How long can Spurs hold on to Luka Modric before they reach breaking point? It’s been a testing week for chairman Daniel Levy and manager Andre Villas-Boas as the Croatian midfielder went AWOL last Friday deliberately missing training and the clubs flight to Los Angeles to for pre-season tour of the United States in order to force through a move to Spanish champions Madrid. The 26-year-old has his heart set on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu but his behaviour shows a distinct lack of respect to the club where he effectively made him name. After missing out on the Champions League and sparking a period of transition with the appointment of Villas-Boas the last thing Spurs need is the distraction of a summer-long transfer saga. Modric’s immature conduct certainly threatens to undermine the clubs preparations for the new Premier League season and it’s up to Levy to decide whether holding out for £40 million is worth it.
This week on FFC do Spurs really need a new goalkeeper and which of his former clubs is Villas-Boas set to raid as he continues his recruitment process at White Hart Lane.
[divider]
Best of FFC
Can Villas-Boas Thrive Under this transfer set-up?
One area that Villas-Boas needs to splash the cash?
This Tottenham Saga has to End Now
Why his Tottenham exit was an uncomfortable necessity
Fast becoming a dying trait in football
Should Tottenham really consider cashing in?
Why patience must be a virtue for Tottenham supporters
Playing hardball could cost Tottenham dear
Why this should never be acceptable in football
Tottenham close in on £9.5m Frenchman
Tottenham set to move for Porto starlet
[divider]
Best of WEB
[divider]
Levy or Modric: Who’s the Dirty rat? – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2
What Was It That Modric Told Pienaar? – Harry Hotspur
Levy v Luka – Dear Mr Levy
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.
Andrè Villas-Boas Going All Out To Snatch £14M Striker? – Transfer Tavern
I see dread people – Dear Mr Levy
9 O’Clocker: He Could Be Villas-Boas’ Very First Coup – Harry Hotspur
[divider]
Quote of the Week
[divider]
“Redknapp barely talked to me. I was playing really well when he hired Friedel. So I was really surprised and decided to ask him about that. Redknapp asked me to be calm, because I was his goalkeeper and he trusted me, as he told me. But that didn’t happen. In the 2010-11 season, I made only two mistakes but I didn’t give them so much importance and I didn’t think I was going to be sacked from the team because of that. Heurelho Gomes admits he is glad Harry Redknapp left Tottenham this summer
Southampton look set to have completed the signing of striker Emmanuel Mayuka from Young Boys Berne according to The Daily Mail.
The 21-year-old is understood to have penned a five-year-deal with the Saints, having passed a medical on Tuesday.
Mayuka has been granted a work permit and is just awaiting entry clearance before the deal can be fully confirmed, which is due to happen before the end of the week.
The signing will be a big boost for Nigel Adkins, who has been looking to strengthen his strike force all summer as he bids to establish his Southampton side in the Premier League.
‘Emmanuel is a lightning-quick striker who I am sure will excite the fans,’ Adkins told Southampton’s official website.
‘He is only 21 years old but already has a great deal of experience, notably so at international level.
‘He will bring something different to the group that we already have here at Southampton, and I look forward to seeing him pull on our shirt for the first time.’
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.
Mayuka bagged 32 goals in two seasons during his time in the Swiss league with Young Boys. He has also impressed at international level, and was his country’s joint top scorer during Zambia’s successful 2012 African cup of Nations campaign.
Adkins is still hopeful of adding to his squad before Friday’s deadline, with an £11million deal for Bolonga’s Gaston Ramirez next on the agenda.
It’s often been said that the powers that be within the realms of English football aren’t particularly au fait with pulling in the same direction. Whilst the Premier League has always felt too wrapped up in it’s own hype and commercial shtick to cater to the greater needs of English football, the cataclysmic fallings of the FA at just about every level, has seen the real priorities undermined.
Indeed, as a variety of men in suits participate in one of the biggest tugs of war in UK sport, it has been the very genesis of the game in youth development, which has immeasurably suffered as a result.
But times are now, finally changing. A smattering of new, more technically proficient young talent in the likes of Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain have emerged with the long overdue construction of the National Football Centre up in Burton.
