The nature of being a football fan inclines us to disagree with each other about each and every thing in football. Whether we’re talking about managers, players, clubs, rules or pundits: everyone’s got a different view. So, with this in mind we’ve come up with a list of ten Premier League footballers that we either love to love, or love to hate. The sort of footballers that only a mother, or blindly worshipping fan, could love. And believe me there are plenty in our league. It’s not just a case of disliking your rival’s striker or thinking that so and so doesn’t deserve to be in the England team. No. Watching some players just inspires an innate sense of anger in fans. Whether it’s because of their appearance, their personality, their football, or you’re just an Aston villa fan that can’t stand to watch Balotelli’s bicycle kick again after you gave him stick, there will always be cause for debate.
After whittling down an initial shortlist of twenty, here is the top ten – click on Theo to see the list
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Uefa are set to look into Manchester City’s claims that the Estadio do Dragao faithful racially abused some of the visiting players when Porto hosted the Premier League leaders in the Europa League last week.
Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure both claimed to have been targeted by the Portuguese crowd, with chants and taunts aimed at the black players.
Uefa have released a statement admitting that due to the seriousness of the accusations further action will be taken.
“Following a complaint lodged by Manchester City FC, Uefa has today opened disciplinary proceedings against FC Porto for the improper conduct of supporters during their Uefa Europa League round of 32 first-leg match against Manchester City FC last week,” a statement on the organisation’s website reads.
“The UEFA control and disciplinary body will deal with the case on 29 March.”
Meanwhile, the Portuguese champions have defended their supporters, with coach Vitor Pereira claiming that the chants were wrongly interpreted.
“I did not hear any racist comment. So I cannot comment on what I did not hear, I have no idea,” Pereira stated in a press conference, recorded on Sky Sports.
“I hear very often, and Hulk is here so he can comment on that, our supporters many times say, ‘Hulk, Hulk, Hulk’, but they are referring to our forward of great quality, as a way of motivating him.
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“I was focused only on the match, to see what was happening inside the four lines, and I did not notice any comment that could force the club to make any apologies,” he commented.
For those of you who didn’t manage to see the England friendly last week against the Netherlands, you wouldn’t have only missed the Three Lions inabilities to hold onto a lead longer than five minutes, but you would have also been treated to the magic and flair of Arjen Robben who was instrumental in the 3-2 triumph. The sneaky winger and ex-Chelsea man has put top Premier League clubs on alert this weekend exclaiming that he will consider his options at the end of the current Bundesliga season.
His current employers; Bayern Munich have already made provisions for the next campaign with the pre-contract signature of FC Basel’s much coveted Swiss wide man Xherdan Shaqiri and this move could have direct implications for the long-term future of Robben, and whether he is indeed best suited elsewhere.
Robben told the English press this week
‘I don’t have an ideal situation in Germany. I am now considering my options I have and I will get’.
Any potential signature of Robben this summer would be a coup for any of the Premier League’s big six, and it may come for a fee cheaper than first imagined. London giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham could all prize the winger away from Bavaria for what has been reported to be as little as £10 million. The bargain of the summer perhaps?
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Of course, Robben has endured problems with injury in the past, and the midweek game with England only represented the 28-year-olds second game in Bert Van Maarwijk’s international fold since the 2010 World Cup. Nevertheless, according to most pundits, Robben remains in the small bracket of players categorised of ‘world class’ standing. One of the players who lets say had a lower pain threshold than most during his Blues career has sharpened his game after spells in Spain and now Germany.
His abilities to ghost past defenders and crusade up the pitch with fine balance and agility are still in evidence as he reminded English audiences just why he was such a hit when he first joined Chelsea back in 2004. Leaving several England defenders in his wake, his talents could have been put to good use in the underachieving and inconsistent ranks of his former employers or the Gunners this term.
