The fortunes of Newcastle and Sunderland have certainly been mixed throughout the Premier League years.
While the Magpies have enjoyed title challenges, Champions League football; they have also had the indignity of dropping out of the Premier League back in 2009 much to the amusement of their local rivals. The Mackems themselves are no strangers to relegation and have been something of a yoyo club throughout the Premier League years; however you do sense that times are changing at the Stadium of Light and Steve Bruce is building a strong squad that is more than capable of holding its own among the upper echelons of the league.
This lunchtime sees the first Tyne & Wear derby of the season, and while the pundits and media will be focusing on whether Sunderland can overcome Newcastle on their own doorstep, we will focus on the major battle set to take place in the player’s lounge at the Stadium of Light.
In the first part of our new series of ‘Wag War’ we look ahead to the likely battle at the Stadium of Light today and ask you the viewer to decide which team wins this epic battle.
Let the battle commence: click on the badge below to see the line-up and cast your vote at the end:
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Following Tottenham’s’ self capitulation in the FA Cup, the deficiencies were there for all to see at both ends of the pitch. Redknapp now has one day to address the striker and goalkeeper issues that have hindered Spurs’ progress this season.
Spurs are at least two signings away from competing at the top end of the Premier League. Harry desperately needs a striker that can play that lone role up top, or else he has to change his preferred 4-4-1-1 system. At the moment Spurs are lined up purely to accommodate VDV in that free role behind the striker. It has become clear though that none of Spurs’ strikers fit the mould of playing that lone role whilst still maintain a goal threat of their own. If Harry intends to persist with this system he has to find a player capable of playing that role and that man for me is Fernando Llorente. He is fantastic in the air, comfortable with the ball on the ground, aggressive and mobile.
At the other end injuries and suspensions have done little to aid the frailties of Tottenham’s leaky defence but I feel Redknapp has had quite enough time and money to solve this problem and shouldn’t be given any more money to throw at poor players. During his tenure he has brought in Kaboul, Bassong, Gallas, Khulamo, Naughton and Walker. Individually they are all capable players but they also have to have confidence in the man standing between the sticks behind them to perform consistently as a unit.
It is clear that Gomes, for all of his personality and occasional moments of brilliance, just does not cut the mustard on a regular enough basis at Spurs. Moreover, he can consistently be a liability for his team. For this reason Harry has to address this issue by identifying and moving for a capable replacement. Shay Given would fit that mould perfectly and while City would surely be reluctant sellers Spurs should at least test the resolve of both the player and the club by putting in a bid.
These two positions have become obvious areas of weakness that Spurs will need to improve upon if they are to fulfil their ambition of achieving a top four finish again this year.
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Fulham are interested in signing Tottenham forgotten man Tom Huddlestone this summer and will touch base with their London rivals to gauge the player’s availability, according to The Daily Mail.
The Cottagers are eager to find a new central midfielder after allowing Danny Murphy to leave the club to join Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer.
Craven Cottage boss Martin Jol worked with Huddlestone during his time in the White Hart Lane hotseat and is eager to give the deep-lying playmaker the opportunity of a new start at Fulham.
Huddlestone spent almost the entire 2011-12 campaign on the sidelines with long-standing injuries, making only four appearances all season for Spurs.
With Sandro, Scott Parker and Luka Modric ahead of him in the pecking order, and Jake Livermore adding competition for places, Huddlestone may well be interested in hearing of transfer opportunities.
The talented midfielder has only one year left on his contract in north London, and his future is currently up in the air somewhat.
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A Ronaldinho hat-trick has steered Flamengo to a remarkable 5-4 victory over Santos in the Brazilian Serie A on Wednesday.Santos stunned the visitors to lead 3-0 after just 26 minutes at the Estadio Urbano Caldeira, with Borges netting a brace in the opening 16 minutes, before Neymar nabbed his first.
