Sir Alex Ferguson has quashed reports that United are interested in signing Frank Lampard from Chelsea. The United boss suggested that there is no way in the world that Villas-Boas will look to sell his best players, especially given the difficulty he would have in trying to replace them. Fergie also suggested that he may not buy, given the lack of quality that is generally available in the January window.
Elsewhere in the news Aston Villa confirms their interest in Keane; Arteta did consider representing England, while Neil Warnock is irate over Joey Barton’s ban.
News
Aston Villa confirm interest in Robbie Keane
Liverpool criticised over Suarez support
Sneijder not expecting January move
Triple blow for Manchester City
Neil Warnock irate over Barton’s ban
Mikel Arteta considered his options
West Brom suffer injury blow
England announce pre-Euro 2012 friendlies
Sir Alex Ferguson given transfer greenlight
Joksimovic confirms Tottenham and Chelsea interest
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Other transfer Talk
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Redknapp lines up £12million double swoop on rivals – Mirror
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Liverpool are the latest to show interest in £10m Birmingham winger Redmond – Daily Mail
When having my daily peruse of the papers and wondering exactly what I could disagree with this week, Mark Lawrenson made my task surprisingly easy. Not in a Piers Morgan offensive kind of way, just in the way that I simply didn’t agree with what Match of the Day’s main attraction had to say.
Lawrenson stated that although Spurs are a team full of promise, essentially they are exceeding the expectations people have of them and have zero chance of winning the title.
Now had you put this article to me at the start of the season, I would probably have been inclined to agree, yet the more I watch both sides from Manchester, and especially United, the more I feel that Spurs actually have just as good a squad, and in United’s case probably a better one.
If you look at the purchases made in the summer by Levy and Redknapp, not to mention the keeping of Modric and the ever growing talent of Bale, Spurs look like a side on the up, and with Redknapp at the helm – until England come calling – the only thing that will halt their ambitions is themselves and dropping silly points, such as the couple to Swansea.
That aside, Spurs have looked solid at the back and brilliant going forward this season, and certainly have the bragging rights of being the best team in London, leaving Chelsea and Arsenal trailing in their wake.
Yet how about the title race – is it as Lawrenson would suggest, a two horse race between the two clubs from Manchester? Well Spurs currently sit three points behind a United side who felt the need to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement, with a game in hand, and six behind City, again with a game in hand.
Well this is the league that people like to say is the most unpredictable in the world, and with United looking shaky in every area of the pitch despite their FA cup win, and City going into a period of tough matches and having to deal with the suspension of Kompany, the injuries to Dzeko and Balotelli not to mention the huge losses due to the African Cup of Nations, Spurs are more than entitled to fancy their chances of at the very least closing the gap and giving both sides a very good run for their money.
Redknapp has declared the title wide open and stated it is a six horse race, yet I would narrow that down to three, with the three sides below Spurs being left to fight it out for fourth. I actually think that Spurs will manage to separate the Manchester clubs, at least for a little while this season, with United far from assured, and Redknapp’s side are in a position to take full advantage of this.
The one thing that has to be cut out if they are to be genuine title contenders is the draws that should have been victories, and baring a couple of occasions, they have done this to a much better effect this year.
With the players Redknapp has at his disposal and the momentum Spurs have going into the second half of the season, not to mention the fact they are not distracted on a Thursday night like both Manchester clubs, it is a far from impossible scenario that Redknapp’s men will push the title race all the way, and throw in a few surprises whist they are at it.
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If you’re anything like me, the whole debate over the England captaincy this week is one that has left you feeling sick and tired. The fuss made over a role, that in essence, makes very little difference to the on-field performance of the team has been very frustrating. The media frenzy created over, what is overall, a small piece of fabric is quite baffling.
The role of club captain and national captain differ wildly, with a skipper at his domestic side involved heavily in the day-to-day goings on around the set-up. However, such is the infrequency of international matches, that the captain of the country has a very peripheral role.
All of the ramifications of John Terry’s two time axing from the role was one that confused many observers from outside of our isles. Not because of his actions, on both counts, which were not befitting of a man with such responsibility, but instead due to the hype surrounding who should take over reigns. Fabio Capello, representing this feeling, was one of those who could not entirely relate to the sheer perceived magnitude of the decision. The selection of captain in many other national set-ups’ goes to the most experienced player, invariably he with the most caps. The belief is that a player who has vast experience on the international stage, is enough to lead the team in the best possible manner.
