Sir Alex Ferguson does not anticipate adding any more new players to his Manchester United squad ahead of the new season.
Ferguson has signed defender Chris Smalling from Fulham and promising Mexico striker Javier Hernandez this summer and has declared himself content with the squad currently at his disposal.
"I cannot speak about other clubs. We are comfortable with the squad we have got," he said.
"We bought players at the right time of the season and we are happy with what we have."
Meanwhile, Ferguson has been pleased by the way his players are progressing through their pre-season programme on the current five-match tour to North America.
He added:"We are doing double sessions at 9.50am and 5.30pm and that helps us get a little rest after lunchtime.
"The (hot) conditions haven't stopped us – they have been really good.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"The players have been great. They have shown some good application, good concentration and put in some really good work.
"It is now we are beginning to see the benefits of our training. The tempo is at the level we expect of our players."eSubscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the international break interrupting the exciting business end of the Premier League season, England fans will be looking unenthusiastically to the game with Montenegro. Especially since the dismal World Cup display last summer, the fact that no one seems to want Fabio Capello as manager – it’s not one of the best times for England.
So, why not enjoy a look at the negative side to England’s past with a list of the worst players to ever be capped wearing the Three Lions on their football shirt. Whilst the Jules Rimet trophy hasn’t gleamed for a while, there was a long list to choose from, in fact I shortlisted well over 50 players that could fit into a top ten.
Although, many fans may point out that it should feature 10 players that underperformed in South Africa, I didn’t want to get that band wagon started again. So the following list is my very own ten worst players to be capped by England, with an honourable mentions list at the end to save extended comments about any omissions. It was also hard not to make the list just those players capped by Graham Taylor.
Click on Graham Taylor below to see the Top TEN
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Barcelona midfielder Adriano is anticipating a capacity crowd when he visits former club Sevilla in La Liga action on Sunday.The Brazilian called the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan home for five years between 2005 and 2010, but the midfielder is ready for high-pressure surroundings when the rampant league leaders travel to the eighth-placed Sevilla.”There is going to be a great atmosphere, because games like this usually fill the stadium. It is always a special game when I return to the Sanchez Pizjuan,” the 26-year-old said. “It is very exciting, the people have received me very well and the stadium is always going to be special to me.”Adriano said he was used to Barcelona being the hunted club in Spain as they lead the league by seven points, but he said their Sunday opponents would also be pushing for the Champions League save for some crucial injuries.”Every team is motivated to beat Barcelona. Every time that Barcelona visit, the stadium is full as they try to help the team. There will be a great atmosphere,” he said.”They are a team who are always up there. They have pressure on them to be in the top four, and I think that Sevilla have had many injuries to important players. That is why it has been hard to keep up their form.”Pep Guardiola’s men have already got one hand on the league trophy, but Adriano was all too aware of the amount of points up for grabs and the possibility Barca could slip up in the final 11 games.”It is a difficult away game (at Sevilla) – one of the most difficult. There are still many points in play. Thirty-three points are a lot, and even if we are seven points clear of Madrid there is still a long way to go,” he said.
Portugal have moved quickly to reject stories suggesting Manchester United star Nani was sent home from the World Cup for disciplinary reasons rather than injury.
The Portuguese Football Federation said last week that Nani would not be able to play in the tournament because of a shoulder injury but rumours have since hinted that there was more to the story.
The winger travelled with the rest of the squad to South Africa and trained with them for two days after suffering the injury before being ruled out. He then said on his return to Portugal that the problem was not too serious.
However, the vice-president of the Portuguese federation, Amandio de Carvalho, insisted: "There is no attempting to hide anything, there was only the hope that he could have recovered."
