Everton starlet Jack Rodwell has decided to commit his future to the club by signing a new five-year contract at the club, and the teenager has done well to resist the lure of the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.
According to speculation, Sir Alex Ferguson had targeted the 19-year-old as his main summer signing and was set to offer a fee believed to be £15m for the Everton youngster. However Everton manager, David Moyes was quick to offer Rodwell a new deal so that he didn’t risk losing his exciting prospect.
Rodwell has been quick to praise Moyes for his management skills saying, “He’s been brilliant with me, and not just me but with the other youngsters as well. His track record has been brilliant and it’s been no different with me and I’m very happy to work under him.”
Moyes had previously warned Rodwell that he could regret leaving Everton too soon, he said: “Some of the players who have left Everton might say it was the right place for them after all. At the end of their careers, they might look back and say Everton was the best time, they enjoy it here. Even Gravesen, who went to Madrid, would say the same thing. There are lots of players who are going to look back at Everton and say they had a really good time, without winning anything obviously.”
Although by moving on to United, Rodwell would have undoubtedly been much more likely to win things with them than if he stayed at Everton. He could of risked becoming another player that has left them and not progressed like Thomas Gravesen, Joleon Lescott and Francis Jeffers. Of course Wayne Rooney made an almost identical move from Everton to United and has become a great player in doing so but the fact is, it doesn’t work out for everyone. Far too many players are tempted by big teams but often find themselves on the fringes of the first-team and either sold or loaned out within a year or two.
There is also no guarantee that Rodwell would have been able to break into the United side either, but at Everton he will have a greater opportunity of regular first-team football and this will only help his development as a player. Whereas at United he would have to work a lot harder to gain a first-team spot as the competition there will be much more intense.
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Rodwell’s show of loyalty should serve as an example to Steven Pienaar. The South African midfielder has been linked with a move to Spurs but he needs to think if he really wants to give up first-team football to be at best rotated in and out of the side. As the form of Tottenham’s midfield this season has been fantastic and Pienaar will struggle immensely to get into the team next year, so he would be better off staying put.
Although Moyes had admitted that they might need to sell a few players so that they can strengthen the squad to compete for the European places in the Premiership. He clearly sees Rodwell as an integral part of his team and someone that can be at the club for many years to come.
After watching Liverpool’s resurgence last season from the treatment bench, you could forgive Steven Gerrard for feeling quite apprehensive ahead of his expected return to the Liverpool team.
Following the signings of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, Stuart Downing and the improved form of Lucas Leiva, some Liverpool fans have even questioned where the legendary King of the Kop now fits into the side. It is true that Liverpool were far more productive on the pitch after Gerrard got injured last season and the ambitious team have now signed and developed some talented younger match winners in his place. Last season Dalglish managed to turn around a team of underachievers into one that finished in 6th place in the league all without their inspirational captain who has been out of the team since March.
It is a notion that borders on the sacrilegious to say that Liverpool could sell Gerrard, but it stems from the club’s willingness to sell their valuable assets like Fernando Torres in the last year. Looking back that appears to be the right decision after receiving £50m for a player who has only scored twice since he left Anfield and replacing him with the brilliant Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll which is looking like an inspired decision by the owners.
However even if the owners decided against all odds to sell Gerrard, who would pay big money for 31-years-old who is rarely fit for a full season? The likes of oil-rich Anzhi Makhachkala have been linked with a big-money move for the midfielder and they would be willing to pay him £13m a year. Despite this paper talk it seems likely that Gerrard will turn down the chance to add sizeable sums to their pension funds and finish his career at his beloved Anfield but will he still play such an influential role in the side in the next few years?
It may well be the case that the Steven Gerrard of old, who attempted to pull off the spectacular rather than finding a colleague in a better position, does not fit in Dalglish new-look side and formation. Despite this I still think he has a role to play in the team.
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Liverpool’s inept performance in central midfield against Tottenham at the weekend demonstrated where Gerrard is still required and he could now feature in a deeper holding position which would permit him to dominate games again while allowing the bright young talents to go ahead of him to go and play. It seems the natural development for an injury prone player who came into the starting eleven at a youthful age and probably won’t have the legs to keep on running forever.
