week wheel out Football Circus regulars Mario Balotelli and Emmanuel Frimpong, report on some ludicrous managerial firings and a French DJ who certainly won't be held in the same regard as Daft Punk if PSG fans have anything to do with it.

Bad Week for Mario

It has not been a good week for Mario Balotelli. Napoli this week defeated AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro for the first time since 1986. For his part, Balotelli missed a penalty for the first time in his professional career. Having scored 26 penalties in his career thus far, the sight of Super Mario stepping up for his 27th attempt would surely have put off any keeper. Not Napoli's on loan Pepe Reina however. The 60th minute penalty was not a particularly poor effort from Balo, rather the one handed save from Reina was quite superb.

Balotelli wasn't finished there. He was granted a second chance and in the last minute of the game, Milan were awarded a second penalty. Balotelli stepped up again, undeterred from his previous attempt and this time slotted home to bring the scoreline to 2-1. Alas, it was too little too late for Balo and his colleagues as the full time whistle went.

Napoli were jubilant, Balotelli was irate. Unhappy with the result and perhaps irritated by his penalty record having become tarnished, he became aggressive towards officials and was duly sent off.

The striker will hope to put this week's woes behind him as Milan are in Champion's League action next week. A record of 27 penalties from 28 attempts is certainly not to be scoffed at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2CLGVoMBgw

PSG Fans Not Jumping for Joy after DJ Faux Pas

Ever heard of DJ Breakbot? We certainly haven't. And it's unlikely we will be hearing about him again any time soon given his error prior to the PSG-Monaco match at the Parc Des Princes last weekend.

The DJ had been invited by PSG to provide some pre-match entertainment as fans awaited the kickoff of the game between flush Ligue 1 sides Paris Saint Germain and AS Monaco.

All was going well for Mr. Breakbot until he decided to get the crowd going by blasting out Van Halen classic 'Jump'. Unfortunately for the French DJ, 'Jump' is a song strongly associated with PSG's bitter rivals Marseille who adopted the song as a warmup anthem after its release in 1989.

The song was met with a chorus of boos by the Paris crowd and the DJ has been scorned for his song choice this week. He pleaded ignorance however, claiming he was unaware of the link between the song and Marseille and has apologised to the Paris outfit and their fans alike.

The song seemingly did little to inspire either side as a 1-1 draw was played out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O41EcPkltvM

Frimpong Busy on Instagram Again

Emmanuel Frimpong has been featuring quite heavily on Football Circus in recent weeks, predominantly for his 'feud' with former Arsenal teammate Samir Nasri. The Gunners midfielder posted a photoshopped FIFA 14 cover a few weeks back, which showed Samir Nasri and Alex Song and was entitled 'FIFA 14 - Bench Edition'.

Obviously not kept too busy with game time either, Frimpong has again been photoshopping this week, this time poking fun at himself. Frimpong posted another FIFA 14 cover with his own photo and the caption 'Bench Master'.

He included the tag, "One thing people need to know is that I LOVE BANTER copy out November the 16th".

Banter-iffic Emmanuel. If the midfielder keeps producing masterpieces of this ilk, he won't need to worry about his on-pitch minutes.

Brazilian Side Nautico Appoint Seventh Manager of the Season

Brazilian Serie A team Nautico have sacked manager Levi Gomes after he spent just sixteen days in charge of a team which have struggled for points this season. The newly appointed Marcelo Martelotte will find it difficult to steer the team back on course as he is the seventh manager to take charge since the league began in May. Time most certainly is not on his side.

With an average of more than one manager a month this campaign, continuity does not seem to be an issue that is taken into account by the Nautico board. New man Martelotte might be the perfect match for them though, as Nautico are the third side he has managed this campaign. Well, either that or it will all go horrendously wrong very quickly and all parties involved will regret the decision.

Such cut throat hiring and firing is reminiscent of the policy adopted by Palmermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini. Oh it's time for the Italian Football Story of the Week you say...

Italian Football Story of the Week

- Gennaro's a Goner as Palermo Sack Former Milan Star

Football Circus was happy to report a number of months back that Palermo had made the decision to appoint former Italy and AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as their new manager. Hopes were high for Gattuso as he took the reigns of a side who had just been relegated to Serie B, with automatic promotion the goal.

