Oh dear, oh dear. Tyneside has never been well known for its fashion scene, and it’s easy to see why when you take a look at the top ten worst ever Newcastle United kits.
The designs range from a mix of kits that are one simple attrocious colour, to items of clothing that would quite comfortably pass off as a piece of surrealist art, or could easily be misaken for this year’s rave gear. It’s a good job there’s fog on the tyne because if anyone caught sight of one of these kits on a clear Newcastle morning, it could do serious damage to their eyes.
It’s not all the club’s fault, 90’s fashion trends have somehow wormed their way into almost every Premier League football team’s jerseys of that era, but now we’re in the 2010’s, it’s clear to see that they truly haven’t stood up to the test of time.
These footy shirts should really be locked away in a time capsule, or perhaps even collected en mass and thrown into an incinerator so that everyone can try and forget about them. Then again, I get the feeling the sharp contrasts and horrendous colour clashes will be scorched onto my retinas forever, and will always be in my mind’s eye whenever I’m trying to get some sleep.
So if you dare to take a look at the top ten worst ever Newcastle United kits then go ahead, but you have been warned!
Click on Kevin Keegan to check out St. James’ Park’s biggest ever fashion disasters
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 has been the case for much of 2013 this is a critical, MUST win game for Arsenal if they’re to maintain their pursuit of Champions League football. The Gunners currently sit four points shy of Tottenham in fifth with a game in hand must make every point count if they’re to overtake their North London rivals. A repeat of last season’s late surge is well within their capabilities especially with Spurs currently enduring a minor blip. That being said Arsene Wenger seen a number of key players beset by injuries with Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott now residing in the treatment room. But with an abundance of international quality to call upon Wenger should be confident his players can continue their strong Premier League form, which has seen them lose just once in seven matches. They certainly have the edge on Reading having won each of their last 11 meetings.
The Royals begin a new era under Nigel Adkins, who will undoubtedly hope his second visit to the Emirates Stadium this term doesn’t mimic his first. Adkins saw his former Southampton team thumped 6-1 by Arsenal in September and knows defeat will push his new side closer to the relegation trap door. The 48-year-old is still optimistic that he can lead the Berkshire club to safety despite being seven points and two places shy of Aston Villa in 17th. Much will rest on whether he can galvanise a squad that hasn’t won a league fixture since the start of February.
Team News
Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Theo Walcott (hip/thigh) are missing for Arsenal who lost Abou Diaby for the next nine months after he damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Lukas Podolski (ankle) and right-back Bacary Sagna (knee) should return while Kieron Gibbs (virus) will be assessed before kick off.
Pavel Pogrebnyak is available to new Reading boss Nigel Adkins after serving a three match ban. Jimmy Kebe is struggling with a hip problem while former Gunners keeper Stuart Taylor will continue to deputise for Adam Federici.
What the managers said…
“Making 100 appearances is a huge credit to him, something absolutely fantastic and shows he has a great future. What is happening to him at the moment is just a normal process of any career. We had Jens Lehmann, David Seaman, they had their blips and their periods where they were less good, even when they were more experienced than Wojciech.” Arsene Wenger offers a vote of confidence to under-fire goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny (The Sun)
“My mum said to me the other day, ‘I have heard something about that, but you seem to be making history at whichever club you have been at. So maybe this is the next one to do it at’. You can see the camaraderie and spirit. There is an inner belief. We have to galvanise ourselves for what will be an eight-game season now. We have implemented a few things but you can’t changes things straight away.” Nigel Adkins reveals his mum has faith in his ability to guide Reading to safety (Express)
Pre-Match Statistic: The 16 goals Reading have conceded against Arsenal is more than they’ve let in against any other opponent
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.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Reading
Make your bets ahead of today’s showdown at The Emirates by clicking on the banner below
Liverpool are reportedly monitoring Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa ahead of making a proposed summer move, but with a troubled past off the pitch and more than his fair share of injuries picked up on it, would Brendan Rodgers be better off looking elsewhere around the continent in search of more attacking width?
The 26-year-old has been reduced to just 14 Premier League appearances this season for Alan Pardew’s struggling side, after enjoying a superb season last year, helping the Magpies to a surprising fifth-placed finish. Having been interested in moving for the Frenchman during the January transfer window, it’s thought that Liverpool will follow up their initial interest with a more concrete proposal at the end of the season.
