“Kevin Nolan has joined West Ham United” When I read this I thought April Fool’s day had come several months early. The former Bolton man still had two years on his Newcastle United contract and was also captain of a club with European aspirations, so joining newly relegated West Ham just doesn’t make sense. Nolan could easily offer something to most Premier League teams’ but I suppose moving to Upton Park had something to do with his former manager Sam Allardyce.
Whatever we all say, the move has happened and it’s obviously the best one for Nolan personally but that got me thinking about other transfers’ that have sent shock waves through the world of football. Jean Alain Boumsong’s move to Juventus from Newcastle after performing consistently poor for his one season at St James’ Park just didn’t make sense…perhaps this was Juve’s punishment for the match fixing scandal?
Click on Craig Bellamy to find out who gave the newspapers a field day
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An own-goal from former player Tal Ben Haim handed Andre Villas-Boas a winning start to his Chelsea tenure against Portsmouth on Saturday.All eyes were on Villas-Boas as he took charge of the English Premier League club for the first time since his move from Porto in June.
The 33-year-old joined from the Europa and Liga Sagres champions after the London club paid over 13 million pounds to release him from his contract.
Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda all started the game for Chelsea against their Championship opponents at Fratton Park, alongside youngsters Billy Clifford and Tomas Kalas.
John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba looked on from the bench, and it was former team-mate Tal Ben Haim who scored the only goal of the game – at the wrong end.
The Portsmouth defender endured an unhappy 2007/08 season at Stamford Bridge, and gifted his old side the lead after seven minutes.
Villas-Boas sent out an entirely changed XI for the second half, and goalkeeper Hilario conceded a penalty just after the hour.
But the substitute shot-stopper redeemed himself by saving Luke Varney’s spot kick, ensuring Villas-Boas was to end his first game in charge of Chelsea a winner.
Chelsea fly to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, with four games over the next two weeks in Asia.
Right at the start of the summer, one of the biggest priorities for the transfer window among both fans and pundits was for Liverpool to get rid of the dead-wood in the squad. Relics from mainly the Roy Hodgson era, but also some left over from Rafa Benitez’s time too, it was believed that by removing these players from the squad we could rid ourselves of a number of players who were taking up a sizeable chunk of our wage bill. Although Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky have left the club, there are a number of players not considered good enough for the squad, still at the club with a couple of weeks left in the transfer window:
Christian Poulsen – Although there was a rumour in the Danish press a couple of weeks ago linking the midfielder with a move to FC Copenhagen, Poulsen’s agent denied the rumours and stated Poulsen’s intention of staying on Merseyside. Poulsen himself in recent day has stated his intention to stay:
“I have been really happy and I want to play, that’s my goal for the future. I am happy there with my family, it’s a good club and they treat me really well. I hope I can change my situation and play more. I haven’t heard anything from Liverpool; I am trying to be fit for the new season. So I think they want me at the club and I am happy to be there and unless they tell me something different, I am a Liverpool player for the coming season.”
The Dane has been poor in pre-season, as he was the entire of the last campaign, but there seems to be an unwillingness on his part to move away to get more first team football. His lack of pace means he can’t cope with the Premier League, and it looks as if that unless he has a change of heart, he is content to pick up his wages despite being behind Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing in the pecking order.
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Joe Cole – The obvious reason why Joe has been a hard man to shift this summer is because of his sizeable wages. With Stewart Downing, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt ahead of him for a starting berth on the wings, and Gerrard, Aquilani, Meireles and Henderson ahead of him in the attacking midfield role, Cole will be sitting on the bench for the most part this season.
QPR and West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in a loan move but the Reds are looking for a permanent move to offload the player’s sizeable wages. In addition, Tottenham have also been tipped as potential suitors but Joe would have to take a sizeable wage cut to fit to Spurs’s wage structure. We will have to hope that Luka Modric moves to Chelsea and Harry turns to Joe for a quick purchase on the final day of the transfer window.
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Nabil El Zhar – After returning from his loan spell at PAOK Salonika last season, the Moroccan has been relegated to reserve team football as the Reds try to find him a new club. He has started a few games for Rodolfo Borrell’s side to keep his fitness up but there has been very little talk about the 24 year old’s departure from the club. Perhaps, like Jovanovic, they could give the player dispensation to find a new club?
