Another trip to the San Siro for Tottenham in their quest for Champions League success. The North Londoners will recall the last time they faced AC Milan in European competition that they defeated the Italian giants on their way to UEFA Cup success, and although the chances of Harry’s men going all the way this time is unlikely, they certainly have enough ability to defeat the current leaders of Serie A.
At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes Tottenham facing €4m battle; five things fans want in their stocking and variety needs to be the spice of life for Spurs.
We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.
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A Champions League guide to Milan for Tottenham fans
Tottenham on transfer alert as January sale likely
Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs – what is the best move for City ace?
The Top TEN Premier League prospects for 2011
Spurs swoop highlights Liverpool’s plight
Tottenham face €4 million battle for Serb
TEN players at a career crossroad
Tottenham Christmas Stocking Fillers
FIVE things Spurs fans want to see in their stocking…Harry take note
Variety needs to be the spice of life for Tottenham
Top TEN most wanted PL transfers in January
THREE Spurs players I would be happy to see leave in January
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Click here to see the best TOTTENHAM blogs around the web this week.
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Daniel Levy, stripped bare and naked – Dear Mr Levy
The ‘Glass More Than Half Full Society’ – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2
Pienaar, Gomes and All The Cranberry Stuffing You Can Eat – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
Spurs 1-1 Chelsea: Make Sense of That If You Will – All Action, No Plot
Spurs Are Good At Impressions – Harry Hotspur
This is what it’s going to be like now…all the time – Dear Mr Levy
Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has stated that the Blues may well have rode their luck in beating Barcelona on Wednesday night, but is eager to score in the second leg at Camp Nou.
The west London side surprised the European champions in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, with the Ivory Coast international scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win.
With the return fixture next week, a Premier League fixture against Arsenal and the FA Cup final against Liverpool still to play, the African striker has admitted that the club are seeking success this term.
“We have to go there now and try to score another one,” he told Sky Sports.
“That’s football and I think we were a bit lucky.
“You have to work for luck to come and to happen. We worked a lot. We worked hard.
“It’s a difficult week, difficult 10 days for us after Spurs, this game, and then Arsenal, and then again Barcelona.
“It’s going to be an important, very decisive week for us, and I think we’re up for it,” Drogba concluded.
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail indicate that Drogba is close to agreeing a £6.7 million-a-year deal to join Shanghai Shenhua.
The ambitious Chinese side already have Nicolas Anelka in their ranks, and are eyeing his former team-mate, who is out of contract in the summer.
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Algeria have joined South Africa in offering to host the 2013 African Nations Cup finals.The finals, scheduled to be held in Libya, look increasingly likely to be moved because of the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.
Algerian Football Federation officials said they would be interested in replacing their fellow north Africans when the Confederation of African Football makes a decision on Libya’s ability to host the event at its next meeting in Cairo in September.
“It might help in our bid to qualify for the next World Cup finals,” federation spokesman Abdelkader Berdja told reporters.
South Africa, which will host the 2017 tournament, have already offered to substitute for the Libyans, should their civil conflict not end shortly.
Next year’s Nations Cup finals will be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon after which they move from every even year to every odd, starting 12 months later in Libya.
South Africa in April stepped in to replace Libya as hosts of this year’s African Youth Championships.
Libyan league football has been suspended since mid-February but clubs have continued to play in continental club competitions, by forfeiting their right to play their home leg in knockout ties, which were reduced to a single match at their opponent’s home ground.
Not surprisingly, no Libyan side got past the third round of the African Champions League and African Confederation Cup preliminaries.
Libya’s national team used Mali as their home ground in the Nations Cup qualifier in March and played in the Comoros Islands last month.
But Libya have withdrawn their team from the All-Africa Games qualifier this weekend, handing opponents Egypt a bye into the final tournament in Maputo in September.
Article courtesy of Chukwuma Echezona at Gunnersphere
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I think I was one of the first that spoke against the introduction of Cesc Fabregas into the Arsenal team after Patrick Vieira departed for Juventus in 2005 and Ray Parlour moved to Middlesbrough. However, I was clearly mistaken and firmly put in my place.
