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.
As a Southampton fan, it’s been quite a pleasing season as far as the Championship goes, but even the Premier League has managed to suitably satisfy my footballing palate: Nathan Dyer has been terrifying opposition defences with his speed and agile dribbling style at Swansea, Andrew Surman is finally getting a decent run of games in the Norwich line-up popping up with the odd goal and assist, Leon Best is proving a good foil for a more than capable Demba Ba and then there are the players involved in a battle for the Champions League spots, and all have come through the ranks at Southampton: Gareth Bale , Theo Walcott and our latest export, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain .
However, one thing I’ve had to grow to live with, is the constant, and seemingly in unison, sigh of “oh dear” that follows Theo Walcott’s performances around like his shadow: and it comes from opposition and Arsenal fans alike. The winger, who had been described as “having been hyped” more than the kid-prodigy that was Freddy Adu, burst on to the scene at Southampton aged 16, putting in performances worthy of the initial £12m fee that was needed to prize him away from The Saints.
Yet, since his premature World Cup 2006 inclusion and his following 200 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 35 along the way and a hat-trick for England, it seems that Arsenal fans still aren’t collectively convinced by Theo Walcott’s credentials as a top class player and with his contract coming to an end and apparent stalling over wage demands for a new contract, some seem happy for Walcott to either, take what Arsenal offer, or be on his way.
His performance Monday evening against Fulham at Craven Cottage, has seemingly failed to do him any favours too: the football expert that is Piers Morgan, (yes Piers Morgan, who would have thought that?) tweeted, “Oh Walcott, learn to bloody cross a ball. For Christ’s sake,” before following that most critical of analysis’s up with, ”Oh THEO. Get a grip.” It became apparent that thw talent scout, normally sat behind a desk with an “X”, wasn’t alone as Arsenal fans and pundits across the globe simultaneously pressed their red buzzer: “Arguably Theo Walcott’s most ineffectual game. And he has a long list of ineffectual games,” from thisisfutbol editor Harry Cloke; “”Walcott’s lack of composure is alarming. Both crossing and shooting. Surely he’s better than this.” Not sure that he is,” from the Daily Mail’s Neil Ashton and “Theo Walcott pays tribute to rap greats De La Soul with that shot: Three feet high and rising” comically, from The Mirror.
Whilst contract negotiations remain ongoing, with one fan sarcastically summing up what he thinks of Walcott’s demands, “Walcott makes his biggest contribution of the day by being subbed off. Definitely a performance worth £85k today, Theo,” the continual disappointment displayed by fans at performances, may well fail to aid the situation considering that, according to crunchsports.com/, Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona have been alerted to Walcott’s expiring contract and the difficulties surrounding agreement on a new contract at The Emirates.
Monday’s performance has clearly not helped Theo Walcott’s case in justifying his wage demands, according to most of the viewing public, and I have been left in the minority still defending Theo Walcott. In the first half at The Cottage, Walcott put three delightful balls into the Fulham penalty box and it was only Gervinho ’s poor shot, Ramsey ’s saved shot and a trailing Fulham body part, that prevented the England winger from having a few assists to his name.
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Had one of Walcott’s first half crosses been converted, his anonymity in the second half may have been forgiven: as it was, Arsenal had a man dismissed and Fulham made them pay for failing to capitalise on the first half domination Arsenal enjoyed in terms of shots. Alan Hansen described Wenger’s decision to take Walcott off as one that allowed “Arsenal [to] get pegged back further and further,” by Fulham, with an absence of his, “pace in abundance,” that added ”another dimension,” to Arsenal’s performance.
Arsenal have a two week break from the Premier League now and it may well be much needed, if not just for the rest that Robin Van Persie will get after what has been a relentless 2011. With his support, Walcott included, not in goal-scoring form, the two weeks will provide a time in which Arsenal forwards can find their feet once more, this time under the tutelage of an Arsenal great, Thierry Henry. During January, Arsenal lose Gervinho to international duty for the African Cup of Nations and relying on Thierry Henry to replicate the form of his last seasons in the Premier League, is not what you want to place your top four hopes on: Arsenal fans need to get behind their boo-boy Theo Walcott this January.
Walcott can be relied on and a confidence in him from the fans will transpire into a confidence in his performance and that is when Walcott is at his best . Over the past 18 months, Theo has a record that can rival fellow Southampton Academy product Gareth Bale : in 46 starts, Walcott has score 15 goals and has laid on 16 assists, whilst the Welsh wing wizard has hit 18 goals and provided 10 assists in 8 more starts.
