Everton defender Leighton Baines has admitted that he was shocked and disappointed to be left out of England's World Cup squad.

The 25-year-old former Wigan Athletic left-back was in Fabio Capello's initial 30-man squad before being one of the seven players omitted from the group that eventually travelled to South Africa.

Capello opted to take Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock rather than Baines who played poorly in the warm-up match against Mexico and was then quoted as saying he was worried about being homesick if selected for the tournament.

However, Baines told the Liverpool Daily Echo:"I must admit it was a massive disappointment and something of a surprise even though, like most of the lads in the squad, I knew full well that I wasn't guaranteed a place.

"I was feeling low because I knew I hadn't played my best against Mexico and I spoke to a reporter I know about how the game had gone.

"At the end of the conversation I was asked if I was missing the family while we were away, and I said I was but that it's all part and parcel of being a footballer. I'm not embarrassed to admit that being away from the family is difficult at times but I'm not the only player who feels that.

"It's natural when you've got a young family and you're away from home for long spells so I was shocked when I read some of the reports that later surfaced.

"I'd never mentioned the word 'homesick' once. I felt that my comments had been misconstrued and I came across as a bit of a moaner, which is not like me at all.

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"I was as desperate to make the plane as every other member of the squad and my family was 100 per cent behind me, so I was bitterly disappointed when Mr Capello told me that I wouldn't be going.

"It was a football reason though and had nothing to do with anything written in the newspapers. I respected his decision and wished him and the lads all the best for the tournament."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Blackpool's home game against Wigan Athletic on the opening day of the new Premier League season has been switched to the DW Stadium.

The August 14 curtain-raiser has been moved to Wigan by the Premier League while the newly-promoted Seasiders continue upgrading their Bloomfield Road stadium.

Blackpool secured their place in the top-flight after a Championship play-off final victory over Cardiff City back in May.

They immediately started work on improving the East Stand at their ground and league officials anticipate no further schedule changes.

"The board felt it was important to take this decision as early as possible if there was any potential for Blackpool FC's stadium not being ready for the first match of the season," read a Premier League statement.

"This is the only Blackpool fixture that will be affected.

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"This decision will give both clubs and fans maximum time to plan accordingly."

Blackpool are hoping to increase the capacity of Bloomfield Road to 17,600, with the original schedule featuring a second home match against Fulham on August 28.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Wigan Athletic have dismissed reports linking assistant manager Graeme Jones with the vacancy at Championship side Swansea City.

Jones was part of current Latics boss Roberto Martinez's backroom staff at the Welsh club prior to taking the reins at the DW Stadium 12 months ago.

However, he will not be returning to the Liberty Stadium despite reports in Wales claiming he is in line to replace Paulo Sousa in the hot-seat.

Sousa stepped down last week to take over at Leicester City.

"Wigan Athletic would like to confirm that Graeme Jones is looking forward to the new season at the club and remains deeply committed to carrying on his work at the club alongside manager Roberto Martinez and the rest of the coaching staff," read a club statement.

"Media speculation over the weekend would suggest that Jones is a frontrunner for the vacant manager's position at his former club Swansea City, but the club can confirm that Jones is fully concentrated on taking the team through pre-season and into Latics' new Barclays Premier League campaign.

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"Jones is travelling with the team for this week's training camp in Sweden."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Was last year just an anomaly, or was it the end of the cycle? No English teams contested the Champions League final. No English team even reached the semi-finals. After five years of having at least one team in the final, there was no reason to believe that the trend wouldn’t continue. Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso may have left for Real Madrid from Manchetser United and Liverpool respectively, but English teams still looked to have enough quality to compete with the best on the continent.

This time last season few would have predicted that Bayern Munich and Inter would have made it all the way to final. While both good teams, Barcelona’s master class the year before, Real Madrid’s spending as well as the incentive of a Bernabeu final, and Premier League teams’ consistent performances all contributed to the consensus that it would be an Anglo-Spanish contest all over again. You have to go back three years for the last Italian team to make the final – AC Milan’s win over Liverpool – while Bayer Leverkusen were the last German representative in 2002. Both Bayern and Inter will be taken a lot more seriously this season after impressively putting both Spanish and English clubs to the sword in last year’s competition.

In response, both Barcelona and Real Madrid have reacted quickly. Barca have added the lethal finishing of David Villa to an already frightening starting eleven, and Real have done what they do best – land the biggest names in the game, with Jose Mourinho aiming to win the Champions League with a third club. The perennial problem for Real Madrid has been trying to manage the egos, and accommodating such an array of players into a coherent team, and if anyone is capable of solving such a headache, it is Mourinho.

English teams, have not made the high-profile changes to match their Spanish rivals. It is difficult to imagine Tottenham going all the way in the competition, simply being there is an achievement in itself, and based on the seeding they will receive, progression from the group must be the first aim. For Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, winning is a realistic ambition. The fact that Arsene Wenger has managed to persuade Cesc Fabregas that at least another year at the Emirates, rather than a return home, is the best option for him is a massive coup over the Catalan club; as good as the Premier League is, losing another of its main attractions to La Liga would have been a big blow.

