Tottenham are believed to be in ongoing negotiations with Bolton over the potential signing of Gary Cahill, with the player’s future to be decided late on deadline day.
The former Aston Villa centre half is in the last year of his contract at the Reebok Stadium, and has been in high demand following an excellent 2010-11 season for The Trotters.
Arsenal have had two bids for the 25-year-old rejected, and are believed to have given up in their attempts to bring the Sheffield born man to the Emirates, with a deal for Per Mertesacker all but sown up.
Sky Sports indicate that Spurs have offered Sebastien Bassong as a make-weight in a player plus cash deal, but Owen Coyle has other players in mind and would prefer an outright purchase.
Bolton are holding out for a £12 million fee, with Spurs thought to have offered £8 million.
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Cahill is currently on international duty with England, as he has been selected in the squad to face Bulgaria and Wales in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has once more stated that Frank Lampard is an important player for the club, despite the fact that it appears the midfielder is no longer assured a place in the starting XI.
The Portuguese coach has not automatically selected the England international, who has spent the last two games on the bench for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
This has led to speculation over the veteran’s future, but when quizzed about this again, Villas Boas restated his desire to have Lampard at the club.
“I think I’ve answered that question enough,” he stated in a press conference.
“Frank is an established player, a top-quality player, he’s one of the most important players for the club and will continue to be.
“He’s an established player for Chelsea, for England, has nothing to prove to the football world.
“He’s a spectacular team player, a spectacular professional, and he will continue to succeed at this club I think – and I hope – for the remainder of my years at this club,” he concluded.
Chelsea take on Valencia at the Mestalla on Wednesday night, in what will be a tricky fixture for The Blues.
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It’s a sad sign of the times when the sight of a footballer at a bus stop makes back-page news. But that’s exactly what happened when QPR’s Adel Taarabt left Craven Cottage after being substituted at half time and ended up in his club tracksuit, waiting for the No.49 with a load of supporters. Whether or not he should have left the ground early, it was quite refreshing to hear that Taarabt was happy to use his Oyster card rather than jump into a chauffeur-driven limo. But there was a time when players used to use public transport as a matter of course.
Chatting
As a young player at Chelsea, I’d always get the Central line from Hainault to Mile End, then jump on the District line to Fulham Broadway – by which time the Tube would be packed with fans. It was always good-natured and you’d enjoy chatting – although it could be a bit unpleasant if we lost. My Chelsea team-mate John Sillett once caught the bus home after scoring an own goal in a disastrous home defeat. He had his cap on and his coat pulled up round his face and found himself having to nod in agreement when a fan commented how bad that ‘w***er of a full-back’ was.
These days players communicate with fans on twitter but 40 or 50 years ago the equivalent was getting up close and personal – sometimes too bloody close – in a crowded carriage. Even when I got a car, Chelsea wouldn’t give me a parking pass, so I ended up jockeying with fans for a place in the side streets. But as much as I hate the roped-off VIP world of the modern footballer, I understand why they tend to shy away from too much contact with Joe Public.
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Especially when you hear the sort of vile abuse aimed at Emmanuel Adebayor in this month’s north London derby. I do consider myself lucky to have played in an era when that sort of hatred just didn’t exist. There were still cutting terrace chants, don’t get me wrong. My Spurs team-mate Terry Dyson would never forget the day we played at Anfield just after he’d had his collar felt for buying a job-lot of dodgy fags from a Jack the lad at our training ground.
As we warmed up in front of the Kop, 20,000 Scousers sang: “Ee-aye-addio, Dyson nicked the cigs.” The London Choral Society could not have made a better job of it but Terry said to me: “Hark at those f***ers, Jim.” I replied: “Well, it’s a fair cop, though, Tel.” Yet there was never anything violently abusive and we were only too happy to drink and to travel with supporters without fear of anything naughty happening.
I still get recognised all the time, and find that quite flattering at the age of 71. Although, to this day, my missus refuses to go out shopping with me because she loves her anonymity. Which is one way of getting out of doing the shopping. But there was one time when I actually remember using the ‘Do you know who I am?’ line and that was when I was called for jury service at Snaresbrook Crown Court, not more than a few miles from White Hart Lane, while I was a Tottenham player.
