England under-21’s have beaten their equivalents from Azerbaijan 2-0 on Thursday night in Baku.
Goals from Liverpool’s Jonjo Shelvey and Tottenham’s Steven Caulker secured victory for the visitors, who are now five points clear at the top of their UEFA under-21 championships qualifying group.
With only a fixture against Norway left to play, Stuart Pearce has admitted that he is pleased with the progress made by his team.
“We are pleased to have won the match and hopefully that puts us in a situation that sees us in the play-offs,” The Guardian quotes Pearce as saying.
“We gave our best. We’ve played better, but this was my strongest team available.
“Whenever you play international football, there is an expectation on your team and we knew Norway were putting pressure on us to win the group with their game tonight, in Belgium.
“I think it was the game we expected it to be, a very tight game.
“Azerbaijan are an improving nation. The first two group games were difficult for them, coming to England and Belgium.
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“Since then, their results have been very, very good,” he concluded.
Paul Lambert was delighted after watching his Aston Villa side record their first win of the season thanks to goals from newcomers Matthew Lowton and Christian Benteke.
Right-back Lowton broke the deadlock with a 20-yard first-half volley from the edge of the box, and substitute Benteke wrapped up the points with two minutes left after being put clean through thanks in large part to a poor back header from Swansea defender Ashley Williams. Lambert told Sky Sports:
“I thought it was an exceptional performance. I thought we were absolutely brilliant from the off and I thought we thoroughly deserved to win the game. I know people’s euphoria, with a new manager coming in, but it’ll take time and this is just the start we wanted so we’ve done great. The young lads have done really well against an experienced Swansea side, but on the day I thought we were worthy of the result.”
The Scot was also pleased with the display of full-back Lowton and £7million striker Benteke, and will be hoping the pair can maintain their form heading into this weekend’s tough trip to St. Mary’s to face Southampton.
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Mesut Ozil has insisted that he does not want to leave Real Madrid, despite Manchester United and Liverpool expressing an interest.
The German playmaker has been a long term transfer target for both clubs, and looked likely to make a move to the Premier League before joining Madrid two years previously.
Ozil has come under fire in recent weeks from coach Jose Mourinho, claiming that the German “lacks quality”, adding fuel to the fire regarding an impending transfer.
The midfielder has confirmed that he still will not be considering leaving the Bearnebau.
“When you play for Real Madrid, you cannot think of anything else,” he told the Mirror.
“I know nothing and I have no reason to leave.”
Ozil was dropped for the Champions League clash against Ajax, in which Madrid won 4-1, but was recalled to the starting line of the El Clasico against Barcelona which ended 2-2
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His performances earned rave reviews, but the German international claims he is not motivated by critics. He has certainly helped to quieten his critics, but finding a regular place in the starting line-up will be hard, considering Luka Modric is also waiting in the wings.
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I do not play football to prove something to someone, but because I enjoy football,” he added.
Since the birth of the Premier League English football has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity that has seen clubs treated and indeed traded like commodities. Not a week goes by with the announcement of a unique sponsorship deal, but are they a sign of desperation in the tough economic climate or simply an ingenious way to increase revenue?
Newcastle United’s controversial new sponsorship arrangement with loan company Wonga has attracted a swarm of criticism. The club have even risked upsetting the Muslim quartet of Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa, who may view the partnership as a violation of Sharia law. It seems as though this move has the potential to be even more unpopular than the Sports Direct fiasco.
The decision to revert the stadium back to its former title as St. James’ Park will appease fans, but I can’t see how it will disguise the fact that they’re the prime targets for the companies eye-watering interest rates. Despite the disapproval, the deal is hardly surprising. Bolton, Wolves and Wigan are sponsored by online bookies, Swansea and Aston Villa by casino groups and Everton by a Thai beer brand. The move towards increasingly ‘amoral’ partnerships has been on the cards for a number of years.
Teaming up with the Toon Army is not Wonga’s first foray into the world of football as they already sponsor Championship side Blackpool and Scottish outfit Hearts. However, fronting a Premier League team presents them with an unrivalled level of exposure, which will be reflected in the inflated sum that enters Newcastle’s bank account.
Chris Walker, editor of Blackpool site Up the ‘Pool, indicated that the Tangerine Army have voiced their dissatisfaction on several occasions but admits they have little influence in the commercial ventures of their football club.
“Ultimately though, whatever opposition there is, fans of most clubs are powerless to force the owners’ hands.