Liverpool manager’s in the past had built the Liverpool team around the match winner Gerrard but Dalglish will be reluctant to change his successful formation to fit in the captain and instead he may have to slot into the current set-up. Although I think he could still play in the second striker role behind Luis Suarez which had been so effective before with Torres and this is something that Kenny will be considering especially with the poor recent form of Andy Carroll.
Gerrard is certainly going through a transitional period on the pitch and after a long lay-out with his groin injury it will be interesting to see where he plays and if he is back to his imperious best tonight. I think he could take steps to lengthen his career at Anfield by retiring from the international team this season which seemed to have worked for Paul Scholes at Manchester United. Scholes had still been one of the most consistent performers after he changed his role where he sat deeper in the side so he could orchestrate United’s play. Gerrard could take on a similar role alongside Lucas, providing the platform for the youngsters in front of him to play without restraint.
Of course Gerrard will still be the gifted midfielder who can take games by the scuff of the neck and inspire his Liverpool side but this sort of natural change in his game will help him stay fit while also give him the chance to become the driving force behind success at Anfield for many years to come.
Let me know your thoughts and give me a follow on twitter @aidanmccartney for more discussion about the beautiful game.
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West Bromwich Albion forward Peter Odemwingie is hoping to be fit for his side’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Baggies leading goalscorer was trodden on in Albion’s draw against Wigan Athletic on Tuesday, but said it was a minor concern for manager Roberto di Matteo.
“Unfortunately, someone stepped on my ankle in the first half,” Odemwingie told the Birmingham Mail.
“I will get some treatment and hopefully it will not swell up and I will prepare for Saturday.”
“It is always interesting to play against a big team. I know it is a big stadium. I haven’t played there so I am hoping there will be no difficulties with my ankle.”
“City are a big club. It will be nice to play against them and we remember the last game we lost there so I’m hoping we can at least get a point from them.”
City boss Roberto Mancini has already confirmed striker Mario Balotelli not be rushed back for the clash at Eastlands, while Adam Johnson remains on the long-term injury list with a knee problem and Micah Richards is doubtful with an ankle complaint.
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The Blues won the reverse fixture at the Hawthorns 2-0 in November courtesy of a Balotelli brace, and City also took the spoils the last time the two sides met in Manchester when the then Mark Hughes-led City won 4-2.
Albion have scored just once in their past five away fixtures in the Premier League since their 4-1 drubbing of Everton at Goodison Park in November.
All great sports teams need to build from the back. A title-winning side is often defined by the confident figure between the posts and an even more reliable group ahead of him. But the Premier League, or England as a whole, is dominated by the assumption that every team needs a powerful character at centre-half who possesses great leadership qualities.
Arsenal can’t run away from people continually suggesting that the team needs a “proper” defender, despite Arsene Wenger bringing in three good, first-choice centre-backs over the past three summers. They might not be the enforcer that Manchester City have in Vincent Kompany or that captain at Chelsea that we don‘t mention by name, but each are capable of combining for a very good defensive partnership.
But maybe it’s the craving that we need to see last-ditch tackles by a fearless 6ft3 individual in the pouring rain. Strength and size is what clubs need in order to feel comfortable. It’s also a huge bonus if he’s capable of convincingly wearing the captain’s armband. Oh and fast! He needs to be lightning quick to be considered the full package.
However, I’m not buying it. Sure, I’m hardly going to protest my club buying a player like Vincent Kompany or Nemanja Vidic—two of the leading centre-backs in the country—but no sleep will be lost over a group of players who aren’t labelled with the “enforcer” tag.
England needs crunching tackles and no nonsense defending, it defines the game in this country. But players like Kompany or Vidic have been around for a long time. Maybe it could be argued that they’re a dying breed, or at least not so heavily pursued. A strong centre-back is indeed a necessity, but not really a “stay at home” kind of defender.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have built two successful defensive partnerships, and none of the four individuals are what you’d consider “enforcers.” Carles Puyol is one of the best centre-backs and leaders of the last decade, yet he doesn’t come with all the characteristics that would allow him to thrive in England. A lack of height is perhaps his greatest flaw, or at least it would be to an English audience.
