Another week passes and yet no news as to who will take the Anfield hot seat. Morning reports suggest that Didier Deschamps is the latest manager the club have approached about the vacancy as talk of Hodgson or Pellegrini taking the reins appear to have cooled.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag blogs which has included…Why Dalglish must be retained; Liverpool should veto deal and why the Reds need to spurn Barca’s advances.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Liverpool stories on the Web this week.
Hodgson vs Dalglish vs Pellegrini
Does Kenny make a valid point over Liverpool job?
Liverpool fans should look to Spurs as appearences can be deceiving
Does English football NEED Arsenal and Liverpool to resist Barca’s advances?
Why Liverpool should pull the plug on Jovanovic deal
Why keeping King Kenny at Anfield is a must
The Top TEN Premier League ‘dirtiest’ players
The Fans’ 5 Worst Pundits in the English Game
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Best of Web
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Is it time for the attacking style to return to Liverpool FC? – Live4Liverpool
‘The Return of The King’ Why Dalglish should takeover – This is Anfield
Benítez blames Purslow for Reds exit – Guardian
Hard work still to be done – Liverpool Echo
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The Manuel Manual – How Pellegrini could build on the Rafalution – Live4Liverpool
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Click image below to see a gallery of the SPANISH babes at the World Cup:
Veteran goalkeeper Carlo Nash has agreed a one-year deal to join Stoke City.
Nash, 36, has joined up the Potters at their pre-season training camp in Austria after being released by Everton.
The former Manchester City and Preston North End was out of contract after two years at Goodison Park, but was initially hoping to earn a new deal with the Toffees.
Nash, who has previously spent time on loan at Stoke, will provide competition for Thomas Sorensen and Asmir Begovic at the Britannia Stadium during the coming season.
"I've said all along that we need three goalkeepers and three goalkeepers is what we will now have once Carlo signs for us," manager Tony Pulis told the club's official website.
"Thomas is very much one of those three as far as I'm concerned because of the quality and experience he gives us – and has given us for the past two years.
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"Carlo knows us and we know him. He is a top goalkeeper who did a fantastic job for this football club during the promotion-winning season.
"He was out of contract at Everton and he is at that age now where he is happy to be third choice for us. I know if he is called upon, he will do a fantastic job."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wigan Athletic have agreed an undisclosed fee with Hamilton for midfielder James McArthur.
The 22-year-old midfielder has been linked with several English clubs in recent transfer windows, but he will now join the Latics, subject to passing a medical at the DW Stadium.
Former Hamilton team-mate James McCarthy made the same move from Scotland to the Latics 12 months ago.
"The transfer of James comes exactly one year after James McCarthy moved to Wigan and I am confident that 'Auld' James will be just as successful in England," Accies chairman Ronnie McDonald told his club's official website.
"Our sadness at his departure is outweighed by our feeling of pride in his success and the way he acquitted himself in the Accies shirt.
"James is the third player to graduate from the youth academy to the English Premier League and great credit is due to all of our dedicated management, coaching and medical staff who have assisted him in his development.
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"The terms of the sale agreement forbid the disclosure of the sums involved, but the Accies will receive a substantial initial fee and add ons based on appearances.
"We wish James every success in his new challenge, he fully deserves the financial rewards he will now enjoy."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Arsene Wenger is never one to shy away from controversy and whether you love him or hate him; his comments regarding the squad rules implemented by the Premier League offer a worrying reality.
Some people may discard Wenger’s comments, coming to the assumption that his protective nature over his players and the club would naturally evoke such a damning response but when what he has to say is carefully dissected, the policy may well leave clubs involved in European ties at a disadvantage in the domestic season.
Wenger’s comments that “Some teams in England play 40 games, some play 65. That is 25 games different. If you play 65 games you need more players” and although I, for one, have at times grown tired of Wenger’s petulant complaints, he does have a point.
He is right to point towards the case of Stephen Ireland, who is now on the fringes at Eastlands and the way he can engineer himself out his contract and demand compensation in the region of £2million.
