Manchester City head coach Roberto Mancini wants to see an end to some of his players complaining to the press about a lack of opportunities at Eastlands.
The likes of Shay Given, Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy have all been outspoken about their City prospects, with Bellamy subsequently moving to Cardiff City on a season-long loan.
That situation has annoyed Mancini, who said:"I played football. Sometimes I had this behaviour. I can understand it, so it is not frustrating for me.
"But at the same time it is important they start to change their mentality. If they want to become a top squad and a top team they must change it.
"It is impossible that every three days players do interviews complaining that they are not playing.
"They need to knock on my door and speak with me so I can explain the situation.
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"I want to create an atmosphere like they have at Chelsea and Manchester United, but maybe it is easier for them to accept it because they have had success."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said yesterday that he believes the structural set up of the English academy system is fundamentally flawed. The Portuguese former Porto man took over from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer and has had a tempestuous first six months in the English game. The thirty-four year old said:
“The youth development system in England is not right, in my belief. There is plenty of effort and talks to get it right but in my opinion it is not. The reserve team league is not competitive. The youth levels are not competitive enough. The FA Youth Cup: does it favour talent or competition? In my opinion there is a missing link between age groups in all competitions. There should be national championships played between teams from around the country. The older ones should play nationally. The younger ones should play regionally. You promote more talent and competitiveness and it is that which generates talent and willingness to drive.”
This is the latest in a string of attacks on the way young talent is developed in this country. The new Elite Player Performance Plan, or EPPP, was approved before Christmas and will replace the system of tribunal-set transfer fees with a compensations scheme, which essentially makes it easier and cheaper for the big clubs to poach young players from teams in lower leagues. The EPPP has come under intense scrutiny from the Football League teams who, although voting to accept the new system, felt they were pressured financially into allowing it to go ahead.
Villas-Boas lamented the English system claiming that without the competitive side to the youth and reserve leagues the younger players are not ready to make the step up to the first team without first going out on loan, which would mean putting those players at the mercy of an inferior coaching team. Instead the Chelsea manager would rather adopt a system similar to that in Spain where the top clubs have ‘B’ teams, which compete in the tier below their parent club. Essentially all top clubs would have their own feeder club in the Championship. The benefits of this for top clubs are clear for all to see: they would be able to not only give their youth and reserve players competitive matches to play in but they would also gain that experience as a team and benefit from the high level coaching of their parent club at the same time. This model has worked exceptionally well for teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, many of whose players have been playing together competitively since they were very young.
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However Villas-Boas’ suggestion merely adds another dark cloud to the possible future of Football League sides, many of who are already struggling on and off the field.
The goal of every non Premier League team is to make it to the top tier and establish themselves there in order to secure the future of the club. However that task would be infinitely harder if they had to compete against the feeder cubs for the best teams. Moreover, how Villas-Boas suggests these ‘B’ teams should be integrated in to the Football League would be a proposal worth hearing. It would be unacceptable at any level to oust teams from a league to make space for the ‘B’ teams of top clubs. The only other alternative is to persuade teams in the lower leagues to become the feeder teams of Premier League clubs, but if that is the Chelsea manager’s proposal then he should be aware that this is already a possibility. Top English clubs already have feeder clubs in England and abroad. At a time when the worldwide economic downturn has lead to a continuous stream of clubs facing existential crises Villas-Boas suggestions, whilst undeniably beneficial for clubs such as Chelsea, could be the final nail in the coffin for many English clubs. Not only would tier mobility be more difficult than it already is but it would present clubs with the option of either losing their identity as a football team or face their ambitions being severely hampered.
At the risk of sounding overly sentimental, whilst under extreme pressure in his own job, perhaps Andre Villas-Boas should recognise that he is not the only manager in the Football Leagues struggling to get the best out of his team at the moment and his proposals could greatly damage effectiveness of many managers who are in similar situations at smaller clubs. The other important factor is that as much as football is concerned with competing globally and being the ‘best’ it is also a sport that provides entertainment and a sense of community for millions around the country, it is a sport that has its roots not in the glitz of the international stage in front of hundreds of cameras but in the small smallest stadiums in some of the poorest sections of the country. To abandon our roots would be to abandon the very aspect of football that has made it such a national institution in the first place. Progress for the elite is important, but not at the cost of an array of historic clubs.
Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants his ‘wounded’ team to bite back when they host Manchester United on Sunday.Wenger’s men were on target for a quadruple for a long period of the season, but one by one, Arsenal have fallen out of contention for each trophy.
It was Manchester United defender Patrice Evra who likened Arsenal to a wounded animal and Wenger agreed with that analogy.
“That’s what we want to show. We are certainly wounded and we have to build up the animal until Sunday,” Wenger said.
“We have been hit very hard. In fairness, I believe as well that we had an unfortunate run of fixtures because we played a run of Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday.”
“We missed that little bit extra that Bolton had in the decisive moments when they beat us recently and that is because of our fixtures.”
“That happened to us many times this season where the fixtures did not go our way.”
Arsenal are now nine points behind United which has taken some of the edge out of what could have been a potential title race decider.
Wenger added: “It is disappointing from that point of view. This game was targeted as being a decider for the championship but now it certainly will not be.”
“We still have to give absolutely everything and you never know if we beat United, it would come back to a six point gap.”
“You never know and it is important for us to show some fighting spirit, some fighting attitude and some pride. There is more at stake on Sunday than just the mathematics.”
“We will never give up as long as there is a mathematical chance, because if that is the case we have not the right to be at Arsenal Football Club.”
Arsenal will be missing defender Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles tendon) and midfielder Abou Diaby (groin).
When Joe Hart embarked on his loan move to Birmingham City just over a year ago, even he could not have envisaged the transition to England’s number one goalkeeper being so close.
As a Birmingham fan it does not come as a surprise having watched him all of last season, nor does the fact that his return to a more “fashionable” club in Manchester City means he is being praised far more often.
Hart said: “I can’t stress enough how important that year was at Birmingham, I was very grateful to Alex McLeish for giving me that opportunity.” And if we are to going to revel in the 23-year olds dazzling graduation for England then perhaps Birmingham should be credited more so than any other- the move to St Andrews instigated the realisation of his talents.
And those talents are now blossoming under the spotlight that has always shone on England’s number one spot. Hart’s save from Stanislav Angelov to stop a Bulgaria equaliser was an indicator that Capello was wrong in his suspicion of inexperience and although hardship is yet to blemish his admirable modesty it seems England have their best goalkeeping prospect in many a year.
He claimed he goes out and plays with “enjoyment and not fear” and a keepy uppy cameo did little to disprove his theory against Bulgaria.
Whilst some may have seen it as inappropriate in a competitive game others will have endorsed it, feeling that his spontaneity is just what England need after the dull predictability of the so called “Golden Generation”.
His rise in stature and presence when farmed out to Birmingham City in search of a change of fortune coupled with the failings of his England competitors should be paid homage to, not ignored. Alex McLeish’s faith in the youngster was pivotal in his progression.
Ray Clemence described his performance against Tottenham a few weeks ago “a bit special” and the unassuming manner in which he conducts himself is quite uplifting in the dawn of a new era and as England set upon their road to recovery, they can do so safe in the knowledge they have in my opinion the best keeper in the country right now – the number one spot may finally have met its match.
A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery
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The convincing win over Wolverhampton will help alleviate the fans’ concerns over the depth and quality of Manchester United’s squad, but that shouldn’t stop Sir Alex Ferguson bringing in a couple of players.
A lot of people are harping on the manager to bring in a centre-back or a forward, but those positions shouldn’t take priority over the major concerns in the squad.
The two areas that should be concerning Ferguson the most are the two full-back positions, because United are very light in terms of adequate coverage there.
Right now the club has four natural full-backs on their books – Patrice Evra, young Ezekial Fryers and the da Silva twins – but that’s cly not sufficient enough.
Injuries are always going to happen, which is why you build a squad of players rather than a team, but the current severity of the situation at United are exposing some weaknesses in theirs. Rafael and Fabio are hurt more often than they aren’t – which is causing problems with the Boss being forced to play other defenders out of position to provide temporary cover.