But instead, players like Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos—who are going to be the mainstays in their side’s defences over the long-term—are defined by their ability to play out of defence. They’re technically excellent ball players, and they have the confidence and ability to launch attacks from deep. They are also exceptional defensive players, but their art is in their ability to form another part of the attack.
Their partners are also hardly the no nonsense defenders we’ve come to see in England. Yes, Pepe can be a nuisance for a large part of the game, but he’s also a smart defender who uses his knowledge and reading of the game to eliminate attacks.
In contrast, English fans love the saving tackle off the line—something for the cameras. But is it really necessary when you can have players whose intelligence of the game far outweighs the need to pull off a bone-crunching tackle?
Again, Arsenal are always brought up as a team lacking in the defensive department. Yet Laurent Koscielny is an excellent reader of the game and someone who can play his way out of trouble. He’s deceptively strong and very quick, but very few beyond Arsenal fans recognise him as one of the better defenders in the league.
Gary Cahill is another that seems to excel at both ends of the pitch. He’s confident in his attacking game but can also be an asset in his own half. It could be argued that he has the safety net of others around him, but he’s able to combine both aspects to his game.
A big, powerful enforcer at centre-half is something that has been around for many years, although I don’t see the persistent need for a player of that quality. Yes, it helps to combat the strength and size of certain strikers, but the much more clever defenders have been able to compensate for a lack of size or pace with outstanding reading of the game.
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Alessandro Nesta has pushed on to an age where he was deemed dispensable by AC Milan this summer. But the centre-back—another who is rightly considered one of the best of the last decade—performed exceptionally well against Barcelona, and Lionel Messi in particular, last season. The Argentine forward is phenomenally quick, but Nesta played like an experienced veteran of the game should. It highlights the way that better defenders can compensate.
I will reiterate my opinion that it’s not wholly necessary for a good team to be a great team with an enforcer in the defence. Instead, the rise of the ball-playing defender is something that should be considered. Indeed, many of them are strong and are excellent tacklers, however, their strengths are in their ability to start attacks from the back. They are very good positionally and play a key role in the retention of the ball. Their versatility is also something that separates them from the rest.
With attacking football moving into a new era led by teams like Spain and Barcelona, it’s also important for the defensive aspect to catch up and play a similar and equal role.
Scotland have recorded a 1-0 win over Lithuania in Euro 2012 qualifying, but Northern Ireland’s campaign hit a new low with a 4-1 defeat in Estonia.
Craig Levein’s side still have an outside chance of making the playoffs, and bounced back from the disappointment of being pegged back in the last minute against Czech Republic on Saturday by getting three points on Tuesday night.
Rangers midfielder Steven Naismith got the winner after 50 minutes, sparing captain Darren Fletcher, who missed a penalty in the first half.
Without the likes of Scott Brown, Kenny Miller and Charlie Adam, Levein will happy with the result, and his side have an outside chance of making the playoffs.
Scotland still have away fixtures against Liechenstein and Spain to play, and realistically need to win both to stand a chance.
Northern Ireland meanwhile were not as lucky, as a poor performance will have disappointed away fans in a 4-1 defeat in Tallinn.
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Two goals in each half by the home side secured the victory for the Eastern Europeans, with Nigel Worthington’s men’s only ray of light an own goal in the first half to give them hope.
The side from Windsor Park are now playing for pride in their remaining games, as they host their conquerors Estonia in their next game, before travelling to take on Italy in October.
There were plenty of metaphorical pats on the back for Rio Ferdinand last week when during the Spurs v Manchester United match he told Rafael not to wave an imaginary yellow card at the referee, as this sort of behaviour was not tolerated. Foreign players with British clubs have been berated by team-mates before when doing this, as happened with Fabrizio Ravanelli and Mikel Arteta in their first seasons in the Premier League.
It seems that in this country, waving an imaginary card at the referee is akin to serial killing or questioning a woman’s knowledge of the offside law.
This is nothing new. In October 2005, the Daily Mail ran a campaign to rid the game of this “evil”.