Clause IV, section 15 of Fifa’s regulations which states “An established professional who has, in the course of the season, appeared in fewer than 10% of the official matches in which his club has been involved may terminate his contract prematurely on the ground of sporting just cause” will encourage agents to become acquisitive.
And although Fifa judge each case individually, it would be easy for a player to argue he has not had the chance to play if not included in the 25 man squad.
It is also simple for the Premier League to describe the comments as “emotive” and wave away the Frenchmen’s claims but he does offer a poignant argument that a cold reality may emerge amongst the new systems plaudits.
The English dominance on the European stage may subside in fear of domestic failings, and perhaps Wenger assumes such a concept because of the pressure on him to delivery Arsenal’s first trophy since the FA Cup in 2005.
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The inflexibility of such a ruling has clearly infuriated the Gunners boss and should he sign somebody before the window closes or in January he must then replace an existing member of the 25 maturing men he hopes can come of age.
His argument certainly provides a differing insight into an important subject with regard to the national team, with Wenger feeling the system is flawed due to the parity between the amount of foreigners in La Liga and that ultimately it is “down to the coaching”.
Wenger must now try and adapt to the system, instead focusing on his Arsenal side mounting a serious title challenge following their somewhat fortunate 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
Scotland full-back Alan Hutton is desperate to return to first-team action in the near future, having drifted out of favour with Tottenham Hotspur.
The 25-year-old former Rangers defender ended last season out on loan at Sunderland, but the Black Cats were priced out of a permanent deal, with Spurs looking to recoup much of the £9million they paid for Hutton.
"It has been tough for me. I was looking at options in the summer but nothing came off," Hutton told the Sunday Mail.
"I moved to Spurs for big money and if I leave, the club will be wanting that. But it's tough to get someone to pay that kind of cash when you haven't been playing.
"It's not a great situation to be in. I just need to keep my head up at the moment and keep going.
"At the moment I'd like to stay down in England. I have a lot to prove and a lot to offer down there – so my heart is set on doing well down south.
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"I have a massive amount of unfinished business. Even at Spurs, I feel that way.
"But I want something sorted, one way or another, as soon as possible."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manager Sam Allardyce claims it is 'unacceptable' that his Blackburn Rovers side continue to let leads slip.
Rovers drew 1-1 with Fulham on Saturday after allowing a lead to slip for the third time in their five Premier League matches so far this season.
Chris Samba headed the home side into a first-half lead at Ewood Park before Clint Dempsey restored parity in the early stages of the second period.
"I am baffled why we go worse when we get a goal in front and are playing at home. I can't understand it, but that is what I saw and that is what happened," Allardyce told the Lancashire Telegraph.
"We have been in front four times out of five and we have only won once. That is unacceptable. It is not the way you go about your job.
"Getting in front again and not winning means we have been in front four times this season.
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"The hardest thing to do is getting a lead, the easiest thing to do is maintain that lead, or should be.
"We are finding that very difficult at the moment, which we didn't do last season and that why we finished 10th."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wayne Rooney’s statement was delivered to the world’s press yesterday with the sort of fanfare usually reserved for general election results or the announcement of who’s been voted off the Xfactor. Within minutes of Rooney releasing his excuse, sorry, reason for wanting to leave Manchester United, millions of United fans around the world were analysing every word, sentence and nuance to see what exactly was going on in the mind of the player formerly known as a fan’s favourite.
While it’s quite obvious Rooney didn’t sit down in front of his Macbook and write the statement himself before emailing it to the press, it’s obviously the crux of why he wants to leave- at least in public.
So what did Rooney’s statement tell us? Well he wants to leave that much is certain but are the reasons for him leaving valid? Looking over the statement fully, it seems as though Rooney’s memory and argument is just a tad selective to say the least.
It begins…..
“I met with David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract.I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say yesterday and surprised by some of it.It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new contract. During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world.
Here seems to be the main argument, in fact you could say it’s the only argument Rooney is making, that United cannot continue to attract the top players. Well that would indicate that in the past United have attracted the world’s top players, yet is this the case?
