All posts by h79snht.top

I think it’s fair to say Manchester United have picked up the buy of the season in Mexican sensation Javier Hernandez. ‘The Little Pea’ has been an instant hit in the Premiership after completing a summer move from his homeland. This is reaffirmed with his twenty goals in all competitions for the Red Devils. Hernandez has notched thirteen Premier Leagues goals in a season where he has only completed ninety minutes on five occasions, making his feat even more laudable. Sir Alex Ferguson’s faith in his young striker has paid dividends and shown what a young player can do at a big club if given the opportunity. Sir Alex has also given me the opportunity to raise an interesting question. I wonder – if Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos had been entrusted in the same way at their clubs as Hernandez has at United, might they may have blossomed similarly?

So what are the main reasons why Hernandez’s countrymen haven’t taken off in the Premiership in the same way as he has. Firstly maybe it’s simply the case that Vela and dos Santos aren’t good enough to be first choice at top Premiership clubs? They have both been in England for some time now and neither has made sufficient steps towards becoming a regular first team player. It’s almost as if they are both seen by their managers as players who have potential, but aren’t ready to realise it yet, so the best thing is to ship them out on loan. In dos Santos’ case it could be argued that surely Barcelona wouldn’t let a product of their youth system go if they thought he had the potential to be a top quality player? [ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]

My second rationale could simply be that  maybe Vela and dos Santos haven’t been given enough of a chance to show what they can do yet? Giovani has only played ten league games for Spurs since joining them in 2008 and Vela has only played twenty nine league games  for Arsenal since 2005, although he did spend the first two years out on loan. If Hernandez had been used as sparingly as his compatriots this season, his talent may still be locked away. It would have been easy for Fergie to stick with the tried and tested Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov combination and maybe if Michael Owen had been fit all year Hernandez wouldn’t have broken through? However, luckily for Man United fans, his goal scoring qualities have been exposed to us. This has meant Chicharito has been able to score some crucial goals that have guided United to within a point of their record breaking nineteenth title.

Both Giovani and Vela are highly rated within the national team set up with Mexico and they are both clearly talented footballers, so why has it not gone to plan for them in North London? After Giovani’s superb performances for Mexico at the World Cup he may well have thought he would have got his chance at the Lane this season. Both players are still young and could still embark on successful club careers, however whether it is in the capital or elsewhere depends whether Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp give them their shot. So is it a case of Arsenal and Tottenham not giving their Mexicans enough opportunity to showcase their ability or is it more a question of the two players not being good enough? It’s a question Arsenal and Spurs fans will be best equipped to answer, so what do you think?

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

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A hard fought draw was all that Liverpool could muster in their opening day of the season. It will take time for the new boys to gel and supporters should show the team great patience in Kenny’s new look team before it starts to turn out results.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include Liverpool’s transfer pledge; King Kenny to finally deliver, while it is time for supporters to move on from Alonso.

We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.

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What to expect from Liverpool FC

Caption Competition: Newcastle’s loss is Liverpool’s gain

FOUR Liverpool players whose future lies away from Anfield?

Will this new transfer strategy see other Premier League clubs follow suit?

The perfect way to fast-track Liverpool’s development?

Liverpool’s trump card in Premier League title race

Will King Kenny finally deliver silverware to Anfield?

Time for Liverpool to move on

Liverpool chief’s transfer pledge

Liverpool lining up Dann swoop

A genuine cause for concern at Liverpool?

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Best of WEB

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Reality Check – This is Anfield

How Liverpool Can Win The League Title – Tomkins Times

Player-by-player 2011/12 Preview – This is Anfield

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Fan Focus: Getting The Lowdown On Liverpool From Paul Tomkins  –  Roker Report

SO WHAT WILL WE BE GETTING FOR £6MILLION? – Live4Liverpool

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Click on Miss Blasi below to see her in all her glory

Jordi Gomez struck with just three minutes remaining to secure a vital point in Wigan’s fight for survival and bring Chelsea’s title challenge to a stuttering halt.

