Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier’s injury problems have worsened after it was confirmed that Marc Albrighton faces three weeks on the sidelines with appendicitis.
The 21-year-old will miss next week’s Carling Cup quarter-final clash at Birmingham City as well as the Premier League encounters with Arsenal, Liverpool and West Brom.
Captain Richard Dunne admits the lengthy injury list is of concern as Villa continue to struggle to put together a good run of form.
Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker, Emile Heskey, John Carew, James Collins, Carlos Cuellar, Habib Beye, Fabian Delph and Andreas Weimann are also currently missing from the first-team squad.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Dunne.“We want to get our season going and we just can’t at the moment. Every week when the manager names a team someone has to pull out.
“Unfortunately on Sunday, Marc missed out which was tough with the way he’s been playing. That’s the way it is, we can’t do anything about it until January. We’ve just got to dig in and wait for the senior players to come back.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“We’ve tried our best and we’ve fought but it comes to the stage where it does become obvious that we’re down to the bare bones.”
Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the sackings of Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce, the managerial merry-go-round has well and truly begun spinning after a 2010 amazingly devoid of any Premier League sackings up until Hughton a week ago. With many clubs now seemingly looking at the precedent set by both Newcastle and Blackburn, the question seems to be not if, but when the next managerial casualty will come in the Premier League, and quite logically the spotlight has stopped and fallen on West Ham’s Avram Grant.
Three points adrift at the bottom of the table and four points off safety, it would appear, despite the apparent backing of the board that hired him in the summer, that Grant may only be a couple of bad results away from the chop. If that is the case, then West Ham need to begin assessing their options, and of all the manager’s that are available at the moment, Martin Jol seems to be the best fit for West Ham.
Whether David Gold and David Sullivan would be able to persuade him to come join the Upton Park circus they seem to love to propagate is another matter, but if he were receptive to the idea, he could well prove to be the saviour West Ham need at the moment.
With dissent in the ranks and stuttering, unimaginative performances abound, West Ham need a change in management, and in spite of his Spurs connection, Jol could well be the man for the job; not only providing encouragement from the sidelines (something Grant seems to lack), but also implementing his own brand of attacking football whilst introducing some defensive organisation, something else the Hammers seem to lack.
The managers who bookend Jol’s tenure at White Hart Lane (Jacques Santini and Juande Ramos) tend to corroborate the evidence that the Dutchman was a wonderful manager for Spurs, not only turning around their fortunes in difficult circumstances, but maintaining the high standards he set for himself, and there is no reason that he cannot do the same at West Ham.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Although the sackings of Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce have been derided across the English footballing world, if Avram Grant was to be relieved of his duties, I don’t think many would question why, especially with managers of the quality of Martin Jol waiting in the wings to fill the void.
Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Liverpool v Utrecht and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
We can all dream right? Arsenal fans have been waiting five years now for a trophy but these are the things I’d really like to see.
Central Defensive Dream:
Arsene Wenger, in a bid to aid his weakest on field position, decides to invest some of the clubs profits into a cloning facility. Using residual DNA recovered from Highbury, a group of scientists construct athletically perfect clones of Tony Adams and Martin Keown in their prime. The two are used sporadically by Wenger at first but eventually make it to first team regulars by March. From then until the end of the year Arsenal hold the record for consecutive clean sheets; not letting in a single goal.
Wenger Begins To See Things:
After years of using the ‘I didn’t see the incident’ trick to defend his players, Wenger finally tells the truth in a post match interview. In a game against Stoke, Aaron Ramsey, amazingly, escapes punishment for a roundhouse kick on Ryan Shawcross. When questioned about the incident by journalists, Wenger replies: ‘Yes I saw it. It was funny; I never knew that Aaron could kick that hard. I guess what goes around comes around, bitches.”
[divider]
[divider]
Bendtner’s Barcelona Hat Trick:
Nicklas Bendtner unwittingly scores a hat trick against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League second round. He doesn’t even kick the ball in the net; rather, Cesc Fabreagas perfectly places three unique balls into the penalty area that ricochet (as intended) off of Bendtner’s knee, head and arse respectively. After the match Bendtner claims to be the best player in the world and bemoans the lack of support he gets from the team.