Sadly for 'Rino', it's unlikely that he would be featuring in this week's Football Circus were things going as swimmingly as he would have hoped. We're a little sadistic like that. However we would have thought that Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini would have displayed a degree more compassion, even respect, for a man who forged a tremendous partnership in centre midfield with Andrea Pirlo to lead Italy to the World Cup in 2006.

Alas, this is the cut throat industry of Italian football and what's more, this is Maurizio Zamparini we're dealing with. Zamparini has a reputation of being rather ruthless. In fact if you care to read over our Italian Football Story of the Week from the very first Football Circus (http://football-circus.blogspot.ie/2013/03/welcome-to-football-circus-blog-which.html), you may get a taste for just how ruthless he can be.

So it is perhaps of no surprise that Palermo have parted ways with Rino this week after a paltry six competitive games in charge. Two losses in a row in Serie B were enough to convince Zamparini that Gattuso was not the man for the job. That said, Gattuso may be slightly irked by the fact that as recently as September 10th, his former chairman stated:

"I never thought about getting rid of him. Even in losses I have given him my confidence. There were journalists who assumed I would sack him, but I have never thought about that".

The vote of confidence from the chairman. The verified death knell for any manager struggling for results. This week, Zamparini released the following statement:

"It is with true and profound sadness that I announce the dismissal of Gennaro Gattuso as coach of the first team. The results have forced us to take this decision. Perhaps he and I have taken a step too far in what was his first experience as coach, in a club and a city as challenging as Palermo is. I have decided to appoint experienced Giuseppe Iachini as his replacement, handing him the task to lead the team back to Serie A".

Football Recommendation

- UEFA.com Champions League Fantasy Football

http://en.uclfantasy.uefa.com/CleverTV/en/uefa/uefa/15809/clienthome.do

Non Football Recommendation

- "Felina". The last ever episode of Breaking Bad. Sniff, sniff...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felina_(Breaking_Bad)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HAQt2sKC_E

Song of the Week

- Bye Bye Badman (The Stone Roses)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVwLhV1oY1c

Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter @footballcircus or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Football-Circus/418804204906352

You can also contact us at footballcircus@gmail.com

Go-Go Girls, Michael Jackson and Rambo

This week in Football Circus we bring you go-go girls, Michael Jackson, fainting players, Andriy Shevchenko but not as you've seen him before and a Rambo-like mission performed by a Genoa coach. So if that's the sort of football news that takes your fancy, let the weirdness begin...

New Fulham Owner Not So Thrill(er)ed about Jacko Statue

Mohammed Al Fayed caused quite a stir when he had a huge Michael Jackson statue erected outside Fulham's Craven Cottage in 2011. 

Many fans of the Cottagers were embarrassed by the statue, not just because it looked downright awful, but also because of the fact that they felt their club had little or no affiliation with the late pop star. Al Fayed was defiant however and argued that Jackson, a personal friend of the Harrod's owner, was in fact a Fulham supporter.

Al Fayed sold the club to Shahid Khan this summer though, and it's apparent that Khan feels the statue is BAD for the club's image. 

A Fulham spokesperson this week announced:

"The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course".

Alves Offered Liver to Abidal

Eric Abidal's battle with a liver tumour was well publicised during his time at Barcelona. The French left back eventually underwent a transplant and this summer moved to Ligue 1 side Monaco.

His support from Barcelona during the ordeal however, never waned. Perhaps the one of the more poignant moments that stood out was the sight of Abidal lifting the Champions League trophy at the end of the 2011-2012 campaign.

What was unknown throughout though, and only came to light this week, was the fact that his Barca teammate Dani Alves had actually offered to donate his liver to Abidal, a man he considered a friend not just on the pitch.

Alves has this season taken the number 22 shirt at Barcelona, following Abidal's departure, as a tribute to his friend.

Abidal was this week told Catlunya Radio:

"My relationship with Dani goes much further than him taking my old No. 22 shirt".

“When I had to undergo surgery, he offered to donate his liver".

“Of course, it’s completely out of the question because he is a professional footballer. Our relationship goes much deeper than friendship”.

All Go-Go at FC Lucerne This Season

Swiss side FC Lucerne may take a rather unusual step this season to fill their stadium and draw in more fans. For their chief investor, Bernard Alpstaeg has suggested employing go-go girls to provide pre-match entertainment.

