Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted pre-season training is 'make or break' time for Jonathan Woodgate.
Woodgate, 30, made just three appearances last season after picking up a campaign-ending groin injury in November which required surgery.
The England defender's career has been plagued by serious injury and Redknapp believes the next few months with a vital for the former Leeds United, Real Madrid and Newcastle centre-half.
Woodgate will miss Spurs' pre-season tour of the United States in a bid to ensure he is fit for the start of the new season.
"It's make or break for Jonathan now," said Redknapp, who has Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Sebastien Bassong and Younes Kaboul already vying for two starting places in the centre of defence.
"He has got to come back and play. If he is not ready for the start of the season it will be difficult for him. When he gets his boots on and starts playing hopefully he will be all right.
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"He is a fantastic player – one of the best centre-halves around. We just take it day by day with him and see how he progresses."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United have dominated the landscape of modern day English football by winning 11 league titles in 18 seasons. In the first nine league seasons, United triumphed on a remarkable seven occasions, while in the nine subsequent, their level of success diminished, picking up four. While four titles is still an incredibly impressive return from Sir Alex Fergsuon, it also points towards a slight shift in power at the top of the English game.
United and England star Wayne Rooney believes the Premier League has become increasingly harder to win since he signed for the club in 2004, claiming last season was the most competitive he has ever had as a professional. Rooney confessed;
“I think the Premier League has got progressively harder to win. In previous seasons you might have had straightforward games where the top clubs could afford to rest players, but that’s not the case anymore.
Nowadays it’s hard to leave players out because every game is competitive and difficult. Last season was certainly the most competitive I’ve played in. Many of the top teams lost more games than you probably would expect.”
The statistics certainly appear to support Rooney’s views. Last season the top fop four sides lost a staggering 32 games between them, compared to 17 the season before and just 15 during the 07/08 season. This suggests the gap between the top sides and the rest of the league is reducing, with Tottenham Hotspur managing to break “The Big Four’s” dominance by replacing Liverpool in the Champions league positions last season. But why has the league become more competitive? The astronomical amount of money the Premier League generates certainly has a lot to do with it.
Mind-boggling broadcasting and sponsorship deals have created such vast wealth in the Premier League that most clubs can now afford to fund multi-million pound moves for the best available talent. Or if they don’t, they can easily borrow it from the banks who are more than willing to lend them the money in return for high-interest repayments. Manchester United’s dominance coincided with the formation of the Premier League, giving them a timely advantage over their rivals. United were at the top at the right time, and the increase in wealth brought through the Premier League and the Champions League helped consolidate their position as one of top sides in the country. The rest of the league is now starting to find the finances to match United’s and the club’s dominance at the top is being challenged. The Premier League is the richest in the world and is now being targeted by wealthy businessmen looking for a piece of the Premier League cash cow. The Premier League offers unrivalled financial opportunities and businessmen are clambering for their very own ready-made investment vehicle.
Clubs challenging at the top now have ridiculously wealthy owners who can back their plans in the transfer market by signing the world’s best players. Wealthy owners gave both Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea the resources to challenge United at the top and there will be more teams looking for similar investment in the future. City are now the richest club in the world and will be a real threat to United’s longstanding dominance over the next few years. Liverpool could also soon be able to call upon a bottomless pit of money should Chinese businessman Kenny Huang’s proposed takeover bid go through.
Last season produced one of the most exciting title races in recent history. However with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all struggling to put a run of results together to pull away in the title race, the quality of the league’s top teams were questioned. While you could argue the top sides were not as ruthless as in previous years, dropping points in games you would normally expect them to win; you must give credit to the rest of the teams in the league. Chelsea won the title with the lowest points tally seen in the last five years with 86, suggesting the teams that make up the rest of the league are becoming a lot more competitive. Where traditionally you would mostly have two sides competing against each other, next season you could have up to six sides competing for the title.
The rest of the league’s clubs will soon be forced to find major investors if they are to continue to compete at the top level. Millionaires are being replaced by billionaires and to be competitive in today’s market you need to have money. Investment is changing the face of English football and Manchester United face tough challenges ahead if they are to continue to dominate for the next 20 years.
Like this blog? Read some more articles from this author below-
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Coloccini ready to prove a point
Barcelona and Fabregas underestimated Arsenal’s resolve
Brazilian striker Robinho has lashed out at Manchester City just days after completing a move to Italian giants AC Milan.