Twenty-three-year-old Nani had earlier said:"I thought this was going to be my World Cup, I was training and playing well, but that's life.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"I worked a lot for this World Cup but I had the misfortune to injure myself before the start."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
It’s one thing to watch your team play badly, but having to watch them in what can only be described as a major fashion faux pas is just unforgiveable. From clashing colours, to odd pictures and animal-esque designs (yes I’m being deadly serious), football isn’t quite the beautiful game when it comes to designing kits. It appears from my ‘research’ that the 1990’s and Mexico’s keeper Jorge Campos are the main culprits for offending our eyes week in week out, without even so much as an apology. Put some of these on a canvas and we would be comparing them to Picasso’s masterpieces, but on a football pitch on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm, and the game is lost before a ball is even kicked.
To sum up the horrors I have seen, even David Beckham would struggle for sex appeal in these…oh who are we kidding? The guy would easily pull off Tiger stripes.
Click on Stade de Francais to see the worst 20 kits of our time
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
I’d like to apologise to Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew. When Newcastle owner Mike Ashley sacked Chris Hughton at the back end of last year, the only reason I could think he’d made that decision was to bring in an exciting new manager at the helm. That was not how I would describe Pardew, and fears of relegation returned. News that Pardew and Ashley were big mates and went to casinos together further disappointed me. He was of course given a five and a half year contract and I was thinking ‘here we go again’.
I was clearly not alone. In a poll of 40,000 Newcastle supporters only 5% were said to be pleased by the appointment of Alan Pardew. Like the rest of the Toon Army, despite my dismay at the appointment of Pardew, I got behind the manager and the team and things couldn’t have started much better – a 3-1 home win against Liverpool, but that was essentially a match played with Hughton’s team. A home defeat to Manchester City and a disappointing performance at Tottenham followed, before back-to-back wins against Wigan and West Ham, meant that Pardew won 3 of his first 5 matches in charge of Newcastle – not at all bad.
Then came Pardew’s darkest day as Newcastle manager so far – a 3-1 defeat to Stevenage in the FA Cup. Newcastle fans love a cup run as much as anyone, and to go out in the third round was a bitter blow, but the way Pardew and his team have recovered has been admirable. Two draws against Sunderland and Tottenham followed, with the Magpies denied three points in both games by late equalisers, then there was the Fulham match – the less said about that the better. That was quickly forgotten as the magnificent comeback against Arsenal at St James’ Park took centre stage. Whatever Pardew said at half-time clearly worked, and he showed on that day that he could get the team to play for him.
[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]
An away draw against Blackburn in a match Newcastle dominated, was followed by a comfortable win at Birmingham and a home draw against Bolton on Saturday – a match Newcastle could have won if Ryan Taylor hadn’t of been sent off and it had been eleven v eleven for ninety minutes. So in Pardew’s 13 games so far, he’s won 4 (could have easily been 6), drawn 5 and lost 4 – not particularly impressive. But since that loss against Stevenage and aside from the Fulham game, I have been pleasantly surprised by the way Newcastle have played and in particular the way they’ve kept the ball – some credit must go to Pardew’s coaching.
Of course, like every Newcastle manager over recent years, things haven’t been made easy for Pardew. The loss of Andy Carroll and being unable to bring in a replacement has left him with an uphill task, but he seems to have his head screwed on and he strikes me as an extremely sensible bloke. John Carver spoke to 5 Live on Friday and explained that Pardew said that as neither knew how each other worked and whether they would gel together or not, that they would work together on a four month basis to start of with when he arrived on Tyneside, a sort of trial if you like. This has obviously worked out well and now Carver is on a five and a half year contract at Newcastle and Pardew has an assistant manager who knows the club inside out.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As far as signings are concerned, he gets a big tick for securing the permanent deal of Hatem Ben Arfa and tying Cheik Tiote down to a long term contract. The loan of Stephen Ireland seems to be a strange one, but you never know it could work out, and bringing in Shefki Kuqi was clearly a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures. The big test for Pardew in terms of acquisitions will come in the summer when he gets to spend some of the Carroll money; whether he has the reputation to bring in exciting players we’ll just have to wait and see but hopefully he’ll be able to encourage some to sign on the dotted line.