Lucerne and unbeaten in their first five matches thus far in their league campaign, but Alpstaeg currently appears preoccupied with ensuring the club's coffers remain in a healthy condition.

Not content with a mascot waving to the fans, a display from the local under 7's or a band playing, Alpstaeg has suggested that he prefers the half-naked-dancing-women approach to fan entertainment.

The wealthy businessman told Switzerland's Blick newspaper:

"We have a great team. FCL inspires. FCL is sexy again! But we can be even more attractive".

"I want a show before kick-off. Preferably scantily clad, sexy dancers to entertain fans before the game. The stadium would be full, guaranteed".

Player Faints After Being Shown Red

Heerenveen and Groningen faced off in the Dutch Eredivisie last weekend and it was match that was rife with incidents. It involved six goals (Heerenveen won 4-2) and three sendings off. What was potentially the most shocking incident of the game however, was the aftermath of the sending off of Groningen's Timo Letschert, who fainted after being shown red.

Letschert had been shown a straight red by the referee after what he deemed to be a dangerous challenge. Letschert looked shocked immediately after the decision was made and soon afterwards, fell to the ground. He was stretchered off by medics, with fans unsure as to exactly what had happened to him. It was later revealed that the Heerenveen star had passed out because of the ref's decision.

Letschert was given a three game ban for the tackle, which he has now appealed. Who knows what will happen to him if that doesn't work out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31U0t3DGN_Q

Sheva's New Clubs

Andriy Shevchenko made the back pages this week, but not for footballing reasons. Not content to be considered one of the best strikers to have worn the red and black of AC Milan, the former footballer has now decided to try his hand at golf.

Sheva made his professional golfing debut this week in the Kharkav Superior Cup in the Ukraine.

Prior to tee off he commented:

"This is the first big event for me and of course it is the first event in Ukraine so it’s a huge event for golf in this country".

"I have played with many good players in pro-ams but this is different. I hope I play well…but I just want to have a good time and enjoy the week".

Unfortunately for Shevchenko, his success on the football field has not been replicated on the golf course, for the moment at least. He failed to make the cut after hitting a second round 86, a whopping 40 shots off the leader.

Italian Football Story of the Week

- Genoa Coach in Rambo Style Spying Mission

Oh Italian football, how we love you. The on pitch performances from Serie A may have garnered a poor reputation in recent years, but off the field things could not be more entertaining.

Sampdoria suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home to rivals Genoa this week but the match had quite the back story.

In the week leading upto the game, Sampdoria staff found the goalkeeping coach of one of Genoa's youth team spying on one of their training sessions. The coach in question, Luca De Pra, was found in a bush. Like a rabbit in the headlights, De Pra attempted a getaway after realising he had been spotted.

Sampdoria staff managed to catch the sneaky bugger and in doing so, discovered he had donned full Rambo-esque military attire!

Sampdoria, although possibly aggrieved after the match was played out, released a tongue-in-cheek statement on the incident on their club website following the incident:

"That the derby is a question of nerve, tactics and strategy we already knew, but frankly we could never expect that it could turn into an scene of espionage".

"Like Rambo hidden among the branches on the hill, Luca De Pra, Genoa goalkeeping coach and man of noble footballing ancestry, failed to overcome Sampdoria’s intelligence and counter intelligence operations".

"However, no prisoners were taken, and no blood was shed. Once tracked down and caught red-handed, the opposing side’s soldier was let free to return to base. You should always forgive your enemies, as nothing annoys them more".

Football Recommendation

- Pro Evolution Soccer 2014

http://pes.konami.com/

Non Football Recommendation

- Crackbird

http://www.crackbird.joburger.ie/

Physios, Tattoos and Death Threats

International football week not tickling your fancy? Tired of waiting to see the last minute transfer window signings line out for your team? Well fear not, this week's Football Circus is here to help ease the pain! This week we have stories of physios, tattoos, death threats and disses. So read on for some football-related (albeit just about in some cases) madness!

One Direction to the Physio's Room

Stiliyan Petrov's testimonial last weekend at Parkhead ended up being more than an emotional farewell to the Bulgarian. In fact, it resulted in death threats to Aston Villa's Gabby Agbonlahor from teeny boppers across the globe.

