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
[divider]
Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]
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?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
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.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
There is certainly no love lost between Liverpool and Newcastle United and there has been plenty of activity between the two Premier League clubs both on and off the field.
The Reds have already bought Andy Carroll, a deal that the Magpies have actually done pretty well out of, and Jose Enrique from Newcastle within the last year, and have even been linked with Cheik Tiote in this window.
Liverpool and Newcastle met last week at Anfield where two goals from another former Magpie, Craig Bellamy, helped the Reds to a 3-1 win and gave Liverpool some breathing space in 6th position in the Premier League table.
Here are managers Kenny Dalglish and Alan Pardew on the touchline during that game, with the Liverpool boss having a chuckle, but bearing in mind the £35 million that Newcastle bagged for Carroll, is it Pardew who’s having the last laugh?
Leave your suggestions below…
[divider]
This week you can win a copy of Football Manager 2012 for PC!
Football Manager 2012 once again allows you to take charge of your favourite football team and put your managerial skills to the test.
Counting over 800 new features, Football Manager 2012 is the most realistic, immersive and playable football management simulation ever for any fan who has ever dreamed of making the big decisions, both on and off the field.
For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here
Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Last week’s winner: Elliott Johnson – click here to see all entries
[divider]
[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’right’]
You can also enter the Caption Competition via Qustodian SportsThe FREE football app that pays YOU cash!
If, on October 23rd 2011, you had a heavy blow to the head and all knowledge of Premier League campaigns were simultaneously erased from your memory, you may have stood aloof at your television/betting slip/friend in the pub and sanctimoniously proclaimed that this year the Barclays Premier League was a one-horse race. However, a one-horse race, by definition, is one in which only one of the competitors has a real chance of winning and, of course, “you can’t write off Manchester United ,” says Newcastle defender Danny Simpson .
Yet, Danny Simpson’s comments came the morning after his side had torn apart a lacklustre Manchester United side at St. James’ Park, meaning that, having failed to pick up any points in their past two Premier League games, Tottenham are only three points behind them with a game in hand. Maybe it isn’t a one-horse race, not even one of those two-horse races you often see in La Liga nowadays, but maybe, this year, the Premier League is a three-horse race. Imagine that: three beautiful stallions, magnificently crowned with the majestic Fergie, devilishly good-looking Mancini and rather plump Harry, galloping powerfully towards their destiny, pulling away from the string of inferior horses playing host to their jockeys in the form of Arsene Wenger, Kenny Dalglish and Andre Villas-Boas.
It might just be though, that the most experienced jockey of them all, Sir Alex Ferguson , is riding a dead horse: last week, Alan Pardew threatened to go gung-ho from the first whistle, “Looking at Manchester United’s recent games, teams that have sat back have got thumped,” said the Toon boss, “They’ve got such talent in their ranks, they’re going to cause you problems but we have a striker in form and a central midfield pairing that I think is as good as theirs,” he added, in the faintest of praise for a midfield partnership that is far outshining one that has been bolstered with the return of a 37-year old that retired over 6 months ago. It worked too; Newcastle United went out, flooded the wings with overlapping run after overlapping run and forced three goals out of a dismal Man. United side that couldn’t reply.
Having lost their first away game in 11, Sir Alex’s Manchester United had to travel to The Etihad to face Premier League leaders, and perfect home form holders, Manchester City . Instead of stoking a fire, much like pundits across the ITV suggested he was probably doing on a personal level with his players in the dressing room and Mancini eluded to by describing them as “angry,” he said absolutely nothing and thus gave out the most vocal of mind game messages according to professional psychologist Nicky Butt: “[bringing back Scholes ] took all the attention off their home record and the bookmakers’ odds and switched all the attention to Paul Scholes and Manchester United.