It is difficult to predict how the English teams will fare. Arsenal have arguabley a better chance in Europe than the league, based on their squad and the style of football they play. Man Utd and Chelsea both crave success in Europe, with Roman Abramovich still waiting for his main target, but with both placing so much emphasis on the league, will it come at the expense on European shortcomings?

Teams such as Bayern and Inter are tougher prospects than previous seasons; Bayern have the vastly experienced Louis Van Gaal still at the helm and although Inter no longer have Mourinho, they have replaced him with a man who has reached two CL final in the last five years in Rafa Benitez. Under Mourinho, Real will be much, much tougher to overcome; fact. Barcelona still play the best football on the planet. English teams will still compete, but it may be a few years until they produce the sheer number of semi-finalists (three consecutive seasons with 3/4 of the semi-finalists from 2007 to 2009), and finalists that they have done since 2005. That pattern of domination will happen again; it existed in the 60s and 70s and will exist again. The English teams are capable, but they will have to be at their very best to prove last season was simply an exception.

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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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A quiet week at Old Trafford with the only news of note is David Gill revealing that the club are satisfied with their season ticket sales this summer, despite the club failing to sell their allocation. His words have brought a mixed response among the United forums, with many wondering who the hell David Gill is trying to kid.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Man United blogs which has included…Fergie lays down his transfer cards; protest song for Fergie and Hargreaves puts current England stars to shame.

Plus we have taken a look at the best Man United stories on the Web this week

Could a similar scheme to Arsenal’s help bridge the gap at Old Trafford?

The Transfer Window Poser

Woodgate and Hargreaves put current England players to shame

Top 10 Premier League ‘new boys’ to look out for

Has Fergie actually played the right transfer cards?

Fantasy is ruining how I watch the Premier League. Am I alone?

The transfer dealings at Old Trafford

Protest Song For Fergie

FIVE things we learnt from Manchester United this weekend

The Premier League’s ‘Most Hated’ XI of all time?

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Best of Web

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So who was lying Mr. Gill? – United Rant

The incredible rise of a lost street kid who is now… Manchester United’s new Bebe – Daily Mail

David May Exclusive Interview – Stretford End

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Magnus Eikrem: The next Norwegian hero at Old Trafford? – The Busby Way

Cantona…the ultimate Manchester United cult hero – Truly Reds

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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery

New Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier took charge of his first game as Villa boss in a 3-1 victory against Bolton in the Carling Cup last night. Despite his good start, Houllier has not yet formalised a contract with the club but Houllier has moved to reassure fans that he is fully focused on the job at hand.

Houllier was named as Martin O’Neill’s permanent successor two weeks ago but has been negotiating a release from his contract as the French Football Federation’s technical director. However, Houllier has yet to come to an agreement with his previous employers and has not signed a contract with Aston Villa.

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Houllier wishes to rid Aston Villa of its image as a ‘nice’ club and is keen to instil a ruthless streak in his players in order to ensure that success is brought to the club.

Manchester United’s forward line of the 1999 treble winning season has gone down in club folklore. Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke formed one of the most potent strike lines in the history of the Premier League, and with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham backing the pair up, they formed what is generally regarded as the club’s best set of forwards in the last twenty years. Since then United have had a series of top class forwards, but recently Sir Alex Ferguson stated that his current crop may just be the best since 1999, he stated,

“In terms of numbers, it’s the best strike force since 1999. I’m sure they will all get their chance.”

Whilst Ferguson evidently believes the numbers are there, the wider question and perhaps the more important one is whether the quality of his strikers is the best since 1999?

Manchester United’s current stable of forwards certainly has depth on its side. Wayne Rooney is the club’s best striker, and he is a world-class talent despite the difficulties he is currently experiencing. Next in the pecking order is Dimitar Berbatov; the Bulgarian is an incredibly gifted player but opinion at Old Trafford has been divided on him, so far this season though, Berbatov has shown some great form and you get the impression he is finally getting it and will have a good season for United.

Javier Hernandez looked like a hot prospect in the World Cup, though he is young and unproven in the Premiership and we await to see how he will perform this season. Bebe similarly is unproven, and judgement has to be withheld on him. Federico Macheda made a huge impact on his debut in April 2009, scoring a sensational injury time winner against Aston Villa, but since then his first team chances have been limited and like Hernandez and Bebe, it remains to be seen whether he can be a consistent performer in the Premier League.

Finally there is Michael Owen, a natural born goal scorer, but he has been plagued by injuries and is not getting any younger, and the jury is still out on his effectiveness for Man Utd. It leaves United with two top quality established strikers, and four more who will need to prove themselves, while there is numbers, the quality of the forward line is in my view not the best since 1999.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was an unstoppable striker for Manchester United in the early to mid 2000’s, but he was not really part of a great selection of forwards as would be seen in later years. United’s best attack since 1999 in my view, was the triumvirate of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Dimitar Berbatov also present in this line-up in the 2008/09 season. The trio of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo was arguably the most formidable set of forwards in Europe at the time, with their crowning glory coming in the 2007/08 season when the club won the Premier League and the Champions League, Louis Saha also acted as a back-up in this season.

