Taking to Twitter, reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has an update for Tottenham Hotspur fans involving in-form loanee Dejan Kulusevski.
The Lowdown: ‘Decky’ shines for Spurs…
Currently on an 18-month temporary spell from Juventus, the Sweden international has been seriously impressing under manager Antonio Conte in recent weeks.
Indeed, ‘Decky’ has starred as part of a front line alongside marquee players Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, racking up two goals and four assists over Tottenham’s last six Premier League matches (Transfermarkt).
This has led to reports of a major Spurs decision by transfer chief Fabio Paratici, with Juve Live recently claiming that the Lilywhites are already ‘more and more convinced’ over signing him permanently.
Sharing an update, Romano has now posted what he knows about the 21-year-old.
The Latest: Romano shares Kulusevski update…
According to the reporter, Tottenham are ‘more than happy’ with Kulusevski as part of Conte’s ‘long term project’. He also goes into detail on the conditions of a potential permanent move, shedding light on the mandatory purchase clause and how the club can seal him indefinitely ‘this summer’.
Romano explained:
“Tottenham are more than happy with Kulusevski as part of long term project.
Reminder:
▪️ Mandatory buy clause in case Tottenham will qualify to UCL next season/15 appearances as starter;
▪️ €10m loan fee until 2023. Buy clause worth €40m (£33.5) next summer, €35m (£29m) this summer.”
The Verdict: A must?
There is an argument to be made that is early days yet for him at Tottenham, but based on what we’ve seen so far, Kulusevski is clearly a player with huge potential.
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.
It is little wonder that those within Spurs are overjoyed with the 21-year-old so far and potentially sealing him on a permanent deal for £29m, depending on certain conditions, could actually come as great value for money.
Still young and adapting to the Premier League very quickly, this could certainly be one to watch out for.
In other news: Tottenham make pre-summer bid to sign ‘phenomenal’ £168,000-per-week man, club likely to accept! Find out more here.
Arsene Wenger certainly isn’t too fond of the January transfer window, but with his Arsenal side already nine points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, it could well be the opportunity he needs to right some of the wrongs from the Gunners’ lukewarm start to the campaign.
Indeed, the squad, although impressive in certain departments, lacks balance and depth throughout, whilst there are a number of lingering transfer issues that need to be addressed in the new year.
As a result, here’s a list of FOUR key issues the Emirates boss must resolve via the transfer market when it reopens.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON WENGER TO REVEAL
[/ffc-gallery]
LUKAS PODOLSKI – Does he stay or does he go?
Just as we were all forgetting how much of an impact Lukas Podolski can have on any given fixture, he came off the bench last week to rescue Arsenal a victory against Anderlecht in Champions League Group D – netting this last-minute winner:
Indeed, the 29 year-old is a potent finisher and his experience cannot be understated, having amassed 34 appearances in Europe and 124 caps for Germany throughout his career.
But the winger-forward clearly isn’t the player he once was and appears to be growing disillusioned with his bit-part role at the Emirates, stating in October; “I am a full-blooded player, a street player and I love competition. If I don’t have this competition every weekend then a change must occur.” Resultantly, rumours linking him with a January move have not been hard to come by:
Podolski’s been seeing a bit more action recently, but with Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott set to return to first team action by the time of the January window, he may not even make Arsenal’s match-day squads come the new year.
Wenger’s had trouble moving players on in the past. I’m sure we all remember summer 2013, where the Gunners let Denilson, Sebastian Squillaci and Andrei Arshavin all leave on free transfers despite costing the club around £23million in original investments and an unimaginable amount more in wages.
But he may as well cash in on Podolski before the German’s value begins to depreciate, with his contract set to expire in summer 2016.
SIGN PRETTY MUCH ANY DECENT CENTRE-BACK
At this point, any defender that can improve upon the inevitably subpar performances of 5 foot 10 full-back Nacho Monreal at centre-half will do.
How Arsenal entered the new Premier League season with one defender less than last year – Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna out, Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy in – remains an eternal mystery, and it would now be inexcusable for Wenger not to rectify the situation in January.
