football for all

Spurs European push takes a blow

2009-07-09T04:54:00.001-07:00

Tottenham Hotspur’s push for European football next season has taken a blow with the news that influential midfielder, Didier Zokora, has left for Spain to join Sevilla. Zokora has signed for the Spanish side on a long-term contract and for an undisclosed fee and it is news that has put the breaks on any hope of European football next season that Harry Redknapp currently has.

Redknapp had stated his intent to keep his most influential players at the club while adding in a number more in the hope that Spurs could challenge for a Champions League place in the coming campaign. Zokora was the sort of player that could have played a big role in this push as he has the ability to play in a number of positions outside of the midfield.

They will also miss his aggression and although at times his temperament was questioned, he was loved by the Spurs fans for his headless running around and launching into tackles that reminded many of an English centre back and not an Ivory Coast play maker. It is this very sort of mentality and player aggression that led to his name being roared out around White Hart Lane on a weekly basis and it will definitely be a quieter place for his departure.

However, Spurs should take some light out of the transfer because firstly Sevilla matched the asking price that Spurs wanted for the player, which is thought to be a lot more than the Spanish side originally wanted to pay. This means that they will have even more funds to use when buying players once Redknapp has decided, which summer transfer targets he wants to go for.

It has also created a space in the middle of the spurs midfield that will allow a congested part of the squad to ease slightly. It provides an opportunity for a better and more high calibre player to come to the club and walk into the squad, filling the position with little ease.

However, it is very difficult to replace such an influential player who made over 100 appearances for his side. Zokora was the sort of player that we all love to see coming to the Premier League and making a name for himself. He did not appear to be an egotistic man and he did not appear to be afraid of any thing. He flew around the pitch putting himself on the line on more than one occasion.

It may have been the arrival of Wilson Palacios from Wigan Athletic in January that tempted Zokora to make a move, as they are both very similar players. However, the point is that in a squad pushing for a Champions League place you need a lot of players that are of a high standard and are ready to walk into a side whenever someone else picks up an injury or has a bad run of form.

It will be unlikely that Zokora will be bitter about the way things have unfolded at Spurs but it could turn out that he is the exact type of players that the club needed if they pick up one or two injuries during the early part of next season. Sevilla on the other hand should be very happy at this moment in time because they have signed a player that will help them move forward in Spain.

Zokora arrives there with all of the knowledge and technical ability that he has picked up playing in England. The Premier League is a lot quicker than La Liga so Zokora should fit in nicely to Sevilla’s side. He will be sharper than a lot of the other players though he may have to learn that you cannot launch into tackles over there in the same way that you can do here because the referees do tend to protect the players a lot more.

When a club has a clear vision of where it wants to go during a close season period then sometimes you just have to make sacrifices. Zokora was a well liked player and person by both the fans and the clubs but it just panned out that he does not fit into Redknapp’s plans for next season when Spurs will be going all out to finish in the top four.

It seems that all parties are happy and there is no distinct sign of bitterness so each will happily wish the other well. Zokora gets to go and ply his trade in what Cristiano Ronaldo recently called the best league in the world and Spurs have an opportunity to bring an exciting player into their team that they otherwise would not have had the chance to sign.

The move may also allow Zokora to realise any international ambitions he has because the Ivory Coast do have a lot of talented players playing in leagues all over Europe. This means that competition for places is fierce and he would have had no chance of an international slot of he was not at a club that was playing him every single game.

This was not always the case at Spurs whereas at Sevilla he has a chance to make a first team place his own, meaning that the powers that be at the Ivory Coast FA would see this and realise it. So whenever an international match comes around he would be one of the first names on the list in terms of players that would be the sharpest and the most match fit.

He will be a sad loss to the Premier League. Every English fan loves to see an unsung hero running out on the pitch every week and haring around like a headless chicken for 90 minutes. It will be sad to see him go as we have to watch a game that has so many egos and players that so often abuse their gifted positions, it would be great to see more Didier Zokora’s coming to the Premier League but sometimes the ambition of a club is too great to play to the fairy tale.

Ancelotti fends off the rumours.

2009-07-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

On what should have been a relatively important day for Chelsea, it was another Premier League story that marked the unveiling of Carlo Ancelotti as the new headman at Stamford Bridge. There was no definitive end to the ongoing speculation that John Terry will be going to Manchester City at the end of the month as the Italian fended off the question with a mixture of nerves and broken English.

There is no doubt that this man has a presence. It was almost as if the world had come to a complete stop when he strolled into the press conference room to take his seat and answer the first few media questions that were thrown in his direction. Needless to say the Terry issue was one of the first and the message that came across was probably not the one that Chelsea’s new boss desired.

Ancelotti’s opening comments were all very cliché: “Roman and I have the same objectives. To do very well this season and to win. I would like to have a team that plays well, plays good football, creative football, and naturally that win. It's important to win but also to be a team with good characteristics, to play well and with organisation.”

Chelsea fans would have been looking for a defintive sign that this would be the man to take them back to the success that they are experienced during the Jose Mourinho era. It is clear that at times yetserday he wanted to say certain things but because he was speaking in borken English he could not always get his message across.

This may well have been the case with the whole John Terry story. He insisted that Terry would be captain of the club next season but this is all that he said on the matter, he gave very little away. It is important not to read too much into this because the Italian is a very smart person who has been in the game for a very long time. Sometimes managers like to toy with the press a little bit as so many have stated in the past their dissatisfaction at media intrudement.

The Italian has a clear sign and direction that he wants to take the club towards and he clearly recognises that he needs his best players committed to the future of the club if he is able to do this. It is important to remember that Ashley Cole has still not signed a long term contract on top of his current deal with the club. So there are clearly questions hanging over one or two players.

The point is that Ancelotti is not a stupid person he knows better than just to toy with an issue such as the John Terry affair that is floating around at the moment. He probably tried to get his message across in as clear and as positive a nature as he possibly could. However, because he is not a native Englishman it is slightly harder for him and therefore the speculation will carry on.

What Chelsea really need is for John Terry to stick his head out into the open for five minutes and commit his future. This would take a lot of pressure off of the gaffer who has only just got in through the door. Ancelotti would have been expected a heavy media element in his Premier League way of managerial life but he probably didn’t expect it to be so dominant on the very first day that he officially took up the top post at Chelsea.

Chelsea as a football club have publicly stated their discontent at being so far behind Liverpool and Manchester United last season. The appointment of Ancelotti is a statement of intent that they intend to compete both domestically and on the European front when the new season starts up again. It is because of this that it would be non-sensical for the club to let their captain leave or any other high profile player, because it would completely contradict the managerial appointment they have just made.

It can only get easier for the manager from this point on because there probably won’t be a bigger or more important player linked with an exit from the club. Once this story brushes over, as Terry surely must stay at Chelsea, then it will allow the club to develop, get better and start winning trophies again.

If Terry continues to say nothing and just puts more pressure on the manager then there will come a point when all parties would have had enough. A Terry exit to any other club but one in the top four would be truly bizarre and would leave many questioning the ambition and logic of a player that has turned himself into an England and Chelsea legend over the last four or five seasons.

All in all though Ancelotti made a very good first impression as Chelsea’s new manager and head coach. As with so many managers when they come into a new position they all state the same thing but Ancelotti clearly has the calibre and the respect of the players in order to make these statements a reality. He knows what it feels like to win the Champions League as he won it at AC Milan and he knows what it takes to win a very tough domestic league.

It is extremely hard to guage someone like Ancelotti because he gives so very little away but he has a good basic grasp of the language and the culture of this country. He seems intent for the long haul and seems intent that all of his players share the same vision and rive as he does if Chelsea are to rediscover their success.

Chelsea could have done a lot worse but the hard work starts here. They will have to ignore and fight off many tempting bids for a lot of their star players but they cannot give in to any of these if they want to fulfil on the ambition that Ancelotti has just displayed, to do otherwise would efy logic.

2009-07-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

The arrival of Michael Owen at Manchester United has been met with a lot of mixed reaction. There is a group that sees the move as a further sign thatSir Alex Ferguson is going a bit mad in his old age. The other group of people believe that United have snapped up one of the best goal scorers of recent times and that it could come to help the club substantially.

It had been well publicised that Owen was looking for a move away from Newcastle United after they got relegated. However, the point is that it was smaller Premier League clubs that were the expected destinations and not the actual champions of England.

Owen must not be able to believe his luck, after all his best days are behind him and he is still on a good wage packet, which turned out to be the main difference between himself and his previous club. It means that he will be earning a lot of money and probably not playing a great deal as United are likely to make a lot more signings during the transfer window.

Ferguson will say though that his club have snapped up a proven player for free and have the advantage of experience and calibre to call upon if needed. Nobody in a million years would have expected United to sign Owen and it seems that his arrival at Old Trafford is nothing more than a stopgap. If the former England front man can get fit and stay fit then he could well end up having a much larger role to play in the side but as we have so often seen in the past, this is always a lot more difficult as far as Michael Owen is concerned.

It is a good move for the player but a debateable one for the club. United have £80 million in the bank and need to make good the loss of two brilliant players that have already left this season. It is no disrespect to Owen but he is hardly the man that Ferguson would have had in mind to replace the Portuguese guy that has just left for Real Madrid.

It is nothing more than a smart and shrewd business move that can allow United to strengthen further in area while continuing the pursuit of many other targets. Owen should realise how lucky he has been and this should act as an incentive to work his socks off for his new club. If he does then it could have a number of added advantages and turn out to be one of Ferguson’s best ever signings when he does eventually retire.

What Owen brings to the club is a lot of experience in a relatively non-egotistical person. Experience is every thing to a lot of the younger players in the side that are trying to make a name for themselves and Owen can offer so much as far as this is concerned. All of the youths at the club will know who he is and what he has done so they will pay attention and listen. You do not play for Liverpool and Real Madrid as well as captaining your national side if you are a bad player.

Yes it is fair enough to say that Owen is not the player that he was maybe five or six years ago but the point is that class is permanent and form is temporary. The reason that Ferguson has signed Owen is because firstly, he is a good player, he can still score a lot of goals and offer an awful lot to any side. The other reason he has signed Owen is because he can offer so much more to the club than any other squad player he could just go and pick.

Owen has already stated his intent to put everything behind him and get his fitness exactly right for the new season. A fit Michael Owen is a daunting proposition for any side. Furthermore, United have not had a goal poacher since Ruud Van Nistelrooy left for Real Madrid a couple of years back.

These sort of players have the ability to pick up a lot of scrappy goals, which quite often can make the difference between winning and losing in a lot of games. These players are priceless and Owen is one of them.

It is naïve to say that he will be able to run around and sprint past most defences because those days are behind him. Michael Owen cannot do now what he was once able to do, as is the case with all ageing players. He has a better ability now to be able to read the game and get into the right positions and will no doubt pop up with a few important goals in the Premier League and Champions League at some point during the next season.

The argument that Ferguson is losing it is there for all to read and consider but it is a difficult one to read into when you consider every thing that Ferguson has so far achieved at his club. Fair enough he has made one or two debatable decisions this summer but he so often gets it right and this could well turn out to prove just the same.

No club wants to lose their best player but it is impossible to keep that player if he does not want to stay in the side and at the club. Ask any manager in the Premier League and they will say that they would rather have a lower quality player who is busting to get into the side than a high quality player who does not give a second thought to the club, the team mates or the fans.

Michael Owen’s career is back on track and only time will tell whether it has been a good move for all concerned. He will have to work very hard this summer to get fit enough to warrant a first team place but it is obvious that he does not want to sit on the bench and it is obvious that this transfer has revitalised him.

Many will laugh at Ferguson but he could be proven right all over again by the time the new season kicks off again in August.

Sven backs Pearce

2009-06-30T04:42:00.000-07:00

Stuart Pearce could well be our next England manager. At least, that's the view of Sven Goran Eriksson who believes the national under-21 coach would be a worthy successor to Fabio Capello.

He would certainly be the fans'choice, representing what everyone would like to see in a manager. Guts, determination, leading from the front and a straight, no nonsense attitude. How many times did we see Pearce on the England pitch, bursting with anger at a poor performance but still managing to contain his emotions?
Pearce has done a marvellous job by guiding the under-21s to England's first major final in 25 years.

Ironically, it was penalties which got them through against Sweden, a curse which has usually seen England dumped out of the big tournaments. Eriksson firmly believes Stuart Pearce can make the step up from national under-21 coach to first team manager. "If he has proven it at under-21 why shouldn't he be able to do it with the senior team?" he told BBC Sport.

"Yes it's a big step, but I think he can do it in the future. Why not?" Pearce, now 47, already works with senior coach Capello on England duty. Reaching the finals of the European tournament is a brilliant achievement and one which will look pretty good on Pearce's footballing CV.

Hull to make Owen a hero?

2009-06-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

Michael Owen is to leave Newcastle United at the end of June, an announcement which comes as no surprise whatsoever. The Toon Army might have wanted him to stay, to show his loyalty and to help the club fight for its place back in the Premiership. But Owen has made no bones about the fact that he believes he still belongs in the top tier, despite his injury toll and obvious dip in form.

Owen, who is now 29, will be available for a free transfer from Newcastle and the clubs will be in a queue to snap him up, no matter what his recent performance on the pitch. Given the chance, Owen can be a great player again. He just needs to find his confidence and start scoring goals to open the floodgates. Where best to kick-start his revival? According to Hull, they are the club Owen should opt for.

