Liverpool fans have finally seen the back of Roy Hodgson and King Kenny has been installed as caretaker boss until the end of the season. The move from the outset appears to be a no brainer, and supporters will be hoping his appointment will bring a much needed upturn in results to the football club.
At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes John Henry’s major dilemma; signing is a gamble too far for Liverpool, while Ajax ace should be the Reds’ transfer priority in January.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
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VIDEO: The GREATEST Premier League goal ever…you decide!
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If Liverpool sign one player this January…make it him
The players who Liverpool’s future depends on
Would signing be a gamble too far for Liverpool?
Top TEN Transfer Window guarantees this January
A huge decision rests on the shoulders of John W Henry
NESV facing up to transfer dilemma this January
Who is Andres Villa-Boas – the man Liverpool fans will like to see replace Roy
Roy’s replacements – the runners and riders for Liverpool hotseat
TEN things we learnt about Liverpool in 2010
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Best of WEB
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Top 10 Managers of the Decade.. Rafa’s 9th … Roy’s 92nd – Live4Liverpool
At least Dalglish understands Liverpool – Guardian
One Foot in the Past and One in the Future – This Is Anfield
TheTomkinsTimes: Hodgson has no one to blame but himself – Tomkins Times
449,000 Reasons why we are not as bad as the media portray – Live4Liverpool
A New Year, An Old Story! – Kopblog
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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Man United v Liverpool and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
When Howard Webb speaks, you should listen. Firstly, he’s bigger than you. Second, he used to be a copper. Third of all, he has the widest breadth of knowledge and irrefutable authority over all matters relating to the regulation, implementation and monitoring of football’s moral and technical laws.
Besides being the finest referee to emerge from our shores in recent times, Webb in the past two years has also been involved in what can only be seen as career-defining moments which have shaped the man who has risen from the Northern Counties league to the very pinnacle of the game: the 2010 World Cup Final, and the FA Cup tie between Tottenham and Bolton on March 17th of this year.
Webb witnessed the most extreme variants of footballing conduct in these two games, from Holland’s martial demolition of Spanish limbs to the utter despair as grown men wept and paramedics fought for the stricken Fabrice Muamba at White Hart Lane. In both instances, Webb was adjudged to have handled the situation with impeccable dignity in unrelenting circumstances. In spite of only punishing Nigel De Jong’s reckless chest-level lunge on Xabi Alonso with a yellow, Webb was able to keep the world’s footballing spectacle respectable as all those around him did their best to do the opposite.
Similarly, Webb was infallible in his timing, execution and response to Muamba’s on-field cardiac arrest. Immediately stopping play to allow for medical aid as well as permitting spectator and cardiologist Andrew Deaner onto the field undoubtedly contributed to Muamba’s survival, whilst liaising with captains and managers ensured a noble, refined and safe abandonment of the game.
As such, nobody in football is more qualified to speak on matters of such importance as Howard Webb. Speaking to the BBC recently, Webb vented his concerns in relations to play-acting players endangering the safety of players in genuine trouble whilst on the field of play. Webb insisted that “one of our obligations as a referee is to try and observe fair play and keep the game flowing when we can. But, if players cry wolf too many times, then there is a possibility that maybe we will not react in the way we need to do”, not only emphasising the precocious job of referees in handling players with apparent injuries, but also indicating the need for players to begin taking greater responsibility for their own actions during play.
Referees are now given the scope to apply individual acumen to instances of apparently injured players, where once it was regulatory to halt proceedings. With the majority of power accorded to the referee’s judgement, it is paramount that footballers begin to recognise their obligation to be honest, ethical and sincere on the field. Seemingly, the ill-discipline which characterises many player’s off-field actions has been transposed onto the pitch, where gaining an advantage by any means necessary is of higher importance than maintaining integrity.
Not one to be generally known for histrionics, it was apparent from the outset that Fabrice Muamba was in disturbing difficulty. The cardiac problems encountered by Muamba could strike any player, at any time, without warning – witness Piermario Morosini’s tragic death in Serie B just a month later, or former Southend and Stevenage winger Mitchell Cole’s forced retirement from the game at the age of 25 due to a serious heart condition.