It was a great little bit of psychology.” For all the brilliance of Ferguson’s psychological mind games, it wasn’t quite as anatomically bright: a massive 4 minutes and 12 seconds after coming on for Nani, Paul Scholes set up Manchester City’s 2nd goal by providing James Milner with the ball on a plate to cross for Sergio Aguero . Nicky Butt obviously avoided mentioning this to try and leapfrog his former Manchester United team mate in a bid to become his new favourite ginger.
However, winner of the best mind game of them all regarding the race at the top of the Premier League goes to Roberto Mancini for his comments before that fateful F.A Cup tie that made that second-half restoration and assault on Manchester United’s pride all the more prevalent. He did something Harry Redknapp hasn’t done directly all season: “I think in this moment, City, United and Tottenham can win this title.”
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Now, despite winning, Manchester United will be licking their wounds after a “careless” second-half display, which saw the chance to really hurt Manchester City and meanwhile galvanise their own season, disappear into the heavy Mancunian mist – and with it came a Kolarov and Aguero goal. Tottenham have a January ahead of them that they will feel is favourable to their title hopes and like I said, this month will be the most vital stage of Spurs’ season.
The Premier League has shown time and time again that the team who run away with it the quickest isn’t always the team that wins the race and no more valid an example can be found than Kevin Keegan and Newcastle United in the 1995/96 campaign, which saw them 12 points clear at the top in February, but eventually fall behind eventual winners Manchester United. However, the “we’ll score more than you,” philosophy that was on display at St. James’ Park under Keegan, isn’t quite the same mentality instilled at The Etihad under Mancini. Much more relevant to City’s current campaign is Chelsea’s title winning season of 2005/06.
The first half of their season saw them pick up 45 points from 48 in a team based on strong foundations in defence, but their steady ship rocked and an eventual 18-point lead in March was cut to just seven late on in the season. Manchester City have gone in to 2012 as consistent as they have been all season, but with a lead of just 3 points rather than the lofty ones of the two above examples, a bit of looking of the shoulder behaviour wouldn’t be unwise.
Roberto Mancini is aware that Harry Redknapp ’s Tottenham are not to be underestimated and his focus on them, equally as strong as his focus on a “dangerous” United, is prudent. Sir Alex Ferguson ’s Manchester United does have the durability factor, but as they are showing this season, they are vulnerable and potentially the weakest Manchester United side the Scotsman has had to manage in the past decade.
As much as they could stick it out and push City until the final day, they could drift away in a fashion never expected of a United side. If they do this, premature celebrations would be foolish: calmly and unassumingly waiting is Tottenham Hotspur, technically creative and quietly threatening.
Article courtesy of Jordan Florit from This is Futbol
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed that he has accepted Carlos Tevez’s apology, will meet with the striker in the near future and may well select him once he is fit and ready to play.
The Argentina international has had a scandalous last year at the Etihad Stadium, between asking to leave the club, refusing to enter the field of play from the bench against Bayern Munich and going AWOL for three months.
After failing to land a transfer to a different club in the January transfer window, the South American has returned to England and apologised for his actions.
Despite being livid with Tevez earlier in the saga, Mancini has confirmed that things are close to being reconciled.
“Yeah, yeah,” the Italian coach confirmed when asked by ESPN if he had forgiven the temperamental forward.
“I checked what Carlos said in his statement and tomorrow I will talk with him.
“One week after Munich I called him and I said ‘Carlos apologise to everyone and it is finished’, I don’t have a problem.
“I think he needs two or three weeks to train, and then he will look at it – that is normal,” the manager concluded.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Fernando Torres will weigh up his future at Chelsea in the summer according to his agent.
The Spanish international striker has struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool in January 2011, and has recently gone through a long-term goal drought.
Despite El Nino’s performances improving of late, Antonio Sanz has stated that his client will consider his options at the end of this season.
“We’ll evaluate his future in the coming months. Fernando has another four years on his contract at Chelsea and the situation there has changed for him,” the representative told The Telegraph.
“With Villas-Boas, he was not considered, but the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo on the bench has seen him return to have the trust that he deserves.