Yes, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have been showing their natural football ability and athleticism by providing relief at right-back, but they are natural centre-backs and that’s where they will eventually need to play. A lot of fans – right or wrong – complain that Jonny Evans is playing, but the bottom line is that he has to.
Left-back has also been a concern for some of the supporters for a long time, because of Evra’s defensive lapses and more of his focus on attacking. Also, not having any alternatives to challenge him for his place is a real worry, as well. A couple of years ago he was touted as the best left-sided full-back in the world, but since then his defensive weaknesses have been greatly exposed. Going forward is a different story, because he offers tremendous value to the Reds’ attack, but that’s not what he’s paid to do – is it?
There’s no question that Ferguson knows this, because, when fit, Fabio has stepped in and defended much better than Evra has. And yes, Ezekiel Fryers is just being introduced into the first team and he could be a long-term fixture there, but for the club to pin their hopes on a 19-year old kid is unfair to him and the fans, which could happen if Evra goes down with an injury (knock on wood).
Most of the goals that have been scored against United this season, have come from either a cross in from the flanks or an opposing player running at the full-backs. Against Wolves, Smalling was struggling to cope with a very underrated Matt Jarvis and that allowed the them to have confidence to get something from the game – but that was happening more than just for the goal. Thankfully, Wolverhampton didn’t have their shooting boots on, because it could’ve been a much different outcome – as ridiculous as that sounds.
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Injuries, especially the one to Nemanja Vidic cannot be planned for, but when the ones that happen to the da Silva twins are expect – and that’s a problem for Sir Alex Ferguson and why he should spend to get a full-back – or two – for Manchester United.
Article courtesy of David from The United Religion
What a big loss it was for Tottenham in the build-up to their Champions League Quarter Final against Real Madrid on Tuesday night. Following the positive news that Gareth Bale was fit to play, manager Harry Redknapp was forced to withdraw England winger Aaron Lennon just minutes prior to kickoff. As a last-minute reshuffle, Jermaine Jenas was drafted in on the right-side of midfield as the team were forced to do without one of their best attacking players.
Redknapp attributed Lennon’s absence to an unspecified illness: “He felt rough, went out and had a warm-up, came in and said he didn’t feel well…if he didn’t feel fit enough then there’s nothing we can do” was the official line given to the BBC. And that surely should have been it?
But no. Lennon joined a growing number of fellow players in offering his own take on proceedings publicly through microblogging service Twitter. “Saying I fell ill before the game is bull****… I fell ill on Sunday morning”, he told followers. “Will not be made a scapegoat”.
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But was he made a scapegoat? Admittedly his absence was a big loss for the team and Redknapp was forced into last-minute changes that ultimately altered the whole team’s shape. But illness is illness and those fans labelling Lennon a bottler should give him some credit. And after his fantastic performance against Milan at the San Siro, he can hardly be criticised for failing in big games.
And what about Harry Redknapp? Surely he must have been aware of Lennon’s illness prior to the match as the winger was prescribed antibiotics on Sunday. But you cannot criticise him for wanting to field his strongest available side. Admittedly in this case it was a gamble and one that failed to pay off as Redknapp seemed to be without a suitable Plan B. Jermaine Jenas was seen being briefed on the pitch prior to kick off but you would have thought Redknapp would have had Jenas in preparation since doubts were first raised about Lennon on Sunday.
But why was Lennon so worried about being labelled a scapegoat? Unless he was withholding information about his condition then he should accept that he fell ill and there was nothing more he could have done. Spurs were forced into last-minute changes but that’s in the nature of football. And, if Spurs fans were to look for a scapegoat surely they would look towards Peter Crouch whose two reckless challenges ultimately left Tottenham with a monumental task.
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The only way Lennon has criminalised himself in this debacle is by publicly disagreeing with his manager’s tale of events. Admittedly we live in a society free of censorship and Twitter has been a revelation in helping fans to connect with sportsmen and women. But at the same time, Harry Redknapp is his manager and in publicly disagreeing with him, Lennon has shown a lack of unity and trust in his manager. In the same way that managers are prohibited from publicly criticising referees, perhaps players should think twice next time they vent their feelings so openly.