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Manchester United’s current attack is undoubtedly quality, but while Ferguson believes it is the best in terms of numbers, in terms of quality, the seasons between 2007 and 2009 saw in my opinion what constitutes Man Utd’s best attack since 1999 and beyond Rooney and Berbatov, we will have to wait and see how the club’s other strikers perform this season.

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Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his irritation at suggestions that Owen Hargreaves is finally injury-free and pushing for a Manchester United recall.

Ferguson has reacted to claims from Colorado-based surgeon Dr Richard Steadman that the England midfielder is ready to make his comeback after making just four appearances during the last two seasons.

Tendinitis problems led to surgery on both of the midfielder's knees as he fought to save his career.

However, Ferguson has explained to both Dr Steadman and United fans why Hargreaves has yet to make his comeback appearance.

"Owen is not ready. He is injured," he told Key103."He has missed training for the last few days.

"We are having difficulty with the doctor in Colorado coming out with statements that are not accurate.

"It is not fair to the player for him to say Owen is going to be playing tomorrow (against West Brom).

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"It is ridiculous. I pick the team and I have been doing it for quite a while.

"We have this small interference, which is causing some confusion. He is out with a calf injury."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Unlucky Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs is set for another spell on the sidelines after picking up a medial knee ligament injury in the early stages of Wednesday's Carling Cup victory at Newcastle United.

The left-back had to be substituted after only 18 minutes of the 4-0 win at St James' Park.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger confirmed:"We lost Kieran Gibbs last night. That is the bad news. It is a medial knee ligament strain. It needs to be checked on the scan tomorrow but it will be a few weeks.

"We have nobody else back from Manchester City. (Robin) van Persie and (Thomas) Vermaelen are still out. (Aaron) Ramsey and (Manuel) Almunia are not ready. So it should be a similar squad to the one that played at Man City.

"But van Persie and Ramsey are very close to coming back to full training now. They should be back in the group at the end of next week.

"Of course we should not set the same (recovery) time to Ramsey as Van Persie. Aaron will need a longer period to be completely match-fit for the first team. But van Persie is not far away now.

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"Manuel Almunia is maybe one to two weeks away. With Vermaelen, it is difficult to set a fixed time because his Achilles improves slowly."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Mark Schwarzer’s performance against Newcastle on Saturday was a show of goalkeeping skill. Schwarzer has been a model professional for Fulham this season, even though his heart clearly is with joining Arsenal. It would have been easy for the Australian to sulk and let his form drop, but he knows he must maintain his standards if he is going to get the move he desires. Mark Schwarzer has proven he is good enough, Fulham will sell, it is now up to Arsene Wenger to pull out the stops in January and sign the goalkeeper.

Mark Schwarzer wants to join Arsenal. It is no disrespect to Fulham, but at this stage of his carrer, the goalkeeper feels he needs one shot at one of the top English clubs. Talking to Sky Sports in early October, Schwarzer insists he is still keen on moving to the Emirates.

”It was probably one of my hardest periods ever,” Schwarzer said. “This is the only time in my career I have ever tried to force an issue.”

”I don’t have time on my side. If you were a 30-year-old you would walk away and say ‘fair enough, I understand’. “But I’m almost 38 and I want to fulfil an ambition. The sheer opportunity that was there ..”

”That was very flattering, but sometimes you’ve just got to grin and bear it and just get on with normal life again as much as possible.”

”You just have to get your head down and work as hard as possible.”

You have to admire the goalkeeper’s attitude. His attitude must impress Arsene Wenger. His goalkeepers this season at times have shown why Wenger has placed so much faith in them. Manuel Almunia’s performance against Blackburn was brilliant whilst Lukasz Fabianksi was terrific against Manchester City. They have shown glimpses that they can be the goalkeeper Arsenal need but too many times that have let Arsenal, Wenger and themselves down. If Arsenal are to captatlise on the mistakes of Chelsea and Manchester United this season, they need to bring in a top class goalakeeper. Mark Schwarzer fits the bill perfectly. He is a terrific shot stopper, a big game player as well as a fine communicator. He has everything needed to succeed at Arsenal for the limited time he would be there for.

The question that still lingers is, do Arsenal need a new goalkeeper. What they they need is someone of Schwarzer’s experience and class. Not only on the playing field, but since the departure of Jens Lehmann, Arsenal haven’t had a top goalkeeper to pass on knowledge the youngsters. Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczęsny ( I do not envy Arsenal’s stadium announcer) would benefit so much from him on the training ground. Arsenal may not get substantial years out of the Australian stopper but his influence on the young goalkeepers at the club could be priceless.

Its time for Wenger to buy a stop gap, that is all Schwarzer would be. That is no disrespect to the goalkeeper, just his age will control this. The reported figure Wenger offered Fulham seems a fair one, but Wenger may have to pay a little over what he would want to if he is to get his man. His age does raise a few question marks, but the impact that Schwarzer could have on Arsenal, again could be priceless. His experience will be key, something Arsenal will need if they are to challenge in the later part of the season.

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