[LincolnCanary]

"You can't be serious..." spluttered Alan Tate, manager of Premiership side Norwich City FC to his Chairman, Roger Munby. "After all I've done? They're firing me?"

Munby just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Alan. You've done wonders for this club. But the new owners want someone French. They want Paul Le Guen".

The rumours had of course, been flying around for weeks; FRENCH CONSORTIUM TO TAKE OVER THE CANARIES!. Then there was the reports that promised the team millions for transfers if this consortium got in. Few, though, had expected this. Much less Tate himself.

Tate had been brought to the club as a relative managerial novice. He had helped Norwich to a Championship title victory in 2006/2007. In the 2008/2009 season, his thrifty dealing to bring in forgotten players such as Greg Halford and relegated Bolton's Tal Ben-Haim had left Norwich in a nice financial position and a safe 13th in the table. A big spend the next season saw Norwich reach an impressive fourth in the table. Now in the 2009/2010 season, having spent even more money on some foreign imports that weren't performing and with a few injuries to key players, Norwich weren't doing so well. All of a sudden, the good feelings were gone.

"They're willing to bend the truth for you, though, and call it a resignation for 'personal reasons'," Munby added, attempting to comfort the newly unemployed Alan Tate. Fuming, Tate just shook his head and stormed out of the board room, vowing some sort of footballing revenge on Norwich City FC as he did so.

[LincolnCanary]

28th November 2009

French Consortium Takes Over at Carrow Road - Tate replaced by Paul Le Guen

CHANGES at the very top of Carrow Road today saw Chairman, Roger Munby and majority shareholders Delia and Michael Wynn Jones leave the club to be replaced by the French consortium La Acheminent headed by businessman Jacques Martini.

Martini wasted little time in making changes by axing popular manager Alan Tate. Tate has been at the club nearly four years, and is commonly considered the mastermind behind the club's return to the Premiership. "Ahhh, oui, we rehcognize Alan's contribusion to the club, but feel the time is right for change," commented Martini at the Press Conference held today to announce the sale of the club.

Le Guen is the new Norwich City manager

Paul Le Guen, the popular, ex-Rangers manager has quickly been installed as his replacement and given a huge transfer war chest with which to make changes to the squad he's inherited from Tate.

Everyone at Norwich City FC would like to thank Alan Tate for his hard work over the last four years and wishes him every success with his future career.

For the first interview with new boss Paul Le Guen, stay tuned to www.canaries.co.uk later today!

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 09 July 2007 - 10:57 AM

[LincolnCanary]

Monday 30th November 2009

TATE EYES QUICK MANAGEMENT RETURN

Former Norwich City manager, Alan Tate has apparently put the disappointment of his suprise axing at Norwich behind him to make a quick return to football.

Tate is being linked with the vacant jobs at both Crystal Palace, who are bottom of the Championship currently, and West Ham Utd, 19th in the Premiership. Tate is believed to be the front runner for the job at Palace and bookies are shortening the odds for his appointment at Upton Park.

However, his agent, Carlos Fleming is refusing to definitively link the young manager with either job.

[_cruel_]

Nice start you've got there...
Keep it up...

[LincolnCanary]

30th November

Rolling over in bed, Tate tried to ignore the persistent ringing of his mobile phone. The curtains were shut, the lights were off and Tate was enjoying a few private moments of just himself and his TV, playing the Jeremy Kyle Show. Tate had taken to watching this show since being sacked a few days ago, taking comfort that someone, somewhere is alot worse off than he is.

The phone rang again, and Tate contemplated answering it just to get whoever it was off his back. Initially, the abundance of calls excited Tate; he half expected it to be someone from Crystal Palace or West Ham desperate to offer him a job. But each and every time it had been the same thing. Journalists. They all seemed to want a piece of him for some reason. They couldn't muster a single nice word about him when he first joined Norwich. "Rookie" and "suprise appointment" seemed to be their way of wishing him luck. Frankly, he really couldn't care; he quickly proved them wrong, and rookie turned to boy wonder.

He did, however, have alot of time for one journalist at the EDP. Ruth McIndle, her name was. She was one of an increasingly large sports journalists team at the company, and she would often come interview him. Tate had even asked her out once; much to his disappointment, she had said no, citing a possible conflict with her work duties. Perhaps now he was unemployed, he might give her a call.

