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Neil Gardner Lionel Messi was last night crowned as winner of football's prestigious Ballon D'Or after being named European Footballer of the Year. The Barcelona forward had an outstanding season, helping his side to an unprecedented treble of the Champions Leaague, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey. Messi was also the top scorer in last year’s Champions League with nine goals, one of which helped seal a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the final. The 22-year-old was a unanimous winner beating nearest rival Cristiano Ronaldo by an incredible 240 points. But is he the only viable candidate? Does Ronaldo, last year's winner, have as much right to the award after helping United to the Premier League title before a world-record £80 million transfer to Real Madrid? What of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona's engine room, who were as instrumental in the Catalan side's success as Messi?
And how about the claims of several Premier League stars, including Didier Drogba, acknowledged by some as the best striker in the world at the moment, Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, all way behind the enigmatic Argentinian? Let us know your thoughts below.
Aguero wants Chelsea switch - Daily Star
The Argentina forward has alerted the London club by admitting he is prepared to leave hard-up Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of the £40 million-rated 21-year-old and would like to add him to the ranks in January.
The boy they call the new Drogba - Daily Mail
Chelsea have offered £10 million for Anderlecht's 16-year-old striking sensation Romelu Lukaku, who has drawn favourable comparison with the Ivory Coast forward.
Yaya alerts Arsenal and Manchester City - The Sun
Yaya Toure, the Barcelona defender has alerted the interest of the Premier League clubs after suggesting that he wants a move to England after being left out of the 'el clasico' against Real Madrid.
Redknapp can Dou - Daily Mirror
The Tottenham manager is ready with a £10million bid for Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia – tipped to be Didier Drogba’s World Cup partner.
Spurs had the 21-year-old watched on Sunday, when he scored for Young Boys of Berne in a 2-0 win over Basle.
Grant keen to splash cash - Daily Telegraph
The new Portsmouth manager is set for talks with chief executive Peter Storrie this week to establish exactly what funding will be made available by new owner Ali al-Faraj during the January transfer window.
(4-4-2) Shay Given; Gary Neville, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole; Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Robert Pires; Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Shay Given - he must have made the fewest mistakes of any Premier League goalkeeper in the past ten years.
Gary Neville - I agonised about this because injuries have badly affected him in recent years but there's no real alternative.
John Terry - an outstanding leader who was a key reason for Chelsea winning two league titles.
Rio Ferdinand - has suffered from the odd indifferent spell but overall has been brilliant and is so naturally talented.
Ashley Cole - superb for Arsenal in his early twenties and now regaining top form for Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo - a no-brainer.
Steven Gerrard - exceptional and inspirational for so long, has proved his excellence time and again.
Frank Lampard - his goal record is sensational and you can't find a more consistent performer.
Robert Pires - was only at Arsenal between 2000 and 2006 but was fantastic so deserves inclusion.
Thierry Henry - for five or six years, there was no striker who came close to his range of skills.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (pictured) - a top predator and the fact that there was even a debate as to whether he was a better striker than Henry shows how good he was.
Substitutes: I want to choose eight! Brad Friedel, Alan Shearer, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Claude Makelele, Jamie Carragher and Patrick Vieira.
In today's e-mail bulletin, we asked: "Considering the money they have spent on players, Manchester City's run of seven league draws is disappointing. Why are they not winning matches?"
Tony Cascarino responded: "Perhaps they have been too focused on getting in attacking players and not paid enough attention to shoring up their defence. They have Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez all pushing to play up front with Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland and Martin Petrov just behind them. But that is not where they are having problems. "The defence looks wishy-washy to me. Wayne Bridge is one of the most overrated defenders in the Premier League - I can't remember seeing a player who is so one-footed. City certainly need to address that weakness in January. But maybe more pressing is their lack of steel in the heart of their defence. "Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure are both good players - quick and mobile - but they don't compliment each other well enough and neither is the colossus that City need. John Terry was superb in Chelsea's victory over Arsenal. He was aggressive, strong and headed every ball that looked like it might pose a danger. Now there are not too many John Terry's around in world football but City need to go out and buy the closest thing they can find. "This makes the decision to sell Richard Dunne in the summer all the more ridiculous. He is exactly the type of player they need in there and in many ways he is a better centre back that Lescott or Toure." We also reported on Ireland's plea to Fifa to be included as an extra team at next year's World Cup and Carlo Ancelotti's confidence in leading Chelsea to the Premier League title. Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
Fergie
eyes Micah deal - Daily Mirror
Manchester United are ready to move for Micah Richards if rivals Man City
finally lose patience with the defender. Richards, 21, has only started
eight Premier League games for City this term under manager Mark Hughes.
Carlo:
deal me out - The Sun
Carlo Ancelotti does not expect to make any new signings in January. Chelsea
have had a Fifa transfer ban lifted. But despite losing the likes of Didier
Drogba and Michael Essien to the African Nations Cup, their boss insists he
will look at new buys only if his side suffers injuries
Green
light to sell Rob - Daily Mirror
West Ham are ready to sell England World Cup keeper Robert Green in the
transfer window - if they get the right bid. The cash-conscious Hammers will
look to bring in money for Green in January and the word is out among
potential bidders that he can go for around £4 to £5 million.
Grant
seeking reinforcements - The Guardian
The Portsmouth manager says that he will be searching for new players to
help strengthen his side in January and boost their hopes of avoiding
relegation this season.
Cole
out for four months - The Sun
Carlton Cole's World Cup hopes have taken a major knock after he suffered
ligament damage to his right knee during Saturday's 5-3 trouncing of Burnley
and could now be out for four months.