There’s certainly some options open to the Gunners – West Ham defender Winston Reid for example looks set to be on the move in the new year, with the New Zealand skipper yet to extend his contract past the summer:
Likewise to Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar, whose World Cup performances for the Netherlands verged upon talismanic:
Here’s a look at the 29 year-old’s World Cup highlights:
//www.youtube.com/embed/KElFlYKBcUY?rel=0
Or, going slightly further afield, rumoured Gunners target Fabian Schar:
Statistically, the 22 year-old Basel prodigy was the best defender in the Champions League last season, as shown below:
And he too is letting his contract wind down with the Swiss champions, suggesting they’ll be forced to sell in the new year.
Upgrade on Arteta and Flamini
No disrespect to Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini, but Arsenal clearly need a more convincing and physical option in holding midfield.
Both have been found wanting this season and if Arsenal are to break the glass ceiling between themselves and the title race, finding an imposing defensive midfielder in January is a necessity. Arsene Wenger appears to agree, having recently called for physical additions in the middle of the park:
The favoured choice of the fanbase would undoubtedly be Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira. A Champions League and World Cup winner, he’s considered to be one of the top midfield enforcers in world football – here’s a clip of him in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/RetIjHKY6pA?rel=0
He looks set to leave the Bernabeu in January after refusing to extend his contract past 2015, but there’s a plethora of clubs already chasing his signature:
That could force Arsenal to consider some more costly alternatives, namely Sporting Lisbon prodigy William Carvalho, who reportedly came close to joining the Gunners on summer deadline day:
Measuring at 6 foot 2, weighing about 14 stone and famed for his simple-yet-effective style, the 22 year-old fits the bill perfectly. Here’s a look at him in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/A8jRQbn1LzE?rel=0
And having recently rejected a new contract at Estadio Jose Alvalade, the Gunners could sign Carvalho for significantly cheaper than his £37million release clause.
LOAN OUT JOEL CAMPBELL
After netting this sensational strike against Manchester United on loan Olympiacos last season:
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.
//www.youtube.com/embed/nloqftNzgYM?rel=0
…in addition to bagging a goal for Costa Rica at the World Cup:
Many expected young winger-forward Joel Campbell to see a fair amount of action at the Emirates this season.
But for whatever reason, Arsene Wenger simply doesn’t fancy him. He has used the 22 year-old in just three outings so far this season – two substitute appearances and a solitary start in the League Cup.
That’s in no small part due to Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck joining the Emirates ranks over the summer, whilst Theo Walcott’s planned return from injury over the next few weeks will further reduce Campbell’s likely game time.
So if the attacker isn’t going to be a semi-regular fixture this year, Wenger needs to sort him a loan move for the rest of the campaign.
Loads of clubs are willing to take the Costa Rican international on – both Roma and Inter Mila were courting his services during the summer:
Whilst Newcastle remain a potential loan destination a little closer to home, offering Campbell vital Premier League experience.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has admitted that Steven Gerrard is making good progress in his bid to return to fitness, but has not put a date on the midfielder’s potential return.
The England international has had a torrid time with injuries this year, with an ankle infection his current ailment.
Despite admitting that Gerrard was moving in the right direction, the Scottish coach is unsure when he will be able to select his captain again.
“Steven is progressing brilliantly,” he told the club’s official website.
“There is nothing that’s been a disappointment other than he’s not been available for selection.
“He’ll be available as and when he’s over what he’s got but everything’s going really well. We couldn’t ask for more or any greater news from him.
“No. When he’s ready,” he stated when asked if he knew when Gerrard would play again.
One piece of positive news for The Reds however is the return to fitness of Jamie Carragher, and Dalglish has confirmed that the veteran defender should make himself available for selection this weekend.
“Carra is training. He’s got rid of his calf injury so he’s fit and available for selection,” he 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.
Liverpool face a tough two weeks, with an away fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday next for the Merseysiders.
Chelsea will be looking to continue their excellent form by taking all three points against Everton who are looking to bounce back from their Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool a fortnight ago.