Consequently, it is of vital importance that referees are able to distinguish between playacting and genuine injury; the impetus here, though, is on the players themselves. Referees are not mind readers, nor do they have x-ray vision. Players need to countenance the danger they are putting themselves and their colleagues in. An undiagnosed heart condition may be lurking within any of the Premier League’s most reputable simulators; if, god forbid, Luis Suarez or Ashley Young were to collapse on the field of play, who would blame a referee for continuing with play? Webb claimed that “if the game had not been stopped within 20 or 30 seconds, that might have made a difference to his chances of recovery.” Footballers are only jeapordising their own safety by feigning injury.
As one of the most credible and authoritative figure in British football, Webb’s words cannot go unheeded. The case of Fabrice Muamba should be a rousing awakening for any player looking to stay down ‘hurt’ in order to hold up play. Referees can only do so much: honesty on behalf of professional footballers is of fundamental importance in ensuring that a similar scenario does not end in tragedy.
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Are players play-acting too much in the modern game? How can we stop this? Tweet me @acherrie1
Consistently one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League over the last ten years or so, Tottenham have signed some great players during that time, but there have also been some stinkers too. Since Daniel Levy became Tottenham chairman in 2001, Spurs have had 7 different managers and some of their big-money signings have left much to be desired. While in charge Levy has had the dubious honour of seeing his managers waste money and no manager has had a perfect record when it comes to transfers.
Here is a look at the top ten Spurs flops during Levy’s time at the club. To be honest there are a lot of Tottenham signings who could have been on this list but the competition for places was fierce. If there is anyone who hasn’t made the list but you feel deserves to be on it then let me know in the comments below, but before anyone says Sergei Rebrov, he was signed before Levy arrived at Tottenham!
Click on Daniel Levy below to see the Top 10
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Any hopes that Harry Redknapp may have had to try and land Newcastle defender Steven Taylor look set to be dashed.
The Magpies are thought to be close to tying him down to a new deal, with his current contract set to end in June.
Taylor was transfer listed during the summer as contract talks hit an impasse but reports claim Newcastle have offered the defender improved terms to remain at St James' Park.
It has been claimed the club have offered Taylor over £40,000 a week to remain at Newcastle in a bid to fend off interest from Spurs and Everton, who are thought to be eager to sign him as a free agent in the summer.
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Tottenham face Birmingham City at St Andrews on Saturday afternoon hoping to keep their bid for a top four place on track. Spurs are currently in fifth place, one point behind Manchester City in fourth.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
When Nottingham Forest went into the last game of the 2010/11 season, away to Crystal Palace, it was blazing sunshine, and Forest went on to win comfortably, to seal their play-off place.
As fans made their way over Trent Bridge for the last game of the 2011/12 season, we were treated to rainy, chilling weather. Rather appropriate, mirroring the disastrous fall the team has endured in the space of a year.
With Cotterill fielding a strong team, intent on giving home fans something to cheer about at last, and Portsmouth’s team littered with a blend of spirited youth and experience, it had the ingredients to be a fairly open game, enough to distract from the bitter weather.
Forest were the team to start off the better, creating openings, as McGugan and Guedioura went close. The only early threat belonging to Portsmouth was discovering the cause of Chris Maguire’s mysterious obsession with the floor, making himself an early enemy to the majority of the Forest faithful. Getting into a duel with Gunter, he conceded he wasn’t man enough for the battle, disgracefully throwing himself to the ground, claiming he was elbowed, when it was clear to everyone no contact was made. Humiliating moment for him. Mind you, he’s contracted to Derby County, so he’s had lower moments in his career.
After that, the game had a bit of a subdued spell, livened up by a few hopeful Forest long-range shots, which ended up being ballooned over. With Pompey fans immediately thinking of the money opportunities, they kept the balls to themselves and they all mystifyingly went missing. Soon to be seen at a Portsmouth car boot sale, raising funds to keep the club alive.
Portsmouth went on to have a few chances of their own, with a couple of shots taken from long-range, dealt with questionably by Lee Camp, spilling them yards in front, with no Pomoey strikers willing to gamble, thankfully so.
Forest throughout, were playing some thoroughly decent football, knocking the ball around well, asking questions of Pompey. What they lacked in the 1st half however, was a cutting edge, and it was quite clear they needed to go up a gear, and goals would come if they did.