The 26-year-old headed to the San Siro ahead of the transfer deadline, having ended last season out on loan with Santos after falling out of favour at Eastlands.
He told The People:"Neither Mark Hughes nor Roberto Mancini understood me. Perhaps they only believed in the sporting side of things, but that wasn't enough for me.
"There was a lack of contact between the players and the club. It was much like an office – to training and goodbye, to a match and goodbye.
"I am Brazilian and I can't offer my best performance if I'm not happy in every aspect of life. That was my problem. I am a special footballer and I need to be happy when I'm playing.
"That was the case at Real Madrid, but never at City.
"Going on loan to Santos was the best solution because if I'd stayed at City, I would not have played in the World Cup.
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"The loan was very successful. I recaptured my love of football, won a title and confirmed my place in the Brazil team.
"It was an excellent experience and they tried to extend my loan, but City had made up their minds to sell."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
West Ham United have confirmed that boss Avram Grant will not attend Saturday's Premier League clash against Stoke City as the Israeli will be observing Yom Kippur.
The Day of Atonement is a key date in the Jewish calendar and requires Jews to fast and pray over the course of Friday night and Saturday.
"West Ham fully respect and understand the situation," said the Hammers club in a statement. "It's very unusual for the day to clash with the fixture list."
Grant's assistant manager, Zeljko Petrovic, will take charge of the team at the Britannia Stadium and will be helped by senior coach Paul Groves and first-team coach Kevin Keen.
It is also believed that defender Tal Ben Haim will be given permission to miss the Stoke game so that he can observe Yom Kippur.
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West Ham are currently at the foot of the Premier League table after losing their first four matches of the campaign.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
When your nickname is “The Wonder Boy”, you better have something special to back it up. Luckily for Manchester United target Alexis Sanchez, he does.
The Chilean winger has caught the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with some scintillating displays for both club and country. He was a stand-out performer for Chile in this summer’s World Cup as Marcelo Bielsa’s team reached the second round. Chile were a revelation in South Africa, playing wonderfully attacking, incisive football and Sanchez was a key component in Chile’s adventurous style of play.
Sanchez’s style of play has seen him compared to former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Sanchez’s game certainly has some similarities to the Portuguese. He is blessed with incredible pace and wonderfully quick feet along with great technical ability and creativity. He has the ability to trouble defenders with his direct style of play which is something that Manchester United would certainly be interested in.
Sanchez started his professional career in 2005 as a 16 year old in his native Chile with Cobreloa where he impressed almost immediately. He showed a poise and maturity beyond his tender years as he quickly became a regular for the Mineros, scoring 12 goals in 51 appearances. His displays for Cobreloa altered Italian side Udinese to Sanchez’s prodigious talents and they bought the youngster for £2 million in 2006.
Udinese sent Sanchez on loan to Cobreloa’s fierce rival Colo-Colo in 2006 where he became an integral part of the team’s victory in both the 2006 Clausura and 2007 Apertura Championships.
The next step in Sanchez’s development was a season-long loan Argentinean giants River Plate. While on loan with Los Millonarios, Sanchez added another winner’s medal to his list of honours with a 2008 Clausura Championship.
After 3 years of loan spells, Sanchez finally arrived in Udinese in the summer of 2008 and slotted straight into the first-team at the Stadio Friuli. He became an instant favourite with the Bianconeri faithful with his tricky displays on the Udinese wing.
With Udinese languishing at the foot of the Serie A table, there is a very good chance that Sanchez would be receptive to a move to Old Trafford. Sanchez himself has expressed a desire to move to United if the opportunity were to present itself. Speaking to Spanish newspaper As, Sanchez said “[United]? Obviously I’d like to play for a club like that”.
Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his interest in the 21-year old as he looks to bolster his attacking options:
“We have looked at Sanchez and he has impressed us, as have other players,”
“He has had very good games and is an interesting project.”
“We have gathered some background, as with other footballers at his level, but nothing more than this – for the moment.”
With United currently without winger Antonio Valencia for the rest of the season, a move for Sanchez in the January transfer window wouldn’t be out of the question.
However, Udinese have tied Sanchez down to a long-term contract at the Stadio Friuli which expires in 2014. No doubt Udinese are reluctant to part with their most coveted asset and it would take a substantial bid from United to secure Sanchez’s services.