And as the Premier League announce the formation of a new Under-21 league for 17 Premier League and six Championship clubs for this coming season, it finally feels as if the penny has dropped for English football’s governing bodies. It feels strange and almost begrudging to bestow credit upon the Premier League bureaucrats. But this decision has the real capacity to make an impact upon the game at both club and national level.
The Premier League under-21 competition will consist of 23 teams. As already mentioned, 17 of these teams are Premier League affiliates and six are from the Championship, all of whom are deemed to have Category One status academies.
The first elements of the competition will seek to place the teams into a more evenly competitive set-up. All 23 teams have currently been split into two groups of eight and one group of seven. As of January, the teams will be placed into three new groups, based on their performance in the past four months in order to generate more even and fair competition. From this point, teams will play out of their groups into a knockout round and then to a final in something that represents a ‘Champions League-lite’ format.
Some could question the logic in the creation of yet another tier of youth football in the Premier League. There is already a Premier Academy League, set to evolve into the Elite Player Performance Plan and clubs arrange a number of fixtures for their youth teams in house. Add to that the culture of loaning players out to get real game time in the lower leagues and you could wonder if clubs really need the hassle of another league system.
But it is important to reaffirm the aims of the Under-21 league before people begin to probe it. The focus of this league is to try and smooth one of the hardest journeys of a young footballer’s career, from academy to first team. It is there to showcase and finish off the development process, not to instigate it. But that doesn’t mean it is any less important.
The bread and butter of skills that are cultivated in the academy and the millions of pounds spent doing so, are rendered redundant if there is no path to the first team. This league will hopefully change that.
Because you can have the best coaches in the world, as we are trying to develop up at St. Georges Park, but it won’t make an inch of difference if the players simply aren’t playing. Young players need a route in and the caliber of training can be as high as it wants but it will never replicate the real thing- they must have game time.
And the under-21 league, on paper, offers the perfect compromise. It is designed to fit in and around the first team fixture list- so in theory, if a young player was to catch the eye of the gaffer when playing for the under-21’s, he could make the team for the Saturday, as their fixtures are scheduled to be played mid-week. The principal is of course set to be a lot longer-term than that, but the idea is there.
But it could act as the perfect buffer to aid the transition from academy to first team level. The addition of three, overage players (and one overage goalkeeper) echoes elements of the Olympic football set up and the tiny smattering of experience is also a nice touch to give these players a helping hand, but not enough to turn it into an overblown reserve league. The competition will be forged with the hunger of these players- the prize of a place in the first-team can be a real reality.
Speaking as the U21 league was launched, Premier League director of youth Ged Roddy said:
“As a first team manager there is a great benefit in knowing that you can have your U21 player on the bench for the first team, but if he doesn’t play then there’s still the option for him to have high quality competitive football that weekend.”
Roddy’s words emphasize the longevity in this project. The league is there to aid the development of these players. It is there to offer real playing time to these players and a fluid route to the first team. But the fact that the Premier League has devised this ensures there will always be an element of cynicism behind its motives.
There has already been talk of a television rights deal being put in place for the next season. Initially, the clubs will have the rights to show the games, but there is a school of thought that the Premier League could be set to generate a profit out of this. The exposure that it could bring to the U21 league could be a double-edged sword; players will be able to perform on a whole new level and make a real name for themselves. Those involved would have to make sure, however, that any financial gain doesn’t loose sight of why the league was devised in the first place.
But the fact is that there is no posturing, no debate and no more consultation. This is real and it is starting within a matter of weeks. The fact that younger payers have been given the platform to ease their route into the first team at their respective clubs is something that we must applaud. It will ultimately be down to managers to take the punt on a player. But hopefully the next generation now have an opportunity to not just knock on the door, but knock it down completely.
National Group 1: Arsenal, Blackburn, Bolton, Everton, Norwich, Reading, West Brom, West Ham.
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.
National Group 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, Tottenham, Watford.
National Group 3: Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Wolves.
How do you feel about the new U21 Premier League? Optimistic that this can really aid the development of English football or is it just showcasing a depth of talent to a wider audience? Tell me what you think on Twitter, follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.
