Everyone loves their football rumours and therefore the summer can often be one of the most exciting times in football despite the lack of playing action. This summer has been filled with more football than you’d usually expect to see at the end of a season though, thanks to the European Championships. Whilst the football on offer was of the highest quality, the tournament did have one downside; all the coverage surrounded events in Poland and Ukraine and not the open transfer window.
However, the Premier League clubs have still been busy, tying up a number of deals before pre-season starts again and making the adjustments to their squads to try and better their league position from last year. A lot of this movement has taken place under the radar and is easy to miss unless you keep a keen eye on proceedings. However, using our A-Z of the transfer window, you can check out any deals you might have missed and catch up with the summer’s transfer activity so far.
Click on Xisco below to unveil the A-Z of the transfer window
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The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Premiership new boys QPR and Swansea City. The ecstasy of promotion to the top flight has been cast out and replaced by the harsh reality of playing in the unforgiving terrain of top flight football. Whilst fellow promotees Norwich City can be satisfied with their endeavours following a 1-1 draw at Wigan, the picture in West London and South Wales tells a very different story. The hope and confidence of cementing a long-term stay in the Premiership has already hit a massive stumbling block, as both sides kicked off their respective seasons with soul-destroying 4-0 defeats.
Both sides thoroughly earned their right to play in the Premiership and with both sides having put in so much hard work to get to where they are now, it was vital that they didn’t let the thrill of top-flight football get to their heads and ensure that they started the season as positively as possible. And yet, despite both sides putting in good 1st half performances, they completely capitulated against their respective opponents and, by the time 90 minutes was up, both teams had their tails firmly between their legs.
QPR were a class act last season as they ran away with the Championship title. A home game against Bolton Wanderers to kick off their first top-flight match in 15 years was never going to be easy, but it was certainly a match that they would hope to get a result from. And for almost 45 minutes, they were the better team. Yet one lapse in concentration just before half-time cost them dearly, and from then on, the team simply imploded against a well-organised and confident Bolton squad. Players like Jay Bothroyd, DJ Campbell and Adel Taarabt, who was so influential for QPR last season, were merely shadows of their usual selves and by the time Bolton scored their fourth, it was difficult to see how this club were going to survive the next 37 matches. With concerns off the pitch by a potential sale of the club, a lack of big-money signings and doubts over the future of manager Neil Warnock, this was not the start that the club needed or wanted.
Swansea’s determination and attacking style of football were significant factors as they achieved promotion via the play-offs to become the first Welsh team to play in the Premiership. Yet their opening game could not have been tougher. Whilst a result for QPR against Bolton was believable, a result for Swansea away at Manchester City would have been perceived as nothing short of a miracle. To put things in perspective, Manchester City’s new striker, Sergio Aguero, cost the club £13 million more than the entire Swansea squad put together. In the eyes of most football fans, a 2-0 defeat would have been a respectable scoreline for Swansea. But like QPR, they attributed themselves admirably against the giants of Manchester City and they managed to hold them for almost an hour, with new goalkeeper Michel Vorm in inspired form. Yet once they conceded the first goal, it was simply a matter of time before the Eastlands club would prove their dominance. In fact it was Aguero who was the biggest tormentor to the Swans as he put in an outstanding debut performance for his new club. It was a commendable performance by Swansea, but good performances count for nothing if you back it up with a good result. Let’s not make excuses, this was a heavy defeat.
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If ever there was proof of the gulf in class between the Premiership and the Championship, these were results were surely it. Of course it is way too early to condemn either club to an immediate return to the Championship, a league they worked so hard to get out of, and both clubs did show glimpses of why they now find themselves playing in the Premiership. Yet it’s so often said that a good start to the season is the benchmark to a successful campaign. The road that lies ahead for these two clubs will now seem considerably longer following the weekend’s results and a lot of work needs to be done in order for a successful campaign to be achieved.
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It’s a joy to have these two proud, well-established football clubs in the Premiership. But they have a lot of work to do to make sure that they stay there.
Read more of Sam’s articles at http://diamondformation.wordpress.com/. Also follow him on Twitter: @DiamondFormat.
Steven Pienaar’s move to Tottenham wasn’t just another massive transfer coup for manager Harry Redknapp. Sure, he signed on a minimal fee and adds strength in depth and real quality to a midfield already full of class. But what does it say about Spurs when the team he turned down was their London rivals and Premier League champions, Chelsea?