Andre Villas-Boas’ side have started the season in superb fashion especially on home soil and go into the game protecting a 100% record at Stamford Bridge. Early reservations that the 34-year-old former Porto coach would struggle have been washed away with the Portuguese native revitalising the Blues. The likes of Juan Mata, Raul Meireles and Daniel Sturridge have been tremendous thus far and their youthful vitality has seen Villas-Boas find the right blend with the senior members of the squad. Frank Lampard has benefitted the most from his management and talk of the England midfielder being past his best were quickly dismissed with four goals in the week before the international break. The 33-year-old struck in the Champions League away at Valencia before butting Bolton to the sword scoring a hat trick as Chelsea hit the next six times at the Reebok Stadium. One concern though remains around the defence with the Blues yet to keep a clean sheet in the league since the opening day and their record against Everton isn’t the best. The last five meetings in West London have ended in draws whilst they haven’t beaten David Moyes’ side since winning 1-0 back in 2008. With Fernando Torres still suspended Sturridge, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka will be fighting it out to start up front with the young Englishman the most likely having scored twice against Trotters two weeks ago.
As for the Toffee’s they’ve lost their last two and will be looking to avoid losing three games on the trot for the first time since November 2009. They will be boosted by the news that Jack Rodwell’s red card has been rescinded and he will be free to play in his 100th Everton game at Stamford Bridge. The England under-21 midfielder was harshly sent off for a robust challenge on Luis Suarez in the Merseyside derby which they lost 2-0. Scoring goals continues to be their achilles heel with Louis Saha and Tim Cahill looking short of confidence up front. The latter has failed to hit the net in 2011 but has a decent record against Chelsea so will fancy his chances of ending his barren run. Saha on the other hand has had his differences with Moyes already this season and despite patching them up age seems to be catching up on the 33-year-old Frenchman. They’ll need to start scoring on Saturday if they want to continue their impressive run against the Blues which has seen them remain unbeaten in the last six meetings.
Key Players
Juan Mata – What a signing the Spaniard has been with his £22 million move from Valencia already looking like shrewd business. Mata has injected a touch of class to the Chelsea midfield with his intelligent passing and movement making him difficult to mark. His ability to glide into space has given the Blues an extra dimension to their attack and they’ll be expecting more of the same from him on Saturday.
Leighton Baines – One of the more consistent players for Everton over the last few seasons the England left back performs key duties in both defence and attack. Likely to be up against the pacey Jose Boswinga and Ramires he’ll have to have his defensive hat on to cope with the duo. Given the chance to get forward his trusty left foot will be tasked with providing quality balls for Saha and Cahill to get on the end of and give the Toffee’s a fighting chance of claiming some much needed points.
Verdict: 3-1
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 hit their stride in their last outing, hitting 5 past Blackburn in a 5-1 victory. Chelsea covered a total of 123.8km in that game, with evergreen midfielder Frank Lampard covering 12.3km, second only to Raul Meireles with 13.1km Lampard’s hat trick moved him up 87 places in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to 10th overall, and the 2nd highest ranking English midfielder after Ashley Young. He now joins Gabriel Agbonlahor as the joint 4th top scorer in the Barclays Premier League and is the highest scoring midfielder. Lampard has also won 57% of tackles and contributed two assists Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka are Everton’s top ranked players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 91st and 92nd place respectively. Baines has won 77% of tackles so far this season while Jagielka is still yet to lose a tackle all season Baines has also contributed to his side’s attack, putting in 15 crosses so far this season
After just four games of the season, the title is already a two-horse race between Manchester United and Manchester City with the rest battling for the minor places. Manchester City are seemingly better than Barcelona, Chelsea are too slow to challenge for the title, Liverpool are still in crisis, as are Arsenal. Steve Bruce is heading for the sack. Sergio Aguero is the greatest import the world has ever seen. These are just a few of the over-exaggerations that have dominated the media coverage of the opening few weeks of the season.
In the world of rolling updates and 24-hour news, some degree of media hyperactivity is to be expected. However, it seems that the media frenzy around football is reaching new heights with each week that passes, and the media hyperbole is now starting to border on the ridiculous.