Jamie Mackie has stated that the current Queens Park Rangers team can beat anyone.
The Scotland international firmly believes it is just a matter of time before QPR’s new players gel and become a force in the Premier League.
Mackie has refused to be disheartened by the R’s lacklustre start where they have picked up just two points from their opening four games, including a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Swansea.
Mackie told the club’s official website, “There is perhaps a bit more belief that we can win these match these sides.
“We showed it last season at home we really need to believe that now. [Against Chelsea] is the best we’ve been in terms of our tempo.”
Much of the sides slow start has been put down to trying to bed in new players, there were 11 summer arrivals at Loftus Road. Mackie added: “Good players can play well together, but knowing each other’s game is an important element.
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.
“You need to understand where people are comfortable and where they aren’t. But more than anything, new lads need time to get used to the team shape and the demands the manager puts on his players.”
Former Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has stated that the 2022 World Cup should be switched to the winter.
The tournament will be held in Qatar, which has drawn question marks due to the sweltering heat in the country at that time of the year.
However De Boer, who is an ambassador of the Asian nation’s bid, believes that switching the competition to the winter would be a success.
“I think sometimes a change is good, it would be great to have it in the winter,” The Telegraph report De Boer as saying.”Everyone will be fit, physically fit, mentally fit and I don’t see a problem with it. When the African Nations Cup takes place, if you have an African player at your club he has to go and play for his country,” he said.“They play in January and February. Not every league is in synch with the big European leagues: in Russia and Scandinavia they start earlier, and in the United States they have a different schedule.“So I don’t see difficulties. I think its great we have this opportunity and to try it and it will also be beneficial for the tournament itself to be played in the winter. I played there, and for the fans I think it will be great. It would be great if we had it in the winter.“I think all the bodies should come together to find a common solution and try also to change. It’s very easy to stick with the old thing because we’ve done it already for years.“I have said to the supreme committee, ‘I would do it in the winter’. But they can’t say that,” he concluded.
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has revealed that Stephen Ireland will be out for “a few weeks” after suffering a broken bone in his wrist.
It was initially feared that the midfielder had broken his arm during the 4-1 defeat to Southampton last Saturday and may be facing several months on the sidelines. But thankfully for Ireland, who has been enjoying a new lease of life at Villa recently, he should be back in action much sooner that first expected.
He will still be forced to take some time out, however, after doctors diagnosed a broken bone and placed his wrist in a protective cast. Villa boss Paul Lambert told Sky Sports:
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’s not Stephen’s arm. It’s his wrist. I don’t think it’s as bad as we thought. Hopefully he will be back in a few weeks’ time. Injuries happen. It’s unfortunate for Stephen and it’s unfortunate for us, but he won’t be out for the number of weeks we thought he would be.”
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has admitted that there are worries about whether defender Ciaran Clark will be fit for Villa’s game against Fulham tomorrow.
Clark is due to have a fitness test before the Premier League returns this weekend. Paul Lambert has been reported as saying on Aston Villa’s official website that Clark is suffering with a “slight knock”.
He also said that he will look at how fresh Christian Benteke, Brett Holman and Brad Guzan are, following their participation in international games during the break.
“I will see how the lads are. Some can be more tired than others. Christian played two games and scored two for the national team. He’s just a young lad too – 21. There are one or two selection things to look at,” he said.
However, it is believed that Stephen Ireland, Karim El Ahmadi and Joe Bennett should return from injury to play tomorrow. Though a final decision will be made later today, Ireland should take part wearing an arm support as he suffered a broken bone in one of his wrists during the Southampton game. Bennett and El Ahmadi will travel with the squad despite the fact that Morocco withdrew El Ahmadi for their international match, something which Lambert said was just precautionary due to the star having cramp.
The Villa boss has also insisted that he has not clashed with snubbed striker Darren Bent but does admit that “he has not come to knock on my door.”
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.
Aston Villa are currently sixteenth in the Premier League table.
Millwall FC have announced in an official statement that they have taken action to ban a 13-year-old boy who racially abused Marvin Sordell during a Championship clash with Bolton Wanderers last month.
Sordell tweeted after the game “It’s 2012 in England and people are still shouting racial abuse at a football game!? #shocking.”