Chelsea aren’t having the best of seasons by any means. But even now, I wouldn’t write them off just yet. Retaining the title is not out of the realms of possibility and any footballer can recognise that. They have quality players, a proven manager and the experience to get themselves out of a position like the one they find themselves in.
So what did Steven Pienaar see? It certainly wasn’t a team currently in a false position. He compared them to the team in London everybody seems to be talking about. Tottenham are on the up, and the fact the South African midfielder chose North London over their rivals from the west of the capital, proves Spurs have to be classed in the same bracket as the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
The options available to Harry Redknapp will enable him to pursue his dream of bringing the Premier League title to White Hart Lane with even more conviction. It has been well documented that the majority of their goals come from Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, but Pienaar can offer another dimension, a dimension Chelsea could really do with at the moment. Where they lack in confidence and a bit of quality, Tottenham already had plenty of it and Pienaar can only improve their attacking options.
I remember another one of the brightest talents in Premier League snubbing the champions: In 2003, Harry Kewell turned down a move to Manchester United in favour of their fierce rivals, Liverpool, because he wanted to join a team on the up. It didn’t quite work out like he would have liked, but the whole deal smelt of something corrupt anyway. It was ludicrous to think he turned down United because he felt they could no longer compete for major honours. If reports are to be believed, money traded hands unlawfully which was probably the biggest factor in his decision.
Pienaar’s move is completely different. If Chelsea wanted him as much as they say they did, they could have thrown plenty of money to get him to Stamford Bridge. Maybe they offered to. But the move is one full of ambition. Pienaar wants to be part of history in the making. Spurs have already upset the apple-cart once by breaking up the finishing top quartet last season, and who is to say now they can’t go one further? They certainly have the players now to do so. London’s champions will be looking over their shoulder at two teams from North London now capable of stealing their crown.
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Is the dreadful June weather currently matching the mood at White Hart Lane? With no Champions League football to lure potential transfer targets and Cold War like tensions between Harry Redknapp and Daniel Levy proving terminal, it looks set to be a summer of upheaval in N17.
Such uncertainty over the managerial post at White Hart Lane certainly isn’t helping a team with more than a fair bit of work to do in the transfer market. The departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Louis Saha leave a frontline that is in some need of addressing and the destinies of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale could have quite an impact on the personnel coming and going this summer.
But the Lilywhite’s will, as ever, remain an attractive prospect to players both at home and on the continent. And just in case Spurs’ shortlist gets scuppered by the absence of Europe’s premier cup competition, here are ten more realistic targets for Harry Redknapp’s successor, that won’t mind plying their trade in the Europa League.
Click on Giuseppe Rossi to unveil the top 10
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What do you think of the players mentioned? Happy to see any of these boys in a Spurs shirt? Or are you still gunning for the Llorente’s of this world? Follow me on Twitter and let me know who you’re craving, @samuel_antrobus
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Everton have told Arsenal they’ll need to double their offer for Phil Jagielka if they are to land the defender BBC Sport understands.
The Gunners had a £10 million bid for the defender rejected yesterday as manager Arsene Wenger continues his summer search for a partner worthy of lining up alongside Thomas Vermaelen next season.
Wenger has been chasing for the 28-year-old for two seasons and Everton will settle for nothing less than £20 million.
Arsenal bid £12 million last summer and their latest bid has fortified the Toffee’s resolve to keep the player.
Signed from Sheffield United for £4 million in 2007 Jagielka’s superb form and commanding performances have turned him into an England regular during his time at Goodison Park.
However boss David Moyes is keen to strengthen his squad this summer and selling his star player could be the only option.
With a sell before you buy policy at Goodison Park there is a quiet acceptance that Jagielka may have to leave.
It’s not up to Wenger who must decide whether they are going to increase their offer or focus on other targets as the pressure grows on him to add to his backline.
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Bolton’s Gary Cahill still remains in the Frenchman’s crosshairs with a £17 million move being touted whilst Blackburn’s Christopher Samba and Birmingham’s Scott Dann have also been linked.
After the scenes of jubilation at Eastlands last season, and the quite remarkable run in the Champions League this season, Spurs can be forgiven for wanting to rest on their rather sensationally accrued laurels as the 2010/11 season saunters into the final months. However, it may well be even more imperative for Tottenham to bring Champions League football back to White Hart Lane this season, than it was to secure it in the first place last season.
With success comes expectation, and with that expectation comes a need for progression, and this is why Spurs must make it into the Champions League for a second season and hope that this season’s European excursion into the continent’s biggest tournament hasn’t been a one-off.