The in-form midfielder was on hand to tap in his fourth goal in five games following Petr Cech’s fumble to give the Latic’s hope of beating the drop and lift the confidence levels at the DW Stadium even higher following their win at West Brom last week. Roberto Martinez’s men certainly deserved a point for their hearty endeavours against the Blues who were broght back down to earth with a thump following their win against Manchester City on Monday night. Andre Villas-Boas’ side looked on course to make it four wins in a row that would have closed the gap between league leaders City and themselves to four points. Daniel Sturridge’s goal just before the hour appeared to have settled a game that was evenly contested despite both sides being at opposite ends of the table.

It was the home side who started the brighter with Gomez having a penalty shout turned down after he tumbled in the penalty area before Chelsea went on the offensive. Unfortunately the Wigan defence was appearing uncharacteristically resolute restricting the visitors to pot shots from distance with John Terry fizzing an effort over from 30-yards. The impressive Oriol Romeu then saw his sublime low volley tipped wide by Ali Al Habsi before Didier Drogba missed the best opportunity of the half five minutes before the break. Raul Meireles’ cross found the Ivory Coast hit man in the Wigan six-yard area only to see his diving header fly wide. More appeals for a spot kick were forthcoming from the Latics after Branislav Ivanovic appeared to block Victor Moses’ drive with his arm.

Chelsea continued to crank the pressure up after the restart and substitute Solomon Kalou almost made an instant impact only for Drogba to fire his cross into the side netting. It was going to take something special to breakdown Wigan’s uncompromising defence and Sturridge duly provided it taking Ashley Coles pass in his stride before firing his seventh Premier League goal of the season past Al Habsi. Wigan responded brilliantly to going behind with Maynor Figuero forcing Cech into a low save following a driving run up the left flank before Hugo Rodallega latched onto Ivanovic’s sloppy back pass only to be denied by the Chelsea keeper. Former Blues striker Franco Di Santo was sharp to the followup but was denied on the line by Ivanovic who made up for his almost fatal error seconds earlier. The hosts continued their pursuit of an equaliser and were rewarded in the 87th minute as Gomez tapped home after Cech spilled Rodallega’s effort.

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Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas has labelled his side’s Europa League final against Sporting Braga as a ‘great challenge’.The two sides will meet in Dublin on May 18 to decide the winner of Europe’s second-tier club competition and although Porto have won both meetings between the two sides in Liga Sagres this season, the champions will not be taking Braga lightly.

Porto booked their spot in the final despite losing the second leg 3-2, as they cruised through on aggregate 7-4.

Villas-Boas also expressed his pride in his players after the victory, which keeps their chances of a historic treble alive, with the league title already wrapped up and a spot in the Portuguese Cup final, against Vitoria de Guimaraes, booked.

“I am very proud of my players for achieving this important objective,” Villas-Boas said.

“We resisted the initial Villarreal pressure and now we are into the final with Braga, who eliminated great teams such as Sevilla, Liverpool and Benfica. It is a great challenge for us.”

Porto defeated Braga 3-2 in their league clash in September before winning 2-0 away from home in February.

Villarreal boss Juan Garrido praised Porto after their aggregate victory, insisting they deserved to make the final.

“They (Porto) won and they deserved it,” Garrido said.

“I congratulate Porto, who have done a great job in winning this round. We fought with all we could.”

Garrido also thanked the fans who attended the second leg at El Madrigal, as they stuck by their team and saw them win on the night thanks to goals in the last 15 minutes from Joan Capdevila and a Giuseppe Rossi penalty.

“We played a good game and appeared to be doing well with the fans. Today (Thursday) I saw the fans believe in the team,” he said.

“I appreciate the fans’ support of the team.”

If there was one concern to take from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Saturday, it was the lack of pressing and the deep defensive line which Liverpool adopted, especially in the second half. Although Liverpool struggled to establish themselves on Sunderland in the second period, utilising at times some aimless long passing, a big reason why the Reds lost control of the match was because of the team shape.

Certainly a lack of control of the ball in the second half was a main contributory factor in the Reds not pushing on from their first half display, but what was strikingly evident was how deep the Reds back line was playing at times. It was not only the backline which withdrew deeper though, the Reds midfield also began to stand off Sunderland which inevitably meant less possession and less opportunities for the Reds to attack further up the pitch.