Whilst Arsenal continue to be linked with fellow Bundes Liga star Lukas Podolski, Arsene Wenger’s head may be turned by an affordable £10 million deal by the Gunners standards and a possible link-up with national team partner Robin Van Persie. With one of the London clubs likely to miss out on Champions League football, this may prove the vital factor in Robben’s decision making surrounding a potential to move to either the North or West parishes of the capital.
However, the Dutchman may feel he has unfinished business to attend to at the Bridge after a reported ‘falling out’ with then coach Jose Mourinho who allowed the player to leave for the Bernabeu in 2007.
With Robben’s future still undecided, what continues to captivate watching spectators is that he is a constant menace on the flanks, with his jinking abilities, pace and precision in his movement representing factors which may prove all too appealing to potential Premier League suitors this summer.
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If Robben is to move, which Premier League club should he join this summer? Join the debate @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
Interim England manager Stuart Pearce has stated that the Three Lions squad for Euro 2012 will be selected at the end of the season around May 10th, whether a new head coach is in place or not.
England have been without a successor to Fabio Capello for a number of months, with the under-21 boss stepping up on a temporary basis.
The FA have stated that they will act on recruiting a new man towards the end of the campaign, with Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp the frontrunner for the role.
However, Pearce has stated that the next permanent boss may well not get to select the squad that travels to Ukraine and Poland.
“I’ve no idea whether I’ll be selecting it but whether it is me or the next man it will be around that sort of time because the season ends on the 13th and the players need to know,” he told reporters, published by The Guardian.
“That date has to be before the end of the Premier League season for all concerned,” he confessed.
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During the five minute walk from my car to the ground I was certain I was going to witness a cracking game of football. A game fuelled by pride and adrenaline in front of a good sized crowd. A game on a par with last week’s away game at Meadow Lane.
How wrong could I be….As I took my usual pew and tucked into a cold mess of a Burger (I don’t usually touch the catering stands, but I hadn’t eaten all day) the first thing I noticed was the mass of empty seats in the away end. Where were all the Latics fans? Was this the result of the trams being out of use or was it solely down to the poor form of Dickov’s men? Either way it was a meagre turnout for a side just 13 miles away.
Hopefully the game would be better than the attendance. After an impeccable minutes applause in celebration of the lives of those Shakers and Latics that have passed away this season, the referee got the game underway.
The Shakers started brightly when Forever Bury Player of the Season David Worrall beat his man inside the first minute and sent a superb cross into the path of waiting striker Shaun Harrad, who somehow managed to send the ball wide of Dean Bouzani’s right hand post. Worrall, who celebrated his Accolade with another excellent performance, turned Bradley Diallo inside out time and time again in a battle that emulated the game as a whole.
At times Bury passed the ball about like a team at the top of the Premier League. Neat flick ons found their man with stunning accuracy as Bury looked for the opener their play deserved, but chance after chance failed to find the target. Oldhams frustrating lack of possession saw them resorting to using their physicality to hinder The Shakers onslaught with both Diallo an M’voto tugging, pushing and pulling at every opportunity. Diallo was clearly struggling to cope with Worrall and made it his mission to maul the Bury man whenever possible, a tactic that the linesman failed to spot despite every one of the 5,111 in attendance witnessing it.
Giles Coke soon started to influence the game and had a fierce shot saved by Bouzanis just 4 minutes in. The Sheffield Wednesday loanee’s crisp passing and desire to run at defenders was causing more chaos in the Latics backline and giving the Gigg Lane faithful something to sing about.
The 35th minute saw the battle on the right boil over as Worrall once again beat his man near the corner flag, only to be brought down cynically by Diallo. The resulting scuffle saw both men given a stern talking to by Referee Andrew Madley and bizarrely Oldham awarded a goal kick. The Officials were having a shocker.
Maybe it was incompetence, maybe it was end of season apathy, either way the officials were consistently making bad decisions that were having a detrimental effect on the game. On another day both sides may have conceded penalties with Jean Yeves – M’voto felling Shaun Harrad before being man handled by Efe Sodje at the other end. The crowds vigorous appeals fell on deaf ears however as neither incident provoked Mr Madley to reach for his whistle.
