Fresh from the club making their latest summer purchase, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has promised to keep investing in the club, in order to bring ‘the lustre’ back.
Liverpool today completed the £6 million capture of leftback Jose Enrique from Newcastle United, taking their summer spending to £54 million – adding to the £57.8 million spent in January on capturing Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, marking the biggest spending spree in the club’s history – and there are no plans to cut back.
Speaking on an interview with LFC TV, Werner also stopped short of defining any targets for the coming season: ‘I don’t want to promise so much. I know John [Henry] has said we’re going to be top four and Kenny [Dalglish] says well why can’t we win. But we just want to move forward – we want to be better this year than last year and just keep going on the right track.
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He added: ‘I think the most important thing, and it may seem obvious, is put on a quality product for your fans. These are people who spend their hard earned pounds to come to see the club, and we’ve got supporters all around the world, who expect a quality product, and so it’s been our goal to try to improve our position on the pitch and to try and create an environment for players to say they want to play in Liverpool, and to bring some of the lustre that all the fans know back to the club.’
The controversial plan to unite Argentina’s first and second divisions into a 38-team national championship from next year has been scrapped.”The AFA resolved tonight (Monday) to suspend consideration of the proposal,” the sport’s national governing body said in a statement on its official website, while not ruling out looking at it again at a later date.
Players, coaches, fans, club directors and media slammed the idea, made public last week, which would have been introduced in the 2012-13 season.
Fans called for a demonstration at AFA headquarters in Buenos Aires.
The plan to include the 20 first-division sides and 18 from the second-tier Nacional B was regarded by many as a means of helping relegated giants River Plate return to the top flight as quickly as possible, while also ensuring other big teams did not risk the drop.
Reports also suggested it might have been a plan for the government, which controls broadcasting of first-division matches, to expand into the Nacional B, which is televised by a private channel.
The Apertura championship, first of two in the Argentine first division season, kicks off this weekend.
The Nacional B is a single championship, with River set to compete in it for the first time after being relegated in June.
‘It’s just a natural reaction from a demanding public. It’s nothing new. It’s the same everywhere.’
These were the words of Chelsea’s new manager after only his first home game in charge when addressing the issue that his team was subjected to booing by the home support. Villas-Boas then appealed to the Chelsea fans to get behind their team, claiming a negative atmosphere off the pitch effects players on it: ‘What I would say is empathy can be decisive because you have to put your opponents under pressure. You put opponents under pressure by raising your voices and supporting your team. In our game we need support and tranquillity. We suffered a goal in the fourth minute and people need to be behind us all the time.’
So is Villas-Boas right? Do supporters have a greater responsibility to lift their team when things are not going to plan on the pitch? Or should the ultimate responsibility lie with the players, whose job it is to lift the crowd and inspire their support?
In the context of what was only their first home game of the season, and, when the boos rang out, during half-time at a goal-down, it seems absurd that any supporter would be booing their team. Indeed, many fans would never dream of publicly booing their team, no matter what stage of the season, no matter how low things had gotten –I’m sure there are many of you out there. But how many, hand on heart, could say the same? Maybe supporting a ‘top four’ club spoils a supporter a little. How dare their team not perform, and be second-best at any stage on the pitch to a team that is seen as more inferior. But I suppose that’s where a paradox lies; ‘top four’ clubs contain world class players, who, particularly in Chelsea’s case have been bought in for massive amounts of money. If a loyal supporter who is lucky enough to only earn in a year, what one of these players earns in a week, see’s that player not pulling his weight or performing, isn’t that supporter well within their rights to let their feelings be known?
Booing for many is a step too far however. Many can get frustrated, shout ‘constructive’ abuse (often the source of much amusement between fans and helps lighten the mood!), moan and groan, but booing the team is a no-no. Like it or not, when you are a fan, it is your duty to support your team through thick and thin. And when crowds famously unite in support and passion, as many English crowds do, it can motivate your team. Pick the players up off the floor and inspire them to great things, even when all hope seems lost. It is a sentiment not lost on Villas-Boas: ‘There are a couple of stadiums in the league where there are good examples of pressing the opponent by the crowd behaviour’ the Chelsea manager said on the subject. But still keen to emphasise his point and scrutinise those fans who were awfully quick to let their feelings known to the new manager, he simply stated: ‘Last year I was whistled at Porto and the season ended with four trophies and no more boos’.
