All posts by h79snht.top

What to do if you’re Aston Villa?  Following Randy Lerner’s takeover it appears to have gone all quiet in the Midlands, that is until arch rivals Birmingham City started to splash the cash.  Are Villa in danger of losing their status as the number one club in the Midlands?  Are they that broke?  With their recent striking crisis, we ask who can they realistically sign to kickstart their season?

Whilst the usual Robbie Keane for £6million rumours will once again surface over Christmas, just in time for the January transfer window, Villa have been hit with a worrying loss of form, a spate of injuries and rumours of in-fighting with most of their strikers.  The question is now, what is Gerard Houllier to do?  Does he have the cash to spend?  Should he remain true to Villa’s recent successful policy of buying British or should he look abroad, perhaps to his homeland?  Can Villa still attract the big names?  And what’s more, is a striker even their priority?

It has been asked in some quarters, and rightfully so, what happened to the Milner money?  As Milner moved on, following Gareth Barry, and with Stiliyan Petrov’s recent injury, their midfield seems to have lost spark and creativity.

Ashley Young and Stephen Ireland have somewhat solved this problem as a short term measure but with these two, Stewart Downing and the revelation that is Mark Albrighton, does the midfield need a shake up or do these young wingers just need a new stirker to aim at?

Villa have been unlucky.  Emile Heskey, seemingly rejuvenated under Houllier, got injured.  Gabriel Agbonlahor is only now returning following a spell on the treatment table, John Carew has had injuries, the ‘flu and an argument with the manager if the papers are to be believed and Nathan Delfouneso has been forced to start, which perhaps shows their lack of options in front of goal.  Recent enquiries have been made by Houllier, in an attempt to solve this crisis, for Bafetimbi Gomis, but whether this will amount to much remains to be seen.

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Should Villa gamble on young English or lower league talent?  Adel Taarabt is one rumour that could have some legs, but is he enough to satisfy the fans?  And what of Fabian Delph?  Although his step up to the bigtime has been steady, he appears more the enforcer at Villa Park rather than the creative spark they desperately need.  What fans would do for the next Dwight Yorke right now.  Or Marlon Harewood at the very least…

Chelsea have announced that Michael Emenalo will become the club's new assistant manager following Ray Wilkins' departure last week.

The Premier League champions allowed Wilkins to leave Stamford Bridge after his contract expired and the former Nigeria international has been handed the role to assist current head coach Carlo Ancelotti on a full-time basis.

Emenalo, 45, joined the club in 2007 under former manager Avram Grant and he has been promoted from his position as head opposition scout.

A statement on the club's official website read:"Chelsea football club is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Emenalo to the position of assistant first team coach. He moves up from his previous position of head opposition scout.

"Michael has been an important part of the first team management structure since his arrival in October 2007, and his promotion to assistant first team coach is recognition of his efforts to date.

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"Michael will continue to oversee the first team scouting operation as he makes the transition to coaching. He will split the initial period between assisting first team coach Carlo Ancelotti and updating his coaching qualifications as he takes on this bigger and more influential role."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Robbie Keane

A fairly obvious choice really, I simply feel that as he just isn’t being played at all there is no need to hold onto the player. It’s no longer even a case of if you think he’s a good player or not, although I do think he is no longer of Spurs quality having previously served the club extremely well. It is fairly obvious through the lack of time he has spent on the pitch that Harry Redknapp believes he’s no longer of the quality required, and that is what is more important. There is no point having a 30-year-old sitting on the bench constantly at any club, or sometimes not even making that. This is especially true when he is one of the highest paid players at the club. He needs to be shipped out to save on the Tottenham wage bill. Although it will probably be at a loss at least there are clubs out there that will pay money for Keane at the moment and they may not in the Summer after another six months of him not playing.

David Bentley

He was a costly mistake in my mind. I feel the main reason he has stuck around for so long at Tottenham is the club want to recuperate as much of what they spent on him as they can. As he has not been playing much this would obviously not be anywhere near the amount Spurs spent, therefore they may wish to hold on to him to get value out of him whilst getting rid of cheaper alternatives such as Kranjcar, which I think would be mistake. The best thing to do is just to take the financial loss with Bentley and move on. He doesn’t add that much to the team, is extremely slow and for essentially a squad player is not very versatile. The few times that he has been on the pitch this season he has done little to change my opinion of him.

