Bolton could be thwarted in their attempts to sign Shaun Wright-Phillips with the Metro reporting his wage demands could scupper the deal.
The Trotters are favourites to sign the Manchester City wide man who is considered surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium.
Boss Owen Coyle is a long term admirer of the England winger and knows he faces competition from Wigan, Aston Villa and Sunderland for his signature.
He remains keen on bringing Wright-Phillips to the Reebok Stadium despite his wage demands.
Coyle said: “He’s a player I like and have always liked, but then you know that from last year.
“In an ideal world, I’d be interested if he was available, and I have to say ‘if’ because there have been stories hanging around that we’ve been granted permission to speak to him.
“I don’t know about the other clubs but I haven’t been granted permission by anyone at Manchester City. He added
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“He’s very talented but you have to accept that sometimes players at the elite clubs are difficult because of finances.”
Coyle is desperate to sign a right sided winger after seeing Lee Chung-Yong and new signing Tyrone Mears break their legs last week whilst he also sold Matt Taylor to West Ham earlier this summer
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has pleaded with the club’s fans to give him time and back the side, despite the northern club’s poor start to the 2011-12 season.
Rovers have lost all three of their Premier League games this term, two of which were at home, and some of the Lancashire outfit’s fans have asked for the Scottish manager’s head.
Despite this, Kean has remained upbeat and feels the Ewood Park team will get out of danger.
“It doesn’t make me feel bad at all. I have a great relationship with the owners. I can understand the fans’ frustration that we don’t have points on the board right now, but if you speak with the fans and the way we are playing, I don’t think we could have done too much more,” he told Sky Sports News.
“I think there are a minority of the fans that are frustrated and we are sharing that frustration that we haven’t got points. But the way we are playing, with the squad that we have got, I think it’s a stronger squad than we had last year.”
When asked is he had a message for the disgruntled Rovers fans, Kean asked to be judged at the end of the transfer window, rather than after only three games.
“Bear with us. We have said judge us at the end of the transfer window because during the window we didn’t get players in as quickly as we wanted. I think we have got a stronger squad than we had last year, and I’m sure most of the fans would agree,” he concluded.
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Blackburn travel to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, and will know that a defeat will pile more pressure on the manager and the players.
For someone who has won almost everything there is to win domestically, and been nominated for the Ballon d’Or (coming only second to Ronaldinho), who all would agree was a different class of player at the time, Frank Lampard could be more than justified to act like a ‘big-time Charlie’, or at the very least demand the adulation he deserves from football fans.
Yet here is someone who divides fans more than most players, with the less intelligent football fans amongst us repeating over and over again that Lampard is an over-rated, over-paid and overweight player, who did not deserve the recognition he has achieved over a long career, does not deserve a place in the national team or the Chelsea midfield and the goals he is renowned for scoring from midfield were merely deflections, lucky shots or penalties. If this is the case, then twenty plus deflections a season must mean Lampard is one of the luckiest players ever to exist on a footballing field.
Lampard broke the record for the highest number of consecutive appearances for an outfield player, and has been ever-present in the Chelsea midfield over the last seven seasons – a midfield that under Mourinho was undoubtedly one of the best in the world. When Jose Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge, he told Lampard that whilst he was a great player, under his management, he was going to become world class, the complete midfielder. Jose was right, and Lampard has gone on to become a lynchpin in the Chelsea line up, and a major reason for their success.
Whilst Chelsea fans recognise this, and give Lampard the love and recognition that he deserves, fans of the national team have never quite taken to Lampard, and the player has been made a scapegoat for the failings of the ‘golden generation’ on more than one occasion.
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Even the most ardent of Lampard’s supporters would admit he has never quite delivered his best form for the national team, and there has been a difference from the Lampard seen at Stamford Bridge to the Lampard on display at Wembley. However, this has been the case for many English players, none more so than Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard, who despite struggling in an England shirt has never been berated and criticised by fans to the same level as Lampard.
There are many who feel that Lampard and Gerrard are too similar to play together and this is the reason why both fail when starting in the same eleven, and if a choice was to be made Gerrard should be the clear victor. Yet when Gerrard has started without Lampard, he has still not shone to the degree expected. The problems England had, and still face are far more complex than managers playing Lampard and Gerrard together, and the attitude, mentality and lack of spirit being huge issues within the national team.
