Category Uncategorized

When Blackpool were promoted on that fateful day at Wembley, it encapsulated the unpredictable beauty that is English football – but the Seasiders have since had endure the frustrating financial reality of the Premier League.

Their initial transfer struggle manufactured rumours that manager Ian Holloway was on collision course with Chairman Karl Oyston over the clubs rigid wage structure with Rob Hulse and Jon Stead turning them down and the five additions that have arrived at Bloomfield Road shows just how difficult it will be for Holloway’s men in the top-flight.

Whilst it is good for Blackpool fans to finally see some new blood, they will be frantically googling and scouring YouTube for clips of Ludovic Sylvestre, Elliot Grandin and Malaury Martin because quite frankly nobody has ever heard of them. Even the signings of Craig Cathcart and Marlon Harewood hardly inspire confidence that Blackpool’s magical Premier League excursions will continue for very long.

Oyston recently expressed his astonishment at the wages sought by players but the verity is, unless you go that extra mile for quality, the Premier League is unforgiving.

However, whilst it is easy to consign them to a Championship return before a ball has been kicked who would have expected that on day one of last season, in a 1-1 draw with QPR, they would now be amongst the elite?

Holloway has certainly instilled a magnificent togetherness that endeared ‘little’ Blackpool to a nation embroiled in their fairy-tale run and perhaps it would be wise not to underestimate them.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Holloway said of his targets: “To go that far down and it to break down, it is nobody’s fault that is just life, that’s just what happens and in this level were having to learn very quickly but were doing it together “and that kind of spirit will be essential to their survival aspirations this season.

It seems that the difficulties faced by a club of Blackpool’s stature in attracting the type of player to keep them up were inevitable, especially when you consider the strict budgets imposed on Holloway but if Blackpool are to remain in the Premier League they must play as a unit and the manager embodies the team essence which helped them en-route to promotion.

It is with no doubt that most football fans will hope Blackpool can rise to their colossal challenge, their against all odds label certainly mandates it – as anyone watching on Saturday 22nd May 2010 were surely full of adulation for those in Tangerine.

Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye is happy with his side’s start to the season, but knows that the next month will show if the Tyneside club are real contenders for a top four finish.

Alan Pardew’s men are in third place in the standings and still unbeaten, but have to play some of the division’s best sides after the international break, something that Cabaye knows will test his team.

“We got off to a good start with the draw against Arsenal and winning the derby away against Sunderland,” the France international told The Journal.

“The fact we’ve conceded very few goals has really boosted our confidence. We have 25 points and we’re still unbeaten, and that’s great to have that heading into the international break.

“But when we come back we’re playing City at their place, United at their place, then we’ve got Chelsea at home; after that we’ll really know how good we are,” he stated.

Cabaye has impressed since signing from Ligue 1 champions Lille, and has been linked with a move to Manchester United of late.

However despite the rumours, he is focussed on succeeding for his current employers, whom he signed a five-year contract with in the summer.

“I heard about United’s interest in me, but things are only just beginning.

“I have a bit of experience of clubs following me, so I would rather not get carried away by thinking too much about such things.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

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 simply want to concentrate on my objectives with Newcastle – and playing for Newcastle,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Conor Coady is a name that you might not have heard up until now – particularly if you don’t pay much attention to the either the Liverpool reserves or the England youth set-up, but you can bet that it’s a name you’ll be hearing more of over the next few years. Performing well in your club’s reserve team is one way to make a name for yourself, but it’s doing the job for your national side that will really get the Press salivating.

It’s little surprise, then, that the media have finally homed in on this young British talent after his wonder-strike against the Germans in an U19 game. Coady controlled the ball whilst under pressure from the German defence, and unleashed a looping shot that crashed off of the German’s post. Remarkably composed and sumptuously executed.

Yet, Coady isn’t best known for his goal-grabbing ability. Although he is capable of the odd long-shot or two, he’s much more at home playing the defensive midfield role and controlling the flow of the game from the centre of the park. He’s a gritty, tough young lad, with tenacity comparable to, dare I say it – Steven Gerrard. Should his development continue at this rate, there’s every chance that Coady will be just as influential for Liverpool as Steven Gerrard has been over the course of his illustrious career.