 So, the Noughties, how were they for you? That appellation never did trip off the tongue, did it? Nor, a decade on, does the Chelsea team that became the first all-overseas XI to play in the Premier League on Boxing Day 1999, ushering in a decade when the foreign influence would extend from the pitch to the boardroom.
For all the brilliance of imports such as Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Premier League has succeeded in retaining an English or a British heart. That feeling was heightened while compiling a Premier League team of the decade, one that, without need to resort to favouritism, included five Englishmen, one Irishman and one very obvious Welshman.
It is a thankless task, one that involved picking Steven Gerrard at right back in order to free up space in midfield. The quality in midfield, more than any other position, has been staggering and, while Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane were in decline by the midpoint of the decade, it seemed impossible to omit either of those.
Continue reading "Oliver Kay's Premier League team of the decade" »
 In his new Times column, Patrick Barclay notes how "the stock of the English manager generally has risen in the past 15 months or so, largely because of Roy Hodgson’s achievement in guiding Fulham into Europe on a relatively low budget and Harry Redknapp’s invigoration of Tottenham Hotspur".
Our Chief Football Commentator goes on to list the recent achievements of other English managers in the top flight including Steve Bruce, shining at Sunderland, and Paul Hart, whose reputation is undimmed by the loss of a near-impossible job at Portsmouth.
"Meanwhile," he writes, "the reaction to Sam Allardyce’s recent heart trouble has been a reminder that he, too, has earned more respect than his more self-promotional outbursts seemed to leave room for. And, as for Steve McClaren, look at how well he is doing in the Netherlands with Twente. Were he not an England head coach of the past, people would be tipping him as one for the future."
Should, then, the FA ensure an Englishman succeeds Fabio Capello? E-mail us via the comment box below.
1. Moyes should go if he isn’t provided with funds
It’s time for David Moyes to give the Everton board an ultimatum: back me with funds or I won’t stick around. What’s the alternative? Why should he stay and let his reputation fade because Everton are no longer competitive? It’s not the manager’s fault they don’t invest nearly as much money as their top-six rivals.
2. Liverpool can’t point the finger at transfer of Alonso
Arsenal spend time perfecting their passing and movement, but it’s a shame they don’t do more defensive work. They can’t deal with crosses — the ugly side of the game doesn’t come naturally. Thomas Vermaelen is not the dominating centre back Arsenal need, especially when the goalkeeper is not commanding.
3. Arsenal defence must add grit to their game
Wolves are struggling for goals and it’s no surprise when they are reliant on two decent Championship strikers in Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Doyle has played in the top flight for Reading but he’s more about workrate than guile and technique. Ebanks-Blake is raw at this level. Together they’re not a recipe for goals.
Continue reading "Tony Cascarino's Fiver" »
Bill Edgar
35
Chelsea goals without reply in London — 30 in home games and five away to Fulham (0-2) and Arsenal (0-3).
10
Years since a side, before West Ham, scored and let in at least three in successive Premier games (Southampton).
7
Successive Manchester City league draws — equalling the top-flight record by any side — after 18 games without a draw.
33
Percentage of Premier League games drawn in October and November, after 6 per cent in August and September
41,000
Attendance for the match between Celtic and St Mirren, 14,000 smaller than any Celtic home league crowd last season.
It is back to wonder goals this week and as Rob Thacker, who nominated this cracker from the 1970s, says: “There can only be one winner.”
The goal in question caused a sensation on October 3, 1970 in the first division match between Coventry City and Everton at Highfield Road. The home team were leading 2-1 when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area with ten minutes to go. Willie Carr, a flame-haired Scot, stood over the ball with Ernie Hunt, sporting an impressive Zapata moustache, close by.
Carr gripped the ball with his heels and flicked it into the air, Hunt met it perfectly on the volley and sent it over the Everton wall and past Andy Rankin for a stunning third goal. Fortunately, the Match of the Day cameras were there to preserve this classic for posterity. It became its goal of the month and, eventually, the season, and was emulated in parks and playgrounds for years. Sadly, the move was outlawed at the end of that season.
On the same day, Coventry had been drawn against Bayern Munich in the Fairs Cup but went down in their only European campaign, losing 6-1 in Germany.
What would you like to see in our museum of memories? Suggestions to room442@thetimes.co.uk
Words by Calvin Shulman
In today's e-mail bulletin, we asked: "Can Arsenal's skill overcome Chelsea's power on Sunday?" Patrick Barclay responded: "Judging by their performance against Standard Liege on Tuesday I fear not. Without the injured Robin Van Persie they appeared to lack the spearhead that they will need to trouble the Chelsea defence. Having said that if Chelsea do have a slight deficiency in defence it comes against small, quick attacking players and Arsenal have plenty of those. "But there is no doubt that Arsenal will miss the subtlety and cleverness of Van Persie. He is almost Bergkamp-like these days and his ability to get those crucial goals could be sorely missed by Arsene Wenger. I understand he learnt these skills playing cage-football in Amsterdam. Well the sooner we can send scores of our young players to Amsterdam to play cage football the better! "Chelsea will have too much for Arsenal on Sunday. They are winning out of habit at the moment and they are becoming a very, very difficult team to beat. There is no shame in losing to them at the moment, and given their current form they could well be too much for a team even of the class of Barcelona. You just can't bet against Chelsea right now and I won't be on Sunday, which is a shame because I am a huge admirer of the way Arsenal play the game." We also reported on Sir Alex Ferguson backing Avram Grant's appointment at Portsmouth and Ian McParland joining Roy Keane's coaching staff at Ipswich. Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
Tony Barrett
At 8pm on Wednesday night a ground share was not on the agenda for anyone on
Merseyside. By 8am the following morning - it was the only talking point in
town.