Former AC Milan star Ronaldinho led the charge back for his club, pegging back the first goal in the 28th minute, before Thiago Neves made it 2-3 four minutes later.
Deivid capped up a stunning first half by netting the equaliser on 44 minutes to set up a tantalising second stanza, which lived up to expectations.
Neymar produced a moment of individual brilliance six minutes after the break to restore the hosts’ lead, but that only set the stage for a Ronaldinho masterclass that would ultimately win the game for Flamengo.
The former FIFA World Player of the Year levelled proceedings at 4-4 in the 68th minute, before completing his treble with an 81st minute strike.
The win moved Flamengo into third spot, just four points from the league leading Corinthians, while Santos are level with relegation-placed Bahia, but have two games in hand.
Coritiba could not mirror Flamengo’s mercurial fighting efforts, but they would have lost no supporters in their 4-3 home loss to Sao Paulo.
The visitors at Estadio Major Antonio Couto Pereira led 4-0 after 54 minutes, courtesy of goals to Carlinhos Paraiba, Juan, Dagoberto and Lucas Silva.
They also had the numerical advantage, as Coritiba’s Davi had been shown a red card when his side were trailing 3-0.
But the hosts were not to be denied that easily, as a brace from Bill as well as a Rafinha goal gave Sao Paulo some nervous final moments.
But the visiting side held on, despite also finishing with 10 men after Denilson received a straight red on 90 minutes.
The win helped Sao Paulo stay one point ahead of Flamengo in second place.
Botafogo came from a goal down to beat Avai at home 2-1, a result which keeps the losers second last on the league table.
A Felipe brace helped Atletico GO beat Cruzeiro 2-0 at home, with the victors leaping one point clear of the drop zone accordingly.
Palmeiras and Atletico Mineiro racked up 1-0 wins over Figueirense and Fluminense respectively, while Gremio were kept to a 1-1 home draw by Atletico Mineiro.
You have to wonder what David Beckham’s new Tottenham team-mates will make of his very modern transfer. With Spurs on the brink of great things in both the Premier League and Europe, Harry Redknapp’s players could be forgiven for wondering why on Earth the club are bringing in this fading matinee idol. Beckham’s loan deal will be a move without any responsibility on either side. He’s a footballer, so they tell me, but he is not actually likely to play much football for Spurs.
I know he is a lovely bloke, I know he’s been good for English football and I know that he has strong family links with Tottenham – his late grandfather, apparently, used to watch me play during the 1960s. But let’s face it, Beckham is a male model, a poseur – and he plays like one. His time at Spurs will include little more than a few cameo roles, pinging a few long crossfield balls, maybe the occasional free-kick for old time’s sake, then standing back and admiring himself.
There was a time when, no matter how good a player or how big a name you were, you always had to earn the respect of your fellow pros when you moved clubs. Back in 1961, Spurs broke the British record to sign me from AC Milan for £99,999, but that didn’t mean my new team-mates were standing on their chairs and greeting me with a fanfare. The previous season, Spurs had become the first club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double, so they didn’t exactly feel as though they needed me!
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I remember walking into the dressing room to be met with stony glares and the reserve-team captain Johnny Smith greeting me with the words: “Ooh, here SHE comes!” I thought : “Oh s***, this isn’t going to be easy – they reckon I’m a right ponce and that I’m going to upset the applecart.” Luckily for me, I was able to ease myself in with a reserve match at Plymouth which involved an overnight stay and a couple of jars with senior pros like Terry Dyson and Mel Hopkins, who must have told the others I wasn’t so bad after all.
You can be sure, though, that many of Tottenham’s players will have been watching Beckham swanning around this week in his Great Gatsby cap, acting like Tom Cruise, and thinking ‘what the hell are the club up to?’ It’s not as if Spurs are crying out for midfield creativity. With Rafa van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon they are chock-full of it. I think Redknapp, and Beckham himself, are too cute to allow the media circus to disrupt Tottenham’s campaign. Many of Tottenham’s English players will have been with Beckham in the national set-up and probably know that he enjoys just being one of the lads.