So, as we come to the end of Alan Pardew’s first three months on Tyneside and with Premier League status seemingly secure for next season, it’s time to look ahead to Newcastle’s future under him and I have to say that I’m pretty optimistic. When Pardew joined I thought we were doomed to relegation; now I think he can do a decent job at St James’ Park, bring a bit of stability and challenge in the top half of the table. So Alan Pardew; I’d like to apologise for thinking the worst when you were appointed Newcastle manager, and may you continue to exceed expectations long into the future!
Striker Kris Boyd has revealed the need for a fresh challenge is behind his decision to leave Rangers this summer.
The Scotland striker confirmed last month that he will leave Ibrox when his present deal expires at the end of June.
Several Premier League clubs and Turkish side Kayserispor are believed to be interested in acquiring his services and now the Scottish Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer has now spoken out about his reasons for moving on.
"This has been the biggest decision of my life. I've spent months thinking about what to do and still haven't come to a final decision," he told the Scottish Sun.
"But it's time to leave Scottish football. I need a fresh challenge.
"I've won everything I hoped to win at Rangers. I've been the top goalscorer at the club every season since I arrived from Kilmarnock. It's now time to move on."
Meanwhile, Boyd has moved swiftly to rubbish rumours of a shock switch to Old Firm rivals Celtic.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"I know there's been talk of me going from Rangers to Celtic. But, if I did that, it wouldn't be the penalty box I'd be in, it would be a wooden box!" he added.
"I'll sit down with my family over the next few days and come to a decision. But swapping Ibrox for Parkhead will not be happening."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes a move to the Olympic Stadium could see the club grow to become as big as Manchester United or Arsenal reports the BBC.
The Hammers have made no secret of their desire to take over the 80,000 seater stadium, and will look to step up their efforts when the Paralympic Games end next month.
And Allardyce believes a successful move would see West Ham rival Manchester United and Arsenal for size and atmosphere.
“We could be that size in a brand new stadium, with that atmosphere,” he claimed.
West Ham are currently one of four bidders for the stadium, and have already had a deal scrapped due to legal issues.
Allardyce added: “It would be awesome to walk a team out on that pitch and say ‘this is West Ham’s new home and the creation of what could possibly be a new modern history hopefully’.”
Upton Park has been West Ham’s home for the past 108 years, and has a 35,000 capacity.
Meanwhile, Allardyce has explained how a deal for Wolves winger Matt Jarvis has stalled while he prepares his team for their Premier League opener against Aston Villa.
“For me, it is on the backburner because Saturday is the most important thing,” said Allardyce.
“Then if it is to be done after Saturday we’ll see where we are.”
One player who almost certainly will not be joining West Ham, is Liverpool forward Andy Carroll.
West Ham have made no secret of their admiration for the big striker, and made an ambitious loan move earlier in the month.
But Allardyce explained:
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“We never agreed with Liverpool any deal to be able to speak to Andy Carroll to see if he would join us.
“Whatever deal we put forward to Liverpool was not agreed by Liverpool.
“He would have been a massive signing for us and, like everything else, when you see an opportunity you try to go for it.”
The season has begun with some of Liverpool’s brightest players from last season finding themselves second in line to the new faces at the club. Is Kenny Dalglish making a mistake persisting with youth over experience?
We are only five games into the new season, but there are murmurings of discontent on Merseyside at the patience being shown to a number of new faces at the club. The likes of Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll are starting week in week out, at the expense of players who are vastly more experienced and have shown a lot more in a Liverpool shirt over the years.
Liverpool seem to have lacked the spark shown at the end of last season, and it is no coincidence that players who did well during Dalglish’s first few months in charge, like Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt, have not been in the starting line up during the club’s indifferent start to the season.
A lot of money was spent over the summer on new players, but surely a new face should have to earn his place in the side and not just be thrust straight into it, ahead of established first team players. Regardless of how hefty the price tags they arrived with, the likes of Carroll and Henderson have no automatic right to start every game. They were bought with the future in mind, and so they should feature more as squad players at the present time and be gradually integrated and phased into the starting eleven.