Looking back over the past six years, since Rooney joined United, the players who’ve come to Old Trafford have not always been the best in the World, but have more often than not grown into that bracket. Some of United’s best signings during this period have not necessarily been ‘stars’ as such-although they certainly are now.
Fergie’s most astute signings in the period since Rooney joined United were arguably Edwin Van Der Sar, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic who went to Old Trafford for a combined fee of around £14.5 million and United had little competition for their signatures.
United have spent big money on the likes of Anderson, Nani, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and of course Dimitar Berbatov and there’s no denying that these players were all sought after but were they considered among the ‘top players in the world’?
Continued on Page TWO
Anderson and Nani were seen as potential future stars, while Carrick was a highly thought of England fringe type midfielder whose £18.6 million fee left many feeling United had overpaid slightly. As for Hargreaves, he certainly was considered a top midfielder but even before he went to United, his injury problems were well documented. As for Berbatov, he was a shining star in the Premier League and the noisy neighbours were certainly interested, but it’s questionable as to whether he was really considered one of the world’s top strikers. He was probably a rung below the likes of Rooney, David Villa, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres as being one of the truly top strikers in world football. Of course there was also a certain gentleman from Argentina who arrived, but the fact he was signed on a loan deal from West Ham or whoever the fook owned him, speaks volumes as to his standing in world football at the time.
The point I’m making is that since Rooney’s arrival United’s signings have often been ones that will grow in time, or players who aren’t quite attracting the rest of Europe’s elite but are still capable of doing a good job. Rooney’s argument that he wants to leave Old Trafford because he doesn’t feel the club will ‘continue to attract the ‘top players in the world’ is slightly flawed as United often don’t really go for the very top players.
Fergie has been bitten once with Juan Sebastian Veron who was considered one of the world’s best midfielders and came with a price tag that seemed to underline that fact to the tune of £29.1 million. However Veron’s time at Old Trafford was something of a disaster and he ended up leaving for just over half that fee, mainly due to Chelsea’s reckless spending in the early phase of the Abramovich era.
When Rooney claims its anxieties over the ability of the club to attract the world’s top players which is making him leave, it’s as though he wants Fergie to change his whole transfer policy and suddenly start bidding for big name players. Let’s not forget even a certain Cristiano Ronaldo was not a real star when he arrived at United- in fact I along with more than a few other fans were disappointed when we learnt it wasn’t the man now known as ‘Fat Ronaldo’ that was signing.
If Fergie had gone out last summer and spent £40 million on the likes of Joleon Lescott and Emmanuel Adebayor would that have convinced Rooney of United’s ambition? Perhaps a £45 million bid for Zlatan Imbrahimovic would have made the scouse striker stay. The only problem with any of those signings is they’d arguably not improve United’s team one iota and been a complete waste of money, but hey at least it shows ambition.
Continued on Page THREE
To be fair to Rooney he’s actually not the first talismanic striker to leave Old Trafford due to a percieved lack of ambition by the club in regards to transfers.
Believe it or not Eric “The King” Cantona actually cited the same reason as part of his decision to retire. This is an extract from Fergie’s book Managing My Life:
“He [Cantona] was totally straightforward with me. He did want to finish….When I asked him again why he felt that way, he was not as vague as he had been previously and specified two recent trends at Old Trafford that had left him disillusioned. He said he felt he had become a pawn of Manchester United’s merchandising department and that he was not going to accept such treatment any longer. His second complaint was that United were not ambitious enough in the purchase of players. I had a lot of sympathy with him on both counts.”
Of course there’s a world of difference between Eric’s retirement and Rooney’s desire to leave for greener pastures. After all Cantona wasn’t seeking more money elsewhere, or a club with more ambition, he’d more or less had enough of football and the lack of signing top players was simply one of his reasons. The fact Fergie sympathised said it all, at that time -1997- United hadn’t been ambitious enough in the transfer market. However the signings of Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke, less than a year later would certainly address that issue.
