Fulham face the unenviable task of trying to halt the Manchester City steam train on Sunday.
The Cottagers haven’t had the best start to their 10th consecutive Premier League campaign. Two points and two goals has brought Martin Jol no cheer in his first month as boss at Craven Cottage and the visit of high-flying City will do nothing to change his mood. Deadline day signing Bryan Ruiz was brought in to provide the goals and showed evidence of his talents last week against Blackburn. However the £10.6 million man needs to toughen up and get to grips with the brutal nature of English football with the majority of his 45 minutes on the field spent face down in the turf complaining for a free kick. His former side FC Twente were in town on Thursday evening for a Europa League tie that finished 1-1. Not the ideal preparation for the visit of Roberto Mancini’s multi millionaire menaces but Jol will be encouraged by his sides display. Remarkably he has never lost against Sunday’s opponents as a manager presiding over six consecutive wins. It would be very surprising if he makes it seven.
Exhilarating, intoxicating and compelling are just some of the words used to describe City’s early season form. Gone is the cautious approach adopted by Mancini last season replaced with a brand fast flowing, attacking football that has made every single football fan, coach, player, pundit and journalist stand up and look on in awe. They’ve steamrolled over all before them with Sergio Agüero, David Silva and the now prolific Edin Dzeko taking the beautiful game to an absurdly gorgeous level. The addition of Agüero has been a masterstroke and his hat trick against Wigan last week was a joy to behold. His partner in crime Silva has also stepped it up this season with his vision and ability to see things others can’t making him a cut above. A slight wobble on the Champions League debut against Napoli on Wednesday brought them back down to earth a little bit but don’t expect the momentum in their chase to eclipse rival United to cease.
Fulham could be without Aaron Hughes and Dickson Etuhu who are both struggling with injury.
James Milner is missing for the visitors after a clash of heads against Wigan last week. Nigel De Jong is also out with a foot injury although full back Aleksander Kolarov is available despite suffering a broken nose.
Key Players
Brede Hangeland: It’s a task he’ll want to get out of the way but the big Norwegian will have to be at his absolute best to snuff out the trio of Dzeko, Agüero and Silva.
David Silva: Is there a better player in the Premier League at the moment? The Spaniard as it all and he’ll be the biggest threat at Craven Cottage on Sunday with his passing, movement and intelligence putting him one step ahead of everyone else.
Verdict: 0-3
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The League Manager’s Association (LMA) released a quite shocking statistic yesterday – £99m had been spent last season by Premier League and Football League clubs in changing their manager. So what’s the reason for such a high figure? Compensatory packages, legal fees and ‘double contracts’ are the main outgoings. The astronomical figure does not even take into account agents fees and the cost of replacing a manager’s backroom staff. Going by the bookies’ odds, Arsene Wenger and David Moyes are among the five favourites to get sacked – an anomaly that I’m simply choosing to ignore because of its ridiculous assertion. With several contenders in the Premier League hovering very closely to the axe, let’s take a look at the main candidates for unemployment.
Steve Kean –
Quite how he ever got the job in the first place is beyond me. Woefully out of his depth, he is perhaps the biggest yes-man in English footballing history. Currently, Blakcburn are on a face-saving tour of India during their week off during the international break to appease their new owners Venky’s after they had to cancel their tour there in pre-season – a simply baffling decision. Kean’s assistant manager John Jensen was sacked by the board last week and his position is beginning to approach something close to untenable.
The circumstances, under which Kean got the manager’s job, initially on a caretaker basis before being offered a 2-3 year deal, are also somewhat murky. Kean’s agent is a man called Jerome Anderson, the founder of sports management agency SEM. Anderson was also a key advisor of Venky’s during their takeover bid of Blackburn through SEM’s corporate partnership with Swiss-based sports-rights company Kentaro. Kean signed 21 year-old defender Myles Anderson in July this summer after a fairly inauspicious start to his career at both Leyton Orient and Aberdeen, where he made just one league appearance – it won’t surprise you to know that Myles Anderson is indeed the son of Jerome Anderson, Kean’s agent. I suppose people in high places and all that.
Besides the supremely dodgy and corrupt set of circumstances that saw Kean get the job in the first place, while he’s actually been managing Blackburn, it’s fair to say that thing have not gone smoothly out on the pitch. Blackburn have lost 15 of their 30 fixtures under his tenure and have won just 7 – these wins have come against Leyton orient, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, Bolton, West Brom, Liverpool and Arsenal. Sam Allardyce was doing a perfectly good job at Blackburn until he was sacked. The only mystery still left with concerns to Kean’s ill-fated first foray into management, is not if he will be sacked, rather than when?