The young crop of players emerging now more than warrant their place in the team, with older hands such as Scott Parker and Gareth Barry also in excellent form and making a solid claim to the starting line-up, it is more difficult than ever for Lampard to break into the national team. After being dropped against Bulgaria – something that came as a shock to the player who had been training as part of what was widely assumed to be the first eleven all week, there were whispers Lampard’s international career looked over.
Lampard returned to the starting line-up against Wales a week later, and put in a solid performance, yet did not last the 90 minutes and again came in for criticism from certain sections of the fan base.
Lampard has never been one to give up, spurred on in his club career by the abuse at West Ham and then England fans Frank has let his career blossom, and played an unimaginable amount of consecutive games, even taking a penalty in the Champion’s League Semi Final against Liverpool, just days after his beloved mother had passed away. Players of such character and heart do not give up.
There is much to come from Frank Lampard , and he is not the type of player to turn his back on anything. In reality he will relish the challenge. Whilst a place in the starting line up during Euro 2012, when he is a year older and younger players like Jack Wilshire and Tom Cleverley are a year more experienced, may be unlikely, a place in the squad is not. Lampard has invaluable experience and can rise to the plate when the game is at its toughest. As team mate and friend John Terry stated, ‘write Lampard off at your peril.’
Article courtesy of Rebecca Knight on This is Futbol
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Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney will return to the Manchester United starting line-up for the Champions League clash with Otelul Galati on Tuesday night.
The in-form attack was surprisingly left on the bench for the Premier League champions’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, as the Scottish coach felt that his international ban for England was playing on his mind.
Despite this, Rooney will play in the fixture in Romania, after being desperate to feature at Anfield.
“He’ll be playing tomorrow,” Ferguson declared in a pre-match press conference.
“When the initial news came through it was a definite blow for him. He didn’t expect that. None of us did.
“It was a silly action but it wasn’t seriously dangerous. When he realised getting a three-match ban meant missing all the games for England and might not be involved at all, it is not easy to qualify in major championships, that resonated in Wayne’s mind.
“But actually, when he came on he was quite bubbly. He was full of energy and enthusiasm.
“He was desperate to get on, which is good. When he was sat watching the game he probably said, ‘Christ I could be out there’,” Ferguson concluded.
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Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand will not feature against the Romanian champions, as he is being rested for the clash with Manchester City this Sunday.
Nemanja Vidic, who has missed all but one game of the campaign so far this term, is in line for a return however, after recovering from a calf problem.
Rafael van der Vaart is not best pleased with life at Tottenham Hotspur of late. He has been effectively marginalised in the first time by a switch in formation and the searing form of Luka Modric; he was incredulous at being left out of Spurs’ Europa League group stage squad, criticising the club for displaying a lack of ambition. Harry Redknapp took action at the weekend to correct the issue – but it backfired on Tottenham, nearly costing the team all three points at St James’ Park.
Redknapp’s tactical basis thus far in the 2011/12 Premier League season has been to stick to an old-fashioned but flexible 4-4-2 system, and it has worked wonders for Tottenham. Since their opening defeats at the hands of the Manchester giants, Spurs were in some of the best form in the league, as demonstrated by superb victories over both Liverpool and Arsenal.
But in an attempt to revitalise van der Vaart, who is not always effective in a wide position and lacks any desire to track back when his team is not in possession, Redknapp chose to return to last year’s unpopular 4-5-1 for the trip to Newcastle on Sunday, restoring van der Vaart to his preferred trequartista role while pushing Modric (right-footed) and Bale (left-footed) onto the left and right wings, respectively.
Clearly, van der Vaart’s low mood has forced Harry’s hand. It is well known of the mercurial Dutchman that he is not blessed with the world’s most resolute mindset. But just as obvious is that Redknapp and Tottenham have not learned how to deal with temperamental star players, despite their previous experience of such personalities (David Ginola springs to mind, for some reason).