Manager Phil Brown has shrugged off the laughs by confirming their interest in the England striker is absolutely serious. He believes they do have a chance in achieving the coup of the century and so does club chairman Paul Duffen. Brown says Owen joining Hull is not out of the question and they would not have made an approach had they not thought it possible. He believes Owen will not be tempted by the best offer or money and that he needs to find a club where he can play consistent football, not sit on the bench waiting for the chance to prove his worth.

Likewise, Duffen says Hull would be a great place for Owen to be. They are already trying to sign striker Marc-Antoine Fortune, though Celtic are also in the running. On the face of it, Hull and Michael Owen does not seem a perfect match. Hull only narrowly missed relegation by a point last season and are already being tipped to go down this time. Yet Newcastle will be fired up in the First Division with a steely determination to get back into the top flight. Which club could give Owen the best platform?

Some fans believe a big club like Manchester United should go for Owen though that is unlikely to happen. Owen needs a club which has faith in him, a crowd to cheer not jeer him on, a regular slot in the team and plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. But he also needs good opposition from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United to give him that extra incentive.

It’s a shame Owen isn’t staying with Newcastle but things were obviously not right behind the scenes. At least he has had the decency to come out and praise Alan Shearer, describing him as the right man for the manager’s job and “Newcastle through and Newcastle”. Perhaps Liverpool might throw their name into the hat or Manchester City or even a club from abroad?

If Owen really sits down and thinks about it, joining Hull would not be a bad option at all if he can overcome the lack of glamour associated with the club. He could become a hero there in his own right and get them back up the table, whilst boosting his own self-esteem.

Owen should perhaps listen to his own words. He says Alan Shearer is going to be a great manager. He might be learning the ropes at the moment but he has to start somewhere. Owen can be a great player again but location, location, location is going to be everything in his next vital decision.

City say goodbye to one of their brightest youngsters

2009-06-25T02:40:00.000-07:00

It appears that the financial situation at Manchester City has forced the club to over look a number of younger players, this has resulted in Daniel Sturridge being snapped up by Chelsea. Sturridge, 19, made a few first team appearances at City and has been tipped by many pundits as becoming a future England centre forward.

It appears to be a healthy and productive bit of business on the part of Chelsea who are looking to develop experience and youth under the management of Carlo Ancelotti. Sturridge refused a new Manchester City contract but because he is under the age of 24 years old, Chelsea will have to pay a fee as the player cannot move under the Bosman ruling.

It should be quite worrying for a lot of Manchester City fans because the owners said they would continue to allow young and developing players a chance to play in the first team. This is the first direct example that contradicts this and suggests that City will buy their way into the future, which can be a lot less stable than investing in the youth of the side to help the club grow.

Chelsea fans may be a bit puzzled as to why they have signed this particular player but it is a good move for a number of reasons. Firstly, Sturridge is not a bad player and has already proven that he can cut it at the top level. He will create competition for places with his enthusiasm and energy and it will only be a matter of time until his skills develop to a much more advanced level.

Secondly, it has to be considered that for a club with the size and stature of Chelsea, their youth teams have not been the best in the country over the last couple of years. They have all of the ingredients necessary to produce products from a great academy but for some reason it just does not seem to be happening. The arrival of Sturridge is a statement of intent that Chelsea want to bring in greater quality players into their youth sides and they want everyone to see that they are investing into the future of football.

Manchester City boss, Mark Hughes, may not have actually wanted to sell the player is he is clearly a very talented young man. However, with the pressures that the owners at City are likely to place on him over the next one or two seasons, he cannot afford to be carrying players in the squad and has to look to free up this space to bring in higher quality. This will increase the depth of the City squad and means that when a senior player picks up a bad injury, there is already a high-class replacement waiting to step in.

It is harsh on a player as young and inexperienced as Sturridge but he couldn’t have picked a better club to be going to. He now has the chance to get into one of the most admired first teams in the country and settle into a city that should suit him down to the ground.

American broadcaster snaps up the rights to Premier League games.

2009-06-23T03:53:00.000-07:00

Disney owned ESPN will show all of the matches that Setanta would have broadcast when the new season gets under way. The American broadcaster has snapped up the rights to show 46 live games next season that will be played on Saturday tea time and Monday evenings.

ESPN have also got the rights to show at least 23 games a season between 2010 and 1013. It is a very shrewd and astute move from the company that have no prior experience in hosting live English football to an audience that will have specific expectations. The broadcaster say the matches will be sold to the audience through Bskyb and it could mean a very different viewing experience to what we are used to.

It had been thought that Sky might make a last minute move to add a maximum of 23 more games to their live schedule for the season, which kicks off in mid-August. However, it appears that they made no attempt to block the bid from ESPN, which has brought live English Football to an American broadcaster for the first time in history.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: “The timescale of our process was tight to say the least, and it is to the great credit of ESPN that they committed themselves to adding Barclays Premier League football to their already impressive portfolio of sports rights.”

“The speed at which we have been able to conclude this deal means that the preparations for next season will be able to continue without interruption and fans and clubs will have certainty over the broadcasting of Barclays Premier League matches for the next four seasons.”

The other reported bidders were Bskyb themselves and the English domestic Channel 4. If Channel 4 had managed to snap up the rights then it would have been a huge step forward for the mainstream audience for the first time in a long time. Ever since the days when ITV held all the rights to show Premier League highlights on a Saturday evening, the majority of the audience in England has been deprived of football unless they hold a subscription to Sky television.

Fair enough Match of the Day still does a terrific job for the BBC, but the point is that ITV were willing to show the matches at around 7-8pm in the evening, which made it a lot more viewable for a lot of people.

However, there should be a small sort of childish excitement at the fact that some Americans will have a say in how we watch our Saturday football. It can be expected that things may be glammed up quite a bit, which many people wouldn’t mind. We are so used to a specific routine from various broadcasters that it could actually go down quite well if the agenda is bent slightly.

Apart from Sky, the other bidders should not be downbeat about this whole affair. The domestic channels especially should continue to work hard and it would be fantastic if at some point in the near future they could acquire the rights to show matches live.

Carlos Tevez. Where next?

2009-06-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

Where next for Carlos Tevez? Manchester City? Chelsea? Certainly not Liverpool it would appear. Whether or not Sir Alex Ferguson has laid down the law and told Tevez he can’t go to their arch rivals is pretty immaterial. Striker Tevez was on loan to Manchester United and out of contract and it seems highly unlikely that the manager could have enforced such a condition.

But Tevez himself seems to have ruled out going to Anfield as he says he has too much respect and love for the Manchester United fans. Let’s just see if money will talk on this issue. Hot favourites have to be Chelsea, though Manchester City will be snapping at their heels. Tevez says he wants to go to a club with plenty of ambition which wants to go places. He’s interested in commitment and intent and in achieving “great things”. Both Chelsea and Manchester City fall into this equation but so do Liverpool who will be aiming to knock Manchester United off their perch. Not of interest to Tevez?

Hopefully, the Argentinean striker will receive better treatment at his next club. Granted, Tevez did not score that many goals for Manchester United but it would be hard to fault his work-rate and commitment which contributed to the club taking the Premiership title. He was popular with most of the fans and the players and, in the end, though Manchester United did drag their feet over offering him a new deal, they did want him to stay. The one big thing he did wrong was to go to the papers, a move always guaranteed to get Sir Alex Ferguson’s back up. He detests being held to ransom and, from that moment on, the writing was on the wall.

Sir Alex must have been fighting with himself behind the scenes. On the one hand, he obviously wanted to get rid of Tevez and teach him a lesson. On the other, he realised he was a pretty decent player and could have filled a vital gap following the departure of Ronaldo to Real Madrid. So, following a protracted silence, Tevez was eventually offered a lucrative 25.5 million pound deal which would have kept him at Old Trafford for five more years. His agent obviously thought it was a pretty decent offer but Tevez delivered the ultimate snub, saying no thanks and I am off.

In a statement on his behalf, Tevez said he just got the feeling that Manchester United weren’t that keen on him staying. He wanted more time to consider the deal and if United had given it to him, it was more than likely that he would have stayed. But they didn’t and that was that. Tevez out of the door. Of course, there is always a very small chance that Tevez will change his mind and stay at Manchester United which would be a real turn up for the books. But, as that old saying goes, anything can happen in football.

Another Premier League side is snapped up.

2009-06-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

Another Premier League team has been snapped up, this time by a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family. It adds to the growing global view that the Premier League is a candy shop where anyone with a few hundred million in the bank can come along and snap up a side causing growing anger and frustration at the influx of foreign owners.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqar al-Qassimi has bought up a 60 per cent stake in one of the current Premier League sides but news is not being released of which it is until a few days have passed. It means that another club can now join the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Portsmouth in having an owner that does not come from this country.

It contrasts quite interestingly the way that massive football clubs are run in Spain, where no single person can nail down and own a club. This has been linked to the financial power that Real MadridReal Madrid and Barcelona are currently whipping up, financial power that vastly outweighs any financial investment that we have seen so far from an owner in the Premier League.

However, the point is that whoever the UAE member has snapped up can look forward to a future of no debts, big name players and maybe even a lot of success. Although it is quite worrying to see another club that will be controlled entirely by one person, who can make demands and arrangements as they see fit. The power in football is moving away from the area that it should be in and although the fans of this club in question can be positive, they should be equally cautious.

If this is a big club then it will be a lot easier for the current structure to move forward quickly. The high calibre playing staff should already be in place for next season and the business model of the club should be solid. This means that the new owner will have a lot less work to do and it will allow the team to maybe snap up a couple of players at the last minute who would otherwise have not been accessible.

If it is not a big club then it is likely that the owner will have a lot more work to do. The football club of today is seen as a business and all hard working business men like to see profits from their investments. This could mean a complete overhaul of the business model of the club in question. This could dent the immediate prospect of success on the pitch until the club is turned into a financial machine that churns out results in this aspect, something that would have nothing to do with the football.

This view is substantially more worrying for the fan of this mystery club. They will only care about the football so long as the finances are stable. They see their club as a sports club and not a business and the owner has to keep this in mind when he is making decisions that could potentially annoy a lot of people. Just look at what Mike Ashley did to Newcastle United.

City set to poach Tevez from under the noses of their city rivals.

2009-06-20T03:25:00.000-07:00

Manchester City are the reported favourites to poach Carlos Tevez from beneath the very nose of their city counterparts as the players loan deal at Manchester United is approaching a rapid halt. Tevez has made no secret of his desire to stay at United but it is thought that the current Premier League champions are not willing to pay the £25 million that will make his services permanent.

Having already paid up to £10 million to have him on loan for two seasons you can understand why but the point is that if Tevez goes to City it will anger hundreds of thousands of United fans that once adored and respected the Argentine. Fair enough he may have had a few disagreements with the manager and the club but that is not reason enough to throw back in the face, the support of many United fans that helped him through a rough patch.

If Tevez has any sense or wants to remain any good contacts at United then he will not even think about this deal and will look for a move elsewhere. Many United fans would probably rather see him join Liverpool that Manchester City and this is saying a tremendous amount.

It would be a brilliant signing for City because it would add to the growing talent they are currently assembling. Mark Hughes is trying to put together a squad that clearly retains all of the major personal values in football. These are hard work, honesty and respect and all of the players he has brought in so far do not appear to have egos and would fit into this thesis perfectly.

However, the summer transfer market has so far thrown up many surprises that mean seemingly certain deals can be changed at the last minute. United, if they wanted to, could still sign up Tevez as hard as this may seem because they are due a lot of money from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Madrid themselves were also heavily linked with Tevez and it could be the case that they steal in with some last minute negotiations to take him to the Real revolution.

The main problem as far as United are concerned is the fact that they do not have any control over the Argentine. As his current deal at United is only on a loan basis, they can have no influence over the club that he chooses to join after the next few days, when the loan expires. Sir Alex Ferguson would obviously like him to go to a foreign club but he cannot change the mindset of the player if he wants to remain in England.

It would be nice for the matter to just be settled as it has been dragging on for an extended period of time now. Tevez will want to settle down and work on his future career and City will want to work out who they can go for if they can’t make good of the rumours linking him to Eastlands.

Torres key to Liverpool's success

2009-06-19T04:21:00.000-07:00

If there's one player Liverpool need to hold on to, it's Fernando Torres. Reports are once again linking him with a move back to Spain but staying at Anfield seems to be a top priority for the ace striker. Let's hope it remains that way. If Liverpool want to challenge Manchester United for the Premiership and gain further European success, Torres is key to their ambitions.

Torres was one of the first players to be offered a new contract to stay at Liverpool.
Although the Spain striker still had four years remaining on his original six-year contract, Liverpool presented him with improved terms and added an option to take the deal through to 2014.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has described Torres as one of the best strikers in the game today and he is convinced he can only get better. "Every major side would want him in their team, but he has shown how much he wants to achieve success at Liverpool by committing his future to the club," Benitez said recently.

"He's a special talent but still has the hunger to improve his game."His faith in Torres seems to be reciprocated.Torres says a lot of other players committed themselves to Liverpool this summer and he was no exception.He believes their ambitions, and his, can be met by the Reds next season and is convinced he will win both the League and the European Cup with Liverpool.

"The winning tradition is very clear at Liverpool. I want to be involved in a little piece of their history. As long as Liverpool want me, I will stay," he has told the national press. "I am happy with my contract and would not leave just to earn a little more somewhere else. To want any more would be greedy and that is not me."Liverpool pushed Manchester United all the way in the title race last season before having to settle for second place.Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger, Steven Gerrard and Benitez himself have already signed new contracts in the last two months.