Players will be told to cut out the imaginary card-waving to encourage referees to book a rival as part of the drive to rid football of the problem.As Sportsmail’s campaign to punish the perpetrators drew support from all parts of the game yesterday, the FA Premier League is taking steps to address the issue.
Referees’ chief Keith Hackett will ask PFA chairman Gordon Taylor when the pair next meet to remind his members of their responsibilities, not only to the game but to each other.
Hackett will also stress to Taylor that refs already have the power to book players for waving an imaginary card and that the pre-season agreement for more respect towards officials from players and managers is being compromised.
Graham Barber, who retired as a Premier League referee in 2004, said: “I’d like to feel that if cautions were introduced, it would act as a deterrent with clubs telling their players to stop doing it. But if this was introduced, it would be up to everybody – clubs, players, managers and the media – to support referees.
Former West Ham striker Tony Cottee also backed the campaign. Now a Sky Sports pundit, Cottee said: “Those players who do this should be booked. Absolutely. I’ve been saying it for two or three years since it came into England. Action is long overdue. When a player waves an imaginary card, the referee should say: ‘Yes, it is a yellow card, but it’s for you’. It’s just unacceptable, trying to get a fellow pro into trouble. It’s the referee’s job to decide whether a foul deserves a yellow card.”
In 2006, there was talk from UEFA of ensuring a similar clamp-down. That paragon of virtue John Terry has moaned in the past about Barcelona players doing it.
An article in When Saturday Comes touched on the same theme last year.
There is nothing that annoys football commentators more than seeing players wave an imaginary card after they have been fouled. Jonathan Pearce, Peter Drury and co seized on such displays during the World Cup with weary despair. Some of the things imported into British club football from abroad in recent times are tolerated – over-elaborate stepovers and wearing undershirts displaying messages for God are just about acceptable – but the card mime is beyond the pale.
Of course the card waving is gamesmanship, just like stealing a few yards at a free-kick or claiming a throw-in that you know is for the opposition. But you can see why it developed when teams get away with blatant thuggery as Holland did during the final.
The thing I don’t get is this: a large percentage of players spend games trying to con the referee – why does this particular action get so much attention?
Is it the horror it provokes at trying to influence the referee? Or the idea that there is nothing lower than trying to get a fellow professional dismissed, or at least punished with a yellow card?
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The waving of the card is just one of a hundred ways that players will try and influence the referee or his assistants during a match, other methods often involving out and out cheating.
In every match we see gamesmanship throughout. Where’s the uprorar about leaving a trailing leg? Commentators will be apoplectic about waving a yellow card, but it’s considered “professional” to “win” a free kick.
Or appealing for throw-ins or corners when the player knew they touched it last. This must happen thirty times a game. What about feigning injury (my personal pet hate)? Or specifically feigning injury as a time-consuming tool? Or the goalkeeper taking the goal kick on the far side of the goal to waste those extra few seconds. Taking two minutes to take a throw-in. A player knowing they’re going to be substituted and wandering over to the far side of the pitch so it takes so long to walk off the pitch most of the crowd have lost the will to live.
Or how about moving the ball forward at a free kick whilst the referee isn’t looking? Or similarly, edging the wall forward a few inches at a time. And so on, and on, and on.
Like diving, there is this conception that card-waving is a trait brought into the English game by those nasty foreigners. Maybe that is why it is raised on a pedestal. All the tricks of the trade we Brits have already mastered are not seen as bad.
Spitting has a similarly bad reputation – now spitting at or on someone is pretty gross, no doubt about it, but I’d prefer to be spat on than elbowed in the head or be scythed down by a leg-breaking challenge.
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The answer may also lie in our eyes – what we see is greater than what we later hear. By which I mean that the waving of the card is a very visible sign of a player trying to influence the referee and get an opponent punished. It is seen as worse than the player telling the referee he should book him.
When Wayne Rooney was sent off for sarcastically clapping a referee, it emerged that referees had been instructed that this was seen to be worse than being swore at by a player as it was a more visible sign of dissent. And thus, so is the waving of the imaginary card, but referees don’t seem as keen to clamp down on this.