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Jamie O’Hara

I debated for a while which final player to have, as there are a fair few hanging on in Tottenham’s massive squad, but I still believe players like Dos Santos or Kranjcar can add something to the team either this season or next. So I settled on O’Hara, again he just doesn’t add anything to the squad. He has been injured for the majority of this season so far. So perhaps he is unfortunate not to have got a look in during the recent glut of injuries to central midfield. But Spurs have better options in central midfield to accompany Modric; Huddlestone Palacios and Jermaine Jenas (who has performed far better than I thought he was capable of in recent games, and because of that has avoided being on this list himself) are all higher in the pecking order. And now with Sandro arriving as the up and coming youngster in that role it’s hard to see where O’Hara will get a look in.

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Walcott is an excellent player who does not realise it.

Theo Walcott is quite simply the Marmite Man of the Premier League! 50% of football fans think he has quality attributes, whilst 50% see him as nothing more than a player who has a decent turn of pace. If you’re an Arsenal fan, you may agree when I say that Theo Walcott strikes me as an incredibly talented player lacking in self-belief. As you will also read later in the article, Walcott compares very similarly to Gareth Bale this season, but with one fundamental difference…

I’d like to initially highlight what I think Walcott does well; the clear strengths of his game. Walcott has lightning pace, which I feel he relies on too much at times. I have no doubt that Walcott’s pace both with and without the ball is a superb attribute to have in what is an increasingly fast paced game. It is difficult to name any players who are quicker than Walcott in the Premier League. He shows maturity on the pitch, perhaps something that has been instilled since his move to Arsenal in 2006. Whilst I do not mind admitting I dislike Arsene Wenger in many ways, his ability to spot and nurture potential in young football players is sensational. Walcott is good in possession of the ball; showing he can confidently pass the ball and maintain possession in keeping with Arsenal’s style of play.

There are a few key aspects to Theo Walcott’s game which if improved would put him right up with the best wide players in the Premier League. Firstly, Walcott’s final pass lets him down; when you consider the number of excellent positions he can get himself into. Walcott is equally happy coming deeper to collect the ball and beat a player, or playing on the shoulder and bursting into space in the channels. What often follows such scenarios is a poorly placed final pass that results in the goal scoring opportunity being lost. I do believe that this is something Walcott is improving. Two assists in the 3-0 victory over West Ham at the weekend shows that he can be composed in the final third when it counts.

Similar to my previous point, Walcott at times seems to lack composure and belief in front of goal. When you consider his pace and ability to craft scoring opportunities, 15 goals in 100 games is not an outstanding record for a player like Walcott. You get the feeling that Walcott is always looking to play somebody else in, instead of adding a ‘selfish’ side to his game; one I feel would drastically improve his success in front of goal.

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Whilst we could assess Walcott’s game in a deeper context, the main problem essentially comes down to one thing… consistency. The 21 year old can at times look unplayable, but can anyone honestly say that this happens anywhere near frequently enough? Walcott will follow an outstanding individual performance with a lackluster and frustrating performance; and I just wish we could see the best of Walcott week in week out. Whilst it may not be completely appropriate to compare Theo Walcott with Gareth Bale, the two players are expected to produce similar things. Both are expected to get chalk on their boots (play in wide positons). Both are expected to beat opposition full-backs and create chances in front of goal for themselves and others. Statistically in the Premier League, you can barely separate each of them this season. Walcott’s six goals are only one shy of Bale’s seven. Simiarly Walcott’s four assists are one better than Bale’s three this season.

However, one startling fact is that Walcott has played 1252 minutes LESS than Gareth Bale in this season’s Premier League. Considering the hype that has been made about Gareth Bale this season, the statistics show Walcott has has had an equally successful season having played an incredible 21 hours less football than Bale!

I do not think Walcott has reached his full potential yet, but I am an advocate of the fact that he could without doubt become the Premier League’s best and most threatening wide-man. I also think that so much is being made of Gareth Bale when he has achieved little more than Theo Walcott in this season’s Premier League. Granted, the hype surrounding Bale has also been based on his performances in the Champions League, but I do not think he is significantly better than Walcott, but simply has more belief in his own ability.

An injury-free Theo Walcott playing on a regular basis is something I cannot wait to see. I believe that Walcott will finish this season with better Premier League statistics than Gareth Bale, despite playing 21 hours less football. One thing is for certain; Southampton have produced and subsequently lost two of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League. Hopefully those who still think Theo Walcott is a waste of space can be persuaded to think otherwise!

Written By Danny Holliday

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So whose place on the bench will Steven Pienaar warm?