Just 18 years-old, Coady has already represented England at a number of different levels and managed breeze his way up through the ranks at Liverpool to become a regular in the reserves squad. Indeed, Kenny Dalglish has been so pleased with the Merseyside-born youngster’s progress that he was brought to Prague as part of Liverpool’s Europa League set-up and granted a spot on the bench. He will, perhaps, be looking at the way Jack Wilshere has become such a lynchpin for Arsenal this season playing a similar role in the centre of their midfield and wondering if he can’t emulate his success over the coming seasons.

On the evidence of the video below, there’s every chance that he will.

[ffcvideo file=’lfc_c_coady’]

Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent ‘This Is Futbol’

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Following two successive seasons of play-off heartache, Leeds United finally ended their stay in the third tier of English football, clinching promotion to the Championship as runners-up to Norwich City. Since Premier League relegation in 2004, the Elland Road side have endured a horrific fall from grace, but appear to have stabilised under the stewardship of Simon Grayson. Grayson, who recently signed a new deal with club, has spoken of his desire to “fulfil everyone’s dream of winning promotion back to the Premier League.”

Although Grayson has expressed intent to add to his squad this summers, funds are thought to be limited at the club, with the former Leicester City man admitting: “There`s a little bit to spend but there are not major funds available.” Should Grayson look to make use of the loan system this summer?

Like many other lower league teams, Leeds United have made heavy use of the loan transfer system over the past few seasons. Last season alone saw 12 players join the Elland Road on a temporary basis.

Despite being banished to the second and third tiers of English football, Leeds United remain one of the biggest and best-supported clubs in the country; statistics for the 2008/09 season reveal that the club’s average attendance for that season was 23,813, the highest figure for any third tier team in Europe. Due to this status and reputation, the club is likely to have greater pulling power than many of their Championship counterparts, meaning that they may be more likely to attract players from the top end of the loan market.

With many Premier League squads featuring large quantities of unused youth talent, bigger clubs may see Leeds United as the perfect place to allow their best prospects to develop. The club managed to utilise the services of Liverpool’s David Martin and Arsenal’s Sanchez Watt last season, and should seek to secure the loan signings of players of a similar calibre. For example, Manchester United’s recent move for Mexico international Javier Hernandez may mean that first-team opportunities for the likes of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda become scarce. Similarly, Arsene Wenger may see Elland Road as the ideal destination for some of his talented youngsters.

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

For a player who is now the wrong side of thirty, it is strange that only now Scott Parker is really being noticed and picking up the accolades he deserves. Whilst it may be normal in Serie A for players to only reach their peak in their latter years, in England being over thirty means you are officially past it – just ask Frank Lampard, after a couple of bad games the media were treating him like a dead man walking – yet Parker has only now blossomed into a top class player – or so it would seem.

Whilst it cannot be denied that Parker is in brilliant form, and has been for the last couple of seasons, he has not gone from being a mediocre player to a winner of the player of the year award over-night.  At Charlton the midfielder was hailed as one of the best prospects in English football and enjoyed a good spell at the club, making a name for himself before an ill-fated transfer across London to Chelsea.

This move is something that can be attributed as a key factor in Parker’s career stalling and was a classic example of one step forward two steps back. At Chelsea Parker lost none of his ability, yet struggled to find a way into a team who had the best midfield in Europe at the time. No matter who you are, it would have been nigh on impossible to replace either Makelele or Lampard in the heart of Chelsea’s team, thus Parker’s opportunities were limited.

Despite winning the young player of the year award in 2003-2004, Parker struggled at the West London club, and this compounded with a metatarsal injury met he dropped off the radar for most people. It was after his transfer to Newcastle that Parker really started to rebuild his career, and having lost none of his talent he easily became a vital player for Newcastle, and showed he was captain material to boot.