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Assault
I told the court people that if I was going to send down some nasty piece of work, and all of his mates were in the public gallery, then they wouldn’t exactly have trouble recognising me if they were after a spot of revenge. But the legal people wouldn’t budge, so there I was on the Monday morning, sitting on a jury.
The first case was a brawl between two lorry drivers, which left one of them up on an assault charge. It seemed pretty much six of one and half a dozen of the other so we acquitted the bloke. The defendant said to the judge, ‘Thanks, your honour’ and turned to the jury, raised his fist and yelled, ‘Thanks Jim – and up the Spurs!’ At which point the clerk of the court realised I had a point and discharged me on the spot.
Following their humiliating 6-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City, Manchester United travel to Goodison Park desperate for an immediate response to Sir Alex Ferguson’s worst day as manager. With Wayne Rooney returning to his boyhood club and Everton looking to push on from a much needed 3pts away to Fulham on the weekend, this Premier League tie promises to be a thrilling encounter between two north-west rivals.
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England under-21’s have continued their impressive European Championships qualification form, and convincingly beat Iceland 5-0 in Colchester on Thursday night.
Goals from Marvin Sordell, Martin Kelly, Craig Dawson and a late Gary Gardner double gave Stuart Pearce’s men the three points, and kept their unbeaten record intact.
The victory makes it four wins from four games, and gives the team a five point gap at the top of Group 8, helping the nation’s chances of competing in the European Championships finals in Israel in 2013.
The Young Lions have a game against Belgium on Monday night to look forward to now, and will look to continue their winning streak.
Meanwhile, Pearce has urged all four home nations to embrace the Great Britain Olympics team, and feels the side can succeed if the countries all pull together.
“All the federations should support this team,” he told The Guardian.
“I can’t make people support this team if it is what is in their hearts and brains. I think it is a great opportunity for a squad of 18 players, plus a few on stand-by, to be part of an ideal. It is the chance of a lifetime.
“It always boils down to what is best for the player. I know for damn sure that I would want to be involved if I was still a player. I will be picking from all four nations, and that’s how it should be,” he concluded.
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Whether the FA win their appeal to reduce Wayne Rooney’s suspension remains to be seen, but I cannot feel that they are opening up a huge can of worms by going through with it. I don’t see the FA showing much heart when it comes to such hearings within the game and if anything it is frowned upon and they are more than happy to extend bans if it is deemed a frivolous appeal. I wonder if the FA will now look at their own stringent appeal rules should they be successful, as there are many football clubs out there who will cite double standards at the association if they don’t.
The FA certainly has form when it comes to incompetence. Let’s not forget this is an association who will happily fight the decision to have poppies on England’s football strip, while continually choosing to ignore and deal with two accusations of racism on the football pitch at the same. Obviously when it comes to serious issues the FA crawl into their little holes. Whether it is the fact the England captain is involved that they hope the longer they leave it that it will go away is unsure but the length of time it is taken is something of a joke. I maybe a cynic but I do wonder if a player like a Joey Barton was involved as to whether they would be so slow in their attempts to resolve the matter. It just shows what little backbone they have and it is little wonder that the game is in the state it is in with these guys running it.
I think what eats me up more than anything is the continued double standards of the FA. England internationals get away with murder while others face the wrath for similar offences. Whether it bad tackles, diving, spitting or any other form of ill discipline then you can guarantee it is seen as fair cop if England internationals are involved. It is this very matter that infuriates club managers and they know it is a lottery when it comes to hearings as there is no consistency to the FA’s policy as they pick and choose accordingly. The bottom line here is Wayne Rooney kicked a player off the ball and got rightly sent off. I’m sure if someone like Suarez did the same thing to an opposing player then the FA would look to condemn him, extend his ban perhaps and Liverpool would be certainly in no position to appeal it, and yet they are going in all guns blazing to UEFA headquarters to go against everything in their own rule book. It is an absolute joke and if they do win the appeal, expect a backlash from managers and the media alike.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has stated that Gareth Bale will not be leaving White Hart Lane, and has praised the winger after he scored a brace against Norwich on Tuesday night.