For one, they will need to make it into the Champions League again to have any realistic chance of, A.) luring more world-class talent to the club, and, B.) holding on to the world-class talent they have. I think the likes of Gareth Bale perhaps has one or two seasons at White Hart Lane left in him regardless of the Champions League, however, the likes of Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric could well look elsewhere should the north London outfit fail to emulate their success of 12 months ago.
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Spurs are well placed to emulate their success of last season, but with Manchester City making a far more concerted effort to break into the top four this season, the prized Champions League places are becoming increasingly crowded, and unfortunately for Tottenham, this means that once they fall out of the mix for the top four places, it may be very difficult to get back in.
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The expectations of the board, sponsors and players out-weigh perhaps even those of the fans, who, for the time being, are more than content to go along on the rollercoaster ride that has been this year’s Champions League to see where it takes them. Unfortunately if last season’s endeavours are not replicated, then this season’s European frivolities could well become a nostalgic, isolated incident.
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In March of this year, the Football Association conceded that there were a number of matters that were no longer within the scope of their governance, as it officially relinquished its authority in areas of vital importance. One such power given up by the FA, the distribution of wealth away from the Premiership, has left clubs in the Football League dangerously exposed.
It is inherently natural and correct that those in the highest division of football should be reaping the highest rewards; after all, they have earned their right to play amongst the nation’s best and should be granted the financial benefits which follow. Football has always been a meritocratic system whereby the cream of the crop are most adequately endowed with cash. Yet the sheer magnitude of divergence in wealth between the Premier League and the Football League in modern football is threatening the very existence of football clubs in the lower leagues.
For all the rampant riches which have seen the English Premier League become the most watched and most talked about in the World as well as bringing significant continental success to English clubs, there exists a more sinister side to the deluge of wealth which has flooded English football in recent years.
In the past five years alone, clubs in the Football League have gone into administration a total of twelve times, whilst former league sides Rushden & Diamonds, Chester City and Halifax Town have all been liquidated and reformed lower down the Non-League pyramid. Particularly in the case of Chester and Halifax, these are clubs with rich, enduring and vibrant histories in the Football League which have been needlessly cut short. Whilst some financial mismanagement of behalf of the clubs may have contributed to their demise, it is predominantly the disparaging state of finance in comparison to the Premier League which is responsible.
When analysing the fortunes of clubs relegated from the Premier League, it is evident that the transition into the Football League is one fraught with innumerable difficulties. Of the teams relegated since the turn of the Millennium, eleven have subsequently dropped into the third tier or lower at some stage: Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford, Leicester, Leeds, Norwich, Southampton, Sheffield United and Charlton with Wimbledon folding altogether, whilst Portsmouth and Coventry will play in League One as of next season.
Intriguingly, most clubs have seen their subsequent fall into the third tier come in a period of 2-5 years after relegation from the Premier League; around the time parachute payments dry up, around the time attendances begin to fatally fall as a result of loss of stature, and around the time any income made from the time spent in top flight is fluttered away to simply keep the club afloat. Of those highlighted above, Bradford, Leicester, Leeds, Southampton and Portsmouth would go into administration in the following years, whilst the same fate fell upon Crystal Palace in 2010.
Not only are former Premier League clubs affected, but lower down the pyramid sides with little or no notable success yet equally abundant histories are most perilously positioned. In the past two seasons both Plymouth Argyle and Port Vale have both received ten point deductions for entering administration. Neither club have ever reached the top flight of English football, yet are two of the most distinguished institutions in the Football League. Despite being two of the best supported clubs in the lower leagues, the traditional revenue streams of gate receipts are almost invalid as clubs engage in utter dependence upon television money, sales of top players grants from the Football League.
Yet with the Football Association surrendering increasing power to the Premier League, there remains no tangible system of regulating wealth distribution. The Premier League as a political institution now nurtures a frightening level of influence over football’s finances, which in the coming years will only result in a widening of the poverty gap. The separation of the FA and the Premier League has rendered the FA a lame duck, sitting and waiting for its successor to assume power, as the pure monetary potency of the Premier League eclipses all else. The Football League, try as they may, are held captive in this power struggle whilst their members bare the full consequences.
