After their latest in a long run of disappointing results, there are rumours that Roman Abramovich is ready to get rid of Andre Villas-Boas, after just eight months in charge. Speculation surrounding the man to take over has been rife, with some areas of the media suggesting that ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez could be in line for the job.
A change is likely to occur sooner rather than later, with the Portuguese coach rumoured to have lost the dressing room at Stamford Bridge. Abroamovich is not known for his patience, and this latest revelation could well prove to the straw that broke the camel’s back.
A move for Benitez wouldn’t be the most popular decision among supporters of the club, who are believed to want Jose Mourinho back. Benitez could however be a shrewd decision on the part of the Russian, with the former Liverpool coach’s tactical knowhow and relationship with Fernando Torres.
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Benitez’s finest bit of business in his last visit to the Premier League, was taking Fernando Torres to Merseyside. The striker was a revelation under the guidance of his fellow countryman, scoring and breaking records for fun in the north of England. However, after the dismissal of the ex-Valencia coach at the Reds, Torres’ form dipped, and then collapsed completely following his move to the capital. If there’s one thing Benitez does know it’s how to get the best out, on his day, one of the finest front-men in Europe, and this could be a deciding factor for Abramovich, who will be very reluctant to take a significant loss on the £50 million paid last January.
Another weapon in the coach’s armoury is his impressive record in the Champions League, a competition that the Russian billionaire has craved success in since his arrival at the club. Benitez steered his Liverpool side to victory in 2005, beating Chelsea on the way, with a squad that, arguably, had no right to win the tournament. He was again successful in 2007, coming runner-up to Milan, once more defeating Chelsea en-route. It’s no secret that failure in the competition has been a factor in the demise of previous managers under the Russian’s regime, which shows just how high the trophy, is on his list of priorities.
All of these successes were quite some time ago now, with Benitez having a less enjoyable spell at Inter Milan in the mean time, but Benitez’s knowhow in the world’s leading club competition, alongside knowledge of the Premier League, could make him an ideal candidate for the Chelsea role.
Although there has been no official contact as of yet, Abramovich wants the Champions League, and Benitez wants a job, it could be a match made in heaven.
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Fulham will be aiming to bounce back from their defeat at Blackburn by beating Newcastle who chasing a third straight Premier League victory in 2012.
Sitting just six points above the relegation zone in 14th wasn’t the position Martin Jol envisaged the Cottagers being in when he took over in the summer. The Dutchman has presided over a stop start campaign at Craven Cottage and he will have been angry that his players failed to build on their impressive win against Arsenal a fortnight ago. Their inability to beat struggling Blackburn, who played over an hour with 10 men, was typical of their inconsistent form. Fulham have won just four of their last 14 games usually following up victories with a string of defeats, which has made it difficult for them to climb the table. Lapses in concentration, missed chances and lethargic performances are certainly starting to take their toll although the first half of the campaign was hectic. The game at Ewood Park was their 37th of the season which is just one shy of a full top-flight campaign. Despite exiting the Europa League they had to endure a hectic Christmas period straight after and have hardly had any time to put their feet up and charge the batteries. Coming up against energetic Newcastle is the last thing Jol will have wanted as he tries to steer the club away from danger.
The Magpies have roared back into life in the New Year beating Manchester United and QPR at St James’ Park to leapfrog Liverpool into sixth. A minor blip over Christmas saw the pundits predict Alan Pardew’s men to struggle in the second half of the campaign especially with leading scorer Demba Ba heading off to the African Cup of Nations. Leon Best was the man charged with leading the line against Rangers on Sunday and his expertly taken goal proved to be the difference between the two teams. The Republic of Ireland international has played second fiddle to Ba for much of the campaign but proved his worth to the club with his first goal in four months. Admittedly Best has been a consistent performer for Newcastle since coming into the side at the start of 2011 following the sale of Andy Carroll and his work rate, hold up play and aerial strength has made him a real asset in black and white. A similar thing could be said for Danny Guthrie who returned from injury at the weekend to deputise for Cheick Tiote but found himself filling in for Yohan Cabaye as well after the Frenchman was stretchered off. Both Best and Guthrie typify the hard working and tenacious Newcastle United that will go to the capital confident of making three wins on the trot in 2012.