The Wales international has been in scintillating form for the North London side, and has reportedly caught the eye of European champions Barcelona.
Despite the appeal of a move to the Camp Nou, Redknapp has confirmed that Bale is not for sale.
“It would only be a Barcelona, a Man City or Real Madrid who would be able to pay for him,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“They are the only ones who could afford to pay the transfer fee and his wages, but he isn’t for sale. The chairman has said he isn’t for sale.
“If we sell him we’ve had it haven’t we? If you are looking to go somewhere you don’t go and sell a player like him,” the tactician stated.
Bale played in a three-man attack for Spurs against Norwich, and revelled in a more central role; Redknapp was pleased with his star man’s efforts.
“I played him and Rafa (Van der Vaart) up there, rather than sticking him out on left wing because when he picks it up and runs at you through the middle and he pops up in positions between midfield and defence, it’s difficult to pick him up. When he finds those holes he is unplayable.
“Once he turns and runs with it like he did for the second goal, he is unstoppable. There was no catching him.
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“He did ever so well. He is a special talent. He has everything,” Redknapp concluded.
So with the Burton Albion match being postponed to the Sunday because of the home FA Cup 4th round fixture at Derby against Stoke I had my first free Saturday for some time. I had to chuckle at the sound of it being postponed to a Sunday, as we haven’t played this fixture on a Saturday at the Pirelli for some time!
Onto the match, I was surprised to see that we had adopted a fixture which is despised by many of our fans (4-2-3-1), down to the fact that a lot of people believed it to be the reason for the drab run of results that we encountered last season. Included in the squad was our midweek loan signing from Swansea City, Lee Lucas. I was anxious to see him in action for the first time as I had heard good things about him.
Fans were also disappointed to note the fact that on-loan signing Tom Parkes from Leicester City had returned to his parent club, having made his first appearance in a Burton shirt at Valley Parade since breaking his ankle in a match against Port Vale in August 2011.
The match begun with Burton controlling the ball very well, making solid passes and challenges, but not producing in the final third. It was clear that Oxford had adopted a counter-attacking style of play, something which Burton have found hard to defend against recently.
However, Burton finally managed to get a breakthrough with newly signed Andres Gurrieri linking up with Adam Bolder to produce a fine finish to put Burton ahead.
Play continued the same, with Lucas making a good first impression, winning challenges and making good and direct passes. Burton continued to dominate, up until the 33rd minute, when long-serving Aaron Webster looked to be in pain, in what we believed to be his groin. Note that this was his first game back since recovering from a groin injury. With no accomplished left-back on the bench, our other right-back Andrew Corbett was subbed into the left-back position.
Once the substitution had been made, the game started going to Oxford, with them attacking down the right wing, and putting our out-of-position defender under immense pressure. However, Burton managed to hold onto the lead until half time.
After the break, the teams come out and Oxford looked much more deadly in the second half and looked to go on and grab a point, or all three. Burton were under immense pressure which showed just over 10 minutes into the first half. Burton were left to rue their poor defence when Oxford forward Alfie Potter tore through the defence and finished in style which sent the Oxford fans wild. Looking back on the replay of the goal however, it was easily avoidable.
Oxford continued to dominate the second half and created numerous chances which were either saved by our goalkeeper, or narrowly missed. They piled on the pressure, which was not easy for us Burton fans to take, with us only picking up 1 point out of a possible 9 in our last 3 games.
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In the last 20 minutes, the game preceded to be rather dull. Adi Yussuf came off the bench for Calvin Zola and created a few chances but nothing special. Chris Palmer also came off the bench and had a free kick which was directed towards the far post but Adam Bolder headed it across goal rather than into the goal.
Overall, it was a very entertaining first 70 minutes followed by each team getting a chance at either end, but neither team being able to find the net. Jacques Maghoma was voted Man of the Match, much to the confusion of the supporters. A decent point in the end for Burton, who will be looking to try and cause an upset at Swindon Town next Saturday.