Media hyperbole has amped up coverage of every aspect of the game in recent weeks, from completely writing off Chelsea, despite their reasonable start to the season, and going into overdrive in stating that Manchester City and Manchester United are clear title favourites. In their quest to bring us something new and exciting every week, the media have created a particularly fierce culture of hype, where everything is now bordering on being an over-exaggeration.
Teams flit from being praised one week, to torn down the next. The new look Liverpool side were held up almost immediately as genuine title contenders, only to be heavily criticised and plunged back into crisis after their defeat to Stoke. Players are hailed as the next great thing, or the best player we have ever seen, only to be slammed when they fail to live up to these heights again. The media hyperbole runs right through the game, and it is not just clubs and players that are affected, as it infiltrates every aspect of the game from exaggerated transfer sagas to criticism of managers, as the media bays for blood in the Premier League managerial sack race, hyping up and adding fuel to the fire.
It seems that the media has lost all degree of balance, or even just sense in its coverage and analysis and simply can no longer resist analysing through hyperbolic terms. The use of ridiculous headlines, and powerful imagery, might be necessary to grab our attention in this media saturated world, but the exaggerated nature of the coverage now means that we are starting to lose all sight of context within the game.
[ad_pod id=’vip-2′ align=’centre’]
Take Chelsea, strong contenders at the top of the league for the last few years, and no doubt likely to challenge once again this year. However after only four games the media seems to have written them off, quick to criticise Andre Villas-Boas, and describe Chelsea’s team as aging and slow.
They have also been quick to jump on the Man City bandwagon and get completely carried away with their start to the season. Just this week stories have emerged suggesting that City will be the ones to topple Barcelona, before they have even kicked a ball in Champions League football. The worst part to all this media hype, though, is that it will be quick to reverse and state exactly the opposite by this time next week. If Chelsea are to win at United this weekend, then no doubt the media will be quick to reinstate them back into the title race. The nature of the hyperbole will change once again, but the coverage will still remain overexaggerated in its nature.
In the saturated media world we now live in, it appears that the media believes they need to be bigger and better to grab our attention. Sure, extreme exaggeration can be used to make a point, and add colour or humour, but when it is used so often and is bordering on the ridiculous almost every time, it starts to get frustrating. Everything is subsequently blown out of total proportions, every new story needs an exaggerated angle, some sort of controversy, however minor, must be picked apart to the minutest detail, even things like tackling or the quest for respect in football seem to get completely over-exaggerated, and coverage loses all sense of perspective.
The media has seemingly lost all sense of proportion. No title race is won in August or even September, so their writing off of Chelsea and heralding of Manchester City is simply ridiculous. After five games last season, they heralded Chelsea as the champions and called the title race as good as over, and look how that turned out. No doubt, if the tables are turned later in the season they will be quick to change their tune. Yes City and United have looked good so far, but they don’t deserve the exaggerated praise that pundits, analysists, and journalists alike have gone too. It’s fine adding a bit of colour to your piece, but it appears as if the level of media hyperbole we are subject to week in week out is starting to cross the line.
What are your thoughts on the way the media covers football? Let me know by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
[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.
Fancy a Premier League Box Experience? Click on banner below to find out more
Have you ever been in that awkward situation when two family members are arguing?
You’re sat there at the table trying to eat Christmas dinner but there’s so much tension in the air that it is uncomfortable?
Me neither, but that’s exactly how it feels now Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane ’s spat is turning into a full blown feud, playing out publicly via the media.
The statement ‘never wash your dirty laundry in public’ has never been apt but it appears that it is too late for that.
As United crashed out of the Champions League at the start of the month, some felt Roy Keane was exceptionally harsh in his analysis of the game. He called into question United’s youngsters (deja vu) and declared that they needed to buck up their ideas. Keane has always had a sharp tongue and team mate or opposition; nobody was above being on the receiving end of it.
Regardless of this Sir Alex did what he always does and defended his team saying,
“I don’t know why you are bringing this up from a television critic. Roy had an opportunity to prove himself as a manager and it’s a hard job.”
If Roy’s comments had been harsh then Sir Alex’s response was cutting as he took aim at his former player.