Head to head, Walcott has a goals to game ratio of one in every 3 starts, which is matched by Bale and when it comes to assists, Walcott’s return of one every 2.88 starts betters Bale’s average of one every 5.4 starts. Tottenham fans will argue that Bale’s overall game is better and his contribution far exceeds Walcott’s game of pace and directness, however, when on form, Walcott’s attacking contribution is exceptional and just as valued by Arsenal as Bale’s contribution in defence is, by a heavily and free-flowing attacking Tottenham team.
This January, with it becoming clear that Arsenal find it hard to churn out results if Van Persie isn’t scoring, a rarity nonetheless, it is more important than ever to get behind Theo Walcott, especially in the absence of Gervinho and the presence, and thus pressure, of playing alongside Thierry Henry. Arsenal fans have something that most other clubs would snap up in an instant: a 22-year old with 132 PL games under his belt already, an international regular for England and a player that Messi labelled as “one of the most dangerous players” he has faced; now it is time for them to put some confidence back into a player lacking in it, if they want to see his better days once more.
Written by Jordan Florit for This is Futbol
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There’s a certain degree of tragedy that surrounds Owen Hargreaves, a footballer who never got an opportunity to fulfil his full potential and at this point, as much as it hurts to admit it, probably never will. Has it reached a stage where despite the good feeling that surround Hargreaves, Manchester United fans have lost all hope of him ever making a full recovery from his injury problems – or was that stage reached about 12 injuries ago?
When discussing Hargreaves, people usually fall into one of two camps – the cold, indifferent camp, whereby all patience has been lost and all hope expunged or the hopelessly optimistic camp, wherein there’s still a belief that Hargreaves will somehow come good.
I’ve been hopelessly optimistic regarding Hargreaves for quite some time, but enough is enough. There’s only so much disappointment a fan can take. Following the news that Hargreaves is out for the remainder of the season, perhaps it’s time we gave up all hope that the 30-year-old midfielder will ever make a full recovery.
If I were a Manchester United fan, I’d be curious to know what Hargreaves picks up in terms of a weekly salary. The man has made 36 starts for United in four years. I’ve heard speculative reports suggest that he’s on £70,000 a week. That works out at over £14.5m over his four years at the club – meaning that Hargreaves has earned about £404k for every game he’s figured in. He’s an expensive man and that’s before you even figure in the £17m that Manchester United splurged on his transfer fee.
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When his contract ends in July it will have been almost three years since Hargreaves contributed anything meaningful to the club. Manchester United sure offer great sick pay. Given the financial difficulties that surround the club, these numbers must be troubling for United fans.
If Owen Hargreaves is to be offered a new contract in the summer, it’s absolutely imperative that it’s done on a pay-as-you-play basis. United simply can’t afford to be handing out money left, right and centre. Even with a pay-as-you-play deal there’s still a base minimum wage provided, as such Sir Alex Ferguson has a tough decision to make regarding whether it’s worth handing Hargreaves a new-deal.
After three seasons of disappointment, Hargreaves has shown no signs that recovery is imminent. Furthermore, we have no idea how good a footballer he will be if he ever makes his return. Even if he recovers, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be even half the footballer he used to be.
Though you can’t help but feel a little sorry for Owen Hargreaves, Manchester United have earned the right to be selfish in this situation. I think the time has finally come for United to sever the link and rid themselves of a player who has sadly drained cash from the club without any meaningful contribution.
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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
Arsenal are set to start talks with Theo Walcott, as the winger’s current contract expires in the summer of 2013.
The Gunners faced a difficult situation last summer, as Samir Nasri entered into the last year of deal at the Emirates Stadium and refused to put pen to paper on an extension.
This forced the North London club to sell the France international to Manchester City, instead of potentially losing him for free 12 months later.
Robin van Persie and Walcott are both out-of-contract the summer after next, and The Telegraph have stated that Arsene Wenger has scheduled initial talks with the attacker to try to extend his deal with the club.
The newspaper indicates that Walcott looks at the potential extension in a positive fashion, and was full of praise for the side’s current form and team spirit.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is fantastic — the best it’s probably been for a long time,” Walcott stated.
“We are a bit more of a team, we work harder when we haven’t got the ball.”
