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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

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Lassana Diarra has had a strange career since leaving Arsenal back in 2008.

The French midfielder played weekly at Portsmouth, but then upon joining Real Madrid in an £18m move in 2009, he immediately began to sit on their bench, and has struggled to rise from it on many occasions. He happens to be the kind of player that Arsenal are lacking at the moment, in the sense that he is tidy and effective on the ball, and is effectively, the player that Arsene Wenger envisaged Denilson to be.

There would be real issues with Diarra coming back to the club though. He moaned incessantly about being on the bench for long stretches of the opening six months of the season, and eventually left in January having infuriated his team-mates and the manager to such a great extent with his attitude. His return would surely not be a popular one among the team, which is more important than his relationship with the supporters.

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The Frenchman has grown up since he left Arsenal though. He excelled immediately after he left and that was what won him a move to Real Madrid. One could easily argue that when you join a club of the stature of them, with the circus that surrounds them, it was inevitable that he would not have the success that he craved. Unfashionable enforcers are generally not embraced in Spanish football, and consequently, Diarra has had a couple of season’s bench warming rather than time on the pitch.

The 26-year-old is a Premier League style player, and he is a player the likes of whom Arsenal have been missing over the last couple of seasons. In all probability, he would have started every game after the departure of Mathieu Flamini. Speaking purely practically, Diarra would be an excellent signing for us.

However, there is reason to suggest that there is no way he would ever return to North London. Wenger has a very strict policy on the re-signing of former players, and also there is no guarantee that Diarra will leave Madrid this summer. A lot will depend on the future of Jose Mourinho in the Spanish capital – the midfielder is the kind of player who would excel under his stewardship if given a greater chance. If a new manager came in for whom flair was more important than substance, then Diarra could leave.

His performance against Barcelona in the Nou Camp last week was the best of any player on the pitch. Whether that will convince Real Madrid to keep him, or whether Diarra wants to stay at all, is another matter though. However, what is most likely is that his next destination shall probably not be Arsenal.

Would you as fans like to see Diarra back at the club this summer?

Read more of Alastair’s articles at Gunnersphere

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FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan

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Blackpool boss Ian Holloway hailed his side's 2-1 win at Liverpool as one of the best days of his footballing career.

The Seasiders stunned Anfield with first-half goals from Charlie Adam and Luke Varney and held on for a famous victory after the Reds pulled a goal back through Sotirios Kyrgiakos eight minutes after the restart.

Holloway commented:"It is one of the dreams I've had for years.

"When the fans were singing You'll Never Walk Alone – it's my dad's favourite song but he's no longer with me – I was singing myself and it was a bit emotional.

"This is not far off the home of football – these supporters have seen some of the best football over the years and in my era as a player there was no better team in the world.

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"The boys made me so proud and for that set of supporters to clap us off that is all I wanted – that was what my dream was last night. This is a fantastic moment for Blackpool."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

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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You can also enter the Caption Competition via Qustodian SportsThe FREE football app that pays YOU cash!

According to the Professional Footballers’ Association, a top England player would have earned a total of around £1,600 a year in wages, bonuses and international match fees in 1957. Nowadays that money is the equivalent of about £75,000, or the amount that many average Premier League players would earn in a week.

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure is reputed to earn more than £250,000 a week, along with Wayne Rooney and teammate, Carlos Tevez. What’s more, the Ivorian apparently receives £823,000 as a bonus if Manchester City, as it seems they will, qualify for the Champions League this season, and a further £400,000 if they win the competition, plus a £1.65m annual salary for his image rights. Toure is certainly a top-class talent, and has proved an important purchase for the current campaign, but it is worth mentioning that City signed the midfielder following a season in the shadows at Barcelona where he only started 13 games for the Catalans. He has played for the likes of Olympiakos, Monaco and Beveren previously, but is now amongst the highest paid players in not just the Premier League, but Europe.