"We've made huge progress this season and now we need to take the next step," Benitez added on the club's website."We are building something special here and securing such important players on long-term deals means we can move forward with confidence. This sends out a very positive message to everyone connected with the club."

England young boys put Spaniards to the sword.

2009-06-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

The England under 21 side have put Spain to the sword by beating their opponents 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the European Under 21 Championships. Goals from Frazier Campbell and James Milner were enough in a match that England controlled from start to finish.

It was quite a fitting contrast to England’s first match where the side managed to scrape a result against Finland and with only ten men. It should give the side confidence going into their semi-final match, as they will be looking to make up for the heartbreak, which marred their defeat at this time last year.

Theo Walcott also played a blinder ad it was nice to see the question of who has the best under 21 side between England and Spain being convincingly answered. Stuart Pearce must be credited for getting every single little detail right and having put out one of the tournament favourites, there is no reason why England should not go on and win this event.

It could have been an even bigger win for the English but Milner had a penalty saved earlier in the match by Spanish goalkeeper, Sergio Asenjo. In an essence the result probably didn’t reflect how good England actually were and it was more of a case of a well earnt victory and modest score line as opposed to a poor performance, which the side managed to scrape through.

Pearce would be the first person to say they performances don’t generally matter until you are actually in the final and playing against the best other team there is. However, he will be pleased that England played so well and saw off such a good side in unforgiving style. It will give the players immense confidence as their semi-final opponents quiver in their boots at the prospect of meeting this new machine.

The England coaches seem to be a very shrewd bunch of people and there can be no doubt that now England have got themselves into a position where they can win the Euros, they will do everything they can to make sure preparation is perfect. They should also not take a single risk because if they do and it doesn’t come off there will be a lot of criticism by the time they arrive back in England.

It would be naïve to say at this stage that England are certain to win the event because there are good teams left in the competition but the main job that Pearce will now have is being able to keep the younger members of the squad firmly rooted to the ground before he releases their infinite enthusiasm in the next two matches, providing England do get through their semi-final encounter.

It was nice to enjoy a little bit of smug self-satisfaction in a summer where the Spanish continue to knock the Premier League and the obvious quality it has. On this occasion it was proven that English football is far superior to any thing the Spanish can offer up.

Real will miss out on David Villa.

2009-06-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid will miss out on signing Valencia striker, David Villa, after shooting themselves in the foot over the transfer fee. Valencia are thought to value the Spain front man at around £40 million but were asking Madrid to pay in excess of £50 million.

This could be due to the way that Madrid have already been acting in the summer transfer market with the signings of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. The only reason that Valencia would have been asking so much for their best player is the simple fact that Madrid quite clearly have more cash stashed away than any other club in Spain.

It could mean a new chance for either Barcelona or Liverpool to sign Villa and they would probably get him for the smaller fee of £40 million. It is thought that Villa wants to stay in Spain but he has said if he does go abroad then the only club he would join would be Rafael Benitez’s side.

It has been no secret that his strike partner for Spain, Fernando Torres, has expressed his immense interest that the club do whatever it takes to bring him to the Premier League and if it happened then Villa wouldn’t have a problem settling down because so many of the Liverpool squad are from Spain, including the manager, who once managed Villa when he was in charge of Valencia.

Madrid’s Director of Sport, Jorge Valdano said: “If Barca have offered 50 million for Villa, plus Bojan and Caceres, I would sell if I was Valencia because we're not going to try and top that. We have been in discussions over the last week and there were disagreements. On top of money, they want a player and that was causing problems.”

“What had seemed to be a deal on track instead became twisted. We don't know why the price became so high.”

The reason the price became so high is quite simple. When you start throwing your money around as a football club then other clubs with the best players will automatically want more as the original club can obviously meet a high valuation. This was demonstarted perfectly in the Premier League when Manchester City were quoted over £100 million for Kaka and then only a few months later, Milan sold him for just over half of this amount.

A move for Villa looks pretty much set in stone and the only remaining problem is where he goes. Obviously he would like to stay in Spain and Valencia would probably prefer to accept the offer from Barcelona but if the player wants a new challenge then he would be a fantastic signing for Liverpool. He could well be the player that the English side needs to push on across all fronts next season and it could be an arrival that helps Rafa Benitez keep a lot of his more influential players.

Liverpool would have a hard time though in matching the financial and player offer that Barca have put together but it is all now down to Villa.

Torres knocks the league of his own country.

2009-06-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Spain striker, Fernando Torres, has launched a heavy attack on Spanish clubs for using deep pockets to buy foreign players instead of raising home grown talent. Torres is said to be increasingly upset by the amounts of money that football clubs can so freely spend to buy in a player from any part of the globe, when talented young Spaniards get over looked.

Torres himself does not play in Spain but for Liverpool in England, however, he clearly feels that young English players get more of a chance in the Premier League than Spanish players do in La Liga. Foreign imports are said to be one of the main reasons the English national team has not done so well in modern times.

The point is that it is no secret that the English side his having its best spell in recent memory under Fabio Capello because there are more English players turning out in the Premier League than ever before. Torres shouldn’t really be worried because the Spanish national side are the current European champions, but he clearly has worries for the future.

Torres said: “We have the best national team in the world and a lot of money would be spent on our players, but Spanish clubs don't do it. They would only do it for foreign players.”

He does have a very valid point. David Villa is reportedly on the verge of making a £40 million move to Real Madrid and Liverpool have so often showed over the last couple of seasons that they will pay good money for Spanish players because Rafa Benitez believes they are technically the best.

Torres’ comments echo a lot of what has been said in this country. The fact that young and good players from their host country cannot get into a side because a foreigner can be so easily bought, creates a boundary which prevents a lot of young players from ever fulfilling their potential.

This is the very topic, which has meant the introduction of a quota system into the Englsih football league. From the start of next season, every club from the Championship downwards must have a minimum number of home grown players in their squad. It is a sensible system that will safeguard the future of English football.

Spain seem to be very gifted when it comes to their national team but if Madrid are ging and spending £140 million on two players that are not Spanish then it creates the same concerns that have been floating around in England for so long. Although Spain may be better positioned to deal with the effect this can create on Spanish football, there will come a point when the next generation of Spanish players has to walk into the national side and Torres’ comments will be looked upon.

He is quite correct and the powers that be that control the Spanish game need to be working hard on a variety of ways that means a great national side will not fall apart in future years because of a lack of control over the La Liga handling of the trasnfer system.

Real Madrid set to axe a whole host of talent.

2009-06-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid are reportedly looking to axe a whole host of talented players as they continue to make room for the Madrid revolution that is currently taking place at the club. Madrid have splashed out over £130 million on two players so far this summer and club president, Florentino Perez, wants players sold so the buying can carry on.

The likes of Arjen Robben, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Gabriel Heinze are all said to be going on the transfer list as Madrid look to make initial funds to go with the reported 300 million euros that Perez is said to be personally funding. A whole host of Premier League clubs should be on red alert as offers are likely to flood in for the players.

Madrid are still locked in negotiations over Valencia striker, David Villa, as his current club want £40 million for his services, a figure that Madrid have refused to meet. It could well act as proof that Madrid do not currently have bottomless pockets and it seems that they will accept offers on nearly anyone in the squad in order to make a number of other moves near certainties.

It is a strange move because it seems to damage the immediate future of the club. Huge signings are one thing but the matter that propels a club to success is the quality that lies in the fringes of the squad. A lot of these players being talked about can play a big part for Madrid and they would do a very good job if they went to another side. Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo may be the best players in the world but they cannot hold a side together by themselves.

Furthermore, maybe Perez should not promise the players arriving at Madrid stupid amounts of money and fortune. This would mean that they would not be forced to sell some of the club’s most influential players in order to facilitate the Glacticos dream of one man.

Barcelona seem to have wasted no time at all as it has been confirmed that they are also in talks about signing David Villa, meaning that Madrid could miss out on one of their most prominent targets due to some blanket and blitz decision making.

Van Nistelrooy would be a terrific signing for any club that wishes to go for him. Spurs are reported to be readying a bid but the Dutchman seems keen to stay where he is and does not appear to have lost a single bit of his touch in front of goal. When he is fit again he would be one of the first names down on that Madrid starting line up and the Spanish club needs to remember just how influential some of these players can be before they start axing them left, right and centre.

Nobody would blame a club sniping in and snapping up a Madrid player who would be better served trying to earn some good success at a lesser club than being a small fish in a big pond at Madrid. A lot of people said that this big spending would have repercussions and this could be the start of it.

Ronaldo at it again

2009-06-15T02:57:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! Cristiano Ronaldo is at it again. Even though the ink has yet to dry on his 80 million pound move to Real Madrid from Manchester United, the World Player of the Year is winding everyone up. And does he know how to do so. In an interview with a French magazine, provided everyone got the translation right, he apparently reveals that he loves antagonism.

He’s reported to have said “I do not care whether opposition supporters like me or not. I love it when people jeer me. It doesn’t bother me.” Well, fair enough. Everyone gets their motivation from somewhere. Whether it’s praise from the supporters or the manager, a few little digs from the national press, scoring goals, picking up silverware or a regular place in the team.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made no bones about the fact that he likes to be in the international spotlight, one of his reasons for moving to Real Madrid. After all, there will be no greater stage as new president Florentino Perez bids to build the greatest football team in the world. Perhaps Ronaldo believes his new world record-breaking status earns him the right to put himself right up their on the highest pedestal. But he won’t be endearing himself to everyone and we can expect some fireworks on and off the pitch.

Football enthusiasts will well remember the 2006 World Cup when he was targeted by fans for his part in the sending off of Wayne Rooney during England’s match against Portugal. Ronaldo says “It’s true a lot of people hate me but there are even more who love me. I feel bad only when I play bad. But for me, that does not happen very often. I want to rewrite the history of football. I am aware I am already among the best of the best.”

Wow. What an ego. Although there will be many raised eyebrows at his comments, most people will be able to shrug them off and have a bit of a laugh at his expense. He’s a great player, yes, and we will excuse him if diplomacy is not one of his strongest points. But there was one further comment in his interview which was out of order. “I love to see the hate in their eyes, to hear the insults.” Is this really the attitude we want to foster? Hate is a very strong word and not something which should be encouraged in football. Better to have a healthy respect for our rival teams.

Football today is all about families and encouraging children to follow the sport. When they read about one of their heroes welcoming insults and talking about hate, what sort of message does this send out? Clubs around the country are clamping down on thugs or fans who use bad language. It will not help matters if top players like Ronaldo simply add fuel to the fire. So come on Ronaldo. Have a think next time you are interviewed. Yes, talk about motivation and how you want to do the best for your players and your team. You have left one proud club to go to another with a long pedigree which prides itself on ethics and standards. Cut out the talk about hate and insults and show your determination where it matters most. On the pitch.

Inter Milan are the first side to cotton on.

2009-06-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

Inter Milan have become the first side to cotton on to how to deal with the Real Madrid spending fiasco. The Italian champions have quoted the Spanish shoppers a price of £80 million for front man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This means that if Real want to sign their man then they will have to pay the same price that they have just offered Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It appears that Jose Mourinho is no mug and this news is the first bit of evidence that the Italian giants are the first to know how to handle the Madrid spending spree. Madrid seem intent on buying their way back to success and out of trouble and are looking to poach the best players from sides all over Europe.

The way to combat this is quite simple; think of the most ridiculous price that you would accept for each player and then quote that figure. This is exactly what Inter have done and it is the best proof yet that a club is standing up to Madrid and is refusing to be pushed around over their best talent.

It is highly unlikely that anyone at Madrid would rate Ibrahimovic in the same light as Ronaldo and Inter may have priced Madrid out of the market for their front man. It is quite a simple and clever tactic that has been used by Mourinho that allows the club to state that a player is not for sale in the only way that Madrid would understand.

By setting the price so high, they are effectively saying that their best player is their most valuable asset and a high price tag seems to be the only way to put Madrid off. If United had said that they wanted £130 million for Ronaldo then Florentino Perez may not have been so happy in signing a monumental cheque. It is completely pointless clubs selling off their best assets to a side that is deploying themselves in black and white.

This news could also prompt Madrid in having to reorganise slightly in the respect that it is likely to make other clubs adopt the same idea. They will already have a price in mind for many of their players but once they know Madrid are interested then they can put a few million on top because of the way Madrid are acting in the summer transfer market.

It is an incredibly backward way for football to be run but it is the only way to stop Madrid sniffing around a player in the same way that they did with Ronaldo, until they ultimately got their way. It seems that price tags are the only thing the Spanish side have come to understand and this may well spark light bulbs in the heads of many important people at big clubs.

Fair play to Mourinho for using some initiative to try and get a mega deal that would have seen a player sold for drastically more than he is actually worth. Madrid will now have to be careful with their next targets as clubs could now look to take advantage in mega proportions.

United about to start their spending spree

2009-06-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Manchester United are about to start their £80 million spending spree with the news that deals are being lined up for Wigan’s Antonio Valencia and Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. Valencia has been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last few months but the news of a possible deal for Eto’o is more surprising.

The Barca front man is said to be growing a little frustrated at the Nou Camp and could well favour a move to England. The only English club that had been linked with him was Liverpool but with United’s new cash injection, they could well turn out to be a more inviting proposition for one of the best strikers in Europe.

Eto’o is also being tracked by Manchester City who want to offer the player the highest wages in the Premier League to take a gamble on an unproven side. United will be hoping that Eto’o does not adopt a mercenary attitude and joins them for slightly less but with a better chance of success and developing himself as a player.