Clubs pour ill-affordable resources into reaching the promised land. But once the dream has died, once the dazzling hyperbole of the Premier League fades away, only strife remains. There is a contingency plan in place in the form of parachute payments, but these are of no measure to the millions that clubs commit in trying to retain or attain Premier League status. Meanwhile, even those with more modest ambitions are fighting for survival as funds fail to drip down from the very top and leave those at the bottom struggling to persist.
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Unless the Football Association are able to wrestle power back from the Premier League, the juggernaut will continue assuming greater financial clout and endanger the existence of the rest. There is life outside the Premier League, yet it is slowly being suffocated by the incessant greed of top flight clubs. It is time to start sharing.
Agree or disagree, I want to hear from you – @acherrie1
Following a meeting between wantaway playmaker Luka Modric and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, the London club have revealed that the Croatian has been told he is not for sale.
Chelsea tabled a £22 million bid for the former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder two weeks ago, which was firmly rejected by the player’s current employers. Since then the 25-year-old has stated that he wants to leave White Hart Lane in search of Champions League football, but Levy has clarified that this will not happen, even if the Stamford Bridge team increase their offer.
“It would make no difference. This is not about money, we’re not selling our best players,” he stated to Sky Sports.
The 49-year-old believes that the meeting went very well, and that the Croatia international will be convinced to stay at the club once pre-season kicks in.
“Everything was fine, we had a very good conversation and – as I said previously – Luka Modric will not be sold.
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“It’s the end of it. As I said a few weeks ago, there’s no further discussion on it. He was on holiday, we’ve now had the conversation and he understands our position. I’m sure once he’s back with his team-mates everything will be fine,” he concluded.
It’s Christmas and to celebrate the festive season and their sponsorship of the Football League, npower are giving away pairs of tickets to Championship club supporters. It is the perfect gift for these lucky winners and a friend to commemorate 2010 and see their team into a successful 2011. Make sure you don’t miss out!
npower are offering you one last chance to save on your energy as they are rewarding fans for switching their gas and electricity supply to npower and paying by direct debit. For ‘real fans’ npower has launched Football Saver* for new customers – It’s guaranteed 7% cheaper than standard rates until 31st December 2011 plus you will automatically be placed into a special prize draw where you could win a £45 voucher to spend at your local Football League club shop, courtesy of npower, say for example towards a new shirt for the season. To take advantage of the offer call 0800 975 6613** quoting N570P, offer closes 30th January 2011.
npower are all about giving not only to the fans but to the local community too. As the new title sponsor of The Football League Kids Cup, they fully support the annual six-a-side competition with teams of Under-11’s and Under-13 girls played in towns and cities throughout the country, culminating in finals played at Wembley Stadium before the end of season npower Play-Off Finals.
The Competition:
Here at FootballFanCast we have teamed up with npower to offer footy fans the chance to win a Pair of Tickets for twelve lucky home fans to the following eight matches:
Monday 3rd January:
QPR v Bristol City Ipswich v Nottingham Forest Crystal Palace v Preston
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All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to answer the following question correctly:
Which England international is currently the top scorer in the Championship?
A) Scott Sinclair
B) Grant Holt
C) Jay Bothroyd
Email your answer along with the game you would like to watch to [email protected].
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The competition closes on Thursday 16th December so make sure you get your answers in now!
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Terms and conditions:
Tickets are located in the home team stand and are only valid for home team supporters.Winning the football tickets doesn’t guarantee the automatic win of the £45 voucher.Winners of the voucher will be notified by npower by 31st Dec 2010.*Residential customers only. Offer and vouchers subject to availability. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply visit www.npower.com/shirtoffer or call 0800 975 6613**** Calls may be recorded and monitored for training and security purposes.To view all the competition terms and conditions visit http://www.npower.com/footballcricketterms
Tuesday night’s home game against Derby wasn’t a pretty affair. Derby dominated the midfield and played with a relaxed free style which arose from their assured mid table position; Cardiff on the other hand were nervy, afraid of making a mistake, however the tense atmosphere on the pitch didn’t filter onto the terraces. The Bluebird supporters had taken it upon themselves to turn out in force to both bolster the team and to pay a personal old fashioned supporters informal tribute at the first opportunity to former manager and Cardiff City legend Eddie May who sadly passed away at the weekend.
The first twenty minutes were all Derby and they soon had the ball in the back of the net causing City fans to hold their breaths. The goal had been offside but decisions hadn’t gone Cardiff’s way, including what looked to be valid appeal for a penalty! A sigh of relief reverberated throughout the stands when the goal was disallowed.