Half-time was signaled with Bury failing to take the lead despite looking the better of the two sides.
The break saw Giles Coke replaced by Max Harrop due to an apparent reoccurrence of an old back injury. An awkward landing 3 minutes into the second half caused serious problems for Youssouf M’changama who received seven minutes of medical treatment on the pitch for a head injury. M’changama, who came around in the dressing room, was taken to hospital for a precautionary scan via a waiting ambulance.
With play resumed, the match became a stop-start affair due to Oldham winning a series of free-kicks around the edge of the Bury box. One of these set pieces nearly gave Oldham the lead when a Kirk Millar cross was headed over the bar from close range by centre back M’voto.
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That was the last chance of any note for either side as everything began to slow down. It was becoming increasingly clear the earlier injuries were on the minds of both sets of players. Richie Barker, who fielded a full strength team for this encounter, had one last trick up his sleeve but despite the introduction of Lateef Elford – Alliyu and Lennell John-Lewis, The Shakers couldn’t find that killer ball as a resilient Oldham held on for a draw.
My Opinion:
The injuries seemed to kill the game and it petered out into a typical end of season kick about. The one shining light in this increasingly dull encounter was that of David Worrall, whose energy and commitment will have caught the eye of any watching scouts
Ajax boss Frank de Boer has thanked Liverpool for their interest in him, but has decided to stay at his current club.
The Anfield giants are looking for a new manager after the sacking of Kenny Dalglish, and had identified the former Netherlands defender as a possible replacement.
However, the Eredivisie champions’ head coach is keen to continue at the Amsterdam Arena, and has rejected an opportunity to move to England.
“I am honoured by the request, but I am only just getting started with Ajax,” De Boer told De Telegraaf, translated to English by Sky Sports.
“In Amsterdam we are on a new path and, along with the club and Wim Jonk and Dennis Bergkamp, my colleagues in the technical heart, I want to bring good things.
“That’s why I will stay loyal to Ajax in the coming years.”
De Boer becomes the second person to turn the opportunity down, with Swansea’s Brendan Rodgers having knocked back the opportunity to talk to the Merseysiders last week.
The likes of Roberto Martinez and Andre Villas Boas are thought to be possible contenders for the role, and The Telegraph indicate that Fabio Capello has emerged as a candidate also.
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Borussia Dortmund have stated that Robert Lewandowski will not be moving to Manchester United this summer.
The Poland international scored the first goal of Euro 2012, and after an impressive 2011-12 season with the Bundesliga champions has been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
The speculation increased after comments from Poland boss Franciszek Smuda stating that the hitman was on his way to England, but the Signal Iduna Park club have rejected claims that their star could leave the club.
“It does not matter if we are to receive bids,” Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sportinformationsdienst, translated to English by The Daily Mail.
“I have said for weeks that Robert will be back in training with our club after Euro 2012 and his holiday leave. And this is what will happen.
“I am sick of these speculations. I really don’t care what the rumours are in the media of Poland. I have a detailed knowledge of media in Poland and therefore I know how I have to classify those reports.
“I go way back with Smuda for years. We have a good relationship. I do not think he has said things like that,” he concluded.
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Yesterday started off with Derby County chairman Tom Glick stating that he was confident that Derby could agree a deal with Northampton for talented midfielder Michael Jacobs without going to tribunal.
By mid-afternoon this proven to be the case as Derby County and Northampton Town agreed a fee for young Jacobs. He is now expected to sign on Tuesday after spending Monday having a medical and discussing personal terms with regards to a move to Pride Park.
The fee of course will remain undisclosed as it is so often nowadays in football but the local press believe it will not eclipse the £525,000 Blackburn Rovers paid for Mark Bunn a couple of seasons ago.