The Reds started the second half well, and created chances. Dexter Blackstock went close, but was denied by Jamie Ashdown, and it looked like it was going to be another one of those says for ‘Dex’. That’s until Forest broke the deadlock, when Cunningham’s cross arrived at McCleary feet back post, who played it back across goal, accidentally or not, to the feet of Blackstock, who kept his composure to calmly side-foot the ball home.
Forest, hoping to put Portsmouth to bed, were again continuously frustrated, as Blackstock saw his header, from a corner, clawed away by Ashdown. It didn’t take long though, for Dex to take his total to 8 for the season, as an Andy Reid corner was headed in, with Garath McCleary proving enough of a distraction for the keeper, and the ball found its way in. For a player who spent two thirds of the season rehabilitating, he’s done extremely well to come back in, and score some vital goals that have seen Forest safe.
Additionally, it must be said how much of an honour it was to see Forest score from a corner. For months now, they’ve won countless corners, and never looked like scoring from them. With Reid’s reputation for being a good set-piece deliverer, it was baffling to see him remain in this role, as the drought proved to be very embarrassing, reflected by the look of relief on the faces of Reid and Blackstock, when one was finally converted.
The ‘hair on the back of the neck being raised’ moment, came when loanee Adlene Guedioura was substituted. The part this man has played in the survival can’t begin to be described. A superb player, who’s heart and passion would put his fellow Wolves colleagues to shame. He’s become a fans favourite, and that was made obvious when he departed. With 20,000 fans to a man, up off their seats to applaud him, with chants of ‘Sign Him Up’ circulating. Feelings mutual, as he later tweeted, “I’m going to do a little video, to explain my feelings about NFFC. Already big big thank you”. This epitomises his personality, and his ‘on the pitch’ manner. A fine professional, and a rare asset for a footballer nowadays, to really care about fans as much as he does.
He feels loved by us, and we feel loved by him. Come on Adlene, a perfect match!
Following the goals, the game came to an end, with Portsmouth fans in full voice. Without a doubt, the best bunch of supporters we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming to the City Ground this season. Many dressing as Robin Hood, and others coming prepared with banners, they showed their fine humour, and serious element to their support of Pompey. From start to finish, they refused to stop singing. 2,319, and every single one, their club can be proud of. As the Forest players departed for the first time, intent on coming on again for a lap of appreciation, Forest fans waited in silence. That is until, Portsmouth fans belted out, “I’m Pompey till I die”, greeted with thousands of Forest fans applauding them back, in recognition of their position, and the support they’ve given their doomed club.
Hundreds of Portsmouth fans remained, to acknowledge the Forest players, and especially, former manager Steve Cotterill. Succeeding that, their fans rejected the option of leaving, passionately chanting for their club. Forest have had horrible season, and questions have been made over decisions made by Steve Cotterill. Regardless of that, we still have a club to watch, every week.
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With that in mind, fans across the country should spare a thought for Portsmouth fans, who turned up in their thousands to watch what could’ve been Portsmouth F.C’s last ever game. As clubs up and down the country make plans for next season, Portsmouth’s future remains in doubt, potentially putting their fans without a team to support. Full admiration goes to all Portsmouth fans, and it’d be a shame to lose such a club, with fans like yours.
For Forest fans, I think a holiday is in order. A hectic summer ahead, and all we can do is wait to see what happens.
Thanks for coming 2011/12 season, but shut the door on your way out.
All the talk around the Emirates this week has been about players leaving the Gunners with Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy continually linked with a move away. Reports suggest that Nasri is set to put in a transfer request on Monday in order to force a move away, with both Manchester clubs waiting in the wings.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include a look at Arsenal without Cesc Fabregas; debunking myths about Gael Clichy, while there’s finally a transfer rumour to get excited about at the Emirates.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week.
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‘Suits you sir!’ – The Premier League club’s Kit collection for 2011/12 season
VIDEO: The GREATEST Premier League goal ever…you decide!
What direction are Arsenal taking?
Looking ahead at Arsenal, with or without El Capitan
Debunking myths about Gael Clichy
Finally a transfer rumour to get excited about at Arsenal
Just how much is Cesc Fabregas really worth?