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Modric has been quoted this week as saying he is unsure he wants to sign a new deal at White Hart Lane – although since he is already tied down to the club for five years, with Daniel Levy showing no sign of wanting to relinquish his services, it would be fiscally prudent to do so. Now it appears van der Vaart must be accommodated, even if it is at the detriment of the team as a collective.
Redknapp was heavily praised by journalists attending the post-match press conference for a “stroke of genius” in introducing Defoe, but the Englishman brushed that compliment aside. “If I was really clever,” he responded, “I’d have started him and maybe we’d have won the game.”
It should be noted that the blame for the tactical switch cannot be solely laid on van der Vaart’s insecurities. Redknapp himself emphasised that he was switching the shape around to account for Newcastle’s strength in the middle of the park. Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote are one of the more industrious central-midfield pairings in the Premier League at present and a big part of why the Toon are still unbeaten in mid-October. But with Spurs in such strong form themselves, should Redknapp be gambling on switching strategies for a game of this importance, when a strong return was so vital to keep up the momentum of the derby victory following the international break?
The decision to rest Defoe from the start risked hampering his burgeoning relationship with new strike partner Emmanuel Adebayor. Bale and Modric were extremely quiet until they switched over after the first half-hour. Van der Vaart scored the penalty to give Spurs an initial lead, and had a good game, but he would still have been on the park to take the spot-kick in a 4-4-2 and Modric, Bale and Defoe would have performed better (if the 2011/12 season thus far is anything to go by). Take a good look at the video Harry – here’s hoping you switch back to what has been working by the time Spurs face Blackburn next weekend.
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Arsene Wenger is lining up a stunning move to bring Kolo Toure back to Arsenal just over two years after he left the club to join Manchester City according to the Daily Mail.
The Gunners produced a superb performance to beat London rivals Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday although Wenger still has reservations over his defence.
Summer signings Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos were both guilty of naive defending during the victory as the pair along with the rest of the back four made a number of errors during the game.
It’s now thought that the 62-year-old Frenchman is considering a bid to re-sign Toure from City despite the Ivory Coast defender departing the Emirates Stadium in a £16 million deal in 2009.
The 30-year-old is no longer a first team regular at the Etihad Stadium after sitting out the last six months as punishment for failing a drugs test in March.
He is now on a collision course with the club after they moved to withhold substantial image-rights payments which is something Toure is reportedly set to resist.
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His days in Manchester look numbered and he could find himself back in North London with Wenger supposedly keen to bring him back to Arsenal in an effort to shore up his error-ridden back four.
There are some players who look amazing when playing the 2nd tier of English football but once they’ve made the step up to the big league, they fail to deliver. Whether it’s a prolific goal scorer, hard tackling midfielder or a decent shot stopper their performances in the Premier League, for one reason or another, have not matched the standard they had set in the Championship.
The standard of football between the two divisions has improved vastly over the last several seasons and this season sees the quality of the Championship as good as it ever has been. In defence of these players, there is of course a higher standard of football despite the dip in margin. For example, strikers are up against better teams and while they might have got 10 chances per game in the Football League, they may only get the odd few in the Prem.
So what unfortunate ten make my top ten list of players who are Championship rather than Premier League quality? Find out below…
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Click on Routledge below to see the Top TEN
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Compiled by Matt Freebody
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I am sure you want to be reading this about as much as I want to be writing about it. Yes, behind what Mad Mario has been up to this week, it is the most talked about issue in English football – you’ve guessed it – Torres and Carroll, and what can be done to get more out of the players. Well given that I have just finished writing my awards for 2011, and both feature in the biggest disappointments category, I would suggest the kindest thing to do for both – bar taking a pair of scissors to Carroll’s ludicrous ponytail – is to suggest early retirement.
On a more serious note, it is a valid question (I begrudgingly suppose) to ask if both AVB and King Kenny are going the right way about getting the most out of the strikers by offering only cameo appearances and effectively relegating them to the bench.
Footballers, and forwards especially, have fragile egos, and being confined to the bench for most games is not something that is very likely to get the best out of them, and neither are in the mould of a super sub, needing to feel loved and wanted at a club to get the max from them, not to mention at least 70 minutes of the game.