The phone rang again, and this time Tate reached for it, angrily answering "What?" to whichever journalist was going to throw questions at him next. Instead of an unfamiliar voice, however, it was someone Tate knew. And knew well.

"Well, don't say hello then".

It was his agent, Carlos Fleming. Fleming had been excellent in dealing with his contract issues with Norwich. He had always gotten him a decent pay rise, and managed to negotiate the backing he needed from the board to take the club to the height it was now. No one was more disappointed for Tate than Fleming had been at the news of Tate's sacking.

With a sigh, Tate nodded, "Sorry, mate. Just been one of those weeks, you know?"

A small chuckle from Carlos did nothing to lighten Tate's mood. But nothng could prepare him for what he was about to say. "How do you fancy going for an interview with Crystal Palace?".

Tate accepted in a heart beat.

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 09 July 2007 - 12:13 PM

[LincolnCanary]

_cruel_, on Jul 9 2007, 01:56 PM, said:

Nice start you've got there...
Keep it up...

Thanks alot. This is my first story, so if anyone could offer any advice, I'd be most grateful.

[LincolnCanary]

MEDIA TALK
Please note, everything seen here is speculation, and not confirmed to be true by the club.

Former Norwich Manager, Alan Tate has today been linked with the vacant managers position at Selhurst Park.

Tate has an impressive footballing pedigree, having gone from relative unknown to one of football's "next big things" practically overnight, when he took Norwich from a prospective mid-table Championship side into the Champions League side that Norwich is today.

Since then, he's been linked with dozens of big moves, including the Chelsea job after Jose Mourinho was sacked and the England job. Rumours still persist that Tate turned down England to concentrate on his club career.

It came as a huge suprise to everyone when Tate was sacked at Norwich. However, Norwich's loss appears to be Crystal Palace's gain, as the manager is rumoured to be meeting Palace chairman Simon Jordan today.

[LincolnCanary]

Having travelled from Norwich to London on the train (and first class, no less!), Tate stepped onto the platform at Liverpool Street Station frantically staring at a London Underground Tube map trying to decipher his route to Selhurst Park. It didn't help that he didn't really know where he was going, and after a few helpless moments of feeling lost and bewildered, happened to look up for someone he could ask.

Through the crowds and near the taxi rank at the station he spotted a suited man, black gloves and well dressed carrying a large sign. This large sign just happened to have his name on it. It took Tate a few moments to figure out exactly what was going on; and then it twigged. This guy must be the chaeufeur. Tate had guessed that Jordan would be pulling out all the stops to bring him here, but he had no idea there'd be anything like this.

Gingerly approaching the man, Tate slinked up beside him. "Excuse me, are you waiting for Alan Tate? The football manager?"

The chauffeur took one look at Tate, glancing him up and down. Once he had finished his inspection, in a very aloof voice, he replied, "I could not possibly say".

"No, no, you see, I am Alan Tate". The chauffeur continued to look sceptical, before pulling out a photo. Examining it closely, he suddenley takes on a wide eyed look of alarm. Glancing a look at the photo, he was suprised to see staring back the image of him when he was just starting out in the management business. "The mullet was the in thing back in" insisted Tate at the suprised chauffeur.

"My apologies, sir. I'm Peter Parkes. But you can call me Parky". Tate was directed to a fancy Mercedes S-class behind Parky, which he quickly hopped into the back of. Reminding himself not to be so impressed by such vein things, he prepared himself to meet with the chairman of Crystal Palace, the enigmatic Simon Jordan

[LincolnCanary]

It had seemed like hours being interogated by a intelectually astute Simon Jordan for prospective manager Alan Tate. When he left the room, Tate was sure he'd completely flunked it. The question that got him, was "What do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the current playing staff?"

Tate had been prepared, of course; he'd given a decent enough answer. But nearly everything he said, Simon Jordan had turned his nose up at. He'd blown it; Tate was sure of it.

"Mr Tate?" came a small, feminine voice from behind. It was Mr Jordan's personal secretary. Probably here for the brush off, though Tate with a sneer. "Mr Jordan would like to see you, if you'd step this way?"

His heart sank; go back? In there? Into the cauldron? That was the last thing he wanted to do. Still, Tate stepped his better foot forward, and entered the boardroom. "You asked to see me, Mr Jordan?"

Jordan span around in his plush leather seat and beamed a smile at Tate that sort of made him look like the devil incarnate. "Yes! We've given it careful thought and we think you're the man to take Crystal Palace forward. How'd you feel about that?"