The match was arranged as send off to Petrov who was forced to retire from the game following a leukemia diagnosis. It saw a Celtic XI take on a 'Petrov selected XI' which included former Petrov's former Villa teammate Agbonlahor.

One Direction star Louis Tomlinson lined out for the Glaswegian giants after receiving an invite from Petrov to take part. Tomlinson got more than he bargained for though when Agbonlahor clattered into him, resulting in the singer dropping to the floor like a screaming schoolgirl and clutching his knee. Moments later, still not fully recovered, Tomlinson was shown vomiting. Cue some actual screaming schoolgirls posting abusive message after abusive message on Twitter...

"@gabby_10 This guy hurt Louis knee. I shall hurt your face. I better hear that you apologized or I will find, and I will kill you".

"@Louis_Tomlinson Are you ok?? If he hurt you I promise that I'll kill him!!! No one can hurt my baby!!! Grrr!!"

Sounds like Agbonlahor would have more chance of survival taking on Liam Neeson's character from Taken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUTyltnw5k

Masseur Incites Mass-Chaos after Double Clearance

Brazil has been the source of manys the Football Circus story and we're happy to say that does not look like stopping any time soon if antics such as what we're about to report continue.

In the last 16 stage of a promotion play-off of Brazil's Serie D, Aparecidence went into their second leg encounter with Tupi with a 1-1 scoreline from the first leg.

The second leg was on a knife edge as Aparecidence looked set to go through on away goals with a 2-2 scoreline. With a minute to go however, Tupi went on the attack and looked almost certain to score only for the Aparecidence masseur to appear on the goalline and make not one, but two clearances!

Enraged with what had happened, the opposition players gave chase to the brave, if foolish masseur, who grabbed his physio kit, jumped over the advertising hoarding and made a quick exit through the tunnel and out of the stadium.

The match continued after riot police had left the pitch and ended a 2-2 draw. Reports in Brazil say Tupi are to appeal the result and we at Football Circus will be shocked if a replay is not awarded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2fv5vELlIY

Fan Gets Tattoo of Touro..Eh?

20 year old Liverpool fan Dan Pearson made the news this week for all the wrong reasons. The Metro reported that the young fan had embarked on a drunken mission to get a tattoo of the name of his club's latest hero, Kolo Toure. All well and good, if somewhat ill advised.

So off he stumbled into the nearest tattoo shop where he gave the tattoo artist his instructions. Unfortunately for young Pearson, something got lost in drunken translation and he emerged from the tattoo shop a while later with 'Kolo Touro' tattooed on his foot.

Toure himself obviously saw the funny side of things, tweeting:

"@JoshKillner: Can't believe @domjpearson made The Metro with his 'Kolo Touro' tattoo. #lad metro.co.uk/2013/09/04/doh..." I will change my name.

Does this mean Yaya will now be the only Toure in the Premier League?

Frimpong At It Again

Two weeks ago we reported on Arsenal's Emmaunel Frimpong and his pimped up car projecting an image of him choking former teammate Samir Nasri. Well it seems, whether the slight on Nasri was in jest or not, that Frimpong has not dropped his apparent vendetta against the Man City star.

This week he has taken to Instagram and uploaded a photoshopped cover of the soon to be released FIFA '14. The amended version of the cover shows Nasri and another of Frimpong's former Arsenal teammates, Alexander Song. The cover also incorporates a picture of a bench, hinting at the relative little game time each of the pair have had at their new clubs since leaving Arsenal.

Frimpong however did at least recognise that he is far from the first name on the Arsenal team sheet himself, with the tagline "FIFA 14 Bench Edition Tagging myself in that still".

Pink to Make Donovan Wink

LA Galaxy striker Landon Donovan lined out for the US national team this week against Mexico and will have been please to have scored the second goal in a 2-0 victory for the US. He will also be pleased and moreso relieved, at the fact that he came through the full 90 minutes with pink eye.

Donovan's pink eye was the source of much talk and ridicule over Twitter throughout the game and thereafter.

Despite the victory and Donovan getting his name on the scoresheet, it's unlikely he'll be holding on to his pillowcase as a lucky charm.

German Physio in need of Physio

Germany took on Austria last Friday in a World Cup qualifier, running out 3-0 winners. But it was not an injury to a player that raised eyebrows after the match, rather a double injury to their physio as he ran on to treat a player.