Eboue – No. 1:
After Fabianski and Szczesny inexplicably end of the island from Lost after their plane back to Poland crash lands, Arsenal are left without a goalkeeper (Almunia will be gone in a week). Luckily cover is on hand for Wenger in the form of Emanuel Eboue who is so desperate to play that he’ll play in any position. With Adams and Keown in such fine form, Eboue isn’t required to make a single save for the entire season. Instead, he spends his time on the goal line smiling and dancing. His already popular position with the fans rockets to new heights as a consequence.
Big Spending Wenger:
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Tired of the continued speculation linking Cesc Fabregas with a return to Barcelona, Wenger decides to turn the tables and make a big money offer for Lionel Messi. The bid is originally intended to simply make a point but when Arsenal’s offer of £100million accidently triggers a release clause in the World Player of the Year’s contract, Wenger reluctantly completes the signing. Messi arrives in the summer and scores 27 goals in his first game.
Could these things really happen? If they do I’ll run naked through the streets of London.
Written By Nicholas Edwards at ‘This is Futbol’
[divider]
Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Spurs v Man United and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
Arsenal are looking to extend Samir Nasri’s contract after becoming an intricate part of Wenger’s side this season. However, the French midfielder is apparently keeping his options open, according to his agent Jean-Pierre Bernes.
It’s clear to see that the Arsenal no.8 is in the form of his life for the Gunners this season, and is undoubtedly becoming a world-class act in front of our very eyes. Nasri has proven time and time again that Arsenal do not need to rely on captain Cesc Fabregas’ creativity, as the Frenchman has already managed to bag 13 goals so far this season, including 9 in 16 Premier League starts alone.
Arsenal signed the French star from Ligue 1 side Marseille in 2008 for a fee of approximately £15.8 million, and has since proven to be a great acquisition for the North London club.
The French international’s current contract is set to expire in 2012, and it is now believed that Arsenal are hoping to tie him down to a new long-term deal as quickly as possible, especially after attracting recent interest from Barcelona. With this being said, surely Wenger must do everything within his power to keep hold of the 23-year-old for as long as possible at the Emirates?
Reports are suggesting that the Primera Liga champions are lining up a summer move for the former Marseille man, after being impressed with his dazzling performances for the Gunners this season. Although Arsenal will be reluctant to sell one of their stars, Nasri’s agent believes his client is considering his options before making a decision. Jean-Pierre Bernes told the French media:
“We’re in discussions to extend his contract. Then we will see afterwards what direction Samir wants to take with his career.”
His agent’s comments clearly state that both parties are in discussions over a contract extension, which is great news for us fans to hear. However, will Nasri remain an Arsenal player until he retires from the game? Certainly not. On the 15th of November 2010, the Frenchman admitted that he would love a return to his beloved Marseille in the future. He told French publication L’Equipe:
“Could I come back to Marseille one day? I really hope so.”
No doubt about it, without Samir Nasri this season, Arsenal would probably be miles behind Manchester United in the Premier League. He is clearly Arsenal’s man of the moment, and at only 23 years of age, the talented midfielder can only improve with time.
This issue has now become Wenger’s main obligation in terms of player interaction. The Arsenal boss must tie down Samir Nasri to a new long-term contract, for how long is up to the player to decide. Whatever the case, this is a matter that must be resolved as soon as possible.
Read more Arsenal blogs at the brand NEW Gunnersphere
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
*
[divider]
Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Arsenal v Leeds and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri believes his side are entering an important part of their season as they take on Lazio on Tuesday.
Milan lead third-placed Lazio by seven points in the Serie A and a win for Allegri’s side at the San Siro would give them some breathing space at the top of the table.
But Allegri is well aware of the qualities Lazio possess and has warned his side not to underestimate their opponents.
“Lazio are doing great things, they have great players and staff,” Allegri said.
“Of course Lazio have great technical skills and players; Hernanez, Mauri, Kozak, who is young but is doing very well, Ledesma, Matuzalem, Brocchi.”
“They also have a good defensive department and are very well organised.”
“They are very good in terms of counterattacks and therefore we should be extra careful.”