Keane brushed off Sir Alex’s comments about his managerial record; he understands there are few people in the world that can compare to his former manager. But it was the insinuation that he is some sort of traitor that hurt him the most. In his match notes for the Wolves game, Sir Alex wrote:
“We will take a lot of stick from critics and even from people we thought were perhaps on our side but we mustn’t dwell on that either.”
As much as people say Keane resents the club, it was this comment that he took to heart:
“There was an angle there of trying to get the fans to look differently at me and I thought, ‘I can’t have that’. I thought it was ridiculous.”
He knows his standing with the fans and felt Sir Alex was trying to tarnish that somewhat. None of us are babies and we can see exactly what Sir Alex was doing by wording his statement that way too. Keane is a United fan and comes from a family of United fans, so to claim Keane wasn’t on United’s side was always going to get a rise out of him.
And it did, Keane wasn’t going to take that lying down. Despite waiting years, he got his own back on Alf Inge Haaland and with the national press giving him the opportunity, he fired back at Sir Alex.
There has always been talk of sour grapes when discussing Keane post United. His exit was hardly glorious and it’s more than obvious the relationship between him and Sir Alex is strained but his comments are likely to make their relationship worse.
Sir Alex is a massive figure in the game and attacks on his person are normally brushed off. We ridiculed Rafa Benitez when he made such spurious claims about Sir Alex in that now infamous rant.
Benitez was manager of the opposition, whilst they will say he was trying to take some of the pressure off his players (yes that’s an actual excuse I have heard from Liverpool fans), I feel it was an attack on Sir Alex by a man that clearly didn’t and still doesn’t like him.
But when these comments come from a source closer to home, you can’t just brush them off. Some of the stuff Roy Keane said will be deemed explosive but how bad/inaccurate were these comments?
When asked if he felt he wouldn’t have been kicked out of the club for that infamous MUTV rant had he been 27, Keane replied:
“Absolutely. I had disagreements with the manager over many years. I remember one really bad one, I might have been 26 or 27; something happened at a Christmas do, it was a proper blazing row, but he dealt with it.
Clever management, you recognise when players are really important to you. I go back to the two words, power and control. ‘Say this, Roy, do this, pull this in a little bit’, what I did or said was always for the good of the club. I suffered for that towards the end, then it was unacceptable. The difference was that I was 34.”
This is nothing new to us though. This is the same Sir Alex who decided it would be in the club’s best interests to keep Wayne Rooney after that whole mess last October. Keane pointed to ‘Power and Control’, yet these are the exact things Sir Alex spoke of when giving a speech at Trinity College in 2010 on the issues he faces as United manager, so this isn’t exactly a revelation.
Whilst Keane’s point of view paints Sir Alex in a bad light, one has to understand that as manager of such a massive club Sir Alex has to do what he feels is best for the group, even if it does put an individual’s nose out of joint. So I’d hope that Sir Alex’s decision to let Roy Keane go was a decision based on this rather than a personal one.
Keane then took aim at Sir Alex’s dealings with John Magnier saying,
“The Irish thing, I was speaking to the manager about it. This didn’t help the club, the manager going to law against its leading shareholder.
“How could it be of benefit to Man United? It wasn’t and we know what happened. What was that all about? Power and control.
‘They’ve used me, they’ve treated me badly’, Ferguson told me in his office. I said, ‘You’re not going to win’, and he said, ‘I don’t care, no-one does that to me’, and I go, ‘Okay, off you go, I’m not going to change your mind’.
“Amazing what happens.”
This episode isn’t one of Sir Alex’s finest and is one of the main things his detractors point to when trying to soil his name. In his book On The Road: A Journey Through A Season, United fan Daniel Harris points to the fact that Sir Alex’s legal battle with John Magnier made it easier for the Glazers to assume control of the club.
The Glazers are such a contentious subject for most United fans, so to try and make Sir Alex culpable for their being in control is massive.
Sir Alex probably won’t reply to these quotes, so we will never know if they are accurate but if he did in fact say ‘I don’t care, no-one does that to me’ it paints a picture of an extremely arrogant Sir Alex.
