Europe’s top clubs have threatened to break away from UEFA and FIFA over concerns with International fixtures and financial commitments. It is thought that clubs will be able to govern themselves and set up their own super league – a move that could threaten to destabilise the very fabric of the domestic game.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Darren bent claiming to be the best No.9 for England; Arsenal closing in on Juan Mata, while Roy Hodgson is set to make a double swoop on Birmingham City.
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FIFA: Goal-line technology possible next year – FFC
Europe’s top clubs threaten to break away from Fifa and Uefa – Guardian
Diouf suspended for five years by Senegal – Guardian
Foster and Ridgewell off to WBA – Daily Telegraph
Pulis hails ‘exciting times’ for continental Stoke – FFC
The day I’ll quit, by Lampard – Sun
England could face France in 2014 World Cup qualifying scrap – Daily Mail
The NEW hand of God: City land £40million Aguero – Mirror
Blues make official complaint over anti-Semitic abuse directed at Yossi – Daily Mail
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Bent: I’m still best No 9 for England – Sun
Arsenal closing in on Mata – Mirror
Tottenham keen to pip Arsenal to £15m signing of Blackburn defender Samba – Daily Mail
Every team needs a goalscorer. It’s a simple but not always achievable rule of Premier League football. But teams can really benefit when they have not only one but two strikers who form a deadly strike partnership.
The Premier League has been blessed with many partnerships of note when two different types of players either by luck or skill work very well together. But in a title race or the fight against relegation, a clinical strike partnership can be crucial to success. The most notable partnership is the combination of a big man and little man, working perfectly off each other in leading the line. Some strikers may say they like to be a lone striker with all the responsibility but most will enjoy playing a lot more when they have another striker next to them.
There are plenty of strike partnerships that have the promise to be great this season, from Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney at Manchester United to Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez at Liverpool. But what are the top ten strike partnerships in the history of the Premier League?
Click on Henry and Bergkamp below to see the Top TEN
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Who do you think was the best strike partnership in Premier League history? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
In the debacle that we witnessed at Blackburn, Arsenal were robbed.
If that ‘tackle’ by Paul Robinson on Theo Walcott had happened anywhere else on the pitch, it’s a free kick. But why not a penalty? Because he had his hands down? Do me a favour.
Officials have conspired to consign Arsenal to their third defeat of the season. Frankly, it’s becoming a joke. Arsenal were clearly the better team yesterday. An offside goal and a fortuitous own goal by Alex Song made the difference in a game that the Gunners really should’ve won.
These freak events sometimes happen, and you can’t legislate for them. But yesterday, right at the death, we should have had a reprieve. Robinson comes charging out, Walcott squeezes his shot off, Walcott is sent crashing to the ground. Apparently, a late tackle isn’t a foul when it’s in the box. Especially when it’s against Arsenal.
Rewind a few weeks to the Newcastle game. Joey Barton assaults Gervinho by yanking him up off the ground by his throat. A foul, in the box no less. The referee has to stop play. But do Arsenal get a penalty and does Barton get a red for his violent play? No, Gervinho gets a red for pawing at Barton, who in turn gets a yellow.
These are two incidents in recent games that have shaped Arsenal’s season so far. Even forgetting the offside goal scored by Blackburn during a crucial passage of the game, we should’ve got a point yesterday. If you were to add three points to our tally and things don’t look so bad.
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There will be inevitable calls for Arsene Wenger to be sacked. I don’t concur with this though. He’s just not getting the rub of the green at the moment. Hardly a sackable offence.
The problem for me is with the linesmen and the referees. Nowadays, all too often, refs and their officials are affecting results. These officials are supposed to be watching over games, not deciding them. Every season the sport gets faster and faster, and refs can’t keep up. Unless they’re given help they are going to keep making massive mistakes, then the wrong teams are going to keep getting results they don’t deserve.
Last season, in an independent study, it was shown just how much inept decision making cost certain teams. Have a look HERE To see just how different the league would have looked if referees didn’t make costly mistakes.