Tate nearly feinted.

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 09 July 2007 - 09:26 PM

[LincolnCanary]

Crystal Palace Announce Press Conference

CRYSTAL PALACE Chairman, Simon Jordan, has announced a press conference for today, December 2nd at 11am to announce the identity of the new manager of the club.

Stay tuned to the site for more details as they break!

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 09 July 2007 - 10:31 PM

[LincolnCanary]

As the press mumble around rumours of the identity of the new manager, Simon Jordan enters the room, sitting at a table on the left seat.

SJ: Good morning everyone. We've come together today to announce the newest manager of Crystal Palace. One we know will lift us out of this relegation battle we find ourselves at the bottom of, and hopefully forwards into a new era. I give you, Mr Alan Tate.

(Polite Applause)

AT: Good morning everyone,

Tate enters from the right, and sits next to Simon Jordan.

SJ: Does anyone have any questions they wish to posh to Mr Tate?

Press1: Yes, Mr Tate, could you tell us why someone formerly in the Champions League has agreed to come manage Crystal Palace?

AT: Well, Mr Jordan here went to great lengths to get me here, and I firmly believe we've a side here with great potential. Some excellent young players like David Vaughan and Tim Krul coupled with some experienced heads like Sheki Kuqi and Darren Ward.

Press2: Mr Tate, do you see any weaknesses in the squad?

AT: I think I need to look at bringing something other than muscle into our firing line. I firmly believe in having options, and Kuqi and Morrison give plenty of strength and power; but not alot of speed. I'll be looking at someone with a bit of pace to bolster our front lines.

Press1: How will you go about reviving the morale of the team? Rumours are flying that it's not the happiest of camps.

AT: I hope that rumour's untrue, but if not, I'll be looking for my players to recommit themselves. This is a new page, I'll bring players back to the front that have been left in the cold if they can do a job, and I'll be looking for my players to fight tooth and nail for the shirts they wear.

Press1: And if they don't?

AT: Well, of course they'll be moving on. Now, if you don't mind, I have alot of work to do. Thank you for taking the time to greet me today.

SJ: Thank you everyone, I hope you'll join me in wishing Mr Tate the very best of luck.

[LincolnCanary]

Alot of work to do was actually an understatement. With a team at the bottom of the league, Tate knew you had to find the source of the problems and fix it as soon as. To do that, you needed a good, long hard look at the team you've got. Attending training the day after he was unveiled to the media, Tate watched as the coaches took them through the usual training regime.

Goalkeepers

Tim Krul - The 21 year old Dutch keeper had been brought from Sheffield Wed two seasons ago for a whopping £825k. However, the lad looked sharp in training and impressed Tate with his aerial ability. He'd be Tate's number 1; for now.

Chris Smith - A Scottish keeper, aged 23, Smith had been the number 1 at the club for a few years since his £525k move from St Mirren. His performances hadn't been great though, and Krul had immediatly replaced him when he was signed. Still, a capable back up.

Nicky Weaver - The former Man City goalkeeper was barely included in training, and that told Tate he was on his way out. He resolved to have him sold or released as quickly as he could.

Full Backs

Paul Caddis - A loanee from Celtic, Caddish was a Northern Irish international right back aged just 21 with 12 caps to his name. Despite this, Caddis failed to impress Tate whatsoever, holding little attacking and defensive ability. As soon as he could, Tate knew he'd be on his way.

Greg Shields - A new signing at Selhurst Park, Shields had been brought to Selhurst Park for £4k to play as right back. Old and again offering little attacking threat, Shields was another who could leave asap.

Steven Hammell - Hammell had impressed Tate before. At Norwich, Tate had looked into the option of taking Tate from Southend for his first season in the Premiership. Nothing came of it, so he never got around to it, but Tate was impressed by Hammell's hard work, pace and dribbling. His marking needed work, though.

Gary Borrowdale - 24 year old Borrowdale looked to be a reasonable left back. But he didn't excel at anything. Still, Tate was glad to have him. He was the perfect back up player.

Central Defenders

Gary Doherty - Tate was pleased to see Doherty; a familiar face! It was always difficult at a new club, but having a familiar face helped alot. Tate was also pleased as Doherty was a superb defender at this level. He would definatly be put straight into the first team, and would likely be the team's captain as well.