The Bolton striker also indicated that team-mates Darren Pratley, Benik Afobe and Lee Chung-Yong were also victim to discriminatory language from some Millwall fans.
The south London club have now released a formal statement concluding the investigation which was carried out in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police, Bolton Wanderers and the F.A.
“Having completed our investigations into the incident, we have identified and interviewed a 13-year-old boy who admitted a verbal exchange with Marvin Sordell in which abuse was used,” the statement reads.
The teenager has been banned from future matches at the New Den, but Millwall believe education over punishment should be the priority considering the boy’s young age.
“The individual has been banned from Millwall matches for the foreseeable future, but as a club we also felt, given the boy’s age and background, we had a duty to play our part in attempting to educate and rehabilitate him.
“Accordingly, we have offered to put him through one of our education programmes, run by Millwall for All (formerly the Millwall Anti-Racism Trust) in the hope that we can change his outlook on equality, racism and life in general.
“In the meantime, the boy has written a letter to Marvin Sordell offering his apology, which has been accepted.”
The statement also criticised sections of the media who misreported the incident claiming that racist chanting could be heard from large sections of the Millwall support.
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.
“These reports were made with no knowledge of the facts and created the impression that Bolton players were subjected to racial chanting or systematic abuse by more than one individual.”
“Finally, it is our hope that all of us within football, including governing bodies, clubs, players, fans and the media can continue to work together to build on the progress that has been made over many years in effectively tackling the issue of racism in our game, rather than merely sensationalising, and thereby trivialising it,” the statement concluded.
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has urged fellow Russian and Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin to join him at the Royals.
Arshavin has been frozen out of the last few Russia squads and has struggled to consistently hold down a place in the Arsenal starting line-up, being limited to cameo appearances this season.
Pogrebnyak is looking to re-ignite the partnership he has had with the Gunners ace when they both played for Zenit St Petersburg and the national team.
The Royals owner Anton Zingarevich is believed to have expressed a clear interest in trying to lure Arshavin to the Berkshire club.
Zingarevich is known to be a Zenit St Petersburg fan and the Russian hopes he can lure his fellow compatriot to the Madejski stadium.
Pogrebnyak was aware of the interest from his employer and was delighted at the prospect of the deal coming off and went on to laud Arshavin.
He said to rg.ru. “It’s Arshavin who has to make the decision. Anton Zingarevich knows him well enough without listening to my opinion, as he is from St Petersburg.
“Andrey is a master and there is no doubt that it would be great to see him at Reading.”
The Royals are believed to be keen to reinforce their ranks in January and the owner is thought to be willing to bankroll as many as 11 new signings in the next window, in a bid beat to beat the Premier League drop.
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.
Reading welcome Everton to the Madejski this weekend as they look to secure their first Premier League win of the season.
The act of dubbing someone ‘the next Gary Neville’ would be regarded as giving someone a hard act to follow. In my eyes, the former Red Devil was an impressive defender, and at his best when playing in tandem with Golden Balls himself, David Beckham. His relentless passion coupled with a palpable understanding of the game, allowed him to preside over the right flank for both club and country, but no player can go on forever.
Once his playing days came to an end, Neville emerged as the new face of Sky Sports and immediately began transforming a reputation that had previously, in the eyes of many football fans, been purely based on his career as a player.
The fascinating insight he exposed within tactical movement and player mentality exposed a wealth of unconscious knowledge that has further fuelled my affection for the sport. It has also magnified my resentment for the Catchphrase-style ‘say what you see’ punditry that is as infuriating as it is uninformative.
Thus, I have decided to select five candidates that could one day provide the same exciting brand of expert analysis.
Vincent Kompany
Roberto Mancini’s dependable defensive barricade conducts interviews with the same poise and composure as when he’s dispossessing the opposition. He speaks with confidence and a rare purity, meaning you’re unlikely to be force-fed the familiar batch of tiresome clichés.
Kompany’s greatest asset stems from the fact that despite his unwavering allegiance, he never oozes bias or prejudice. He also refuses to be dragged down any awkward cul-de-sacs by the unsavoury tactics of messrs Shreeves and Clarke, which allows him to keep his foot on the ball rather than in his mouth.