Dirk Kuyt is just one of the experienced players who has had to content himself with a role on the bench so far this season. He linked up well with Craig Bellamy, Maxi and Luis Suarez in Liverpool’s Carling Cup win over Brighton. Together they showed a fluidity that has been lacking from Liverpool’s displays so far this season, which makes it difficult to understand why they aren’t featuring in the Liverpool side every week.
[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]
Kuyt offers Liverpool a different option, and should be in the starting line up whether as a right winger or a striker. He isn’t the most natural right winger, but he certainly offers more in that role at this time than Henderson, who has looked completely out of his depth and has not really done anything of note. Kuyt gives 110% every time, chases everything down, and can fit into the Liverpool pass and move system. He also seems to be on the same wavelength as Suarez, something which Carroll hasn’t quite yet mastered. Liverpool look more inventive, aggressive and fluid with Kuyt alongside Suarez.
As well as options going forward, Kuyt also offers good cover at the back, and certainly would have offered more help to Martin Skrtel in the Tottenham game than the Slovakian received from Henderson. It was astonishing that he didn’t start, or at least come on to shore things up after Charlie Adam was sent off. His vast experience would have paid off in that situation, and he would have run himself into the ground for the sake of the team.
Kuyt offers a different option, as well as his attacking abilities, he is always willing to drop back and help out, and his maximum effort rubs off on the others around him, with the team playing at a higher tempo. He isn’t the most technically gifted player of all time, but at this time he is the best option Liverpool have, either wide on the right, or supporting Suarez up front. Even if he isn’t at his best, he still puts a shift in, and that commitment and passion is what epitomizes the club best and what they need at the present time.
It seems that too much respect is being shown to spent money, and there is a stubbornness shown by Dalglish in sticking with the players he has purchased. The players playing clearly aren’t ready for the Liverpool first team, and experienced players must be played ahead of them, especially in the biggest and most important games. At the age of 31, Kuyt certainly isn’t past it, and he should be starting, with the younger players, like Henderson, coming on to replace him in the second half, gradually phasing them in, rather than throwing them straight into the deep end.
There comes a point where you can’t continue to keep sticking with something that isn’t working. New players have had a valid chance to prove their worth and they have yet to show that. Now is the time to bring in the old experienced heads, to sure up the Liverpool side and teach the young players a thing or two.
Do you think the likes of Kuyt and Maxi should be in Liverpool’s starting line up? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[divider]
Fancy VIP tickets to the Merseyside derby in style this Saturday – click on banner to find out more
Tottenham welcome Bolton to White Hart Lane on Saturday hoping to further their push for a top-four spot in the English Premier League.
Spurs’ Champions League rivals Chelsea were bolstered by the signing of star striker Fernando Torres on Monday, while Tottenham’s own rumoured big-money move for a striker – said to be Villarreal poacher Guiseppe Rossi – came to nothing.
With the Blues three points above Spurs in fifth, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp concedes tracking down their London rivals had become even more difficult.
Redknapp believes Chelsea could now be so strong with Torres they could defend their crown, despite lying 10 points behind league-leaders Manchester United.
“For us to finish above them would be a real feat. They have spent about 70 million pounds in the transfer market. We have just got to keep going and it would be a fantastic achievement,” he said.
“I would not write Chelsea off from winning the championship. Although Manchester United look as though they keep getting results, they are not playing as well as they have done in the past.”
“They are red-hot favourites but Chelsea have won the championship and have Torres to come in.”
“They could go on a run and be a big danger to everyone.”
The strength of Spurs’ squad was highlighted on Wednesday, however, when they beat Blackburn 1-0 at Ewood Park minus key players Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Younes Kaboul, Steven Pienaar and Tom Huddlestone.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Bolton were fortunate 1-0 winners over Wolverhampton on Wednesday, courtesy of a late Daniel Sturridge strike on debut for Owen Coyle’s men.
The Chelsea striker vindicated his switch to the Reebok on loan with the match-winning goal, and will be keen to back up his performance against his parent club’s bitter rivals.
The last time the two sides met, Bolton defied a late Spurs rally to win 4-2 at the Reebok in November.