Fulham 14th : 23 points
Last six: L W D D L W
Team news: Moussa Dembele and Dickson Etuhu are doubtful after picking up knocks whilst this game will come too soon for Mark Schwarzer
Key Player: Danny Murphy
Despite his advanced years Murphy still plays a vital playmaking role in the heart of Fulham’s midfield. His guile and quality on the ball will be useful in breaking down Newcastle’s resolute midfield and defence.
Newcastle United 6th: 36 points
Last six: W W L W L D
Team news: Yohan Cabaye could miss out after injuring his ankle on Sunday although Peter Lovenkrands could return.
Key Player: Leon Best
With his strike partner Demba Ba away at the African Cup of Nations the onus is on Best to score the goals in his absence. The former Coventry striker notched his fourth of the season on Sunday and will be keen to add more before Ba returns.
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PREDICTION
Fulham are in a rut failing to build on some impressive wins and will need to start being more consistent. They’ll face a tough test against Newcastle who will heading to the Thames with all guns blazing in their pursuit of a Europa League place.
Michael Owen must be the luckiest man in the world. Playing for Manchester United, on an occasional basis, with no real pressure, earning vast sums of money… while still being able to indulge in his love of horse racing. When he writes his next autobiography, they’ll have to call it Riley – The Life Of.
It is not the script we expected Owen to follow when he was a teenager and emerging as one of the greatest goalscorers the game has seen. At that time he was always being compared with me, as we both banged in goals for England at an early age. It was regarded as only a matter of time before he bettered my 44 for England and Bobby Charlton’s record of 49.
Yet he has ended up stuck on 40 from 89 caps, which is still an outstanding record. But Fabio Capello’s arrival as England boss turned out to be the death of his international career. And his decision to play only cameo roles at United ended any hope of a comeback. I am not buying into the idea of Owen making an England return – even though he’d make an excellent option to come off the bench and grab a goal. Capello has never fancied him, and he is not the first manager with an aversion to what you’d call out-and-out goalscorers.
It’s not true that players like Owen have suddenly gone out of fashion. All my managers were sceptical of me and I seemed to spend half my life arguing with Bill Nicholson at Spurs about his obsession with me having to track back. I wouldn’t have a go at Owen about the way things have turned out for him. I’m sure I’d have been delighted to have had the same existence at the age of 31, if only the squad system had been about in my playing days.
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Back then, being on the bench, or being substituted, had a real stigma attached to it, suggesting you weren’t good enough or weren’t performing up to scratch. I remember a dog invading the pitch at White Hart Lane. As the referee and players tried to catch it, Bill Nick decided to make a substitution, bringing on David Jenkins for Frank Saul. Clear as a bell, one terrace wag yelled: “Bring Saul off – but leave the dog on instead!” Yet now all players recognise that it’s a squad game and that even the idea of being ‘dropped’ has become obsolete – players are just rested, rotated and managed.
Owen, then, is very much the ultimate modern footballer. And signing him was something of a masterstroke by Sir Alex Ferguson. If you’re challenging for four trophies and trying to juggle six or seven senior strikers, it is handy to have one or two who are relatively happy to play bit parts. As Owen showed with his brace in the Carling Cup at Leeds the other night, he certainly has not lost his eye for goal.
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You would imagine that when Ferguson talks to Owen, they are more likely to discuss racing form than football. And Owen’s chief remaining sporting ambition is more likely to be owning a Derby winner than collecting more medals with United or England. There is nothing wrong with footballers not being completely in love with football, as long as they remain totally professional.
Strikers, in particular, have rarely been obsessed with the sport and few top front men have gone on to become successful managers. I couldn’t have thought of anything worse than staying inside football after I’d hung up my old shooting boots. In fact, I can readily identify with Owen. We probably ended up with a lot more in common than I gave people credit for, when everybody compared him to me as a teenager.
Fulham manager Martin Jol has called his side’s 5-0 win over Wolves a ‘perfect day’, and was full of praise for in-form new signing Pavel Pogrebnyak.
The Russian scored a hat-trick, with Clint Dempsey grabbing the other two goals in a comprehensive victory for the Craven Cottage outfit.
The win lifts Fulham into the top half of the table, and put a smile on the Dutch coach’s face.
“It was a perfect day because before the game we talked about how Wolves were fighting for their lives and to play like we did, especially in the first half, was outstanding,” he confessed to Sky Sports.