Philipp Degen – The perennially injured full back, and a poor defender to boot, spent last season on loan at Stuttgart where he didn’t really have a very successful time. Started on the right wing against Galatasaray in a friendly, but it was the last time we have seen Degen anywhere near the first team. Hopefully a move to a lower Bundeliga club or a return to Switzerland can be arranged before the end of the window.
The celebration. An entertaining part of football, no matter what level it’s played at. Whether the celebration is pre-planned or is purely an outburst of emotion, everyone can relate to the feeling of spanking the ball into the back of the net.
Over the years there have been some memorable celebrations. On the international stage there’s Cameroon’s Roger Milla and his dance by the corner flag, which is a bit different to Everton’s Tim Cahill boxing with it. While for Italy Marco Tardelli showed just how much it means to score a goal in the World Cup final in 1982.
The Premier League has been home to a number of iconic celebrations, too. Former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins went for the flips, a complete contrast to Alan Shearer who used to raise his right arm time and time again, but then when you take into account the number of goals he scored anything more strenuous would have worn him out!
These days celebrations seem to be more a team rather than individual thing. Chelsea started this off when they posed for the camera and now everyone’s at it. From shining shoes to the incredible fishing celebration undertaken by an Icelandic team, a celebration is no longer an instinctive act.
This now applies to you and me too, as Samsung are running a competition for you to star in your own pro video. STAGE is the ultimate YouTube talent contest and there’s no limit to what you can do.
As you’ll see from the video below that shows a mother recording her daughter celebrating a goal, Kevin Nolan’s funky chicken just won’t get the job done. Take a look at what kind of competition you’ll be up against…
Enter now at: http://www.facebook.com/SamsungMobile
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On the domestic front, things could not be going better.
We are top of the table and not just winning, but winning in style and by a good margin of goals too. Rooney looks better than ever, our injury problems have barely been noticed, and the players coming in as replacements making more than a strong case to remain there. Even De Gea is repaying the faith Fergie has shown in him and looks better and more confident with every passing game.
Our attention now turns to the UEFA Champions League, the competition that after last seasons’ crushing defeat by the reigning champions of Europe and Spain, Barcelona, prompted the restructuring of the squad and a great deal of transfer activity this past summer.
The board and fans both realised that steps had to be made in order to compete with what looked like the greatest club side the world had ever seen, with masses of individual talents in players like Leo Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and also a team ethos and a will to win. This, accompanied by the fact our squad was facing a number of retirements that summer, with key players in the twilights of their careers, led to us delving into the market.
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Fergie knew action needed to be taken if history was not to repeat itself and a young crop of players were purchased – and have done much better than expected, lighting up the domestic league and adding to what was already a great squad. When you also factor in a certain striker that goes by the name of Wayne Rooney and the breath taking form he is in, United look a formidable force.
It is true that Barca also bought in the summer; Cesc Fabregas and the Chilean Alexis Sanchez were the marquee signings of choice, yet they are both attacking players. No defensive reinforcements were bought in, with Guardiola choosing to hope the forwards would always score one more than the opposition. The option of playing with three ‘centre backs’ has been employed thus far, yet it seems strange to consider Sergio Busquets a centre back, and Barcelona do look prone to conceding the odd goal. Defensively there remain question marks, and whilst as an attacking force they look as good as ever, elsewhere on the park they may suffer when injuries and suspensions strike.
United will certainly fancy their chances of avenging the events of last May, but it would be foolish to look solely at Barcelona as our only threat on the European stage.
Real Madrid look just as good as Barcelona, if not better at times. Much is expected of Madrid in the second season of Jose Mourinho’s tenure, and they will be going all out to win the Champions league this term. Likewise the Italian sides. There is always tough competition from Italy, and places like the San Siro are tough grounds to visit for the away leg of a tie. As with last season, the possibility of drawing an English side is never out of the question, and although City are new to the competition, they look stronger than ever this season. It is always difficult when playing a side you know so well domestically in the UCL, as we found during our ties with Chelsea, and there are always surprises that get thrown up.
It is vital to win the group in order to gain a more favourable draw in the first knockout round, and this is our first target. Fergie will not allow the players to get ahead of themselves and become consumed by winning the competition so early on, yet we are certainly one of the favourites, and as fans it doesn’t hurt to dream!
Article courtesy of Rebecca Knight from The Busby Way
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A revitalised Blackburn side head to St James’ Park on Saturday hoping to make it six wins in a row against Newcastle who have started the season magnificently.
