Former Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has hit out at the shock sacking of West Bromwich Albion manager Roberto Di Matteo.
Allardyce – who was sacked himself this season – said West Brom were always going to struggle in the English Premier League this campaign after securing promotion from the Championship.
He attributed their poor results and relegation battle down to a small budget and not Di Matteo’s managerial ability.
“When West Brom came up into the Premier League it was always going to be hard for them to survive. Teams with limited budget will always find times to be tough and results won’t always go your way,” Allardyce told Eurosport.
“Generally, the chairman at West Brom has always been patient even when they’ve been relegated in previous seasons, but this time the club appears to really want to stay in the Premier League.”
“Roberto’s results recently perhaps haven’t been what the club expected, so they have done something that they haven’t done previously by changing the manager to see if they can stay in the Premier League.”
Allardyce stated had the Italian boss not earned the Hawthorns-based club promotion last campaign, he might still have a job.
“I am sure that Roberto will feel confused and dazed as to why this has happened as he was a hero last season getting West Brom promoted. He also had a brilliant start to the new campaign,” he said.
“There is always going to be a bad run which has lasted longer than probably Roberto expected. He has been a victim of his early success, I would probably agree with that.”
A former assistant coach at Albion, the 56-year-old Allardyce did not rule out taking over the struggling club and steering them to safety this term.
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.
“My management skills are more suited to developing teams to be better than what they were before, and not just about avoiding relegation,” he said.
“My main aim (in coaching) is to finish as high up the top of the Premier League as possible. I have the ability to help teams survive.”
“But I want to aim for the top and position teams higher than people would normally expect them to finish, as when Bolton qualified for Europe and reached cup finals.”
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew feels that Andy Carroll’s future at Liverpool is doomed, and that the England international will be sold this summer.
The Anfield club have replaced Kenny Dalglish with Brendan Rodgers this summer, with the Northern Irish boss looking to revamp the Reds’ playing squad.
Carroll is seemingly not part of Rodgers’ plans, and has been linked with a move away from Merseyside.
Despite the new trainer stating that Carroll will not leave on loan, a transfer may well be in order, and Pardew has stated that he does not see the striker staying at Liverpool for much longer.
“It’s a delicate situation,” Pardew told the Hartlepool Mail.
“It’s a transfer that I’m not particularly involved in, and it’ll stay like that. I think that it’ll still be a board level thing between Liverpool and whichever club takes Andy.
“I think that the writing is on the wall that Andy will go out of there in the summer. We’re just keeping a close eye on it.
“I thought that Alan Shearer’s comments were correct. There aren’t many clubs that Andy Carroll can go to. He needs to be a success this time,” Pardew 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.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for their former attacker but as yet there has been no news over progress of a deal.
The inevitable departure of Jose Enrique left many Newcastle United fans wondering whether they’d ever see a left back of his supposed class pound the turf at St James’ Park ever again.
The Spaniard’s defection to Liverpool at the beginning of August left a gaping hole in the squad, one that manager Alan Pardew needed to fill. But with restrictions on transfer fees and the kind of player he was allowed to buy many lost hope that a quality defender would be brought in replace the departed Enrique. Geordie fans were worried that they’d be lumbered with inferior players like Nicky Shorey or Wayne Bridge who just weren’t up to par with the expectations on Tyneside. Despite PSV Eindhoven’s Erik Pieters being the prime target for Pardew he sprang a huge surprise when he announced the signing of 20-year-old Italian Davide Santon from Inter Milan. Capped by the national side and with a glowing endorsement from former boss Jose Mourinho it seemed like Newcastle had pulled off a massive coup. Unfortunately the comparisons to a former Italian misfit immediately began to surface and questions were raised as to whether he was a suitable enough replacement.