The youngster who came from Barcelona has developed into a world-class player, and at only the age of 23 he has the technique and the brain of a footballer who has been playing for years. Fans across the world have witnessed and fallen in love with the budding star for his superb vision that have resulted in goals, as well as scoring some along the way.
Fabregas started as a traditional midfielder when he first came to Arsenal, but as the years have flown by, he has learnt to play in different positions. The Spanish international on rare occasions has played out on the right wing as well as being deployed as an offensive midfielder. He now plays in the supporting striker role and is one of the clubs main goal threats with his ability to take free-kicks and score from the penalty spot.
The Spanish international has become somewhat of a Thierry Henry at the club, not just because he took the Frenchman’s armband, but statistics show that when Fabregas does not play then the odds of winning drop dramatically.
Thierry Henry was, and always will be the king of the club; Fabregas however is the prince who could eventually take the strikers place if all goes to plan. Fabregas has been a devoted member of Arsenal since the age of 16 and last summer showed his loyalty to the club after staying with the Gunners this season following Barcelona’s approach. After lifting the World Cup in South Africa, Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol indicated that the Arsenal talisman is the future of Barcelona, and even forced (along with Pepe Reina) the clubs jersey on the midfielder in front of the gathering press in Spain.
Recently, Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique stirred the pot even further after stating that Fabregas still dreams of a move to the Catalan club, and will eventually fabricate in the future. Cesc Fabergas has made no secrets that he would like to one day return to his roots and play for the Spanish Giants, although he never said when this will happen.
No one is in doubt of Fabergas’ abilities, but if he goes to Spain will he be as loved as he is in North London? The Spaniard will most certainly excel at Barcelona, but he would be a mere player, not a talisman as he is for Arsenal.
When Fabregas does leave for Barcelona (as he intends to), which players place would be under threat? Xavi and Inestia’s? I very much doubt it as they are one of the best partnerships in the Primera Division. Pedro is showing signs of quality, Lionel Messi is irreplaceable, and Sergio Busquets is the holding midfielder in the team. Fabregas would probably spend more of his time sitting on the bench and fighting for a place within the line-up, whilst at Arsenal he has no chance of this occurring.
The recent purchase of 24 year old Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay (who will arrive in Spain in January on a free) has certainly hindered and damaged Fabregas’ hope of a move in the near future. Xavi (30) could go on for a further 2-3 years at the club, whilst Andres Iniesta (26) has another 6 years at least left in the tank.
For Fabregas to swap the Emirates for the Nou Camp now would be foolish, the 23-year-old would become a wasted talent. However, if he makes the switch in 3 years time (providing Barca are still interested in him of course) then he will most certainly replace the aging stars.
Nevertheless, should Arsenal fans really worry if Fabregas does decide to leave next summer? Not in my opinion.
For a fee of £50 million Wenger should sell anyone of his players, even Fabregas. Inter Milan are interested in the midfielder as reports suggested earlier in the week, and have placed the Spaniard on the top of their most wanted list. The Italian side are prepared to table a bid of £40 million for the Arsenal man in the summer, and I think Wenger should take it.
We have plenty of midfielders in our squad, and to be fair Fabregas does not look the same player as he once was. Samir Nasri has displayed some magical performances this season and is considered as one of the clubs best players by many Arsenal fans. Jack Wilshere is proving to fans that he is a superstar in the making and can hold the midfield alongside Alex Song. Aaron Ramsey is back and played his first reserve game since his horrific leg break back in February. We also have Denilson and Abou Diaby challenging for spots in the team.
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Considering all this, Fabregas leaving wouldn’t be such a disaster for the club, but more on a personal level for the player himself. A lot of Arsenal players in the past have left the club in search of trophies and have come unstuck. Apart from Thierry Henry and Nickolas Anelka, the rest have accomplished nothing special in their careers (Mathieu Flamini, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Adebayor are to name just a few). At the end of the day if Fabregas does leave then I fear the same will happen to him, which would be sad to see.