The Magpies come up against their bogey team this weekend with Alan Pardew’s men yet to taste defeat in league and cup. The harmonious feeling that is now flowing through the club is a refreshing change from the drama and turmoil that usually makes the headlines. Credit should go to Pardew and chief scout Graham Carr for their recruitment drive this summer with Yohan Cabaye, signed for £4 million from French champions Lille, looking like an absolute steal. His performance in last week’s draw at Aston Villa was a joy to behold with the midfielder unlucky not to open his account for the club with former Magpies keeper pulling off three world class saves to deny him. Newcastle showed a growing resoluteness that is becoming a hallmark of Pardews reign and the manager seems to be able to squeeze every ounce of determination from his players. Tuesday’s 4-3 Carling Cup thriller at Nottingham Forest proved that with his troops refusing to give up eventually wining the tie in the dying embers of extra time through a Fabricio Coloccini goal. Another positive from that game was the return of Hatem Ben Arfa who appeared in black and white for the first time in nearly a year whilst fellow Frenchman Sylvain Marveaux also impressed giving Pardew a welcome selection headache.
What a difference a week makes with Blackburn now a high after two wins in the space a few days shifting some of the pressure from boss Steve Kean’s shoulders. The Scotsman pulled off an unlikely comeback to take all three points at home to Arsenal last week before seeing his side beat Leyton Orient 3-2 in the Carling Cup. It is certainly a massive turnaround for Kean who was the subject of protests before the game at Ewood Park last week. He definitely silenced his critics with Blackburn running out 4-3 winners gaining their first Premier League win of the campaign. It’s been a rough ride for Kean since he took over from Sam Allardyce but the signing of goal poaching Yakubu from Everton looks like a shrewd bit of business after he notched two on his debut. With confidence now beginning to rise a trip to Newcastle will provide a much sterner test although Kean should be positive of coming away with all three points with St James’ Park a welcome source of wins over the last few years. They recorded a 2-1 victory in this fixture last season and would certainly go for a repeat of that on Saturday.
Davide Santon, Alan Smith, Haris Vuckic and Mike Williamson are the only injury concerns for Newcastle.
Blackburn on the other hand welcome back David Goodwillie, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Michel Salgado. David Dunn and Ryan Nelson miss out on the trip to Tyneside.
Key Players
Yohan Cabaye – The French midfield playmaker has made Kevin Nolan a distant memory at St James’ Park with his box-to-box style of play. Will be intent on breaking is Newcastle duck this weekend after last week’s duel with Given saw the keeper come out on top.
Junior Hoilett – With pace and skill in abundance the young winger could be deployed on the right to have a go at makeshift left back Ryan Taylor. Will be expected to get the ball down and run at the defender at every opportunity.
Verdict: 2-1
Fancy winning a million pounds??
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Take up our exclusive offer with Goaldash below to be in with a chance – what have you got to lose?
Despite a negative vibe from the press Arsenal have only lost one game in the last six and have laid down a good foundation to work from. Wenger will be hoping that Ramsey’s last gasp winner in Marseille will breed further confidence in their pursuit to climb the Premier League.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include in defence of Theo Walcott; double deal suggests Arsenal have woken up, while time for a re-distribution of income and wealth at the Emirates.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
Double deals suggest Arsenal have finally woken up and smelt the Coffee?
In defence of Theo Walcott
Transfer will leave Arsenal with only themselves to blame
Time at Arsenal for a re-distribution of income, wealth and talent
Arsenal simply in a referee induced crisis
Are fans starting to vote with their feet?
Wenger set to pip Dalglish and Pardew to £8m deal
Worth a £2.5m gamble from Arsene Wenger?