The reason I mention Cantona’s comment is because it’s worth noting that Rooney hasn’t been the only one who’s had thoughts like that while being United’s star player. However, Cantona was leaving football altogether and was at a club that hadn’t won the CL twice in the past 11 years not to mention the league 11 times out of 18. There’s similarities between the two statements but there’s also a lot of differences, especially in the context of the times they were made.
The final part of Rooney’s statement, arguably is the most contradictory.
I have never had anything but complete respect for MUFC. How could I not have done, given its fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?For me it’s all about winning trophies – as the club has always done under Sir Alex. Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me from Everton when I was only 18.For Manchester United’s sake I wish he could go on forever because he’s a one-off and a genius.”
If Fergie’s a genius and United have always won trophies under him, then why does Rooney want to leave? Fergie shows no signs of retiring for at least the next few years and as he’s stated himself his health is fine. Had Fergie announced he was retiring at the end of this season or even the next one, Rooney’s statement would make sense, but he hasn’t so it doesn’t.
Rooney’s statement has been seen by some as simply yet another reason why the Glazer family have to be removed, after all, it’s surely the debt they saddled the club with that’s caused Rooney to believe the club can no longer compete. However, while the debt and the interest are a joke, Rooney seems to have forgotten that United are not usually ones for making record-breaking bids for the world’s top stars.
Although, Fergie has been willing to splash that sort of cash on occasion- Rio Ferdinand, Rooney himself, it’s been extremely rare and not happened at all of late.
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Whether more will come to light as to how much wages and signing-on fee have dictated remains to be seen but Rooney’s argument that United lack the ability to attract top players, seems a little hollow.
United lacking ambition? As Fergie succinctly put it last night following United Champions League win:
“Have I not won 30 trophies?”
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A fifth consecutive defeat for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal to champions Chelsea; a 13th goal in as many games against the Gunners for Ivorian striker Didier Drogba and an unenviable seven-point deficit to claw back at the top of the table. Title hopes over for yet another season? Back-to-back league defeats has seen optimism replaced with negativity at the Emirates in the early stages of this new campaign.
Yet it could have been so different for Wenger’s side as they dominated for large periods at Stamford Bridge and could have scored twice in the opening 60 seconds. The Gunners matched their opponents in every department and controlled the game, but ultimately could not take advantage of their superiority by putting the ball in the back of the net.
Wenger’s side were comprehensively beaten home and away by the Blues last season, but on Sunday showed signs of maturity in their play against the league’s table toppers. Arsenal headed to West London without nine first-team squad members including captain Cesc Fabregas, defender Thomas Vermaelen and Dutchman Robin van Persie. While such notable absentees cannot be ignored, it remains the same old story for frustrated Arsenal fans who have failed to their side lift a trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2005.
The game was a microcosm of the fundamental issues which have undermined Arsenal’s title campaigns in recent seasons. For all the visitors extended periods of possession, intricate passing and eye catching, free-flowing football, it was Carlo Ancelotti’s side that came away with a win and three precious points. Chelsea used all their experience to shut out Arsenal in defence and clinically punish them in attack.
Wenger continues to receive plaudits for delivering such high-quality, entertaining football teams on a minimal budget. However ultimately, football is a competitive sport and the time has come for his side to deliver success. Wenger, despite having the funds available to remedy his side’s inexperience and naivety in the summer, continues to ignore popular opinion. The disappointed Frenchman did conclude however that his side must be more clinical in attack if they want to win league titles.
“We have to be more clinical to win Championships,” said Wenger.
“We cannot lose a game like that. Their strikers were more clinical than ours and that made the difference.”
This was meant to be the season where Arsenal’s developing squad came of age and delivered a major trophy. Wenger insisted his side could win the title before their defeat to the Blues, but may not be so confident now. The Gunners still have the chance of winning the FA Cup and Champions League and Wenger will be confident in these compeitions. It is, of course, still early in the season and not many sides will come away from Stamford Bridge with more than a point, but the omens do not look good for Wenger and his side.