Pogrebnyak’s treble makes it five goals in three goals for the on-loan Stuttgart man, and Jol heralded the accomplished nature of the eastern European marksman’s finishing.
“I’ve got to say that of course he scored at the right moments which he didn’t do in the first part of the first half because we had so many shots on goal but we couldn’t score and luckily enough after that he scored the goal which was because that is what we needed.
“I didn’t know that he had a right foot as the goal which Andy Johnson had the assist (Fulham’s fourth goal) was a perfect goal, so yeah, he makes a name for himself.
“Even in Germany they will think, he’s probably scored more goals than in the 18 games that he played in Germany (for Stuttgart),” he concluded.
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is set to move to West Brom, according to The Sun, in a record £7 million move.
Roy Hodgson has identified Reading striker Long as the man to fire them up the table this season and see’s him as the perfect partner for Peter Odemwingie.
Talks between the Irish strikers representatives and Albion took place over the weekend and the Premier League club are now ready to agree a fee with the Royals.
Hodgson wants the deal done as quickly as possible so he can have Long in place to make his debut against Manchester United on Sunday.
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni believes the move will improve him as a player with the 72-year old Italian giving it his seal of approval.
Trapattoni said: “He can learn off a new manager in a better league against stronger opponents.
“This is an important step in his evolution. Roy Hodson can help Shane with different playing styles.”
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If the transfer does go through it would prove to be a major coup for Albion with the player being courted by a number of clubs this summer.
They will have to be wary of late bids from the likes of Newcastle and Everton who still have Long in their crosshairs.
Arsene Wenger reaffirms his commitment to Arsenal after reports in France suggested that he is considering his future at the end of the season. Apparently Wenger claimed that if he wasn’t able to get the best out of his players then he will look to move on, while also suggesting that the loss of Fabregas and Nasri was a significant blow to his plans for this season.
Elsewhere in the news Villas-Boas is slowly making his mark at Chelsea; Fergie claims Phil Jones was a steal at £16.5m, while Dalglish stands by Carroll.
Wenger reaffirms Arsenal commitment – Guardian
Terry and Suarez to back anti-racism campaign in Stamford Bridge clash – Daily Mail
Villas-Boas makes his mark – Daily Telegraph
Dalglish stands by Carroll after Capello fuels doubts – Independent
Chelsea plot £20m raid for Toon star – Mirror
Rafael van der Vaart says Adebayor is the reason for his great form – People
Blackburn boss Kean all set to net a ‘decent’ pay rise despite struggles – Daily Mail
Sir Alex: Phil Jones was a £16.5m steal – Mirror
Liverpool set to secure Chris Samba signing – People
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Blatter’s new controversy – this time over tickets – Independent
It is over a decade since Howard Wilkinson’s Charter for Quality reforms changed the youth development system in England, and it appears that the time has come for another revamp of the youth set-up in this country. The Premier League have announced the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which if fully approved could come in as early as next year, making whole-scale changes to the academy set up in this country. The aim of the plan is to revamp the youth development system in order to produce more top quality home-grown players to benefit both clubs and the national team.
The EPPP is a dramatic reform, which paves the way for clubs to match the Barcelona model of training youngsters. Current rules limit coaching hours and place travel restrictions on young players, but this plan aims to change all that. It is aiming to bring in 15-20 hours of coaching time per week for ages 9-16, up from the current target of 5 hours, which will bring it closer into line with other European countries. Coaching is currently limited to 2,000 hours between the ages of 10 and 18, but the EPPP would up that to around 10,000 hours, which will no doubt make a huge difference to the young players in England. It also aims to scrap the travel rule, which currently only allows sides to sign players based within 90 minutes travelling distance of the club. The new plan would mean that the bigger clubs could effectively take players from different areas and move them into a residential complex on site, the thought behind it being that the most promising players can only benefit from playing amongst the best.
Under the proposals, clubs youth operations will be put into one of four categories or tiers. Clubs in the highest tier will have far fewer restrictions placed upon them in terms of the amount of coaching time they can provide per week, and the age at which a child can be trained, also the travel restrictions will not apply to them. The cost of equipping a category one or two training facility means that these tiers will be out of reach for the majority of Football League clubs who have produced exceptional talent in the past. Restrictions in terms of accessing players will apply to tier three and four clubs, which could then force them to abandon their youth operations altogether, as they will not get access to players until a much later age. This could effectively mean that the best youngsters will all end up at the bigger clubs no matter where they come from, as the smaller clubs might not have the funds or resources, to be able to compete in this area.