How did that happen? It’s not as if Anfield and Goodison had been razed to the
ground by fans angry at the way their teams are letting them down.
The only thing that changed the agenda was someone at Everton had “indicated”
to someone at Sky Sports News that they would now be willing to consider
moving into a stadium with Liverpool.
Why ever would anyone have done that? Could it be, and forgive by cynicism,
that the Everton hierarchy knew they were in for an absolute and richly
deserved kicking for their second failed stadium project in less than a
decade and decided to pull a flanker?
Continue reading "Merseyside stadium share would be a sad day for English football " »
Tottenham
offer Vieira pay-as-you-go - Daily Mail
Tottenham have opened talks on the controversial signing of former Arsenal
captain Patrick Vieira. Harry Redknapp has sanctioned talks with the
33-year-old French star and hopes a free transfer can be completed.
Forlan's
Premier promise - Daily Mirror
Former Manchester United flop Diego Forlan would relish a return to the
Premier League. The Atletico Madrid front man spent two years at Old
Trafford, but failed to make any impact, managing just 17 goals in 95
appearances. He said: "England, and the Premier League, gave me things and I
thank them for that. If I have the chance to return I would like to go."
O’Neill
is a Mig fighter - The Sun
The Aston Villa manager is leading the chase for Valencia ace Miguel. The
Portugal right-back, 29, wants to leave in January after a bust-up with boss
Unai Emery
Fergie
in swoop for teen star - The Sun
Manchester United have wrapped up a deal to sign 17-year-old Welsh wonder Adam
Matthews. Alex Ferguson's champions have nipped in ahead of Arsenal to take
the Cardiff defender to Old Trafford
Redknapp
is Mad for it - The Sun
The Tottenham manager has tied up a £4million deal to sign Rangers defender
Madjid Bougherra in January. Redknapp wants more defensive cover as neither
skipper Ledley King nor Jonathan Woodgate are able to train flat out.
League
renews inquiries into Notts County - The Guardian
The Football League has renewed its inquiries into Notts County's ownership.
Lord Mawhinney, the Football League chairman, confirmed to the Guardian
yesterday that the Meadow Lane club has been sent a series of questions
relating to its ownership structure.
 Tony Cascarino
John Terry spoke this week about how hard it is for youth players to break into the first-team at the top clubs and he should know, because how many have managed it at Chelsea in the past decade apart from him?
The going rate now at the big Barclays Premier League sides is probably one or two youth products per decade who become long-term regulars. It’s a tiny amount considering the resources spent on academies. But plenty are given a substitute appearance here, a Carling Cup start there, before being sold or released and winding up at smaller top-flight sides or Coca-Cola Championship clubs.
There’s no hope, really, if you’re anything less than a superstar in the making. You’ve got to be a teenage prodigy, as Gael Kakuta appears to be, to have a chance of lasting. Opportunities are scarce, and players are impatient, so they’ll look elsewhere rather than hang around for years in the reserves. And if they do get a game or two, they have to hit the ground running.
You can’t afford to play badly, or even indifferently – the sport’s so pressurised that managers won’t risk their jobs by giving untested youngsters a sustained run. Kids must play well straight away, or they’ll be discarded. Managers in the Premier League have the pick of the world’s best players to sign, so why would they spend time developing a young player who may or may not turn out to be good enough?
It’s harsh – maybe a teenager’s been learning his trade at a club for five or six years, and after all that education and investment, his first-team audition may last only a few minutes.
I was a far better player in my mid-twenties than when I was a raw teenager, and that’s normal. But clubs would rather let go now and buy back later if necessary: a good example is Peter Crouch, who didn’t originally make the grade at Tottenham Hotspur.
It’s no wonder that few English players make it at the Chelseas, Liverpools and Manchester Uniteds when the odds are so stacked against them. It doesn’t mean that youth development is in crisis, just that the standards and resources of the best Premier League clubs are immense.
Daniel Sturridge, a very good prospect but let go by Manchester City who’s now on the fringes of the Chelsea side. He’s not going to break into that team any time soon given that Carlo Ancelotti can pick Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. How many strikers in the world are better than those two?
Scott Sinclair did pretty well in most of his Chelsea appearances but he’s gone on loan to Wigan Athletic. Franco Di Santo’s gone to Blackburn Rovers on work experience. Frazier Campbell was deemed talented enough by Steve Bruce for Sunderland to spend up to six million pounds on him – yet he couldn’t break into the Manchester United team. At United, Jonny Evans is a very useful player, but not a certain starter. And who’s to say that if Nemanja Vidic is sold next summer, Sir Alex Ferguson won’t go out and buy a costly defender rather than make Evans a first choice?
It’s not enough to be good at Old Trafford – you have to be exceptional. Either that or, like Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea, you accept that you’re a squad player, a fill-in man who won’t be an automatic first choice.
The chief purpose of academies these days seems to be to churn out a production line of very good but not great prospects who can fill out the ranks then be sold to smaller clubs. Once in a blue moon, perhaps a genius will be uncovered. You’re better off being a kid at a club without money such as West Ham United, because then they’ll have to give you a go. West Ham’s youngsters such as Jack Collison and Mark Noble are regulars who wouldn’t be near the line-up if they’d begun their careers in West instead of East London.
Consider the scene for a young central midfield prospect at Chelsea a couple of years ago. He’d be thinking: Scott Parker (and later, Steve Sidwell) can’t get in the first-team. What chance do I have?
The only way things will change is if the league suffers a financial decline, so that clubs can’t afford to sign the cream of the crop – and I don’t see that happening. Or else, the authorities introduce rules forcing teams to field home-grown players. Imagine what that would do to the quality of the Chelsea line-up.
