Rock legend and Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher has issued a warning to his fellow supporters – having Pep Guardiola as manager will not guarantee success.
The Spaniard’s widely expected switch to the Etihad Stadium was confirmed on Monday, with the former Barcelona coach to succeed Manuel Pellegrini in the summer.
It’s a huge coup for City, who reportedly fought off interest from a host of other top clubs from around the world to land the outgoing Bayern Munich boss, including rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.
The 45-year-old has won top honours at every club he has coached – three La Liga, two Champions League and two Copa del Rey titles at Barcelona, plus two Bundesliga titles and one DFB Cup at Bayern Munich – and he could well be the difference as City look to end their wait for European glory.
But High Flying Birds frontman Gallagher has attempted to calm the early celebrations – "he hasn’t even landed in Manchester yet" – by asking: "Can he do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?"
Speaking on the Sports Bar, the former Oasis icon told talkSPORT: “It’s an amazing statement of intent, but some of my City friends are celebrating like we’ve won something!
“He doesn’t really guarantee anything. What having Guardiola does is he opens the door to the top, top players
“I’d have thought if the likes of Paul Pogba, if he hasn’t made his mind up about where he’s going at the end of the season, Guardiola could potentially swing it for him to come to City.
“We hear rumours of Neymar and he could swing it with him too. These players want to play for the best managers.
"I think Guardiola has work to do – we should have won five Premier League titles in a row with this squad – but he’s widely regarded as the best, so we’re about to find out aren’t we?
“Managers at top teams are judged on Champions Leagues now, and I think HE would consider his time at City a failure if he doesn’t win the Champions League with all the resources he will have at his disposal.
“We’re about to see if he’s one of the greats aren’t we, because he’s not coming to a two-horse race here.
“We’re about to see if the old adage is true – can he do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?
“Not only is it a great thing for City, it’s a great thing for all English football fans. Although we can’t seem to attract the top players in the world anymore, the top managers are coming here - him and Klopp and if Jose goes to United, which I’m sure he will now.”
Noel Gallagher is hard at work on a follow-up to last year's Chasing Yesterday with his solo project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. "I'm in the studio at the minute," the singer and guitarist tells Rolling Stone. "I'm in the middle of fucking about."
Gallagher has a clear goal in mind for his third High Flying Birds LP. "I'm doing some stuff that, this time in particular, will get really, properly ignored in America," he says. "I don't just mean ignored like the rest of 'em. I mean properly ignored. That's what I'm aiming for: total, total anonymity. I'm sick and tired of being in New York and being pestered by one person a month. That's gotta fucking stop."
One influence to look out for: David Bowie. Gallagher recently spoke to Rolling Stone to discuss his lifelong love of the Starman's music, which he suggests has carried over to his most recent work. "There's a line in 'In the Heat of the Morning,'" he says, referencing a Sixties-pop rarity from early in Bowie's career. "I listened to it the other day, thinking, 'Oh, I've subconsciously used that in some of my new stuff.' Amazing!" Gallagher also cites an echo of 1973's "The Jean Genie" in a track he's cooking up. "I've nicked a little bit of that," he admits. "The 'woo-hoo!' You'll hear that sooner or later in one of my tracks."
The guitarist laughs before offering a final word of wisdom. "I remain fucking totally awesome," Gallagher declares. "In 2016, I'm as awesome as I was in the back end of 2015. My hair is impeccable; it's not showing any signs of thinning, at all. I'm fuckin' thriving. Thriving!"
Noel Gallagher awoke to bad news on January 10th. "My wife burst into the bedroom crying, and I thought one of the children had died," he says. "She said, 'David Bowie's dead.' I was like, 'Fuckin' hell.'" The former Oasis songwriter-guitarist (and Bowie mega-fan), whose latest U.S. tour begins in July, called a few days after Bowie's death to tell us about his five favorite songs by the Starman. "Let's celebrate his life more than mourn his passing," Gallagher says. "All things must pass, and all that."
Noel Gallagher will present a radio show on Absolute Radio next month as part of the station's new Real Music Matters campaign.
The series of shows will run every Saturday throughout February and March, with the former Oasis man presenting a show on February 15 from 9pm-11pm. He will be joined by Russell Brand's comedy partner Matt Morgan.
Noel Gallagher has shared a photo of himself in the studio working on his third solo album.
The former Oasis star posted a pic of a brass section in the recording studio to his Instragram account, featuring a cheeky comment referencing Kanye West!
Gallagher wrote: “So Kanye thinks he’s made the best album of all time? You might sell more Mr.Kanye but NGHFB will be better..FACT!”
In another West Ham TV exclusive, comedian Russell Brand and music legend Noel Gallagher are the latest duo to take part in our Me and Him feature.
Following on from our amusing series with the West Ham United players where they reveal all about each other's personalities, Brand and Gallagher are the latest pair to go under the spotlight.
The two stars were back at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday in a historic final season for the east London club.
West Ham superfan Brand and his City rival Gallagher have been close friends for a number of years, but how well do they really know each other?
Find out who is the most intelligent, who has the best hair, who has the best taste in music and who would sell out the new Stadium if they were doing a gig next season.
Oasis documentary makers are on the hunt for footage and photos of the band up to 1996. Did you take photos or film at any of the following gigs?
The band's 1994 and 1995 Japan Tours.
The Newcastle Riverside gig, 09/08/94.
The Liverpool Lomax, 13/04/94.
The Limelight, Belfast, 04/09/94.
Whisky A Gogo, LA, 29/09/94.
Any photographs or footage of the band taken backstage/off stage/at parties/ publicity events etc is also incredibly useful.
They are also looking for Chris Evans's interview with Damon Albarn on his Radio 1 show in which he compares an Oasis track to Status Quo.
Please do get in touch with Hannah on: hannah.oasisfilm@gmail.com.