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Manchester City have already announced plans for a huge new training complex, which would place them at the forefront of youth development in this country. Fortunately for them they are in the luxury position of being able to create such a complex, but the teams that will be able to achieve anything like this are few and far between. The EPPP could rule out very good academies because of money, which is wholly unfair to smaller clubs.
The changes in the constraints on travel and the notion of compensation being restricted to smaller clubs, could also have a very negative aspect. Smaller clubs who see their youth academy as an additional revenue steam, would lose out on this valuable income, and it could render their programs ineffective. It would be terrible if small clubs had to abandon running their youth set-ups, and could effectively work the opposite way and kill youth development in this country. The changes could make the system more elitist, with finance dictating what category a clubs academy belongs to, and smaller clubs forced to close their academies due to the financial strain.
A large proportion of top quality Premier League and England stars actually came from the lower leagues and were produced by smaller clubs, so it would be a shame if these academies were eradicated. It seems that the changes-which seem to be coming from the Premier League instead of the FA-are not in the interest of the lower tier clubs, and clearly favour the bigger clubs, which poses problems. The Football League still have to ratify the plan before it gets the go ahead, but you would think that they would have to make some changes to the plan, as it does nothing to favour clubs in the lower tiers. Compensation levels need to properly weighted to ensure the smaller clubs can survive, and the restrictions in terms of access to young players need to be more lenient than they are set out to be in the plan. There must be a place for smaller clubs in the programme, as they have produced so many talented youngsters over the past few decades, they provide vital experience and more often than not can toughen up a player, before he moves onto a bigger side to progress his career.
The ideas behind revamping youth development are long overdue, but there are other changes that need to be implemented as well. The link between academies and the first team has to be stronger, as there is plenty of top quality talent at the bigger academies who don’t get a fair shot to make their senior side. If the big clubs are having first options on the nations talent, then they have to ensure that young players will be given the experience they need in order to give them the best chance of making it in the game. We don’t want even more youngsters to fall by the wayside, which seems to happen far too frequently in the modern game. At the top clubs, young players often sit and watch on as money is thrown about and foreign players are brought in, which render it impossible for them to breakthrough into the first teams.
The changes proposed-particularly regarding coaching time-are likely to overhaul youth development in this country, but other changes also need to made. The way children are selected for academies, the manner in which they are developed, and the transition between academy and first team level must be looked at, if we are to truly revamp youth football in England. The EPPP does propose some radical changes, but these are unlikely to have the desired effect on youth development unless the whole mindset and attitude around the youth system in England is changed as well.
Do you think the elite player performance plan is likely to make any difference to youth development in this country? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below, or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
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Juan Mata’s arrival at Chelsea in the summer has seen new manager Andre Villas-Boas deliver on his promise of expansive, attacking football. The former Valencia man has brought a real spring to the step of an aging Chelsea squad and provided the much-needed boost to put Fernando Torres on the right path to his form of old.
With Glen Johnson being a far better attacking full-back than one who excels in the art of defence, manager Kenny Dalglish may look to the returning Jamie Carragher (if fit) to keep the Spanish international quiet. With a back-four that has not always been up to standard, Juan Mata may look to exploit the lack of pace in Jamie Carragher and target the Liverpool defender as a weak-link in a possible right-back position.
Needles to say, much of Chelsea’s attacking creativity will come through Mata, a player well versed in the possession football Roman Abramovich is so desperate to see at Stamford Bridge. A player who is lethal in front of goal and with the creative touch to unlock a Liverpool side who will be dogged in their defence, stopping Juan Mata may be the key to a Liverpool result next weekend.
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Finally Barcelona have sealed one of their top summer transfer targets: Alexis Sanchez. The young Chilean signed for 23 million which could rise to 33 depending on clauses. He is a very versatile player, and can play in all three attacking positions. However, it will be a daunting task for him to break into one of the most deadly attacking units in the history of the game.
Sanchez is a big signing for Barcelona, but a huge risk. He did not come cheaply, and he doesn’t have years of experience in La Liga or another top European League. There is no guarantee that he will fit into their style or be a success, so it is a massive risk for them to take, and it isn’t the first time they have done that over the last few years, and it has not always come off in their favour.