13 years ago Alessandro Pistone made a similar move whilst Kenny Dalglish was manning the dugout at St James’. A huge amount of hype surrounded the young Italian after a fantastic season in Serie A with Inter and Newcastle felt that they had pulled off a massive feat in bringing him in for the small sum of £4.5 million. Fast forward 12 months and Pistone was the subject of much derision from Geordie fans with his under-par performances and inability to get to grips with the Premier League seeing him fail to live up to the heady expectations set by those in black and white. Inter must have been laughing all the way to the bank and there is now the fear that Santon will go the same way as his predecessor. It’s easy to see why many fans will go down that route of thinking, with the parallels between the two almost indistinguishable. Unfortunately some fans will come to this conclusion and one bad game will see them instantly write Santon off as another Pistone and claim he isn’t fit to clean Enrique’s boots. I don’t speak for every Newcastle fan but I bet my bottom dollar there will be some who utter those exact words.
[ad_pod id=’vip-2′ align=’centre’]
If anyone ever does say that I’d respectfully disagree because the young Italian is a fine player and at his age can still improve. I’ve watched him a few times for Inter and his calmness and composure on the ball, for a full back, is incredible. Santon actually has a level of intelligence about his play that will fit in well with the new on-field philosophy at Newcastle, which is to pass the ball and work openings. His decision making and reading of the game is also pretty good and I’d go as far as to say it’s superior to that of Enrique’s who used to get caught out quite a lot and had to use his pace and strength to recover situations. On the subject of speed Santon has that in abundance, as he is lightning quick up and down the wing and can also deliver crosses with either foot. His ambidexterity will certainly be his biggest asset in his maiden season as it will allow him to charge down the line and deliver a cross or cut inside and have a shot on goal.
There are a few concerns though over whether he will be able to withstand the physical nature of the Premier League and whether he will smoothly adjust to a new country and culture, but he wouldn’t be the first to have proved that theory wrong. I believe Newcastle have an exciting talent on their hands and a worthy replacement for the departed Enrique. Santon possess’ a lot of the same qualities as the Spaniard and at 20-years of age has time to develop and acclimatize to the rigors of English football. There is no doubt in my mind that he will go in the opposite direction to Alessandro Pistone and will be a major success at St James’ Park. Not every defender is labeled the next Paolo Maldini are they?!
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.
Agree, disagree and fancy a debate? Follow me on twitter @Kajynnep and make yourself known!
[divider]
Ever fancied be a VIP at a football match – sign up to 188Bet to be in with a chance
Sunday’s match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane has set tongues wagging about the disparity of fortune in what fans want from their football – entertainment, high quality, or success. Ideally, supporters of their team would like all three, but it does not always work out like that.
United, for the most part looked jagged in midfield as many of their old guard were often left floundering by the pace in abundance that Tottenham have at their disposal. There were many times that the Red Devil’s midfield were resigned to stand back and let Gareth Bale and co run through for fear of obstructing them and committing a foul, which, on another day, could have had severe consequences for them in the form of goals. This must be a worry for Alex Ferguson and his men, even if they are top of the pile and undefeated. Obviously, they have pace in abundance themselves in players such as Nani and Rafael – the latter who, as we know, did find repercussions in trying to handle the speed of Spurs – but it was left up to Fergie’s back four to make sure that Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart’s surging runs in midfield did not lead to an onslaught on Edwin Van der Sar’s goal. For all the praise attributed to United’s defence, Patrice Evra was often caught napping by Aaron Lennon on the wing leading to Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand having to be at their best in dealing with the inevitable crosses that Lennon would deliver from his trusty right-foot, all of which left little room for direct goalmouth action.
Judging from the first five minutes, it seemed that that was exactly what we were going to get as Bale and Wayne Rooney had shots at goal in quick succession at either end of the pitch, but there were not many throughout the rest of the game considering the attacking options that both sides have at their disposal although Harry Redknapp’s side did sometimes give Vidic and Ferdinand a job to do. Despite the comments about it being a match of high quality I am sure that, unless one is a stickler, obsessed with the art of defending, they would have preferred a ‘Liverpool vs. Newcastle United 4-3 from 1996’ type of game as opposed to the one we witnessed on Sunday.