They will probably have to spend up to about £30 million for Eto’o and with a £17 million deal already accepted by Wigan, that is well over half of the new cash spent already. It leaves just enough for United to either take a gamble on one of the hottest young talents in the game in Karim Benzema or opt to bid for Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery.

However, Ribery is likely to cost a lot more than the money United would have left over so they would have to dig into the pockets of the treasury at the club a little deeper. The point is that whoever Sir Alex Ferguson decides to bring in, they will have to have genuine, world class talent and potential if United are to make good the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.

A spokesman for the Glazer family, who won Manchester United, said: “The idea that Manchester United are motivated by a debt burden is just not true. Cristiano Ronaldo decided, after six years, it was time to move on and the manager said, ‘OK.’ Sir Alex Ferguson is in total control of his squad. He is empowered to make whatever decisions he thinks are in the best interests of Manchester United.”

“Only the paranoia of some supporters would lead you to believe the owners are not going to continue investing in the team. A substantial number of world-class players have been brought to the club in the past few years and that will still be the case.”

The news about a possible bid for Eto’o makes you read between the lines a little bit in the respect that it suggests Carlos Tevez may not stay at the club. They may still try and do a deal to make him a permanent United player but this would cost a large sum of money and when there are so many talented players freely available, Ferguson may well decide to look elsewhere.

Toure could prompt a number of Arsenal exits.

2009-06-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

Former Arsenal captain, Kolo Toure, could be about to walk away from Arsenal following strong speculation of a bid from Manchester City. The defender is said to be getting frustrated by the lack of progress that Arsenal are making on both the domestic and European fronts.

The wealth of Manchester City is now public knowledge so if the player does want to move then it may just be a case of how much and when. The worry for Arsenal fans is that the exit of one of their best players could see the departure of others, most notably Cesc Fabregas, who has been heavily linked with a move to Spain.

Arsenal value the player at roughly £15 million, which City would have no problems in matching. If the move happens then Toure could join the relatively new signings of Gareth Barry, Wayne Bridge and possibly Glen Johnson in forming one of the best defensive systems outside of the top six teams in England.

Toure broke into the Arsenal side when the team were reaching the end of the golden era that saw them go an entire league season without losing a single game. It was this sort of era that he probably thought he was joining up with but now that Arsenal have been blatantly shown to be no where near as good as other sides he may seek to move on.

For Manchester City it would be a terrific signing. Mark Hughes has said he is looking to improve his side all the time and will not go for world-class players until the side have created some success and stability. By buying up the fringe players floating around the Premier League, City could effectively do what Everton have done in recent seasons and push the big clubs very close.

This would raise their reputation and calibre and would make the side a much more interesting proposition for bigger stars around Europe. They will have a job hanging onto Robinho this summer who reportedly wants to go to Barcelona but if they do then there is no limit to what the side could push on and achieve.

Toure will also want to maintain his international chances and he cannot do this unless he is a first team regular in a top class Premier League side. Arsenal have only warranted this description on a few occasions this season and a move could revitalise the international career of Toure who clearly has some big ambitions despite his relatively old age in football of 28.

Arsenal should have seen all of the signs coming when Toure handed in a transfer request last January. Although he later withdrew it the point is that once a player states that he has little intention to play for a side it is very difficult to keep him. Toure will love Arsenal forever and the fans will always have a place in his heart but it may just have become a case of it being the right time for him to move on to a new challenge.

United need to rebuild quickly.

2009-06-12T03:24:00.000-07:00

Now that the Cristiano Ronaldo saga is finally over, Manchester United are faced with another problem, the need to rebuild the current side quickly to cope with the loss. You can do an awful lot with £80 million but United are unlikely to receive the full amount all in one go, which means Sir Alex Ferguson will need to be wise in the way he handles the funds.

United have numerous options. They would do well to get Carlos Tevez on a permanent contract before he decides to go elsewhere. It is clear just how much the Argentine loves the club and the fans love him, a nice thing to consider when there are very few loyalties in the game. Tevez also has a work ethic that no amount of money can buy and although he will never have the quality that Ronaldo did, he is miles ahead in terms of effort and energy.

United will also need a world class winger to come in as well. A deal for Wigan’s Luis Valencia looks almost certain but it is likely that Ferguson will want to go for a real high calibre player to come in and strengthen things even further. Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich is one option but the German club’s price tag of over £50 million could put United off.

The club should have faith in the manager. There was a mixed reaction yesterday when news reached the fans about Ronaldo’s departure. Some were happy to see him go and others thought it was the end of the world. This not the first time Ferguson has got fed up with a player and eventually sold him, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud Van Nistelrooy all went the same way. Each time Ferguson has come back and reinvented the side and still won numerous trophies.

It could be that through Ronaldo’s departure two or three doors of opportunity are opened up for United that would otherwise have not been there. It is naïve to say they won’t miss him because any player who leaves that can score 30 goals a season will be a massive loss. However, the point is that some of his performances this season were ordinary and buy freeing up funds and space for two or three more players, United could consolidate their challenge in England as well as in Europe.

Ferguson will probably already be hoping that his side face Real Madrid at some point next season just so he can show Ronaldo that he is not missed and that they do not need him. The potential finances that United have are now huge, they doubtless had a few million in the bank before the transfer and now that it has become a reality they could afford two absolutely world class players. Whether Ferguson goes down this route remains to be seen.

United have a very strong squad and will be looking to make it even stronger. Yes the fans should be down because they have lost a great player but it is pointless trying to keep someone who clearly wants to go elsewhere. Now Madrid have the ego problem and United can rebuild.

Stuart Pearce shrugs off the worries.

2009-06-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

England Under 21 manager, Stuart Pearce, has shrugged off the worries that Theo Walcott will run himself into the ground this summer by playing too much football for different England sides.

The Arsenal winger has been said to be quite fragile by Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, however, after the Under 21’s thumping win at the weekend, Pearce is insisting that Walcott is as enthusiastic as ever and just wants to play as much as he possibly can. Walcott is also a growing figure in the national team and has made some impressive performances when he has been called upon by Fabio Capello.

This is likely to mean that he will feature in all senior England games this summer as well as taking part in the Under 21 European Championships. Pearce clearly does not see this as a problem, he said: “If I was giving advice I would say if you are picked for the national team then play all the games you can. I did. I speak from experience, not as someone who picked and chose my games.”

The worry is that because Walcott is still a young man then he will not be aware of the limitations that high pressure sport is likely to put on him. Furthermore the worry for Arsenal is that when they try to hit the ground running after the summer, they will be left with one of their best players who has nothing left to give.

However, this remains to be seen and the criticism of the decision to include Walcott in both England parties will only be created if the player cannot handle so many intense games. You have to be able to back a young player to know when it is time just to admit to the boss that he is feeling it and needs a break.

Wenger needs to have a little bit of faith in the experience of Capello and Pearce as well as the logic of Walcott that if things are getting too tough then all parties concerned can reach a decision that will benefit everyone. It is no good wrapping up such an explosive player in cotton wool because you fear he will get tired and not be ready to play for his club at the start of next season.

Both England sides, as well as the Arsenal team, have big squads that are capable of being able to play without Walcott in the first eleven. It is for this reason that there shouldn’t be a single worry associated to the young man’s fitness or temperament. If he wants to play then he will do and doubtless he will jump at every chance he is given to win an England cap, regardless of whether or not it fits in with Wenger’s line of thinking.

It is certain that if Walcott plays for England this summer and scores a few goals, hence lifting his potential price tag by a few million, then the last person who will be complaining will be the Arsenal manager.

England can take one step closer to World Cup qualification.

2009-06-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

England can take one step closer to virtually guaranteeing their place in the World Cup next year with a victory over Andorra this evening. England sped to a 4-0 thumping over Kazakhstan at the weekend and another three points tonight will solidify their spot at the top of their group.

Fabio Capello could rest a number of players for the match against the 196th ranked team in the world. David Beckham, Glen Johnson and Emile Heskey are all just a booking away from a suspension and could potentially miss an important match against Croatia in September.

Capello is experienced enough to know how to handle the situation and although he will want to romp to another win he could use the situation to field a number of fringe players in the England side. This could also mean a rest for a lot of the more high calibre stars in the side that have spent long seasons battling away at their respective clubs.

Speaking ahead of the match, Capello said: “I have thought about this problem. I have to decide whether some players on yellow cards should play.” “If we score quickly it will be an easy game. Andorra will be waiting in front of their box with ten players defending.”

The only other players missing for England will be defender Rio Ferdinand, who has been struggling ever since picking up an injury against Arsenal in the Champions League, and Gareth Barry, who is suspended.

Although the match may not appear high in significance, it will be the perfect chance for many in the national team to banish the memories of missing out on qualification for Euro 2008. A lot of players said they felt hurt that evening when England were beaten 3-2 at Wembley by Croatia and the images of Steve McLaren cowering under an umbrella have to be laid to rest.

There is no doubt that under Capello England have become a very under rated force. Tactically the national side is one of the best in Europe and the way the manager utilises the immense talent he has in the squad has been significant in some impressive victories in recent times. Only Spain and France have cracked the defences in meaningless friendlies.

Andorra could well become overwhelmed by the occasion of playing at Wembley in front of what is sure to be, a sell out crowd. This could create the perfect scenario for England to dance around their defence and once again create an impressive score sheet that will send shivers down the spines of defences all over Europe and the world.

As much as they undoubtedly will want to spoil the party it would take an insane individual or someone who knows something that no one else does to bet against England in this encounter. If England get anything other than the three points available then it would of have been a truly terrible performance. The side will be going out with a clear intention and that is to make sure that we are all going to South Africa to have a massive party next year.

Newcastle continue to resist common sense

2009-06-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

Newcastle United have continued their venture of making a laughing stock out of themselves by virtually ignoring Alan Shearer is putting everything to do with the club up for sale. It means that Newcastle United have a price tag of £100 million and any club who is interested in players can approach for talks.

This is all before Shearer has been confirmed as the boss for next season and means that he does not have a say in what is going on because he is not a contracted member of the staff. The senseless decision making could mean that Shearer misses out on the chance to keep key people at St James’ Park for next season and once again risks the future of the club.

At a time when Shearer needs to be meeting with everyone available at the club in order to stabilise the immediate future, the club are stalling about offering him a contract and once again creating a situation that allows everyone to sit back and have a good laugh at their expense.

Last week Shearer met with Managing Director, Derek Llambias, on one occasion and he even had to work hard to make this a reality. It really does make you scratch your head in amazement at what is actually going on at the club. Any normal thinking person would have thought that relegation may have sparked a few light bulbs in many heads at the club but it seems to amazingly be having an opposite effect.

A statement from the Newcastle Supporters Club reads: “It is vital that Mike Ashley acts quickly to quash the rumour and hearsay that surrounds the appointment of Alan Shearer as our manager.”

One irate fan even commented on a newspaper website: “Newcastle should knock the stadium down and start selling Manchester United shirts, it’s the only way they’ll make a success out of football.”

Further dissatisfaction was created by the fact that anyone interested in buying the club or the players was asked to e-mail the admin address of the club. Needless to say this prompted a mass surge of abuse from supporters of clubs in other parts of the country and would have done the morale of the 120 staff at Newcastle no good at all.

There really is something drastically wrong with the way this club is being run. The logical decisions that you would think did not require a second thought are now turning into decisions that could bring the club down and prevent it from returning to the Premier League for decades let alone in the next couple of seasons.

A whole host of Championship sides have already started building and working towards success next season yet Newcastle still have no permanent manager and an owner that does not want to be there. They have been in the laughing stocks for far too long and it is about time someone took some control, got rid of the people creating all of the problems and got the club some respect.

The future looks bleak for former England star.

2009-06-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

Michael Owen has been a frustrated figure at Newcastle United for a very long time and his association with the club has now dented his future for the rest of his career. Owen has been plagued by injuries since he joined Newcastle and will now be forced to seek a move elsewhere that will be nowhere near the calibre of what he would have liked.

Owen has virtually no prospect of winning another England cap because of the fact he has played at Newcastle for the last couple of years and he will be hard pushed to find another side that will be willing to pay him the wages that he was earning at St James’ Park.

He still does display the old elements that turned him into a Liverpool legend and helped him form the reputation of one of the most feared strikers in the world. However, these days are long gone and these old elements are not produced on a consistent enough basis to have any dramatic impact on the shape his future will now take.

Doubtless he will get a move back to the Premier League. There will be a club that will be willing to take a risk on him, as he is clearly a very good player. However, the tussling is likely to come with the contract. Owen will want good money as he feels that he can justify it but a club signing him now would be much more likely to want to pay him on a game by game basis as opposed to giving him a large amount of cash each week.

He can wave goodbye to his chances of joining a top six club, which will also mean an end to any England aspirations he may have. It will be much more likely that a new team coming into the Premier League or a mid-table side would be interested in him. For him to have any hope of playing for his country again he would have to smack in 30 goals for the side he potentially joins which has been showed to be impossible from previous seasons.

Newcastle is a boat that is rocking from side to side at a pretty violent rate so Owen would be well advised to sacrifice a bit of wealth in order to join an established Premier League club. He may just have to take the fact that he will never get back to the level that he once played at but he appears a modest enough man to be able to join another side and play his heart out regardless.