The present situation isn’t good news for up-and-coming players, but I don’t see it as unhealthy overall – we want England to have the best players and the best teams, don’t we? That it’s so difficult to break into line-ups is a sign of the Premier League’s success. And when the big four sell on their good-but-not-great kids, other clubs benefit lower down the food chain.
In today's e-mail bulletin, Ciaran asked: "What seems to be the problem with Everton? David Moyes has improved the squad year on year and has always had to deal with injuries to better players, but their form seems especially bad." Oliver Kay responded: "The big problem for Everton this season has been that competition within the teams fighting to finish in the top six or top eight has become so much stiffer. We have Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham who have all strengthened over the summer and now Sunderland are also providing competition. "Everton were slightly wary that things may be a little tougher for them. It was a summer of unrest in many ways and the protracted departure of Joleon Lescott meant that David Moyes went into the season having not had the time to perhaps find a suitable replacement. "Then the club suffered a series of injuries. In the past that would not have been a problem. They would have regrouped and battled on. "But this season there is almost a climate of despondency among the players and perhaps with David Moyes. They have seen Tottenham and Manchester City galloping away into the distance when normally they would have been the side ready to capitalise on slip ups by Liverpool and Arsenal. "Everton, with a fully fit squad, are still capable of finishing in the top six, which is a highly respectable return for a club of their limited means. But perhaps in a similar way to Liverpool, they overachieved in previous seasons and needed to invest more in the summer to keep the momentum going." We also reported on Avram Grant's appointment as Portsmouth manager and Sir Alex Ferguson's decision not to sign a high-profile striker in January. Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
Van
Nistelrooy to snub Arsenal in favour of Liverpool - Daily Telegraph
Ruud van Nistelrooy is prepared to turn down the chance to join Arsenal in the
January transfer window in an attempt to secure a move to Liverpool- his
preferred destination if he is allowed to leave Real Madrid.
Spurs
to rescue Micah - Daily Mirror
Tottenham want to sign Micah Richards in January. The
Manchester City defender is unhappy at Eastlands and, although fit,
was nowhere near making the squad that drew with Liverpool last
weekend.
Zenga
tops Bolton list - Daily Mirror
Walter Zenga, the former Inter Milan goalkeeper, is being lined up as Gary Megson's replacement.
Zabby
in Robinho plea - The Sun
Pablo Zabaleta has urged Manchester City not to sell the club's record signing in
the New Year.
Walcott
eager to take on central role - The Guardian
Theo Walcott wants to prove that he can deputise for the injured Robin van
Persie in the central striking role he has long craved at Arsenal. The
England international is intent upon winning a regular first-team place to justify his inclusion in Fabio Capello's World Cup plans.
 Tony Barrett
Alberto Aquilani is too busy undergoing the longest rehabilitation since Amy Winehouse first entered the Priory to realise it but it is starting to look increasingly likely that he is the signing who will determine Rafael Benitez’ s future as Liverpool manager.
If it wasn’t for Andrea Dossena, Aquilani would be a shoo in to take the “least spotted Italian” gong at Liverpool’s end of season awards.
Only when the fourth official signalled there would be just two minutes of stoppages against Debrecen on Tuesday night did his manager think the time was right for the former AS Roma man to enter the fray.
Before then, Aquilani had been an unused substitute against both Manchester City and Birmingham City, his contribution to the Liverpool cause on those occasions restricted to no more than keeping Diego Cavalieri company on the bench and the odd stretching routine in front of the Kop.
Continue reading "Success of Aquilani signing will make or break Benitez" »
Matt Hughes
An early arrival in Barcelona on Monday afforded the opportunity to take an impromptu, if somewhat unofficial and possibly illegal, tour of the Nou Camp. Walking up the narrowest of tunnels into the vast roofless bowl leaves the hairs on the back of the neck standing to attention even when the stadium is empty, so it is difficult to fathom how the players of Barcelona and Inter Milan were feeling as they made the same journey in front of 90,000 fans the following evening. Either inspired or intimidated it is to be imagined, depending on their personality.
There is no doubting that the Nou Camp is one of the world’s great sporting cathedrals – the atmosphere for Sunday’s gran classico against Real Madrid will take some beating – but stripping away the emotion it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the stadium has seen better days. The facilities are basic at best and medieval at worst, with even a visit to the toilet in a deserted stadium the day before a game a case of taking one’s life in one’s hands. Sanitary it was not.
Continue reading "Spain's decaying stadia hand World Cup advantage to England" »
Our Chief Football Commentator asked if we have got it wrong when it comes to prioritising the worst offences in the game. Here he replies to readers:
I think this article has bought into Benitez linking of two separate offences in an attempt to deflect criticism from young Ngog. Of course diving is not worse than a hideous two-footed tackle, and jumping out of the way of a terrible tackle is usually not considered diving - generally it results in a free kick. And, for the most part, late tackles receive their just punishment. But diving is an offence, period. It is cheating. The issue is that it is so inconsistently punished that it encourages players to chance their arm. DC PB: Of course I have brought into Benitez's contention but, as I explain in the article (perhaps you should read it more carefully), this is a sincere view held by every manager from overseas to whom I have spoken privately in the past, and a few players of various nationalities, including British. "Diving is an offence, period!" Actually the offence is simulation. At least that can be defined. I have never heard a satifactory definition of diving. Does it include "going down too easily"? If so, you'd hardly ever get penalties because usually players have to take some kind of evasive action that, especially if the pitch is slippy, can mean they fall. If I understand your thinking correctly, you deem the just punishment for a dangerous or "late" tackle to be a free kick! Goodness me, DC - let's hope the next reaction to my piece is more impressive.
