Shut up, dude

It's international week so there's not very much about (and I'll admit that since moving house a few weeks ago I've not got back into the routine of doing the blog everyday, not sure why, so the international break is just an excuse really...), but today I have been forced to do the paper round up because of this in The Sun.  Does 'Arry Redknapp just never shut up?  Can we get some sort of E-petition going to stop the man ever talking to the media again?

It only came to my attention because I saw a headline on Twitter saying something along the lines of "Harry: 'Rio will get back into the England team'" I'm sure he's not the England manager yet is he?  I mean, the media are pretty sure to try and usher him in after Capello, but we don't have to put up with him yet do we?

And the article itself, Jesus...  The Sun ask him 5 questions about England after last night's game like he's some sort of football guru rather than the manager of the team that's bottom of the Premiership.  It's not just the Rio thing, which is anodyne enough:

NO. Rio Ferdinand is a fantastic player.

Gary Cahill has done a great job standing in for him.

His goal in Bulgaria underlines what a talent he is. But, when fit, Rio is the best centre-half we have.

John Terry picks himself too.

There are certain players that you can't really leave out when fit and I still firmly believe Rio is one of those. He is as good as anyone in the game in his position.

I hope he is one of our main players at the finals next summer. What is most encouraging about the defensive situation is if Rio is out we now have defenders who can step in and not be overawed.

Frankly, your not going to get much more anodyne than that if you tried.

It's not so much what he says as the fact that he says it at all.  I've reached the end of my tether, will a day ever go by when 'Arry isn't in the bloody papers!

(1 criticism of the content - he says he tried to sign Young and Downing, as if that's praise, but who the hell hasn't 'Arry tried to buy...)

Elsewhere, The Mail report that Danny Welbeck is ready to start training again next week.

And there's some quotes on various things from Sir Alex doing the rounds, nicely summed up in this piece in The Independent.  Here he is on his (distant) successor:

"Over the years I've had the question, who do I think could replace me? Now in those years, some of the coaches they were talking about to replace me don't have jobs any more.

"So it becomes very difficult because someone who I think has potential may be sacked by his club and disappear. I think you would need someone very experienced in the long term. But I have absolutely no idea... first of all, I'm not retiring."