Physio Karl Eder had ran onto the pitch to tend to Marcel Schmelzer only to fall over enroute from the sideline to the player. In doing so he tore a muscle in his leg. Putting out his hand to cushion his fall, he then broke a finger in an incident that would not look out of place in a sketch show.

The German players themselves would not see Eder suffer though and replicated the treatment he had given them in the past. Philipp Lahm was quick to bring Eder an ice pack while Mesut Ozil and Miroslav Klose led him off the pitch.

Said Eder: "I now have to put into practice what I always tell my patients. Patience is important and you should not expect a lot of progress too soon. The way the players reacted was very comforting".

Italian Football Story of the Week

- Gilardino gets some new Oink

Italian striker Gilardino was in action last Friday for the Azzuri, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory against Bulgaria.

However it was more than just his performance that caught the eye. For Gilardino has only gone and got a new tattoo on his arm - of children's cartoon character Peppa Pig.

Footballers have displayed all sorts of tattoos over the years, long before David Beckham even arrived on the scene, but Gilardino's Peppa Pig would certainly be considered one of the more unusual.

The striker has said the tattoo is in honour of his three daughters.

Football Recommendation of the Week

- FIFA 14

http://www.easports.com/fifa/fifa14

Non-Football Recommendation of the Week

 - AM - The latest offering from the Arctic Monkeys

http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/

25th Edition Special - Magic 8 Ball Transfer Oracle Analysis

Regular readers of Football Circus will be familiar with the Magic 8 Ball Transfer Oracle segment. We have been running this segment for fifteen weeks.

The purpose of this segment was to highlight the tedium and sensationalism that go with football transfer rumours. Whilst there is obviously a degree of truth in many of the rumours, we felt it safe to say many are pure fabrication and are solely created with the intention of selling newspapers / generating website hits.

The website footballtransferleague.co.uk, shows statistics of UK-based newspapers' transfer rumours reported and how many of the rumoured transfers actually materialise. At the beginning of the Magic 8 Ball Transfer Oracle experiment, the highest ranking newspaper had a rumour accuracy rating of 34.2%, whilst the lowest ranking newspaper a mere 11.3%. 

So Football Circus undertook the task of taking one rumour per week and using a Magic 8 Ball to predict the outcome. Today we will assess how many of the predictions were correct and just how they compare, percentage wise, to the newspapers.

We will below look at each of the fifteen rumours and whether the 8 Ball proved correct or incorrect.

CESC FABREGAS TO MANCHESTER UNITED

(As reported here http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/manchester-united-make-shock-move-for-former-arsenal-captain-cesc-fabregas-8614167.html)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"MY SOURCES SAY NO" - CORRECT

NEYMAR TO BARCELONA

(As reported here http://www.ibtimes.com/neymar-transfer-news-barcelona-verge-deal-real-madrid-chelsea-manchester-city-target-1275125)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

“OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD” - INCORRECT

HULK TO MONACO

(As reported here http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/05/29/monaco-weighing-up-bid-for-brazilian-striker-hulk/)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"LOOKING GOOD" - INCORRECT

WAYNE ROONEY TO ARSENAL

(As reported here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2336222/Wayne-Rooney-Arsenal-target-fed-midfield-role.html and here http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/06/06/exclusive-arsenal-close-in-on-sensational-deal-to-sign-wayne-rooney-as-man-united-striker-indicates-interest-in-gunners-move/)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"I HAVE MY DOUBTS" - CORRECT

GARETH BALE TO REAL MADRID 

(As reported here http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/406731/Real-Madrid-unfazed-by-Tottenham-demanding-85m-for-Gareth-Bale)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"LOOKING GOOD" - CORRECT

DANIELE DE ROSSI TO CHELSEA

(As reported here http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2013/06/03/4022661/chelsea-open-talks-with-roma-to-sign-de-rossi)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"I HAVE MY DOUBTS" - CORRECT

MICAH RICHARDS TO BAYERN MUNICH

(As reported here http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/322885/EXCLUSIVE-Bayern-Munich-want-Manchester-City-s-Micah-Richards/)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"ABSOLUTELY NOT" - CORRECT

EDINSON CAVANI TO PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

(As reported here http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4995650/Edinson-Cavani-transfer-Laurent-Blanc-reveals-PSG-interest.html and here http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/02/paris-saint-germain-edinson-cavani)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"YOU CAN COUNT ON IT" - CORRECT

