All posts by h79snht.top

A lot has been made about the need for a massive squad overhaul at Liverpool this summer. Some have even reported that there could be as many as 20 comings and goings over the close season as the Reds start to mould a team capable of competing for major trophies once again. Inevitably then, there have been a vast amount of transfer rumours spreading across newspapers and the internet as to who will be coming in, and who will be departing the club.

One of the most interesting aspects has been the significant split in reports that the Reds are either targeting mainly foreign based players or exclusively British talent. Only a few days ago, it was reported in the Daily Mail that Kenny Dalglish was focusing on bringing in exclusively British talent with Gary Cahill , Phil Jones , Connor Wickham , Charlie Adam , Ashley Young and Stewart Downing all being tipped as potential targets.

In the same measure, in other reports, the Reds have been linked with a vast array of players from France especially. Inevitably this has something to do with having a French Director of Football in Damien Comolli , but it can’t be a coincidence as both Dalglish and Comolli have been spotted at matches in France over the past few months. Sylvain Marveaux, Eden Hazard , Yann M’Vila, Blaise Matuidi , Mamadou Sakho and Hugo Lloris are just some of the names from France that have been linked with the Reds. In addition players such as Diego Perotti, Iker Muniain and Alvario Negredo from Spain, and Ezequiel Lavezzi and Juan Manuel Vargas from Italy have also been rumoured targets.

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This is of course usual for rumours to start flying around as we head into the final stages of the season, but what is most interesting is there seems to be complete confusion in the rumour mill about whether Damien Comolli or Kenny Dalglish will be the one having the greatest influence on transfers. In one instance you will read, Kenny Dalglish ’s name linked with a British player, while it will always be exclusively reported that Damien Comolli is interested in a foreign player.

No one can really know what the summer will hold for LFC. If King Kenny does get the job full time, he will surely have a final say on transfer targets but the collegial strategy which FSG are going for in regards to transfer decisions means that Damien Comolli will surely have some say too. At the moment it looks as if Kenny is favouring players proven in the Premier League, while Comolli is doing his job by scouring Europe for young talent. Hopefully it means that we get the best of both worlds. While we get some good players from England, perhaps such as Ashley Young and Phil Jones , we will also be hopefully looking at the likes of Eden Hazard and Yann M’Vila .

When John Aldridge named his transfer targets of Young, Adam, Cahill a couple of weeks ago, there was some concern among Liverpool supporters that these players might not be good enough to improve the team. In Charlie Adam ’s case especially, I would be very concerned if we opted to buy the player for a sizeable fee, if it was at the expense of a younger, more promising talent from abroad. Of course, only time will tell what sort of strategy the Reds will employ. If we go for player’s purely based on ability, rather than any preconceived notion about home-grown talent, I will be happy.

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Article courtesy of David at Live4Liverpool

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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards

Harry Redknapp says it is win or bust as far as Tottenham’s title ambitions are concerned as the North Londoners face their biggest game of the season at White Hart Lane tomorrow afternoon. Most neutrals believe that Spurs will end the unbeaten run, although I can imagine many home supporters begging to differ.

At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes why a Spurs’ move to Stratford has its financial benefits; six youngsters who represent the future at White Hart Lane, while cheap shots at Tottenham are strange to say the least.

We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.

* VIDEO: The GREATEST Premier League goal ever…you decide! *

Sorry Rafa, Tottenham need to buy!

A transfer masterstroke by Harry Redknapp?

Caption Competition: New arrival at Tottenham training

This cheap shot at Tottenham is strange to say the least

£200m of reasons why Spurs move is worth considering

Rumours of Becks’ decline have (always) been greatly exaggerated

SIX ‘boy wonders’ who represent the future for Tottenham

Bad attitude or badly treated at White Hart Lane?

One way to resolve this transfer debacle with Tottenham

Transfer gamble, but should Spurs or Liverpool take a punt?

The most pointless signing by Tottenham in years?

*Best of WEB*

Large banana skin avoided with ease. – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2

If Stratford Hotspur happens, it ends there… – Dear Mr Levy

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Interview With Five in Midfield – Who Framed Ruel Fox?

Spurs New Stadium – The Public Speaks – Tottenham On My Mind

David Lammy MP DOES Favour Moving Out Of N17 – When He Can Get Away With It – Harry Hotspur

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Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton is adamant that he handled Andy Carroll's injury worries in the best possible way after the striker made his England debut on Wednesday night.