Van Persie has also seemed reluctant to sign a new deal at the Emirates, with the team’s fate this season potentially having a key factor in whether the club’s star players stay or go.
By Gareth McKnight
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Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is not yet thinking about the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after his team beat Tottenham on Wednesday.A second-half howler from Tottenham goal-keeper Heurelho Gomes gifted Cristiano Ronaldo the only goal of the game at White Hart Lane, Real winning 1-0 to take a 5-0 aggregate victory in the tie.
It sets up a semi-final El Clasico between Real and arch-rivals Barcelona.
But Mourinho said there were more pressing challenges for his side, who will face Pep Guardiola’s team in the La Liga on Saturday and in the final of the Copa del Rey on April 20 before the Champions League first-leg a week later.
“Let’s see what happens. We have ambition to beat Barcelona,” Mourinho told ITV Sport.
“The semi is a semi (and) anything can happen. We have two matches against them before the semi-final and there is no time to think.”
Mourinho insists his decision to play his strongest team was the right one, despite defender Ricardo Carvalho picking up a booking and consequently being suspended for the first leg of the semi-final.
“I think I was right when I decided to play with a good team because even playing with this team in a serious way Tottenham had a couple of chances,” Mourinho said.
“Of course 4-0 is a very good difference but if they had scored in the first half, with this incredible crowd, and this team, it could have been difficult but when Cristiano (Ronaldo) scored it was all over.”
Despite the loss, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes his club can still be proud of a campaign that saw the club reach the quarter-finals of a competition they had never played in before.
“It was a fantastic experience for everybody and we’ve enjoyed every minute of the adventure,” Redknapp said.
“What we have do in the next few years is make sure that Tottenham build a team that can challenge every year and get in the Champions League.”
“There is no good doing it once and not doing it again. You have to keep improving.”
“You need to tweak your squad to keep doing it. That’s what we want, like Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United do every year. There is no reason why Tottenham can’t do that.”
Redknapp will now turn his attention to the Premier League, where he hopes Tottenham can finish third and gain automatic entry into next season’s Champions League group stage.
“It’s going to be tough,” Redknapp said. “We have to try and finish above Man City and Chelsea.”
“That’s what we are aiming at and it won’t be easy. We will give it everything we’ve got. We will play some great football, as we always do, and let’s see where it takes us.”
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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Bolton are ready to appeal Gary Cahill’s red card from their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, as the struggling side look to minimise the suspension the defender will have to face.
The England international was shown a straight red card by referee Stuart Attwell in the game at White Hart Lane, as he was adjudged to have fouled Scott Parker whilst being the last man.
Although Spurs were 1-0 up at the time, the dismissal effectively ended the game as a contest, and both managers agreed that Cahill’s punishment was harsh after the game.
With Bolton in relegation trouble and in dire need of points, Owen Coyle has admitted that they intend to challenge Attwell’s decision.
“I will be appealing the decision as soon as I can. It was baffling, bemusing,” the Scottish coach confirmed to Sky Sports.
Cahill is out of contract at the end of the season, and the side from the Reebok Arena are expecting January bids for the centre half, with Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea all interested.
Bolton meanwhile face Aston Villa this weekend, and find themselves in 19th place equal on points with bottom club Wigan.
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If reports are to be believed and admittedly that’s a massive ‘if’ then Sir Alex Ferguson will be handed a transfer war chest large enough to buy Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor, James Milner and Mario Balotelli.
However, while you’d arguably be better off torching £100 million than spending it on that quartet of overrated donkeys, there are a lot of players out there who could improve United’s squad.
Ashley Young, Jack Rodwell, Jordan Henderson and Luka Modric have all been touted as possible United targets and if Sir Alex were to decide to buy all four he’d probably end up forking out the same amount that City ‘invested’ in their glorious aforementioned foursome.
I’ve argued in previous articles that I, unlike many of my friends and fellow Reds, do not feel United need to spend any money in the Summer on new players- well certainly not to the degree that’s been suggested. For Ashley Young, see Ravel Morrison, for Jack Rodwell see Paul Pogba, for Jordan Henderson see Darron Gibson for Luka Modric see Tom Cleverley.
I genuinely believe United already have the players on our books to challenge for honours next season- and yes I did say Darron Gibson earlier, amazing at it may sound that someone who’s watched Gibson regularly could actually advocate a policy of keeping him, but believe me given a chance I think he may still have a future- or at least be as worthwhile as Henderson would be if he were signed.