“The only way for supporters to get a message across is to withhold money in the form of season tickets and merchandise, but for the many the emotional ties to their club prevent this. (Telegraph)
According to The Secret Footballer, supporters on average contribute to around 30% of their club’s wage bill which although significant, dismantles the general consensus that the game wouldn’t survive without the fans. As the wages of Premier League stars continue to soar, it’s only natural that clubs will seek out new exclusive sources of income.
Last year Manchester United unveiled a new deal that saw logistics company DHL become the club’s first training kit sponsor. The four-year contract is apparently worth an incredible £40m and exemplifies how valuable a mere whiff of publicity can be at the summit of the game. Chelsea have also been constructing intriguing sponsorship deals, which has seen them branch out into the advertising haven of Formula One with Sauber. The club has also recently announced a deal with a Burmese whisky firm, a move that has taken advantage of the easing of sanctions that had previously meant the country was effectively off-limits.
At the start the season it was revealed that the shirt sponsorship income of the Premier League’s 20 clubs had ballooned 25 per cent to £147million (Daily Mail). This figure doesn’t even include any recent developments, United’s DHL deal or the fact that Tottenham also receive an additional £5m a year from Investec as a sponsor for all cup games.
Sunderland’s new deal with Invest in Africa will now mean they pull in the same £20m annual sum as the likes of Manchester City and although Arsenal currently only acquire a modest £5.5m, their deal with Fly Emirates expires this season, with chief executive Ivan Gazidis declaring that the new arrangement will “propel us forward as a club in terms of revenue.” (Telegraph)
However, there is a contrasting situation outside the top flight as the Football League faces an uncertain future with npower’s three-year deal soon to expire. The exclusive renewal negotiation period for the energy giants ended this week and there is a fear that prospective partners will struggle to match the current £21million asking price. With the collapse of ITV Digital still the subject of nightmares, clubs will hope a resolution is reached sooner rather than later.
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Football may have sold its soul in the eyes of many, but only to ensure it stays alive. Even Barcelona, a club once revered for its stance on commercial sponsorship, have succumbed to lure of significant financial investment and ended up on the opposite end of the scale.
Michel Platini’s impending Financial Fair Play regulations mean that the level of revenue ultimately determines how much money graces the transfer budget. With this in mind, sponsorship is no longer important, but an essential aspect of the beautiful game.
Andre Villas-Boas’ grand Europa League designs for Tottenham Hotspur look more than logical on paper. Since his arrival in White Hart Lane, the Portuguese has been on the charm offensive for Uefa’s secondary cup competition and in the process, he’s looked to have won many fans over.
The vision of making a march through the competition, sending an army of Spurs fans to the final in Amsterdam and looking to emulate the heroes of 1984, seems to have resonated well with supporters. A fresh approach to the Europa League has been welcomed and for the most part, it’s been warmly embraced.
Putting that into practice, however, has been a little more difficult.
Spurs have stuttered through three draws in their opening three games in Group J, despite fielding what has usually been the bulk of available first team players. For all Villas-Boas’ good intentions, Tottenham simply haven’t clicked in Europe so far. The positive intentions have certainly appeared a lot more transient with the players, than with the fans.
A series of lackadaisical performances from Tottenham in the Europa League doesn’t necessarily transcend into apathy, but you can’t shake the impression sometimes that Villas-Boas’ players might not be entirely convinced about plying their efforts into a European tour this year.
Even in last night’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Norwich City in the Capital One Cup, several Spurs players seemed to mince around the pitch at times in a similar manner to what we have seen in Europe, with all the enthusiasm of a testimonial. Of course, Villas-Boas himself can hardly be blame-free in Spurs’ fate in the cup competitions so far. The perpetual pressure-inviting substitution that he’s wheeled out several times since his arrival in N17 has found a happy home in the cup games, too.
But perhaps the difference is that come Saturday, it’s hard to imagine the side exuding such lethargy in their Premier League game at home to Wigan. Of course, Spurs’ slightly fractured style of play – especially at home – in which they continue to look to find a real flow to proceedings, hasn’t exactly produced a barrage of stand out performers.
Yet the side have worked harder, ran longer and battled stronger for Villas-Boas in the league than in any of their European outings so far. Yes, they were unlucky to not win against Lazio at home, but they didn’t play with anywhere near as much verve as they did the four days previous away to Reading. Again, bar the additions of Lloris, Caulker and Dempsey for the game at home to the Italians – which arguably made them stronger – they simply couldn’t seem to find that extra gear.