Darren Ward - Ward appeared to have a great positional sense and a great sense of timing with his tackles. But once or twice he was beaten by a quicker player and seemed to panic. His composure could be better. While there's no doubt Ward would be a great technical partner for Doherty, Tate was concerned about the pairings total lack of pace.

Mathias Doumbe - Doumbe was Ward's competition. Possessing greater pace, Doumbe wasn't anywhere near the levels of technical ability to Ward. Tate had a difficult decision to make; did he go slow but talented or quick but not so tecnically gifted?

James McEverley - McEverley represented the back up to the above three, and had the added bonus he could be a left back if needed. But to be honest, Tate didn't really notice anything special during the session, and assigned him to being a squad player.

Wingers

David Vaughan - Vaughan was Palace's very own Welsh wizard. He seemed to glide as he dribbled on the ball. Just a shame, thought Tate, that he couldn't deliver a ball like Gareth Bale. Then they wouldn't have needed him. Still, a real asset to this club, and likely first choice left winger.

Marco Reich - The experienced winger appeared old and a little lacking of stamina, but still had the glimpses of quality that made him Premiership class. His flexibility gave Tate the cover he needed for both flanks.

Jobi McAnuff - Where Vaughan was the slow, skillful winger, McAnuff was the fast winger. A deadly threat to any full back and could skin probably any left back in this division. McAnuff was without doubt the first choice right winger.

Central Midfielders

Ben Watson - Watson was a player with a great deal of promise; young, with some sublime first touches and passes that could put Fabregas to shame, he really did fill Tate with a great deal of excitement. He knew he could unlock this talent in Watson.

Tom Soares - Another very, very able central midfielder, Soares was the sort of player who'd cover every blade of grass. He had stamina coming out of his stamina, and Tate was sure that the pairing of Soares and Watson could be a very profitable one.

Carl Fletcher - Fletcher completed the trio of central midfielders, and it made Tate's day when he realised that the club had such an abundance of riches in the central midfield areas. His tireless efforts and defensive abilities made Fletcher probably a better choice to partner Soares or Watson for the "bigger games".

Strikers

Shefki Kuqi - The big man; a great servant to the club for many years and has consistently scored goals. Even today, aged 33, Kuqi remained in the side and had scored a few this season already. However, his pace and stamina was a problem, and Tate was sure that would only get worse.

Clinton Morrison - The other big man. Between him and Kuqi, it was like throwing a battering ram at the opposition defence. Sometimes, though, you needed some more subtle, and Tate was sure if he could find some pacey, young striker, the club would see the benefits.

Dong Fangzhuo - The former Manchester Utd chinese starlet, Fangzhuo could have been just what Tate was looking for. He had a bit of pace and knew where the net was.

Having seen training, Tate returned to his office, and was scribbling notes on the white board, setting up some provisional tactics for his first match in 2 days time. Tate was also aware of wanting to set some more pressing training regimens into practice as well; but he knew he had to be prepared for the match coming up.

He'd set up a basic 4-4-2, with the wingers making attacking movements to join the strikers. It looked a little like this;

----------------------Krul----------------------

Hammell --- Doherty --- Ward --- Doumbe

Vaughan --- Watson --- Soares -- McAnuff

-------------Fangzhuo-------Morrison--------

Deep in thought, Tate was disturbed by a shrill rap at the door.

"Boss?". It was Kit Symons.

"Kit, good to see you. Come in. I was impressed at training today; we've got some excellent players here". Kit nodded, slowly.

"I needed to see you about Dong Fangzhuo. He wants a transfer. He's just not happy here, and I don't think we'll see anything near the form we could out of him".

Tate just looked at Kit. "I'm sorry, Kit I had no idea you were the assistant manager here".

Kit smiled, and shrugged. "I'm not. Just been acting like it for the previous gaffer. He didn't have an assistant".

Tate had always liked to appoint his assistant from the inside. That way, they tended to know the players and their personalities. Plus they already had established relationships with the players. It tended to make for better continuity and certainty within the club.

"Well, let's make it official," offered Alan. "Would you like to be my assistant?".

Kit agreed, and within a few hours, he was putting pen to paper on the deal making Kit Symons the next Assistant Manager of Crystal Palace.

