EPL Circus - 17 July

Has Newcastle United found its Alan Bond?

At first glance, Liverpool FC and disgraced Australian businessman Alan Bond don't seem to have much in common.

But when you did a bit deeper, there are quite a few similarities. They both originated in England and they both had very good years in 1983: Bondy bankrolling Australia's massive win in the America's Cup and the Reds smack in the middle of their hat-trick of title wins as well as putting away another third straight League Cup.

They also both went through bleak periods in the '90s with Bond being declared bankrupt and jailed for fraud, while Liverpool is yet to claim a Premier League title, with its last win coming in the old first division in 1989-1990. (At least Bond was released from jail after four years).

Now the connection could get deeper with Liverpool looking to sell Andy Carroll back to Newcastle for a fraction of the millions it paid to secure his services.

Fans of Australian business history (one of The Circus's key demographics) will remember Kerry Packer selling the Nine network to Alan Bond for $1 billion in 1987, only to later buy it back for a measly $700 million just three years later.

KP famously remarked "you only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime" and now it looks like Newcastle has found its own.

The much-maligned Carroll actually seems to be getting some confidence if his performance at EURO 2012 was anything to go by, which could hurt the Reds even more.

Lost in translation

The Circus's fondness for imaginary interviews with star players is well established but it comes as a pleasant surprise to see our respected cousins at ESPN apparently indulging in the same tomfoolery.

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN promoted a Q&A interview with newly-signed Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski.

Shortly after the article was published, Podolski told his Facebook followers that the interview had been made up. It was subsequently removed from the ESPN homepage and no further explanation has been forthcoming.

A quick glance at the full transcript sheds little light on the sections with which Podolski took exception.

However, The Circus suspects the bits where he tips a bucket on his former club Cologne and disparages the competitiveness of the Bundesliga wouldn't have gone down so well in the German striker's homeland.

If, as The Circus guesses, the interview was conducted in German and translated into English, the potential for disaster is obvious.

Until Podolski and/or ESPN emerge with an explanation for the weirdest player Q&A in recent memory, let us all be thankful that it didn't turn out like the BBC's attempt to interview Dundee United's new Slovak goalkeeper back in 2009.

Get ready to hear this at Emirates Stadium

Speaking of Podolski, this song was a massive Euro hit during the recent European Championships, despite the fact Germany didn't even make the final.

The Circus suggests you check the functioning of your mute button if you plan on watching any Arsenal games this season.

The spoken word

"I know I can still bang them in at the top level. I proved that nearly every time I played for Man Utd. At 32, still got a few years in me." – Michael Owen, who scored just five goals in three years with Manchester United seems to have a different recollection of his time with the Red Devils than most others who saw him play.