Milan have had a busy schedule so far in 2011, playing seven games since returning from the winter break on January 7, but Allegri said his side would need to stay focused with more key matches in the coming weeks.
“We should be extra careful because we’re in a moment of the championship when it is too important to lose points,” he said.
“Our objective is to reach 80 points and in order to do this we should be winning 11 matches.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“This is going to be our fifth or sixth match when we have been playing every three days and we have played with 10 players in the last match.”
“So we should be focused and make sacrifices because the matches against Catania, Lazio and Genoa are very important for the championship.”
Allegri confirmed strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho would both start against Lazio, with Alexandre Pato and Antonio Cassano to compete for the remaining spot in the Milan attack.
You can’t blame Charlie Adam for feeling devastated by the failure of Blackpool and Liverpool to agree a fee for his transfer. With the £50m sale of Fernando Torres giving Kenny Dalglish licence to go on a 24-hour shopping spree on Monday, the Liverpool manager channelled £35m of it Newcastle’s way for Andy Carroll and didn’t have enough left over to meet Blackpool’s valuation of their prized midfielder. Luis Suárez was already on his way to Anfield too and the club were reluctant to raise their previous £8.5m and £10m bids for Adam to £14m.
Harry Redknapp reportedly made a late attempt to grab the Scotland international too but had his fingers rapped by the closing transfer window shutters. Spurs’ offer fell victim to the window’s 11pm deadline, which sounds suspiciously like somebody in north London or west Lancashire forgot to fill the fax machine with paper.
At the start of the season, however, nobody expected a Blackpool player to be talked about in terms of eight-figure transfer fees, as Adam has been. It’s a testament to the player-spotting skills of Ian Holloway that the £500,000 it cost to bring the 25-year-old to Bloomfield Road now looks like such a bargain. Holloway stands to earn a cut of any future fee for Adam, an unconventional arrangement yes, but one that reflects the manager’s faith in his own judgement as well as the abilities of the player.
Originally joining on loan from Rangers in February 2009, Adam has enjoyed a hugely successful two years with the Seasiders. Adam was instrumental in Blackpool’s progress to the Championship play-offs last season, culminating in a goal in the final victory over Cardiff, but carrying over his form into the Premier League this season has won the player who couldn’t get a game at Ibrox by the end of his time there all sorts of new admirers.
Adam’s performance against Manchester United last week – supplying the two corners that so befuddled United’s defenders and resulted in Blackpool’s two first-half goals – left Sir Alex Ferguson to conclude that his team “couldn’t handle” the midfielder. “His corners alone are worth £10m,” added Ferguson. There was even talk in the Daily Mail over the weekend that Adam had played himself into contention as a possible heir to Paul Scholes as United’s playmaker when, as is expected to be the case, his manager looks to buy a replacement for the veteran in the summer.
A statistical analysis of Adam’s performances for Blackpool this season that appeared on the Telegraph’s website last week indicated that, while the player’s valuation by Blackpool is probably a little inflated, his record does stand up against other similar Premier League midfielders. Before the game against United, it was noted that the player had made more passes than Cesc Fabregas this season and created more chances than Nani, Rafael van der Vaart, and Samir Nasri. The fact that Adam is Blackpool’s talisman means that they look to give the ball to him at every opportunity, involving him in almost every attack, which is reflected in his pass and chance-creation stats. He might struggle to be such a central figure at a club with more attacking options but that does not detract from his ability to pick the right ball and find teammates in space when given the opportunity.
Adam is a rare recent example of a Scottish player truly thriving in English football. Wigan’s ex-Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy is earning praise but James McFadden, Shaun Maloney, and Kris Boyd are just three examples of players who have struggled to do justice to themselves outside the SPL. What makes Adam an even rarer case is that his current reputation is almost entirely down to his performances south of the border. Rangers fans are complimentary about the player who was brought through their youth system and scored fourteen goals in the 2006/07 season, including a famous free-kick in an Old Firm derby, but the club were still willing to sell Adam for such a low fee just two years later after he had fallen out of favour.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Given his age, Adam certainly has time on his side. Should the midfielder continue to play between now and May as well he has done already this campaign – and Blackpool will be relying on him doing just that, with the Seasiders being far from safe from relegation – then a big-money move at the end of the season seems very likely indeed. With Holloway having picked up Andy Reid from Sunderland on deadline day, the manager already seems to be preparing for life after Adam.