In a respect he is guilty by association but the fact is that this should not prevent him finishing his career somewhere that he can hold his head high and show everyone that he will go out with style. He has a lot of hard work to do and needs to get his head down. Not many people would blame him for jumping ship at Newcastle if he did so but he needs to be careful and clever with his next move.

Kaka world record

2009-06-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

That’s what friends are for

So, David Beckham has been at it again. Is there anything Golden Balls cannot do? According to Brazilian star Kaka, his record-breaking decision to join Real Madrid was made following advice from his old friend.

The two had apparently had a number of conversations in recent weeks, with Beckham telling Kaka to go for it and describing the club as a great place to be. Another new career beckons for the England ace then – football agent. It would certainly be very lucrative, not that the Beckhams are short, of course. Kaka is believed to have gone to Real Madrid on a six year deal for around 56 million pounds. If true, this is a new world record in sterling and surpasses even the 45.6 million pounds Real paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

Manchester City will be kicking themselves. Only this January, the club was said to be close to signing Kaka for a massive 100 million pounds and even then would have regarded it as a bargain. However, Kaka chose to stay at AC Milan because the fans wanted him to remain in Italy and it seems he would have been happy to stay for the new season.The big question now is whether Kaka was made the sacrificial lamb in these tough economic times.

He says the deal with Real Madrid was done some time ago, with only small details to iron out, such as the stringent medical which he passed with flying colours. Kaka told a press conference that he is tremendously looking forward to joining Real and sees it as a great challenge to continue playing at the top of his game. But, significantly, he also talked about the global crisis which is affecting football as well, including AC Milan. Kaka said he spoke to the board and it was decided that the best thing to do would be for them to sell him. Yes, they would lose their star player but that bank balance would look an awful lot healthier. If the 27-year-old feels any bitterness about the circumstances, he certainly isn’t showing it in public. He has already declared his loyalty to Real Madrid who will be chasing Barcelona for the Primera Liga title next season, despite having had other offers.

Kaka is the first big scalp for Real president Florentino Perez since he returned to the role and he has promised a resurgence in the club’s fortunes. He is pledging to deliver “a spectacular project” around the world’s greatest players and is reported to have a fund of around 180 million pounds to build a new Galactico era. Next on Perez’s hit list is apparently Franck Ribery who he wants to snap up from Bayern Munich at the expense of Chelsea.

Kaka is going to be a huge asset to Real Madrid as they aim to bridge the gap with Barcelona and go back to their glory days.Whatever the circumstances of the sale, both AC Milan and Kaka have handled themselves with dignity and the club’s farewell testimonial paid tribute to the role the Brazilian had played at the Italian club. Kaka’s departure would leave a huge and serious gap on the field which would be difficult to fill but it would be impossible to replace Kaka the man.

Chelsea salvage some silverware at the end of a disappointing season.

2009-06-01T03:05:00.000-07:00

Chelsea lifted the FA Cup as Guus Hiddink’s last game in charge of the West London side ended in success. Chelsea ran out 2-1 winners after goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Everton had gone ahead after Louis Saha scored the fastest goal in FA Cup history to put his side 1-0 up after 27 seconds.

However, Everton were not able to maintain the early match pressure that they built up and the result was a fitting way for Hiddink to end his short tenure in charge of Chelsea. The victory will put a smile on the face of everyone at the club after some disappointing end of season results, which left the side looking as though they may finish without any silverware.

It was an efficient display from a Chelsea side that looked as though they had a point to prove. They were rampant down the left wing with Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda combining on several occasions, that resulted in Everton’s right back, Tony Hibbert, being taken off at half time.

Hiddink said after the game: “It was one of the biggest achievements in my career, winning in the Mecca of world football. The FA Cup is something that you truly cannot believe.”

The result will be hard to take for David Moyes. He has been hailed as one of the most under rated managers in the Premier League and yet another chance to break the dominance of the big four teams in England has slipped through Everton’s grasp. However, they didn’t play badly and it was only a couple of goals that was the difference. They can learn from the lessons and make sure they come back fighting next season.

Moyes said: “We deserved to be in the final because the players performed ever so well throughout the season, but we found Chelsea a hurdle too much. They were the better team and used the conditions better than we did.”

Chelsea’s win showed everyone just why Hiddink was the right man to be leading the side and although he travels back to Russia soon, he will be missed as he steadied a ship that was violently rocking when he came in just a few months ago.

Hiddink also has the look of a manager that could stay in a position for a very long time and you would never have guessed yesterday that David Moyes has been at Everton for nearly seven years longer than his counterpart. Whoever now comes in to replace the Dutchman has a big place to fill and will have to work extremely hard to maintain the progress that Hiddink was able to achieve in such a short space of time.

Hiddink is likely to return to English football at some point in the near future and whoever manages to get him to coach their side will be very lucky indeed. It is truly refreshing to someone with so much managerial talent be so modest and bow out of such a big position with a lot of grace.

Deal being lined up to keep the right man at Newcastle

2009-05-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

A deal is being lined up which could see Alan Shearer stay on at Newcastle United. It is though that Shearer will be offered a four year deal to try and tempt him into staying and getting the club back into the Premier League.

Newcastle were sent down much to the joy of Hull City and now the board are rapidly working away in order to get a deal done that would see Shearer stay on. No doubt he will want to as he will still be suffering from the heart break of the drop, this would make it much easier for him to say yes to a good deal as opposed to if the club had stayed up.

If they had stayed up then a number of problems at the club would not have been highlighted and Shearer may then have been persuaded to not stay on as head at St. James’ Park. Shearer is clearly a man with big opinions and ideas about how the club should be run and he will want to get these across in a better manner.

It must be remembered that he did not have long in charge of the team and a few games clearly wasn’t long enough for him to be able to stamp his style of management on the side and as a result they went down. A long and more extended deal will allow him the time and space to develop the side to the exact point to how he would want it.

He also knows how to deal with the players as he was a high calibre on himself. This will be important over the next couple of months when you take in to account the fuss that is likely to be generated over the downgrading of contracts. A lot of Newcastle’s players will be subjected to 50 per cent wage cuts and as a result many may head for the door rather than show their faith and stay on.

Another reason why a long deal would be good for both parties is the fact that Shearer has the ability to inspire. The fans are loyal and love him despite the club going down and he can inspire the younger players in the side to go out and run themselves into the ground for a club that deserves so much more.

Man journalists have been commenting in recent times about how Newcastle had become somewhat of a laughing stock to a number of other clubs in the North East and the rest of the country. This is something that will really get to Shearer, something he will take to heart and work vigorously to change.

So Newcastle would do well to give him every single assurance that he asks for and pretty much offer him whatever he wants to stay as manager of the club. Getting someone else in now would be a bad move as they would take time to settle in and develop the club to their own ends. Shearer is already there and Newcastle need to make sure he stays there.

Fergie will always be one of the greats.

2009-05-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Reports emerging today that Sir Alex Ferguson has missed his chance to become one of the greatest managers of all time are absolutely ridiculous and naïve. Ferguson’s Manchester United side lost last night in the Champions League final and many reporters are now saying his chance at true greatness has been missed.

Well it is hard to believe this when you bear in mind the 35 trophies he has already won including 11 Premier League crowns and two European Cups. The point is that any manager would have suffered last night and it is difficult to think of a team that actually would have beaten Barcelona, regardless of the way United had played.

Barca manager, Pep Guardiola, himself commented before the game that even if his side won that Fergie would always been an idol to him and to other managers because he has achieved so much in a huge career. The Scot will be hungry for more as well, he is a human being and will be feeling as gutted as anyone else on the United plane when it comes home.

No doubt he will want to right this wrong at some point and has already stated that he will not retire until it is clearly obvious that he can’t take a moment more of the excitement and fast pace of the domestic game.

So to suggest his chance for greatness has slipped away is a stupidly naïve statement to make. His side came up against another side that played perfectly in every single area on the pitch. This is something that can sometimes render tactics irrelevant. It seemed that however Fergie tinkered with his team then Barca would play around that problem until it worked for them.

When he does eventually retire then he will be considered as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest manager in the last two decades. It is impossible to win absolutely everything all of the time and although there was talk of a quintuple this year for United it was an unlikely scenario. This is a side that went for everything and as a result have come out with only the Premier League, World Club Championship and Carling Cup to show for it.

However, at least they had a go. It would take a very special side to win everything they were playing for in a single season. It would take a team with a squad so deep it would seem like they had contracted players walking the streets, ready to play when necessary. It would also take a manager who wouldn’t appear to be a human being, the sort of man that has an answer for everything and knows how to turn literally any game in five minutes so it works to his advantage.

It is very easy to ignore just how well Barca played last night and look at how United clearly were the worse team. It’ll be a hard push for Barca to get into the final again next year as there are a lot of teams who will be gunning for them when the competition starts again. It is certain however, that the statues being made of Fergie are not going to be smashed to bits because of one final defeat.

Vacancy at Newcastle United

2009-05-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

Can Shearer say no?

There’s a rather high-profile vacancy at Newcastle United Football Club. For a manager. But don’t bother applying as it’s already been filled. Well, the Toon Army hopes it has anyway.

All the signs are pointing in the right direction of caretaker manager Alan Shearer taking on the job permanently.

When the MD tells the world the candidate has his 110 per cent backing, it’s got to be a fait accompli.

The big question is whether or not Shearer will take the job. Or rather, can he turn it down?

It’s the classic Catch 22 situation. If Shearer accepts the position, he will continue to be Newcastle’s hero. If he turns it down, the Magpies will take it as a slap in the face, very unfair given Shearer’s devotion for the last eight matches of the season and for taking the job on in the first place. He risked not only his health – such pressure just cannot be good for the heart! – and his reputation but igniting the anger of Newcastle supporters if he failed.

In the end, despite valiant attempts to keep the club up, he was unable to prevent the drop to the Championship but, as predicted, fans kept faith. There was still only one man they wanted for the job and the board seems to agree.

MD Derek Llamblas says Shearer is their number one target for the full-time job, describing him as a straight-talking guy and the man who could take Newcastle back into the top flight next season. It would be a huge challenge but that’s probably the key to Shearer taking the job. He has never been a man to give up, on or off the pitch, and coupled with his love for Newcastle, it would be a huge shock if he turned the job down.

The only slight cloud on the horizon is why it is taking such a long time to make an announcement. What exactly is the stumbling block or is Shearer actually having to think about committing to the club full-time?

Fans have been promised an update or an announcement as soon as possible and let’s hope that it comes within the next few days. Newcastle were dealt a huge blow with relegation and if Shearer is confirmed as the new manager, it will lift the whole city.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, meantime, has apologised to the fans for wrong decisions in recent seasons and says he fully accepts mistakes were made. He says the supporters have been magnificent, turning up in their thousands match after match.

Is the slate being wiped clean to make way for Shearer’s new regime? It would certainly seem that way.

If so, comments also made by former Newcastle owner Sir John Hall are pretty irrelevant. He has criticised the attitude of the current squad, describing them as rubbish, useless and yesterday’s men. Talk about kicking a dog when it’s down.

What Newcastle need now is to go forward, not look back. It’s time to rebuild the team, rebuild the club and rebuild confidence and, above all, to start winning when the new season begins. Let’s just hope the man at the front is Alan Shearer.

Young and old conflict at Arsenal.

2009-05-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

Arsenal winger, Theo Walcott, has gone head on against the comments made by his manager, Arsene Wenger, and insists that playing for your country at any level should be an honour. Wenger had said that Walcott being picked by both the England U21 side and the full first team would not allow one of his best young players enough time to rest over the summer.

Walcott has met these statements head on and says that whatever the level and whatever the game if England come calling then he is never going to say no. Wenger’s point is a good one considering the physical stress that modern day players are put under but you cannot help but admire Walcott’s ambition and almost childish nature.

Walcott said: “You should be proud to play for your country. I’m happy to play for both teams and put 100 per cent in and that’s what I will do.” Walcott is clearly a very talented and modest young man that takes playing for his country as seriously as he takes playing for his club.

No doubt that if Walcott picks up a bad injury this summer that keeps him out of Arsenal’s pre-season then the story will be reproduced in endless quantities until both parties have had their say to the FA cup. It is clear Wenger is not happy and even after Walcott ripped out the heart of Croatia in a World Cup qualifier he stated his fears that the euphoria surrounding Walcott would become too much for the young man to handle.

Wenger said: “I’ve let it be known to the FA that he should not play in both national teams during the holiday period. Capello is understanding and Pearce is less understanding. It is difficult for us to accept, but we cannot do anything about it.”

Surely Stuart Pearce just wants the best players at his disposal as England’s U21s go into the European Cup this summer hoping to avenge the heart break of semi-final defeat last time round. It is not a case of Pearce not being understanding enough, it is a case of him just wanting his country to win and he feels that picking Walcott, despite other commitments, is his best chance of doing this.

If Walcott comes out the European U21 finals as top scorer and also plays a blinder in the first team’s World Cup qualifiers then no one can be unhappy. The FA and England will be satisfied as their picking of Walcott will be justified and Wenger will be happy as one of his younger players has a lot more experience and has come through the summer unscathed.

It seems that Wenger should maybe just let Walcott off the leash a little and trust the young man to know when to say no, enough is enough, I’m too tired to play and need a rest. It is no good wrapping a player up in cotton wool because if you do then it will not get him anywhere.

There have been numerous occasions this summer where it has been quite clear that Walcott has not been good enough. He is still a very young man and the only way he will get better is through consistency and this will come through more games.

Hip hip hooray for Hyypia

2009-05-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Just how brilliant are the Liverpool supporters! Not only can the Kop raise the roof when the going gets tough, they can now dictate the tactics too.There was a brilliant flash of humour on the final day of the Premiership season as the Reds confronted Tottenham at Anfield.

Liverpool had already secured their creditable second place to Manchester United but Tottenham still had everything to play for with a place in the Europa League at stake.Liverpool also had a record to maintain – an entire season unbeaten at home for the first time in 21 years.

Fernando Torres had already secured a place in the history book by scoring his 50th goal of the season for Liverpool and with the Reds coasting to victory, it was the fans, as opposed to Rafael Benitez, who wanted a change on the pitch. Bring on hero Sami Hyypia, they cried.

Benitez later admitted it had always been his intention to bring the big Norwegian on a minute or two from time so the Kop could wish him a fond farewell. After a brilliant ten seasons with Liverpool, Hyypia is joining Bayer Leverkusen to see out his playing career.

His cool head, brilliant defending and a crucial goal or two made him a firm favourite at Anfield and the crowd had absolutely no intention of letting him go without a rip-roaring send-off.Managers aren’t normally dictated too by the supporters but on this occasion, Benitez just had to concede.

Ten minutes before time, on came Hyypia and what a great touch it was for captain Steven Gerrard to pass on his armband. The icing on the cake would have been scoring and Hyypia very nearly did that too.Afterwards, as Hyypia did a lap of honour, applauding the crowd, he admitted there were tears in his eyes.

Liverpool are losing a grand servant and their loss is Bayer Leverkusen’s gain. It’s great players like Hyypia who form the backbone of clubs, working consistently and silently in the background but always being there when needed.It’s odds on that Sami Hyypia will one day return to Anfield in some sort of coaching capacity and Liverpool will welcome him back with open arms.

Meantime, attention turns to Xabi Alonso who is being tipped to leave Liverpool, possibly for Real Madrid. Benitez says no, this is not the case. Alonso is happy at Anfield, has no plans to leave and is a great player they still want around.Liverpool fans will be waiting to see just who remains in the squad and what new signings will be made for the next season.

The Kop will be hoping to go one step better and secure the Premiership and avoiding those costly draws at home will be the key. Even the fans won’t be able to dictate that one.

Fitting reward for a season of hard work

2009-05-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Fulham will be playing European football next season and it is just what the club deserves as they have prospered under the management of Roy Hodgson. Fulham have developed from a mid-table club who had to fend off the threat of relegation each season to become one of the most efficient sides outside of the top four.

Fulham have attracted a lot of praise from every section of football this season and have created a defence, which rivals even the best in the game. Hodgson, whose appointment was one of much debate in West London when it was announced not too long ago, has created a lot of this.

What Hodgson has brought to the side is the experience that you need to steady a Premier League side that want to jump from one end of the table to the other. Before he arrived you didn’t really know which Fulham side you would be playing, the one capable of beating Manchester United 2-0 or the one capable of caving in to a good thrashing.

The point is that Hodgson brought with him a very level head. He made sure that every element of his side had big characters and that the same players were playing together all the time, keeping rotation down to a minimum. What this created was a sense of team spirit, something that can eradicate the quality of any opposition on any single occasion.

Now this has been set up and is part of the club, Fulham can move on to bigger things and bigger adventures. The chants echoing around Craven Cottage of ‘we’re all going on a European tour’ have not been heard for a very long time and the efficiency that Hodgson has drilled into his team is the main reason for this.

The club now looks very business like, limitations and possibilities are both equally considered with every decision that the football club makes. A strong discipline regime makes sure that none of the players step out of line and if the whole improving attitude continues then Fulham could start pushing the boundaries of what they can do domestically as well as on the European front.

Efficiency is everything in the game of football. Fulham do not play the prettiest game by a long way but they play to their strengths, which Hodgson has helped them develop. The spine of the side from the defence, down the middle to the front men is strong and this often makes the team resilient when they have to take a lot of pressure playing the bigger sides in the Premier League.

Hodgson has given back some confidence to one or two players that previously didn’t really have any and he has utilised the team’s best players and made sure that they are all playing their hearts out for the white shirt every single time they walk onto the pitch.

Fulham would do well to keep Hodgson in place for a very long time. He is arguably their best manager over the last few seasons and he doesn’t look like he will be swayed by an offer from anywhere else any time soon.

Futures are on the line

2009-05-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

It looks like Newcastle United’s relegation decider against flying high Aston Villa on Monday, May 25 will decide more than just the fate of the Geordies.

Assistant manager Iain Dowie has revealed that neither he or Alan Shearer know what their future will be after the season comes to a close. Does it depend on whether Newcastle stay up or go down? More than likely. Alan Shearer may well be in his infancy when it comes to football management but there is a feeling he will only stay if the club survives in the Premiership. The fans will certainly want him to continue.

Dowie says that when he and Shearer took on the roles it was just for eight weeks and those eight weeks have been the longest in their lives. A drop to the Championship would be a disaster for Newcastle and the supporters and Shearer and co would be gutted as well. But he would face a very difficult decision. Would he want to continue as manager in the second flight? It’s unlikely that Shearer would go elsewhere although his services will be much in demand. It’s more likely that he would opt to resume his broadcasting career and avoid the stress and strains of football management.

In any event, all hope is not lost yet. Newcastle travel to Aston Villa needing at least a point, with Hull and Sunderland also battling for survival. All eyes will be on Sir Alex Ferguson to see what type of team he fields against Hull. Fergie assures that whatever side he picks, they will be well capable of defeating Hull as promising young players will want to prove their worth and their potential as future stars.

That’s little consolation for Shearer who wants to see Hull slaughtered. Fergie has the Champions League final in Rome against Barcelona three days later very much on his mind and who can blame him for wanting to wrap his big guns in cotton wool? Other managers would do the same. That’s why they are managers. Dare to criticise Fergie for thinking about fielding a weakened team and Manchester United fans will go for the jugular. The teams in the relegation zone have only themselves to blame for the plight they find themselves in. Quite simply, they should have won more matches.

There are no favours in the big time and it will be up to Newcastle, Hull and Sunderland to make their own luck.Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia is at least seeing sense. He believes Fergie will field a side good enough to beat Hull. Sunderland go down if they lose to Chelsea, Hull beat United and Newcastle win their game. Hull might have everything to play for but it will be a great surprise if they manage to get one over Manchester United, under strength team or not.

Meantime, it looks as though out of sorts striker Michael Owen is likely to figure in Shearer’s starting eleven. He has a big point to prove and it’s odds on that Owen is going to slot home Newcastle’s winning goal, turning himself into a hero as much as Shearer already is. May 25 is going to be a very interesting day indeed!

Pressure piled onto Mark Hughes.

2009-05-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

The pressure has been well and truly piled onto Mark Hughes as Manchester City’s financial backers are demanding a top six finish next season. The news comes just days after Hughes was told he had a job for a long time at City, however the stakes have been raised by the new owners and Hughes will have to dance to the tune if he wants to stay where he is.

The theory is that taking into account where City are likely to finish this season and the players they are going to bring in then UEFA Cup football is the least acceptable scenario to satisfy the powers that be next year.

On the one hand the club are giving Hughes assurance that he is safe in his managerial position but on the other hand they are dropping subtle hints that he could be axed if he doesn’t fulfil their targets. This equipped with the news that the club are locked in negotiations with Stephen Ireland over a new contract gives Hughes one hell of a headache for the time being.

City chairman, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak said: “We are not going to splash money around because that formula doesn’t work. It needs to be done sustainably, with quality management, quality infrastructure and a quality manager. That’s what we are doing.”

It all sounds like we have heard it all before. When Caludio Ranieri found himself in charge of a Chelsea side with millions in the bank, thanks to a new Russian owner, he too was told his job was safe. A year later he had not made the strides that the club wanted and he was sacked quite harshly.

So it seems that however City want to dress this issue up, Hughes will have to do something special next season. The calibre of names that arrive at City this summer could be rather muted and hence stem the progression of the squad and success. These are all things Hughes will have to take into account but it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone if he was axed by January.

However, so far Hughes has done a pretty decent job in charge, he has managed to control Robinho’s ego from getting out of hand while making sure that the progression of youngsters through the club’s academy does not stop. Even if City have a rough start to the season then it would be a very risky decision to get rid of a boss who clearly has so much managerial potential. Another club would rapidly sign him up without a seconds notice.

The task is quite simple for Hughes to carry out. He just has to win more games and break through a whole host of clubs who have publicly stated their intent to break into Champions League football next season. This means there will be four or five other clubs trying to do what Hughes has been told he must do. This could make his life a lot more difficult and ultimately be the deciding feature in Hughes’ future.

Our World Cup

2009-05-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

It’s our World Cup

Say what you want about Britain, you can’t get away from the fact that we are a very proud nation.

Whether it’s boom time or a recession, we Brits are fiercely loyal to our country, especially when it comes under criticism.

This hands-off attitude can sometimes be confused with arrogance, something some officials believe has to be avoided if we are to win the World Cup in 2018 or 2020.

But don’t the two go hand in hand? To be proud you have to be a bit arrogant but it doesn’t have to be in an offensive manner.

Take David Beckham, for example. No man could be more passionate about the game than he is. As an ambassador for our World Cup bid, we couldn’t ask for more. He speaks about the challenge ahead with dignity and pride and holds his head up high. Not arrogance but self-belief. What a different person he has become from the silly, hot-headed young player shown the red card all those years ago for his petulant kick.

England can and will host the World Cup, probably in 2018. At the bid’s official launch, Beckham spoke of the passion for the game which runs throughout our country, from grassroots to international level.

Great players always ask him what it is like to play in front of English supporters and hopefully they will find out. It is electrifying, passionate, intimidating and inspiring. If anyone could help us win the World Cup in 2018 or 2020, it will probably be the crowd. As Beckham so rightly says, no other country can match our supporters.
But it’s not just about the football on the field or the support in the stands. It’s about the facilities.

Britain has shown it can cope with hosting the very best in sporting events, starting with the Olympic Games in 2012. Compared with that, the World Cup would be a piece of cake – well, perhaps not quite that, but the standards will have been set and the infrastructure tried and tested.

We already have some brilliant Premiership stadia which are full week in, week out. They would be bursting at the seams when we stage the World Cup.

But it would be more than that. Football fans or not, soccer fever would once again sweep the nation and infect everyone, world-wide. We know how to support our team and how to put on a brilliant football party.

All we now have to do is to persuade our international friends and colleagues to get on board the passion train, destination England.

Sunderland fate in their own hands

2009-05-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Sunderland will go into the last day of the Premier League season with the fate of their survival in their own hands. The pressure was piled on by Portsmouth last night after a 3-1 defeat left the Black Cats staring over the edge.

However, Sunderland are better positioned than a few teams around them but the drama of last day football has seen stranger things happen and the prospect of facing Chelsea could mean an opportunity opens up for the lies of Hull City or Newcastle United.

Sunderland would have wanted a greater barrier than just two points going into their final clash of the season but manager, Ricky Sbragia, is staying positive. He said last night: “We wanted to get a cushion going into the last game but we know what we have to do. It is going to be difficult but we have got to get a win on Sunday.”

Both Manchester United and Chelsea are facing sides in the relegation places this weekend and will likely field strong sides as they owe it to the others battling away. Sunderland will want to make sure they are safe through winning but a determined Chelsea will want to see Guus Hiddink out in style so it could be a case of hoping that Hull or Newcastle slip up.

Sunderland have by far and away the best chance of survival but if both Hull and Newcastle win their fixtures than it will be the side on Tyneside that goes down, which no one expected. It could well replicate the day when West Brom managed to get safe after looking like they were certain to go down, being bottom of the table on the last day.

The relegation battle so far this season has been extremely interesting to watch and it sure to be tense. All Sunderland have to do is get a win, if they draw then they will be looking at goal difference and as harsh as it seems every fan will be hoping that Aston Villa and Manchester United can romp to victories or at least take points that would guarantee Sunderland’s safety.

It would be such a shame to lose either of Newcastle and Sunderland, regardless of the fact that both sets of fans will want to see the other club plummet to failure miserably. Tyneside has produced some of the most passionate football clubs in living memory and if both manage to stay up then we can once again be treated to one the fiercest rivalries in world football next season.

It is impossible to predict what will happen on the last day because something always develops that no one even considered. Sunderland clearly have a very clever and under rated manager, despite the thumping defeat last night, every single person at the club will have the league table worked out and they know what they need to do. If they win the are safe, the equation is as simple as that, the fact their last day opponents are Chelsea will not matter to a single person in a red and white shirt on Sunday.

Tevez future looks set to be decided once and for all

2009-05-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

Manchester United have said today that the future of Carlos Tevez will be resolved in early June. The Argentine forward has been the centre of much speculation, for a large part of this Premier League season.

His substitution yesterday in the match against Arsenal, which saw United lift the Premier League crown, suggested that it might be his last game at Old Trafford. However, the echoes flying out of Manchester today suggest that United would like Tevez to stay and have started working on the terms and details.

The point is that Tevez is not contracted to a club, he is contracted to an agent, Kia Joorabchian. The sum of money reportedly being asked for to make Tevez into a permanent United player is thought to be in excess of £25 million, making the total paid by United for his services £35 million.

Both Tevez and Sir Alex Ferguson have expressed their desire to get the matter sorted and Tevez would jump at the chance to stay at a club where he is worshipped by the fans. It would also save a headache for Ferguson who will want to keep one of his most influential players.

United’s Chief Executive, David Gill, said today: “The actual situation will be cleared up in early June. Carlos has done very well. We would like him to stay but the actual economic situation needs to be clarified.”

United were offered support yesterday by European officials that suggested Tevez’s contract with Joorabchian was nothing more than on an employment type basis, suggesting that Tevez could join United permanently for free. However, the West Ham United and Sheffield United affair showed just how ugly a tussle over Tevez can get and United will not want a repeat in a summer where they will be keeping an eye on many other stars.

The news is positive for United fans though, and for playing staff alike. Tevez does not seem to have an ego and is the sort of player that will run himself into the ground over 90 minutes for his club. He seems genuinely pleased to be where he is and has often kissed the United badge on scoring this season.

It doesn’t make sense to get rid of a player that everyone seems to adore and get on with. There will be a lot of arm wrestling to get him released from whatever current agreement he is held to but United clearly admire and respect Tevez enough to consider it as an option.

Gill’s promise that the matter will be sorted swiftly will be relief to admirers of the club as reports all season long have linked Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo with moves to Spain. It proves that the club has further ambition, despite ample glory, and is determined to not be pushed around by any outside parties.

If a reasonable deal can be reached and all parties concerned are happy then Tevez will be wearing the red shirt of United at the start of next season. Let’s hope the speculation stops and the matter can be settled once and for all.

United on the brink of title success

2009-05-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Manchester United can secure the Premier League title today if they get a point from their match against rivals Arsenal. United will be looking to rapidly wrap up the league to then turn all of their focus and energy towards the Champions League final on May 27.

It would also be fitting for them to take the title in front of their own fans, but Arsenal will be looking to do any thing they can to spoil the party and leave Liverpool with the smallest bit of hope they could still intervene.

United captain, Rio Ferdinand, seems to be the only major injury worry for the current champions who look set to name an otherwise full strength side. Arsenal on the other hand have their work cut out. Manuel Almunia is suffering from an ankle knock, Tomas Rosicky, William Gallas and Gael Clichy will all join him in the stands for the match.

It has been clear this season that United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, has not lost a single bit of his hunger for the game and will be looking to secure this title as though it were his first domestic success in charge of the club.

Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “We have another opportunity to win it in front of our own fans - it would be nice to do it. My first intention was to win one and break the stranglehold Liverpool had on the title. The big challenge was that first one.”

“They have had a bit of criticism recently and they will want to register their abilities on a day when everyone expects Manchester United to win the title.”

You cannot really argue that United have not been the best team this season, at various points they have proved that they have everything needed to grind out horrible points and victories and never really looked threatened when Liverpool had their spell at the top of the league.

If they win today then it would mark another success in the book of what Ferguson has called his best ever team. Their focus may well be on the end of the month and Barcelona but everyone at United will know that if you win the league then it proves you are a better team over a longer period of time as opposed to winning a one off match.

Once the success is secured the close season drama can begin and the club can enjoy the remaining games they have this season. The destination of one or two in the current squad is still unknown e.g. Carlos Tevez. Accompanied with the ongoing saga that is Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, the title success could just be the backdrop to a lot more important drama about to unfold at Old Trafford.

United have proved they are by far and away the best team this season and a lot of work will have to be done over the summer if other clubs are going to get closer and make more of a challenge in the next campaign.

Stevie G’s gold dust

2009-05-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has double reason to be proud of his latest accolade, Writers’ Award Player of the Year 2009.

For in the wake of the announcement, reaction by football fans across the Premiership has been one of praise, rather than sour grapes.

How different to the nasty gripes which followed the PFA’s choice of Ryan Giggs for their Player of the Year, a title for which Stevie G was also short-listed. Giggs wrongly received plenty of flax, given his lack of appearance for Manchester United this season and the belief that the award was more for outstanding performance over the years as opposed to an illustrious season.

No-one can take that away from Gerrard. He has been an absolute inspiration, a talisman for Liverpool and, but for his injury spell during some vital last games, could and probably would have made all the difference to the Reds’ title challenge.

Gerrard has notched up so many successes and accolades during his career that it’s hard to believe he will be only 29 at the end of this month. He is one of only 16 Liverpool players to have scored more than 100 goals for his team and there have been some absolute crackers.

Gerrard has it all. Charm, charisma, speed, skill, agility, the ability to perform in a variety of positions and the cool head to lead where others will follow. But he has that additional quality no amount of money or training will buy. He has the golden touch. Put Gerrard on to the field when things seem down and out and it’s like sprinkling gold-dust on to the pitch.

Who will ever forget his incredible show of fortitude during the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005? Apparently down and out with a 3-0 deficit against AC Milan, even die-hard Liverpool fans were switching off their televisions and leaving the stadium in their droves. But just nine minutes after coming back out of the tunnel, Stevie had turned the tide to begin one of the greatest comebacks in years and eventually lifted the cup in front of delirious fans.

And then, in 2006, he did it again, scoring a dramatic last-minute equaliser against West Ham in the FA Cup final at Cardiff to force extra-time and the victory on penalties for Liverpool.

Captain Fantastic, as he has become known, as won virtually every piece of silverware there is going and numerous titles. He concedes that the Writers´Award Player of the Year 2009 is one of his proudest achievements to date.

What Gerrard now needs to do is to win the Premiership with Liverpool, the only accolade eluding him. Manager Rafael Benitez knows what he has got in Stevie G and realises he is the man who can make all the difference between success and narrow failure. Gerrard may well wear red and be a Red through and through but sometimes, on that rare occasion, a player transcends all club rivalry and wins the admiration of all, no matter what their allegiance. Gerrard is one of them.

Madrid legend urges his team to pull out all of the stops

2009-05-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

The continuing stories surrounding the future of Bayern Munich’s, Franck Ribery, have continued today with Real Madrid legend, Zinadine Zidane, urging his former side to do whatever is necessary to buy the Frenchman.

Ribery has been strongly linked with a move away from Munich with Manchester United the current front-runners to gain his services. However, the poor form of the Real Madrid side this season has highlighted the fact that they will have to buy this summer in order to get closer to Barcelona.

Zidane played his final days in the French national team just when Ribery was coming up through the ranks. The fact that Zidane is urging them to pay and do whatever it takes to sign Munich’s star player is proof enough that Ribery could well be the most eagerly sought player this summer.

Speaking in the Spanish media, Zidane said: “I hope that Real Madrid can sign Ribery. It would be a great advantage to have such players in our team. If there is an agreement between the clubs, I am sure that Franck would move to Spain. We must do everything to bring him to Madrid, his signing would help to restore the prestige of this club.”

Where Ribery would most like to relocate to is unknown but it seems that if a bidding war develops between Real Madrid and United then the latter is better positioned to win it. United have the recent success, club stature and playing staff to all fit in with Ribery’s attributes.

However, Madrid need to restore some confidence and such a player can do just this. A potential partnership of Ribery and Arjen Robben pacing up and down the Madrid flanks would maken even the most established teams wary.

It is a very long shot though. Ribery is likely to know a lot more people in England who play at various Premier League clubs, this means he would settle in much better if he moved to England and adopted the English game. Zidane however, clearly rates Ribery highly and his recommendation is likely to be closely listened to by the powers that be at Madrid.

Ribery has also been linked with various clubs in England for a lot longer than any clubs from Spain. This could mean that English representatives have been in touch with his agent for a lot longer and hence could give any English club making a bid a slight advantage.

Where Ribery is going to end up is very hard to call. His future could take another twist before the summer transfer window opens up but it seems that a number of clubs are now poised to poach him from Munich. This much is accepted. Where he ends up though is anyone’s guess at the moment.

United are probably slight favourites but the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo now looks like he will not move to Spain could mean Madrid put greater emphasis on signing Ribery. If he is half the player that Zidane makes him out to be then Munich could be in for a big cash injection very soon.

United move to within a point of another Premier League crown

2009-05-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Manchester United need just a point this weekend when they play Arsenal to secure another Premier League title after a 2-1 victory at Wigan Athletic last night. In a tricky match for the champions, a professional performance was enough to see them past a Wigan side that had clearly improved from this point last season.

It was in fact Wigan who went ahead on the half hour mark. Nemanja Vidic’s slip allowed Hugo Rodallega to slam the ball home to cancel out a first half pretty much dominated by United. Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick both got on the score sheet in the second half to give United the three points they were looking for.

It was a very professional display by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and he will be pleased at the manner of the victory and the fact that there were no players looking to throw their toys out of the pram with this performance.

One Wigan fan said before the game: “We just need to stay in there and fight.” That’s exactly what Steve Bruce’s men did. They literally made it as difficult as they could for United to get any time on the ball that would allow the killer last pass to be made. The Wigan goal may have been against the run of play but it was deserved.

Wigan look to be getting better all the time and surely as time passes they will add higher quality additions to their squad. This will allow them to push on next season and based on this it wouldn’t be a surprise if they show enough grit and determination to secure a top six spot in the next campaign.

United’s work is not yet done. They still need to get a point from the Arsenal game and will face a side likely to be rampant on revenge having been stuffed in the Champions League. United will know that they can’t waste as many good chances to score as they did last night and there is no doubt that if Arsenal can do any thing to spoil the party then they will.

Ferguson will be pleased with the performance of Tevez who looks to have kick started the manager into negotiating with him over a new contract. He will also be pleased that the team got through the match with no fresh injury doubts, something so important when you consider the high calibre of matches they have left to play.

Although the quintuple is now no longer a possibility there has really only been one team who has been so dominant over the entire season and it’s United. Despite Liverpool’s push this season United have proved time and time again that they know how to grind out results and win key points.

This is easily a match they could have let their heads drop in. The rain was pouring down and no doubt one or two of the players wouldn’t have fancied it. However, they stuck to their task and are now within touching distance of the Premier League trophy yet again.

Reading will be looking to turn around first leg deficit

2009-05-12T02:55:00.000-07:00

Reading will be looking to over turn the 1-0 score line they conceded in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, when Burnley travel to the Madejski stadium tonight. Reading played well and built up good spells of pressure in the first leg but fell behind to a penalty, which saw Andre Bikey sent off.

The added incentive is there for the Royals who will want to bounce back into the Premier League at the first attempt. However, Burnley must not be over looked as the prospect of unknown water can often inspire a team and make them play above their normal levels of performance.

Whoever wins the match will set up a mouth watering final clash with Sheffield United and the prospect of playing for a place in the Premier League and a club pay day of £30 million.

Bikey is obviously suspended for four games so will play no part in the match, Kalifa Cisse is likely to take his place. Kevin Doyle is struggling to shake off an injury and winger Glen Little is available for selection. Steve Coppell will have to get his side right if they are to have any chance of progression as Burnley will no doubt adopt a defensive element in the game.

Chris Eagles faces a late fitness test for the travelling side and it is unknown whether he will start. Wade Elliot and Joey Gudjonsson also face fitness tests but otherwise Burnley will travel at full strength.

The match is likely to be a lot more open than the first leg and Reading will be hoping that the home fans can get right behind the team and ensure that the recent home form they have shown is corrected. Reading have all of the tools necessary to progress and watching their last few performances there is a big display about to explode from this side.

However, Burnley are not naïve. They will travel with one goal already in the back and will adopt an efficient system. They may choose to string five men across the midfield if Reading go with three strikers up top again. The only problem is that this sort of system invites pressure and could well be their undoing if Reading hit their straps.

Although Sheffield United at the moment won’t care who they play in the final they would probably prefer it to be Burnley as Reading will want revenge over United for a recent league defeat.

Burnley can win this match but they need Reading to have an off day. Reading’s failure to make the pressure tell the other night was reflected through an angry and animated Coppell, who as we all know is otherwise calm and collected. Therefore it is likely he has been banging on at his side over the last couple of days that they cannot keep failing to convert their chances.

At this moment in time the match is hard to call. For all of the football perfectionists they would probably prefer a Sheffield United v Reading final but this is unknown territory for Burnley, which is something that could fuel the performance of the side.

Barcelona, more than a club

2009-05-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

When Barcelona players walk on to the pitch at the Nou Camp in their famous blue and claret strip, they are representing not just a club but a way of life.

They and their fans throughout Spain and the rest of the world hold values dear to their hearts. Fortitude, loyalty, freedom, the right of choice and speech, determination, principles and passion.

But these are not manufactured ethics. These have been earned over more than 100 years of distinguished history. A history which has seen near bankruptcy, the suicide of one of its most influential presidents, a fight to retain its name, the murder of a leading protagonist and even a Fascist bomb. All this from humble beginnings and a tiny advertisement in a sporting newspaper which laid the foundations for a proud future.

Today, Barcelona is one of the most famous football clubs on the planet. It’s estimated that one in four Spanish residents support the team which became a symbol of anti-dictatorship following the country’s harsh years under the forceful rule of Primo de Rivera and Franco.

Barcelona has always shunned the norm and became the first team to refuse shirt sponsorship despite the offer of huge sums of money from household names. Instead, in 2006, the club signed a five year agreement which sees UNICEF receiving nearly two million dollars each year towards its work. It may be one of the richest clubs ever but Barcelona FC has never forgotten its humble roots and the fight to survive and prosper.

The man who started the football club in Barcelona was actually from Switzerland. Businessman Hans (Joan) Gamper, born in 1877, was an avid sports enthusiast. He put a note in a local magazine in 1899 calling for players. Just one month later, he was presiding over the club’s inaugural meeting. Englishman Gualteri Wild became the first president and their very first game was against some ex-Pats who scored the only goal (with a little help from some Barcelona players!)