No pressure on the ball allowed Sunderland back into the game, and when Larsson scored, Liverpool failed to grab back the initiative. Instead they continued to play pretty deep. This defensive line led to some of the problems Liverpool had in the attacking half of the pitch in the second period.

Rather than having the ball in more advanced areas, the Reds more often than not had the ball in the back four, and with the Reds not pushing up in midfield, there were very few options for the backline to pick out. It all began to go a bit ragged as the second half went on with the Reds resorting to long ball tactics, trying to pick out an increasingly isolated Andy Carroll . This inevitably led to the ball being given away which became part of a vicious cycle where the back four gave possession away, leading the backline to go deeper and deeper.

So what may have led to such a deep backline and to a lack of pressing in midfield? Would this have been a planned tactic by Dalglish and Clarke? Although there were times under Dalglish last season where the Reds didn’t press the ball very well (e.g v Tottenham), in most matches it was noticeable that there was marked return to higher pressing than there was under previous manager Roy Hodgson. Against teams such as Manchester United and Manchester City, this was very evident indeed.

Against Sunderland however, there was one big difference: personnel. The Reds team is still gelling together, and in the second half especially, the lack of communication was evident as the Reds gave the ball away a lot more. The Reds looked good with possession in the first half and had a lot more of it, but still they did look unconvincing off the ball. In the second half, with less possession, this meant more problems and it is clear that the likes of Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson are not used to pressing as much without the ball.

Again, I must reiterate, this is only one match and things will take time to get right, and I hope that on the training ground this week, Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke take measures to address this lack of pressing, which led to the backline moving deeper and deeper.

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Read more of David Tully’s articles at Live4Liverpool

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he would like to sign the £30m rated Lille playmaker Eden Hazard, but he is constricted by a need to generate profit on a season-by-season basis.

The Belgian international looks set to leave the Ligue 1 champions in the summer, sparking a scramble between Europe’s leading clubs for his services.

The Gunners have a successful track record of buying talent from France under Wenger, and the Emirates Stadium trainer has praised Hazard’s considerable ability.

“I really like him (Hazard) and, for several reasons: it’s his creative power, his ability to misalign the opponent, his vision of the game and his consummate skill to address the last pass which make him a very interesting player,” Wenger stated according to Mirror Football.

Despite realising Hazard’s quality, Wenger revealed that he is required to make a certain amount of money each campaign to balance the books, which may limit his ability to bid for the attacking midfielder.

“You should know that each season, it is imperative to show a profit of between fifteen and twenty million pounds. I would add that the purpose of a coach is to always buy at a price he sees fit,” he concluded.

Arsenal can expect competition from the likes of Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester City for Hazard’s services should they enter the race for his signature.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says Aaron Lennon could make a surprise return against Stoke on Saturday.The England winger missed Spurs’ midweek 4-0 Champions League quarter final first leg mauling at Real Madrid with a virus, but could recover in time for this weekend’s match.

“We will see if he feels any better when he comes in on Friday,” Redknapp said. “Whether he will be fit enough to train or not – we are not sure.”

“The kid was unwell – he was too ill to come in to training on Thursday. He will be doubtful but it depends how he is in training.”

With the second leg of that Madrid tie to come on Wednesday there has been speculation that Redknapp could rest some players against Stoke.

But he has insisted Tottenham need as strong a team as possible as they look to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League once again.

“I cannot afford to rest anybody because we have lots of players injured to start with,” Redknapp said.

“We are still trying to make the top four and compete in the Champions League.”

“It is hard trying to compete on two fronts – usually we compete on no fronts here at Tottenham.”

“It?s a tough ask to make the top four of the Premier League and next year it will be even harder because I’m sure Liverpool will be stronger.”

“We finished above Manchester City last season then they went out and spent about 140 million pounds in the summer to try and make sure they made the top four this time.”

Redknapp insisted the midweek flop in Spain has been forgotten because the Stoke game is of vital importance.

“I have forgotten about the Champions League, I am totally focussed on the game with Stoke,” he said.