I for one am glad this saga is going to be ended this week as Aidy Boothroyd can now get on with planning for next season. I think he will be given a moderate amount of the final fee for Jacobs to strengthen the team, but I do not expect him to get it all as a lot was spent last season by ex manager Gary Johnson. We also had the expense of sacking him so David Cardoza will definitely be shrewd with the cash coming into the club.
I am pleased Michael is going to join Derby County as they have a great reputation for bringing on young talent and with Nigel Clough as their manager I am sure he has a lot to offer young Michael experience wise. I also see him starting more games for Derby rather than being left to rot in reserve team football. On behalf of all Cobblers fans I would like to wish Michael all the best on his move to Derby and we look forward to seeing him play against us in a pre-season friendly at Sixfields in July when we can give him a proper send off.
The club also announced this week that the team will be spending a week in Croatia as part of their pre season training schedule which will do the players good to get away on neutral turf to build up their fitness for the new season.
Aidy Boothroyd has also said this week that we may not sign Clarke Carlisle for next season, he has been made a good offer by the club by all accounts but he is also taking into account that Clarke lives in Halifax and has young family and may not see uprooting his family to start a new life in Northampton as ideal. I personally hope he does sign for us but if he doesn’t I would just like to thank him for last season in playing an important role in our fight for football league survival and I am sure many fans would go along with me on that point.
You can tell the season is getting closer as in the last week the club has unveiled its new kit for next season the home kit as usual is a claret shirt which as always looks good. As for the away shirt its bright green, something like a goalkeeper shirt, with the sleeves cut. I believe I am in the minority when I say I really like the strip and I think it is going to dazzle a few opposition defenders this coming season. I can also see no excuses being given for not being able to pick each other out away from home so hopefully no more mis-placed passes.
Now the wait begins, the Euro’s are now over with England being knocked out on penalties, so the excitement now turns to the new season and new players we are going to see wear our famous claret shirt hopefully with pride and 100% commitment so lets hope the next month and a bit doesn’t drag too long!
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As Brendan Rodgers embarks on his first full season on Merseyside, expectation surrounding his new club has never been lower. For a side with such a proud history, playing catch up with the League’s big boys was not something fans would’ve envisaged when Steven Gerrard was lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy 8 years ago. Unfortunately times have changed and as it stands, despite the fervour of a brand new campaign getting under way, merely qualifying for Europe again would be an achievement for Liverpool this season.
Not only have their realistic ambitions become less far reaching but the club have placed their faith in an inexperienced manager despite finding themselves a fair way behind the title challengers. The project being undertaken by Rodgers is by no means impossible as Liverpool possess enough talented individuals to become a force again but given the standard of player being targeted this summer, it would appear Liverpool have become less appealing for prospective new signings.
In his short reign in charge, Rodgers has bought Fabio Borini from AS Roma and missed out on Glyfi Sigurdsson who instead chose to join Tottenham Hotspur. Both are former players he’s familiar with but neither offers the sort of global standing to excite the Anfield terraces and Sigurdsson was a player who knew Rodgers well yet was still persuaded his future lay elsewhere. While it may be money that attracted the Icelandic midfielder to North London, Spurs have started competing for a Top 4 spot and this is a pressing concern for Rodgers as many of his targets will need to be convinced of the club’s future before they commit to a side that may not be playing football at the highest level. While UEFA’s Europa League has become more of a hindrance to competing sides thanks to its Thursday night billing, it’s still a yardstick when measuring a side’s progress a season without European football was proof of Liverpool’s declining fortunes. Again, it’s not the end of the world considering the gap between themselves and the top 4 is not immeasurable and they will be on travels again this year thanks to their Carling Cup success but such is the cutthroat nature of the football world that players will be less inclined to sell their soles when offered greater prosperity elsewhere.
It could be the start of a vicious cycle for the club. It doesn’t bode well that they’re current position means the standard of player being targeted is fairly low key but equally how can they attract better stars if they have less to offer in comparison with their rivals?