He was right, and one tends to agree with his sentiments that those quick to judge, should wait to see what happens during the course of a whole season, not, the course of a whole half – especially in the opening home game of a new season, with a new manager at the helm and new tactics being deployed. But then again, patience is a virtue that seems to have no place in modern football.
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Manchester City bounced back from the disappointment of forfeiting a two goal lead against Fulham to beat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League last weekend. Goals from Mario Balotelli and James Milner ensured victory for Roberto Mancini’s men in a hard fought game at the Etihad Stadium.
Here are the captains, Vincent Kompany of Man City and Phil Neville of Everton, before the match, with referee Howard Webb tossing the coin. But what are the trio all so in awe of?
Leave your suggestions below…
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The Smell of Football is the brutally honest and utterly unputdownable story of how ‘Baz’ conquered his personal demons to build a life in the game.
From the terrified teenager who purposely tried to get injured in training rather than get picked for the first team, to the experienced pro who became Head of Medicine at Premier League Everton FC in charge of the treatment of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Tim Cahill.
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The old chestnut is that football is a gentleman’s game played by thugs, while rugby union is a thug’s game played by gentlemen. Some have ventured to suggest that rugby league is a thug’s game played by thugs… but I couldn’t possibly comment as I’m due to travel north at some point in the future. But as a former footballer and a keen fan of the egg-chasing, I’ve always been willing to accept that while rugby union players might not always be more intelligent or better-bred than us, they’re generally a hell of a lot more dignified. That was, of course, until these last six weeks and what must surely rank as England’s most disgraceful World Cup campaign in ANY sport.
After the dwarf-throwing, carousing and leaping off ferries, as well as several pretty disreputable on-field performances, I have to say that I feel sorry for Martin Johnson. When England’s footballers flopped so badly at the World Cup in South Africa last year, I firmly believed Fabio Capello was wrong to lock up his players and leave them in isolation. So I can hardly say now that I disagree with Johnson’s approach of treating his players as adults and allowing them to go out for a drink. If Johnson keeps his job – and I can’t see many coaches banging on the RFU’s door demanding to replace him – then he will be left with a major dilemma on future tours because he has been let down badly.
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For the 1966 World Cup, we were away together as a squad for – as my missus always remembers – a total of 14 weeks. And I can honestly say that, while we enjoyed the occasional lively night out on the beer, nobody ever over-stepped the mark. There was always the feeling that we were there to do a job, that we had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something really special and win the World Cup. It was a sense of duty and a pride in our country that I believed our rugby players possessed. Sadly not.
I always thought Mike Tindall was a bright lad. When you’re the England rugby captain, in the most rugby-mad nation on Earth and you’ve just married into what is New Zealand’s Royal Family as well as our own, you really ought to know better. Tindall is worthy of that harshest of condemnations: he acted like a footballer. Footballers have realised for a long while that camera phones and CCTV have changed the game. Every drinker in every pub is now a potential photo-journalist. Our rugby players are learning this the hard way.
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Nightmares
I’ve always admired the hell out of rugby players. They put themselves through the sort of physical punishment that footballers could not imagine in their worst nightmares. When you compare it to footballers diving around as if they’ve been shot in the head, when they’ve actually just stubbed their toe, it really is laughable. Yet everything about rugby union seemed far more civilised than in my own sport. I went to Twickenham last year to see England play the All Blacks and enjoyed the lack of segregation and the mutual respect between rival fans.
On the pitch, self-discipline and respect towards referees are things that rugby players have long been rightly proud of. Yet dissent is gradually creeping its way into the sport and you fear rugby will end up going the same way as football in the long run. Rugby players used to enjoy the moral high ground over footballers – but that has now been lost. And this thug can tell rugby’s gentlemen that the high ground will not be easy to regain.
Valencia left back Jordi Alba is the latest addition to Manchester United’s transfer list, with Sir Alex Ferguson looking to strengthen his squad at Old Trafford. The Manchester club are considering Alba as a long term replacement for Patrice Evra, with the 22 year old currently the stand out candidate.