The powerful forward was struggling with a minor groin problem and Hughton contacted the Football Association to voice his concerns ahead of the clash against France.

Carroll subsequently played over 70 minutes in the 2-1 loss at Wembley, despite the Magpies boss wanting his prized asset to be rested.

But Hughton was pleased to see him come through the test unscathed.

There was concern (over Carroll), that is true," he told the Chronicle. "The unfortunate bit for us was it made the papers.

"The lines of communication between us and the FA were correct, but it got out. Both parties are very happy with how we conducted ourselves.

"We're aware of the problem he had. Hopefully he is available for the weekend.

"When we assessed Andy on Sunday, it looked like he wouldn't be able to play. We sent him down to England and over the two or three days there was enough of a recovery to play.

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"I'm delighted for him to make his debut – it was special night for him. It was hard for Andy. He didn't get the opportunities and service, but he did very, very well.

"He worked hard and kept possession and he should be happy."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Bacary Sagna will be on the sidelines for around three months, as Arsenal have confirmed the full-back broke his leg against Tottenham on Sunday.

The full-back fell heavily in the 68th minute of The Gunners’ 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane and had to be stretchered from the pitch.

With Sagna due to represent France in the upcoming international fixtures against Albania and Bosnia, the French Football Federation have confirmed the seriousness of the injury.

“The doctor of the France team, Fabrice Bryand, was informed by his Arsenal equivalent of a fracture to the right fibula of Bacary Sagna,” the statement reads.

“The player was hurt during his club’s 2-1 loss against Tottenham on Sunday. The defender will be operated on and is not expected to be available for three months.”

The news will be another blow to Arsene Wenger’s already struggling side, who are currently without Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere, Johan Djourou and Abou Diaby due to injury.

Youngster Carl Jenkinson replaced Sagna at the weekend, and now looks set to fill in at right back until the more senior man returns.

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By Gareth McKnight

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This season Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has made contradicting comments regarding what his team can achieve this year. Earlier on in the season he said that the title race is open and that his Spurs side can challenge, now into the business side of the season he’s said that finishing in the top four of the Premier League would be a ‘miracle’. Surely such comments effect the morale of his squad who are all mostly new to Champions League football and competing at the top of the Premier League?

Firstly I want to say that I am a fan of Harry Redknapp, no I don’t support Spurs or support any of the clubs he has managed in the past, but I believe he is one of the best English managers in the game today, if not the best, and would love him to take over the England job in the future. When speaking to a few Spurs supporting friends of mine, they speak less favourably of Redknapp than myself despite being the first manager to take them into the Champions League and bringing the likes of Rafael van der Vaart to the Lane. Although they can appreciate the relative success, they see him as a bit of a ‘media darling’ and question his tactical nous (except the latter point seems to have gone quiet with them since their victory at the San Siro.)

Although Redknapp is one of the more honest and outspoken managers in the game, he is of course starting to play the “mind games” that the top level managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are famous for. But since the defeat away to Blackpool last Tuesday, maybe he regrets his pre-game comments that it would be another miracle for his side to qualify for the Champions League again. Whether or not it was a ploy to take the pressure off his players, it did not work, so should Harry Redknapp just get on with the job in hand rather than playing politics with the media?

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Of course the Spurs boss wants to take the pressure off his players and heap the pressure on the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. “It would be a miracle if we did qualified,” Redknapp said. “I think people get carried away thinking Tottenham should be in the Champions League. Why should we be in the Champions League? We’d never been in the Champions League before, suddenly we do it and it’s ‘oh well we should do it again’.Look at Man City and Chelsea’s wage bill. Have a look at the money they pay out. Why should we finish above them?”

Well, despite the loss at Blackpool, Spurs still sit 4th place and even though a Chelsea victory over Manchester United tonight would see them go a point above their London rivals – Tottenham still have a great chance of getting back their Champions League spot. With their next three league games against the current bottom 3 teams, they will be looking to gain maximum points; meanwhile Chelsea have to play Manchester City during this time.

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Forget wage bills and transfer fees, Tottenham have shown they are good enough by qualifying for the Champions League last season and making an impressive debut in the European competition this season. For Spurs’ sake, hopefully Harry is reminding his squad about all of these positives in the dressing room regardless of what he says to the media, otherwise finishing 5th will be a big probability.