Referees of professional games are themselves professionals, and should be making decisions without being swayed by the actions of the players after the event. The waving of the card shouldn’t matter in changing the outcome of anything, but admittedly it is naïve to think referees are not swayed by the reactions of players.
The “card mime” is not something I like to see – I don’t applaud it or remotely support it, but to me it’s no worse than a hundred other things going on in a game. Perhaps if other offences were seen in similar light, the next time a United player dives Rio Ferdinand will give him a piece of his mind. I wouldn’t hold your breath.
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Everton defender Leighton Baines has stated that he does not know anything about the speculation in the media linking him with a move to Manchester United.
The Red Devils are thought to be in the market place for a left-back to provide competition to Patrice Evra, with the England man believed to be a target.
However, Baines is concentrating on staying at Goodison Park for the time being.
“I’ve been aware of what’s been said in the press but I don’t know much beyond that. It doesn’t do any harm [to be linked] but it doesn’t do any good either,” Sky Sports quote the full-back as saying.
“It’s just one of those things that tends to swing around this time of year. People put two and two together sometimes they get four and sometimes they get three or five. It gets other people more excited than those involved.”
The Toffees have been subject to tight financial constraints in recent seasons, but Baines is hopeful that David Moyes can hold onto his main stars this summer.
“Obviously over the years the manager has lost players that I am sure he would have liked to have kept hold of.
Whether the club has needed the money or whether it’s because they have received what they consider is a considerable bid for a player they have always done good business.
“The manager has done well in bringing people in at a certain amount and when they have moved on he has tended to double his money or more.
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“The club have always been quite savvy in that sense. It has never really hindered us and it’s never seen us getting any worse.
“But maybe it would be nice to see us hang on to those players and add a couple,” he concluded.
Leicester City are planning an audacious bid to bring David Beckham back to England reports the Daily Mail.
The Championship side, managed by Beckham’s former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson, are ready to splash the cash to bring him to the King Power Stadium.
Eriksson is keen to be re-united with the LA Galaxy midfielder and the clubs billionaire Thai owners King Power are just as eager to bring him in.
They want Premier League football and are prepared to fund Beckham’s £200,000-a-week wages for six weeks when the MLS season comes to an end.
A businessman close to King Power said: “This time the Raksriaksorn family are going all out to get Sven to bring Beckham to Leicester. Even they have been overwhelmed at how big Leicester have become here in Asia.
“They are keen to maintain the momentum and, of course, grow the club.
“Sven is in touch with Beckham, the funding is in place and they hope a deal can be done that will suit both parties. It will be good for everyone.”
The Leicester boss’ relationship with the 36-year-old is still strong and chairman Vichai Raksriaksorn believes Sven can persuade him to make the move.
“We want to get into the Premier League simply because I would love to see the team get promoted, because we are a big team.” He said.
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“We have a clear vision that we are trying to take the club to the Premier League.”
Whether Beckham is prepared to move to Leicester remains to be seen but its know he likes to maintain his fitness in the MLS off-season playing for AC Milan and training at Arsenal and Tottenham with Harry Redknapp attempting to sign him last season.
Gabriel Obertan – Manchester United’s most divisive player? Either you view him as one for the future or an all too prevalent present nuisance. The young Frenchman’s contributions thus far have shown that he has little else to offer beyond his pace. His first touch is poor, he does not take up good positions and his passes often go astray.
Obertan joined Manchester United back in the summer of 2009 from Bordeaux. He has only ever featured sporadically in the United teamsheet and has become accustomed to coming off the bench towards the end of the game.
At this point it’s likely that Obertan’s defenders will be keen to point out that he’s just 21-years-old. This is true, but do United have space in their squad for a player at this stage in his development?
Obertan has represented his country at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 level. He has yet to make the step up to the senior squad and despite the current state of French football, seems some distance away from doing so.
At least the young winger knows he is still some distance away from making a lasting impact at Old Trafford. He recently told the Press: “It is frustrating sometimes on the bench, but I know I am improving. I would not swap places for anything in the world.”
Frustrating, no doubt, but if he doesn’t start impressing, he’ll have to make do with the limited game-time he’s currently getting at Old Trafford.