Arsene Wenger has suggested that he won’t be making anymore signings in the January window. The French manager believes that bringing in frustrated cast-offs isn’t the ideal solution to solve the Gunners current injury problems. In other reports Arsene Wenger has claimed that he would like to see the whole January window scrapped altogether as he believes it brings a genuine anxiety to the whole football club from the manager, right through to the club board.
Elsewhere in the news Mark Hughes eyes greatness at Queens Park Rangers; Roberto Mancini is simply at odds with Manchester City over new additions, while Kenny Dalglish says Liverpool will not tolerate racism in any form.
Ferguson full of praise for golden oldie goalscorer Scholes – Guardian
Hughes eyes greatness at QPR – Guardian
Dalglish says Liverpool ‘will not tolerate’ racism – Guardian
Sympathy for referee in tackle row – Daily Telegraph
Henry should not have left in the first place – Independent
Signing frustrated cast-offs will not solve my injury crisis, insists Wenger – Daily Mail
Mancini at odds with City over De Rossi move – Mirror
Andy Carroll stays as Liverpool reject Villa proposal – Express
Title-chasing Tottenham set sights on £20m move for Marseille star Remy – Daily Mail
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QPR boss prepares £5m bid for England keeper – Mirror
Imagine football without the hysteria, panic-buys and over-sensationalist headlines that dominate the game during the summer and January months. What if football fans didn’t have reason to wave and dance around obnoxiously as Sky reporters bring up-to-the-minute news on deadline day? Where would Jim White be if there was no more transfer window? The truth is, the game might be in a much healthier state if the transfer windows were scrapped and simply kept open all year—or at least for the majority of it.
Among the inflated transfer fees, the ability among many to quickly become an ‘In the know’ expert on twitter and the calls among almost all supporters for their clubs to spend lavishly on the next big thing, the transfer windows have turned football into somewhat of a joke.
Yes there would be negatives to leaving the market open for the majority of the year; teams who are looking to hold onto their best assets would struggle considerably to keep the wolves at bay for a prolonged period, much less the summer months. Players might be inclined to jump ship as soon as things start to become difficult and, equally, it would give fans an incentive to demand signings after a poor result. But why can the American leagues manage it? The aim, of course, is to cut down on ridiculous fees being spent and panic buys highlighting the shortcomings of the windows and clubs. Would clubs be as inclined to spend well over the odds if they knew they weren’t in a race against time to get deals done? The only obstacle they’d face would be the rival clubs competing for a player’s signature—something which also plays it’s part in inflated fees.
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Where the NHL, for example, succeed is that they allow teams to trade players all season up until a certain point just before the playoff months. In much the same way that there is a huge build up in football for the approaching deadline day, the NHL experiences a similar rush of blood, but by no means on a similar level. Players leaving clubs on a “free transfer” are common, and the chance to acquire players opens up again almost as soon as the previous season finishes. A number of new policies have also played their part in the clamping down of high fees being spent in the NHL, but it all equates to a more sensible approach—for the most part.
Introducing Financial Fair Play and capping the amount of players that can be registered for a league season won’t do a huge deal in prompting clubs to spend less heavily when the opportunity arises; much of it comes from the fact that there is very little time to do so much—equating in £50 million purchases that backfire. In much the same way that American sports do it, the governing bodies should look to allow clubs the freedom to move and acquire players whenever they please, with a small part of the season of maybe a month or two for clubs to negotiate player contracts behind closed doors.
Much of the excitement of transfer deadline day is the not knowing whether your club’s manager or chairman are about to pull an ace of out their sleeve. It adds to the joy of seeing a new signing, and especially a star signing that may once have been out-of-reach, arrive at the club. But it doesn’t always add up to benefit the game. Almost as if people are working behind the scenes to cash in on the feverish nature of supporters who will do almost anything to pick up on the latest rumour; FIFA and UEFA need to look to ways of eradicating an aspect of the game that does very little for the model they wish to set.
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