Media and pundit attention was slowly falling back onto Parker, and he was beginning to get the respect he deserved, yet it took another couple of seasons before people really sat up and took notice of the player when he was the shining light in an otherwise awful season for West Ham. Much like Joe Cole, the skipper led by example both on and off the field, and could not have done more or played better than he did during their final season in the Premier League before relegation.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Not only is Parker a lion on the field, he is also widely acknowledged as being a superb motivator in the dressing room, with both John Terry and Carlton Cole saying his team talks were inspirational – Lampard called Parker’s pre match talk the best he had ever witnessed.  Parker also displays a consistency that is lacking from a great number of players in the modern game, and is a consummate professional, so it seems strange that it is only now he has received the recognition and awards many may feel he deserved earlier in his career.

Of course, a mixture of injuries and lack of opportunities did make it hard for Parker, and it is always easier for people to give the so called ‘flare players’ praise, yet how much do Manchester United lack a player like Parker? It is players in his mould that are vital to the success of clubs, and how Redknapp will be thanking his wheeler dealer stars that he pushed for Parker to sign for Spurs.

It is this move which has brought further attention for the player – it stands to reason that the bigger the club the more attention individual players will attract, and Parker is finally getting the respect he deserves.

From an international perspective, the central midfielder has often been overlooked, unfairly, and has been yet another casualty of the Lampard – Gerrard problem – playing one and Parker alongside them could have been a clear option for England, yet this was an option that was never really explored. Not only does Parker have the ability to play for England, his attitude is something that  our national team is in dire need of.

At a time when the captain of the national team is being investigated for racially abusing a fellow player and our star striker clearly has anger management issues when things are going awry off the field, a player like Parker would not go amiss.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

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 seems funny that the media are so quick to build up payers after a couple of good games, yet a player who has been a consummate professional throughout his career is only receiving the level of appreciation he deserves now. Of course stories on how well Parker performs are not nearly as interesting as the off the field antics of certain players – Mad Mario anyone – or speculation on who is next in line on the managerial chopping block. Yet Parker has been too good to ignore in the last couple of years, and not only does he deserve all the praise he is receiving, a place in the England starting line-up is something that would not be undeserved either.

[divider]

 FREE football app that pays you CASH

[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]

Manchester City’s European dreams are hanging by a thread after they were trounced 2-0 at Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday.Former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko and Oleg Gusev got on the scoresheet in either half for Dynamo, who will take a handy advantage into the second leg of their last-16 tie next Thursday.Gusev’s late goal would have been particularly galling for City boss Roberto Mancini, who would have fancied City’s chances had they hosted the Ukrainian outfit at City of Manchester Stadium with just one goal in arrears.But the Citizens now face a serious challenge to their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, and will rue not making the most of several opportunities to take an away goal against Dynamo.City had the best of the first-half action with Mario Balotelli, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolorov all going close, but it was Dynamo who broke the deadlock in the 25th minute.Shevchenko, who left Chelsea during the 2009/10 season after a disappointing stint at Stamford Bridge, won a corner and then stole in front of City goalkeeper Joe Hart to meet Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross at the near post.City returned to the pitch in the second half with just 10 men as Mario Balotelli failed to reappear from the dressing room due an apparent allergic reaction.The Italian eventually ran out about 15 seconds into the half, though he lasted just 10 minutes before being replaced by Carlos Tevez.Tevez’s introduction nearly lifted City to an equaliser, with Dynamo custodian Olexandr Shovkovskiy producing a fine save to deny Yaya Toure on the hour mark and another soon after to cut off Joleon Lescott’s attempt.But with 13 minutes remaining, Gusev broke City hearts with a second goal. The Ukraine international found room to bring down Yarmolenko’s cross and smashed a volley into the top-right corner.

Group C favourites England have one final chance to get their act together and put in a good enough performance to pick up three points against group leaders Slovenia or the 1966 World Cup winners will be almost certainly out of the tournament.

It is technically possible for England to finish second in the group with a draw but that would require the USA to draw with Algeria while scoring three goals or more less than England. If they score two goals less, for example a 0-0 draw to England's 2-2, then there would be the unthinkable solution of a lottery.

With that possibility pushed out of the players' mind as far as it can be, England will be aiming only for a win, something that two weeks ago seemed simple to the team listed as a top-five favourite by bookmakers.

The events of the past week-and-a-half, since England's lack-lustre performance against the Americans, have contrived to blow a cloud over the English camp that is so dark even the French are struggling to match it.