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Jonas Olsson has admitted that he has not made up his mind whether he wants to stay at West Brom yet, as contract talks with the defender have stalled.

The Sweden international has secured a regular starting spot in Roy Hodgson’s side, and with only 18 months left on his contract The Baggies are keen to extend his deal.

However, with a bigger club and Euro 2012 in mind, Olsson has refused to commit to The Hawthorns-based team just yet.

“We have been discussing contracts during the autumn,” he revealed to Helsingborgs Dagblad.

“The club wants to extend, but I haven’t made my mind up yet.

“I am truly enjoying myself at West Brom and it’s not impossible that I will extend my contract here.

“But at the same time I might be in a good position if I do well at the end of the season and also at the European Championship.

“I am looking forward and would consider a move to another club in England or another league. My dream is to play for a club that fights for titles,” he concluded.

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West Brom need to be careful not to get sucked back into the relegation battle, and host Blackburn at home on Saturday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Junior Hoilett’s days at Blackburn Rovers may be numbered as negotiations have reportedly ‘broken down’ or ‘stalled’.

The main sticking point seems to be a release clause that Blackburn want written into the new contract, similar to the £16.5m figure in Phil Jones’ that was activated by Manchester United in the summer.

The club claim that the player is close to signing a new deal at Ewood Park and deny he has turned any offers down.

But Hoilett and his advisers say they are not prepared to accept this new amendment. And that is the real crux of the issue; the player is out of contract in the summer and does not want to tie himself on a long term deal to a team that could well face a relegation struggle if he can just walk away at the end of this season.

As always, Tottenham are ‘monitoring the situation’. He is a versatile player with pace and power who can play on either wing, but given Spurs attacking options, the 21-year-old could face considerable bench time.  If he did make the switch to White Hart Lane it is likely that the Canadian-born midfielder would be used as an impact player, and if he was picked up on a free he could well be worth a gamble.

But should a player who has only had one impressive season start looking for a move away? Blackburn especially will be hoping for some loyalty from a player they nurtured through their ranks into the Premier League.

Newcastle were linked with Hoilett in the summer, but Keane was able to persuade him to stay, unsurprisingly their name has resurfaced again.

Blackburn Rovers say they remain ‘calm’ over contract talks and that they are unaware of any firm interest from elsewhere.

The fortunes of both player and club are intertwined; If he can commit to the club and show he has the stomach for a relegation fight then Blackburn have a chance of staying in the Premier League, if their star player drags his heels fearing relegation then they may well be doomed already.

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Read more of Christopher Dyer’s articles at the excellent Transfer Tavern

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Barcelona have agreed to sell striker Bojan Krkic to Roma, the La Liga side announced on Friday.In a convoluted deal that sees the Spain Under-21 international head to Serie A for 12 million Euros, Barcelona have agreed to buy Bojan back for 13 million Euros at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Should Roma wish to block the move and keep the 20-year-old, they will have to pay an additional 28 million Euros.

Bojan struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular under Pep Guardiola at Camp Nou due to competition from the likes of David Villa, Pedro and Lionel Messi.

He had previously been linked with a move to Villarreal and Udinese but made it clear that if he were to leave, he would prefer to team-up with Roma manager and former Barcelona player Luis Enrique.

And his aims are to show Barcelona what they will be missing now that he is gone.

“As you know, after 12 years playing here, I have not received a lot of trust these last few years, I have not been given the required opportunity to prove myself and that is very hard,” Bojan told reporters.

“However, I consider myself privileged for being a part of this team during these years in which Barcelona became the best team in the world.”

“I just want to be happy in football again. I am just 20 years old and I want to prove all that I couldn’t here. To return here? You never know. It will not depend just on me.”

However, what was supposed to be an amicable departure sounded anything but as the striker hit out at being cast aside in key games.

“People have not been fair with me. It is one of the reasons why I am leaving. Especially in the (Champions League) final in London,” he added.

“To be able to win is remarkable, but not being able to play was very hurtful.”

“I will miss my team-mates, the city, to play in Camp Nou, to defend the shirt that I have always worn. I hope to recover my happiness at Roma.”