It was nowhere near as frantic as the north-London side’s’ encounter with the club from the Blue side of Manchester on the opening day of this season, where Harry Redknapp’s team bombarded Manchester City’s goal with shot after shot after shot only for the eventual man-of-the-match, Joe Hart, to disappoint them. And I think that on a whole, that is what fans expect, because even if a match produces no goals, there is still vast room for an enthralling tussle that brings the viewer to the edge-of-their-seat like Spurs’ early season battle with City. In Sunday’s game, the two respective keepers, Heurelho Gomes and Edwin Van Der Sar, had little saves to make, with much of the football being played out near the half-way line, which is the type of football one can sit back and admire rather than being on the verge of jumping for joy or collapsing in despair. It is the not knowing of when and where the next spot of genius, misfortune or lapse of concentration will come from that can change the fortunes of a club in an instance. People are passionate about football and it is the end-to-end goalmouth scrambles that are emotion inducing and that is what a substantial proportion of what football is about – emotion.
This ‘emotion’ can also force one to think the other way in that as long as their team gets the results that bring them affluence, the excitement does not matter for it is the personal bond that that fan feels with its club that matters and the fact that they can hold their head up high when interacting with friends, colleagues etc…because for many supporters it is what they live for and, whether a match is boring to the neutral, it is these factors that create in excitement for fans, end-to-end game or not.
Continued on Page TWO
If that is more important to followers of a club than having lots of nice free-flowing football in the middle of the park, but with nothing or little at the end of it, then Sunday’s game was a good example of that. As I stated earlier, ideally the ‘fan’ would like everything – the great interactive play with lots of goals and success, but it is only rare forces of nature such as the current Barcelona side that can carry off these feats all at once, so it raises the question about what matters about football and what it is or should be; entertainment, quality or from a fan’s point of view, simply the success of the club that he or she follows?
I am sure that the majority of Arsenal fans who were witness to the George Graham era at their club from 1986 to 1995 – one that led to the constant cries of ‘boring, boring Arsenal’ – were not at all fazed by their low scoring games and entertainment value when it yielded two League Cups, two league titles, an FA Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup. I am sure West Ham fans of the ‘Paolo Di Canio’ era – a side that many mutual supporters referred to as their ‘second team’ – would have swapped their high octane performances for a few trophies. The same sentiment also applies to the marvellous displays constructed by the Newcastle United side of the mid to late 90’s. If fans of the Magpies looked back, one can assume that they would have swapped the way they played in winning a game ‘4-3’ for a style that grinded out a ‘1-0’ if it meant them winning their first league title since 1927, because, at the end of the day, hardly anyone remembers the runners-up in football, for which they were twice, in the Premiership.
Football fans are the nucleus of football; players, however pampered people feel that they have become, still thrive on the reaction of their fans and the adulation that comes with it. For some supporters, it is a day-out for all the family, the talking point for the pub, their life, and for our forbearers who decided to make football into an official sport, it was just basically a bit of fun, which is exactly why the players of yesteryear and today started playing it. Managers and players, first and foremost, want to win so whether they do compete the ‘George Graham’ way or stick to the if-you-score-three-we-will-score-four mantra that Kevin Keegan philosophized at Newcastle; it is the competitiveness that makes football a form of entertainment. Occasionally, there will be matches that do not create as much excitement and tension as others, which the fair-weather supporter will not find as engaging, but it is a matter of taste. A football connoisseur like Andy Gray will see the plus points of a match such as Sunday’s one between United and Spurs, but for the person who lets their partner or friend have their share of the television on a Sunday afternoon, they may have found it all rather tedious.
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.