Some could well accuse an element of over analysis in this instance, but given the manager’s intentions and the ability of this squad, it seems bizarre to see them look so sluggish. Is the motivation to take the Europa League seriously, after Harry Redknapp’s cultivated an air of insignificance around the competition, a potential issue here? Would the players simply rather focus their bodies and minds into the weekend’s league games? Or have they just been unlucky?
You can take your pick from the above, but for whatever reason it may be, the Europa League now has the capacity to prove a toxic entity for Andre Villas-Boas. Fielding an exceedingly strong XI in the competition is all very well if the side are picking up the results they should be. But they’re not. And considering the somewhat urban myth that is the depth of this Tottenham Hotspur squad side, the credentials of fielding a first choice team that simply don’t look to have clicked with the competition, begin to look dubious.
Tottenham are of course, missing not just several players to injury, but several first teamers, as well. Scott Parker, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Younes Kaboul, Mousa Dembele and Emmanuel Adebayor have all succumbed to the treatment table. But past the side that Villas-Boas has been fielding in recent weeks, the cupboard is a lot more threadbare than what it may seem.
As we saw last night in the League Cup tie against Norwich, with Adebayor out on the sidelines, Spurs only have one recognised striker in Jermain Defoe. Forget missed penalties and however many league goals he got last year, Clint Dempsey is not an out-and-out frontman. Certainly not one who can on his own up front in this system.
At right-back, Kyle Walker has played in all of Spurs’ 14 games so far this season, despite experiencing a difficult run of form. He could have done with a night off last night, but his deputy, Kyle Naughton, had to play at left-back. Why? Because beyond first choice Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the stock room is empty. Villas-Boas has consequently had to field his first-choice centre-half in Jan Vertonghen, in his place so far this season.
Every team goes through injury crises and Spurs are no different. But despite boasting a gloriously talented first XI, there is something of a myth depicting this perceived reserve of depth and talent.
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Many fans, including myself, have been well behind Andre Villas-Boas’ clamour for Europa League glory. The sentiments of Danny Blanchflower hold far more gravitas than Arsene Wenger’s. The game is about glory and silverware. Not just fourth place and bank balances.
But it may just be that Spurs need to think very carefully about their European forays this year. The squad isn’t as strong as what many may have initially thought and although they’re suffering from injuries, it’s by no means the worse list we’ve ever seen. Yet they’re only one or two more away from some real trouble indeed. Putting everything into a competition that just doesn’t seem to be clicking, feels not necessarily reckless, but an educated gamble.
And it’s one that Spurs maybe need not take for the moment. Rome wasn’t built in a day. If three points aren’t forthcoming against Maribor next Thursday, then there’s nothing wrong with putting Villas-Boas’ grand designs on ice.
What do you think about both Spurs’ Europa League fate and the strength of AVB’s squad? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus to talk Tottenham.
In addition to its long-standing reputation as one of English football’s premier cup competitions, the League Cup’s record of showcasing the talents of football’s brightest young things has increasingly become its trademark. As we look forward to the next round of the Capital One Cup, FootballFanCast is taking a look at just some of the famous faces to have cut their teeth in the competition.
Charles Joseph John Hart, or Joe, as he’s better known, is today England’s established and undisputed number one, as well as the custodian of choice for Roberto Mancini’s Premier League champions, Manchester City. It’s been a steep rise in fortunes for the 25-year-old, who began his career in the Conference with Shrewsbury Town and first made an impact on the radars of Premier League clubs in 2005-6, as an ever-present for Shrewsbury.
He conceded more than a goal per game in League Two, but the 55 goals Shrewsbury conceded in their 46-game season were by no means abnormally high for the division. Hart also made two appearances in the League Cup that year, helping the Shrews to overcome Brighton, who were two divisions above them, and keeping Championship title contenders Sheffield United goalless throughout the second round before the Blades knocked Shrewsbury out on penalties. At the end of the season, partly because of this strong form against higher-level opposition, as well as his displays for the England under-19s, Hart sealed a move to Manchester City.
Since then, it’s been one season of growth for another. Hart had to bide his time in his first year with City, making one appearance in the Premier League as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Andreas Isaksson and Nicky Weaver, and spending large portions of his season on loan, with Tranmere Rovers and later Blackpool. It then took a full-season loan at Birmingham to not only assure new City boss Mancini of the young Hart’s development, but also earn him a place in Fabio Capello’s England World Cup squad.
With former rival Shay Given having left the Etihad Stadium, Hart is now firmly installed as City’s goalkeeper of the future, and with an FA Cup and Premier League under his gloves, the West Country boy is sure to be hungry for more. He has continued to show his incredible shot-stopping and distribution qualities as City have developed into a continental force over the past two seasons, something which only builds on his standing as England’s undisputed number one.