Even with video help and a fourth referee, you are never going to erase human error from the game. But in this day and age, with so much riding on results, how can the greatest, most popular sport on the planet still be living in the dark ages when it comes to officiating?
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I’m getting bored of it now, because more and more often results are being unfairly handed out. How are we, as supporters, supposed to maintain our enthusiasm for a sport that is not only corrupt, but deeply unfair?
Chelsea’s attempts to purchase Luka Modric this summer were thwarted by the immovable resistance of Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy. In what may appear to be a watershed moment for the club, manager Harry Redknapp has come out in favour of offering the want-away midfielder a new and improved contract – but has the club’s refusal to pay six-figure weekly-wages held them back from regularly dining at Europe’s top table?
Daniel Levy certainly made a point when he refused Chelsea’s final offer of £40m for Modric. Not even the influential Croat’s biggest fans could testify to the player’s ability being worth anything close to that astronomical sum.
Levy was unwilling to sell, no matter what the price. While his stance can be said to have been an admirable display of unwavering willpower, putting an end to the bullyboy tactics of the league’s top three in the process, was it the smartest of moves given the potential payday? Redknapp’s stance, rather predictably in the face of all that money, weakened as the window progressed, yet still, Levy stood firm.
It appeared that Levy’s stance was in part affected by his previous misdemeanours in selling off crowd favourites Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov to Man Utd when they came calling. His refusal to do business should be seen as an admission of guilt for past sins rather than just another example of the bloody-minded business decisions that have become Levy’s staple during his spell at the club. This stance looked to be one made entirely with the heart rather than the head – something most Spurs fans wished he’d have shown a lot more of in the past.
Spurs have represented something of a frustrating presence in the league the past two seasons. For a club seemingly on the cusp of a golden period, they still seem to fall just short of what’s required to truly challenge for the title. Some will rather understandably point to Redknapp’s tactical ineptitude at the highest level, others will contend that it’s the club’s refusal to make a signing that comes with a statement of intent.
Modric’s move to Chelsea looked to be one that was set to follow a familiar pattern. Firstly, the club refuses to sell. Then it harps on about how they’re never going to sell such a key player and how important said player is to their future ambitions. Player’s price is then driven up, usually way above what they’re realistically worth. Clubs then somehow appear, amidst all the stirring rhetoric, to come to a deal that benefits both parties and the player moves on. It’s a well-worn routine that Levy simply refused to partake in this time.
However, it’s worth remembering during the club’s frantic trolly dash at the end of the January transfer window last season, as they searched for what appeared to be the final and elusive ingredient to their title hopes – a quality striker – that the club were willing to part with some serious money for the right player.
Figures around the £30m mark were bandied about for fantastic players such as Guiseppe Rossi, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo. Not to mention that the likes of Sergio Aguero, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan and Karim Benzema were reportedly inquired about.
But, like with most of Redknapp’s plans, it was done with such a half-hearted focus for nearly the entire transfer window and was only pursued with any real purpose in the dying embers of the window. Their lack of success in pursuing such big transfer targets so late on cannot be said to have been a surprise, as they left the clubs in question little to no time to find a suitable replacement – something Levy learned to his cost with the Berbatov to Man Utd deal.
Returning to the point at hand – has the club’s refusal to go down the same path as league rivals Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea in terms of speculating on astronomical wages cost them dearly in catching up?
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Spurs have rarely caught the imagination when it comes to signings, barring perhaps the fortunate eleventh-hour purchase of Rafael Van Der Vaart for a bargain £8m last season. For a club of undoubted wealth, they have been run in a straightforward and responsible manner by the business-minded Levy for some time now.
Levy has always desired that Spurs become regulars among Europe’s elite, but has so far refused to gamble on the club’s financial future in order to do so. Canny deals such as Emmanuel Adebayor’s loan deal from City, whereby Spurs pay just over 40% of his £170,000 a-week wages, have become the norm.
But in order for the club to push on, while maintaining the quality that they have within their squad, they may have to speculate to accumulate in the transfer market. The top four has never been this unsettled. There is a spot wide open, just waiting for a club with the right ambition to grab it with both hands.