Steve Bruce –
Bruce certainly looks a likeable enough individual, but is he really a Premier League manager? The former Man Utd stalwart has signed 33 different first-team players since May 2009, including 5 loan deals. That’s two whole teams worth of players for goodness sake. The man clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing. Here’s a man that doesn’t have the first clue about how to build a team. He lacks both a coherent, long-term plan and an identifiable style of play. Can anyone out there honestly say that they know what a Steve Bruce type of player looks like? He’s little more than a poor manager trading on his former glories as a player. To put it quite simply, if you spend £40m on new players and all you deliver is relegation form, then you are bound to come under some pressure.
Perceived wisdom would tell you that his position has been weakened at the club with Niall Quinn leaving his role as Chairman to take up an international development role at the club and owner Ellis Short stepping into the breach in order to protect his investment. After a 2-1 win over Blackpool last season on January 22nd, over the course of the next 14 league games Sunderland won just 3 of them against Wigan, Bolton and West Ham, drew once against Arsenal and lost 11. In this horror run they dropped from 6th in the league and potentially challenging for a Europa League place all the way down to the anonymity of 14th in the table. They saved some face with a final day victory over relegated West Ham to leap all the way up to 10th in a deeply congested mid-table, but it merely helped to mask a club in free-fall. The pressure on Bruce now is not solely down to Sunderland’s indifferent start to the campaign this term, but is simply a hangover from the dreadful and worrying warning signs of last season. Bruce is living on borrowed time.
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Owen Coyle –
For those of you that know me reasonably well, I think it’s fair to say that I’m not Owen Coyle’s biggest fan. 11 league defeats in his last 12 games stretching across the end of last term and beginning of this one paint an ugly picture of a club lurching into a fully-fledged crisis.
Coyle has profited a degree of goodwill from the press for a perceived change in the club’s style of football. This is quite clearly a concerted PR effort, for it simply has no basis in fact. Bolton now are still the same Bolton of old, except Coyle’s Bolton have acquired an undeniable soft underbelly of late, with the team already shipping 21 goals in their opening 7 league games this season as they are rooted to the bottom of the table in what now constitutes the club’s worst start to a season in 109 years.
Many will point to the tough fixture list Bolton have had so far, having played Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool already, but you have to play everybody at some point and this terrible run of form backdates to last season whereupon a capitulation to Stoke 5-0 at Wembley they lost their last 5 league games against Fulham, Blackburn, Bolton, Blackpool and Man City. A telling fact – Gary Megson and Sammie Lee were both
sacked before Christmas after better starts than Coyle has had this season. He may talk a good game, but he could, along with Alex McLeish, face the rather unenviable prospect of having managed 2 relegated teams in 3 seasons on his CV.
Roy Hodgson –
Is it too early for Hodgson to be considered under pressure? A sloppy start to the season has already seen them lose 4 of their opening 7 games. Since their return to the top flight, the words West Brom have hardly been synonymous with good defending – but it’s been their apparent lack of cutting edge up top this term that has been the most worrying aspect of their play.
While last season they scored an impressive 56 league, only four less than moneybags Man City, so far this season they’ve scored just 5 in 7 games, with Hodgson’s stubborn refusal for the most part to start with two up front often cited as a reason. This season’s relegation battle is likely to involve between 8-10 teams, a side with the resources of West Brom cannot afford a slow start to proceedings.
Neil Warnock –
QPR are a strange beast. Neil Warnock’s men are still without a win on home soil in three attempts and they’ve been hammered twice already, 4-0 on the opening day to Bolton at home and 6-0 away at Fulham last weekend.
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The new recruits such as Joey Barton, Luka Young and Shaun Wright-Phillips were certainly most welcome in propping up and beefing out what was a deeply average Championship squad in both size and quality. Still, the worry remains that their inconsistency over the course of a long campaign could prove their undoing. They also appear to lack a genuine finisher of proven Premier League quality with Jay Bothroyd having found the transition difficult so far.
Warnock will feel the need to impress the club’s new owners in a bid to finally put to bed rumours of his departure. With a tricky run of games after their next fixture against Blackburn (H) coming up – Chelsea (H), Spurs (A), Man City (H) – QPR will need to rediscover the comforts of home, otherwise they could be this season’s Blackpool; a side hampered in their efforts to avoid the drop by poor home form. He may not be under any undue pressure at the moment, but that could all quickly change inside a month or so for Warnock. Their next fixture against Blackburn could be one of the season’s first genuine six-pointers, with the potential fate of both managers and their future ambitions riding on a positive result.
An Aaron Ramsey goal in injury time gave Arsenal an excellent 1-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but Arsene Wenger is keeping his feet on the ground.
The Gunners turned in a solid performance at the Stade Velodrome against a highly fancied French team, with the Welsh midfielder snatching three points in the dying minutes for the English side.
The victory moves under-fire Arsenal to the top of Group F, and Wenger knows it was an important win.
“We left it very late because we had a difficult start, we lost many balls in the first half,” he told Sky Sports after the contest.
“I don’t think Marseille were dangerous in the second half. In fairness they defended well, but we were rewarded because we kept going.
“We have made a little step forward, but we have to be humble because we are a team that has to continue to grow. The next game at home against Marseille will be very important,” he concluded.
The triumph means the Emirates outfit have won five out of their last six games in all competitions, and seem to be shaking off the slow start to the campaign that drew so much media criticism.
Wenger’s men take on Stoke in the league on Sunday, and will look to put a good run of form together as four of their next five games are at the Emirates Stadium.
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Manchester City maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with a hard fought win over Wolves at the Etihad Stadium playing out the final quarter of an hour with 10 men.
Edin Dzeko scored his third goal against the Midlanders in the space of 72 hours before Aleksander Kolarov doubled the lead slotting past Wayne Hennessey to give City a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes remaining. The game then changed dramatically after Vincent Kompany was sent off for conceding a penalty allowing Steven Hunt to half the deficit and ensure a nervy final 15 minutes. It took a late Adam Johnson curler to ease the fears of a comeback from Wolves and ensure Robert Mancini’s men remain top of the pile. After being thrashed 5-2 by City in Wednesday’s Carling Cup encounter Mick McCarthy set out his team to frustrate the league leaders and they did just that as the hosts failed to hit the heights of their 6-1 derby day demolition of Manchester United a week earlier.
City’s lack of flair could have been put down to Mancini’s decision to leave Mario Balotelli on the bench despite the charismatic Italian scoring six goals in his last seven games preferring Dzeko up front after he found the net four times in the space of a few days. The Bosnian was at it again against Wolves as he broke the deadlock seven minutes after half time. The first period was one to forget for the City faithful as the visitors grit and determination quelled any threat from the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri. Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy proved to be immovable during the first forty five minutes denying the home side on at least three occasions before seeing all of his hard work go to waste. The Welsh stopped gifted City the opener after he dwelled on the ball seeing his attempted clearance blocked by Aguero allow Dzeko to tap and score the easiest of his 12 goals this season. Wolves attempted to rally but they found themselves two behind midway through the second half with Kolarov turning the ball home after Hennessey had spilled a rasping strike from Silva.
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The home side were seemingly home and dry but the sending off of Kompany offered Wolves a much needed lifeline. Joe Hart failed to gather Adlene Guedioura’s cross. Kevin Doyle reacted quickest to the loose ball only to be hauled down by the City skipper who was swiftly sent for an early bath. Hunt stepped up and sent Hart the wrong way from 12 yards but that was good as it got for McCarthy’s men who failed to test City sufficiently despite their numerical advantage. They were made to pay as Johnson wrapped up the points curling a beautiful effort past Hennessy to keep City’s unbeaten start to the season intact.
Footballers don’t seem content with being seen on TV while doing their job; as they are continuously trying to take other peoples. With adverts, songs and film cameos; let’s be honest; tarnishing their reputations off the pitch they deserve to be named and shamed.
The awkward acting skills and horrific singing voices are cringeworthy but a great watch for everyone else. Whether it is a World War II movie or a 1980’s pop classic, it is equally embarrassing and I’m not sure whether they should be cheered or jeered for their roles.
I don’t think they need the money that much, well maybe Paul Gascoigne; that they have to make a fool of themselves for the rest of their lives. It may seem likes fun but everyone is definitely laughing at them and not with them, which makes it great viewing for the public. Here is a look at the ten worst cameos from footballers.
Click on the Pearce, Waddle and Southgate disaster to unveil the top 10
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Compiled by Brad Pinard
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Ever since 3Ds cinema-led revival critics have been saying that 3D could be over before it’s started, and many are predicting that 2012 is the year that the bubble will burst. So far, 3D TVs have been slow to break through on the high street, as shoppers opt for cheaper HD models, rather than taking the plunge into the third dimension.
So, if you’re going to invest in a new television in 2012, before you head down to the nearest Currys to peruse the TVs you should given some thought to whether you’re looking for a 3D TV or an HD option.
A lot of that depends on whether you think 3D will survive. So far, there is only one 3D television channel in the UK, and that’s to be found on Sky. Some sporting events have been filmed in 3D, but generally speaking there is a dearth of 3D content out there – to such an extent that some television providers have set up websites to give their customers more content.
Then there’s the question as to whether it actually works. This is largely down to personal taste (and you’re own vision, because it can be tricky if you don’t have the same quality vision in both eyes). Do you mind wearing glasses in your front room just as you do at the cinema? For most people the answer is no, and despite the efforts of technology companies, we’re still a little distance away from glasses-less 3D.
You also have to consider what’s going on in the cinemas, there are 3D films coming out all the time, some more successful than others, but a slightly unexpected trend has been developing with films that come out in 2D and 3D like the last Harry Potter film and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. On both occasions more people chose to watch the films in 2D than the much hyped extra-dimensional version.
Some would say that this is because the effect of 3D on a cinema screen doesn’t make for the best viewing experience, with many images appearing dim and small no matter the size of the screen. Others would say that there’s an economic crisis going on and 3D tickets cost more, so 2D is the natural choice.
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In any case, many film makers seem to think that IMAX might prove a better option than 3D, in which case, we can expect a move into HD from the cinema in the near future.
Most importantly for your choice is the fact that a good HD TV could cost under £200, and a good 3D TV will cost a lot more than that. LG and Toshiba offer good entry level televisions, with the Sony Brava a very popular option for those who are willing to spend a little more. You could buy a 3D TV, but if you’ve got to put your money somewhere next year, HD is the best option.
While scoring goals has been a worrying concern for Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool this season, the Reds have had very little trouble keeping them out.
Free-scoring Manchester City were the latest side unable to find a way past a determined Liverpool defence in the Carling Cup on Wednesday evening as the Reds moved one step closer to their first Wembley appearance since their cream coloured suit catastrophe in 1996.
The Red men repeatedly frustrated Roberto Mancini’s men throughout their 1-0 first-leg victory, becoming the first side since Birmingham in November 2010 to keep a clean at the Etihad Stadium with an archetypal, defensive away performance. Liverpool were so comfortable in the first-half that City did not manage a shot on target until the 43rd minute.
Dalglish’s side currently boast the second meanest defensive record in the Premier League having only conceded a measly 18 goals in 20 games this season; only two more than current league leaders City, marshalled superbly by their outstanding Belgian skipper Vincent Kompany.
Slovakian international Martin Skrtel and his slick sidekick Daniel Agger have been the lynchpins at the centre of the impressive back four having started the last 11 league games together, losing just two. While Skrtel has been a regular in the heart of the Merseysiders’ defence, starting every league game last term, Agger’s contribution to the thriving partnership has seen Kop legend Jamie Carragher settling for a place on the sidelines.
After picking up an injury in a Carling Cup tie at Stoke earlier in the season, Carragher has not started a Premier League game since October but has impressed when called upon in cup victories over Oldham and Chelsea. Liverpool’s No.23 turns 34 before the end of the month and the Bootle-born defender may struggle to win his place back as an automatic starter should Agger remain free of injury and in-form.
The £5.5 million summer purchase of left-back Jose Enrique was an acute piece of business by the club, with the Spaniard earning plaudits from critics and fans as one of the signings of the season so far. Enrique has slotted perfectly into Dalglish’s defence, finally solving the Reds’ eternal quest to find a capable Premier League left-back, with previous lacklustre incumbents including Djimi Traore, Andrea Dossena, Emiliano Insua and more recently Paul Konchesky.
England international Glen Johnson has also been in fine form this season, finally finding the perfect balance between his necessary defensive duties and natural attacking flair. Youngsters Martin Kelly and Jon Flanagan have also stepped into the fold on occasions and are benefiting from playing in a team full of confidence and self-belief. Pepe Reina, despite a couple of uncharacteristic errors against Fulham and Manchester City, also remains one of the league’s top three goalkeepers.
Skrtel believes the back room addition of former Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke has also played a major part in the Reds’ improved defensive displays, saying: “We work a lot in training on defending with Steve and that has probably helped not only me but all the guys who play at the back.
“Since Kenny and Steve have come in the atmosphere changed around the team. Everything is much, much better now. If I feel the confidence from the manager that is important for me and maybe that is the reason.”
With one foot already in the final at Wembley, Dalglish is on the verge of delivering Liverpool’s first trophy since the FA Cup in 2006. City must score at Anfield to make it to the final at Wembley; something Liverpool’s exceptional back four have developed a habit of stopping teams from doing.
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This season hasn’t been a runaway success for Liverpool, as Kenny Dalglish’s summer signings haven’t quite gelled into an impressive unit. Liverpool also haven’t been helped by the suspension to Luis Suarez and the injury to Lucas.
Brazilian midfielder Lucas was much maligned earlier in his career at Liverpool, but at the start of this season he was in great form. He has been a big loss to the Reds and it will have given the squad a boost to see him back this week, even if it was on crutches.
Here is Lucas with Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher, but what are they saying to each other?
Leave your suggestions below…
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This week you can win a Signed Liverpool Football!
This football has been signed by the 2011/12 Liverpool squad, a perfect gift for any Red.
For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here
Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.
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Last week’s winner: J McDonald – click here to see all entries
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Dennis Bergkamp believes that Arsenal have become extremely predictable and that they need to adopt a more ‘English mentality’ if they have any hope to succeed. The Dutchman suggests that the Gunners need to be more divisive on the pitch with their play and that they need some strong characters inside the changing room and around the club.
Elsewhere in the news Wolves look to Alan Curbishley; Martin Skrtel talks up Liverpool’s chances, while Andre Villas-Boas is being undermined at Chelsea according to his former employer at Porto.
Carlos Tevez returns to Manchester City with the threat of further fines. The Argentine got a police escort back into England, but hopes to rebuild some bridges and get his career back on track – Guardian
Dennis Bergkamp claims that Arsenal is predictable at present and need to adopt an English mentality – Guardian
Wolves are ready to interview Alan Curbishley with the view of him taking over the reins at Molineux following the sacking of Mick McCarthy – Guardian
Andre Villas-Boas is being undermined in his role as Chelsea boss, as his former employer at Porto Pinto da Costa revealed that the players have been engaged in conversation with Jose Mourinho – Daily Telegraph
Martin Skrtel has talked up Liverpool’s chances of landing a cup double, as well as qualifying for the Champions League this season – Independent
Scotland manager Craig Levein is risking the wrath of the English FA by moving for some of the nation’s best young talent, with a view of getting them to switch allegiance. The likes of Josh McEachran and Jonjo Shelvey have been those targeted – Daily Mail
Tottenham have agreed a £3.1m deal with Sau Paulo to take Brazil U20 Captain Bruno Uvini to White Hart Lane – Daily Mail
Manchester United has been linked with three players this morning as Fergie looks to freshen up his squad. Benfica duo Garcia and Gaitan are two of the names reportedly on United’s shortlist – Daily Mail
Sammy Lee has returned to Bolton for the third time in his career, to become Head Coach at the Reebok Stadium – Daily Mail
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David Moyes won’t be looking to extend the loan spell of Landon Donavan for the fear of ruining Everton’s relationship with LA Galaxy – Mirror
Paul Scholes has given his first hint that he will stay on at Manchester United next season – Sun
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias have revealed that they still call the club’s stadium St James’ Park, not the Sports Direct Arena.
The Tyneside club made the decision to sell the naming rights to their home to raise revenue, to the fury of the outfit’s supporters.
However, Llambias has admitted that he and the club’s executives still use the stadium’s iconic name.
“Do you think me and Mike call it the Sports Direct Arena? We call it St James’ Park, because it is St James’ Park,” he admitted to Mirror Football.
“The naming rights is such a passionate thing. It’s not about being disrespectful or taking away the tradition or the history of the club – it’s about trying to get another Yohan Cabaye out there on the pitch. That’s how we see it.
“To optimise our commercial side, we needed to get that in there – other clubs do it.
“We’ve had to take the criticism on the nose. We’re not riding roughshod over people’s love. People come to see our players on the pitch. It’s about us, the fans, the manager, the players and the region – it’s an emotional thing.
“If we wanted to ride roughshod, we’d just put the ticket prices up. That’s not happening.
“We know we’ve got a huge responsibility, and we know there’s a lot of emotion involved and we are emotional people, too. We are not being disrespectful. Mike and I understand and feel for it.
“The only area of income we can really build is the commercial revenue. We don’t want to put ticket prices up. We have a 10-year ticket deal and now we’ve announced a nine-year deal.
“We’ve increased our family area to 7,500 and for an adult and a kid it’s 500 quid a year. We’re trying to fill the stadium at a price we can afford. We can’t have it half-full, because we’d lose that spirit.
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“There are only a few ways to increase our income. We know the naming rights is contentious, but that income is something we need,” he stated.