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The closest thing I can remember to Beckham’s move is when George Best went to Fulham in the Second Division in the 1970s, along with Rodney Marsh – and the pair of them treated Craven Cottage to some showbusiness, without taking their football too seriously. Had Ronaldinho joined Blackburn Rovers, we could have had an even more bizarre transfer this January, yet for some reason, the former World Footballer of the Year didn’t want to swap his bandana for a Lancashire flat cap.
Beckham, of course, would have turned a flat cap, a whippet and a Woodbine into a major fashion statement had he chosen Ewood Park. As a Spurs man, I genuinely hope his little stint in north London is successful. Apparently even his wife’s family are Spurs fans. So perhaps when hubby steps off the bench at White Hart Lane, she’ll even give us a smile. Stranger things have happened. Not many, though.
Another blow for Coventry City as news emerged this week that Cyrus Christie is going to be out injured for another 6 months. With the squad getting smaller we can ill afford these sorts of injuries to any players within the squad.
We currently have nine defenders at the club who are in the first team squad which on the face of it seems no problem at all; this however is unlikely to be the case with more players set to leave the club.
Martin Cranie is the first obvious one that will leave as he is out of contract this summer and there are going to be bigger clubs willing to offer him a contract. He is a good player and a solid defender but I’m not sure he is particularly loyal and for that reason I think he will leave.
Then there is James McPake who has been on loan at Hibernian in what was supposed to be a loan to get his fitness back up to scratch. However he has been a huge hit at Easter Road and was even made captain. He is a no nonsense, fully committed defender which would be useful for us next season but its looking unlikely that he will remain at Coventry after what has clearly been a successful loan spell at Hibernian.
A third who is likely to leave is Richard Keogh who has unquestionably been our best player this season. His passion and commitment to the cause is at times unbelievable and he would be a huge asset to us next season. However after his continuous impressive performances this season it looks likely that a bigger team will come in and poach him away from the skyblues.
Reported bids have already come in from the likes of Bristol City and Cardiff City and there is rumored interest from many others clubs such as Ipswich Town. He does however seem like a great lad and a potentially loyal footballer; I can’t imagine that relegation would have hit anybody much harder than it did him and I can see him wanting to try to make things right before he leaves.
However cashing in on the likes of McPake and Keogh is probably the biggest reason why they are both likely to go. The club needs money and selling these players seems to be the only real source of income that the club has left.
This would mean that there would be three of the nine defenders gone, all of which are centre backs. We would then be left with Richard Wood who we all know has injury issues and usually spends more time on the sidelines than actually playing and the only other centre half we have is Nathan Cameron who is still young and shouldn’t be relied on as a first choice centre back. He has shown signs of potential but has also shown a lot of naivety and if he were to play would need someone experienced alongside him to help him out.
Other defenders in the squad include Jordan Clarke who is a really promising right back and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was interest from other clubs in him. He himself however has reiterated his desire to stay at Coventry and I sincerely hope that he does.
We then have Chris Hussey who after gaining some championship experience is just beginning to flourish. He has clearly been learning in his time at Coventry after being signed from non-league but I have witnessed improvements within his game and he is slowly but surely becoming a good defender.
We also have young Jordan Willis who made a couple of appearances at the end of this season and he did do ok. He is however very young and personally I don’t think he is quite ready to be in the first team squad, however, it may however be a case that necessity requires him to be and if that is the case I just hope he can learn quickly and make the step up.
Finally we have the previously mentioned Cyrus Christie who really did flourish this season and has shown a lot of promise for the future. However with him being injured and likely to miss the first half of the season we may have a bit of a defensive crisis on our hands.
With still no update on when the transfer embargo is going to be removed if at all, these may be the set of defenders that we start the new season with. If Keogh, Cranie and McPake do all leave, along with the injury to Christie we will be left with five fit defenders and that is if Wood can prove his fitness.