Playing behind the Manchester City and England defences, of course, is a sure way for a goalkeeper to gain in confidence and ability. The relationship between centre-backs and goalkeepers is always touted as one of the most important on the football pitch, and in the likes of Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Kolo Toure, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Cahill, Hart is working with some of the best. He’s also publicly expanded his leadership role at the Etihad this season, calling out his teammates in an ITV interview after their Champions’ League defeat to Real Madrid.
To develop into a truly world-class keeper, Hart may one day need to have some threat to his place in the team; the competition certainly seems to be doing Brad Friedel some good at Tottenham, as the veteran American fends off Heurelho Gomes, Carlo Cudicini and now Hugo Lloris between the sticks.
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That, of course, is not for Hart to worry about. He needs only to focus on his own development – and anyone who follows English football will know how well that is going so far.
They call it the beautiful game, however this motley crew prove that football is not always worthy of its title. During times of physical exertion nobody ever looks their best, however these men look far worse than most.
It’s been a tough process to narrow this list to just 20, with many, many players down the years having faces that resemble an un-made bed, or dropped pie.
Luckily for some their footballing ability serves as a distraction from their appearance, yet some don’t possess that luxury, being ugly to watch as well as just plain unattractive, aside from their bank accounts. As Peter Crouch once said in response to the question: if you weren’t a footballer what would you be? “A Virgin!”
So without further a do, here is my list of the 20 ugliest players in Premier League history. Brace yourself, it isn’t a pretty site.
Click on Luke Chadwick to get the ball rolling
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I’ve always said that the first win or loss under Appleton would have a huge bearing on the morale around the club, but it’s not just in relation to run since Appleton has been here.
After winning on Saturday Blackpool have now lost just once in the last nine outings. If we would have lost though, we would be talking about just one win in 11. The two statements sound nothing alike and it is why they say that one result can make a huge difference. In reality it just goes to show how many draws we’ve seen recently.
With the players heading down to Peterborough, there was a feeling among the fans that anything less than a win would be a poor result. After only drawing with then-bottom Bristol City, taking just a point or less away from London Road would leave a lot of Blackpool fans looking down rather than up.
Following a terrible showing against Birmingham, the Seasiders had some improving to do if they were to take anything from the game, and Appleton decided to make just one change. Wes Thomas came in for his full debut in place of Kevin Phillips which proved to be the right choice as the new boy got on the score sheet and won his team a penalty in a whole-hearted display.
Ian Evatt, Matt Philips and Gary Taylor-Fletcher are still all out with injury and the current starting XI need to start performing if they are to keep them out of the side when they do eventually return.
It didn’t get off the the best start on Saturday, as it hasn’t in any of Appleton’s games so far, with Blackpool starting like they were suffering from a bit of travel sickness. Peterborough weren’t much better though creating only one real chance, albeit a brilliant one from which Boyd should have opened the scoring. It seems as though Appleton’s aim is to make it to half time at 0-0 and so far it has been a tactic which has proven relentlessly boring and ultimately unsuccessful.
However this week it worked out, Blackpool went in at 0-0 and Appleton had the chance to deliver what must be an inspirational teamtalk. Against Watford we witnessed a total transformation from first to second half, and again against Peterborough they went from looking like total strangers to a team in total control. If he could just be half as motivating before kick-off we might see an exciting first half.
Blackpool finally got hold of the game and after Ince chipped a ball for Thomas to head in, they looked like they would cruise to an easy victory. Just 8 minutes later Thomas won a penalty which Ince converted to put some space between the two sides and it looked like we would finally see a win.
Although you can see that Appleton is doing his best to tighten up the defence, he isn’t being helped by Alex Baptiste who has gone from being the first name on the teamsheet to a total liability. From Vincent Kompany to Titus Bramble. And he displayed his very best Bramble impression to gift Peterborough an early christmas present and let them back into the game.
Thankfully, after a few substitutions, Blackpool regained their 2-goal lead following a Martinez assist and Dicko strike, before Ince finished the game with a fantastic goal from another Angel Martinez pass.
So a 4-1 win looks convincing on paper, and maybe was fairly convincing on the day, but the Posh defence was poor and Blackpool still haven’t produced an interesting first half with Appleton in charge. But it’s goals and results that breed confidence, no matter who they are against, and this could finally be the platform that the side has needed to build upon. It wasn’t a great game and it was against the basement side, but it could give the strikers some confidence and give everyone at the back (except Baptiste) a bit of a boost.