Joe Mason, against the run of play opened the scoring for Cardiff pouncing on and slotting home a rebound off a Kenny Miller shot that had rattled the woodwork, chants of Eddie May’s Barmy Army resonated though Cardiff city stadium that could be heard in the houses on the Canton Road…. Derby however hadn’t read the script and continued to press and cause problems in every area of the pitch, they were the better team.
Nathan Tyson continued to run circles around the Cardiff midfield and defence – twice David Marshall denied him at point blank range..Now it wasn’t just the City players who were tense. The fans had started to live on their nerves, too sure it was only a matter of time before Derby equalised. Just as heads started to go down Cardiff managed a good counter-attack.
Mason got on the end of a Lawrence pass but when in a great goal-scoring position dithered and rather than taking his chance he passed the ball to Kenny Miller who took too long teeing up his shot to be sure so that the ball was stolen off his toes… The head shaking and muttering began amongst the Cardiff fans because this wasn’t the performance they wanted for Eddie and it certainly wasn’t the one needed to cling onto a playoff position. Half time couldn’t come quickly enough.
The second half started, Derby had made one change and within minutes they also brought on Steve Davies to a plethora of snooker related puns amongst the bored and restless City fans “Let’s hope he’s not in the frame to score from a break.” and “He’d better not be on cue to snooker us.” Being amongst the better ones!
Derby continued to dictate the play the Cardiff City players and fans were taking stress to a whole new level. All the haunting memories of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory etched across their faces, the fans frustration needed an outlet for release, they needed to lift their side out of the nervy tense style of play they were entrenched in. Fans revived another chant from the Eddie May era which involved chanting shoot, shoot every time a player they knew had a shot on him received the ball. It was this chant that was partly the catalyst for the moment of pure class and magic which followed.
Suddenly receiving the ball in his own half, Club captain Mark Hudson had the briefest of looks up and spotted the Derby goalkeeper had been slow to return to his line after a goal kick. With the chants of shoot ringing in his ears, Hudson took the ball forward two yards and unleashed a shot at goal as requested. Everyone stood in a amazement as a perfectly flighted, sweetly hit but powerful shot curved then looped over the flailing and furiously back peddling Derby keeper Frank Fielding , under his bar into the back of the net.
I, nor anyone else there had ever seen anything like it. Yes it was similar to the infamous David Beckham goal from the halfway line but this was further out and from an angle and what’s more scored by a defender! The goal was from some 68-yards struck with intent, Hudson absolutely meant it. There was a split second before the Cardiff City faithful dared to celebrate, unsure if we had actually just witnessed or imagined what we had just seen. When we did start celebrating it was of the like that had never been seen before at the Cardiff City Stadium…The cheering drowned out the radio and multi-media commentators, but it didn’t matter for the Cardiff commentators were screaming and celebrating too.
It was that sort of goal, for almost a minute, professionalism went right out of the window, even Cardiff City FC historian and lead commentator on Cardiff City Player, Richard ‘Shep’ Sheppard, a consummate professional seemed incapable of saying anything other than “Oh my word what a goal what a goal…”
But despite what has to be the goal of the season, Derby refused to roll over and play dead. Still they came forward, Tyson ever dangerous on the break and Marshall palmed away a goal bound shot Whittingham cleared off the line. As the game recommenced with the Cardiff supporters now in good spirits the shouts of shoot got ever more comical – One such chant was aimed at a David Marshall goal kick; the big Scottish keeper beamed and waved a hand dismissively before launching his kick in the direction of Peter Whittingham.
Overall, David Marshall and young Ben Turner were immense at the back. Turner getting back and putting in faultless tackle after tackle and Marshall pulling off at least four or five brilliant saves.
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Despite a somewhat nervy display by the Bluebirds, Derby running things and having 56% of the possession and more shots both on and off target along with double the amount of corners of Cardiff – thanks to some of the players coming forward, standing up and being counted adding to a miracle goal from the most unexpected sources, somehow Cardiff had come through.
They had dug deep and shown true Bluebird spirit They had done themselves and everyone connected past and present with Cardiff City football club proud with the three points making sure that this season things are now firmly in our hands, this time we aren’t going to blow things because we can’t, the supporters have become an extra man on the park and amongst the players the old heads some on young shoulders have responded yes it wasn’t a pretty display against Derby but at this point in the season all that counts is the three points…
Saturday sees the sombre dignified official tribute to for the man whom everyone connected with Cardiff City Football club regards as the Bluebirds greatest ever manager.