“He played a great match in the Champions League in Lisbon, assisting the winning goal for Kalou.”
Roma and Juventus have been linked with moves for the misfiring frontman, but as yet there have been no concrete offers.
“We know the new American project at Roma and the philosophy of manager Luis Enrique, but if Roma want Fernando, they will have to talk with Chelsea.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“The Italian championship is of a good standard, but there are currently no discussions with Roma or Juventus.”
Steven Gerrard is close to fitness and is set to be able to play in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, but Charlie Adam has been ruled out for the season due to injury.
The England international midfielder has had a troublesome campaign, and sat out Liverpool’s home defeat by West Brom last Sunday because of a hamstring problem; however he is back in training and is likely to play a part in the Anfield club’s run-in.
Adam however will not play again until next term, as ruptured ligaments in his knee will keep the Scotland international on the sidelines for the time being.
Kenny Dalglish has confirmed the blow, and also stated that Adam would be unlikely to be able to compete for Team GB in the Olympics because of the knock.
“There is no operation needed but he won’t play this season,” Dalglish told reporters, published by The Guardian.
“And I would think if they had any designs on having him in the Olympics he wouldn’t be fit for that either.”
Liverpool face Norwich at Carrow Road this Saturday.
By Gareth McKnight
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Sitting in second place with 88 points, having scored a record 88 goals, with three games still to play, it is clear that by anyone’s standards this has been a great season for Sheffield United.
After a worrying pre-season that had fans protesting over Danny Wilson’s appointment as manager, the Blades supporters soon changed their minds after an impressive display against Oldham on the opening day of the season.
One player who stood out for me that day back in August and who has carried his fine form throughout is Harry Maquire. Maguire came through the ranks at Shirecliffe making his debut against Cardiff last season with the unenviable task of marking Craig Bellamy. Since then he has never really looked back, notching up 50 starts in a year. In his first full season he’s been a rock in the heart of defence alongside Neil Collins and has only missed two games all season (one through suspension and the other through illness). As a result he is almost certain to pick up the young player of the season award.
After such a great season it is hard to pick out one individual player but for me I think that Kevin McDonald has been excellent. He made his debut against Bradford and showed his potential, firing over after just 90 seconds on the pitch. His unbelievable strength and pin-point passing has made him a key figure in our promotion push. He has missed a few games through injury and his influence has been felt with a draw against Tranmere sticking out as a game where we missed his ability. In fact, just days later when he returned we smashed five past play-off chasing Notts County with the former Burnley man playing a key part in the victory. McDonald also the capacity to pitch in with vital goals and with his contract expired in the summer I’m sure other clubs will be looking to get him on a free transfer. However I’m confident that Wilson will be doing everything in his power to keep ‘Super Kev’ at the club this summer.
After a horrible campaign last season which resulted in our relegation to League One there have been a number of players who have looked like completely different players this term. This includes Michael Doyle who couldn’t hold a ball up and seemed to lose it every time he touched the ball. However this season playing in the heart of midfield alongside McDonald has altered his play and as a result his passing has vastly improved. His wonderful strike against Yeovil may have sent 16,000 Blades fans into shock and his confidence has shoot through the roof this season. I think every United fan will be want him to carry this form into next season, hopefully back in the Championship.
Neil Collins has also found extra confidence after having a poor season during our relegation campaign. He has the ability to pass the ball well up-field and even on some occasions going for looping runs up-field including a memorable one against Bury. Collins has even popped up with goals this term, one of which secured a vital victory in the Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield.
Despite Collins’ fine form I think the biggest turnaround has to be with keeper Steve Simonsen who had to put it fairly had a terrible season last term. After a mediocre start to the season he seemed to have found his old form again but mistakes against Wednesday and Leyton Orient led to him being dropped to the bench which resulted in 17-year-old George Long making his first league start. However ‘Simmo’ was recalled after the Exeter match where Long had conceded four times and since then he hasn’t been out of the side. He came back a better player, making fewer mistakes and running his defence better.