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Being realistic it is clearly unlikely that as a squad we will be able to cope defensively. With strikers at the bare minimum and now defenders, we are going to have the problem of not only scoring goals but not conceding them as well.
The new season continues to look bleak and will continue to do so unless this transfer embargo is removed. We cannot rely on the squad we have, we need fresh faces and some new impetus but it still remains to be seen whether bringing in new players is going to be possible.
With our current owners in place I would regrettably suggest that this transfer embargo will not be lifted anytime soon and I would not be surprised if we haven’t added any players to the squad come the start of the season. Based on this it looks like another long hard season is on the cards and right now I am just hoping that I am proved wrong.
The Asian Football Confederation must undertake presidential elections after Mohamed Bin Hammam’s life ban, Japan’s football chief said.Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura said the ban issued to former AFC boss Bin Hammam meant a vote was required, despite the caretaker presidency falling the way of China’s Zhang Jilong.
Bin Hammam was banned for life for being implicated in corruption regarding the vote to decide which nation would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup – the event going the way of the then AFC president’s native Qatar.
“(Bin Hammam) has been banned for life so there is a need for elections to be held,” Ogura said.
Meanwhile, Bin Hammam is desperately maintaining his innocence, and is calling for the AFC to postpone any potential elections while he appeals his life ban.
Ogura said the disgraced Qatari had contacted him to inform him of his plan to retain his presidency of the AFC.
“He (Bin Hammam) said he doesn’t think he has done anything wrong and that he has no intention of quitting as either AFC President or FIFA executive,” Ogura said.
The AFC executive is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the future presidency.
Share your fan journey for the chance to win a car!
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Football fans are a hardy bunch. Come rain or shine, every Saturday footy fans across the country embark on their own individual journeys to catch a glimpse of their team and ensure that they don’t miss a kick. While we don’t all have to endure the 800 mile round trip that Newcastle and Plymouth fans had to endure for the Championship fixtures at St James’ Park and Home Park, thousands of us do travel a fair few miles up and down the motorway in our cars each and every week. Now you have the chance to document that journey and get it seen by your fellow fans, as well as be in with the chance to win football tickets of your choice and a trip to the FA Cup final!
The Journey sponsored by Hyundai allows you to enlighten your fellow fans to your pre and post-match rituals. You’re invited to send in your own videos that show you going to and from the footy. Hyundai are looking for the best, most entertaining videos that you can produce, so you can be as creative as you like. Whether you want to recreate and put your own unique twist on John Barnes’ iconic 1990 World Cup rap, or put Paul Whitehouse to shame with a video of your memorable weekly car journeys, it is left completely up to you. And it doesn’t matter whether your journey is a 200 mile slog or a 2 mile trip from pub to ground!
Talking about Barnes, the former Liverpool and England midfielder is one of a handful of football legends attempting the Boot Shoot. A part of the Hyundai Football Challenge, the Boot Shoot challenges you to kick a football straight into the boot of a Hyundai car. Sound easy? Why not have a look at Barnes’ attempt at the Hyundai Boot Shoot here, then try it yourself and send in your video of you kicking the ball into the back of your motor.
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If you haven’t got the skills, don’t worry as you can simply enter the Fan Journey competition sponsored by Hyundai. All you have to do is enter the competition right here on FootballFanCast.com by sending your video to us. Each week we’ll choose one winner, with their video being shown on the concourse TV at their team’s football ground, in addition to winning tickets to the match as well. If that wasn’t enough, at the end of the season one overall winner will be selected to win a brand new Hyundai car! Enter the competition now by clicking the link below…
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Send us your Fan Journey Video Now!