This is where the rumour falls down for me, as it’s closely interlinked with a supposed swap deal for on-loan striker Andy Carroll, currently returning to goalscoring form at Upton Park with West Ham. Pardew has spoken of his desire to bring the Geordie target man back to the club in the future before, but not for the money mentioned, but having failed to fully replace Demba Ba up top, their squad requires more depth to support the limited but nonetheless dangerous Papiss Cisse.
[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”list”]
Of course, with newspapers loving the old swap deal transfer rumour, in reality, they very rarely come off – the last of which as memory serves included a monetary exchange involving James Milner’s move to Manchester City in 2010 with Stephen Ireland going in the other direction to Aston Villa. If Liverpool move for Ben Arfa, you can bet your last penny that they won’t involve Carroll, who is still a highly saleable asset and someone they feel they could get upwards of £15m for.
It even sounds like Ben Arfa wants to stay put, scuppering any hopes of a hugely unlikely deal, telling reporters last week: “I want to stay here. My agent and I have not talked about a move. I am focused on Newcastle and 100 per cent on Newcastle. I hope to stay. It has been a difficult period. It has taken quite a while to get back to full fitness, but that is normal.
“I am completely over all of this now. I am 100 per cent OK and looking forward to playing in the rest of the season. Hopefully, I can have a good game and make the fans really happy. The supporters have stuck with me through some difficult times, and it would be nice to repay them.”
The intention from Rodgers’ perspective is clear, he wants and needs to add more goals in wide areas, with Ben Arfa’s tally of seven last season an attractive amount when compared to Stewart Downing who has just seven in 86 games across all competitions in two seasons on Merseyside. The January acquisition of Phillipe Coutinho was a step in the right direction, but the side can still appear as if it lacks balance, with both trying to cut inside off the flank far too often and they require a more direct threat with genuine pace and ability to beat a man as opposed to another tricky winger capable of spotting a pass.
There’s a clear willingness to move for someone that can hug the touchline but who represents a significant step up in quality and ability on Oussama Assaidi, who has flopped after being purchased on the say so of former director of communications Jen Chang as opposed to any desire from Rodgers to move for him. With his Swansea side boasting the likes of Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge, it’s an area of the pitch where’s he’s had great success in the past and the current Liverpool side is crying out for more penetration and pace out wide; Ben Arfa fits the bill, but certainly not if Carroll is in any way involved.
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.
There’s also the factor that the France international is something of a rotten egg, falling out with Didier Deschamps while at Marseille, while the way he forced through a move to them from Lyon and then later to Newcastle speaks volumes about his questionable character, trying on two attempts at separate clubs to go on strike to get what he wanted. As Newcastle saw with Demba Ba, a player with a similarly chequered past in that respect, these sort of players often get their way eventually.
When you factor in that while at Lyon, he endured a rocky relationship with Karim Benzema and was involved in a training ground scuffle with Arsenal’s forgotten man Sebastien Squillaci and it sounds more and more as if Ben Arfa is simply more hassle than he’s worth. He’s clearly an exceptional talent, but one that won’t either come cheaply or without baggage and he’s precisely the sort of divisive dressing room character Liverpool could do without right now, as they seek to mount a top four challenge next season.
Martin Jol has defended Bryan Ruiz from the Fulham boo boys and has hinted he needs to take the creative pressure off him.
Jol has pinpointed the need to add a playmaker to his squad to make life easier for the Costa Rican – who has had the home fans on his back at times this season.
Ruiz has scored only five goals this season, after notching just two the previous campaign following his big-money move from FC Twente.
But rather than looking to replace the talented Ruiz, Jol admits he needs to bolster the ranks to take some of the pressure off him.
“He is one of my better players. He’s always playing for the team and looking for runners to give that last pass,” Jol told The Sun.
“Maybe we need another passer.”
Despite Ruiz’s adaptability, the Dutch boss says he prefers using Ruiz’s creative abilities behind the striker, insisting he plays a role that nobody else at the club can.
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.
“The thing is you miss him in midfield and if he’s not up front, he’s playing too deep,” he added. “That is my dilemma.”