This summer Wenger needed to bring experienced, high-quality internationals to the Emirates. Money needed to be spent on a top quality goalkeeper, yet Wenger kept his faith in the under-performing Manuel Almunia who cost his side points in their shock defeat to West Brom. A top-class defender should also have been a number one priority, yet instead Arsenal signed the inexperienced Laurent Koscielny and aging Sebastien Squillaci. In attack the Gunners need a 20-goal-a-season marksman, someone who would have converted the chances missed by free transfer signing Marouane Chamakh on Sunday.
Of course over the last five seasons Wenger has not had total failure. Maintaining a place in the ever-increasingly difficult to attain top four positions, as well as reaching a Champions League final. This has been done while the club has moved to a new state-of-the-art stadium and announced record profits of £56m. Wenger will also leave a legacy at the club which will last for generations once he has long departed. Yet Wenger should have invested more of the club’s revenue this summer and made a statement of intent heading into the season.
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Time is running out for Wenger’s ‘golden generation’ to finally deliver a trophy. While the Premier League title is still attainable at this early stage, it is unlikely to be heading to the Emirates at the end of the season. A trophy must be delivered or Wenger may have to admit his wonderful, attacking philosophy is ultimately flawed and take the radical step of breaking up his squad and starting all-over again.
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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was delighted with his side's battling display in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Bolton Wanderers, which lifted the Reds towards the top half of the table.
Maxi Rodriguez scored the only goal of the game four minutes from time at the Reebok Stadium, after the home side had put Hodgson's men under intense pressure for much of the game.
Hodgson said:"It is still too early to be too optimistic, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
"The players now know they have got the ability to dig in, even in games like this, which is a good thing to know. It is nice to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
"We had so much of the ball, so many situations where I thought we had opportunities and we wasted them. Luckily one more came up and we took it.
"When you don't do that you are always worried one of the long throws or long balls into the penalty area is going to bounce kindly for the opposition and you are going to lose the game.
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"I was delighted that didn't happen. I thought it was a very gritty performance from our back four."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
At the height of the Wayne Rooney saga when it appeared he may be leaving United for the blue side of Manchester, rumours were about on who the club could get in to replace such an essential player. Ferguson and the club though were keen to announce after the defeat of Tottenham on 30th October that “we won’t be buying in January, definitely not.”
The announcement came just a week after the club revealed that Rooney would indeed be staying at Manchester United having signed a new improved five year deal on the 22nd October. This statement appears to then confirm that with Rooney’s signature secure Ferguson did not desire any further reinforcements in his bid to win the title back from Chelsea. Perhaps with his star player now tied down, and hopefully reinvigorated having now put all the transfer rumours behind him. And that would provide the added impetus required to his team following a distinctly average start to the season for the Red Devils. Indeed Ferguson goes on to say “You have five months left of the season, I will have Antonio Valencia back hopefully towards the end of February, which is a new player coming back. If Michael Owen gets back, it is another new player coming back. So with the squad I’ve got, I don’t see any reason for us to buy anyone.” Clearly at this time he believed his squad to be good enough particularly with players returning from injury as well as Rooney having his contract renewed.
Ferguson, like most Premier League managers is not too keen to use the January transfer window for major recruitment, Vidic being a notable exception. The Scot points out how January purchases can be problematic because “If you want someone to play in Europe, you are limited right away. There are hundreds of players cup-tied.” At this point he seems pretty sure that there is no way Manchester United would be entering the transfer market in any form in January.
Done
Yet despite all these assurances given about how Manchester United would not be investing in the first team squad immediately, it appears Danish stopper Anders Lindegaard could be on the verge of signing. Currently playing for Norwegian club Aalesund, Lindegaard is unwilling to comment on the rumours. His chairman, Bjarne Haagensen however reveals that a deal is progressing and could be completed in a matter of hours. Which suggests Ferguson may not have been entirely honest when claiming new recruits would be arriving at Old Trafford.
Speaking ahead of the Rangers game this week Fergie stated: “It is not completed at the moment but there has not been a hiccup either. It will probably happen in the next two or three weeks, but the announcement was a bit premature.” PA
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