The days of Europe’s finest joining the Reds appear to be over and more worryingly for the Anfield faithful is the prospect of the next Fernando Torres or Luis Suarez failing to be impressed by a side that struggles to finish in the top 6, however trophy laden their history may be. It will leave Rodgers having to punch above his weight in order to get the club back on the European map using weaker players who must also exceed expectation. It’s an added pressure the Northern Irishman must contend with but how can he hope to bring the glory days back to Merseyside if his main targets are the likes of Joe Allen or essentially just former Swansea City players?
Naturally they will target other clubs for new recruits, most recently they’ve been linked with Fulham’s Clint Dempsey and this is where Fenway Sports Group come in for should they see fit to back Rodgers with funds then his job will become far easier. After all it’s not as if Liverpool have completely lost their mojo and some inspired dealings in the transfer market could see them close the gap on the top sides. Spurs have shown its possible to bring in quality players for a relative pittance and it’s important Liverpool bring in talented players to compliment their already strong squad. Fans have seen players like Sigurdsson overlook personal connections to prioritise financial and professional aspirations so clearly the Anfield project must become more attractive and an influx of exciting names would aid this progression.
It will not be easy since the money needed comes from success and the success comes from investing money but thankfully for Rodgers, there is more to football than money simply buying success. His own work as a motivator and tactician is equally important and it will ultimately come down to whether he can mould his new troops into a competitive side. While few fans are expecting miracles from their fledgling manager, they know the coming campaign will have a big effect on their future ambitions. Succeed and Liverpool can regain their place among the elite once more, struggle for another season and sadly they could find themselves cut adrift from League’s top sides.
Do you think Liverpool can still attract Europe’s top names? Will Brendan Rodgers have to be a bit more creative with his transfer dealings this summer?
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Victor Moses would be well advised to have a quick glance over at Sergio Canales’ Real Madrid situation. Better yet, take a look at Romelu Lukaku wasting away on the bench at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have done much to re-announce themselves as big players in the transfer market, but their interest in Victor Moses is pointless.
Moses has done well to make a decent name for himself in English football. A string of good performances last season for Wigan has given big clubs a certain level of assurance that this kid can play in the top-flight. Links to Arsenal and Liverpool is no bad thing for either the player or his current club, but is he interested in further developing his career, or is it just about being on the fringes of a big and ambitious project?
What do Chelsea really see in Moses? It’s difficult to argue the case that they won’t give him the time of day because of his age, as their latest recruits are all of similar experience. But rather, where’s the sense in wasting money and time on a player whose time at Chelsea is likely to amount to nothing much at all.
Victor Moses is a strong, ambitious player, but is he really good enough to stand alongside Eden Hazard and Oscar? Where would the game-time come from? Depth is important, but as a young player who needs regular game-time, is a move to a well-stocked Chelsea team really best?
He’s Premier League-ready and he’s young. There’s plenty of years to work with a prospect who is capable of growing into a very good player. However, it seems Chelsea are looking to part with a reported £10 million just for the sake of it. Showing other clubs that you mean business is important, but Chelsea have done that and they’ve done better than Wigan’s attacking midfielder.
It also raises a question as to why he ended up at Wigan when he moved on from Crystal Palace. If he was that good and worth investing in now, then an earlier move in 2010 would have made much more financial sense for a bigger club.
Sergio Canales made a similar step up from Racing to Real Madrid. Hindsight is important, but even at the time everyone knew that the move was wrong. Canales subsequently wasted a year of his development and has since been loaned and now sold to Valencia.
Los Che are a good fit for the Spaniard, and he’ll get the regular games he needs. But what was the point in the investment from Madrid?
Moses is not competing with a host of young English talent for a national team spot because he’s now committed to Nigeria. But Moses and Chelsea just do not make sense.
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Chelsea are concerned due to their pre-season loses, although I don’t put much stock in a pre-season result. They want to continue to bolster their squad and force their way to the top of the Premier League table. But the smart move would be to strengthen other areas of the pitch, specifically full-back.
The best thing Chelsea could do is give Dave Whelan a call and tell him they made a mistake with their initial interest.