David Moyes might have lost his very first Manchester United match but it looks like the Internet just remembers Danny Welbeck’s epic fail.
During the first half, the United striker received the ball by the left corner flag and tried to dribble past an oncoming defender, but the result was not exactly what you’d expect from an England international, as he accidentally kicked the ball out for a goal kick with his heel. Unsurprisingly, the Premier League striker did manage to laugh the incident off, although whether it was genuine or out of embarrassment, it’s hard to tell.
The video of the failed skill has got almost three million views on YouTube and saw commentators say “Oh Danny, Danny” as the ball trickled over the line.
The 22-year-old scored just one goal in 38 Premier League games last season and it seems many fans have not forgotten that fact, with one commenting on the video: “Mertesacker scored more goals than him last season”.
The Red Devils lost 1-0 to the Singha All-Star XI in Bangkok, which has already brought about some frustration at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, Welbeck is undoubtedly a very talented player and his little accident proved that these sorts of things can indeed happen to anyone, or at least that’s what David Moyes will be counting on.
Check out the video below…
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.
The summer transfer window was, unsurprisingly, dominated by Tottenham Hotspur and Daniel Levy’s shrewdness to spend all of the Gareth Bale money before it had even cleared in the bank.
And the addition of some of Europe’s most sought after players can only mean that their bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League this season is stronger than ever before, even after losing their most influential player in Bale. But there remains one fixture of the the White Hart Lane side that may prove to be the difference between finishing in the top four or suffering yet another season of disappointment and despair at the hands of their North London rivals. Hugo Lloris.
The 26-year-old shot stopper, who also captains France, was a solid performer for Spurs last term. That wouldn’t come a surprise to many, of course, but the potential he shows behind an even more talented Spurs side this season means he may well be the best goalkeeper in the Premier League as we speak.
[cat_link cat=”tottenham” type=”list”]
Goalkeepers are arguably only as good as the defence in front of them, but that isn’t strictly true in some cases. Simon Mignolet, for instance, earned a move to Liverpool from Sunderland in the summer, despite conceding 54 goals over the course of the season and keeping just 11 clean sheets out of 38 games – a mere 28.94%. That will no doubt improve this season now that he has the likes of Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger in front of him, but his performances for Sunderland were good enough to earn him a move elsewhere.
But Lloris’ performances last season went some way in suggesting that the £11million Spurs paid for him might just turn out to be a steal, particularly now he’s playing with a stronger squad in front of him.
After Lloris managed to replace Brad Friedel as Spurs’ first choice goalkeeper, he went on to make 27 Premier League appearances with a win percentage of 59%, being on the losing side on just four occasions. Joe Hart, Petr Cech and Wojciech Szczesny all enjoyed higher win percentages, but each played more games than Lloris. The stopper also achieved a 33.33% clean sheet ratio, which is equally impressive given the fact he didn’t feature in all of Spurs’ top-flight games last season.
Lloris will no doubt play in all of Spurs’ Premier League games this time around, which should see those percentages increase further. He’s already got two clean sheets to his name this season and has conceded just a single goal. Of course it’s only early days but, Spurs will be serious top-four contenders again this season and those statistics are only going to improve under Andre Villas-Boas and the squad he has built.
There are many who will argue that Joe Hart remains the Premier League’s best goalkeeper, but he is suffering a torrid time at the moment and it appears he’s becoming a victim of his own success by making sloppy mistakes both for City and England, which is seriously affecting his reputation as a world-class stopper.
Lloris is yet to make a single error leading to a goal in the Premier League for Spurs and commands his back four impressively, making his penalty area his own. It has been a long time since Joe Hart has done that successfully, while United’s David De Gea still looks inexperienced at times, despite boasting the best goalkeeping statistics last season.
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.
With Michael Dawson, Jan Vertonghen, Vlad Chriches and Kyle Walker in front of Lloris, there is no denying that Spurs have one of the best defences in the top-flight at the moment and the Spurs goalkeeper will benefit from having a mixture of top-class talent and experience in front of him throughout the season.
The Premier League currently boasts an impressive crop of goalkeepers, but Lloris is fast becoming the best of the lot. If his defenders do their job, then he’ll be able to do his a lot easier and more effectively, putting him right to the top of the Premier League’s goalkeeping tree.