This is a man that is tasked with steering the ship, so to put himself ahead of the what is best for the club completely contradicts the idea that Sir Alex does what is best for the club. I don’t think there is a defence for this but again we don’t know how accurate these comments are.
Keane also spoke on his refusal to attend Sir Alex’s 25th anniversary celebration,
“Anne Wiley, the club secretary, got in touch, but I didn’t go. Everyone to their own. Martin (O’Neill) said to me, ‘You’ve got to move on’, but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable. ‘No, not for me’, I said. I did get in touch with Anne, didn’t just not turn up. The way it ended, the legal letter, I couldn’t have gone and sat there like everything was great, he would come in and we all stand up and clap. I couldn’t do that.”
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Again this has drawn calls of sour grapes, but it is a tough situation to speak on. We can all state what we would have done, but none of us are Roy Keane. We don’t know how deeply he was affected by the way he left United but the fact he stated,
“The day I left United, in hindsight, I should have stopped playing. I lost the love of the game that Friday morning.”
Gives us a bit of insight.
What we can say is that Sir Alex played a massive part in making Roy Keane great and Roy Keane was a massive part in the great things Sir Alex has achieved here. Keane has often been called the physical embodiment of Sir Alex on field so you will understand that two fiery characters will clash.
If you have two magnets and try to put north and north together they will repel each other and it appears this is what is happening here. Keane is a fully grown man and has the right to make any decision he likes, even if we don’t agree with them. People carry grudges,we are all human. Sir Alex has done the same too, you only have to look at his relationships with people like Brian Kidd and Gordon Strachan.
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.
I don’t see it as sour grapes from Keane, rather I see it as a man lashing out because he feels wronged. From the tone of his comments I get the impression he would like to be back on the ‘inside’.
He could have simply ignored the invitation to the party and the fact feeling uncomfortable was the primary reason he stated for not going, leads me to believe that he doesn’t bear Sir Alex any real malice.
On the other hand Sir Alex has to look after the team, even if you disagree with his methods, he has always been brilliant at protecting his own. Creating a siege mentality has been one of his most successful tactics, it’s just a shame that on this occasion Keane finds himself as one of ‘them’, rather than ‘us’.
It is probably his unfamiliarity with being in such a position that has caused a fair bit of anger in the Irishman.
This whole situation is a mess and is definitely something that could have been avoided if Sir Alex had not sniped at Keane after the Basel game and Keane hadn’t gone to the press to air his grievances.
It is unlikely that this will have an effect on Sir Alex or his preparations for United’s title defence but it is still a very disappointing, awkward and unnecessary matter.
I would like either to step down and bury the hatchet, but Sir Alex has made a career of being relentless and because of it we are the biggest club in the world whilst Roy never gave an inch and that is part of the reason why he is our most successful captain ever.
Both sides have a claim to being right and I feel at a time like this we should take our Sir Alex and Roy Keane hats off and put our Man United hats on.
I won’t be picking sides and feel in a case like this neither should anyone else.
Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour has spoken for the first time about his ambitions for the club, and admitted that winning the Premier League title is his main priority.
The billionaire has invested the money necessary to transform the Etihad Stadium outfit into serious title contenders, and he is hoping that his investment is rewarded with success this season.
“We must not forget that our main objective is to win the English Premier League and if we achieve that, then it will have an impact on the team and the club as a whole and will show we can achieve anything,” he told Al Ittihad newspaper.
Mansour was also full of praise for Roberto Mancini, and will back the Italian coach despite doubts over the manager’s decisions being raised.
“Sometimes I meet a lot of Emirati and Arab brothers in London, and see them criticise the work of Roberto Mancini, but I think that his plans are going on the right path.
“We have to ask ourselves where we have been and what Manchester City have become now. To realise that what we have accomplished is great.
“Hard work is still required but we are all satisfied with what has been achieved, the success and development at this level. However you must have patience,” he 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.