“Stoke is the next match and that is the all-important game for us and the one we will concentrate on.”

“We have been making lots of chances and only one defeat in the last eight Premier League games.”

“We are playing well but you cannot always win.”

“Stoke is a good club; the fans are unbelievable and they get behind their team. It is a well-run club and it will be tough.”

Tottenham will be without defenders Ledley King (groin), Alan Hutton (knee) and Jonathan Woodgate (calf) and midfielders Wilson Palacios (knee) and Steven Piennar (groin) while Vedran Corluka (ankle) will face a late fitness test.

Alan Hansen was infamously ridiculed for his declaration that “you’ll never win anything with kids”. The immortal phrase was uttered on August 19, 1995 after a baby-faced Manchester United had lost their opening day fixture. We all know what happened next with the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and to a lesser extent the Neville brothers helping to inspire the Red Devils to a league and cup double. Hansen found himself with the contents of an omelette on his face but would he endure the same mockery if he repeated the phrase today?

In recent years we’ve seen Arsenal’s stars of the future fail to reach their projected heights whilst United’s success is epitomised by their continued reliance on the experience of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. The prospect of another ‘golden generation’ seems increasingly unlikely, with only a few standout players across the league ever really breaking through into the first-team, after life in the academy. Is it fair to say that despite pumping millions of pounds into academy football, it’s getting more and more difficult for players to establish themselves in the senior squad?

At present, the only real taste of professional football a young starlet is likely to enjoy (at a Premier League club) is through participation in the Carling Cup. The competition is bit like first-team football with training wheels on, there’s a certain degree of intensity and atmosphere but it’s still perceived as a distraction from the league campaign.

Without any disrespect to the lower league clubs, an away tie against the likes of Barnet isn’t going to be too dissimilar from the standard of their usual fixture in the reserves. The sad fact is that even if a team manages to progress to a stage where winning the trophy becomes a real possibility then these youngsters will always make way for their senior team-mates.

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To put things in perspective, in the 1990 FA Cup final the average age of the Manchester United and Crystal Palace starting line-ups was around 26. Two decades later when Portsmouth played Chelsea the two starting line-ups featured 11 players over 30, with the average age rising to well over 29.

Speaking of Chelsea, their turbulent twelve-month period is unlikely to encourage any other clubs to disregard their aging squad members and promote their younger counterparts. Andre Villas-Boas tried to install a drastic overhaul during his brief spell as manager but met fierce opposition from the stands and their idolised senior squad members. Sunday’s convincing FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals Tottenham was exemplified by the performances of Terry, Drogba and Lampard, which will undoubtedly leave promising talents Romelu Lukaku and Oriol Romeu even further adrift of a regular position in the starting line-up.

During his time at the Bridge, Villas-Boas suggested that the Premier League should be allowed to field reserve sides in the Championship, akin to the set-up in Spain. However, League chief Andy Williamson perfectly sums up why this could never happen;

“Our clubs are constituted as sovereign entities which represent their town or city with pride, rather than being a subsidiary of another club in another part of the country,

“These are senior professional football matches that matter – they are not just platforms for developing other clubs’ players.” (BBC)

The simple fact of the matter is that the reserve leagues aren’t competitive enough to help continue the development of young players. The demands for success from fans, the media and even the chairman will mean managers are increasingly reluctant to test these individuals in the first-team. Perhaps the advent of the Elite Player Performance Plan will help spark a transformation and as the country’s best young talent gradually migrate to the top-flight, we may find ourselves with reserve football that is the equivalent of the U21’s at international level.

All is not lost for our current crop of young stars, as loan moves across the divisions have proven an effective way to gain experience of the physical demands of professional football. However, unless such players continue to shine week in week out – Wilshere at Bolton or Welbeck at Sunderland – then they’re unlikely to find any further opportunities at their doorstep once they return to their parent club.

It’s certainly easier to break through at Championship level with an increased number of games and significantly less competition for places. The exceptional players will attract the attention of the Premier League elite and will often find themselves at the heart of a high profile move. In spite of the recent success story of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, many find themselves struggling to adapt (see: Connor Wickham, Marvin Sordell and Carl Jenkinson).