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 09 July 2007 - 10:48 PM

[LincolnCanary]

4th December 2006

The next night sort of went into a blur. After allowing himself a glass of wine to celebrate his new found employment, Tate allowed himself another. And another. Eventually, he stopped counting but the next day felt like he'd drunk a small vinyard. Still, he dragged himself out of bed, downed a quick bacon sarnie and black coffee to hopefully chase away his hangover and got a taxi to get him to the training ground.

Sitting in the taxi nursing his head, he checked his mobile. There was a couple of messages from Kit detailing that he'd got Dong Fangzhuo and Nicky Weaver to meet him at 10am today at the training ground, half an hour before training was to start. Tate didn't know what he wanted to do with Dong. On the one hand, he felt he could be a real asset to the club. On the other, an unhappy player was never a good one. Especially when faced with a nasty relegation battle. With under thirty days until the transfer window opened once again, Tate knew he didn't have to wait long to replace him.

As for Nicky Weaver, with Krul and Smith on the books he was sure he wouldn't be needed. In the unlikely event of a goalkeeping crisis, he would probably look to the market for a quick loan signing to cover.

Arriving at the training ground before any others, Tate hid himself in his office, and designed a training regimen with fitness in mind. He was to impose this regimen on the players for a single week in order to get their fitness up a bit. Then he wanted to return to a more technically minded regimen.

Handing the training regimens to the coaches at the club as Dong approached, Tate showed the lad in, and offered him a seat.

"I'm lead to understand you're a bit unhappy here, Dong? Is that true?"

Dong looked up, and nodded. "It's not that I'm ungrateful, I just want first team football".

Tate nodded, noting Dong's excellent command of the English language. "Well, you are actually in my plans. I see you as a foil to work either Clinton of Shefki off. Does that change anything?"

Dong considered his position before shaking his head. "I don't think so. I've been unhappy here for a while now. I need a fresh start".

Tate nodded, grimly. He really did see alot of potential in the lad, but what could he do if he was unhappy? "We'll offer you a settlement of £20k to tear your contract up. How does that sound?"

Dong reluctantly agreed; £20k was pretty derisory for a player with two years left, but he understood if he wanted to leave, he'd have to make some sacrifices. He quickly left, a free agent.

Nicky Weaver soon followed.

"Nicky; I've asked you here to tell you we're releasing you from your contract. We'll be paying you the £100,000 you're owed for the remainder of your contract as your agent told us you were unwilling to accept a mutual release. We'd like to thank you for your efforts here".

And that was that. Nicky left without saying anything more than a "Right, boss. Thank you, boss". A stark contradiction to the more concilliatory approach Tate had taken with Dong.

[LincolnCanary]

Palace Release Pair!

NEW manager of Crystal Palace, Alan Tate wasted no time in beginning to restructure the side by releasing goalkeeper Nicky Weaver and striker Dong Fangzhuo.

Both Weaver and Fangzhuo were said to be surplus to requirements at Selhurst Park and had their contracts terminated by a thrifty Tate, seeking to lower the wage bill at Selhurst Park.

A further leaver may well be on the cards, as full back Greg Shields was today put on the transfer list. Tate said, "Shields is another who doesn't fit in my plans, however, right now we feel it would be better simply placing him on the transfer list".

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 10 July 2007 - 01:15 PM

[LincolnCanary]

BIG MATCH PREVIEW

Crystal Palace manager Alan Tate kicks off his managerial career with a visit to Oakwell to face Barnsley. With Crystal Palace bottom of the league on a run of seven straight defeats, it's going to be difficult to see how Palace will be able to turn their form around.

Tate can be consoled however, by the news that he goes into his first fixture as Palace boss with no injury problems. Barnsley, however, are missing loanee defender Kim Nielsen due to a suspension for getting 5 yellow cards.

[LincolnCanary]

Barnsley 0 - 3 Crystal Palace

New Crystal Palace boss Alan Tate got off to a flying start with a comprehensive victory against Barnsley.

The bottom of the table side played as if promotion depended on victory and got a well earnt three points. Barnsley never looked like coping against the masterful David Vaughan, who crossed a beautiful ball for Clinton Morrison to open the scoring on the 32nd minute.

Barnsley coped with the pressure that Palace piled on until the 75th minute when Tom Soares fed a clever ball through to Kuqi, who held the ball, turned and slotted it past Barnsley's Dean Gerken on the 72nd minute. The fixture was tied up by Mathias Doumbe who, playing as right back, floated in a cross which was met by Kuqi's head. The header easily beat Gerken, who simply wasn't in the right place at the right time.