Best of WEB
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What next for Thomas Vermaelen? Striker to stay and Wenger is ‘parfaite’…. – Highbury House
Arsenal’s main hope of success is returning to the George Graham days –Le Grove
Crowd chants – Online Gooner
Arsène And The Wages Of Sin – A Cultured Left Foot
Which will come first for AOC – An Arsenal or England first-team call up? – Gunnersphere
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Click on Roger Johnson’s misses below to unveil our current Premier League Wag XI
Every manager brings something different out of every player. Some managers like Wenger and Ferguson pride themselves on getting the best out of their players whilst others such as Redknapp expect their squad to prove themselves or face being dropped. Players are signed for their clubs in a frenzy of praise from manager and fans with press releases, blog posts and YouTube compilations spreading at an exponential rate the moment a player signing is announced, but it doesn’t always work out. Look at Diego Forlan. A laughing stock in the Premier League but then he gets shipped of to Villarreal and starts banging in the goals like nobody’s business. I remember one year he scored a hat trick on the last day of the season to win the golden boot for Europe joint with Thierry Henry. Not bad for a striker who supposedly didn’t know where the goal was. And he’s not the only one. Every season there is wasted talent in the league, players not being played or not benefiting from their manager’s tactics. So who are the top ten wasted talents in the premier league this season?
Click on Stephen Ireland to unveil the top 10
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Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Chelsea’s under-fire manager, Andre Villas-Boas, has informed the media this week that the festive month of December will be a crucial one for both him and the team. Six Premier League games and one in the Champions League is on the menu in December for Chelsea and the young Portuguese manager will no doubt by writing his wish list to Santa asking for maximum points in the hope that he’ll still be in a job come January.
Villas-Boas has seen his side win just twice in their last nine matches including twice to Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the space of 10 days. The second of those defeats came this week and ended their Carling Cup chances whilst the league meeting knocked Chelsea out of the top four in to fifth. They have the chance to move back in to the top four on Saturday when they face the team immediately above them, Newcastle United at St James’s Park.
However, Newcastle will ensure that the crucial month of fixtures gets off to a tough start since the Magpies unbeaten at home and have lost just once in the league this season, away to Manchester City and who boast the joint best defences in the league along with Man City. They proved more than a match for Man Utd when they travelled to Old Trafford and held Man Utd to a 1-1 draw, so back on home soil, they will be no pushover for Chelsea in what has become a must win game.
Despite the outcome at Newcastle, it is the following game against Valencia in the Champions League that is even more crucial for Chelsea. To qualify for the knock out stages of that tournament, they must win or earn a goalless draw, a very tall order when low on confidence and against the Spaniards who know that a win or score draw would see them finish above Chelsea in Group E.
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Should the unthinkable happen for Villas-Boas and they lose or even draw against Newcastle this weekend and go out of the Champions League next week, then it could be that the 34 year will not be at the helm when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge. Even qualification in the Champions League may not be enough depending on the outcome of this game, such is the proximity exit door for Villas-Boas, if you are to believe the media and if City hit the form they have shown they’re capable of, then a heavy defeat for the Blues will no doubt be hard to swallow for Abramovich in the “battle of the billionaires”.
If Villas-Boas is still standing by then, they then hit the road to face Wigan and then Spurs away before Christmas before finishing off the year with home games against Fulham and Aston Villa over the Festive period.
It is hard to envisage a scenario whereby Chelsea win all seven games in December given the run of form they have been in and it is equally difficult to envisage Villas-Boas being in a job come the new year and being trusted to add to the £70 million he spent on two players in the Summer with more signings in January if they don’t at least go throughout December without losing. Any defeat over the coming month will result in close scrutiny of the former Porto manager’s tenure and after Steve Bruce became the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season this week, the bookmakers make Villas-Boas the second favoruite at 3/1 to be the next top flight boss to face the chop behind 10/11 market leader, Steve Kean, at Blackburn. As it stands, it is a question of when more than if for both Kean and Villas-Boas, the question is, will the search for the next Chelsea manager begin before the year is out?
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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted that his side would prefer to be playing in the Champions League rather than the Europa League, but stated that the Premier League champions now want to win the tournament.
The Old Trafford outfit find themselves in Europe’s second-tier tournament after finishing third in Group C of the Champions League and being eliminated at the hands of Benfica and Basel.
Although playing in the Europa League will be a new experience for most of the players and manager, Rooney is eager to lift the trophy.
“It’s a shame we’re out of the Champions League. That’s what we all want to play in,” he told the club’s official website.
“Unfortunately we went out and now we turn our attention to the Premier League and Europa League.
“I don’t think the manager’s won the Europa League, so I’m sure he’ll want to win it. Every competition we enter we want to win.
“There are some good teams but we have to believe, keep working and hopefully we can go on and win it,” he stated.
United continue their attempt to overthrow cross-town rivals Manchester City from the top of the Premier League, and take on QPR at Loftus Road on Sunday.
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