For me though, potentially the biggest positive from the game is Basham collecting his 5th yellow card and therefore missing the trip to Palace. It sounds harsh because Basham has done tremendously well since he has come back in and has been a rare bright spark, but it frees up a position in the middle that will surely be filled by Angel Martinez. Assuming Osbourne and Gomes keep their places it means we could be seeing the multi-cultural trio back in the middle of the park for the first time since they wiped the floor with Ipswich.
And how ironic it may be for them to return against the manager that tinkered with that side and sent the team into a downward spiral. It’s not guaranteed that these three will start, and it’s not guaranteed that they will inspire a win or even play well, but they have a chance to show the new manager what they can do, and show their old manager what a fool he was to break them up.
As for Saturday, it’s not a game I’m looking forwards to really. A game that should have meant absolutely nothing now has so many fans expecting something. If we lose, it isn’t just 3 points dropped but it will lead to more questions about Appleton’s credentials compared to Holloway’s.
On the other hand, if we do win Appleton will be a hero and it could provide a bit of closure on the Holloway era. Winning would say that it was the right time for him to move on and that we can perform without him. Everybody can get on with things and start looking forwards.
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Hopefully Holloway will afford us the same luxury as he did with Leicester by telling his side not to perform against his former club. After getting Leicester relegated, whenever we played them you got the feeling that he was trying to rectify that by allowing them to win. After leaving Blackpool rather acrimoniously, he may be inclined to do the same thing. With any luck anyway.
Saturday also sees a clash between two of the hottest properties in the league with Ince and Zaha battling it out to show who really is worth their asking price. Ince, with 13 goals and 8 assists is being valued at £6m whilst Zaha, on 4 goals and 4 assists, is attracting talk of a £20m bid. Maybe it’s just my Blackpool bias that sees a flawed logic here, or maybe it’s because I’m not an idiot.
Ince has proven himself to be a good player in the last 2 years after leaving Liverpool and will cause problems for Palace, but I worry that at the other end Zaha may well be up against Broadfoot. Even facing Crainey, in his current form, I worry that Zaha and the equally impressive Bolasie will cause a lot of problems for our fullbacks. It’s unfortunate that we can’t see Ince and Phillips in action together on Saturday as that would be a great comparison.
No matter what happens, Saturday should provide a lot of talking points, both on and off the pitch and should make for very interesting viewing.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has warned fans of the club not to expect all of their issues to be solved in January.
It’s widely believed that the Reds will be in the market for a number of players next month, with a striker and wide midfielder thought to be top targets to aid their Premier League campaign.
The Reds have been heavily linked with Daniel Sturridge in recent weeks and are also said to be closing in on a deal for Blackpool starlet Thomas Ince.
However, Rodgers has played down the significance of the winter window, hinting that the real work will be done next summer:
“All our problems were never going to be solved in this window because the January window is one of the least ¬productive, and the least ¬movement goes on there.” He is quoted by The Mirror.
“I see lots of names bandied about and, with all due respect, they’re names that are pie in the sky because there won’t be too many top players moving about in January, as clubs want top money.
“There is a bigger picture, for sure, and it goes back to ¬affordability. The reality is, for all the names bandied about, are they going to be ¬available?
“It will come down to two things: the availability and affordability of players, and in the January window you don’t get either.”
But, he did hint that money is in place to bring in some attacking reinforcements to ease the burden on Luis Suarez:
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“There is no doubt we will get reinforcements in and we will get the backing and support from the owners,
“We want to bring in goals and we want to bring in players who can assist in scoring goals.”
Norwich City have had an ‘undisclosed bid’ turned down by Celtic for their main man Gary Hooper.
The Canaries are keen to land the striker after their bid for Swansea City forward Danny Graham was also snubbed yesterday.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon is desperate to hold on to his star player this month and was left frustrated that the offer became public knowledge.
Hooper has 18 months remaining on his current deal but the SPL champions have offered the former Scunthorpe forward an extension that he is yet to sign.
Many have pinpointed Hooper as a surprise selection in Roy Hodgson’s England squads for upcoming friendlies this year after notching double figures so far this season and he helped Celtic progress to the knock out stages of the Champions League.
Lennon has admitted a bid was rejected and that he is hopeful a positive meeting with the player could resolve the contract issues.
“The bid has been rejected,” Lennon told BBC Sport.
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“We had discussions with his representatives this morning and we are waiting to hear back from them.”