Read more Arsenal blogs at the excellent Gunnersphere website
Easter weekend is always one of the most important times in the football league season and this year’s was no different.
The race for second and third spot has come down to three teams, Torquay United, Crawley Town and of course Shrewsbury Town.
The bank holiday fixtures began on Friday with Torquay taking on Accrington and Crawley hosting an in-form Crewe Alexandra side. For a lot of the afternoon results looked as though they could go our way with Crawley trailing for 88 minutes until a late penalty salvaged them a point and Torquay getting themselves a solitary goal in the last 20 minutes to give them a 1-0 victory.
So we knew what we had to do as we made our way to a rainy Moss Rose on Friday night. A victory would lift us two points above Crawley and keep us within three points of Torquay with a game in hand.
An encouraging first half display from the Shrews saw us go into the half time with a one goal lead thanks to a fantastic finish from in form striker James Collins. Second half came and we continued to dominate with two more goals, one from Mark Wright and another from Collins to give us a 3-1 victory with Macclesfield grabbing themselves a consolation between our second and third goals.
Any Town fans who were at Macclesfield will understand the conditions in the away end were hardly the best so it was nice to be back on our home turf on Easter Monday where Bradford City were the visitors.
We took the lead in the game through an early goal from Jermaine Grandison and continued to look dominate throughout what was a very entertaining first half. The game was a lot more even second half but we showed the resilience to keep our promotion march going with another three points and another game unbeaten at home.
Torquay got lucky again at Oxford on Monday, snatching a last minute draw after being reduced to ten men whereas Crawley come back from a goal behind to beat Barnet 2-1 away at Underhill to keep the pressure on.
So as things stand we stand in third position following the Easter period. We currently stand one point behind Torquay with a game in hand over them. Crawley have played the same amount of games as us but stand two points behind us as things stand. So I think going into the final five games of the campaign we are just ahead of the other two teams.
Of course this could all change on Saturday when Torquay host Southend United, who have the most away wins in the division, while Crawley have the easiest of the three games this weekend, hosting AFC Wimbledon. Whereas we take on Rotherham United who in the big news of the weekend have just appointed Steve Evans as their new manager and I’m in doubt the former Crawley manager will be hoping to make a good impression at his new club and do his old one a favour by finally breaking our home record.
Roll on Saturday!
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With Guus Hiddink odds on favourite to take over the reigns at Chelsea on a permanent basis during his second spell at the club, the news that the move for the Dutchman could cost £15m will come as a surprise to many – but is Hiddink really worth that much? And more pertinently, does his appointment signal little more than a continuation of the short-term managerial merry-go-round that has done nothing but hinder Chelsea of late?
I’m not going to lie to you, I’m playing devils advocate here. Everyone seems fairly certain that the job is Hiddink’s to turn down, which he has shown no indication as yet that he intends on doing. His first spell at the club as caretaker boss after Felipe Scolari’s departure in 2009 was a resounding success. So often in football, short spells such as Hiddink’s have a tendency to be overly romanticised, but in this case, Hiddink definitely did do an outstanding job.
He took over a fantastic side low on confidence and crucially did what Scolari had failed to do – made them perform to the best of their abilities. He won the FA Cup final against Everton and won 15 of his 21 games in charge in total, losing just once to Spurs in the league. He also came just a hair’s breadth away from taking them to the Champions League final after being knocked out by an Andres Iniesta goal in the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge at the semi-final stage. In short, a fantastic spell.
However, it has since come to light that should Roman Abramovich wish to employ Hiddink as the club’s next manager, the move could set the Chairman back a cool £15m in compensation and wages over the course of the next year. Sure, it’s small change to a man such as Abramovich, but is Hiddink really worth that hefty sum? Is any manager worth that sum? I’m doubtful on both counts.