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Bob Bradley has emerged as one of the favourites to succeed Martin O'Neill as Aston Villa boss with the American confirming that he would be keen to coach in Europe.
Villa owner Randy Lerner is desperate to bring in a new manager as soon as possible after O'Neill decided to resign just five days before the start of the new Premier League season.
Current USA boss Bradley guided his country to the last 16 of the World Cup where they were edged out by Ghana and has a wealth of experience.
He is currently preparing for his team for this week's friendly international against Brazil, and revealed:"I've said over and over that I'm always excited about new and different challenges.
"Certainly coaching in Europe at some point is something that I'd love to do.
"At the same time, I also consider it a challenge when you finish one (World Cup) cycle and begin the process of working on another one. From the time one World Cup ends, you begin to go through the process of assessing where you are."
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Bradley, who was linked with the manager's job at Fulham before the Cottagers appointed Mark Hughes, added: "People spoke to Fulham on my behalf. I did not actually speak to anyone at Fulham."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the many football academies in the Premier League producing more talent than even before or just by clubs just snapping up the next foreign star at a very young age, it is not every time that these players make a Jack Wilshere style progression into the first team and instead they have to survive with a lack of football. They are usually sent out on-loan to get some valuable experience, something they are not always able to get at their parent club.
At the end of this season with first team chances limited to a few rare Carling Cup appearances, they know that either another loan spell in on the cards or they can secure a move away where they can start their fledgling career.
An example is England U21 international, Jack Cork, who was at Chelsea for the whole of his youth development. He has finally left Chelsea to join Championship new boys Southampton but not before he had spent his young career on loan at six different league clubs in order to aid his development as he tried to become a member of the first-team at Chelsea. However he realised it was eventually time to leave and these selections are players in a similar position to Cork and should look at moving on to help continue their progression.
There are players who have very little chance of breaking into the first team but will still be sent out on loan so that the club can secure the best price for them at the end of the season. Once a youngster reaches the age of 20/21 and they still have not made it into the senior team, it may be time for them to test themselves at a new club.
So here is a list of top ten players who should look at flying the nest in the near future so they can continue their career development…
Click on John Bostock to see the 10 youngsters that need to fly the nest
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Man Utd are currently favourites for the Premier League crown this season, despite claims that they’ve barely got out of second gear. What is certain though is that this current Man Utd have failed to scale the heights of previous Ferguson team’s when it comes to attacking football; with the missing link in the Utd set-up being a player creative enough to link the play between their midfield and attack. But could Utd already have the very player they are crying out for right under their noses and already within their ranks in Wayne Rooney?
Rooney has endured a tough 18 months on and off the pitch. His form since the Bayern Munich game in April of last season has tailed of rather spectacularly at times and he’s looked a shadow of his former self. The player said himself last season that the development of the goalscoring side of his game came about by a simple adjustment to his positioning and a patience to stay in and around the penalty area for longer than he usually would beneficiary.
We all know that when Rooney becomes frustrated he has a natural predilection to drop deeper and deeper in an attempt to try and influence play further forward. The fact that he’s often required further forward to finish off these very same attacks in the first place seems to be an irony completely lost on Rooney.
However, the emergence of Javier Hernandez this season could provide Ferguson with an opportunity to experiment in dropping Rooney deeper to help initiate and dictate the play. Hernandez has been the signing of the season for me, fractionally ahead of Rafael Van Der Vaart at Spurs; he’s a natural born finisher and his movement off the ball is fantastic. He’s come more to the fore recently after braces against Marseille and Wigan and the clinical nature of his finishing and maturity of his all-round play suggest that he may well be up to the task of leading the line next season.