Goals are essentially what make a match, whether it is the competitive element shown by the Arsenal side under Graham in stopping them being scored in order to be victorious, or hitting the net however way you can, as exemplified by the attacking football Keegan and Redknapp himself adhere to. The bits of skill that a player such as Van der Vaart displays on the pitch are aligned with outwitting his opponent in order to eventually get to the by-line either by himself or via a team-mate and score a goal that will put his side ahead. Goals, however little, are the be all and end all of football and scoring them and keeping them out is part of the fun in playing and watching it.
So it should be enjoyed for what it is; a sport where athletes try to win by whatever means. The entertainment factor should not be forced upon its competitors because it is there for all to see – it is self explanatory – even if a match has no goals to show for it, and if you do not want to watch or appreciate it, you can either not attend or switch off, just like anything else in this world. The actual game of football does not have a duty to serve anyone because the players and fans, who keep it alive, play and watch it for their own personal reasons, but because it has got so big in terms of money and outside people getting involved, some are trying to turn it into some sort of World Wrestling Entertainment scenario where it is constructed for a certain concept – that concept being ‘entertainment’. But whereas something like WWE is manipulated with storylines and incidents that are written, football is not like that because; as a juggler would juggle something on his own for the fun of it, a footballer would more than likely start exactly the same way, kicking a ball against a wall. It should basically just be a set up of teams playing each other for a prize as it is constructed to be nothing else but that. So leave the responsibility in forcing it to be entertainment to the fiction writers.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has revealed that foul language is part of the game, and will never be eradicated.
John Terry’s court case for supposedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand showcased the amount of swearing on the pitch, even at the top level, and the Czech Republic star feels this will continue.
“If every player had a microphone some people would be very surprised about what gets said on a football pitch,” Cech told The Sun.
“I think football always has been, and always will be, the same.
“You have a lot of adrenaline, a lot of joy, a lot of frustration. You cannot really take this away from the sport.
“You live the game for 90 minutes, 100 per cent focused, and you want the game to go your way.
“Sometimes the frustration or the happiness makes you swear and do things like that, but it is OK,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Cech has stated that the Stamford Bridge club must continue with business as usual after their captain was cleared of the racism charges.
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.
“We need to forget about the past and concentrate on the future. That is the only way,” he concluded.
Kenny Dalglish may have to sell before he can buy if he wishes to make further additions to the squad this summer. Damien Comolli hinted that further funds need to be generated by clearing some of the dead wood at Anfield.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include Liverpool should learn from their mistakes with Torres; Gerrard speculation wide of the mark and what next for Lucas Leiva?
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
*
Is this Liverpool’s ideal starting XI next season?
Has Kenny Dalglish done enough?
What next for Lucas Leiva?
Liverpool should learn from their mistakes with Torres when handling Suarez
Are Liverpool sacrificing long-term development for short-term gain?
Why speculation about Gerrard is wide of the mark
Conflict of Styles or Will it All Blend Together at Liverpool?
Liverpool set to sign young duo
Liverpool now favourites to land Championship ace
*Best of WEB*
Did we do justice to the £47million spent this summer? – Live4Liverpool
The youth of today, the stars of tomorrow – Liverpool FC’s academy – This is Anfield
Do Liverpool Possess Enough ‘Magic’? – Tomkins Times
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.
What happened the last time Dalglish rebuilt a Liverpool side? – Our Kop
Out Of The Frying Pan…? – This is Anfield
*
Click on Davide’s misses below to see here in all her glory
Uzbekistan striker Ulugbek Bakaev made himself a household name in his homeland on Friday, according to manager Vadim Abramov.
The country qualified for the Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time with a 2-1 win over Jordan, and Abramov spoke highly of Bakaev, whose brace of goals sealed a groundbreaking result for his nation.
“I gave him a chance and he scores two goals. He has made history and everybody now knows his name in Uzbekistan,” Abramov said.
“In Uzbekistan, I think everybody is very, very happy because we are going to the next round but I also think that people can see now that Uzbekistan can play good football.”
Bakaev scored twice in the space of three second-half minutes after he was introduced to the game just after the break, and Uzbekistan will face either Australia or Iraq for a spot in the final of Asia’s premier soccer tournament.