Arsenal join £15m race for Chilean international
VIDEO: Lee Dixon talks to Football FanCast about all things Arsenal
Why Arsene Wenger should learn a valuable lesson from 1998
*Best of WEB*
3 in 3 out?? Wenger on the turn, or has he totally lost the plot?? – Highbury House
Removing the well entrenched – Online Gooner
Gary Cahill spills the beans over a shot | Another Arsenal player wants out? – Le Grove
New Signings Ahead Of Far East Tour? Don’t Be Too Sure… – A Cultured Left Foot
Would an £8M summer move for this Inter keeper be an astute one by Wenger? – Gunnersphere
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Click below to see the latest addition to the WAG Arena
The decision about who will host the 2018 World Cup is now just 10 days away and to celebrate England’s successful bid (hopefully!) here at FootballFanCast.com we will run down England’s all-time Top Ten World Cup stars in the run-up to FIFA’s decision.
England have had plenty of World Cup heroes over the years, sadly few from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and if the Three Lions are successful in their bid then maybe the heroics of 1966 can be replicated at Wembley in 2018. We start at number 10 with a true England great who has his name firmly etched in the record books and make sure you join him in backing the bid!
Click on the Back the Bid poster below to see who’s at #10
No one can disagree that this is turning out to be a great season for Sheffield Wednesday.
With us now sitting pretty in second spot ahead of the final game of the season at home to already relegated Wycombe I think that promotion could well be on the cards although it is not time to get out the champagne just yet but we can look at the top performers for the club during this fantastic season.
During the course of the season every man has been outstanding in their own way this season but one player who has been consistent week in week out is Portuguese midfielder José Semedo. Brought in from Charlton in the summer he made an immediate impact on the pitch showing his combative determination right from the first whistle up until this point in the season with his work ethic being second to none.. Not a goal scorer but has a goal to his name and helped the team with a few assists including the cross for Gary Madine’s equaliser against United in October. Playing every single league game this season in the heart of midfield every Wednesday fan knows him for crunching tackles quickly earning him the song ‘You’ll never get past Semedo!’
Another impressive player for me this year although not our man is central defender loanee Danny Batth. Because of his age I have given him my accolade of Young Player of the Season which in my eyes he thoroughly deserves. Playing at the back with different men through the course of the season forming a strong partnership with whoever is beside him showing his strength, ball control and awareness. A young man with a very bright future ahead of him plays as if he has played for many more years than he actually has. A permanent transfer to the club for Batth in the summer would be a fantastic addition for next seasons hopeful Championship campaign but if not we wish him the best of luck at a very lucky Wolves.
When he signed from Plymouth in mid-January last year everybody recognised we signed a very strong centre back in Réda Johnson. He seemed an ideal buy as a very competent centre half until converting into a left back for cover. Before too long manager at the time Gary Megson and the whole of Sheffield Wednesday realised he was also very capable in this position. Now running down the left channel he always looks a threat going towards goal which has seen him pitch in with seven goals along the way. This great form has even seen him earn more recognition after being called up for Benin.
When Julian Bennett was signed at the start of the season from Nottingham Forest thoughts were we had signed a high profile left back and during his first few appearances he looked a promising; dynamic defender who was able to attack. He possesses a long throw and pace but always seemed shy to cross the ball into the box. He looked a great signing but after a few weeks was ruled out with injury and Réda was there to fill the gap and Bennett was then unable to break back into the first team and when now put in the team to cover Johnson, he seems out of place trying to impress the manager too much. Once he returns to full fitness I can see him claiming his place back in the side, hopefully in the Championship.
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The United States opened their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Canada on Tuesday, while Panama held off Guadeloupe.Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore, who spent the second half of the 2010-11 season on loan to Turkish club Bursaspor, opened the scoring 14 minutes into the match at Ford Field, Detroit.
Fulham’s Clint Dempsey doubled the US lead just after the hour mark.
And it would have been 3-0 to the home side, but for a missed penalty from San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski four minutes from time.
The win sees the US lead Group C on goal difference from Panama, who held off a Guadeloupe revival to win 3-2 earlier at Ford Field.