Continue reading "Patrick Barclay responds: Are late challenges a greater evil than diving?" »
In today's e-mail bulletin, we asked: "Who is the right man to succeed Paul Hart at Portsmouth?"
Russell Kempson responded: "It will not need the greatest magician in the world to save Portsmouth. After all, they are only four points from safety with more than half of the Barclays Premier League campaign to go. It begs the question as to why Pompey panicked in the first place. Are there not plenty of other teams, just above them, in poor form, too?
"Darren Ferguson appears to be the favourite to take over from Paul Hart yet does he really have the experience to handle big-name stars? Just because he's a Ferguson doesn't mean he's the right replacement just yet. Alan Curbishley would be a 'safe pair of hands', is desperate to get back into football and Fratton Park is conveniently in his part of the world. Saving Pompey will not take much."
We also reported on Robinho's possible return for Manchester City against Hull on Saturday and Steve Bruce's amusement at being blamed for Wigan's 9-1 humiliation against Tottenham by Dave Whelan.
Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
James Ducker
IT isn’t often that football fans the length and breadth of the country welcome the return of a Manchester United player, but it is hard to imagine that any supporter hoping England win the World Cup next summer will not be rooting for Owen Hargreaves to come back fit and strong.
The road to recovery has been a long and painful for Hargreaves, and of course there is still no guarantee that his body will (a) be able to withstand the rigours of top flight and international football when he does make his eagerly awaited comeback or (b) that he is still the player who was England’s best performer at the last World Cup in Germany and the one that United felt compelled to pay Bayern Munich £20.2 million for.
Continue reading "Fabio Capello hoping for Owen Hargreaves' safe return" »
Gabriele Marcotti
Acres of newsprint have already been devoted to France v Ireland, Thierry Henry's handball and the introduction of video technology.
There are valid reasons to oppose it (not enough of them, IMHO). But there are also foolish reasons to oppose it. I hope I can debunk two of the dumbest. The first is that football has to have a certain uniformity, it must be the same at every level. Putting cameras at games (or, at least, enough cameras) is something you can only do in the biggest leagues and in the biggest games. This argument is stupid on two counts.
The first is that football already lacks this uniformity. Go down the food chain and you'll find teams playing on dirt pitches or without linesmen. There is no uniformity there, why pretend that there is.
Continue reading "Debunking the myths against the use of video technology " »
Arsenal
to swoop for Gabi - Daily Star
Arsene Wenger will launch a £17m summer swoop for Gabriel Agbonlahor – but
only if he manages to ditch his inconsistent reputation.
Holland
use World Cup to tempt Van der Sar out of retirement - The
Guardian
Edwin van der Sar has been approached about coming out of international
retirement to play for Holland in next year's World Cup, when he will be
only four months short of his 40th birthday.
Gunners
eye new Thierry
- The Sun
Wenger is also eyeing up a £14million summer move for the new Thierry Henry - Nice
striker Loic Remy.
Hamsik
on list as Ferguson plans for the future - Daily Telegraph
Sir Alex Ferguson is aiming to lure Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik to
Manchester United next summer with the Old Trafford futures of four key
players still to be decided.
Reo-Choker
must quit Villa - Daily Mirror
Nigel Reo-Coker is stepping up his efforts to quit Aston Villa after his
latest axing. Midfielder Reo-Coker, 25, skippered Villa to a 5-1 win over
Bolton when Stiliyan Petrov was suspended.
Richard Neale
Liverpool bowed to the inevitable, as they exited the Champions League in the group stage with a game remaining despite beating Debrecen, the Hungarian champions, in Budapest on Wednesday night.
It is the first time under Benitez’s tenure that the Anfield giants have failed to make the knockout stage, the last such ignominy happening back in 2002-03.
Fortunately, despite the club’s massive debts, there appears to be a sound business plan in place at Liverpool and the club has not budgeted to reach the Champions League year-in year-out, which was one of the main reasons why Leeds United imploded so spectacularly.
Continue reading "Debate: should Benitez pay ultimate price for Champions League exit?" »
In today's e-mail bulletin, we asked: "What are the consequences for Liverpool if they go out of the Champions League tonight?" Tony Barrett responded: "When you have been a leading member of the continental elite for the past five seasons, then anything other than qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League is only ever going to be considered a calamity. The thought of being shunted into the second tier of European football is the equivalent of relegation for Liverpool. "Liverpool have reached the knockout stages in each of the previous five seasons and that is estimated to have swelled the club's coffers by more than £100 million, a figure in excess of the Rafael Benitez's net spending on transfers since 2004. But given the current ownership situation the club may not be financially robust enough to be able to cope with the loss of around £10 million, which is what they budget to make annually from the Champions League. In previous years that might have been manageable, although it would have eaten into the manager's transfer budget. "Also, Liverpool market themselves as a Champions League club and as such they are able to attract leading companies to enter into deals like the £80 million sponsorship agreement with Standard Chartered. Without the Champions League deals like that are much less likely to happen. "On the field I am not sure how much of an impact going out of the Champions League would actually have. In many ways the players expect to go out, they have steeled themselves for it - to stay in the competition would be a miracle and they know that. It is more important for the team just to get a win under their belt tonight, especially with a massive Merseyside derby to come on Sunday. "Whether going out of the Champions League would make some players question their future at the club, I don't know. For Fernando Torres, it would take something pretty major to make him think about leaving a club where he is extremely settled. Failing to qualify for next season's competition would be significant, but he is extremely grounded - which for a footballer is almost unique - so he is not going to jump to any major decisions over his future." We also reported on Ryan Babel's threat to quit Anfield and Blackburn's hope that Sam Allardyce, who undergoes an angioplasty on Friday, will return in time for the Carling Cup quarter-final against Chelsea next week. Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
Graham Spiers
Scottish football fans of a certain vintage cannot help but admire Dundee United - unless, of course, you are a Dundee FC fan. United, in their flaming tangerine-and-black strips, became a force to reckon with under Jim McLean in the 1980s, and the memory lives long. Even those of us from Glasgow with Old Firm leanings, or fans of Hearts or Hibs in Edinburgh, could not stem their welling admiration for United in those years.
