Liverpool striker Andy Carroll looks like he could be set for a move away from Anfield, with former club Newcastle United interested in bringing the England international back to Tyneside.
The 23-year-old has struggled since his move to Liverpool back in January 2011 and the arrival of new Reds manager Brendan Rodgers has heightened the possibility of him leaving the club.
Carroll won’t be allowed to leave on loan, which was the deal that Newcastle were looking to structure, so the Magpies have been left to negotiate with the Reds’ board as Liverpool embark on their pre-season tour of the USA.
Here is Carroll burying his head in the sand so to speak as he hides from the rumours surrounding him, but can you come up with a funny caption for this picture?
Leave your suggestions in the comments section below…
This week you can win a Signed Liverpool FC Shirt!
This shirt has been signed by the 2011/12 Liverpool squad, a perfect gift for any Red.
For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.
Last week’s winner: Adrian Brodkin – click here to see all entries
The majority of Sunderland fans would be lying if they said they hadn’t been expecting more from Martin O’Neill’s first full summer in charge. With obvious weaknesses in the squad and assurances from the manager and Chairman Ellis Short that the club would be targeting quality signings, the solitary arrival of Carlos Cuellar hasn’t exactly revitalised the Stadium of Light faithful ahead of the upcoming campaign. Supporters have spent many a transfer window analysing the merits of a host of new signings but there has been rapid change of pace on Wearside this time around with more departures than new arrivals.
In part this reserved activity was inevitable as O’Neill was bound to focus on whittling out the deadwood in his squad but the terraces know all too well which positions need to be strengthened and so far the club have made very little progress. With Wolves endlessly batting away inflated offers for Steven Fletcher, Sunderland’s progress has in part been crippled by selling clubs looking to take advantage of their desperation for reinforcements but to their credit they have remained steadfast in their recruitment drive and still have time to find the right names.
Despite a low key summer, the club are still in a great position to challenge for the top 10. Whether they can push for a European place will rely heavily on their pre-deadline day efforts but despite being a fair way behind to League’s top dogs, the Black Cats have an excellent foundation to build upon next season and can look to enjoy some cup success while cementing their place as the best of rest.
One to watch next season
Plenty has been made of Irish winger James McClean after his impressive debut season in the North East culminated in a call up to Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad. Despite Stephane Sessegnon bearing the brunt of Sunderland’s attacking threat, the 23 year old has become one of the first names on the team sheet after countless energetic performances illustrated how wrong Steve Bruce was to leave him in the reserves. Having been thrown in at the deep end during O’Neill’s first game in charge, the former Derry City star has hardly looked back since and managed to score 6 times in side that often struggled in front of goal. His determined work rate has made him a fan’s favourite and an expected switch to the right wing will help develop his game still further by allowing him progress from a raw talent to a versatile Premier League midfielder.
His reported £350,000 transfer fee looks a snip compared to the inflated prices being touted around this summer and shines a light on the £9m offer from West Ham that Wolves rejected for Matt Jarvis, proving there is value for money if you’re willing to look for it. With bags of energy and a never say die attitude that makes him just as responsible defensively as going forward, the speedy winger’s progress is one of the main sparks to excite fans going into the new season. Sunderland have finally found a solution to their left sided midfield woes and possess a player who can make the position his own while they seek to strengthen in other areas.
The Black Cats have struggled to find any real consistency in recent years, particularly in front goal since the departure of Darren Bent, but players like McClean have affordably helped them rediscover their attacking flair and the final piece of the puzzle is finding someone to put the ball in the back of the net. O’Neill’s troops look threatening as a counter attacking side and the pace and skill of McClean will play a major role in the hopes for re-establishing their top 10 status next season.
Breakthrough player
Despite a Kevin Ball inspired youth setup churning out a number of talented aspiring stars, Sunderland fans have rarely seen the fruits of his labours in recent seasons but with Jack Colback looking more and more accomplished in the centre of midfield, they could finally have a home grown hero to get behind. After the departure of Jordan Henderson, there were concerns that the Black Cats may have lost one of their best fledgling talents but ‘the North East’s answer to Paul Scholes’ has shown he’s a mature passer of the ball and is by no means out of his depth in the top flight. His progression is in stark contrast to the stuttering path walked by Henderson at Liverpool and another season of first team football could see Colback outshine his former team mate.
As well as ousting central midfielders such as David Vaughan and Craig Gardner from the starting line up, the youngster has also shown he’s defensively adept when filling in at left-back and this versatility is another string to his ever strengthening bow. With an old head on young shoulders Colback keeps possession well and tracks back to defend but he also found the net twice last season, including a wonder strike against local rivals Middlesbrough, and will be looking to add more goals to his game. Having been given the backing of his manager after spells of intermittent game time, the steep learning curve he experienced last season will stand him in good stead for an improved campaign. Supporters should still be cautiously nurturing given the competition for places at the club and no one can predict potential injuries and personal disruptions but Colback should play an increasingly integral role in the side.
Expectations for the upcoming campaign
It’s always a tough task trying to assess Sunderland’s potential fortunes. On the one hand they’re clearly a big side with a large stadium, passionate supporters and an experienced manager backed by a wealthy owner with European aspirations. On the other hand they’re one of a number of mid-table teams looking to take the next step up in class but have little pedigree to suggest such progression is especially likely. Long gone are the good old days of Peter Reid and while the foundations for a repeat performance are still there, the current squad on paper do not look capable of reaching those heights. Add to that the years spent yo-yoing to and from the Championship and it’s only in the last few seasons that the club have truly reaffirmed their position as a top side.
Fans know they need a number of fresh faces if they’re to move forward but so far nothing much has materialised on the transfer front and until improvements are made, it’s hard to look beyond another inauspicious mid-table finish. That said, it’s not all doom and gloom for the squad is looking much healthier now than in previous injury ravaged seasons. Should the club attract a new striker and left back to the North East in the next few weeks then they will have every position in the squad covered. O’Neill has already shown during his short reign in charge that he is more than capable of inspiring his players to go above and beyond for the cause and if he can get the best of his squad when they’re lacking in a few areas then the sky’s the limit should he finally fill those gaps.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In reality an 8th placed finish and a cup run would satisfy most but the club’s ambitions are to challenge for Europe so if the owners can back that sentiment with transfer funds then fans can expect a much stronger assault on the Premier League next season.
What excites/concerns you ahead of next season? Which player’s are you looking forward to seeing at the SOL?
Let me know your views and opinions by following me on Twitter – Tweet me @Alex_Churcher
When Liverpool invested in taking Brendan Rodgers from Swansea this summer and appointing him as their new manager, they were investing in a new vision for the club. But the process of developing that vision and Rodgers ideology for the football club, demands that principal owner John W. Henry and the Fenway Sports Group continue to back and invest in their new man.
Because the status of the club and the realities of this league demand that Liverpool cannot continue to regress anymore. Rodgers had to be backed to the hilt; now was not the time to verge on the side of caution or hesitate in making the decisions that the Ulsterman requested. Otherwise the changes made in getting rid of Kenny Dalglish were made redundant.
But the stark reality is that FSG have fallen short in the support of their new man and new project. Yes, investment has been made this summer and supporters weren’t oblivious to the fiscal responsibilities that have come with the last 18 months of spending. But in failing to acquire a new striker for Brendan Rodgers, the club have left the job half done. Time will tell quite how serious the implications of this will be. But the lack of depth up front has the capacity to spell big trouble for the red half of Merseyside.
As this summer’s transfer window progressed, it felt as if Liverpool were assembling a squad with real balance but more importantly, in the shape of the man that they’d brought in to take the club.
The £15 acquisition of Joe Allen from Swansea has still left a handful of supporters dubious, especially after the vast sums spent on the likes of Stewart Downing. But Allen has looked to settle well, he fits the new style but most importantly, he was Rodgers number one transfer target. The club recognized how much their new man valued Allen as an integral cog in the machine and they backed him up by getting the deal done.
Similarly, Fabio Borini was a player that Rodgers has worked with before and clearly values highly enough to demand that the owners shell out near on £10million for him. A player that is young, technically astute and versatile, he fits the Rodgers mould that FSG invested in acquiring.
But this is where progress seems to have to come to a grinding halt for Rodgers in the transfer market. Snapping up the exquisitely talented Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid on loan was a wonderful bit of opportunism that has boosted the squad, but perhaps not where it was in the most need of boosting. Liverpool were in desperate need of bringing in another frontman by the end of the transfer window. The future of Andy Carroll was always up in the air but both his and the departures of more unconventional front men in Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy left the Rodgers with only two conventional strikers.
And quite remarkably, the status quo remained as the transfer window slammed shut. Liverpool’s ranks of recognized frontmen currently consists of both Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini, a player who himself, is a newcomer to Premier League football. For however talented the pair may be, Liverpool have begun the new league campaign with an alarmingly weak frontline. Even if Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system is extremely fluid and interchangeable, a long term injury to Suarez in particular, could prove terminal for any goals they wish to achieve this season.
[ad_pod id=’photo’ align=’right’]
But the fact is, it simply should never have got to this stage at Anfield. In particular when Rodgers’ principal target was ex-Fulham, and painfully now Tottenham Hotspur striker, Clint Dempsey. The American offered not only real quality, as his 23 goals demonstrated last season, but amazing value. Fulham reportedly wanted around £5million plus for the 29-year-old. Astonishingly, this was apparently too much for the Liverpool board to contemplate, and a counter £3million was reportedly their return offer. Unsurprisingly, this was rejected and Dempsey subsequently joined Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.
In his open letter to the club, John W. Henry stopped short of addressing the Dempsey issue directly, but he gave a relatively unsubtle hint to exactly how he felt about it.
The 62-year-old said:
“Spending is not merely about buying talent. Our ambitions do not lie in cementing a mid-table place with expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years.”
It’s hard to argue with the overall merits of Henry’s admirable ideology but he seems to be naïve to the process in how you go about achieving this. Just throwing Rodgers in with his 4-3-3 and ensuring all the players have average age of the squad is nice and low doesn’t mean anything. For starters, age is only a number and all great squads have ben built with at least some bedrock of experience. Turning your nose up at a striker who’s got 17 goals in the league when you’ve only got two recognised frontmen on the basis he’s 29 isn’t smart. In fact to put it mildly, it’s pretty foolish indeed.
Supporters understand that the wage bill at Anfield after a culture of paying high money for questionably quality, had to be slashed. But not backing Rodgers on Dempsey, just because he had a low re-sale value, is an unbelievably poor showing of judgement. Although in terms of quality, finance and ambition, Manchester United’s purchase of Robin van Persie isn’t on the same plateau as Liverpool’s pursuit of Dempsey. But at the end of the day, they made a purchase, regardless of age, that they thought could drastically improve the prospects of the squad. For the price that Dempsey was available for, there are no excuses for Henry and the FSG.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
But perhaps far more poignantly, the club haven’t just let Rodgers down but they’ve in some respects, displayed a public lack of faith in the ex-Swansea man. Of course, their intentions to run the club sustainably suggest that there isn’t anything deeply cynical about this. But when they invested in his vision for the club, they were trusting him with taking Liverpool forward. Why back him with £25million but then baulk at paying £5million-odd for Dempsey?
Rodgers has got off to a difficult start at Anfield but similarly to Andre Villas-Boas’ fate at Tottenham Hotspur, he has been let down by a higher figure of authority. Fans need to see through that and back him to the hilt; an away fixture to Sunderland followed by a home game against Manchester United suggest that patience may have to be a virtue in the coming weeks.
How do you feel about Liverpool’s faliure to attain Clint Dempsey? Were they right to stick true to their principals given his age or is it a serious error of judgement? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.
Arsenal are prepared to let misfit attacker Andrei Arshavin leave the club on a free transfer in hope that he can secure a move back to his homeland before the Russian transfer window closes on Thursday, The Telegraph report.
The eastern European playmaker spent the second half of last season on loan at Zenit St Petersburg, but it is believed that his former side and Anzhi Makhachkala are both not interested in a move for the forward.
As such, Dynamo Moscow have emerged as the most likely destination for Arshavin, but a deal must be wrapped up in the 36 hours before the window closes in the nation.
Arshavin signed for the Gunners for a fee of more than £13 million back in 2009, and Arsene Wenger was initially hopeful of recouping around £5 million for him.
However, with time running out and Arshavin in the last year of his contract, the north Londoners are set to cut their loses on the out-of-form player.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Rickie Lambert admits he cannot wait to return to Merseyside, as Southampton prepare to face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday. The official Southampton website reports.
The Saints will go into the match with confidence, after back-to-back wins over Aston Villa in the League and Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.
Lambert tried to review the upcoming match in a professional manner, before revealing how the match evoked memories of playing for the Toffees’ local rivals, Liverpool as a boy.
He said: “It’s just another one.
“But it’s another one that all the lads are buzzing for, and for me as a Scouser it’s definitely one I’ve been looking forward to.”
Although, the 30-year-old is aware of David Moyes’ side’s good start to the season and admits they will have to be at their very best to get a result.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“They’re flying at the minute, but even when they’re not flying it’s a hard place to go so we know we’ve got a hard game on our hands.
“Hopefully the Villa win is going to give us the confidence to go there and get something”, he added.
The pressure will most certainly be on John W Henry and FSG come the arrival of the January transfer window, following their well publicized failure to back Brendan Rodgers last deadline day.
The fiasco surrounding Andy Carroll, has led to Henry and his team being questioned by Liverpool fans for the first time in their almost two year reign.
But with Rodgers seemingly stumbling across a vast array of young talent, will Henry feel the need to dip into his pockets come January?
Following the deadline day debacle, Henry wrote an open letter to Liverpool fans explaining in detail how he and his team would no longer pay over the odds for players, and continue with their ‘moneyball’ strategy of signing young players with a sell on value. Hence why Clint Dempsey at 29 was considered £2 million too expensive.
One thing that is painstakingly obvious for everyone to see, is Liverpool are short of strikers. Its been talked and written about endlessly, often in unflattering terms.
But to take a positive out of the deadline day blunder, will be the emergence of youngsters Raheem Sterling and Suso. Neither are out and out strikers, but both can play either side of a front three, and have come from nowhere to provide Liverpool with some real attacking edge.
Neither look a flash in the pan either. Sterling has the ability to take on players in a way not seen at Anfield since possibly the days of Michael Owen. Small, agile, quick and with superb close control, the 17-year-old is already well on his way to becoming an Anfield favourite. His work rate and ability to chase down lost causes has impressed Rodgers and convinced him to give an extended run in the side.
Suso has been another promising addition to the starting eleven. The Spaniard has started the last two Premier League games since being bought on as a half time substitute against Manchester United, and impressing on his Europa League debut against Young Boys. His creativity and ability to pick a pass has already added an extra dimension to Liverpool’s game.
Add to the fact Jonjo Shelvey is due to return to the midfield from suspension on something of a purple patch, having netted three Europa League goals already this term, Rodgers side may not be as desperate for a big money striker as people think. Rodgers also have youngsters Samed Yesil, Adam Morgan and Dani Pacheco available, and has used all three in the cup competitions this season.
Speculation has been rife this week that Rodgers may in fact recall Andy Carroll from his loan spell at West Ham in January rather than dip into the transfer market. It makes you wonder if perhaps Rodgers has even been surprised by his own ability to make the best of what he has, so much so that he may be willing to give Carroll another shot.
The decision to loan out Carroll sparked debate, in the sense as to why Rodgers was so unwilling to give him a chance to see if he could fit into the new system. It showed a certain stubbornness, and has left questions such as does Rodgers have the ability to conjure up a Plan B?
There has been few striking names linked with Liverpool of late. The latest player linked for a January move is Belgian winger Dries Mertens. According to talkSport Liverpool have expressed great interest in the 25-year-old, who netted 20 times in just 23 outing last season and has already scored 4 in 5 games this campaign. According to the report, Mertens could be available for around £9.7m come January.
The fact a winger is being linked, and it with it clear John W Henry still has a strong desire to balance the books at Anfield, does that allude to a return for Carroll?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Results will dictate what happens come January. An improvement is certainly needed with Liverpool currently languishing in 14th place despite some good performances.
But should the likes of Shelvey, Suso and Sterling continue to perform at the level they are, perhaps Henry will not produce the big money striker some have been expecting.
Do you think Henry will be willing to splash the cash in January? Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know your thoughts.
Recent events in the NFL would probably have me rethinking the direction behind all this. The biggest sports league in America was officiated by a group of referees who are normally extremely far removed from the pro game—and it told. But that aside for now, it shouldn’t be something that will ever crop up in England (because some of the things that happen in American sports would seem unbelievable to most who are unfamiliar). But regardless of how good or bad referees in the Premier League and even Europe are, isn’t it time they started to respect the game a little more?
I’m still a little stunned that the football governing bodies from Uefa down to the domestic leagues advocate this respect campaign between players and referees. I even remember a handful of times where referees would point to that “respect” badge on their sleeve indicating that they’re in charge and should be, well, respected. That’s all fine, and it’s right, but doesn’t it work both ways?
There’s been plenty of talk about players crowding around a referee to influence a decision. It’s a problem that needs to be worked on a little harder to remove from games. But I have a real problem with the way referees shoo players away, practically telling them to eff off should they walk with purpose towards him. Embarrassingly, for the referee in question, Clarence Seedorf was yellow carded not too long ago for asking the referee what a hold up in the game was for. It’s arrogance from the officials, and how disrespectful and cowardly do you have to be to yellow card one of the most highly respected ambassadors of the game for asking a question?
Captains should be able to talk to the referee whenever there’s a stoppage in the game. It works in other sports like the NHL, whereby a player who is not one of the captains is given a two-minute minor penalty. Enforce something similar in football and we’ll be better for it.
But referees—however not all of them—live in this bubble where they can’t and won’t allow anyone to prove them wrong. And here’s the real kicker: a lot of the time they know they’ve made a mistake. They’re so well protected through not having to give post-game interviews and having the governing bodies impose bans and fines for anyone who seriously threatens their integrity that they do in fact get away with murder.
You want strong referees in the game, especially for high-profile matches. I’m still not entirely sold on some of the referees in the Premier League and their ability to officiate at this level. But their arrogance is at times infuriating. A lot of the time they don’t seem to know the rules, or at least they don’t do much to keep any form of consistency. When is a dive in the box a bookable offence and when is it not? Are any senior referees putting their hands up to make a genuine case to smooth out these issues?
The incident at Old Trafford a number of seasons ago between Manchester United and Tottenham was a good example of the carefree attitude of referees. Mark Clattenburg’s casual fling of his arm to indicate a controversial goal was embarrassing. Is that the best we have? And don’t any of the two captains dare approach him to question the decision, they’ll promptly be booked for such an act.
Massimo Busacca’s decision to send off Robin van Persie for his shot on goal at the Nou Camp a second after the whistle blew for offside was beyond any realm of logic and smacked wholly of arrogance. It didn’t make any sense and it’s something that isn’t enforced by other referees around Europe. Busacca, coincidently, was one of Europe’s senior officials. If memory serves, Arsene Wenger was given a fine for questioning the referee following his ridiculous decision.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In a recent postseason match in the MLB between the St Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, an incident occurred that brought up one of those rules that you hardly ever see in a game. It prompted many experts in the game and news outlets to point out the ruling and summarise what it meant and how it applied to that particular event. Needless to say it was extremely controversial. One of the pleasant things to see was the umpires explain their decision following the game in a press conference. Whether the call was right or not, at least we got to hear from them rather than have some retired official paraded around on TV giving his take.
I’m not buying this respect campaign from officials because it seems they’re immune to any form of confrontation or questioning. They don’t care what kind of effect their decision will have in the bigger picture and further down the line, and a lot of the time it seems they go into a game with a preconceived agenda.
Newly promoted Southampton have confirmed they are investigating an incident involving goalkeeper Artur Boruc during their 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
It is alleged that the goalkeeper threw a water bottle in to the St. Mary’s crowd and began swearing at supporters following Spurs’ second goal.
And it is believed that Saints had initially looked at the video footage and insisted the Polish stopper had done nothing wrong, but the club have since announced they will be looking further into the incident.
A club statement said: “Southampton Football Club can confirm that it is investigating allegations of an incident involving Artur Boruc that occured towards the end of the first half during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur.
“The club takes such allegations extremely seriously and will deal with the matter in the appropriate manner.”
Boruc, who signed from Serie A side Fiorentina on a free in September made his Saints debut in their 4-1 defeat away to West Ham earlier this month.
Since their promotion back to the Premier League, Southampton have managed to win only one of their first nine matches and have conceded a league high of 26 goals.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Their poor defensive record has not been helped by the fact Boruc is the third goalkeeper manager Nigel Adkins has used so far this season, but he is expected to start against Leeds United in Saints’ Capital One Cup fourth round tie at Elland Road tonight.
In 2005 Luke Rodgers left Shrewsbury Town to join Crewe Alexandra following a wonderful 6 year period playing for Shrewsbury Town.
He helped us achieve promotion from the conference before he left and was considered a real talismanic figure at the club. Since he departed Rodgers had played for a string of other clubs, most notably partnering Thierry Henry at New York Red Bulls last season where he achieved some great success.
Rodgers made himself a real fan favourite at the club but was forced to leave due to visa issues at the end of last season. He then found his way back to England via Lillestrom to cash strapped Portsmouth, after scoring 2 goals in 9 games for the south coast club it appears he has fell out of favour and is on his way out.
Rumours have been floating around both the Shrewsbury and Portsmouth messageboards that Rodgers is set to make a grand return to Shropshire and hopefully kick start our struggling campaign. If Rodgers does in fact sign the question ultimately is can he get us the goals we need to stay in this division.
For me he would be a fantastic signing. A proven goalscorer at this level and one with the experience that he has is what we have been crying out for all season. He is also renowned for his no holds barred attitude on the pitch and as I have pointed out in my recent posts, Shrewsbury lack any player who is vocal whatsoever. Hopefully Rodgers can give the players the proverbial kick up the back side they so desperately need.
Michael Hektor was sent back to Reading this week after his poor loan spell with us despite us only having 3 centre-backs in the squad, this begs the question: has Turner cleared him out to make sure we have room in our squad for another loanee? I hope so. We travel to Leyton Orient this Saturday and the O’s currently sit one position above us in the league by two points. We will be in desperate need of our first win in 5 games on Saturday and Rodgers may well be what we need to inspire that.
Rodgers posted a tweet today thanking Portsmouth and their fans for his time and the club so he is clearly heading for the exits, now it’s just a matter of waiting around and seeing if it us he comes to. If so it will be fantastic to see Rodgers back in the Blue and Amber shirt and hopefully in time for Leyton Orient away this Saturday.
You can follow me on Twitter @LiamHoofe
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Manchester City’s Scott Sinclair is obviously a big fan of Coronation Street, as he’s currently dating ex-corrie star Helen Flanagan. The young actress faced a backlash from the Twitterati after posting on her Twitter page: “Started to get bored now, been in Wales too long, Lol. Must take action.”
The former Coronation Street star got into hot water with a few Swansea residents, especially after Scott was linked with a move to Manchester City in the press. Flanagan lived in Manchester for a long time when she starred in Corrie, and it seemed she might want to return. Luckily for her, Sinclair made the big move to the Premier League champions just weeks later.
However, with the current week-long international break, Mr. Sinclair finds himself alone in the love nest, as his other half is currently on the other side of the globe taking part in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! She hasn’t adapted well to the Australian jungle, first struggling to cross a rope bridge and then just a day later having to face the first public-voted Bushtucker Trial, where she had to be locked in an underground tunnel with all manner of creepy-crawlies. She lasted about 3 seconds and lost the task for her team.
Maybe that’s why she belongs on the glamorous streets of Manchester with her Premier League boyfriend Scott Sinclair. At least these pictures provide solid evidence that she belongs in civilisation, not out in the jungle!
Click on Sinclair’s missus below to see the full gallery
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.