Kenny Dalglish made a winning start to his Anfield European managerial campaign with a nerve-wracking 1-0 win over Czech side Sparta Prague.The Reds left it very late but Dirk Kuyt’s 85th minute winner was enough to send them through to the last 16 of the Europa League.The three times European Cup winner saw his side toil to break down the hard-working Czechs at a sold out Anfield until the dramatic finish.Dalglish was desperately short of attacking options with Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez cup-tied, British record signing Andy Carroll and skipper Steven Gerrard injured, while former frontman Fernando Torres is already on Champions League duty with new club Chelsea.That left David Ngog as their only real striking options and the young Frenchman looked desperately short of confidence in front of goal.Liverpool were closest to scoring in a high-tempo first half that lacked any real quality.Sotiris Kyrgiakos bravely got the end of a Raul Meireles corner but Jaromir Blazek saved well low down.Meireles then blasted harmlessly over while Ngog forced another save from Blazek when he should have done better.But Liverpool had to be aware of the visitors’ counter attacks as they showed more ambition than in the first leg in the Czech capital.Joe Cole and Dirk Kuyt wasted half chances as the tension began to grow after the restart.Meirles then opened up the Czech defence with quarter of an hour to go but Blazek did well to deny Ngog from close range.Kuyt shot straight at Blazek after good work again from Meireles before he finally broke the deadlock five minutes from time rising highest in a packed penalty box to head home.With Sparta pushing forward, Liverpool should have killed off the tie but Ngog and Joe Cole missed glorious chances in injury time but they hung over for the whistle.
Arsenal midfield duo Abou Diaby and Denilson should be the first two players (on a very long list) to pack their bags and head straight for the Emirates exit doors when the summer transfer window opens.
As a diehard Arsenal fan, I am simply fed up of watching these two midfielders parade on the pitch like their great when clearly they’re the opposite.
In my opinion, both players lack desire and heart, and quite frankly, have overstayed their welcome at the North London side. To be honest, I’ve just had enough of them.
This is not just a sudden outburst due to Saturday’s result against Manchester United in the F.A Cup at Old Trafford. Truth be told, I have been watching Arsenal intently this season (as I have been every year), and see Diaby and Denilson as major liabilities to the team.
I know some Arsenal fans will be reading this thinking I’m off my head and that I should be positive, but whilst these two ‘footballers’ are on the Arsenal payroll my doubts over the team lifting some silverware will remain intact.
As stated earlier, my opinion on these two are not purely based on their performances from Saturday’s game, it’s based on the entire season and years gone by.
Here are my reasons to support my case over why Abou Diaby and Denilson need to be sold at the earliest opportunity:
[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]
Let me start with Abou Diaby. Although the 24-year-old appears to have some skill in those lanky legs of his, honestly, the Frenchman lacks movement (in terms of tracking back) and holds the ball for far too long in my opinion. I know he has suffered a lot of horrible injuries in the past (and even earlier on in the season) as an Arsenal player, but when I watch him play, I truly believe he doesn’t care about the club. I know that sounds bad to say, but that’s what I perceive from his body language and facial expressions whilst he’s on the pitch. The midfielder has been likened to the legendary Patrick Vieira by several journalists and Arsene Wenger himself in the past, but I fail to see the comparison. The only thing similar between him and Patrick is their nationality, that’s it.
I don’t see what Abou offers the team apart from making up the numbers at the club. Yes he is still young and will supposedly learn and improve his game as the years pass by, but you simply can’t teach football knowledge…you either have it or you don’t. 6 years he’s been an Arsenal player, and in my view, doesn’t seem to have developed since the day he arrived.
Moving swiftly onto Denilson. In my opinion, this guy is just frustrating to watch. The 23-year-old Brazilian lacks pace, desire and above all his positioning, and all round awareness, is appalling. Although his statistics may show that his ball distribution is great, my argument would be – 5-10 yard passes aren’t exactly hard to pull off are they? Like Diaby, I don’t quite get what Denilson offers to the team. It’s come to the point where by when I see him in the starting line-up I know we will struggle to get a result. Reports suggested that Wolfsburg were plotting a move for him during the January transfer window. However, nothing transpired as I believe (in my opinion of course) that the Bundersliga side realized they would have wasted £12 million on a very, very average player.