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At only 21-years old, Sanchez is already showing incredible promise at such an early stage of his career. He has the ability to be game-changer with his outrageous array of skills while also bringing a winning mentality from his time in South America. The only criticism of Sanchez would be that he doesn’t score enough goals but it is only a minor concern.
If Sir Alex does make a move for the Chilean, it could prove to be a shrewd move in the long-run as Sanchez has the talent to be an Old Trafford legend in the making.
Manchester City assistant manager Brian Kidd has praised the players for grinding out Sunday's 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United at Eastlands.
Carlos Tevez's penalty was cancelled out by Jonas Gutierrez in the first half, but the three points were earned when substitute Adam Johnson made an instant impact and the result, not the performance, was the most important thing, insisted Kidd.
"I think you saw bits of everything today," he said.
"We knew we weren't really at it in the first half. But that was the pleasing thing, because the players responded.
"We've gone second in the league now. Over 38 games you get games like that, that are not for the purists.
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"What is pleasing is that the players have shown that there is substance in the result. You know you've got a chance when you've got that in the squad."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Whether through his own making or otherwise, Roy Hodgson’s tenure at Liverpool has been anything but plain sailing. Yesterday’s 1-0 win over Bolton propelled the Anfield outfit out of the relegation zone, somewhere Liverpool fans would never have expected their team to be after 9 games, and somewhere they hope they will not be visiting again anytime soon. After a disastrous start, the pressure has been intense on the Liverpool manager, with many calling for him to be relieved of his duties on Merseyside. The team’s league position and the manner in which the side are playing are definitely major factors in this vitriolic response to Hodgson, and since the Gillett/Hicks saga ended in John Henry and NESV taking control of the club, the burden of blame and expectation has landed squarely on Hodgson’s shoulders, with the 63 year-old taking the brunt of Liverpudlians dissatisfaction. But is there another reason for why Hodgson and the Anfield faithful can’t quite seem to click?
Prior to Sunday’s game at the Reebok Stadium, Hodgson told the waiting media that he was happy working alongside Liverpool legend and former manager Kenny Dalglish, with the 59 year-old occupying an ambassadorial role at the club. However, since it was revealed that Dalglish threw his hat into the ring for the Liverpool job shortly after Rafa Benitez parted company with the Merseysiders, combined with Hodgson’s dismal start as manager, speculation has been rife as to whether Dalglish is biding his time in the background, waiting to be offered the job when Hodgson is either removed, or resigns.
Hodgson stated;
“I’m not prepared to pass up on quality people who can help because of a fear the day may come the club decides they want Kenny as manager… That wasn’t the case in the summer, but that’s not to say it won’t be the case forever. I don’t know. I have no fears in that respect because I know my qualities and I’m not a political person… He is doing a great job alongside us and we involve him in our scouting while he still works at The Academy and plays an ambassadorial role. That’s what he’s good at.”
Hodgson may talk a good game when it comes to discussing Dalglish, but through some rather pointed allusions in his statement, it shows he is anything but comfortable with the Liverpool legend lurking in the shadows at Anfield. He makes the point that he was chosen over Dalglish in the summer, even though the 59 year-old expressed his desire to manage the club once more, and that in an ambassadorial capacity, Dalglish will better serve the club because ‘That’s what he’s good at’. Not exactly the thoughts and words of a man who is secure in his job, or even with his co-workers.
All the while Dalglish is in the frame and Liverpool are struggling, Hodgson will be looking over his shoulder, and rightly so, with Dalglish having won the league title 8 times as both player and manager, he has unwavering popularity with the Liverpool fans. This was demonstrated recently when the fans started chanting Dalglish’s name as the Merseysiders went down 2-1 at home to Blackpool in October.
With Hodgson’s popularity waning and NESV looking to make a grand gesture to the Liverpool faithful, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that we could see Kenny Dalglish once again at the helm at Anfield before the season is out, and at the moment, I can only see one person being unhappy with that scenario.
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Liverpool have had many fantastic midfielders over the years, both in the centre and on the wing. It has been hard to narrow it down to just 10 but in my opinion the ones that I have chosen all represent what every Reds fan would like to see in a Liverpool midfield player. Whether it was the pace and guile of John Barnes, the one man team that was Billy Liddell or the hard hitting challenges of Graeme Souness, the Reds have all sorts that have graced the grass of Anfield and have gone on to become legends of the game.
Click on image below to see the TOP 10
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Read many more fantastic Liverpool articles at Live4Liverpool.com
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
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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