Yes I know that none of the players I’ve mentioned are anywhere near as experienced or proven as the ones touted to be signed, but then again David Beckham wasn’t as experienced as Darren Anderton- who Fergie considered signing in 1995, Nicky Butt was seen as a somewhat lesser replacement to Paul Ince, Paul Scholes wouldn’t be able to replicate the goals and influence of a Mark Hughes.
My faith in United’s youngsters may sound slightly deluded but I’ve watched United’s academy sides since the early nineties when you could go to Old Trafford for a quid as a youngster and see the likes of Ryan Giggs and Mark Bosnich learning their craft- to varying levels of success admittedly. I’ve not been as excited about a group of young players since we had the class of ’92 and I’m sure that if Fergie were to stick his neck out somewhat he could save the club a fortune it doesn’t need to spend, at least not on players.
The point I’m making is that if Sir Alex doesn’t need to spend the money on players, rather than give it back to those kind deserving benevolent chaps that go by the name of the Glazer brothers why not give it back to the fans in the best possible way. Increase Old Trafford’s capacity.
Before you start screaming a list of reasons Old Trafford cannot be expanded allow me to give you a counter argument for every one.
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£100 million. That’s the point I’m making, if United could invest £100 million in expanding the stadium then surely that would be enough to bump the capacity up by at least 8000. Would that be worth it? Well if each seat was worth say £800 a season then it would probably take around 15 years for the full £100 million to be paid back. That’s of course saying the club could get rid of all those tickets which is by no means a guarantee. However even if it took that long or longer, it could be worth it in the long run and that’s what United is all about sustaining our place at the top of the food chain, or even raising it slightly.
Even Sir Alex had advocated stadium expansion in the past, stating:
“I’m on to David all the time about expanding the stadium. I know what we could do with the main stand at both ends; we could build a structure up and across. We could do one corner at least and maybe get another 6,500 seats to take the total capacity to 83,000.”
The extra seats shouldn’t be sold as season tickets they should be used for one simple reason. Pay on the gate. This may sound like a recipe for disaster but I remember vividly in the early nineties when my Dad finally allowed me to got to games on my own- or more to the point just with my mates, saving up ticket stubbs, adding them to the token sheet then queuing for over an hour at the ticket office.
The fact is local youngsters who want to watch United the way I did from the age of 12 onwards just cannot either afford or obtain tickets. This may sound like an outdated, irrelevant point, after all we don’t need just local people to attend Old Trafford, but the way things are going I genuinely worry how many of Manchester’s kids will be United fans in the next few years. To ignore the importance of Mancunian support when it comes to United would be short-sighted and somewhat foolish yet allowing a ‘pay on the gate section’ could also help the atmosphere improve.
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‘Pay on the gate’ may also encourage a few more die hard fans to come back to Old Trafford as more than a few have simply grown disillusioned not just with the Glazers but also the lack of atmosphere and difficulty in obtaining tickets.
I know you wouldn’t need to expand the capacity at United to implement a ‘pay on the gate’ policy but it would make it a lot more feasible and a lot easier to put into practice. You wouldn’t be taking tickets away from anyone as they’d be coming from the additional seating.
The idea of having a ‘standing section’ seems to be less and less likely with the powers that be reluctant to risk letting football fans actually enjoy themselves at games nowadays so something else is surely needed.
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The more I sit lamenting the atmosphere, while listening to my mates tell me how they can’t afford to take their kids to Old Trafford, or can only get tickets for ‘lesser’ games, the more I see people leaving in droves with 20 minutes left to go and the more I see the club losing touch with the fans that made it what it is today, the more I believe drastic action is required.
Manchester United once went 26 years without winning the league, we once suffered the indignity of relegation a mere six years after we’d been kings of Europe, Liverpool were practically perennial champions while we had to settle for the occasional distant second place and I do mean occasional.
The idea that United could ever return to such dark times seems laughable, but with Sir Alex Ferguson one day retiring what better shape to leave the club in, than with the biggest stadium in the land and a crowd capable of raising the sort of atmosphere that used to be the envy of Europe.
£100 million on expanding the stadium may seem like a waste when you can buy at least four top class players, but it may turn out to be a bargain, if it keeps the club at the very top for many years to come.
Have I gone in off the deep end yet again with absurd flights of fancy masquerading as insightful suggestions or is there a modicum of truth to the rantings I’ve subjected you to? Feel free to comment abuse and discuss below.
Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High
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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