For the first time in many years Tottenham have a wealth of talented midfielders at their disposal to more than cover every position. It seems an extremely strange signing unless Pienaar has been brought in to pave the way for the departure of one of Spurs first team players?

Pienaar by all accounts seems a model professional who has performed well under the guidance of David Moyes to become an integral part of the Everton team. The player was out of contract at the end of the season and offers are thought to have been tabled from top European clubs, in addition to Spurs and Chelsea. With such interest, the player must have been given certain assurances by Redknapp that he would be given a starting role in the Spurs line-up. Which poses the question, for whom?

On the left Bale has become a key figure in the Spurs midfield, as has Modric who has been a revelation in the central midfield role this season. Lennon has been much preferred to Kranjcar and Bentley on the right and VDV has cemented his place off of the main striker. So unless Redknapp intends to have the smallest, most vulnerable central midfield partnership in the league it would seem someone from the first team will be on their way.

For me Pienaar is a great player but a return of 12 goals from 132 appearances from an attacking midfielder suggests he is not an adequate replacement for any of these first team players. Pienaar is only a marginal improvement on the promising players Spurs already have at their disposal to come off the bench like Kranjcar, Gio, Sandro and Townsend whose first-team chances will now be even more limited.

What are your thoughts, will Pienaar be a bench warmer or does his arrival pave the way for the highly anticipated exit of one of Spurs most valuable assets?

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Holger Osieck was left to rue missed opportunities after Australia fell to Japan’s extra-time goal in the final of the Asian Cup.

The Socceroos enjoyed plenty of chances over the course of 120 minutes at Doha’s Khalifa Stadium, but were unable to breach Japan’s defence.

A technically accomplished volley from Tadinari Lee in the second half of extra time proved the difference, and Australia’s German coach could only watch on helpless after his players failed to find the net.

“We had our opportunities and what is always encouraging is the way we play and we create opportunities,” Osieck said.

“However, it is crucial to convert them and later on in the game it backfired and that is a problem. We had to be more clinical in our finishing and it’s not enough to win a game if you don’t score.”

“I’m very proud of my players, their performance and their attitude. I give them credit and really feel sorry for the boys that they didn’t get the reward for their efforts.”

“You can imagine in our dressing room it’s not a great atmosphere, everybody’s really sad.”

“All in all, our team represented Australia in a great way.”

Sanfrecce Hiroshima forward Lee found himself unmarked inside the box to strike the late winner, but Osieck refused to point fingers after the lapse.

“It was late into extra time and there was fatigue and it was probably the only positional mistake that we made,” he said.

“It was a very costly one and I don’t want to blame anyone. It was definitely not our regular defensive positioning but to have a go at any of the players is inappropriate.”

“We had six games in an intense tournament and twice we had to go into extra time so if there was no fatigue, then the players must be robots.”

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Australia captain Lucas Neil echoed the thoughts of his coach after seeing the team’s efforts undone by a single, costly error.

“We didn’t punish Japan when we had the half-chances and then one lapse in concentration punished us,” Neil said.

“It was probably due to fatigue in extra time but at this level it’s probably only going to take one mistake to win or lose the game.”

A wonder goal from Wayne Rooney sealed victory in the Manchester derby and extended their lead at the top of the Premier League. Elsewhere West Ham came back from 3-0 down to grab a point at the Hawthorns, while Tottenham’s 3rd win on the trot sees the North Londoners move back into the Champions League places.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Fergie out to land his man this summer; Chelsea eye Arsenal’s chief scout to replace Arnesen, while Julian Dicks to join the Hammers coaching staff.

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Fergie out to land his man – Sky Sports

Chelsea want Arsenal scout to replace Arnesen – Daily Telegraph

Manchester United’s £1.8bn asking price a put-off for Qataris – Daily Mail

Dicks to join Hammers staff – Sky Sports

Spurs lead the way in summer fight for Ipswich starlet Connor Wickham – People

Massey walks line again – Daily Telegraph

West Ham to face Olympic Stadium fight over moving into Orient’s patch – Daily Mail

Roma lining up Ancelotti as Ranieri eyes Prem return – Mirror

Exclusive: FA Cup Final switches to 5.30pm start in 2013 – People

Baines focused on self improvement – Daily Telegraph

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Stoke boss Tony Pulis has blamed a ‘shocking’ decision from the linesman for his side’s 1-1 draw with West Brom on Monday.The Potters led 1-0 after a Rory Delap header on 53 minutes and looked set for victory until on-loan striker Carlos Vela equalised for West Brom with three minutes remaining.