Thanks to official statisticians on Twitter I was able to find out that Arsenal’s win percentage with Abou Diaby & Denilson starting (since June 2008) stands at 41%. Whilst with only one or neither starting is vastly superior at 64%. This ultimately proves that the Arsenal team suffer when both or either one of them start.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As stated earlier, I think Arsenal must offload a number of players during the upcoming summer, but in my opinion Abou Diaby and Denilson must be the first two out of the door.
Please Wenger do us all a favour and get rid of the deadweight when the transfer window re-opens. Recoup a nice amount of cash from Diaby and Denilson in the summer (as we don’t need them anymore) and find a proper midfield enforcer to challenge Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey and young Jack Wilshere for a place in the Arsenal midfield next season, or simply splash the cash elsewhere on the team. I’m not really fussed, just as long as those two are not at the Emirates next season.
Read more of Tony’s articles at the excellent Gunnersphere
Wigan have been forced to regroup after their 4-0 home loss to league leaders Manchester United left them bottom of the table.The Latics travel to Eastlands on Saturday knowing they are at the centre of a desperate battle to avoid relegation.Manager Roberto Martinez is also well aware that City present as big a threat as their cross-town rivals when it comes to strike power.Martinez is keen for his players to maintain their challenge against City, something he believes they did not do at the DW Stadium against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.”We were a real threat in the first half against United,” he said.”That is backed up by the amount of possession we had and the amount of corners we won.””Our play was good but when you are playing against a team like United it is so important to convert any chance into a goal. It’s just unfortunate we could not do that.””United then scored a second goal and I felt we dropped our intensity.””As a result of this, we ended up being heavily punished.”Wigan, who have won just twice away from home in the league this season, clearly have a battle on their hands to preserve their top-flight status with next month certain to be crucial. Latics will play three successive away games, including a six-pointer against fellow strugglers Blackpool. Home advantage for the Seasiders could be crucial – Latics’ trip to Blackpool is sandwiched in between equally tough trips to firstly Chelsea and then Sunderland.City, meanwhile, may be excused for having one eye on their Europa League last-16 tie against Dynamo Kiev in the Ukraine next week and their FA Cup fifth round clash against Reading on Sunday week.Roberto Mancini’s men are third on the table, having won eight times at home in the league this season.Mancini was disappointed with his side’s display against Fulham last weekend as both the teams shared the points. Mario Balotelli scored his ninth goal of the season but the hosts struggled to stamp their authority on the game, allowing Fulham to equalise through Damien Duff to go home with a well deserved point.Mancini criticised his strike force with Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzkeo all coming under fire for a below par performance. The City manager , who has reiterated his desire to end 35 years of hurt and deliver a trophy to the club, is expected to ring in the changes, claiming that he cannot field a three-man attack every game.Mancini is fully aware of the history of the club and the fact they last won a major trophy on 28th February, 1976 when Newcastle United were defeated 2-1 in the League Cup final.
German police have made an arrest after three explosive devices were uncovered outside the stadium of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.A 25-year-old man was arrested in Cologne on Tuesday after attempting to email anonymous tips to the authorities about planned attacks.
Explosive devices were found and defused in a car park outside the Signal Iduna Park stadium.
Another device was found in the man’s flat, together with chemicals and extensive material on creating explosives.
The man was reportedly intending to blackmail local businesses and had no connection to terrorist groups.
He had previously been detained in 2010 as a suspect in an unresolved extortion attempt.
“The suspect was apparently acting on his own with a criminal motivation. There was no danger to any third parties at any time,” an interior ministry spokesman said.
Dortmund have confirmed that Saturday’s home match against Hannover will go ahead as planned.
“We expect no security threat at all for the upcoming Bundesliga match on Saturday,” Dortmund police spokesman said Michael Stein.
“The visitors are invited to come to Dortmund. They will be safe here.”
The Federal Crime Office launched an investigation in February after the German embassy in Islamabad received an email tip off about possible attacks.