Jordan manager Adnan Hamad was proud of his side’s effort to push Uzbekistan all the way in their loss, but was disappointed with the lapse in focus that saw his side concede two quick goals.
“There was very little concentration at the start of the second-half, some players were affected by knocks but this is football. But I’m happy with my team and I believe they have a good future ahead of them,” Hamad said.
“We don’t have an incisive forward with pace. The formation that we had was the best I could put together according to my expectations and we reached the quarter-finals.”
Hamad signalled his intention to remain in the top job with the Jordanian national team for the next three years, as he prepares for bigger and better things for the team.
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.
“The next stage for us is to prepare for qualification for the World Cup (in Brazil),” he said.
“I have full confidence in my team. My contract expires in April but I’m very happy working with Jordan and the players that have served their country well.”
New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed outgoing Reds boss Kenny Dalglish and admitted that the Scot is always welcome back at the club.
The Anfield outfit’s owners Fenway Sports Group decided to axe the legendary Merseyside figure after a disappointing 2011-12 season, with the Swansea City trainer the man to take over in the hotseat.
The Northern Irish boss has stated that Dalglish is always welcome back at the club and that he will not be able to compare to the Reds great.
“I have the ultimate respect for Kenny Dalglish,” The Guardian report Rodgers as saying.
“My door is always open for Kenny Dalglish. This is his home. He is the heart and soul of this club. His love for this club is unrivalled. He is the best player in the history of this club.
“I am not here to win any race or competition. This guy is a legend in the game and here at Liverpool Football Club. But what I know is history judges you as a manager and hopefully in time people will look back at what I have achieved here and I can walk beside these people.
“But there is no way I can try and overtake someone like Kenny Dalglish. All I can do is be myself. This is a prestigious club and this is a guy who has a wonderful history here and will continue to have a great future in terms of Liverpool. I can’t worry about that. The only way you can overcome that is by winning,” 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.
League Two side Crawley Town have upstaged AFC Wimbledon 3-2 in their Carling Cup qualifying clash on Friday.Crawley made headlines last season with a fairytale run in the FA Cup, which saw them travel to Old Trafford where they lost to Manchester United in the fifth round.
After earning promotion by winning the Conference National division, Crawley have begun their League Cup campaign in style by coming from behind twice to beat fellow promoted side Wimbledon.
The visitors at Broadfield Stadium took the lead on 26 minutes, when Luke Moore found the back of the net, before Hope Akdan ensured the sides went to the break at 1-1 with his 38th-minute effort.
Wimbledon off-season signing Jack Midson, acquired from Oxford United, put his new side back in front just a minute into the second half.
But goals to Sergio Torres (53rd minute) and Matt Tubbs (64th) ensured the home side will enter the League Cup’s first round proper, where they will take on Championship side Crystal Palace.
Manchester United and Manchester City are not only battling on the pitch for the Premier League title, but off it they’re also in competition when it comes to signing new players. The player that both halves of Manchester are keeping an eye on is Brazilian Paulo Henrique Ganso, who has put both United and City on alert after an outburst against his current club Santos.
Ganso has been touted as Brazil’s next great hope in the middle of the park, with comparisons already being made with Kaka as he likes to sit in the hole behind the strikers. However, it appears that he is far from happy with the stalling of his contract negotiations that was a result of a knee injury he picked up.
Ganso is quoted in the Daily Mail saying that “nothing has been resolved, there is no signature on the contract. It has been five months and nothing. To not be valued by your club is complicated. Talks were closed because Santos stopped coming to me.’”
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 clear that the 21-year-old is frustrated by the developments at his club and it could be the opportunity to pounce that both Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini have been waiting for. The delay in signing a new contract incidently is the result of Chelsea’s pursuit of Ganso’s Santos teammate Neymar in the summer, which led to the Brazilian club doing all they could to keep him.