However, replays suggested both Vela and fellow striker Peter Odemwingie were offside in the lead-up to the goal, something which drew Pulis’ ire.

Pulis told Sky Sports: “We’re disappointed but we’ve not played well tonight. I thought that’s as poor as we’ve played all season.”

“Give West Brom credit for coming back at us after we’d scored the goal but then looking at their goal, it’s a shocking decision by the linesman.”

“If he (the linesman) can’t get that right then what’s he doing officiating at our level? It’s a poor, poor decision.”

“If it’s on the other side or far away whatever then fine but when it’s that close and he’s looking at the line, as he is – I’ve just seen the pictures now, he’s looking at the line – they’ve got to get those decisions right, they’re very, very important decisions.”

Vela could have won the match for the Baggies late on, forcing Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic into two excellent saves, and West Brom manager Roy Hodgson said his side had deserved a point even if their goal was controversial.

“Whenever you have a goal like that against you, you consider yourself unlucky,” Hodgson said.

“I couldn’t say whether or not it was (offside) but whenever you concede that type of goal you have the right to be frustrated or angry.”

“With the number of chances we created and the number of opportunities I think one goal is the least we could expect for our efforts.”

Hodgson is yet to have a win since replacing Roberto Di Matteo as manager at the Hawthorns, but the former Liverpool and Fulham boss said he was happy with the result which keeps West Brom one point above the relegation zone.

“I think you have got to be pleased when you come to Stoke and get a point,” Hodgson said.

“At times you thought we could have even taken all three points, but it was a good team performance and I am very happy with that.”

“I am happy with a point also because at least it keeps us going in the right direction.”

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has insisted he will send his team out to attack when they host reigning league champions Chelsea on Monday.Chelsea suffered a dip in form around the new year period but appear to be nearing their best again after beating English Premier League leaders Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.Blackpool were hammered 4-0 by Chelsea in west London in September and also shipped six against Arsenal in August.But despite those heavy defeats, Holloway will not encourage his side to sit back when they host Chelsea.”I’ll have to come up with something to try and hurt them and obviously we’ll try to attack because we want to win the game,” he said.But Blackpool will be without top scorer DJ Campbell and captain Charlie Adam, who are both suspended for the clash.And Holloway admitted: “I don’t think we’re the same team without DJ Campbell or Charlie Adam so I’m going to have to look for some different strengths in the players I’ve got left to pick.” “If you watched us last Saturday (when Campbell was sent off early on and Adam was suspended) we didn’t look anything like our usual selves and we weren’t playing the usual diagonal balls without Charlie.””It’s a good job we’ve still got him. He’ll be back in after this game because he’s an integral part of what we do.”On Chelsea’s mixed form, the Blackpool manager added: “I think they’re in fine fettle. They had a sticky spell.””The club has moved on and have just bought somebody (Fernando Torres) for 50 million pounds. Do I agree with that? Probably not. Can I argue with it? No. But they have and I have to deal with that.”There is good news for Holloway regarding some of the squad’s injured players. Defender Stephen Crainey could return in time for the clash after recovering from an ankle ligament injury he suffered in January.Meanwhile, midfielder Malaury Martin and defender Chris Basham are also in contention after featuring for the reserves during the week.

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova acknowledges his side face a tough challenge when they travel to face Valencia in La Liga.Reigning champions Barca defeated Valencia 2-1 in the first meeting between the two sides at the Camp Nou in October.They won 3-0 at home in the 2009/10 season, but could only draw 0-0 away at Valencia’s Estadio Mestalla.And Vilanova knows to expect another battle when Barca hit the road to face the league’s third-placed team. “We think that it will be a game like the previous two against Valencia, who are a good team and never make things easy,” Vilanova said.”Unai Emery is a very good manager, and the team always play well. Their play down the wings is dangerous, if they can overcome our pressure. On the counter they are dangerous … They are a fast team and make things difficult. They have some clever players as well.” While the Mestalla has been credited with playing a role in Valencia’s strong performances at home, Vilanova believes their record has more to do with the quality of the team.”It isn’t hard to play at the ground, rather that the team are hard to play against,” he said.”We have beaten them at home, but not there yet. We were able to draw with them the first year that we played, and they had more chances the second year than we did. They do a lot well and they pressurise well, bring the ball out well and have a good strategy.” “They are good in defence and it will be a hard game. What can we do? Well, if we are at our best, and they aren’t, then it is possible to win.”