The Turkish FA are thought to be keen so pursue the maximum amount of compensation that they are entitled to squeeze from the Russian oligarch, thought to be in the region of £3m. Then there is the £6m compensation figure to be issued to former manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian would have only receive half that figure if he went onto manage a club within 6 months of his departure from Stamford Bridge, but his decision last week to take a year-long sabbatical from the game should be seen as a middle-fingered salute to his former boss in the only language that the Russian understands – money.
Hiddink is thought to be demanding a similar wage to Ancelotti’s £6m a year which brings the total to £15m. Interestingly, Ancelotti’s sacking also brings the total compensatory packages dished out by Abramovich to sacked managers and coaches since he took over the club seven years ago to an astonishing £74m – a remarkably short-sighted structure for a club the size of Chelsea to operate with.
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Hiddink has also failed in the last two international jobs to secure progress to an international tournament – firstly with Russia and the 2010 World Cup and more recently with Turkey and Euro 2012 qualification. His stock with Chelsea fans and their Chairman remain sky high, but on the international stage at least, it’s taken a bit of a dent.
There is also the nature of the deal to contend with. Hiddink is now 64 years of age and any deal is likely to be around 2 years in length. It can hardly be said to be planning for the future to employ Hiddink for such a short period of time, especially when there is such a big rebuilding job to be done at Stamford Bridge in the immediate future. Surely appointing a younger coach such as Porto’s Andre Villas-Boas or Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp would make much more sense in the long run. The job that faces Hiddink now is very different to the one that he had in 2009.
Could it not be considered somewhat financially reckless to entrust a significant rebuilding plan to a manager who may not be around to see the job through? If Hiddink is moved upstairs, an entirely possible situation considering his close relationship with Abramovich, then there are further legacy and succession issues to deal with. Does the next manager’s vision have to fit in with Hiddink’s? Will that decide who gets the job in the future? The handover could be very messy. These are the sorts of questions that have completely glossed over in the club’s pursuit of their man – it may be fine for the short-term, but what happens afterwards can often prove just as important.
It’s also worth remembering, barring his 4-month stint as Chelsea caretaker boss in 2009, Hiddink hasn’t been involved with the day-to-day running of a football club since his time with PSV ended in 2006 and he’s only held one full-time managerial position at club level in the last decade.
Roman Abramovich is thought to be keen on Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola in two years time after Hiddink steps down. However, what is truly narrowing the field with concerns to the club’s managerial choices in the future has to be the chopping and changing nature of their overbearing Chairman. Abramovich could well and truly turn out to be their Achilles heel.
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Why would a world-class manager want to move to Chelsea when the confines that he has to work within are always so strict and the stakes so high? Coupled with the constant threat of being undermined at every turn and the job, where it was once one the most appealing going in Europe, begins to look more like an uphill task even for the most qualified. To put it simply, how do you satisfy an obsessive character such as Abramovich?
In all honesty, Hiddink remains a fine candidate for the job, but we shouldn’t be so myopic in thinking he’s the only man for the job. He’s being painted as a returning hero in some sections of the media; the man to topple Man Utd and bring and end to their top flight dominance. But dig a little deeper, and a few doubts do begin to surface when discussing the topic of his appointment.
Simply because it’s been expected to happen for so long does not necessarily make it the right move for the club in the long-term. Stop gap appointments rarely work out and all they do is make the job all the more difficult for the man who inherits the role next. Hiddink looks set to take the job, but whether it is the best option for all concerned remains to be seen. If it all goes tits up though, fret not Chelsea fans, Bryan Robson has just left his job as Thailand manager – you know, just thought I’d throw it out there while I’m here playing devils advocate.
After some big results last week for Wolves, Liverpool and Newcastle, what can this week’s fixtures offer us? How will the Premier League look when round 11 is all said and done? Here are the 10 Big Questions we want answered this weekend.
1.Could West Brom seal Mancini’s fate?