However one man that deserves a special mention after struggling last year is Ched Evans who has a remarkable 34 goals in all competitions. He has been outstanding all season and his form has been noticed by everyone in English football. The Welshman has the ability to do everything on and off the ball, has blistering pace to get him away from defenders and also has a venomous shot to finish with. He’s had all kinds of pressure on his shoulders this season but he coped well to become something of a shining star in the Football League. If he can carry this brilliant form through to next season he could possibly help the Blades’ survive in the Championship, if that’s where we end up in May.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As this is my first blog feel free to follow me on twitter @jakkUTBveall
Bolton Wanderers’ 11 year stay in the Premier League came to an end after a 2-2 draw away at Stoke. The reason we went down was simply due to a lack of consistency meaning that overall, we weren’t good enough.
Could a spell in the Championship be beneficial for the Bolton Wanderers? As of October 2011 the club were £110 million in debt and this figure continues to rise. This looks quite worrying for a team whose owner, Eddie Davies, is only worth an estimated £60 million.
As a result of this the club is looking to balance its books. A parachute fee of around £50 million and the aim of reducing the wage bill by half will come some way in fixing Bolton’s financial problems. The Wanderers took a step closer to achieving this with no less than 15 players who left the club a little over a week ago. Eleven of these players were released, with 3 returning to their parent clubs and Nigel Reo-Coker who decided to active a release clause in his contract.
Also in the past few weeks Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside, has revealed both him and the owner are fully behind manager Owen Coyle and all three of them are determined to get Bolton back in the top flight, but Is this decision a good or a bad thing? It is a bit of both really in my opinion.
On one hand Owen Coyle has to take some responsibility for the clubs poor performances last season, however, the Scotsman has proven he is more than capable to escape this league as he did with Burnley a few years ago. He has shown a lot of promise as a manager, he is young and he worked wonders with Bolton in the 2010/11 campaign.
On to transfers, out of the players released Ivan Klasnic and Gretar Steinsson are the only two who would have featured in the approving season and these two can be replaced with younger players. Also Ryo Miyaichi has shown an interest in returning to the Reebok on another loan period, the young lad showed some potential in the half a season he was here from Arsenal.
As always there are some ridiculous transfer stories and the one that stands out is Jordan Rhodes to Bolton. With a number of Premier League clubs interested in him, this rumour is one of those. Other rumours include Adam Clayton from Leeds on a free transfer. I’ve not seen too much of Clayton but the little bit I have tells me he would be a great signing for us.
Bolton are also in need of a new centre back after David Wheater was ruled out for 9 months, it’s pretty much guaranteed there will be a defender arriving. A few names have been thrown around, one being Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough) who Owen Coyle tried signing in the January transfer window but was unsuccessful.
There is also a lot of speculation surrounding Zat Knight and Jussi Jaaskelainen. Neither of these have signed new contracts and can leave on a free if they don’t. Jaaskelainen, who has been part of the Bolton set up since as long as I can remember, is rumoured to be attracting interest from a number of clubs including newly promoted West Ham and also West Brom.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Another player who has been attracting attention is Lee Chung-Yong. The 23 year old, who is highly rated by Bolton, is being target by Trabzonspor manager Senol Gunes who was the in charge of South Korea and handed Lee his international debut. Chungy has only recently revered from breaking his leg in pre-season and made 2 appearances, both as a substitute. This means the transfer could be very risky as there is no guarantee Lee will be the player he use to be, plus the move could prove an expensive one for Trabzonspor as CYL is a great prospect. However, Lee only has only 12 months left on his current contract and maybe this could be deciding factor in him staying or leaving.
This season is a chance to rebuild the team, Owen Coyle has already stated he is after younger players to take the club forward and this could mean if the right players are brought in then Bolton Wanderers could have a bright future.