United may be in the driving seat this season in terms of the Premier League, but if they want to be Champions then they will have to start performing week in and week out. The first team to find consistency in the League this season will be the team who eventually wins it. Gabriel Obertan is an obstacle to United finding this consistency.
In United’s recent game against West Brom (a tetchy 2-1 victory), Obertan featured and was more of a hindrance than he was a help. His decision-making was consistently poor . He has an unfortunate habit of dawdling on the ball and the timing of his crosses was way off. As a result a number of possible goal-scoring opportunities went missing.
Despite my concerns, there may be a comparison to be drawn between Obertan and the Anderson from a season or two ago. I was more than happy to tell anybody I would meet that Anderson lacked the requisite quality to make it at Old Trafford and that Ferguson would do well to move him on as quickly as possible,
I shouldn’t have been so hasty in my judgment. As a player Anderson has come on leaps and bounds and is starting to assert himself as an important player in United’s midfield. With time, I wouldn’t be surprised if Obertan went on to do exactly the same thing.
We can’t expect Obertan to go from chump to champ overnight. He needs a regular run of games before we can start to determine whether he has a future with the club. If he gains the fans’ and manager’s confidence alike who knows what he’s capable of.
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With this in mind if United can maintain their title challenge and offer Obertan games to help his development, then we ought to give the young lad a chance.
Fight for glory in the present whilst building for the future? Maybe United can have it all.
For more football debate and discussion feel free to follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter.
There isn’t much happening at Tottenham Hotspur at this current juncture. In fact there’s been hardly any activity since the season ended last month. Jan Vertonghen’s protracted transfer continues to drag on, whilst Niko Kranjcar was bundled onto an aeroplane and shipped off to Dynamo Kiev without much fanfare. All in all its been a pretty bland start to the summer by Spurs’ standards. Things did hot up during the mid-part of this week when it was revealed United declared their intentions (once again!) to sign Luka Modric. The sunshine season wouldn’t be complete without a transfer saga to leave you tearing your hair out. At this rate the White Hart Lane faithful will be contemplating baldness if this is going to happen every year. However would Harry Redknapp be inclined to sell his star midfielder after missing out on the Champions League? If United willing to pay £35 million for the Croatian I have every faith saying that Redknapp will drive him to Manchester himself. The manager himself continues to sweat over his own future in North London as he waits to hear from chairman Daniel Levy over a new contract. One thinks Uncle ‘Arry deserves one more crack of the whip at getting Tottenham a seat on Europe’s elite table. Do you?
This week on FFC should Spurs give in to Redknapp’s contract demands and which England goalkeeper are they battling Southampton and Manchester City for?
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Best of FFC
Should Tottenham crack to these contract demands?
Why this Brazilian doesn’t need any Samba for Tottenham
English clubs to adopt U.S sponsorship model?
A true Measurement of Success within the Premier League?
What to do with Luka Modric?
Have Tottenham reached their optimum level under Harry?
Time for the Premier League to recapture it’s interest in Huntelaar
Saints look to steal the march on Spurs and City with bid
Spurs rebuffed in plucky transfer bid
Tottenham closing in on Vertonghen deal
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Best of WEB
Vertonghen versus Vermaelen – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2
So Long And Thanks For All The Fish – Harry Hotspur
Luka and ITK mathematics – Dear Mr Levy
Replacing Vdv With £14M Rated Ramirez Wouldn’t Be Trading Up – Transfer Tavern
Today could be the day. – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2
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The Book of Daniel – Dear Mr Levy
Is The Man In This Leaked Photo Our New Striker? – Harry Hotspur
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Quote of the Week
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“People talk about it but I’ve never had a problem with Daniel Levy. The simple situation is that I have a year left on my contract and it is up to Tottenham whether they want to extend that or not.
“Things couldn’t have gone better since I’ve been there. We’ve finished fourth twice, fifth once, quarter-finals of the Champions League and played fantastic football. It’s a good club and I enjoy being at Tottenham.” Harry Redknapp reveals that he wants to extend his stay at Tottenham and it’s up to the club to offer him a new contract