Two goals in the space of three minutes, the first from Club Leon striker Blas Perez and the second courtesy of Juan Aurich forward Luis Tejada, gave Panama a 2-0 lead just 31 minutes into the match.
Guadeloupe’s position worsened when they lost defender Mickael Tacalfred to a red card in the 37th minute.
Panama went 3-0 ahead courtesy of a penalty from defender Gabriel Gomez on 56 minutes.
But Guadeloupe’s 10 men almost managed an unlikely comeback, as a brace from Le Havre striker Brice Jovial saw the team from the Caribbean island threaten to restore parity.
But Panama held on to record the win to sit equal with the US on three points.
Everyone will have their own view on the Rooney shenanigans of the last week – some will say he was an idiot for questioning his manager, some will say his performances do not merit an improved contract, some will say he has the right to question the club’s ambitions, some will blame his agent.
Either way, I don’t really care. What I do care about is how yet again a footballer has been blamed for all the world’s evils. Well it’s certainly annoyed me a bit anyway.
I was reading the Daily Mail at the weekend (I want to make it absolutely clear I was in a sandwich shop at the time, and fancied a laugh). Rooney’s new contract was the headline story – under the premise of his unbelievable greed.
As the rest of the nation faces job threats and austerity over the next five years, Wayne Rooney can afford that self-satisfied smirk.
They questioned how he could earn £250,000 a week just for kicking a football.
Yeah, cos that’s all he does isn’t it? Just kicks a pig’s bladder around for 90 minutes a week – I mean, I could do that, for a lot less money.
But it was the last paragraph of the headline story that had me slumped on the shop counter in despair. It quoted a nurse bemoaning cuts at her nursing home, saying how disgusting it was that he could get so much money when people are losing their jobs.
Shame on you Wayne.
Football has long been blamed for much of the world’s ills, usually by people who don’t like football – overpaid prima donnas, bad role models, ill-disciplined, ill-educated, run by idiots. Nothing has changed there.
But just what level of stupidity leads you to believe that Wayne Rooney is somehow responsible in any shape or form for the state of the NHS, or our recession? Would that nurse have felt better if Rooney had taken a massive pay cut? Would that have helped keep more of her colleagues in jobs?
No, of course it wouldn’t, but let’s blame him anyway.
Continued on Page TWO
The ironic thing is that the only link Rooney has to government policy, jobs and the recession is the wage he gets. And the best thing for those nurses is for him to get paid as much as possible – the more he gets, the more tax he pays, the more money the government has. They should be thanking him.
You can blame footballers as a whole if you wish for the financial troubles many clubs are facing, but at the end of the day, those clubs chased impossible dreams, spent beyond their means, and no-one forced them to pay these figures. And even if you feel players should be blamed, you can’t lump all the guilt on one player, and for all the acquired debt that the Glazers have introduced to Manchester United, no single pay rise is going to trouble Rooney’s club. This was a contract negotiation between an employee and his employer, simple as that. A very public one, admittedly, but a contract negotiation nevertheless. However ill-deserved it was, the club agreed to it, and can afford it. Rooney, like everyone else, is simply demanding the best payment he can get for his services. If United didn’t like it, they can always get rid of him.
Are movie stars earning £20m a film ever called greedy? Pop stars, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, JK Rowling or Richard Branson? What’s their responsibility to our faltering economy? I mean, all Formula 1 drivers do is drive a car round a track every couple of weeks!
Of course it was widely reported that Rooney’s deal was worth £250,000 a week, the media using that well known trick of adding on every bonus imaginable to make him look even greedier, knowing full well that to earn that he would have to score a hat trick every match, lead United to the treble every season for five years, and find a cure for cancer. This is how Yaya Toure is on £230,000 a week and Carlos Tevez cost City about £97m. And all the while there’s people in Doncaster that can’t even afford their next packet of fags. It makes me sick.
Miranda Sawyer wrote in The Mirror in an appalling little piece about how she imagines Rooney to be like a spoilt little child, commenting on how he is spiffing away money (what?) whilst United fans face up to recession. Yawn.
One United fan slated him for jetting off on holiday when his club needed him. Need him for what? He’s injured, but then again maybe he wanted him serving behind the bar on match days.