Dimitar Berbatov has had his best season in a Man Utd shirt with an impressive haul of 19 league goals to his name so far and with ample time left in the campaign to add more. Much like Rooney discovered last term, there is nothing more threatening than a striker in and around the six-yard box and it has the tendency to unnerve even the most seasoned of defenders. The sign of Berbatov picking the ball up in his own half last season in an attempt to get on the ball was a saddening sight to see as the Bulgarian was clearly struggling with his role within the side. That personal battle appears to be at an end now and Berbatov is once again playing with a swagger to match his technique as he often finds himself as the pivot around which most attacks are built – the role he was signed to perform.
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The budding partnership of Hernandez and Rooney in the Marseille game does provide Ferguson with food for thought, yet Hernandez equally excelled alongside Berbatov earlier on in the campaign at the height of Rooney’s struggles.
The Man Utd midfield appears to lack the necessary creativity and cutting edge that has become it’s staple in years gone by. Nani aside, there’s a whole lot of graft and very little craft coming from the likes of Carrick, Scholes and Fletcher. Anderson had a spurt of form which suggests that there may be something more to come from him, but the onus on creating play has fallen largely on Nani this season and Ferguson will be looking for someone to help share the burden in the future.
It’s clear that if Rooney isn’t moved backwards, then it’s pivotal that the club signs a player capable of creating chances from the middle of midfield. The likes of Gourcuff, Modric and Sneijder would all be prime candidates should the club have the necessary transfer budget in the summer to strengthen in the area, but if they don’t, they could do a lot worse than asking Rooney to perform the role.
The task of effectively replacing Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs has been and will remain one of Ferguson’s toughest ever tasks in football management. There’s a feeling that until he has done so successfully, Ferguson won’t retire from the Old Trafford hot seat.
Rooney, while nowhere near the same player as Scholes was in his pomp, does possess similar skills such as an excellent range of passing, which coupled with the vision he has to help to unlock a defence and the move begins to make a lot more sense. As long as there is someone further forward that is capable of getting on the end of these attacks, the shift has a good chance of success and remains a logical alternative for Ferguson – thankfully, the club now appear to have the very player that would make this move work in Javier Hernandez.
Man Utd’s most fearsome attack in recent years was the three-pronged strike force of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. Back then, the threat often came from out wide. The return of Antonio Valencia and Nani to fitness suggests Ferguson could once again implement a style of play suited to one man up top. This could allow either Hernandez or Berbatov to take the lone striker role, should Ferguson wish to revert to this and allow Rooney to start in a deeper lying role and offer the side an attacking threat from midfield, something which they’ve been unable to offer in recent seasons.
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Rooney’s adaptability and inherent tenacity could make this tactical shift a profitable one for both club and player and he certainly looks capable of playing in midfield. Rooney does appear to be finding some much-needed form once more playing up top, so Ferguson may refrain from any such shifts at present.
However, going into next season, with Hernandez a year older and a year wiser to the English game, pushing Rooney further back into a deeper lying creative role could suit the needs of the club and eventually, given the time to adjust fully, the player too. Rooney is not a natural finisher, but he is a naturally creative and his enigmatic and driving presence in midfield could revitalise his somewhat stalled career.
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed his interest in Joe Cole, but has not held recent talks with the free agent midfielder.
The England international is available on a free transfer following his release by Chelsea at the end of the last season.
The 28-year-old is believed to be interesting Arsenal, Tottenham, former club West Ham United and the Reds.
Bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the possibility of Cole moving to Anfield and Hodgson has admitted he is interested in signing the attacking midfielder.
"I'm not a betting man so that doesn't actually play a big part that betting is suspended," Hodgson told Sky Sports News.
"I don't even know enough about betting to know what that means.
"As far as I know, Joe Cole is still a player looking for a club.
"I know we've been connected with him – and it's good to know we're connected with players of that quality – but I don't have anything to report on the subject.
"I haven't had any discussions with him, but I had a brief chat a while back.
"If you want to know about transfer targets and how things are progressing, you'll have to ask (managing director) Christian Purslow because he's the man looking after those discussions not me."
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Meanwhile, the Reds have agreed to sell Argentinian defender Emiliano Insua to Italian side Fiorentina.
Hodgson added:"A deal has been struck with Fiorentina. We wish him well for the rest of his career and thank him for his time spent at Liverpool.
"I am expecting him to join Fiorentina next week."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email