After the match, new manager Tate was said to be "Delighted" and "Cautiously optimistic" about his sides performance and chances of escaping relegation.

Sides:

Barnsley: Gerken (5), Chambers (6), Dawson (6), Leacock (6), Morgan (5), Stranger (6), McIndoe (5), Ricksen (5), Bellon (6), Johnson (5), Jarman (6)

Subs: Corcoran (6), Campbell-Ryce (6), Crawford (6)

Palace: Krul (8), Doumbe (9), Hammell (7), Doherty (8), Ward (8), McAnuff (7), Vaughan (8), Watson (8), Soares (8), Morrison (8), Kuqi (9)

Star Man: Kuqi - Kuqi terrorised the Barnsley defence and scored two well earnt goals.

[LincolnCanary]

Sunday 6th December

Tate felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief. He had started well; very well in fact. Reflecting on the activities of the last 24 hours with a well earnt glass of brandy in the hotel bar, Tate couldn't help but feel a little vindicated. He had - in a few days - turned Crystal Palace's fortunes around. Seven straight defeats and he had stopped the rot. Of course, Tate knew this was just the beginning but as far as beginnings went, this wasn't half a good one.

"Say," perked up a voice behind him, "Aren't you Alan Tate?".

Turning, Tate noticed a guy in a Norwich City replica kit. Smiling, Tate nodded. "Sure am".

Fiercely taking Tate's hand, the supporter shook his wildly, "Wow, this is great, imagine meeting you! Alan Tate! You know you're a legend in Norfolk!"

"Well, promotion tends to do that to a manager" Tate replied. The supporter just laughed.

"Many of us still think you shouldn't have been sacked. Especially considering the bad start Le Guen's made"

Tate perked up at this. "Bad start?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yeah! Played two, lost two. Including against Levski Sofia in the Champions League!"

Having got into the Champions League, Tate had played three games, winning two and losing one. He had beaten Levski Sofia and PSV but lost in a close match away to Roma. He desperately wanted European success for the club. Well, had. Until they had sacked him.

"I'm sorry to hear that". The supporter just sniggered.

"Nah you're not. We all know you were sacked unfairly. Hell, the fans at Carrow Road were chanting your name yesterday against West Ham. We lost that one 2-0". West Ham beating Norwich was a bad sign; the Hammers currently found themselves in a bit of a rut in 18th position. "Anyway, it was good to talk to you".

Tate nodded, and wished the supporter well. As he walked away, he turned around and said, "Oh. Is it true what they're saying in the Sunday Times? That you have your first signing sorted? You know, the West Ham right back, Tyrone Mears?"

His first signing? Tate was bewildered. "No, I really don't. I've not had the time to look at other people's players, still looking at my own!". The supporter chuckled, waved and left the bar.

Tyrone Mears was an attacking full back that offered excellent pace and decent defensive ability. He was clearly out of favour at West Ham, and with the right back position being the "problem position" for Tate, he definatly thought it wasn't a bad idea.

Reaching for his mobile, he sent a message to Kit to ask what he thought.

This post has been edited by LincolnCanary: 11 July 2007 - 10:35 AM

[LincolnCanary]

TRANSFER SPECULATION

Chelsea Exit for Drogba
Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has demanded a move from Stamford Bridge after losing his first team spot to on form Fernando Torres and Andriy Shevchenko. Atheltico Madrid, Tottenham and Juventus are said to be interested

Millwall and Reading fight for Striker
Millwall and Reading are slugging it out for the loan signing of Ezequiel Lavezzi from Argentinian side San Lorenzo. Both sides face a relegation battle and the classy forward is said to be keen on a move to the Premiership.

Blackburn defender to become a Canary
French manager Paul Le Guen has identified promising Blackburn defender Kevin Pezzoni as a potential target. Le Guen is expected to contact the Championship club to enquire about their leading prospect early into the transfer window.

Newcastle want Crouch
Newcastle Utd are leading the chase for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. Crouch is said to be interested in a move for regular football.

Palace go for Mears
New Palace boss Alan Tate is set to complete his first deal as manager of Crystal Palace this week, securing the signing of full back Tyrone Mears.

[Helginho]

This is a very good story. You've done very good at Norfolk, and it looks like you'll continue your good work in London. Though I don't like Palace, I wish you best of luck for you spell there!