At international level, there should not be such a hullabaloo over who is deemed to be the on-field leader, with players included in the international squad, on the most part, being experienced performers at the very top of their game. Of course some players are naturally inspirational, but their having, or not having of the armband should not affect their abilities. Quite often in the England squad, there are four or five club captains and a missing band around their arm will not reduce the qualities, which have allowed them that role with their individual sides.
Another problem is that in the end players are not overly fussed by the job. This is not saying that the captain’s role is completely insignificant, but with the number of candidates suitable for the role, it can be hard to argue against another player, which could lead to rifts within the team.
There are times when a captain should be named, such as major tournaments, to establish a feeling of stability to the side, in the face of a series of immediate challenges. Other than this, the sheer period of time between other international games can see major changes to the make-up of the team. It’s not uncommon to see players pull out of contention with injuries, genuine or in some cases not so genuine, altering the team almost beyond recognition from the last fixture. In these cases the most experienced man should take charge, as it is he who has the know how.
The role of club and national captain are almost incomparable, with the importance and responsibilities varying between each. As for the England team, it should be time that the captaincy took a back seat.
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Harry Redknapp has stated that he is focussed on the remainder of the season with Tottenham, despite being a leading contender to replace Fabio Capello as England manager.
The Italian coach stepped down from his role as national boss due to a disagreement with the FA over John Terry losing the country’s captaincy, and the Spurs tactician is the bookmakers favourite to lead The Three Lions to Euro 2012.
Despite this, Redknapp has prioritised his role at White Hart Lane over any media speculation regarding his future.
“I don’t know anything about the England job. I’ve not even thought about it,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’ve got a job to do; I’ve got a big game on Saturday with Tottenham. Tottenham is my focus.
“They’ve been fantastic to me, the Tottenham people. The fans last week at the Wigan game, it was incredible the reception they gave me.
“It wouldn’t be right to them to focus on anything else but Tottenham. My only interest is Tottenham Hotspur.
“They (the Football Association ) will make whatever decision they want to make and hopefully it will be the right decision for the country,” he stated adamantly.
Finally, The Daily Mail indicate that Tottenham will demand a £10 million fee should Redknapp leave White Hart Lane.
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Spurs take on Newcastle at White Hart Lane on Saturday, as they look to hold on to their third placed standing in the Premier League table.
Another weekend, another flurry of debatable decisions for us to digest, epitomised by Clint Hill’s clear yet not given goal in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bolton. We’ve all been on the receiving end of a controversial decision or two, it’s the nature of the beast but some instances are so blindingly obvious that it’s difficult not to launch into an uncontrollable rage where you try and expel as many expletives as possible in the shortest space of time.
All too often referees seem bereft of any common sense whatsoever, they seem incapable of waving play on, keeping their cards in their pocket or in these examples below, correctly observe the events that unfold before them. It’s impossible to truly know what the impact of these judgments might have had on the outcome of the game, whether they would have inspired a comeback or merely existed as a consolation goal but as we can all appreciate, it’s the ‘what ifs’ in football that hurt the most.
Click on Clive Allen to see the 11 goals that were ridiculously ruled out
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Got a favourite? Let me know on Twitter @theunusedsub
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When past players, punditry panels and onlookers alike look at the current Premier League stadia they will often recall Anfield as one of the most special venues in the land. Whether it’s the steep-sided Kop, the hair-raising ambience of Jerry and the Pacemakers blasting out before kick off or simply the vast history surrounding the place, Anfield truly is one of those magical locations in world football. However, the current Premier League season has been one of toil and struggle for Kenny Dalglish’s Reds and despite lifting the Carling Cup, Liverpool remain frustratingly miles away from where many think they should be realistically challenging in the division.
Despite having one of the best defences in the league, Liverpool have uncharacteristically struggled at home, failing to put many middle-of-the-road sides to the sword and suffering from a distinct lack of goal scoring and an inability to go on a long winning streak. Coupled with this, many of Dalglish’s big money signings have flattered to deceive and have only been used as scapegoats in Liverpool’s disappointing league campaign. Understandably, loyal Reds fans have grown frustrated at the club’s transitional state and have aired their concerns, despite a reluctance to shoulder the blame solely with their idolised manager Dalglish.
