Source: Daily_Mail
Charles Sale: Warring Premier League bosses to unite for referee recovering from cancer
The warring tribe of Premier League managers are all due to meet for lunch outside anchester next Wednesday in support of respected referee Mark Halsey, who is recovering from cancer.[LNB]Proceeds from the function at Italian restaurant Puccini's in Swinton will go to the cancer unit at The Christie Hospital in Manchester, where Halsey and his wife Michelle were treated.[LNB]Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, Liverpool's Rafa Benitez, Everton's David Moyes, Manchester City's Roberto Mancini and Blackburn's Sam Allardyce are expected to attend, despite the friction between them.[LNB]Recovering: Referee Mark Halsey pictured at home with Michelle Halsey and daughter Lucy-Mia[LNB]Moyes and Mancini were involved in a touchline melee this weekduring Everton's 2-0 victory at Manchester City after the Italian hadbarged into his opposite number, who had caught the ball in front ofthe dug-out.[LNB] [colmnistModule]And it's only a fortnight since Allardyce said of Benitez: 'He'salways got personal with it for many, many years now, that's why Idon't like him. The feeling's probably mutual.'[LNB]Meanwhile, the enmity between Ferguson and Benitez reached its mostintense last season when the Spaniard ranted that he had a series offacts which proved Fergie and Manchester United received specialtreatment from match officials. Sir Alex responded by calling Benitez'ridiculous and disturbed'.[LNB]If they all turn up, it should be some lunch, and if it all kicksoff, there's a Victim Support Centre in the same shopping arcade.[LNB] [LNB]Sir Clive Woodward, who has gathering support both inside andoutside Twickenham to replace the doomed Rob Andrew as director ofelite rugby, even has his former solicitor Peter Baines in place as asenior member of the RFU management board. [LNB]Intriguingly Baines, who no longer represents Woodward following afalling-out, might be one of those on the main decision-making groupwho opposes his appointment.[LNB] [LNB]BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo, who has replaced Chris Evans as host ofthe Radio 2 drivetime programme, is wanted by 5 Live to anchor theirWimbledon coverage again this summer. The only problem is that Radio 2controller Bob Shennan, who used to be in charge of 5 Live, won'trelease him.[LNB] [LNB]Amy Willilams, Team GB's only Winter Olympic medallist, has beensigned up by long-established athletics agent Jonathan Marks, whoserespected MTC stable includes Jams Cracknell, Phillips Idowu andBradley Wiggins. [LNB]Plans for skeleton bob champion Amy include advising 2012competitors, having had first-hand knowledge from competing against theCanadians in Vancouver of the extra pressure awaiting British athletesin London.[LNB] [LNB]Hammers are miles awayWest Ham's preferred new home at the Olympic Stadium in Stratfordwould have a very different atmosphere from the crowd fever generatedat the compact Upton Park.[LNB] Up in the Gods: West Ham want to leave the close and compact arena of Upton Park in favour of the Olympic Stadium (pictured)[LNB]A document prepared by the Olympic Park Legacy Company shows thatthe rear seats in the top tier of the 2012 Games venue will be 124metres from the football action even when the ground is reduced to the50,000 capacity favoured by West Ham. [LNB]Similar seats in the gods are 97m away at the 60,000-capacityEmirates Stadium and 98m away at the City of Manchester Stadium, whichholds 48,000.[LNB] [LNB]The one issue that convinced FA departing chief executive IanWatmore that he was banging his head against a brick wall at boardmeetings was his attempt last week to introduce a totally independentexternal panel to decide the policy for disciplinary decision making. [LNB]The board blocked him, preferring to retain the in-house footballregulatory authority with their professional game representatives.[LNB] [LNB]MCC, who are finding it hard to sell the opening Test match of theseason against Bangladesh at Lord's in May, have actively targeted theBangladeshi community in east London. However, the choice of batsmanMohammad Ashraful to adorn the poster campaign is unfortunate as he wasdropped from this month's two-Test series against England following adesperate run of form.[LNB] [LNB]