NANI TO ROMA

(As reported here http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/roma-poised-for-nani-swoop-4882063 and here http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/06/luis-nani-could-quit-manchester-united-and-join-roma-reveals-agent-3871367/)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"YES" - INCORRECT

LUIS SUAREZ TO ARSENAL

(As reported here http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jul/23/arsenal-luis-suarez-liverpool-transfer and here http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/arsenal-pull-out-all-the-stops-to-sign-luis-suarez-1.1472850)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"YES" - INCORRECT 

KEISUKE HONDA TO AC MILAN

(As reported here http://www.fanatix.com/news/ac-milan-target-keisuke-honda-reportedly-prepared-to-take-pay-cut/132784/ and here http://www.insidefutbol.com/2013/07/31/ac-milan-receive-positive-news-on-keisuke-honda-chase/93734/)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"FORGET ABOUT IT" - CORRECT

DAVID LUIZ TO BARCELONA

(As reported here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2385954/David-Luiz-latest-Barcelona-make-bid-Chelsea-star.html)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"YES" - INCORRECT

SAMUEL ETO'O TO CHELSEA

(As reported here http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/chelsea-transfers-samuel-etoo-wants-2158520 and here http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/229701.html)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"LOOKING GOOD" - CORRECT

GEOFFREY KONDOGBIA TO MONACO

(As reported here http://www.crunchsports.com/category/Soccer/Chelsea-FC-Man-Utd-target-Geoffrey-Kondogbia-wont-be-allowed-to-leave-on-the-cheap-201308200015/ and here http://www.football-espana.net/35395/monaco-close-kondogbia)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"YES" - CORRECT

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN TO TOTTENHAM

(As reported here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2403755/Tottenham-negotiation-Ajax-Christian-Eriksen.html and here http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/233411.html)

Magic 8 Ball Says...

"LOOKING GOOD TO ME" - CORRECT

So, what does all this tell us? Well of the fifteen rumours we chose to focus on, a Magic 8 Ball correctly predicted ten of the outcomes - two thirds in total. Yes, we merely shook a Magic 8 Ball and by pure luck / chance, two thirds of the outcomes it predicted we right. Now you can read two things from that. Firstly, Magic 8 Balls may in fact be magic. Secondly, and certainly the more logical conclusion to draw, is that transfer rumours that newspapers report on, often have little or no substance to them.

BUT WAIT!

Maybe we have written off the newspapers too soon as there is a second way of analysing the above rumours. 

Of the fifteen rumours chosen, all were treated by the newspapers, certainly at some point, as having a positive outcome, i.e. The newspaper reports suggested that a transfer would or may happen.

So the transfers that DID go through were:

 - NEYMAR TO BARCELONA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXHKCUP5jko

 - SAMUEL ETO'O TO CHELSEA

- GARETH BALE TO REAL MADRID

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPaZgD2SNZo

 - GEOFFREY KONDOGBIA TO MONACO

 - EDINSON CAVANI TO PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkRAhLi8OZ4

 - CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN TO TOTTENHAM

So that's six of the fifteen transfers that were rumoured that actually took place. 40%. In all honesty, here at Football Circus we're quite surprised at that figure. We certainly did not foresee such accuracy in the newspaper rumours. Yes, fewer than half the rumours proved to be correct. But the statistic mentioned earlier that, according to footballtransferleague.co.uk (before this segment began), the highest ranking newspaper had a rumour accuracy rating of 34.2%, puts things into perspective. 

Perhaps the newspapers are becoming more accurate. Perhaps, as social networking websites such as Twitter grow in popularity, newspapers and journalists are under more pressure to be seen as trusted sources of information.

What we would say is that transfer rumours should most definitely be taken with a pinch of salt - As the accuracy of the Magic 8 Ball predictions would suggest. However, an accuracy rating of 40% from the newspapers ain't bad. We may have been a little hasty in our suggestion that  belief in transfer rumours is a mug's game. So go on, continue reading the back pages and hold out some hope that your club will make a mega-signing. But don't put any of your own money on it!

We hope you have enjoyed this 25th edition of Football Circus and the Magic 8 Ball Transfer Oracle segment. Join us again next week when normal service resumes!