Alba has been a stand out performer for Valencia thus far this season, with his displays catching the attention of Europe’s top clubs and the Spaniard made his international debut in last month’s 3-1 victory against Scotland.
The fact that Alba has Champions League experience, as well as a blossoming international career ahead of him has reportedly convinced United that he is their man.
United may also shop in Spain for a central midfielder, as they look to find a player who can assert dominance in the heart of midfield, a quality that has been questioned in recent weeks.
One of the player’s currently linked is Atletico Bilbao and Spain international Javi Martinez, although Bilbao’s apparent £30 million pound valuation may prove a stumbling block.
Perhaps more likely is a move for Villareal’s Bruno Soriano, with any offer around the £10 million mark likely to test the financially insecure club.
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Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has denied claims that he was dropped for his side’s recent fixture against Sunderland, and states that he was merely being rested.
The Spanish stopper sat out The Red Devils’ 1-0 win over Sunderland last weekend as Anders Lindegaard got the nod, but this was not due to his form.
“I didn’t play in the past weekend but Ferguson told me it was just so I could rest. He’s an incredible coach and without doubt the best in the world,” he told Cadena Ser.
“What I have learned since the summer in England is more than most of my professional career in Spain. It is another world in all of the concepts.”
The ex-Atletico Madrid man has come under scrutiny since moving to the Premier League, with his performances at times questioned by the media.
However it would appear that Sir Alex Ferguson was merely shuffling his pack in a long season full of fixtures.
United sit five points adrift of cross-town rivals Manchester City at the top of the division, but De Gea feels that the reigning champions can still regain their crown.
“United can still win it all. It’s still not decided that City will finish first,” he stated defiantly.
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The FA have granted Liverpool an extension in their deadline to respond to allegations of improper conduct, relating to their clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage last week.
The Anfield outfit were handed down two charges after an ill-tempered game; the first to Luis Suarez for a derogatory gesture to the home fans and the second relating to the behaviour of the Liverpool players following Jay Spearing’s red card.
The initial timeline for Kenny Dalglish’s men to respond to the charges was 4pm on Monday, but the Merseysiders have been given an extension to organise their defence.
Meanwhile, Reds attacker Dirk Kuyt has stated that his goal drought is not worrying him, and that he is sure that the goals will start to flow in the near future.
The Netherlands international has not hit the back of the net in the Premier League since May, with only one Carling Cup strike to his name this season; Kuyt feels this will change soon.
“I haven’t scored for a while but we all feel like we are close to it and we have the confidence to keep going and soon we will score more of our chances,” he told reporters.
“The last six months of last season we were all scoring goals. Sometimes in football it is like this, you have to keep working hard and it will come.
“Last season I was scoring five or six games in a row and everything I touched was going in. Now sometimes you are a little bit unlucky to be just in the wrong position or you just miss a chance – that is football.
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“I will work hard and wait until the time comes. I am sure with the way this team plays everyone up front will score loads of goals,” he concluded.
Is it possible to feel sorry for people who are employed in a dream job and paid vast sums of money for doing so? Normally I’d say no, and then slap you for asking, but occasionally there is the opportunity to feel sorry for even the most privileged of people. Take football managers for example. Of course they are under pressure, of course they have a duty towards their employers and the fans, and of course their every move is going to be scrutinised by the media. However have we reached the stage where we are simply over-zealous, and too ready to jump the gun in our criticisms of the top managers?
I rarely, if ever, agree with Gary Neville on any subject whether it be football or his stupid little moustache that he sometimes grows but I recently read something that he wrote, yes he writes, for the Mail in which he pointed out how much pressure the press had put on Mancini after he lost the Charity Shield, and then after that Arsene Wenger was supposedly heading for the chop and Arsenal were going to be relegated, then Man Utd lost 1-6 at home to their local rivals and suddenly Ferguson had lost it, and then we were flooded with stories about how Andre Villas-Boas was heading the same way as Scolari.