The consensus opinion has relaxed recently, a contrast to the day when Bryan Robson became the first £1,000 a week footballer in 1981 to the backdrop of public outrage, and extortionate wages are considered an accepted part of the modern, global footballing phenomenon. Football has no wage cap, unlike the wealthiest sports in America, and clubs can pay what they like, buy who they like and sell who they like, which begs the question, how can such excess ever be justified in the name of football?

The counter argument is that the current nature of the sport implies that footballers are entertainers on a similar scale to singers or actors, and are therefore earning legitimate sums when compared with their Hollywood counterparts. In February, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Gordon Taylor, defended the size of his union members’ wage packets at a government inquiry in to the running of football. Taylor explained: “The game is about players. It’s the players who people pay to watch. I don’t think anybody goes to see a film and complains about Brad Pitt’s wages, or a potential Oscar winners’ wages, and the same if you go to an Elton John or a Take That concert. I’ve never heard a fan yet say it’s terrible the money they get.”

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Like actors, a footballers’ value fluctuates based on form or what clubs they have or do play for, or the equivalent of what films an actor has recently starred in. The problem, however, isn’t necessarily the amount a player receives for his services, but the length of time he is contractually obliged to perform. It doesn’t make sense that a footballer can maintain such exorbitant wages when the quality of their performances alter month by month. It is common for a player to demand a pay increase following even a handful of good performances, but they are never quick to accept a wage reduction for poor form.

This point came to my attention last weekend when the Argentinian striker, Franco di Santo, scored his first Premier League goal in 18 months, a 90th minute consolation in Wigan’s 4-2 defeat by Sunderland. This is di Santo’s third full year in English football and he has now recorded a goal ratio of one every year-and-a-half, having failed to find the net for Chelsea, but did score once on loan at Blackburn – a header in a 3-2 victory against Burnley in October 2009. Ordinarily, I don’t think it’s fair to evaluate the worth of a striker based purely on goal-scoring, seeing as there are several other important aspects to the trade, but di Santo’s record represents a disgraceful return for a forward who contributes very little in other departments too. The Wigan number 7 definitely takes home a healthy sum considering his incompetence at the job he makes his living from, and in fact was denied a loan move to Feyenord before he joined the Latics last summer because the Dutch club couldn’t even afford a percentage of his wages.

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The wage structure in England, despite several incongruities, is probably a lot closer to being fair than not. The best players are entrusted with the most confidence and are subsequently offered the most money for the longest time. A journey down the Premier League table, and even further down the football league ladder, demonstrates that the lower the quality of player, the less he will be earning for a reduced amount of time, which in theory is completely logical. In practice, this may be harming the room for lesser clubs to expand and improve, but isn’t different from the principles evident in any other branch of the entertainment industry, from working on Hollyoaks to working in Hollywood.

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Manchester City winger Adam Johnson has been warned by manager Roberto Mancini not to relax now that he has broken into the England international set-up.

The 23-year-old has featured in all three of England internationals since the World Cup finals in South Africa, but Mancini is concerned that Johnson's head could be turned by such recognition.

The Italian commented:"Adam has to understand that sometimes it is important for a player to play for a team.

"He can have a top career if he understands that he must work and think about football every day, not about other things.

"I am very happy that he played for England, but he needs to keep his feet on the ground. That is important, not just for Adam, but for all young players.

"It is easy for a player like Adam, with a good attitude and good quality, to arrive at the top. But you must always stay there. You can never go back.

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"Sometimes when players arrive at the top they think they have finished. Actually, you must work better than before."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

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.

Follow me on Twitter here for all the latest Liverpool FC news, views and analysis

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Liverpool’s Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina has given the clearest indication that he will still be between the sticks at Anfield next season.

With his future under the spotlight earlier this season as a result of Liverpool’s dreadful start, suggestions were made that the goalkeeper was considering his options.

Reports on caughtoffside.com taken from LFC Weekly quote Reina talking about next season with the club, “We didn’t start this season, or last, the best – and next time we need to make sure that doesn’t happen”.

The former Villarreal keeper is in his sixth year with the Merseyside club and refused to clarify his future earlier this season, fuelling speculation he would consider his options in the summer.

Reina has been linked to Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United in the last couple of years and the Premiership title chasers could well inquire again this summer.