It doesn’t take much for pressure to build on a manager nowadays, but when you’re manager at a club like Manchester City where expectations are so high any pressure is magnified. Three defeats in a row is bad enough, but continued talk of unrest between players and manager certainly doesn’t help. The fixture fairy hasn’t been smiling on Mancini either, just when he would be hoping for a cushy home tie against a lowly ranked Premier League, he gets West Brom away. This will be a very tricky match for City. Despite West Brom lying sixth in the league and only suffering one defeat in nine, they still hold the tag of a ‘newly promoted side’, thus fans still expect their team to beat the Baggies. A win would go a long way in shining the spotlight away from the Sky Blues, but a defeat would leave Mancini in increasingly hot water.
2. Will Liverpool’s climb up the league continue against Chelsea?
In an attempt to lift the pressure from his own team, Petr Cech has said that all the pressure is on Liverpool prior to their clash on Sunday. Cech believes that Liverpool need to win the game in order to show their fans that they are still contenders and can raise themselves for the big games, and as the home team they will be under even more scrunity. Despite wins in their last two league games taking them up to 13th, Liverpool know that, with the table as tight as it is, a defeat could plunge them straight back into trouble. Chelsea, as we all know, are flying high at the summit of the Premiership and will be a daunting prospect for Roy Hodgson and his men.
3. Can Wolves repeat their feat at Old Trafford?
A week and a half ago Wolves went to Old Trafford and lost 3-2. Yes, it was only the Carling Cup but it was a significant game in Wolves’ renaissance and not many teams manage to score two goals at Old Trafford, especially a team who were firmly in the bottom three of the league. Wolves played very well that night and pushed the Red Devils all the way to the final whistle, and a few days later went on to beat Manchester City. The tough games just keep coming for McCarthy and his auld gold troops and a return to Old Trafford will be another tricky match. But Wolves are arguably the Premier League’s most improved team of late, and what better way to test your progression than a trip to Manchester United?
4. Can Gareth Bale recreate his Champions League form in the Premiership?
Despite Gareth Bale’s Champions League heroics, as any frustrated fantasy football manager will be able to testify, he has failed to put up the numbers in the Premiership. He has yet to score since his brace at Stoke and only has one assist to his name. His reputation now means that he’s constantly being marked out of games which has reduced his productivity, but can he reaffirm his place amongst the world’s best at Bolton?
5. What will the bottom look like by Sunday night?
At present we see West Ham, Wolves and Blackburn occupying the bottom three spots in the Premier League, but how will it look when all the fixtures are done and dusted? As it stands there are only three points separating 18th from 10th, so on Monday morning we could see some new teams plunged into trouble. There are two big bottom of the table clashes at the weekend: Birmingham vs. West Ham and Blackburn vs. Wigan. All of the afore mentioned teams are in the bottom six places and these games will go along way to determining who lie in the relegation places. With the Premier League so tight, teams like Aston Villa and Liverpool, who themselves have hard games, will also be nervously looking over their shoulders.
Continued on Page TWO
6. Can Spurs get their first ever Premier League win at the Reebok Stadium?
We’ve all been told of late about Tottenham’s failings when they go away to the big four, but another stat that’s been quietly building up is that Spurs haven’t won away at Bolton in the Premier League since March 1996 – when they played at Burnden Park. In the 10 games since Tottenham’s last win at Bolton their record reads: played 10, won 0, drawn 4, lost 6. Spurs’s record following Champions League matches is good, only one defeat in five, so they’ll be hoping to put this jinx to rest. Kevin Davies is one player who looks forward to this tie more than most, he has four goals in his last three goals against Tottenham at the Reebok.
7. Which way will the Blackpool rollercoaster go this weekend?
Blackpool are a fantastic team to watch. They play a good brand of football, they entertain, score goals and you have no idea what’s going to happen. The latest chapter in Blackpool’s topsy-turvy season sees them take on Everton at Bloomfield Road. After their trademark poor start to the season, Everton are starting find some form, but a game at Blackpool is proving to be a tricky seaside trip so as ever, how this one will turn out is anyone’s guess.
8. Will Steve’s Bruce and Sunderland respond to last week’s humiliation?
What’s the only thing worse than getting soundly beaten on a football pitch? Getting soundly beaten by your nearest and most hated rivals. This is the nightmare that Steve Bruce’s side and the Sunderland faithful had to endure last week after their 5-1 mauling by Newcastle. Steve Bruce is saying all the right things:
“The mark of everything is how you respond. I try to get up off the floor and come out fighting. I didn’t speak to anyone for two days. You batten down the hatches, you take it, you try to be dignified and you try to respond, that is all you can do. There is no hiding place for us. It has happened and we must not let it derail our season.”
But can he inspire his team to bounce back against Stoke at home? The Sunderland we’re seeing at the moment is looking rather familiar to that of last season: three red cards already, inconsistent league form and Darren Bent’s goals are still carrying the team. Stoke have a very average away record so this could be the perfect chance for Sunderland to show some steel.
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9. Will Lampard make a goalscoring return to the Chelsea starting XI?
What is going on with Frank Lampard? For what seems like ages, we’ve been told that he is one week from a return, only to then be told he’ll be out for another two weeks. This ‘will be play, won’t be play’ saga now seems to be over. During the week, Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said that Lampard is fit and will go straight into the team, but with Chelsea going fantastically well without Lampard, he will have to make a good return to show that he is worthy of his place.
10. Can Dempsey keep the doubters quiet?
There has been some debate about whether or not Clint Dempsey is worth a place in the Fulham side. Some fans believed that Simon Davies was a better option in the Fulham midfield during Dempsey’s poor run of form following the World Cup. However, after his match winning performance last week surely now he is back to his best, and another good showing against Aston Villa will silence any doubters.
In the job that I’m in it is amazing to see the way supporters see the beautiful game, with many clearly believing that football only started the moment Sky Sports got its mucky paws on it and created this monster that is now the Premier League. The game did exist before and in my view was far better.
Sky certainly gave LIVE coverage the kiss of life it needed, after years of watching the likes of Elton Welsby and Jim Rosenthal attempting (and failing) to add excitement to the proceedings, however somewhere in the next 20yrs they proceeded to destroy the game I love, largely down to the obscene millions that has been pumped into it. It has brought with it greed and ruthlessness within football that has slowly killed the romance and competitiveness for everyone. My biggest gripe however is reserved for the way they have single handily moved the goal posts in football reporting, which has subsequently rubbed off on the whole of the media industry.
The whole Evra/Suarez race row highlighted for me the real change in attitude towards football. All Sky was interested in was a stupid handshake between the players than arguably the biggest domestic game in this country, which seemingly paled into all significance. Kenny Dalglish rightly turned on the grotesque Geoff Shreeves and although the Scot should have reserved his anger for his player, who only fuelled the incident, he made a valid point about the Sky coverage and how it played a huge part in the circus that the incident became throughout the weeks. Let’s be honest Sky now turn a mistimed tackle into a two day event and get referees and ex-players in the studio to discuss it. The scrutiny they show for even the most minor of incidents is obscene and their sensationalism has had a domino affect all round.
While many of you may think I am little old fashioned and think that I should move with the times, I ask the question as to when football stopped being a game? I use to enjoy the reading of Sunday papers after a game, looking at match reports and the detailed analysis of some of Fleet Street’s finest, but all you find now is column inches responding to incidents that have been highlighted and fuelled by Sky the previous day. When did journalists stop practicing their art and jump on this sensationalist bandwagon that is destroying the game? Every weekend we are being subjected to this intense negativity, where the game appears to be an afterthought throughout their coverage.