Continue reading "Craig Levein: should I stay or should I go?" »
Zola
digs in for Cole - The Sun
Gianfranco Zola insists West Ham will not be forced to sell Carlton Cole in
the January transfer window. The England striker, 26, has already been
linked with £20 million moves to Liverpool and Manchester United.
Beckham:
I have got astma - Daily Mail
The most high-profile footballer on the planet has suffered from asthma since
he was a boy. The 34-year-old finished 120 minutes of LA Galaxy’s Major
League Soccer Cup Final coughing violently after playing extra time for the
second time in nine days.
City
first in line for Di María as Chelsea balk at £36m price tag
- Daily Telegraph
Chelsea have dropped out of the running to sign Ángel Di María after balking
at the £36 million asking price. That has left the way open for the
Argentina winger to join Manchester City.
Blues
lose chance of Jovanovic - Daily Mirror
Birmingham's ambitious £4million move for Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic has
collapsed - alerting a host of Premier League rivals. Alex McLeish was in
the crowd to see Serbia beat South Korea 1-0 at Craven Cottage last
Wednesday.
City
set to snatch Sterling - Daily Mirror
Mark Hughes is ready to let QPR have two players on loan - as part of a
massive bid to land wonder kid Raheem Sterling. Hughes and his team are so
desperate to get the 14-year-old boy genius that they have told Rangers they
can have a couple of their fringe men plus £1 million to sign him now.
Bale
on top of Forest hit list - Daily Mirror
Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies is set to make an audacious £3 million
move for Tottenham's out of favour defender, Gareth Bale. Davies needs a
left-sided defender and wants Welsh star Bale, 20, as well as three other
new players in January to boost Forest’s promotion push.
In today's e-mail bulletin, we asked: "Who was more impressive in terms of strengthening their England credentials: Darren Bent scoring the winner against third-place Arsenal or Jermain Defoe bagging five goals against struggling Wigan?"
Patrick Barclay responded: "Without question, Jermain Defoe has once again proved that he has the potential to be an international class striker. The five goals he scored against Wigan and the manner in which he took them would have confirmed everything Fabio Capello is already thinking, having marked him out as the goal poacher England can turn to from the bench. Defoe's finishing reminded me of Michael Owen in his pomp, and my goodness we need a long memory to think that far back. Unfortunately, these days it takes Owen a season to score five goals. Imagine if Owen had scored those rather than Defoe yesterday, what a fuss we would have had.
"In contrast, Darren Bent, despite enjoying a really impressive month at Sunderland won't have done much to advance his claims. His performance against Brazil, when England were reduced to a second string line-up, proved that he hasn't got what it takes to cut it at international level. He was given the Emile Heskey role, which may not have suited him, and he didn't show enough to convince Capello. On the other hand, Defoe is almost certainly on the plane, even if he hasn't quite forced himself into the starting XI." We also reported on Thierry Henry's decision to carry on playing for France after he considered international retirement and David Beckham's failure to win the MLS Cup with LA Galaxy.
Sign up for free here to get the full version featuring the latest news, gossip and fun direct to your inbox every weekday lunchtime and you could be setting the agenda.
Tom Dart
Tottenham's 9-1 defeat of Wigan yesterday was the second-highest winning margin in Premier League history. Here are some other one-sided contests and what the future held for the sides involved:
The game: Manchester United 9 Ipswich 0 - March 1995
Andy Cole led the way with five goals, with Mark Hughes (2), Paul Ince and Roy Keane also netting for United against an Ipswich team who finished bottom at the end of the season.
The aftermath: Ipswich ended with only 27 points from 42 games and were relegated but their manager’s position was not affected in the slightest. George Burley had taken charge the previous December and stayed until 2002, taking the club to three second-tier play-offs and winning promotion to the top-flight in 2000. United did not even win the league: they finished second by a point to Blackburn Rovers.
Continue reading "What happened next? We examine the biggest top-flight victories" »
Russell Kempson
A small group of Ireland fans waylaid, almost hijacked, a car outside the Stade de France. The trains had long since stopped running and no self-preserving taxi driver would venture into St Denis at 2am, let alone to pick up intoxicated supporters of a team that had just lost to the "Hand of Henry".
The conversation, involving an average fare of about 18 euros back into Paris, went thus:-
Boys in Green: "Come on, we'll give yous 40 euros to take us".
Long pause.
Driver: "Make eet 100".
Boys in Green: "Jaysus. You've robbed us already tonight."
The transaction was not completed.
Continue reading "'Little' Ireland maintain dignity in defeat" »
Tom Dart
Ratings can be tricky to get right –
after all, there is no correct answer. Should more Spurs players have approached
the 8, 9 and 10 of Niko Kranjcar, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe?
In my opinion,
defenders shouldn’t get very high marks when they’re not actually having to do
much defending. Wigan were not exactly offering
a stiff test yesterday, so that’s why most Spurs players got seven – they played
well, but against a team of non-entities.
It might look odd to give Chris
Kirkland seven, but the Wigan goalkeeper made a
couple of excellent saves. Without him, Spurs would have made it to double
figures. It’s not his fault he played behind Titus Bramble, Emmerson Boyce and
Erik Edman – Sunday league footballers in the actual as well as pejorative sense
yesterday.