Firstly, in the match itself, was the error by Robert Green that saw England get only the point they deserved, not the three points they would otherwise have snuck away with.

Then, in the following days, centre-half Ledley King was ruled out for at least two weeks and possibly the tournament with a groin strain, while speculation over the position of Green as the number one went into overdrive as manager Fabio Capello refused to make a decision.

Worst of all though was the match with Algeria – the most uninspiring draw in a tournament full of them – where every fear about England was confirmed.

David James was unconvincing as Green's replacement, as was Jamie Carragher as King's. The performances of key players such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were woeful and the team as a whole looked confused with the tactics, were unmotivated and unimaginative.

All that could force Capello to make changes, with the most likely option being to drop Emile Heskey in favour of Joe Cole and play Rooney in front of three or four supporting midfielders.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He will also have to make a change in defence as Carragher picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the goalless draw against Algeria and is suspended, leaving Michael Dawson or Matt Upson to fill in.

Slovenia, who need a draw to guarantee their place in the next round but could even go through if they lose and Algeria beat the USA, have one serious injury problem after their 2-2 draw with the Americans.

Striker Nejc Pecnik, regularly used off the bench by coach Matjaz Kek, broke his ankle in that match and will miss the rest of the tournament. They should otherwise be unchanged after two impressive performances.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that negotiations over a new contract for captain Fabricio Coloccini are underway, but fears bigger clubs may try to tempt the defender away from St James’ Park.

The Argentina international has had a commanding start to the Premier League season, and is a key reason for the Tyneside’s run of eight games without a defeat.

With the South American’s current deal expiring in June 2013, Pardew is keen to extend the centre half’s stay at the club.

“I have got to be honest, I think we are okay, that’s about the only sign I can give you,” he told Sky Sports.

“You have got two parties here, you have got a club offering a contract to Colo, but really it’s about Colo. If he agrees to the contract, then all’s well and good.

“It’s difficult because his agent is Argentina-based and doesn’t have particularly great English either, so we are waiting for him to come back across, and we think we can get the deal done,” he admitted.

With Coloccini impressing at the heart of the Geordies rearguard, Pardew is concerned that other Premier League rivals may try to tempt the defender to leave the club.

“If he takes the shine of Alex Ferguson or [Roberto] Mancini, then we will have a problem.

“But the more success we have, the more chances we have got of the player actually saying ‘I’ll stay’.

“The financial position we are starting to get ourselves into gives us a chance to maybe compete a little bit stronger for those players who are threatened.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“That’s why this season is very, very important. At football clubs, when you get the feeling we have at the moment, if we can keep that, then we are going to have a successful year, I don’t doubt it,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

West Ham United dispatched Championship club Burnley 5-1 on Monday to set up an FA Cup quarter-final against Stoke City.German international Thomas Hitzlsperger, who joined West Ham in June 2010 but had been sidelined with a thigh injury since August, opened the scoring with a goal on debut 22 minutes into the fifth-round match at Upton Park.The 28-year-old former Aston Villa man unleashed a characteristic 25-yard pile-driver to put the English Premier League club 1-0 ahead at half-time. Carlton Cole doubled the hosts’ advantage three minutes into the second half. The striker, capped seven times by England, had an initial shot saved by Burnley goalkeeper Lee Grant but was then able to stab the loose ball into the back of the net from close range.Just two minutes later, Cole had a brace.Running in behind the Burnley defence and connecting with Mark Noble’s long ball, he fired an impressive half-volley past Grant to make it 3-0.A minute before the hour mark, debutant Hitzlsperger turned provider when he sent in a corner for New Zealand World Cup defender Winston Reid to head home from six yards out.The visitors pulled one back in the 71st minute when West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green played a clearance straight into the head of former teammate Tyrone Mears. The ball fell to Jay Rodriguez, who nodded it into an unguarded net. But the strike proved no more than a consolation and Freddy Sears completed the rout in injury time with a well-taken individual effort to make it 5-1.West Ham will now travel to fellow Premier League side Stoke in a quarter-final at the Britannia Stadium on March 12.Their continued presence in the tournament will go some way to making up for their Carling Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Birmingham.Nevertheless, the Hammers remain second from bottom in the Premier League and are in serious danger of joining Burnley in the Championship next season.