Unfortunately for me the horse has now well and truly bolted and I am fully aware that the game will not change and we will continue to live in this hyperbolic bubble of Sky’s making. For me it is interesting talking to football supporters who appear to have fallen out of love with the game, who now keep an eye on their team from afar. I was talking to an Arsenal fan who gave up his season ticket for 30years because he was sick and tired of the modern day supporters who fail to see the wood from the trees and buy into the media hype around his football club. A single defeat has suddenly become a media-induced crisis that has spilled over into the stands and unfortunately into the boardrooms of many football clubs, who will perhaps go against their own principles and sack a manager as long as it keeps supporters happy. Many a true word there and a true reflection of the utter circus the once Beautiful Game has become.
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Last night was a little hectic in the Tavern to put it mildly.
What began as an average night of debauchery became a full on knees up that some witnesses suggest might finish sometime tomorrow. Some of us can remember a time when end of season celebrations were for winners – not just those who took part. Quite why people like Wolves and Blackpool are ordering champagne is beyond me.
Anyway, amidst the carnage this little gem turned up, apparently accidentally scooped up in some paperwork by a member of the Blackpool entourage who was snatching everything that wasn’t nailed down in a back office on Sunday as souvenirs for his ebay shop friends & family.
Is it real, well I really scanned it and simply will let you our highly esteemed readership decide.
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Article courtesy of Escapini at the Transfer Tavern
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There are few in the English game that are better judges of young talent than Sir Alex Ferguson. But letting Gerard Pique go back to Barcelona, while still just 21, must wrangle the Old Trafford boss. The Spanish centre back managed to go from United reserve, to integral cog in the best footballing side on the planet, in the space of a couple of months. It wasn’t even as if there was an element of progression at the Nou Camp; he was already a good player, and one that Fergie could do with now.
There has been a whole host of players that have failed to make the grade at Old Trafford. Such is the depth within the club’s academy that there are bound to be players that are released, believed not to be up to the job. For all the Giggs, Nevilles’, Scholes et al, there are those that fall either into lower league football, or out of the profession all together. Players that Ferguson releases from their United duties tend to be more of the Ben Thornley mould, not players who go on to win the Champions League within a year of leaving.
Having originally been at Barcelona as a boy, Ferguson had done the hard work in snaffling a young talent from Barca’s cantera, and his time at United (which he maintains he enjoyed and is thankful for) went along the usual lines. He performed well in the reserves, earning him a full contract, he then went on loan to Zaragoza upon which he struck up a good bond in defence with Gabriel Milito, and then back to Manchester to try to break his way into the first team. The latter never really happened however; restricted to just 12 senior appearances in his time with the club.
It is not as if Ferguson doesn’t give young players enough opportunities. Consider how the careers of the likes of John O’Shea, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans started. Even in relatively important games, they managed to gradually pick up more and more starts until they eased their way into the senior squad with little fuss. There must have been something that Ferguson either didn’t like about Pique, or even more worrying, didn’t notice.
At this moment in time, Ferguson really only has half of his backline playing regularly at their optimum level. Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic are world-class in their respective positions, but there is rarely continuity in who they are partnered with. Obviously Rio Ferdinand is Vidic’s partner in the middle, but his fitness is always an issue, and although he is pretty much back from his latest injury, the next visit to the physio is only a matter of time. As for the right back spot; I genuinely have no idea who is Ferguson’s preferred option. United fans I’m sure will have a better idea than I will (and I’d be grateful if they could tell me) who should be playing there: Neville, Rafael, O’Shea or Brown. Or even someone else? Maybe that should be the source of Fergie’s next big purchase?
In a defence that has been crippled by injuries – least we forget the games that paired Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick in the centre of defence last year – having a world-class centre back, with all the attributes needed, plus the extra ability of being comfortable on the ball, could make all the difference to a United backline. His fitness is seemingly far more reliable than that of Ferdinand’s, or even Vidic’s, and he has proved at Barca, and for his country, how good he is. Football’s very own Neanderthal man, Carles Puyol, can be rattled in games, and having Pique’s reassurance alongside has seen him improve vastly. There are few players that Ferguson regrets letting go (he probably doesn’t regret any if we’re being honest), but there must be a part of him that see’s Pique lifting the Champions League, and then the World Cup, that thinks a mistake was made.
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