One out of ten? Yes, perhaps you’re
right. That’s too generous for Edman. He wasn’t that good. But in the end I
decided that for a player to get 0, he would have to have spent the 90 minutes
unconscious. Edman was, however, moving throughout the game, although very
slowly and with no apparent defensive purpose. He was easy to spot: the guy in
the bright orange shirt looking very unhappy, usually ten yards or so behind
Aaron Lennon as he disappeared into the distance with the
ball.
Continue reading "How Tottenham and Wigan rated ... Boyce, Edman, Bramble 1/10" »
 Blues
in Rib raid - The Sun
Chelsea will try to steal Franck Ribery from under the nose of Real Madrid in
the January transfer window. With the £37.5m signing of Atletico Madrid
striker Sergio Aguero all but tied up, Chelsea will offer a British transfer
record of around £45million for the France winger.
Ribery
could quit, says Hoeness - Daily Mail
Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness says Franck Ribery will leave the
club if he does not believe they are ambitious enough. Hoeness admitted
Chelsea offered £58.5million plus Jose Bosingwa for the France forward in
the summer but, although it was a tempting bid, it fell short of their
valuation for the former Marseille star, who also interested Manchester
United.
Zaki
in race row - Daily Mirror
Portsmouth target Amr Zaki has talked his way out of a move to Fratton Park
after launching a racist attack on director of football Avram Grant and two
of their players.
Addicks
plan big clear-out - Daily Mirror
Charlton may have to sell a number of players, including Jonjo Shelvey, this
January as their financial woes increase. The club may also face
administration next summer if a new investor is not found.
Spanish
fans give Henry a hard time - Daily Telegraph
Thierry Henry was booed relentlessly in his first appearance for Barcelona
since the handball controversy which sent France to the World Cup finals at
Ireland's expense.
 Patrick Barclay, Chief Football Commentator
Click here to read Patrick Barclay's TheGame column in its entirety
Remember David Ngog? He was Cheat of the Week immediately before Thierry Henry and we have Rafael Benítez to thank for reviving the debate about what the young Liverpool forward did against Birmingham City.
According to Benítez, the dive with which Ngog won a penalty was a less serious offence against the game than a dangerous tackle. The Liverpool manager tendered this heretical opinion at his press briefing before Saturday’s match against Manchester City and, upon being told that English audiences would put it the other way round, asked the journalists to try to bring about a more humane order of priorities.
Some hope! Journalists are only too happy to have the public behind them on this one.
Not that our profession should be accused of having raised a populist posse when Eduardo da Silva was judged to have dived against Celtic; there seemed a sincere consensus — even if some of us exempted ourselves from it — that the offence was worse than Martin Taylor’s when the Birmingham City defender accidentally snapped Eduardo’s leg with a challenge 20 months ago.
I just wish someone would ask, say, Iain Hume where he stands on diving’s place in the list of evils. Hume was playing for Barnsley against Sheffield United last November when Chris Morgan rammed an elbow into the side of his head. He was taken to hospital, detained and later, with extensive stitching on his skull, reflected: “I could have died.”
If Hume then added that he still felt a whole lot better — cleaner, somehow — than if Morgan had dived under his challenge, earning a cheap free kick, he was not quoted.
Nor do any newspaper reports I can find of the incident draw attention to the apparent simulation — the offence that includes diving — by Morgan that immediately ensued. But Google the clips for confirmation: turning towards the referee, he raises his arms and spreads his palms as if to indicate innocence. No doubt there is some moral code that deems this less sneaky than Ngog’s fall.
No doubt the 20-year-old Frenchman deserves more criticism than Danny Guthrie got when, in Newcastle United’s home match with Hull City last season, he ran 20 yards to take a manly hack at Craig Fagan, who, not expecting the impact, could do nothing to avoid it and spent months out of the game with a leg fracture. Benítez is not the only manager from another country to find our priorities odd. Privately, in my experience, they all do. But it has become so politically incorrect to acknowledge the value of certain forms of diving — in terms of the avoidance of injury, for instance — that they seldom allude to it.
My worry is that the monstrous regiment of anti-divers will eventually have their way. I am not sure exactly where they are trying to lead us. We already have mandatory yellow cards for simulation, a punishment that appears to fit the crime in its reprehensible forms (even if it is seldom applied to those who signal that an opponent has dived when he has not). So what do they want Fifa now to prescribe? Capital punishment?
Let us assume that they want mandatory red cards. What this would produce is a different game. A game governed by defender’s charter in which the bravest attackers, those prepared to take a late tackle without skipping to reduce its force, would be at greater risk; the rest, meanwhile, would practise a new technique of imperceptibly pulling out, avoiding the physical and legal hazards of collision.
There would be fewer goals and vignettes of high skill, of course, as well as more injuries. But the game would be more true to its English roots. Silly Benítez! How could he get it so wrong?
Debate: Have we got our priorities wrong? Are late challenges a greater evil than diving?
 Tony Cascarino
Anyone who thinks Chelsea will be seriously affected by the African Cup of Nations in January is crazy. Yes, Didier Drogba won’t be around — but they’ll just win games 1-0 or 2-0 instead of 4-0. Their defence will be unaffected by call-ups, and being hard to score against is Chelsea’s biggest strength.
2: Defoe’s predatory instinct unrivalled at present
Jermain Defoe is not the quickest striker in the Barclays Premier League, or the best technically, or the greatest in the air. But he’s the best predator in English football. The Tottenham forward is razor-sharp, as he showed yesterday, a guarantee of goals. People talk about Michael Owen as a finisher but Defoe’s much better.