But have the Liverpool fans and Dalglish built such a high pressure environment that it is no wonder the players are continuing to struggle? Arguably, yes. Whilst we could embark on an in-depth comparison between whether the team inspires the fans or whether the fans inspire the team, there is no doubt that negative energies in the crowd are usually counterproductive for any team. Anfield has no longer been the intimidating fortress of old this term for opposing players but has seemingly become intimidating in the sense that many Reds’ squad members consistently fail to impress in their expectant and impatient surroundings.
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The groans for a poor Stewart Downing cross and the sighs for a misplaced Jordan Henderson pass have been more deafening than ever, and a large majority of fans are still umming and arring just whether to cut their losses with Andy Carroll or not, who despite playing better of late, still would be more at home in a long ball system. These unanswered questions have undermined Liverpool’s season, and add in Luis Suarez’s conflicts with Evra and you have a very distracted campaign. Manager Dalglish still maintains his ‘us against them’ tact in the media too, with his recent Sky Sports interview with Andy Burton after the Blackburn game representing for the umpteenth time the Scot’s old school attitude and blunt nature that the press are troublemakers and that he won’t work with them and give too much away.
Perhaps a more socially astute manager would deflect further criticism by not making himself an easy target and conveying more honesty instead of a defensive nature when quizzed about the obvious poor performances of his team. In this respect, Dalglish fails to negotiate a mastery of the mass media in the way a Jose Mourinho or Harry Redknapp does.
The ‘us and them’ ideal as enforced by Dalglish can be conceptualised more greatly also. The outsiders in Henderson, Downing, Adam and Carroll are still yet to be truly embraced by their public and are always seemingly one bad performance away from a widespread show of dissent by fans turning on them. Their designation alongside more Liverpool-familiar squad members in Steven Gerrard, Jay Spearing and Jamie Carragher serves to suggest they still need guidance and to learn just what it means to be a Liverpool player. It is not premature to surmise both Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have struggled particularly with the so-called step up to a ‘bigger’ club and it should not be underestimated just how much the new daunting surroundings of Anfield can be for an individual. Adam was the star and most technically gifted player at an unfashionable Blackpool outfit but now he finds himself alongside an idol in Steven Gerrard and precocious talents such as Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey. Is it any wonder, his performances have stood out far less?
The very nature and history of Liverpool Football Club means by default that they should be cutting it nearer the top end of the division. In order to get nearer to their targets, this season has to be forgotten and more astuteness and a sensible negotiation of the transfer market has to be the way forward. Liverpool have shown in the past that they can attract the right sort of player with Martin Skrtel, Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina setting the tone, but failing to reach the Champions League is inevitably going to have negative repercussions. The club just might need to win the FA Cup to truly convince their fans and potential imports that this season has been a one off.
Has the high pressure environment of Anfield had an adverse effect for certain Reds stars? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
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England have held their first training session ahead of Euro 2012, with Danny Welbeck and Glen Johnson not able to take part.
The sprightly forward has not played since picking up an ankle injury in the Manchester derby, and Roy Hodgson is now believed to be sweating over the Manchester United attacker’s fitness, according to The Guardian.
Welbeck is expected to lead the line for the Three Lions against France and Sweden in the first two games of the tournament, as club team-mate Wayne Rooney is suspended.
However, it appears that Welbeck faces a race against time to be ready for the competition, and will need further rehabilitation to be able to play.
Johnson meanwhile is nursing a minor injury, and could be a doubt for the international friendly against Norway on Saturday; club colleague Martin Kelly has been called into the contingent as a temporary back-up.
The Three Lions’ boss was given a boost however, as Scott Parker negotiated the 90 minute session at the Etihad Stadium unscathed.
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England’s record of never beating Sweden at a major international tournament came to an end on Friday night, as they dramatically captured a 3-2 victory in Kiev. For many England fans, the praise was aimed at Theo Walcott, who came on to change the game and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a goal, followed by an assist for Danny Welbeck.
The 23 year-old hasn’t started either of England’s matches so far at Euro 2012, but has appeared from the bench twice to play on the right hand side of England’s midfield. Is it possible that Roy Hodgson sees Walcott best used as an impact sub?
The opening game against France didn’t see him make the headlines as heroically as his antics against Sweden, only appearing for the duration of injury time. As England went 2-1 down to Sweden, Hodgson immediately turned to Walcott to salvage the game. His pace and eagerness to attack an out of shape and tired Swedish back four ultimately made the difference.
Therein lies Walcott’s threat. For Arsenal and England, his attacking prowess is mainly owed to his speed rather than his technical ability. At times, Walcott has baffled many as such a disappointing underperformer. An English youngster who had so much potential but was yet to achieve nor was he appearing to develop at the highest level.
Roy Hodgson is not the only one who may serve to see Walcott as only an impact sub. His club manager Arsene Wenger has at times relied on the ex-Saints man to make the difference from the bench. Even defensively, brining on Walcott can have an impact as his pace terrifies full backs, making them reluctant to push forward for a fear of being caught out on the counter attack.
As England manager, many questions are continuously asked of Roy Hodgson and his team selections are not easy decisions. Choosing James Milner or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting line up givesEnglanda different dimension to what Walcott can offer. Milner will work hard, spraying passes around midfield whilst staying defensively disciplined. Oxlade-Chamberlain is powerful, direct and intelligent. Walcott offers something completely different, as he charges at defences and makes runs in behind full backs. This change in playing styles with just a substitution can bemuse opponents and turn a game on its head, as Walcott demonstrated in Kiev.
Similarly, if a fresh legged opponent is going into the game with the knowledge Theo Walcott is starting, the playing style Walcott possesses is at times simple and can prove easy to defend. Walcott becomes ineffective and his presence on the pitch is scarcely noticed. As an oncoming substitute, the difference is simple: the players he faces are more fatigued and find him difficult to handle.
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As 23 year old Walcott fights for fitness for the remainder Euro 2012,England fans will be hoping he can be fit as soon as possible, as his impact from the bench has already played a role in their tournament.
On the pitch at Euro 2012 so far, England have performed slightly above expectations after having them dampened so often by those in power, but the aftershocks of the situation that led to the side going into the tournament a month or so before without a manager in place are still being felt, and we shouldn’t forget to scrutinise the FA for their undoubted media mistakes along the way.
Fabio Capello resigned from the England job in early February this year, after he decided that getting a kicking from a bitter and somewhat xenophobic national press for not talking to them all that much while earning £6m-a-year just simply wasn’t worth all of the hassle. However, the straw that broke the camels backs was the FA’s mis-handling of the John Terry saga and it continues to botch one attempt to draw a line under the issue after another.
John Terry is innocent until proven guilty with concerns to the court trial he has coming up for an racially-aggravated public order offence, involving Anton Ferdinand. The thing that moronic fans often forget, when they boo Anton Ferdinand for being reportedly racially abused, is that it was a fan at the game that reported the incident rather than the player himself, hence why it has been dealt with by the courts rather than the FA as the Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez case was.
The fact that this was taken out of the FA’s hands has had a huge role to play in the mess they’ve repeatedly made. Only when it was revealed that the court case date was set for after Euro 2012 on July 9th did they make a decision themselves. They stripped John Terry of the captaincy when it became clear that the courts weren’t going to do them a favour and make the decision for them. This dithering approach isn’t a media strategy as such, it’s just downright idiotic. What followed was that Capello, quite rightly, saw this as a challenge to his authority and he fell on his sword. No manager at any level would stand for having the board tell them to get rid of his choice of captain.
Where the FA really fell down, though, was that they stripped Terry of the captaincy but stopped short of banning him from the squad. So instead you had this ludicrous half-measure that meant he could still go to Euro 2012 with a racism court case hanging over his head but just not as captain. The very reasons that meant the FA stripped him of it in the first place still existed – problems in the dressing room, a divided national team set-up – but the FA were only really interested in protecting their image, particularly with racism such a hot topic in Ukraine and Poland this summer.
It essentially left whoever took over the job with a terrible conundrum to face right away. Whatever course of action Roy Hodgson took, he was on a hiding to nothing. The FA had just passed on responsibility for the situation once again to someone else. The lack of leadership on display beggars belief.
So what happened next? Hodgson named his England squad and Rio Ferdinand was left out and John Terry was left in. The former West Brom boss simply said ‘footballing reasons’ were behind Ferdinand’s omission, but didn’t care to specify what exactly they were. Of course, there were very real concerns about Ferdinand’s fitness and ability to play two games in quick succession, but instead, both Hodgson and the FA remained quiet.