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We’re not even half way through the season and already fans from a variety of teams have had to put up with ignorant, over-eager and often insulting articles written about their respective managers. Is it because we have genuinely lost any patience that we once had for managers, is it that there is so little news that we have to regurgitate stories about how so and so has lost it and is about to be sacked or is it because some writers genuinely believe that a manager is brilliant one month but a little while later he deserves to be sacked? Are we really that fickle that we could change our mind once, maybe even twice in the course of just a few months?
What makes the situation even more farcical is how much criticism the top managers come under for their performances even though there are teams that are being managed to a much worse standard who are largely being ignored until that manager gets the sack.
All managers know that being criticised is part of the job, that they are paid so well because their job is so difficult and competitive but it almost seems that the press are cutting off their nose to spite their face. These constantly repeated stories about how certain managers are not good enough are born largely out of a lack of originality an imagination rather than actual consistent below par performances. Why would the press call for the heads of Wenger or Villas-Boas when their teams are so entertaining to watch and therefore are so good to write about?
Moreover, for our newspapers to be such harsh critics and then avid supporters of the same manager’s abilities in the space of half a season devalues their very opinion. For fans to erode their authoritative voice by constantly announcing different outlandish statements is one thing, but for professional journalists to do it too is just ridiculous. The fact is that out league is more competitive than ever. Any team really can beat any other. That doesn’t make that manager worthy of being sacked, nor does a poor run of form. These things happen in football and I would far rather read a rational and objective analysis of sporting phenomena than I would an opportunistic trashy piece that merely jumps on the bandwagon of insults in an attempt to smear the reputation of every big manager that loses a couple of games. Aren’t we better than that? Aren’t the press?
Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Struggling Wolves go in search of their first win in eight games in Saturday’s Midlands Derby against rivals Aston Villa.
Mick McCarthy’s men haven’t tasted victory since they beat Sunderland at the start of December and sit just a point above the relegation zone. Its been another season of disappointment for Wanderers fans who saw their team win just twice in 19 games. However their 1-1 draw with Tottenham last week did seem to mark a turning point as they more than matched Harry Redknapp’s title chasers. Steven Fletcher was once again amongst the scorers and his goals will prove crucial in the second half of the campaign. Keeping them out at the wrong end has been their biggest problem and they’ll need to defend much better against Villa. Captain Roger Johnson will need to be wary of Darren Bent’s movement in the penalty area whilst his full backs will need to quell the threat of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Marc Albrighton. Stop them from getting the ball to Bent and Wolves will have a platform to go on and win only their fifth game of the season.
Villa are also desperate for three points after winning just twice over Christmas and losing their position in the top half. A strong start to the season came undone at the beginning of October after a heavy defeat to Manchester City. Alex McLeish’s side have won just three games since with their inconsistent performances giving supporters cause to moan. Their 3-1 win over Chelsea on New Years Eve wasn’t built on as they lost to Swansea at home 48 hours later leaving fans frustrated. The return to form of Stephen Ireland has been a surprise bright spot in the last month or so with the midfielder becoming the clubs chief playmaker. His intelligent link up play has seen him become an important part of the Villa attack and his link up with Bent and Agbonlahor will be key to ensuring a much needed victory is attained at Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 16th : 18 points
Last six: D L D D D L
Team news: Jamie O’Hara could return to boost Wolves’ survival bid but Ronald Zubar won’t make this one.
Key Player: Steven Fletcher
Another impressive performance from Fletcher saw him notch another important goal in the draw with Tottenham. The Scotland striker has everything in his locker and if he continues scoring Wolves have a chance of staying up.
Aston Villa 13th: 24 points
Last six: D L W D L L
Team news: Villa have four first team players injured with Emile Heskey and Carlos Cuellar amongst them.
Key Player: Stephen Ireland
December saw the former Manchester City midfielder emerge from the Villa shadows and take up the playmaking mantle. Ireland has excelled in the last couple of weeks in an advanced midfield role and it’s likely he will initiate every attack at Molineux
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PREDICTION
This one ended 0-0 back in August and neither side have really improved since then. Villa continue to drift around in mid-table mediocrity whilst Wolves are still battling to keep their head above water. It’s likely both teams will cancel each other out as they chase a confidence boosting win.