The correlation between those clubs that pay the largest wages and success on the pitch is both an obvious one and yet an approach which is fraught with risk for less established sides. Spurs do not have a hugely wealthy owner to fall back on.
In order to keep the likes of Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van Der Vaart from seeking pastures new, you have to pay them accordingly, while simultaneously seeking to regularly recruit players of a similar quality. Redknapp stated when quizzed about a potential new deal for Modric that: “You can’t say he is worth £40m then pay him the wags of someone worth £5m. You have to look after the boy.”
It may open the floodgates in terms of the club’s wage structure, but it looks to be a gamble worth taking. This current Spurs side lacks strength in depth in some areas, but as a standalone first-eleven, it ranks right up there as one of the best in the league. Breaking through into the top four should also feature a permanent realignment of their finances to those that exemplify and illustrate a club with top four ambitions.
Shopping around the bargain bin and banking on future potential should be consigned to the past. Levy’s power struggle with Chelsea, which saw the usual player-power take a back seat, has to be capitalised upon.
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Spurs failed to recruit a striker when it mattered most last season, an error of judgement that ultimately cost them dearly down the home straight. Levy simply cannot afford to let another opportunity to expand such as this pass him by again. Modric‘s extended stay at the club should not be treated as a one-off moment of resolve, it should be seen as the dawning of a new era. Loosening the purse strings may set a precedent, but it’s likely to be one that Europe’s finest sit up and take note of as Spurs sit on the precipice of reaching the next level.
Fresh from featuring in the senior squad in a mid-week friendly versus Glasgow Rangers after returning from injury, we caught up with Liverpool’s Glen Johnson at Melwood – the club’s training ground. Answering questions on various topics, Glen was in upbeat mood and only too happy to relax and chat with us.
FFC: So Glen, what is the realistic target for Liverpool this season?
GJ: I think at the start of the season the lads would have been saying to get back in the top four obviously, for the Champions League places and stuff like that so I think that’s still definitely a possibility, you know? So it’s hard to set your aims too high, you just have to take each game as it comes and try and be there or there abouts by the end.
FFC: How frustrating has it been to be side-lined for the start of the season?
GJ: Yes, very! Obviously it was the last pre-season game when I first did it [the injury] so of course it’s very frustrating. No player ever wants to be injured and then obviously to have it happen a couple of times after, it gets obviously very frustrating, but hopefully that’s beyond me now and I can push on.
FFC: What do you make of the NEW arrivals at Liverpool this summer and who in particular has impressed you most?
GJ: Yeah I think we’ve signed some fantastic players. Obviously Stuey [Downing] I’ve known for a long, long time and he will be great for us. I’d have to say obviously Suarez – probably the fans favourite at the moment, but they’re all good lads and great players and hopefully it’ll all come good.
FFC: Now 27, do you really feel as if you’re coming into your prime?
GJ: Erm…not right this minute! If you can gimme a few months! [chuckles] But no like I say it’s nice to be back and stuff, so hopefully I’ll be out there on Saturday and push on and get back to my best.
FFC: The likes of Martin Kelly and John Flanagan have made steps into the first team at Liverpool as Kenny looks to give youth a chance at Anfield. Are there any other youngsters in the wings who haven’t featured as yet, who Liverpool fans should get excited about?
GJ: Well, personally the only one I know is obviously Jack [Robinson], the left back, who’s a very good player. [But] because obviously most of the youth train at the academy we don’t get to see them as much, but like you’ve said those three boys have come in and done really well.
FFC: When you’re training for Liverpool, are there any players that wow you at Melwood?
GJ: Erm…[thinks] I think the standard’s that high that everyone’s brilliant you know? But there’s some lads that some days turn it on and others don’t, and then the next day the others do and the others don’t so it’s…everyone has their day.
FFC: Glen, you’ve scored one goal for England, how vividly do you remember it?
GJ: Yeah, I remember it quite well.
FFC: Finally, you’ve founded GJ Soccer Schools and the Glen Johnson Foundation. How important do you think it is that footballers give something back?