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to miss out on transfer target Lacina Traore, with the powerful forward poised to join Monaco, according to talkSPORT.
The Anzhi striker has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs over the past 12 months, but it is Liverpool and Manchester United who have been credited with the strongest interest.
But reports in France suggest the big spenders from Ligue 1 have already agreed a deal with the Ivorian striker that will see him move to the Principality once the transfer window opens.
The move may provide further speculation over the future of Falcao, who has struggled to replicate the form he showed at Atletico Madrid since his summer move to Ligue 1.
Chelsea have been consistently linked with the Colombian over the past 18 months, and rumours of his unhappiness at Monaco could see Jose Mourinho attempt a bid to bring him West London in January.
The news will come as a blow to both Liverpool and Manchester United however, who had targeted the 23-year-old as a January signing.
At 6 feet 8 inches tall, Traore would provide a different option for both sides should they wish to play more direct.
Liverpool’s emphatic 4-3 Premier League victory over Swansea at Anfield this afternoon gave us all another glimpse of how important their England players will be for the nation in Brazil this summer.
Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard were all in fine form again as they were instrumental in the Reds’ latest goal fest in the top-flight.
Sturridge and Henderson bagged a brace each, while Sterling and Sturridge both registered assists. Gerrard, as per usual, kept Brendan Rodgers’ midfield ticking throughout.
So should all four of them be on the place to Brazil for the World Cup this summer? On this evidence, they definitely should be…
Inter Milan have set their sights on two Premier League centre forwards, including Manchester City star Edin Dzeko, according to talkSPORT.
The Serie A giants are also keen to sign Southampton bad boy Dani Osvaldo, who is currently on loan to rivals Juventus.
The 2010 treble winners have endured a difficult season in Serie A, and currently sit in fifth place and are unlikely to qualify for next seasons Champions League.
The club have recently been taken over by Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, who is keen for a major squad overhaul in the summer.
New strikers are thought to be the priority, with Inter’s current crop of Rodrigo Palacio, Mauro Icardi and Diego Milito having managed just 16 league goals between them.
Inter are understood to be long term admirers of City forward Dzeko, who has started just half of this season’s Premier League games under Manuel Pellegrini.
Meanwhile, the San Siro side are also looking to sign Southampton’s club record signing Osvaldo, who was shipped out to Juventus on loan for the second half of the season following a training ground bust up.
The 28-year-old earned his big money move to the south coast after two impressive seasons for Roma, and has plenty of experience in Italian football.
France Football, a French-based magazine, have printed an article listing the top 20 best paid players and coaches in the world.
The list is compiled based on their salaries, which include all incoming payments from their clubs or through sponsorship deals and image rights.
The battle for best paid player is the exact paring for the battle of world’s best. Lionel Messi tops the chart with Cristiano Ronaldo following very close behind. Neymar sits in third, but quite a large gap separates him from the top two. The full list can be seen below.
1. Lionel Messi – €41m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – €39.5m
3. Neymar – €29m
4. Wayne Rooney – €24m
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €23.5m
6. Radamel Falcao – €21.2m
7. Sergio Aguero – €19.7m
8. Thiago Silva – €17m
9. Eden Hazard – €16.8m
10. Franck Ribery – €16.5m
11. Fernando Torres – €16.2m
12. Yaya Touré – €16m
13. David Silva – €15.5m
14. Gareth Bale – €14.5m
14. Bastian Schweinsteiger – €14.5m
16. Luis Suarez – €14.2m
17. Mario Gotze – €13.9m
18. Philip Lahm – €13m
19. Gianluigi Buffon €12.9m
20. Blaise Matuidi €12.9m
Apart from the best paid players, there is also a list for the best paid managers. Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, and Roberto Mancini sit first, second, and third respectively.
There’s quite a large difference from the players list, as the gap between the top three is quite narrow. The complete list below.
1. Jose Mourinho – €17m
2. Pep Guardiola – €15m
3. Roberto Mancini – €14m
4. Carlo Ancelotti – €13.5m
5. Fabio Capello – €12m
6. Marcelo Lippi – €11.5m
7. Arsene Wenger – €9.6m
8. Roberto Di Matteo – €8.2m
9. Andre Villas-Boas – €6.9m
10. Rafael Benitez – €6.8m
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.