Barcelona’s famous and imposing Nou Camp is probably as well-known as the team but playing life actually started in the grounds of a number of hotels. However, their first official ground in 1909 made history, having a capacity of 6,000 with a two-tier stand, unique in those early days.

By this time, Barcelona were already winning titles and cups, including the Catalan Championships and the Spanish Championships year after year.

Founder Gamper, who also played for the club as a prolific striker, became president of the club in 1908 to save it from financial disaster. He was to serve as president five times in all up to 1925 and did not deserve his sad end as he committed suicide in 1930 because of business and political pressures.

The years between 1919 and 1929 was a golden age decade for Barcelona, despite huge political difficulties. In 1922, they moved to their new Les Corts ground which became known as “the cathedral of football”.

Much of Barcelona’s history is directly linked to the Fascist reign of Spain which was to haunt them even into the 1970s and it’s said that many supporters joined the club as a way of expressing their disgust at the supremacy, rather than become members of direct political groups. In 1925, the crowd even jeered the Spanish National Anthem and Gamper was forced to resign, contributing to his tragic demise.

In the 1930s, the regime ordered the closure of Les Corts and it was used as a type of military camp during the civil war. Barcelona’s president Josep Sunol was also murdered by Franco’s soldiers and, in 1938, a fascist bomb was dropped on the social club. Franco even ordered the club to change its Catalan name to the more Spanish Club de Futbol Barcelona, a move which was finally reversed in 1970.

Through it all, Barcelona stood strong and earned the respect of millions of Spaniards who shared the same ethics but were not at liberty to speak out. Today, there is still great rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid who were seen as favourites in the Fascist regime. It is one of the reasons why one of their most famous managers, Johan Cruyff was so revered. He said he opted for Barcelona over Real Madrid and even chose a traditional Catalan name, Jordi for his son.

Cruyff is just one of the famous names associated with Barcelona who celebrated the opening of their incredible Nou Camp stadium in 1959. It holds 90,000 spectators and is regarded as one of the best in the world. Walking down its famous steps is said to take your breath away. Great names associated with the club include Gary Lineker, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Efo, Figo, Kluivert, Rivaldo, Simatoz, Schuster and Alberto as players and Terry Venables, Rijkaard and Bobby Robson as managers.

Barcelona have had periods of massive success but lulls too yet the trophy cabinet at the Nou Camp is packed to the brim with silver-ware. They have won virtually everything there is to be won in football, including the La Liga title, the Spanish Cup, the Super Cup, the League Cup, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the Super Cup. Barcelona are just one of three teams never to have been relegated from La Liga and are the second most successful club in Spanish football. One of their greatest nights was winning their first European Cup at Wembley in 1992 and their support at the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on May 27, 2009 was just incredible.

Throughout it all, the peaks and troughs, the triumphs and the defeats, membership of Barcelona has continued to grow as millions of fans agree it is so much more than just a club. Mes que un club. It’s a living legend.

Barcelona suffer injury setback

2009-05-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Barcelona play maker, Andres Iniesta, picked up a thigh injury in the club’s 3-3 draw with Villarreal yesterday that could see him miss the Champions League final against Manchester United.

Iniesta has been arguably Barcelona’s most influential player in recent seasons and the injury is a massive blow to the club and their trophy bids. Barcelona’s manager, Pep Guardiola, admitted that losing such a key player would be a huge blow to the club ahead of the biggest game of their season.

Guardiola said in the Spanish media today: “Losing Iniesta through injury is worse than not having won the title on Sunday. He is definitely out of the cup final but I hope he will be in Rome.”

“Anyway, it is part of the game. You have to take risks. Another player will replace him. We will fight to win and could use players from the academy.”

It must be remembered that Iniesta is the reason that Barca are in the Champions League final. His brilliant precision and accuracy to score the goal against Chelsea last week, which sent them through, was something only he could produce.

Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that he does not face up against his side as it will give United one less headache to worry about and no doubt it will provide some space and opportunity in the midfield during the final, which United would otherwise not have.

The reason Iniesta is so important to the Barcelona side is that he has the ability to make everyone else on the pitch look like a world-beater. He creates space and brings players into the game. Pundits speaking after Barca’s win over Chelsea said he was even better on the ball than Thierry Henry or Lionel Messi.

These are not easy comments to attract and prove why Iniesta is so highly rated at the top level. It must also not be forgotten that he was in the heart of a Spain side that cantered to European glory last year.

Every single football neutral will want to see the best players picked for the Champions League final on May 27 so for Barca what they have to do is quite simple. They have to wrap Iniesta in cotton wool for the next couple of weeks while continuing to keep him motivated.

His come back could come at exactly the right time for Barca and no doubt they will want to unleash him for another final and hope that he replicates his performance in a similar manner to the one that was too good for Arsenal in 2006.

Barca can think themselves lucky that the injury was not a lot more serious and providing there is no internal or muscle damage and the blow to Iniesta’s right thigh was just this then a dead leg can easily be over come. Even though United will be hoping it is a lot more serious, in the back of Fergie’s mind he will want the Spaniard to get fit, as he will want to beat Barca’s best team.

Liverpool can temporarily move back to the top of the Premier League

2009-05-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

Liverpool face a tricky trip to West Ham United today but can move back to the top of the Premier League with a win. It will be a tough encounter at Upton Park as West Ham are also trying to push for a UEFA cup sot ahead of next season.

Rafa Benitez has no other matches to worry about this season so is likely to pick the best Liverpool side he can. Xabi Alonso will not play any part in the match as he is still recovering from the ankle injury he suffered after Joey Barton’s challenge last weekend. Liverpool’s only other concerns are Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano who are both carrying slight knocks but are expected to play.

Gianfranco Zola will be relying on the ever-audible West Ham support as well as the talents of many young players he has brought into the first team. Carlton Cole will miss out as he continues his recovery from a groin strain and joining him will be James Collins and Kieron Dyer.

Benitez will insist that his team still have a chance the Premier League title glory and will refuse to concede the title to Manchester United until it is a mathematical certainty. This makes for an attacking promise from the Liverpool boss and we may be treated to some of the best football of the weekend if Liverpool hit their straps.

However, West Ham must win the game if they want to have any chance of stealing 6th place away from Everton who are looking more and more likely to finish in that position. The gap is currently six points and a win will put the pressure back onto Everton who face a tough match today against an ever-improving Tottenham Hotspur side.

Hopefully it will not be a dead game as considering both teams do still have something to play for the likelihood that they will get anywhere near these proposed goals by the end of the season is grim. It could well turn out to be a rather pointless encounter, but such is professional football this is not likely to happen.

Until the fat lady sings, everyone on Merseyside and East London will be signing their hearts out and any slack effort or match play from either side will not only let the fans down but will not do either club justice.

There is also the added spice that both managers like to wield the post-season axe and the players should be aware of this. Liverpool will want to improve their squad again at the close season so anyone who does not pull their weight in Liverpool’s remaining games could fast find himself in the Benitez list of players to get rid of.

West Ham are also likely to increase their ambitions next season and this could well mean a massive over haul of playing staff if the new owners of the club allow Zola adequate funds to create a squad good enough to compete in Europe. There are a lot of youngsters currently in the West Ham side and they need to play out of their skins if they want to have any chance of staying in Zola’s plans.

Arsenal secure the future of one of their best talents

2009-05-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

Arsenal winger and front man, Theo Walcott, has committed his future to the club by signing a new long term contract. The news comes just days after reports of a new offer being prepared for manager, Arsene Wenger, and the gaffer will be pleased by the news that Walcott has no intentions to move this summer.

Walcott has come under increased scrutiny within the last couple of weeks as his inexperience in the Champions League ties against Manchester United was displayed at its fullest. However, Arsenal fans can now rest easy that this gifted individual will not be playing his football in any other place than at the Emirates come the start of next season.

Walcott seems as enthusiastic by the new deal and is insistent that Arsenal can win trophies in the next campaign. He said: “I’m absolutely delighted. The way the boss has managed all the team, the players he brings in just settle into the team straight away and just be part of it.”

“This team has definitely got the chance to win something, especially for the fans as well because they’ve been absolutely terrific for us this season. We want to do it for them mainly and it would be brilliant to look back on the amount of trophies and medals you’ve won.”

The North London club will be hoping that more players publicly commit their future to the club as Wenger will no doubt look to change things around this sumemr in his endless quest for the perfect football formula.

Walcott was a name rumoured to be targetd by a number of Premier League and Spanish clubs. His pace and touch on the ball are his two biggest assets, both of which are the sole reasons he is at such a big club.

There is little doubt that Arsenal are going to have to rapidly improve if they are to seriously challenge on all fronts next season. The first sign to doing this is to make sure the manager is not forced to sell anyone and the signature of Walcott is the first insurance of his more than talented squad staying together.

The bigger challenge for the former Premier League champions will be to hang onto their bigger players. Captain, Cesc Fabregas, has been linked with a move to Barcelona all season long and, no disrespect to Walcott in the slightest, it is these high calibre players that the club will have to keep.

The younger players can take something from Walcott’s commitment. He obviously recognises the fact there is no better manager in the game than Wenger to develop and nurture the talents of a gifted young player. Wenger, lest we not forget, turned Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira into two of the biggest names in the game from a point where they arrived at Arsenal as just young and raw young men.

The foundatons for Arsenal are very good. If the bigger players stay then it just needs one or two tweaks to make the Arsenal amchine strong again.

Former Manchester United star will be looking to get one over on his old side

2009-05-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

Gerard Pique will be looking to get one over on Manchester United when he faces his old club in the Champions League final at the end of the month. Pique made the move back to his native Spain last summer having been raised under the wing of Sir Alex Ferguson at United.

Now Pique wants to snuff out the United attack and prove to the current European champions that they were wrong for ever agreeing to let him leave. He said: “It means a lot. It will be special because I have three good years there, maybe I didn’t play a lot but they were important years for me.”

“There are no words to describe how happy the team is. A team like this, trying to attack all the time, cannot go 180 minutes without scoring a goal. It was in the last minute but it was enough.”

The significance of Pique’s transition as a player is outlined by the fact he is bound to start the final for arguably Europe’s best current team, when he would have struggled to even get in the squad if he was still at United. There will not be any malice or bitterness in his wanting to beat United, but he will be spurred on by the fact that he feels he may have something to prove.

If it is a good night in Rome for Pique then he won’t have an awful lot to do but this is very doubtful considering the rampant display that United showed against Arsenal the other night. Even Barca’s players could not help but sit back and admire the way they destroyed Arsene Wenger’s men.

The Spaniard has transformed himself from a fringe player at United into a first team regular at Barcelona and he will square up in the opposite number to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the hope that his team comes out well on top. If he scores then celebrations are unlikely as is the mutual respect obviously evident between Pique and his former club, but he will be as determined as ever when he puts on that Barca shirt.

It is impossible to predict what Pique’s performance will be like in the final. Both United and Barca have come a long way from the club’s they were this time a year ago. On the one hand United have learnt how to win the hard way and get through dodgy spells of form and bad performances this season. On the other, Barca have proved that they can take apart any team at will, but have frailties that United can exploit.

Pique will have one hell of a time trying to keep Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney quite all night when the teams meet in Italy but the determination he must feel after his Old Trafford exit could raise his level of performance to heights that United fans didn’t know he could reach. It is an impossible final to call but the feelings involved are already open on display.

Hull City captain prepares for biggest ever game

2009-05-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hull City captain, George Boateng, is calling this weekend’s match against Stoke City the club’s biggest ever game. The match is a real six pointer with both sides wanting to win to secure their Premier League safety for next season.

Boateng has been in and out of the Hull side all season with niggling injuries and is not prepared to underestimate the significance of this match. Forget the games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool, for now it’s all about beating Stoke.

Hull have really struggled after an impressive early season run that saw them take impressive victories away at Arsenal and Tottenham. They will desperately want to win this game to give their fans a little bit of breathing space. Newcastle United and Middlesborugh are also facing each other so one of them looks set to drop points, making the game for Hull even bigger than it already is.

Boateng said ahead of the clash: “This is going to be the biggest game in Hull City’s history, bigger even then winning last season’s play-off final against Bristol City. The best thing for us is that the game is at home. The good news is that we do not have to go to Stoke and defend 650 long throw ins. I feel very positive.”

Interestingly in comparison with other clubs neither Stoke nor Hull are that badly positioned. They both have a better chance of survival and should be confident that there are three teams worse than themselves. Three points for Hull would be a huge boost, coming in a run where confidence has been undoubtedly low and the side has been scratching around.

Stoke have been poised on the point of safety for a long time. It could be the case that the nerves and fidgets start to set in shortly if they cannot get themselves over that line. A win for either club would drastically dent the chances of the other, but they will be hoping that the other relegation dogfight this weekend ends in a draw, giving them a corridor of opportunity to bounce on.

Boateng is one of those rare individuals in the modern game that seems to set an example to everyone else. You never read about him in the media other than when it is to do with football and he is one of the main reasons Hull have done so well when he has not been fending off an injury. If his leadership skills are finely tuned during the game then it could well prove the turning point.

Big players are needed for big games like this one and it could turn out that this is the game of the weekend as all of the big clubs will be nursing players or now have little to play for. Phil Brown and Tony Pulis will be sussing each other out, but it is unlikely that either side will canter away with a victory but whoever gets the win will be feeling a lot easier than they do right now.

Hull could well pounce on the fact Stoke have not made the most of their position, they need the three points more and the home advantage could see them through.