As the financial implications for failure become ever more apparent, a reliance on success in the here and now will always stunt the development of the future of tomorrow. Competitions like the Carling Cup will allow for brief cameos on the centre stage but when teams are criticised and even fined for fielding ‘weaker’ teams in the Premier League, it’s difficult to see many youngsters being handed a starring role.

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Come find me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’m currently watching that 1990 FA Cup final, wondering what could have been…

There is no competition in club football more special than the UEFA Champions League. Just ask Steve McManaman and Christian Karembeu. Both players have great memories of the competition and indeed won the coveted trophy whilst at Real Madrid. They now work as ambassadors for UEFA at the Heineken-sponsored UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour.

Speaking on the Bangkok leg of the tour, McManaman, who scored a magnificent volley in the 2000 Final against Valencia, said: “The Champions League means everything to me. One of the reasons I actually left Liverpool was to play in the Champions League.

“Whilst I was there, only the domestic champions got to play in the competition and I wanted to test myself against the very best in the world. You have to test yourself against the best teams in Europe, that is what it is all about. And because I joined such an illustrious club with such great players, I was fortunate enough to win the Champions League the first year I got to play in it and that was fantastic!”

Karembeu was an unused substitute in the 2000 Final, but started in 1998 when a solitary Pedrag Mijatovic strike was enough to sink Juventus at the Amsterdam Arena. In that same summer, the 53-times-capped French international lifted the World Cup in Paris and although he remembers both occasions very fondly, he is unable to compare one to the other.

Karembeu said: “The Champions League is the first title that I won as a player so it means a lot me. It was also the first time in 32 years that Real Madrid had won the trophy and that made it extra special because the club were missing it. Both for me personally, and for the club it was genuinely a dream come true. It was one of the best moments of my life without question.

“But to then go on and win the World Cup in your home country is something else. You can multiply any feeling or emotion that you have by ten because you know that the whole country is with you every step of the way. I suppose looking back it is almost idealistic the way that I won those titles but I could not have done it without my teammates. I could not compare winning one trophy to the other because it was two different experiences with two different sets of people and I will cherish both memories for the rest of my life.”

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The Trophy Tour

The schedule of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken is:

February 22 – 27: Kuala Lumpur

March 5 – 6: Penang

March 11 – 12: Kuala Lumpur

March 16 – 17: Bangkok

March 19 – 20: Chiang Mai

March 25 – 27: Kon Kaen

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April 6 – 9: Seoul

April 15 – 17: Hong Kong

There will me more to follow about the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken…

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The House of Commons has set a date for the debate surrounding confidential documents relating to the Hillsborough stadium disaster. An online petition has passed the 100,000 signatures mark, requiring the motion to be automatically added to the agenda for October 17th. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who was the club’s player-manager at the time of the disaster, has signed the petition, along with former boss Rafael Benitez, who told the Daily Mail he had “signed the petition already and have been supporting that decision”.

In other news this morning, Joey Barton’s ‘free’ transfer to QPR has sparked controversy after rumours began of massive payments to agents; Sir Alex Ferguson has dubbed striker Wayne Rooney the ‘white Pele’; Swiss side FC Sion step up their legal campaign to stay in the Europa League; and

Hillsborough files set to be debated in House of Commons – Daily Mail

FC Sion seek Platini’s arrest after UEFA re-instate Celtic – Daily Mail

FA asked to probe Barton agent fees – The Sun

Ferguson: Rooney is the white Pele – The Sun

City’s Champions’ League winners the key for Mancini – Daily Mirror

Rice: I missed having Arsene on the bench – Daily Mirror

Villas-Boas ‘forgives’ Torres following outstanding performance – The Sun

Blackburn fans planning massive anti-Kean march this weekend – Daily Mirror

Defoe: Adebayor the perfect partner – The Independent

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Woodgate will miss long Europa League trips to guard against injury – Daily Mail

Carson Yeung’s arrest leaves Birmingham unsure of finances – The Guardian

DJ Campbell backs Barton to succeed at Loftus Road – The Guardian

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