Top footballers are an enviable bunch. They’re paid unfeasible sums of money, lusted after by the world’s most beautiful women and get to play that game that we all love as a full-time job. But like all good things in life, there’s a catch. In return for such a privileged lifestyle, many believe that a certain sense of responsibility is inherently attached to the role of professional footballer. Many believe that it is mandatory that footballers display a sense of decorum in return for their esteemed social status.

In spite of this, incidents of footballers’ indiscretions are consistently publicised – in the last year and a half we’ve become aware of John Terry’s extramarital affairs and Steven Gerrard’s Phil Collins-induced scuffle to name just two. In addition to this, a host of drinking-related occurrences have made their way into tabloid headlines. Rightly or wrongly, both Terry and Gerrard have been chastised by the general public for engaging in morally questionable behaviour. The vilification of the duo has been justified on the basis of their standing; the Chelsea and Liverpool captains are idolised by children worldwide, and such behaviour sets a bad example. Despite their fame and fortune, Terry and Gerrard are regular human-beings, prone to error and wrongdoing just like the rest of us. Footballers have a lot of pressures put upon them, but is the burden of having to act as a good role model one of them?

For many, the mandatory obligation of acting as a good role model is a given. Some are vehement in this insistence, with Spurs manager Harry Redknapp stating (of footballers) that “if they don’t want to be role models they shouldn’t be in football.” Redknapp further asserts that such good behaviour is a small price to pay for the financial benefit and ‘celebrity’ status that is attached to the profession, adding that “Kids look up to them every day and wear their shirts, they are in the public eye and they get very well-paid to be in the public eye.”

Redknapp’s views are echoed by those within the political sphere. Former UK culture secretary Tessa Jowell noted that “players should remember they have become famous because fans admire them and they are role models.” Gordon Brown exacerbated the importance of footballers’ professional responsibility by highlighting the far-reaching implications of their actions. Writing in The Sun, the former Prime Minister said “Whether they like it or not our footballers have a greater responsibility than anyone else, because they are so idolised and respected by our young people. It makes it so much harder for parents, schools, the police and the Government to teach respect and tackle anti-social behaviour if some of our children’s biggest role models are teaching them the opposite.”

However, this view is not shared by all. Some believe that like all other professions, a footballer’s ‘work’ life and private life should remain separate. The removal of the England captain’s armband from John Terry is an example of an issue in the Chelsea man’s private life unfairly affecting his ‘work’ life. A bank manager or lawyer would not be reprimanded at work for such behaviour, so why should John Terry? The Times columnist Simon Barnes furthers this argument by stating that football is “just a game, it doesn’t have any pretensions to be a moral force, for good or evil. That’s not its job.”

Another argument put forth concerns the priorities of the footballer. A footballer’s primary obligation is to perform to the best of his abilities for his club or country; as long as they deliver the goods on the pitch, we shouldn’t really care what they get up to in their spare time. The highly-pressurised nature of football means that players, like all other workers, are entitled to blow off some steam from time to time. Whilst Arsene Wenger’s impact upon the domestic mentality has diminished the drinking culture that was formerly rife within the English game, former Aston Villa manager John Gregory famously stated that “I don’t want angels in the team. In fact they can get out of their brains every night as long as they are man of the match on Saturday.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

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 main theory in favour of being portrayed as a good role is the impact of a footballer’s behaviour upon children. However, this unnecessarily detracts from the main influence within a child’s life – that of their family and other close persons around them. Criticism of footballers’ conduct on the basis of the impact it has insults the intelligence of many children and young adults, choosing to omit the fact they may be much more likely to follow the well-behaved examples of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs or Lionel Messi, instead of the likes of Ashley Cole and Joey Barton.

Whilst most fans would prefer for their beloved players to be making back-page news instead of front-page headlines, on-field performances mean that footballers over time have been forgiven for a range of off-the-field sins – should England win the World Cup, John Terry’s indiscretions will be swiftly forgotten. The issue of whether footballers should be role models is a divisive one and one we’ll never reach a consensus upon.

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul