Chelsea ran out worthy 2-1 winners in the FA Cup final in this afternoon’s Wembley showpiece.

Records galore were broken at Wembley as Didier Drogba became the first player to score in four separate FA Cup finals, as the Ivorian inspired Chelsea to their 4th FA Cup win in six years. The 2-1 victory also saw Ashley Cole pick up a record seven winners medals, while John Terry is the first captain to lift the trophy four times.

The FA Cup win was no more than Chelsea deserved who dominated for the first hour and appeared to be in cruise control, until Andy Carroll came off the bench for Liverpool. The Reds £35m striker came on in Dalglish’s last throw of the dice and his towering presence unsettled the Chelsea backline throughout the last third of the game and not only did he score to put the Merseyside club back in the game, but had a goal controversially chalked off that would have put Liverpool all-square in the final.

Although replays proved inconclusive at the time, Petr Cech is convinced that it didn’t cross the line:

“I don’t think it was over the line. If the ball was behind the line I couldn’t have put it out,

“I’m sure it was not behind. I haven’t seen it but I’m persuaded it wasn’t in and I knew it from the first moment.” BBC

Chelsea managed to weather Liverpool’s late storm and the FA Cup win has once again added to the clamour for Roberto Di Matteo to be installed as permanent manager at Stamford Bridge. John Terry has lauded the contribution of the Italian during his time at the helm and the confidence he has instilled back into the players:

“At times people have slated us as being too old, past it or not together as a squad, but as a team we come together and unite when our backs are against the wall.

“We’ve done that superbly in the last 16 or 17 games under the manager. We’ve done Robbie the world of good with this win, and it can do him no harm [in his efforts to secure the position on a permanent basis]. We’ve still got a massive trophy, the Champions League, to come and that’s been the target for the owner [Roman Abramovich] from day dot. That’s the priority now.”

Roberto Di Matteo was delighted with the victory, but insisted that former manager AVB had played his part in this season’s cup success:

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“AVB should get some credit for this victory as well because he started our run in the FA Cup, but I’m very happy for the players. We’ve had a difficult season and a lot of criticism, but the players responded today to all the adversity we’ve faced this season.

“I don’t think many people have the opportunity I’ve had. I’m fortunate enough to have been able to play for this club and win the trophy, and now I’ve been able to lead the team out today and win the trophy as a coach. It is special. It doesn’t happen too often. But the players did really, really well today. I’m very happy with them.”

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France boss Laurent Blanc has admitted that he is concerned that his side could be caught by England counter-attacks, and will adopt a cautious approach when the teams meet on Monday.

Group D of Euro 2012 kicks into life with the old enemies facing each other in what is a mouth-watering clash.

Les Bleus’ coach has stated that it will be a close game, and that his men are wary of the Three Lions’ quick attackers.

“They’ll drop back, have a bank of four with some quick players in there, and try and hit us on the break,” Blanc stated to reporters, published by The Guardian.

“We need to be careful with that and make sure we’re not caught off guard. If there’s space in behind our back four, they’ll counter-attack. If they play Danny Welbeck, we’ll have to leave him as little space as possible to exploit.

“But we’ll play our own style. If we sat back and waited for the English to come at us, it’d be 0-0 and we might end up only threatening to score a goal from a set-piece.

“No, there’ll be two very different philosophies on show and I hope the side that plays more football will win the game, even if that’s not always the case. We’ve stored up confidence from our unbeaten run, and we’re ready and eager to get our tournament started,” he admitted.

Sweden and Ukraine complete the first round of fixtures in the other Group D match.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Although the Premier League is packed with some of the game’s top stars, everyone loves to see a good young player breaking into the first team from the club’s academy. The success of a home grown talent or even someone who’s joined the club from elsewhere as a young player is always heart warming and in recent years, we’ve been lucky to see the likes of Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Danny Welbeck burst onto the scene and make an impression.

The new season will be no different, some clubs will give chances to the younger generation in the hope of unearthing the next Wayne Rooney and the likes of Arsenal have earned a well deserved reputation in promoting fledgling stars to the first team. There are a number of individuals looking to make an impact in 2012-13, so take a look at our ten Premier League talents ready to make the breakthrough in the new season:

Click on Ryo Miyaichi to unveil the 10

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As footballers speak to the media of any form, be it print, television or online, so often is there the capacity for comments to get misconstrued. But as ex-Spurs midfielder Niko Kranjcar began voicing his somewhat toxic views on the Luka Modric situation, the Croatian certainly didn’t seem to lose anything in translation.

But whilst Kranjcar may simply have been indulging in his right of free speech, when do such comments overstep the line of footballing etiquette, a bit of dignity and a touch of class? Any remaining goodwill Spurs supporters held towards him has evaporated in the blink of an eyelid. But however you frame it, it’s certainly not done the North London club any good during a period of high tension.

Niko Kranjcar’s arrival at Spurs in 2009 was heralded as an all-round good bit of business for the football club. His three-year spell at Portsmouth had showcased his exquisite technical skills amongst a backdrop of classy midfield play. Having just turned 25, his best years of football were still ahead of him and his past relationship with Harry Redknapp suggested that his acquisition could be a fruitful one for Spurs.

Unfortunately though, as Spurs began to taste further successes in the Barclays Premier League, the Croatian’s influence steadily declined at White Hart Lane. But that isn’t to say that his spell was an overwhelming failure.

Kranjcar made 72 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhite’s. Of course, the Croatian only started just over half of those, but his spell couldn’t quite be compared to the ill-fated spell of Giovani dos Santos (who ironically may have a future at the club if reports are to be believed).

Kranjcar played a pretty prominent role in the team that first acquired Champions League football during the 09/10 spell and it’s hardly like he was completely disposed of the following year. He featured in six of Spurs’ Champions League fixtures, including away trips to Werder Bremen and AC Milan. Granted his final season was more Stevenage and Shamrock Rovers, but he tasted some champagne moments as well as the lemonade ones.

This is what makes his current comments a little bit sorer for Spurs fans. The club didn’t treat him like dirt. He had chances to showcase his talents; the beginning of last season saw the Croatian start the opening two fixtures against Manchester United and Manchester City respectively. After those two performances, it’s difficult to imagine he had half of Europe queuing up to take his signature.

Tongue in cheek aside, you can however, relate an element of sympathy with Kranjcar. Spurs supremo Daniel Levy is a hard-nosed businessmen and he will squeeze every penny out of transfer deals. That can have its well-documented disadvantages, but it’s his steely policy that has seen Spurs elevated as one of the nation’s best-run clubs. Did that necessarily provoke these sort of comments though?

“Levy did everything to protect the interest of the club and make a profit. He has also used lies to deceive the public, which is allowed in business, but if you were in Luka’s shoes, you would probably do the same as him.

“In my three years at White Hart Lane, I never had lunch or a serious talk with the president. There was no need. It’s not customary for bosses to invite you for a cup of coffee, even if you’re their next-door neighbour like I was, in Cuffley.

“I know from my own experience how difficult these people are and how hard it is to break out of a contract with them…that is their speciality: they set unreasonably high transfer demands, but the absurd thing is they always get what they ask for.”

Now whichever way you view that, calling out your ex-employer as a liar, is a pretty damning incitement. Kranjcar is well within his right to say whatever he wishes now that he plays for another football club. Although this feels like he’s overstepped the line, no matter how frustrated he may have been.

The club paid him a good wage whilst he played for the club, introduced him to Champions League football and the fans thought highly of him whenever he played. Looking to support a friend and a fellow countrymen is one thing, but divulging you’re personal relationship with the chairman is unnecessary.

Furthermore, lampooning Levy wasn’t enough for Kranjcar, as the Croatian also saw fit to deem Dynamo Kiev a bigger club than his former employers. And it’s this sort of comment that sees the tides of favour turn against him.

Players want to win the affections of their new club; fans understand that. But what Kranjcar has done is cheap and tacky. It’s not even his choice of words- he could have picked a far more offensive line. But it’s the principal. He has chosen to publicly badmouth the chairman and aim a sly dig at the club, whilst he defends his mate who has spat his dummy out because his employers won’t let him renege on a lucrative long-term contract, he signed only two years ago.

And it’s this point that seems to personify the real issue of relatability between fans and players. Some may disagree, but the fact is a lot of supporters can understand an element of Luka Modric’s point. If one of the best companies in the world tried to headhunt you and double your wages, you’d probably be looking to leave too. Modric isn’t a Spurs fan by birth and Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

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But the immoral manner in which he’s gone about it is simply wrong on every level. And seeing players such as Niko Kranjcar, someone who has always come across relatively intelligent and astute, defend such a stance, only serves to push supporters further away.

Spurs stil have more than a few loose-ends to tie up before the season begins. The Modric situation was fraught enough as it is. The airing of dirty laundry in public won’t help anyone, especially not Tottenham Hotspur.

How do you feel about Niko Kranjcar’s tirade? Well within his rights or well out of line? Let me know how you see it, get involved in the Spurs talk on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views. 

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There is always a discussion of teams needing a quartet of strikers if they are to succeed and have an incisive attacking line. Is it equally important to thrive through wing play? Or is direct play through the middle effective enough?

I would argue wingers are the most underrated aspect of a side in the Premier League. The reason why Chelsea struggled in November and Tottenham have managed to flourish, despite being understrength, recently is width. The pace and precision of Bale and Lennon on the wings certaintly provides Spurs with an advantage. Chelsea’s season has unravelled when teams found out their attacking trio just behind Torres are playing narrow. It makes them predictable and easy to neutralise.

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It is also the reason why you see full backs such as Rafael persistently given a chance at Manchester United, in spite of his defensive deficiencies. The need for a team to have wing play is crucial to counter attacking football as well and being able to surprise opposition. When I talk about wing play I don’t mean necessarily passing the ball to the designated winger and him always putting a ball in the box. There is an aspect of this but it is about spreading the play across the whole pitch. There appears to be an obsession with trying to find the next playmaker that can play in the ‘hole’. Surely this is useless if you don’t have a full back and winger combination which works efficiently.  They need to pick and probe down their designated side. The nature of how wingers play is interchangeable with the full back bombing forward to provide extra width.

Newcastle United have been exposed for their failure to utilise their wing play as they did last season. The dynamism of having Santon and Ben Arfa, as well as Simpson and Gutierrez helped the Magpies find a way through opposition defences last campaign. They have neglected using these players strengths, and opting for long ball football. The fact that Ben Arfa has been so crucial to anything that has been remotely good, even when they are playing style that doesn’t suit him this season, is telling to the importance of wing play. Despite Ben Arfa not necessarily sticking to a wing cutting inside and playing sometimes as an auxiliary striker, his game is based around running at a defender down the flanks. This helps carve open opportunities for the Magpies for the likes of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse. Adam Johnson was another example of this though he has failed to flourish since his £10 million move to the Stadium of Light, there was a definite feeling that his keenness on the wings helped relieve pressure for his attacking players when he was at Manchester City as they surged to the title.

David Silva certaintly struggled to recapture his form at the back end of last season, due to his insistence on try to play his way through the middle and found he was endlessly frustrated in spells. There is a reason why wingers command such a high fee. It is because they can free up space in the middle as well as being a creative outlet from which a team can build all their attacks. In this case Silva was forgetting the importance of width. It is something for Sir Alex Ferguson has pondered on too having started both Valencia and Young on the wings in this weekend’s Manchester derby. He decided that playing two out and out wingers was the solution and at the moment it is paying dividends. He also has Nani to call upon too and this strength in depth out wide which could prove telling in the title race.

Chelsea under Mourinho also prospered due to having four efficient wingers who could all add an attacking outlet to their play.  There was Duff, Robben, Wright- Phillips and Joe Cole who were all ready to do a good job if called upon to do so. Then when Chelsea won the title under Ancelotti there was also efficient wingers with Malouda winning the player of the season award. It is not a coincidence that Big Sam went out to buy Matt Jarvis for £10million in the summer, as even a man who is not afraid to play direct football sees how crucial having a successful winger is.  The playmaker may be able to deal with intricate passes but the wingers are the ones who are often relied upon to create the openings.

I would argue that the addition of Jean Beausejour in January was crucial to Wigan’s survival last season. He added flair and invention to the side on the wing. The fact that he operated so successfully out wide helped the 3-4-3 that Martinez wanted to adopt work so successfully. He was seen as a low key signing, but the balance he provided for his team made him so pivotal to everything that went on at the DW Stadium.

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Now that the January transfer window is fast approaching it may be time for clubs to look at adding another winger to their side, like Wigan did. This could certaintly be the answer to rejuvenating the spark in ailing sides. If the club has wingers capable of producing then it is up to the Managers to realise that they can be the key to success.

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Shrewsbury Town blogger Liam Hoofe is getting used to life in League One and his side have made a positive start to the season with a unlucky defeat against promotion favourites Sheffield United and a 1-0 home win against Preston North End. 

Arriving 20 minutes late and already being 1-0 down was far from how I saw myself beginning life as a League One fan. However once I’d finally arrived at Bramall Lane and settled into my seat I was pleasantly surprised with what I witnessed.

We were dominating the game against the league favourites away from home, carving out chances and really making their back four work for their wages but there appeared to be one thing lacking: the ability to score a goal.

Chance after chance came our way but still we failed to put the ball in the net, the final whistle finally came and we had our first tally in the loss column for the new season however things were looking up after a positive display.

Next up were Preston at home, another team that the bookies were tipping for promotion this campaign. With our unbeaten home record being seriously under threat ex-Preston man Paul Parry smashed in a stunning 25 yard hard volley to give us a 1-0 lead and from then on in we never looked back.

A resolute performance from our new-look back-four sealed our first home win on the campaign and give us momentum going into our next home game against current league leaders Tranmere.

All in all it’s been a very optimistic start for us however it is clear too all our fans that a striker is seriously required if we are to challenge for anything this campaign. Neither of our strikers have got their name on the score sheet so far this season and with our back four and midfield looking solid all we need is a man upfront who can smash in the goals.

You can follow me on Twitter @LiamHoofe

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Arsenal are reported to be targeting Sevilla winger Jesus Navas as a ready-made replacement for Theo Walcott, according to the Daily Star.

England international Walcott’s future at the Emirates has been thrown into doubt with talks over a new deal showing little progress, and Gunner’s boss Arsene Wenger could decide to cash in on the 23-year-old this summer, rather than lose him on a free transfer next summer. With both Chelsea and Liverpool thought to be considering a bid for the former Southampton player, Wenger has been scouting a replacement in Europe.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, new signing Santi Cazorla has persuaded Wenger to think about fellow Spanish international Navas. The 26-year-old has a £35million buy-out clause in his contract, but Sevilla are likely to accept a bid around half that amount. Navas has been with the Spanish club since 2003, appearing 243 times and scoring 23 times for the club. The 26-year-old has also represented Spain internationally, with 21 caps and 2 goals for the current European and World champions.

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Waiting 15-years for a new Guns N’ Roses record is reason enough to be a little peeved off, especially when the album is decent at best and consists of about 30 different musicians working to Axl Rose’s loony demands. But waiting a season or even six-months to really see the workings of a manager shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Andre Villas-Boas was welcomed to north London by a chorus of boos, albeit not from all the supporters. The switch from the media’s best mate and towards a manager who doesn’t fancy giving interviews out of his car window, instead insisting on examining DVDs of his next opponent should be greeted with more than just a good helping of scepticism. Where’s the settling in period that’s needed for any job, especially sports coaching and management?

Brendan Rodgers is a championship manager who got lucky one year but will never live up to the genius of Appetite for Destruction, even if that holy name did bring such a poor set of results in the recent past. But people are obviously drawn to drama away from the pitch, where sensationalist stories make much better reading that a quick recap of how well everyone is doing.

Where’s the story if AVB did start well at White Hart Lane and picked up at least two wins from three? Well I’m sure there’d be a spin on the whole thing and a look into the foundations being left by Harry Redknapp. Anything for a stir, I guess. But with football, there seems to be little understanding that good mangers and good player needs time to settle in and make sense of his surroundings; not every player is dropped in with the natural talents of a Messi or Ronaldo—both of whom also took a number of years to establish themselves as the best in modern football.

With Rodgers and Villas-Boas, people expect instant results in a world where that’s simply not possible. If either manager wins a trophy by the end of the season then it’s nothing short of a miracle—and not because either team is particularly bad, but instead because of the time needed to force their footballing ideas onto the pitch.

There’s a whirlwind of pressure created that now hangs over both managers, yet neither are willing to accept defeat, even after only three league games. Somehow, and I know it sounds crazy, but somehow the managers and the chairmen at each club understand the ideas that have been put forth: notably the words “three or four year project.” No manager outside Jose Mourinho, Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola can walk into a club and assure onlookers of instant success. And even then, they’d need mountains of cash to throw around in order to keep their promise.

In this case, there’s little acknowledgement of the lack of resources afforded to both managers, with their desires for an impressive future mocked by those who believe them to well out of their depth. Both have proven to be very good managers who are determined to stick to their principles, gaining success in the past through their desire for something different on the pitch and with the personnel needed to execute said orders. John W. Henry and Daniel Levy are worthy of some form of criticism for not giving their managers exactly what was needed for this season, but there is comfort in knowing that the trigger happy feeling isn’t coming from inside the clubs.

Football fans and the media are greatly mistaken if they believe new managers are going to transform their clubs into Barcelona or Porto MK2. There’s even less acknowledgement of just how good their recent opposition have been. But if the good and winning football doesn’t come early, then at least we can lean on the “shortcomings” of managers, even if those aimed cannons are pointing in the wrong direction.

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The criticisms of Rodgers and Villas-Boas is nothing short of mind-numbing. Where’s the reference point to how competitive and difficult English football is? Oh yes, that only comes in when levelling criticism at the failings of other leagues around Europe. Nice work.

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Coventry’s first season back in the third tier of English football is turning out to be a disastrous one and after weeks of uncertainty the Skyblues have finally appointed a new manager in the form of Mark Robins.

The need for a new appointment has been clear for everyone to see as Coventry’s winless run in the league continues. Richard Shaw has been the man to oversee proceedings since the sacking of Andy Thorn and everyone involved was hoping for an upturn in fortunes. The complete opposite has in fact happened, seeing the Skyblues slip to within one place of the bottom of the table being kept off it only by the fact that they have scored one goal more than Bury.

It has been hard to watch for all Coventry fans, who went into this season hoping for a promotion push but carry on playing in the manner we have been and another relegation could be on the cards. We have seen a real lack of heart and passion from the players in these opening weeks and couple that with some truly shocking defensive displays and it is no wonder we are where we are.

We all know that life as a Coventry fan is never going to be easy but just once we were having realistic ambitions of challenging for a place in the top six. This is looking like a distant dream right now but just maybe with this managerial appointment we can once again dream of an upturn in fortunes.

Mark Robins comes to the club with both management and playing experience. He was a striker by trade and I do think it’s a little ironic that we as fans have been calling for an attack minded manager to come in and it happens at a time when we are at our worst defensively. He does have good managerial experience though having managed both in League One as well as in the lower echelons of the Championship which on the face of it seems a perfect fit for us.

His first job was as manager of Rotherham United where he was praised for the job that he did. Rotherham were in the race for promotion in both of the season he was in charge even in spite of the 17 point deduction which was imposed upon them in the second season. All in all it was a successful couple of seasons for both Robins and Rotherham.

He was then given the chance to impress in the Championship with Barnsley. When he was appointed Barnsley were struggling near the foot of the table and he managed to turn there fortunes around and staved off the threat of relegation. The club remained very much at the same level finishing in 17th in his second season, one place higher than in his first season in charge. He then took the decision to resign and stated differences with the board as the reason for his decision.

His record considering he did both jobs on shoestring budgets is a relatively good one. His reasoning for leaving his last job though does worry me a little. Differences with the Coventry board are going to be a given when looking at SISU’s record and unlike Thorn it looks as though Robins would be unwilling to put up with that and would walk away.

This is however the least of our worries at the moment as all us fans want is a win and to see our club begin to move up the table. Any managerial appointment usually coincides with an upturn in fortunes and there is no reason to suggest that this won’t be the case here and for everyone’s sake who is involved with the club I hope that this happens starting Saturday.

Possibly a more pressing question would be do I reckon he will be able to maintain an improvement in form? Of course it is a possibility but with the stats of his teams often losing form and of course Coventry’s record of basically never having any kind of form I would suggest not. I hope this isn’t the case and that finally we have a man in charge who can change the fortunes of this club for the better but when Coventry are concerned I think I will always be sceptical.

All in all Robins seems like a decent guy and a manager who has a lot to offer the club. Coventry however is somewhat of a poisoned chalice when it comes to managers. We have the facilities along with the tag of a big club which seems to attract managers but good managers have come and gone and the majority if not all have left with their reputation in tatters and their career as a manager on the line.

Examples of ex managers are Aidy Boothroyd who has had experience of Premier League football with Watford but after taking the chance of managing Coventry has been left trying to rebuild his reputation at League Two Northampton. Peter Reid is another high profile manager and he ended up having to manage abroad in Thailand as well as at stricken Plymouth Argyle. Iain Dowie is another who came with a great reputation and he hasn’t really had a great time of it since leaving the Ricoh Arena. Chris Coleman is another who struggled to get another job and wouldn’t have had the Wales job if it had not been for the sad passing of the late great Gary Speed.

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Managers arrive at Coventry often with glowing CV’s but previous experience tells us that Mark Robins is taking a massive gamble with his career and I hope for his as well as Coventry’s sake that this will change and he can make a success of his time here at Coventry. I for one am fully behind the guy and all I can say is good luck to him as he’s going to need it.

PUSB!!

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Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has hit back at FIFA vice president Jim Boyce who has been heavily critical on the Uruguayan striker.

Boyce, who is Britain’s FIFA representative has described Suarez’s recent dive against Stoke City as ‘nothing less than cheating’ and that diving is ‘a cancer’ in the game.

This has lead the Uruguayan Football Association to write a letter of complaint to FIFA, demanding that the Northern Irishman should be referred to the governing body’s ethics committee.

After playing in his country’s 3-0 win defeat against Argentina, Suarez has accused Boyce of only being interested in raising his own profile.

He told waiting journalists, “This guy (Boyce), I’ve no idea who he is. I don’t know why he has been talking about me.

“He certainly can’t be well-known and he want to get publicity. Let him carry on talking. My job is to play football and to try to do so in the best way possible.

“What he has said does not affect me. I am not interested in what he has to say. It’s been important to have the support of the Uruguayan FA and the people.

“I have lived through a lot in the past year, with people saying things about me, but I have continued playing and proving my job is what happens on the pitch.”

Boyce is not the only one to criticise the controversial striker. Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielney recently told French magazine L’Equipe that he is the forward he hates to face most.

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He added, “He is tiresome to defend against. He cheats, he pulls your shirt, giving small blows. You always want to give him a kick but you have to be careful not to be red carded.”