3: Wigan must learn ugly side of game — or else
Wigan will be close to the drop zone this season. You can’t set your stall out to play pretty, passing football all season long. It’s not practical when you’ve got a struggling defence and especially in winter when the pitches cut up and wind and rain become factors. Roberto Martínez needs to make his side uglier.
4: Ireland bust-up in past, time to move on, Roy!
What a contradiction from Roy Keane on Friday, suggesting that Ireland should move on and stop talking about their defeat by France. He then started talking about the infamous Saipan incident in 2002, when he walked out. I wanted to shout at the television: “It was seven years ago, Roy. Forget about it! Move on!”
5: Case for replays likely to rumble on for ever
Not that football’s good at moving on. Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal was 23 years ago, and yet on Wednesday we had another serious handball in a massive match. The ability to make correct decisions has not improved. Are we going to be sitting around in 2033 still waiting for video replays? Who would be surprised if that was the case?
Matt Hughes
José Mourinho caused a storm, as only he can, in this newspaper last week by fluttering his eyelids in the direction of the Barclays Premier League before trying to reassure his domestic audience of his desire to stay in Italy. But despite the subsequent outcry, more squalls should be expected over the coming months if Inter Milan’s Champions League campaign goes awry.
Inter lead the ultra-competitive group F by one point, but defeat by Barcelona, the holders, at the Nou Camp tomorrow night could leave them struggling to qualify for the knockout stage.
Mourinho has won Serie A by a street in both his seasons in Italy, but the Champions League is the club’s primary target, so an early elimination could cause him to look over his shoulder. The coach made a habit of flirting with other clubs even during his successful period at Chelsea, so several Premier League executives should prepare themselves for intriguing conversations with third parties.
Continue reading "Will Mourinho finish what Hughes has started at Manchester City?" »
 Bill Edgar
1
Strange series of results this season: Wigan 3 Chelsea 1; Chelsea 3 Tottenham 0; Tottenham 9 Wigan 1.
2
Tottenham players exceeding three goals in one of past four home league games. Also Keane, four against Burnley.
17
Defoe goals in his past 17 games for Tottenham and England.
2
Instances of eight goals or more in second half at White Hart Lane in two years — also 1-1 to 6-4 v Reading.
14
Years since a side (Tottenham, v Newcastle) trailed 2-0 then led at half-time in top flight (Hull, v West Ham, Saturday).
Phill Jupitus
As much as I feared when I first took this gig, the worlds of showbiz and football have collided, but not in a hilarious way like Hoddle and Waddle being on Top of the Pops. My new role as a gentleman of the English theatre means that I have been unable to go to any football for more than a month and so am hanging up my press credentials.
Oh, I know that there is usually precious little mention of any actual football in this column but that’s not the point. Being at games and hearing the crowd and the cursing and watching young men tearing around for millions of pounds was always the fuel for the fire.
Continue reading "Sir Alex Ferguson and the long goodbye" »
Kettering 0
Kidderminster 2 (Courtney 70, Barnes-Homer 82)
Mark Venables, Rockingham Road
If anyone at Rockingham Road had any doubts how much Kettering Town would miss Mark Cooper, their departed manager, then Saturday’s comprehensive defeat by Kidderminster Harriers would have confirmed their worst fears.
Cooper waved a fond farewell to the club nine days ago in a blaze of glory with a 2-0 victory away to Cambridge United before taking over at Peterborough United, the Coca-Cola Championship side. In his two years in charge, Cooper had steered Kettering back into non-League’s top flight and developed them into realistic play-off contenders in the Blue Square Premier. He was clearly going to be a tough act to follow.
Continue reading "Harper’s difficult week worsened by tame defeat for Kettering" »
Press conferences are normally pretty easy-going affairs. The journalists and the manager ask and answer the questions politely, perhaps exchange a bit of gentle banter, and everyone's happy. But there are exceptions, as any football writer could tell you. The times when, often out of nowhere, a manager takes umbrage at something or someone and gives the reporter the silent treatment - or both barrels. Unnerving at the time; comical in hindsight.
If Roy Keane is involved, fireworks are always a possibility. The Ipswich Town manager is famously a man long on opinions and short of fuse. Today Keane earnt himself another chunk of airtime on YouTube with a grouchy - and in fact perfectly fair - tirade against a journalist who'd left his mobile phone on while Keane was holding court on the France-Ireland handball incident.
With the help of the people behind Football Manager 2010 - the management simulation that gives its players the chance to storm out of a press conference if they don't like the line of questioning, by the way - here are a few infamous interviews. Note that the video clips and comments on YouTube may contain offensive language.
Roy Keane doesn't like what he hears
Joe Kinnear's Newcastle career gets off to a bleeping bad start (there is an uncensored version out there too...)
Graham Taylor does not like the negativity of the press pack following England (strong language)
Steve McClaren joins FC Twente but suffers more derision in England, oh yesh
Diego Maradona earns himself a two-month Fifa ban
Giovanni Trapattoni is a grumpy old man at Bayern Munich
Sir Alex Ferguson shows his fearless streak
Klaus Augenthaler gets work experience as a sports hack by interviewing himself
“And now half-time is here, and so we face humiliation.” So begins Rafael Benítez’s team-talk in 15 Minutes That Shook the World, a new film that reveals the “truth” of how Liverpool were inspired to overturn a 3-0 deficit in the 2005 Champions League final. It’s an actor who delivers Benítez’s stirring speech to the cadence of My Way — “I planned for many weeks, I didn’t think Milan could spoil it. But now my effing plans are down the toilet” — but it is Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher whom he addresses in the comedy that will be released on DVD soon. Watch out for Djimi Traore in the coffin.
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