During a recent guest spot on Match of the Day, Alan Hansen appeared to shrivel up in the face of a far more intellectual presence. The bumbling Scot repeatedly tripped over his words, especially when he asked whether the Manchester City dressing room knew the United score at half-time, blissfully unaware that they weren’t playing until the evening.
The Belgian talisman didn’t find much salvation with his other colleague, Harry Redknapp, who repeatedly threw plaudits his way in an apparent attempt to sign him, despite the fact he wasn’t employed at the time. Sadly, at just 26 years of age, Kompany will likely spend the next decade attracting praise on the pitch rather than in the studio.
[cat_link cat=”premiership” type=”list”]
Phil Neville
Do we dare dream that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Could Phil Neville also possess a knack for punditry, capable of dazzling an audience on a bleak Monday night?
The 35-year-old’s impact on a consistently improving Everton side appears to be waning and with his contract due to expire this season, perhaps he too will decide to bow out at the top. He certainly shares his brother’s high standard of professionalism, boasting a dogged resilience and tenacity that has seen him acquire a cult-hero status at Goodison Park.
Neville is a regular spectator at Premier League grounds around the country, often snapped by a rogue camera while his accompanying family look increasingly bored. This indicates that he also harbours the same obsession for tactical analysis, although he may need some vocal coaching considering he sounds like a muttering synchronised swimmer being drowned out by a low-flying heavy bomber.
Michael Owen
Owen may have recently declared he still has ‘two or three years left at the top’, but the number of clubs willing to put up with his residency on the treatment table decreases by the day. The latest revelation that a hamstring injury was aggravated by the cold, despite being in the gym at the time, evoked more laughter than pity.
Away from Stoke City, Owen conjured his finest performance of the season when he appeared on Sky Sports, sporting facial hair that probably had Raleigh Chopper thrashing out a sponsorship proposal. His startling appearance certainly made me pay attention but I found myself uninspired by his mundane analysis and refusal to offer out deserved criticism.
Owen will be reluctant to dispose of his ‘squeaky clean’ persona but I can’t see him succeeding as a pundit unless he does so. However, perhaps the former England striker sees himself as Gary Lineker’s successor, assuming his throne as the housewife favourite and cheesy-line aficionado.
Jamie Carragher
If there was one undeniable positive from the television series Being: Liverpool, it was the devotion that Jamie Carragher shares with the Anfield club. He may be enduring a part-time role on the pitch at present but his influence on the training field and in the dressing room is still reassuringly evident.
Carragher embodies Liverpool in the same way Neville did with United and it’s this deep-rooted affection that arguably helped develop his football brain. From the footage I saw, Carragher was often monitoring training sessions with the same attention to detail as Brendan Rodgers. He was also captured offering advice to the increasing number of youngsters in the first-team squad, highlighting a deep understanding of the mentality of the game’s future stars.
Carragher has always been refreshingly sharp in interviews, offering witty retorts to those questions that border on the inappropriate or the obvious. While this would be a unique and welcomed personality for a pundit, it is likely the result of suffering one too many mundane interviews. I imagine he’ll slip seamlessly into the coaching set-up on Merseyside rather into than the world of broadcasting.
Jimmy Bullard
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.
With such an onus placed on serious, deadpan analysis nowadays perhaps it would be refreshing to unleash Jimmy Bullard on the unsuspecting world of punditry.
With a bubbling enthusiasm and comical delivery of every word that falls out his mouth, the beautiful game might just revel in his presence, especially given the constant stream of negative publicity in recent months. Having recently retired from playing professionally, this could be the perfect opportunity for one of the major broadcasters to swoop for his services. The archaic panel on Soccer Saturday is crying out for a reshuffle.
However, while many players struggle with the lure of drink, drugs or gambling, Bullard suffers with the daunting prospect of boredom.
‘It’s boredom, not the booze that’s always been my big problem. I get bang into trouble when I’m bored. I didn’t combat the boredom, but I got over it.’ (Daily Mail)
Perhaps an evening with Gareth Southgate or Mark Lawrenson isn’t the best idea…