That being said, if it is a choice between relegating my team or an overpriced donkey, I know which one I would pick. You cannot play a striker who neither scores nor assists, and especially with AVB’s situation over the last couple of months, I would no more advise a starting role for Torres than I would for John Terry to win citizen of the year.
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At the start of the season, AVB did give Torres a chance to be his main man, yet Torres did not deliver, and whilst his movement improved to the stage where it resembled a donkey with two legs not just one, it was still abysmal and after a stupid red card against Swansea, the emergence of Sturridge and the realisation by AVB that Drogba is and always should be the main man, Torres has found chances to prove himself wanting.
Likewise with Carroll, after failing to do much with the chances given to him by King Kenny, you cannot really crucify the manager for not wanting to play someone less likely to score than every other forward the club possesses – including a very talented Mr Suarez? In fact, Carroll has three more yellow cards than he does goals this season.
Ironically enough, both clubs may find themselves forced to play their expensive flops in the coming weeks – Drogba will be off for the best part of two months for the African Nations and should the Suarez ban stand for 8 games, Liverpool may find themselves a striker short.
With both clubs now fully aware that buying for big bucks in January does not guarantee anymore goals than standing over a toilet with your millions, pouring it down and then flushing, both may be wary of entering the market exactly a year after making the worst buys in recent memory.
For Torres and Carroll, a chance to prove themselves may well come around again, and with first team football looking likely – even though it is more of an enforced selection than anything else – each can show the world exactly why they were worth the hefty price tags paid for them.
The chances of this happening? About as high as me going out and buying a Barcelona shirt. Less than zero.
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With pressure building by the hour, the inevitable happened. With John Terry’s trial for racial abuse delayed until after the European Finals, the decision to strip Terry of his captaincy of the national side (again) was taken by the FA this morning. They had little choice really. It was not an accusation of guilt towards Terry, but an acceptance that the surrounding circus that would continue throughout the summer had made his position untenable. Despite his vehement claims of innocence, perhaps Terry should have realised this and taken the bullet himself. It would have been a far, far better thing that he could have done. But that’s an argument without an end – the deed is done, whatever we may think of it.
So who takes over the cursed armband?
The fact is, this will be a short blog. There really aren’t that many candidates. Maybe we should do what they do in Italy, and just choose the player with the most caps – after all, I really don’t see what difference it makes. Whoever is captain, the vocal players will continue to be vocal, the players will continue to talk, and organise, and debate on the pitch. The role has more influence off the pitch, due to media and sponsor duties. Here are the contenders:
Joe Hart. On the plus side, barring a collapse of form rarely seen outside the England cricket team in the sub-continent, he is guaranteed selection. He is level-headed, articulate, talks to the defence, and calm under pressure. For those reasons, he is the choice of the Telegraph’s Mark Ogden (who added, fingers crossed, that’s he’s rarely injured). He is however very young for such a role, and what’s more, I don’t like the idea of the captain being a goal keeper, as he will struggle to communicate to more offensive players at times. Peter Shilton might disagree, but it’s my personal preference to lean towards an outfield player. What’s more, having such a young goalkeeper in this key position means it’s probably best he is allowed to get on with the job at hand, without extra distractions. I don’t think he’s quite ready for this just yet.
Rio Ferdinand – highly unlikely, as there must be question marks over his selection, due to a drop in form, and even bigger question marks regarding his persistent fitness problems. Anyway, he has tweeted that he doesn’t want to be captain, so everyone’s happy.
Steven Gerrard – the obvious choice – been there, done it, got the T-shirt, the cap, and the armband. Experienced choice, who could slot into the role easily, with no qualms. But. Is he an England regular any more? Only time will tell, as he returns from injury in the second half of the season. He is the go-to choice only if he stays fit, is in form, and is expected to be picked in Polkraine by Capello.
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Scott Parker. Again, is he an England regular now? Proposing that a 30+ year-old with 10 caps take over the captaincy is an idea fraught with difficulties. After all, the manager needs to pick someone who he is confident will be an England regular, to avoid the past situations whereby the armband was moved around like a present in a pass-the parcel game. Otherwise, we may as well let every player have 8 minutes as captain. But that aside, he fits the bill fairly well. Plays in the middle of the park (handy for a captain), is articulate, sensible, level-headed, and unlikely to be photographed with a dolly bird on each arm in a Polish nightclub at 5am.