Where exactly will Sanchez fit at Barca? Well, he is highly unlikely to displace Messi, however, should Messi suffer an injury, he could provide back-up, but will he be content to sit on the bench? Clearly he will have to adapt to Spanish football so won’t go straight into Barcelona’s starting line up, but could he eventually dislodge David Villa or Pedro? Again it would seen crazy to disrupt a winning formation; Pedro and Villa have 98 goals between them in 62 games in the last 10 months, and Pedro has been absolutely fundamental to Barcelona. The competition for places though may inspire the team to even greater heights.
Sanchez is very young and is likely to be a signing for the long term, in the short term it seems as if it is versatility that he has been signed for, he can provide an option or a plan B should Barcelona need one. What does the signing mean for some of their youngsters though? Bojan, never quite made the breakthrough, though he was hardly given a chance with the quality ahead of him. He has just moved on to Roma in a convoluted deal, which means Barca can buy him back for almost the same price in two years time. Ibrahim Afellay is another bright young player who could be forced out by Barcelona’s transfer policy, as he finds himself even further down the pecking order.
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Having acquired Sanchez, Barcelona are now likely to step up their pursuit of Fabregas, yet again a player with undoubted talent and style but for the amount of money they will need to pay, it is difficult to see where he fits in. He isn’t going to dislodge Iniesta or Xavi, so would he serve as another bench warmer? Again he would be excellent cover should one of the two get injured, but why would a player like Fabregas be content to sit on the bench? Is there a complete lack of ambition amongst modern players? I can see that they want to play for the best team in the world, and win trophies, but if you aren’t going to play, then is there any sense in you being there? Over the last few years we have seen the same with players like Hleb, Henry and Gudjohnsen. Barcelona continually seem to buy players that they simply don’t need.
This is not to say that all their signings are bad, look at the signing of Pique, that was a great signing, he wasn’t hugely expensive, and he has proved very successful. Dani Alves and Keita are another two good signings, but for every one of those there has been an Ibrahimovic, Hleb or Chygrynskiy: expensive flops who are no longer at the club, having been loaned out cheaply or sold on at a loss.
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It seems that in relation to the needs of the side the signings-should they get him-of Fabregas and indeed Sanchez are far too expensive, and wholly unnecessary. To spend the amount they are spending on players who may play little more than a bit-part role in the side seems ludicrous. Surely, they should be addressing the real positions in which they need new recruits. The ageing Puyol is likely to be restricted in the amount he can play as he continues to struggle with injuries, so some cover at the back is clearly required. Sense must prevail in their seemingly senseless transfer policy and rather than just signing players for the sake of it, they should begin to address the real needs of the team.
What do you make of Barca’s transfer policy? Comment below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter and let me know your views.
Remember the internet joke doing the rounds in the summer about a certain Titus Bramble coming to the Arsenal? If you missed it some mischievous cove used Twitter to spread the rumour that the bungling Bramble was on his way to the Emirates and that Arsene Wenger was convinced it was he, not Per Mertersacker, Gary Cahill, Chris Samba or Phil Jagielka, who was the answer to our defensive woes.
My how we laughed.
Fast forward a few weeks and we’re not laughing anymore are we? Why? Because TV5 is bleedin’ crocked again and we are back to square one. Yes, the big German from Werder Bremen has provided rearguard reinforcements. But can you say, with hand on heart, that you are encouraged by the fact that we must rely on either Johan Djourou or Laurent Koscielny as his partner? To be fair, the latter is the better bet but has he fully recovered from his back injury in time for Saturday? What’s that? Seb Squillaci? Nurse, more pain-killers, please.
Which takes me back wild and inaccurate rumours (and Lord knows I know what I am talking about here) – and may I refer the honourable gentlemen to the answer I gave some moments ago (Bramble)…for we have a ready-made former international central defender in our midst. A stalwart stopper who is training with the Gunners, isn’t attached to a club and can be signed on a short-term deal until the entire medical team at the club are sectioned and TV5 is nurtured back to fitness.
Yes, step forward Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell. Dare AW do it? Hire a player that was shown the door in the summer after a stuttering spell at Newcastle United? He knows the boss. He knows the players. He knows the set-up. Is he up to it? Discuss…
Article courtesy of Carl Eldridge from the excellent Arsenal Insider
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