GJ: Yeah I think it’s very important. You know obviously a lot of young children look up to footballers and stuff so…it doesn’t take that much to give a little bit back. So I set up the soccer school purely because when I was younger, the only place we had to play was a park and obviously it’s not the safest place in the world. So yeah it’s nice for them to do it in an enclosed, safe environment and obviously it’s going well.
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OK Glen, we’ve got some quick fire questions for you:
FFC: First match you ever went to see?
GJ: Er…[thinks a while] nah I ain’t got a clue! Nope, I don’t know mate!
FFC: Best player you’ve played with or against?
GJ: Erm…[thinks again]…I think with…dunno I’ve been fortunate to play with a few good players but obviously Stevie G would be up there. Erm…Hernan Crespo was up there, Pizarro…there’s been a few to be fair
FFC: What’s the best goal you’ve ever scored?
GJ: It would have to be the one against Hull for Portsmouth
FFC: Best stadium you’ve ever played at?
GJ: Nou Camp
FFC: If you weren’t a footballer, what do think you’d be doing now?
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GJ: [Chuckles] erm…no idea. Literally since I’ve started playing football that’s the only thing I aimed for so I wouldn’t know where to start with that one.
FFC: Which current player would you like to have a pint with?
GJ: Not being a team mate? [thinks]…Rooney probably.
FFC: Who’s the longest in the shower at Anfield?
GJ: [laughs and thinks]…Andy Carroll cos of the barnet!
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Football’s full of clichés, but then again it’s full of people perpetrating them too. Take the old ‘hero to zero’ transition. It’s a classic. Off-field antics, a collapse in form, the wrong transfer move – all culpable traits of a fall from grace. Managers, players and clubs have all experienced the lows that appear as if from the end of some biblical parable concerning hubris and it never gets any less fun to watch. Painful though it may be when your beloved club or players lose their form, sanity and status watching others do it never ceases to amuse. Leeds know what it’s like, so does Fernando Torres and so will many more for years to come. Call it entertainment or call the savage and godless nature of life football will always be full of those who were once heroes, and are now zeroes.
Click on Rafa Benitez to see the top 10 falls from grace in the Premier League
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Manchester City may be powering through all Premier League opposition, recently handing a first league defeat to Newcastle United, but Liverpool away might prove to be a sterner test, with the Anfield side hot off a surprise victory over Chelsea this past weekend.
Each team enjoyed home victories over the other last season. The standout performers of both of those games are now taking a more peripheral role for their clubs, with the struggling Andy Carroll resigned to a place on the bench and the Carlos Tevez episode paving the way for others to take on goal scoring responsibility.
There are, however, a number of reasons why this season’s first encounter could prove to be in greater contrast, primarily the difference in ambition of both clubs a year on.
Manchester City last year were still a team building to becoming a title-winning side. A team capable of sustaining a charge on the domestic title whilst at the same time proving they belong with Europe’s elite. Now with additions such as Sergio Aguero and the new-found role for David Silva as team playmaker, City are looking a far more complete side. A team who maybe at times lacked the know-how to go away to places like Old Trafford and Anfield a year ago are now looking the complete package. Never before have a team gone to Old Trafford and humiliated Manchester United in the manner City did last month.
Similarly, it’s very difficult to remember an Anfield humiliation of that magnitude, despite the lows of the Hicks-Gillette reign. Manchester City are a team now with a lot more purpose than the side that lost 3-0 at Anfield in April. Yes Champions League qualification was important back then, but now a sustained challenge on the Premier League title becomes of paramount importance as Roberto Mancini describes his side as one capable of going toe-to-toe with Barcelona.
Should City have any reason to fear Liverpool and the atmosphere that should greet them as they walk onto the pitch at Anfield? Perhaps even at this stage it’s a little unclear what to expect from Liverpool. A team who have picked up victories away to top four rivals Chelsea and Arsenal have also been on the receiving end of a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham. Their Jekyll and Hyde form doesn’t end there as Liverpool have struggled for points against Premier League new boys Swansea and Norwich, both of whom managed to pick up a point at Anfield.
But like Manchester City a year on, Kenny Dalglish’s side have far greater aspirations this season. Backed by the heavy spending of owner John W. Henry over the summer, there is now an expectation for Liverpool to finish in the top four. As has been mentioned, a year on and with strengthened squads the targets for both sides seem a lot more realistic.
With all of Manchester City’s muscle both on and off the pitch, the determination to be back among the top tier of European clubs will give Liverpool enough incentive to prove why they can be taken seriously as top four contenders.
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Sunderland will not be able to recall Asamoah Gyan from his season-long loan at Al Ain due to small print in the contract.
New Black Cats’ boss Martin O’Neill had stated that he would consider whether or not to bring the African frontman back to the Stadium of Light to cover for injuries up front, and give him another chance.
However Mirror Football clarify that the Wearisde club have been alerted to the fact that there is no recall option in the deal that was signed by Steve Bruce, so Gyan’s return is not an option until the summer.
The Ghana international is reportedly earning £200,000 a week in the Middle East, compared to the £30,000 he was on at Sunderland, and is happy where he is for the time being.
“For now, I can’t really say anything about Sunderland,” Gyan admitted.
“I am on loan for a year so we will have to see what happens at the end of the season. I am doing well. So let’s see where my future lies after my loan deal.”
The news will force O’Neill to look to strengthen his attacking options in the January transfer window, as Sunderland have looked devoid of a clinical edge up front this season.
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Just like birthdays and anniversaries, the release of the NEW addition of the Football Manager game has become the latest addition to most supporters’ calendars as we all wait in anticipation for the latest features to be added to this near flawless game. I for one can’t get enough of a game that is arguably part of the greatest gaming franchise of all time.
Having historically played the game on the PC, I was a little weary about making the transition of playing it on various handheld versions. I shouldn’t have been as it is simply addictive.
Whilst there has inevitably been some streamlining of the game and format, it certainly doesn’t detract from the experience and excitement you get from attempting to take a club like Barnet through the Leagues to the Promised Land. The simplistic nature of the format provides a perfect tonic for those trips to works, flights abroad, or just sitting around in waiting rooms, largely down to the fact you can get through the games quickly and the subsequent seasons. The inclusion of features like the ‘Challenge’ mode make for an interesting alternative to game play and gives you the opportunity to put your managerial abilities to fulfil your selected objective. I’m clearly a manager that needs time to build and don’t possess that Harry Redknapp affect of changing a team’s fortunes overnight.
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The Football Manager Handheld 2012 is absolute revelation and arguably the best football game within the App store. Despite costing £6.99, it is simply a snip given the hours of pleasure you will get from the game and I wholeheartedly recommend you download it right away. You won’t be disappointed!
Download Football Manager 2012 Handheld HERE for the ultimate football management experience on the move
Aston Villa are widely expected to announce the loan signing of Robbie Keane from LA Galaxy on Wednesday.
The veteran striker is available to join the Midlands club as the MLS takes a two-month break, and has been training with Alex McLeish’s men lately.
The Guardian stipulate that the Republic of Ireland forward’s move will be concluded on Wednesday, with Keane available for selection for this weekend’s game against Everton.
Villa goalkeeper and countryman Shay Given has praised Keane, and feels that his signing will give the club a boost.
“It’s great for Villa to secure a player of Robbie’s calibre, even in the short-term,” Given told reporters.
“I didn’t know how fit he was before the last couple of days in training but he looks really sharp, to be honest. We’re all delighted that he’s here and I think he’s just given the whole dressing room a lift.
“He’s a big personality and he’s a big-game player. I think even in training the lads have been very impressed with what they’ve seen. I think it’s a great boost to have him on board.
“Some of the young lads here can learn from a guy like Robbie Keane, it’s fantastic for them. I think the younger players will look up to him and learn from him. Not only that, he’s only 31, so he’s quite young really.
“I think he will cause Premier League defences plenty of problems when’s given a chance to play. If you give him a chance [in front of goal], then nine times out of 10 he’ll take it,” the goalkeeper stated.
Given also confirmed that he is now fit and available for selection, after a six week absence through a hamstring injury.
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