The world is a strange place when I turn to Tony Cascarino for some sage advice, but about the only sensible thing he has ever said was in an article five years ago.
“For all the improvements to stadiums and the great popularity that the sport enjoys now, the majority of players are still poorly educated working-class guys. They’re not, for the most part, paragons of virtue. If society wants to hold them up as role models, that’s society’s choice, not football’s. The last time I checked, I was responsible for bringing up my children properly, not Wayne Rooney or El-Hadji Diouf.”
Of course, there’s no need for abusing referees all game, something kids may well copy – on the pitch players have a responsibility, as kids will mimic what they see footballers do when they themselves kick a ball around. But off the pitch I don’t see them as something to aspire to at all, and a section of them will inevitably misbehave as they always have done, and as many of the rest of society do – they are human beings.
Concluded on Page THREE
But back to society in general, This myopic view of the world and how football should take some blame first came to my attention when Manchester City were kindly taken over two years ago by some very wealthy men with whom you will now be familiar, and Mark Lawrenson questioned how City could be throwing obscene amounts of money in trying to sign Kaka when hospitals were closing down around the country and people were living in abject poverty in their millions.
“At a time when people have been left devastated by the credit crunch, football is in danger of shooting itself in the foot. It would be bad enough during a boom time, but during these tough economic times it is sick. If City do this then they will lose the sympathy and support of fans who will begin to question the morality of how someone can spend that sort of money on a player rather than build a new hospital or pay for some lifesaving medical care. People will turn round and say: ‘The world has gone mad. I’m not sure about football any more’. How would you feel if you can’t pay the bills while a player at your club is on mind-boggling money?”
It’s hard to put into words how stupid this comment was, but I’m going to try anyway.
Imagine if you will the time I was packed and ready to go on my holiday. Waiting for the taxi to arrive at my parents’ house (both at work, in the days before mobile phones), I popped out to the newsagents for some crisps, and came back to discover my house keys were packed in the suitcase. After crying for a bit, I tried to kick the front door down, failed, but set off the burglar alarm, alerting a few of my neighbours. I tried to climb in an open window on the first floor, but fell off the porch, injuring my ankle. In the end I was forced to break a window, which had the knock-on effect of spraying the cat with glass. I left a note for my mum apologising, and off on holiday I went.
Anyway, it’s about that level of stupid.
Steve Coppell too said it was completely wrong when people were losing jobs in credit crunch times for City to be spending so much money. Apparently football clubs can only spend money during times of economic boom. And it seems players can only get pay rises too if unemployment levels are low enough.
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor then told the world of his disapproval of City’s reported £100million bid for Kaka.
“It is a bit bizarre that, in these times of credit crunch, we are talking about a club paying £100m for one player,” he said.
“One of the things we have to ask is…is football sending out the right signals given the current financial climate? Football needs to set a good example to the rest of the world, as we do with our anti-racism programmes and community projects. Football cannot be immune from the credit crunch and whilst City are an exception to the rule, the game has a duty to show financial propriety at this moment in time.”
Gordon Taylor is the highest paid union official in the world. Taylor earns a £1million yearly salary – five times the remuneration of the second highest-paid union official and around ten times that of the average League Two player. For this money, his jobs seems to consist of blindly defending the rape allegations, prison sentences, two-footed tackles and roasting sessions that his members seemed so keen to enjoy (thanks to football365.com for that quote).
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It’s this obsession with “making a gesture”. Sadly, these gestures don’t actually achieve anything. If Rooney had for some reason agreed to play for free, not one person in this country would have benefited as a result. A few Americans maybe, but none of us, no one on the breadline, no one out of a job, no one looking for football to make some gesture that will make them feel better for ten minutes before the reality once more hit home.
Put simply, some footballers earn a lot of money because they generate a lot of money. Supply and demand. Wayne Rooney is worth every penny to Manchester United plc, even when his form dips.
I am a Manchester City fan. I have no particular warmth towards Wayne Rooney, or most footballers to be honest, (him more than most). There is a lot to dislike about Rooney – he is not someone I would aspire to be, or want kids to look up to. But let’s focus the blame for society’s ills where they are deserved, and for once give football a break.
Written By Howard Hockin
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