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However the 28 year old gave a further clue that he would be with the Reds next term, “We need to be consistent with the aggression, commitment – everything. And if we get the balance right, we’ll be a lot closer to where we want to be.”

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Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner looks set for a radical boardroom overhaul at Villa Park by installing a continental club hierarchy at the Midlands club. Reports have suggested that Lerner is keen to appoint former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier as Director of Football at the club with Kevin MacDonald as first-team coach and former Villa favourite Steve Staunton as his assistant. On paper, this managerial trio looks like it could be a huge success for Villa but on closer inspection, it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Firstly, there is question of whether Houllier, MacDonald and Staunton would be happy in their roles at the club. All three have had experience of being the number-one man in charge so there is a great possibility that they might harbour ambitions on each other’s jobs. For example, in his role as Director of Football, there is a great chance that Houllier would have little or no day-to-day contact with the players on the training ground. Rather, the role would be more primarily focused on scouting potential players for the club and ensuring that the club stays within its financial boundaries. As a manager who is used to doing this as well as training the players, Houllier may feel he is being restricted as a Director of Football and become increasingly involved with first-team matters which would undermine the authority of first-team coach Kevin MacDonald.

Similarly, Steve Staunton could risk jeopardising the harmony at the club should he decide that being a deputy simply isn’t good enough for him. MacDonald was Staunton’s assistant when he was manager of Ireland and now it would be the other way round; MacDonald would be his boss and Staunton would be his assistant. The two have a good relationship but it would be interesting to see if it remained that way if Staunton expressed a desire to replace MacDonald if Villa were to go on a run of bad results.

Lerner’s decision to adopt a European style of club management is something that hasn’t been done often in the Premier League-and with good reason. It just hasn’t been successful. The Villa chairman need only to look to Tottenham and Newcastle to see how such a system can go horribly wrong.

Tottenham appointed Frank Arnesen from PSV as their new Director of Football along with Jacques Santini as head coach. The experiment quickly turned sour for Spurs as Santini resigned after only a few games in charge while Arnesen left the club the following year in acrimonious fashion amidst allegations that Chelsea made an illegal approach for the Dane to be their new Director of Football.

Arnesen was replaced by Damien Comolli whose tenure at the club was unpopular to say the least. Comolli was accused of paying over the odds for frankly rather average players. He paid Hertha Berlin £1.8 million for Brazilian full-back Gilberto whose contract was about to expire in six months time. He also offered Hertha £5 million for midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng which was twice as much as the next highest offer from Sevilla.

Eventually, Comolli was given the sack after Tottenham got off to a rotten start in the 2008-2009 season and the club decided to return to a more traditional way of club management with Harry Redknapp appointed as the sole person in charge of team and transfer matters.

Like Tottenham, Newcastle United have attempted the Director of Football experiment and have found it to be an unmitigated disaster. Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley chose to appoint Dennis Wise as an ‘executive director’. Wise was tasked with looking after the club’s academy as well as scouting players that would be suitable for the club to sign. Wise decided that the best way for him to do this was to use youtube. So he presented Kevin Keegan with two videos of players he thought that the manager should sign. Keegan took a look at the videos of Xisco and Ignacio Gonzalez and decided against making a bid for the players due to the fact that he couldn’t possibly entertain the idea of bidding for players off the back of a grainy internet video. In spite of Keegan’s request, Wise went ahead and signed the pair behind Keegan’s back.

This, along with the unsanctioned sale of James Milner caused Keegan to resign from his post and sue the Tyneside club for unfair dismissal. The case was heard by the Premier League Arbitration Panel and they ruled in favour of Keegan who was awarded £2 million in damages.

The reaction by Villa chairman Randy Lerner to move to a continental style of club management is no doubt an attempt to avoid the perilous overspending on wages and transfers under previous manager Martin O’Neill. But Lerner has to be careful if he chooses to take Aston Villa down this route. He needs to make sure that the people he chooses to run the club have the club’s best interests at heart and not their own or else Villa could end up with huge problems.

For more football chat, follow me on Twitter

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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery

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.