Even though Preston slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Bramall Lane, it would be fair to say that Preston gave their best performance since Westley took charge as manager just over a month ago. At a place where only two teams have won all seaon, we were only seven minutes from escaping with what would have been a very valuable point. We even went 1-0 up after Thorsten Stuckmann saved Ched Evans’ weak penalty and Graham Cummins scored his first goal for the club with a magnificent header in the 38th minute to spark mad scenes in the away end. However Evans was to make amends by first equalising just before half time and then settling the contest with a volley with time running out.
It was also a very different Preston team than what people have been used to seeing over the years. Many a time I have bemoaned how players haven’t got stuck in and have let players run at us, but at Sheffield United, the home of one of the most attacking teams in the league and we stopped them from playing. Even Adam Barton, someone who has rarely made a challenge in his entire career, was disrupting play and causing United problems. From a Preston perspective it was great to see our team standing up to the opposition and not letting them walk all over us. It is also ironic how Sheffield United fans were quick to lambast Preston for the way we played and the Mirror reported that our style of football was more suited to rugby league than it was to football
Personally I take this criticism with a pinch of salt; people say now that they lost a lot of respect for us since Westley took over and turned us into a very physical team who aren’t afraid to get in the faces of the opposition (and the ref in some cases). But it was being the ‘nice’ guys that were one of the reasons why we were relegated. Too often teams just walked all over us and took an easy 3 points which is probably why fans liked us because they saw us as an easy 3 points. It is no coincidence that Davies’ play off teams also had a similar physical side to what Westley is instilling in the players at the moment and if Westley had similar success to Davies then I will be very happy. If we can keep on improving between now and the end of the season then perhaps the play offs aren’t out of reach just yet, but how ironic that it is Westley’s former club Stevenage who currently hold 6th place. What the situation will be when Westley returns to Stevenage on Easter Monday in 12 games time remains to be seen and I’m sure Westley himself will be aware of the irony if Preston can indeed pip Stevenage to the final play off spot before the end of the season.
By Preston North End blogger Sean Marshall. You can read more of his work on his personal blog.
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.
It hasn’t been a great 24hrs for Arsene Wenger as not only was he forced to sell Samir Nasri, but has seen Jack Wilshere suffer an injury setback that will see the playmaker ruled out for weeks. The French manager is under no illusion about the significance of tonight’s game against Udinese and the importance for the club to be competing in the Champions League.
Elsewhere in the papers Adebayor’s move to Spurs looks to be sealed; Newcastle accused of two illegal approaches, while Pallister believes the current United youth must match the golden generation.
Deputy PM backs call to release Hillsborough files -Mirror
Arsenal suffer fresh blow with Wilshere injury relapse –Guardian
Adebayor deal on as Spurs give way – Independent
Newcastle accused of illegal approach for two players – Guardian
Liverpool make £8m offer for Coates – Guardian
‘United youth must match golden generation’ –Daily Telegraph
Lukaku admits he always planned to walk in idol Drogba’s big boots – Daily Mail
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.
Arsenal were FORCED to sell Nasri claims Wenger – Mirror
Rangers Toon into Barton and prepare to bring Hammer down on Parker – Daily Mail
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has demanded an apology from Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, as the race feud between the two players continues.
The Uruguay international was accused of making racist remarks to the veteran full back in the 1-1 draw between the Premier League heavyweights last month.
The FA have pledged to investigate the claims but as yet there has been no fallout from the governing body, and Suarez wants an apology.
“The FA will have to clear it up with him, because there is no proof at all that I have said anything racist. I didn’t say anything like that to him,” Suarez told Mirror Football.
“There were two parts of the discussion, one in English, one in Spanish. I did not insult him, it was just a way of expressing myself. I called him something his team-mates in Manchester call him and even they were surprised by his reaction.
“There are things that happen in football, all in the moment, that leaves one feeling bad. Now we have to wait to see this issue decided and then the Manchester player and I will have to clear things up. Depending on who ends up in the wrong, one of us will have to apologise,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Suarez has won the Liverpool player of the month award for October, making it three months in a row that the South American has been awarded the accolade.
“It’s a bit of a surprise because to win it three months running makes me almost feel a bit embarrassed.
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.
“But as long as people realise I’m just doing my job and I’m working hard for the team, then that’s great,” he finished.