Gareth Barry. Stop laughing at the back. Has the same qualities as Scott Parker, and has been captain before. The question mark will remain over whether he will actually play, but then he is a far, far better player than people give him credit for. But again, would he be picked, or is Scott Parker now the preferred choice of Capello? Either way, his injury record is good, he would be proud to take on the armband, and is a player who never hides.
Frank Lampard. Sorry to repeat myself but will he be in the team in Poland and Ukraine? There seems little merit in choosing a player moving into the twilight of his career – best surely for Capello to plan ahead and choose someone who has a good chance of remaining captain for at least a few years, so that the world does not have to be bored into submission again with this argument for a many a blue moon.
Wayne Rooney – yeah, right. A ridiculous option, yet this hasn’t stopped The Mirror’s David Anderson proposing him as the next captain, his reason being he is England’s key player.
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“It’s not a case of it, but when he leads his country and Sir Alex Ferguson sees him as a future Manchester United skipper. His critics will point to his red card against Montenegro and subsequent ban as proof that he’s not ready, but his moments of red mist are increasingly infrequent.”
Apart from the fact his moments of red mist are as regular as ever, he is clearly not captain material, but just as importantly Capello will make this decision not only with the long-term in mind but also with the Euro Finals swaying his decision, and he is hardly going to pick a captain who can’t play for the first two games (and thus may well play very little part in the tournament as a whole).
So in conclusion, the FA are probably looking for the following: a first team regular, who is sensible, eloquent, stays off the front pages of newspapers, and is willing to take the extra weight on his shoulders. With that in mind, there can be little doubt that the next captain will be Steven Gerrard, should he remain fit and recapture his form. If not, I’d have whichever player out of Gareth Barry or Scott Parker that Capello decides to favour in the summer. I think midfielders are ideally placed (on the pitch) to captain, and it is there that we find the most-level headed first team players, on the whole. The ability of England players to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons means this is not a decision for Capello where he will be spoilt for choice. Let’s hope he decides quickly, then we can get back to the football.
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Victor Anichebe was the hero for Everton has he came off the bench earn a point for his side and make it five home games without a win for Aston Villa.
After a goalless first half the hosts finally broke the deadlock with Darren Bent scuffed the ball past Tim Howards only for Anichebe to slot home with 20 minutes remaining to ensure the Toffees travelled back to Merseyside with a share of the spoils. Robbie Keane came on late in the second half but couldn’t find a debut goal that would have given Villa their first win at home since beating Norwich at the start of November. Alex McLeish’s men have struggled at Villa Park park all season long but should have had the game wrapped up before the visitors grabbed their equaliser. The point will come as a welcome relief to David Moyes who had seen his side lose their last two and he will be pleased by the resolve shown by his players.
Villa enjoyed the lions share of possession in the first half without sufficiently threatening Howard in the visitors goal although the American had to be at his best to keep out Stiliyan Petrov’s curling free kick after seven minutes. Alan Hutton then teed up Marc Albrighton who saw his shot blocked before Louis Saha brought the best out of Shay Given at the other end. The Republic of Ireland keeper showed no signs of rustiness after spending a month on the sidelines reacting brilliantly to keep Saha’s header out after he’d connected with Leighton Baines’ free kick from the left. Gabriel Agbonlahor then tested Howard from 25-yards as the first half ended goalless although it wouldn’t remain that way for long after the break.
It took the home side only 10 minutes to break the deadlock with Bent just managing to beat Howard after Stephen Ireland had returned Albrighton’s cross after Everton failed to properly clear the ball. Taking the lead seemed to invigorate Villa who pressed on in their search of a game killing second with Hutton seeing his strike deflected wide before Agbonlahor headed over. Ireland then shot straight at Howard who initiated a devastating counterattack launching the ball downfield towards Landon Donovan who played in Anichebe to finish cooly past Given after beating the offside trap. Keane came on for the last 10 minutes as McLeish roared his players on to find a winner but it never came as Villa missed the chance to move into the top half.
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