Ferdinand’s representative Jamie Moralee relseased a statement which read: “Lampard, Terry, Barry, Gerrard; all ageing but they go to the tournament. Why is Rio different? To treat a player that has captained and served his country 81 times (in this manner) is nothing short of disgraceful. Total lack of respect from Hodgson and the FA as far as I am concerned.”
Ferdinand then himself took to Twitter to tweet the short but rather unsubtle “what reasons????!!!!” in reference to Hodgson leaving him out of the squad. I think that it’s fair to say that there are classier ways of edging towards international retirement than this. The situation got even worse when Gary Cahill was ruled out of the tournament through injury and Liverpool’s back-up Martin Kelly was called up in his place, instead of Ferdinand.
On the 9th June, Hodgson finally revealed his footballing reasons and they actually made a lot of sense: “Rio Ferdinand for me is not a player that you call up as a substitute, or to cover for the players that you have. “We turned to Martin Kelly because I knew he was going to be someone who would be very useful to us. “He’s very happy to be here knowing that his chances of playing a big part in the tournament are quite small. “You don’t turn to people like Rio Ferdinand for that.”
Hodgson named his England squad on the 16th May, which is 24 days until he properly explained Ferdinand’s absence from the squad. It made sense when he eventually did, so why such the delay? What exactly is the FA’s director of communications team being paid to do unless it’s stopping stories like this from hogging the limelight? Sticking your head in the sand is not a strategy, and neither is putting your fingers in your ears and hoping for the best and that it will all just go away.
Hodgson later remarked that he was ‘surprised’ that everyone was still talking about the Ferdinand omission, which shows you the level he’s at when it comes to being able to play the media game, but the FA should know better. They’ve botched this situation from the off and the circumstances that led to Hodgson getting the job in the first place were solely down to their mis-handling of the affair.
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They’ve undermined two different managers in quick succession and essentially failed to make a decisive and clear decision of their own at every turn. Success on the pitch may have saved them, but as they have consistently shown in the past, it won’t be long until they make another horrendus gaffe.
Paul Jewell has recently announced that Carlos Edwards will remain as captain next season even though many thought that new signing Luke Chambers would take the armband.
Edwards took over as captain last season when Grant Leadbitter was removed as captain and Jewell believes that Edwards is still the right man for the job.
The Trinidad and Tabago international did put in some solid shifts at right back last season and he certainly makes a better captain than Grant Leadbitter.
However, Edwards will be 34 in October so it is likely that he won’t be able to sustain a regular position in the team in the future. I don’t think that Edwards will be good enough to make the team by the end of this season and many would argue that Jewell should have replaced Edwards and named a younger player as captain for this coming season for the long term.
Although many have said that Chambers would make a good captain, others have claimed that young centre back Tommy Smith should have been named captain.
At the age of 22, Smith is young enough to lead the team for many years and he did impress at the end of last season. It would be great to see Smith take the captaincy and have a great season but personally I don’t think he is quite ready for that role. It would be hard for Smith to boss the team around as he still has a lot to learn himself and he hasn’t even played consistently well for a whole season yet. If anyone was going to take the captaincy off Edwards, for me it was always going to be new arrival Chambers.
Chambers has experience as captain from his former clubs and at the age of 26 is old enough to command respect within the team. One of the reasons Paul Jewell signed Chambers would have been because he has great leadership qualities; so why not make him captain?
The main argument against appointing him as captain would be that as he is a new arrival it wouldn’t be right to give him such a crucial role. Personally, I don’t think it matters whether a player has been at the club for years or is a new arrival because as long as they have the ability to lead and the respect of their team mates then they will make a good captain.
I agree with those who say that Chambers would make a good captain and I also agree that Smith will one day be a good choice. However, I think Jewell made the right choice by keeping Edwards as captain. Edwards has more experience than any other Ipswich player and he did a great job last season when he took over as captain. Additionally, by keeping the same captain it gives the side a bit of stability and consistency which is always useful.
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Jewell also brought up a good point when he said “It’s not really about who has the armband. It’s about what you do out on the pitch and in and around the club during the week. That’s what makes a leader”. I couldn’t agree more with Jewell’s logic here and he is saying all of the right things in this instance.
It is likely that Jewell’s plan is to see how the season goes and at some point he will decide it is the right time to replace Edwards as captain. I can see Chambers taking the armband around January or February time but really that shouldn’t change much within the team. Like Jewell says, it doesn’t matter who has the armband as all of the senior players are expected to offer something in terms of leadership and you always need more than one good leader within the team.