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish hailed the influence of big striker Nikola Zigic, who scored his second crucial goal in a week for the St Andrews club.

After scoring the winner against West Ham at Upton Park last Sunday, Zigic bobbed up again on Saturday, with a 90th-minute header lifting his side to a 1-0 English Premier League win over Stoke.

McLeish said after taking his time to settle in England after his move from Valencia prior to the season, the 202cm Serbian was becoming an integral part of the side.

“If you get the right balls to him, that’s what he can do,” McLeish said.

“When I see the pictures again to see him towering above John Carew, who looks almost small next to Zigic, it’s quite amazing.”

“The big fella’s jumped above the crossbar to head it down into the net, but it’s a wonderful three points for us.”

McLeish believes the win was just reward for his side, who he said had worked tirelessly to secure the all three points.

“It was great to see the goal go in in the last few seconds. We fought every minute of the way again, persevered right until the very end and concentrated,” he said.

“We stuck to it in the last couple of weeks and taken six magnificent points and we hope that can allow us to kick on into the next Premier League game and of course the (Carling) cup final (against Arsenal on February 27) will take care of itself.”

In contrast, Stoke boss Tony Pulis was disappointed with the manner in which his side conceded, particularly with the handling error by goalkeeper Asmir Begovic that led to Zigic’s goal.

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“It’s hard to take in respect that I couldn’t see them scoring to be honest. I didn’t think that during the 93 minutes that we played, there was ever an occasion where they were going to score,” Pulis said.

“It (the goal) had nothing to do with Zigic. Asmir really should collect that ball. It’s come out of his hands. It’s our fault but Asmir has come in and held his hand up. From there on in we were in trouble.”

“But really, (David) Bentley shoots from the edge of the box and it should go straight to Asmir. Unfortunately the kid hasn’t held it, and then we’re in trouble.”

Paul Scholes has never been one to speak to the press with any regularity. He was, throughout his Manchester United career, notoriously difficult to get hold of. Even Inside United, the club’s official magazine, would struggle to pin Scholes down for more than ten minutes, noting in its goodbye article to him that the midfielder would often schedule his interviews ten minutes before the start of training. Scholes wasn’t being stand-offish, selfish or rude; he is simply a very shy and retiring man who seems genuinely uncomfortable in front of a camera or a microphone.

Even after his greatest games for United, Scholes wouldn’t utter more than a couple of sentences to the TV reporters trying to squeeze a quote out of him. After watching Scholes rifle home the 40-yard thunderbolt that knocked Barcelona out of the 2007-08 Champions’ League, propelling United up for the final and setting himself a personal date with destiny after being suspended in 1999, I remember Scholes’ entire interview. “Yeah, wasn’t a bad hit… great game… lads did well.. looking forward to the final.” That was about it.

So it comes as some surprise to see Scholes featuring in this Sky Sports story, discussing the Carlos Tevez saga. (It also comes as a massive shock to find out he once made the same “mistake” as Tevez, albeit over a League Cup game, back in 2001.)

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In this interview, Scholes’ opinion, characteristically difficult to identify, appears to be that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is making a mistake by excluding the Argentine from his first-team squad, on the basis that it would help the team. Perhaps that should come as little surprise, given that Scholes saw Sir Alex Ferguson time and again make decisions for the team’s benefit that flew in the face of logic and popular opinion – the sales of David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane; the promotion of youngsters like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo to the first team before many believed they were ready. Ferguson was rarely wrong.

On this occasion, though, Scholes’ pragmatism may well be incorrect. His line of thinking is obvious – if it benefits the team, Tevez should play; if it doesn’t, he shouldn’t. He points out that Tevez has been starved of football in recent weeks and that that will obviously have contributed to the striker’s sour mood. Tevez’ former teammate during his turbulent final months at Old Trafford, Scholes has experienced this situation first-hand.

But he is missing the point. Tevez has alienated himself from the City squad. He has inevitably offended and let down the very men with whom he should be closest – his teammates. He has infuriated his manager and the City fans; and to make matters worse, Tevez is refusing to apologise to the club and doesn’t appear to believe he was in the wrong.

Scholes may be right to suggest that City would be a better side with Tevez in their squad than without him. But, much as this will disappoint the former England international, this is not just about the football. It is about the club, its morals and its future. And Tevez is good for none of those.

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