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Sponsored by
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Ever since becoming an official partner for the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, Hyundai have undertaken a journey to prominence on the world football stage by sponsoring FIFA and UEFA tournaments worldwide. Hyundai’s first involvement in the European football scene started with its sponsorship for EURO 2000, which was co-hosted by Belgium and The Netherlands. The partnership with UEFA and FIFA, demonstrates Hyundai’s long-term commitment to support the game of football. Hyundai also owns and operates its own professional football team, the Chonbuk Hyundai Motors Football Club, and are committed to developing Korean football at all levels of the game.
Over the years we have grown used to some stereotypical truths in the Premier League. We know Arsene Wenger won’t ‘see’ every controversial decision, Fergie will get on the referee’s back when the chips are down, Chelsea and Roman Abramovich have a lower managerial patience threshold than most and Stoke are that rugby team with the long throw as their potent weapon. In just this short list, we are all accustomed to their attribution in the game and we understand these reputations run deep and aren’t likely to change anytime soon. The thing with stereotypes is that they are difficult to shake and once manufactured into the fabric of the game, with mutterings down the pub or punditry panels circling round a topic like a ravaging group of piranha fish, their impact gets greater with more scepticism overriding as the end result.
But what should football clubs do with their reputations, if anything at all? We have seen the Stoke City fans in particularly embrace their ‘over physical’ tag with chants of ‘swing low, sweet chariot’ radiating from the Britannia terraces to flauntingly poke fun at managers such as Wenger who are yet to find an answer to their combative game plan. On the contrary, foreign ran clubs such as Chelsea are coming under increasing scrutiny for their ‘hire and fire’ cultures, tearing managerial reputations into tiny pieces and being ever so ruthless in search of success. In comparison to Stoke and their embracement of their reputation, Roman Abramovich remains adamant that Chelsea are capable of playing a more exciting brand of football, buying more technically gifted players such as Juan Mata and Marko Marin, whilst refraining from publically giving his backing to Roberto Di Matteo for the job full-time, despite an impressive run as interim boss.
Perhaps at the root of the problem is money and expectation. Stoke City are currently enjoying their fourth consecutive season in the top flight and manager Tony Pulis maintains the Potters have improved this term playing in their maiden Europa League campaign whilst maintaining their battling game plan which currently leaves them comfortably 13th in mid-table. For many Potters fans, simply playing Premier League football is enough for their loyal band of followers and bringing signings in of the calibre of Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios in the summer only served to represent how far the club has come since the days in the second tier. Therefore, being one of the more unfashionable sides in the country doesn’t seem to matter as much for Stoke who have no speculation amounting over their manager’s head, no real threat of relegation and a tremendous home record whereby only Newcastle in the top six have left the city of Stoke-on-Trent with more than a point.
For Potters fans, the Premier League journey is still one big ride, and upsetting a few purists along the way such as Wenger is all part of the jaunt whereby they will seek to use any winning formula to their advantage; hence Rory Delap and Ryan Shotton’s Stretch Armstrong-like abilities in launching throws into the opposing teams penalty area. It is sometimes harsh on Stoke to lament their play solely physical with Matthew Etherington and Peter Crouch capable of more technically-gifted skill on their day. However, you can’t help feel that in this case, the embracement of their rugby-like reputation has only served to build their growing Premier League status. Most managers now are verbal in their expectation of a ‘tough’ game at the Britannia and many teams still struggle to match Pulis’ side aerially. Stoke have now built an identity as a tough side to break down and are clear evidence that the infighting culture of turning a reputation into a positive and not bowing down to scepticism in the mainstream press can pay off in the long run.
Chelsea on the other hand are caught in a dilemma. Their tactical, less fluid and sometimes brutal style as characterised through battering rams such as Drogba has yielded success, most notably during the Mourinho period but owner Roman Abramovich has always kept one eye on the Real Madrid and Arsenal-like models where simply winning is not enough. Winning in style is something Abramovich ultimately strives for and the summer capture of Andre Villas-Boas, Juan Mata and more recently Marko Marin serves as clear evidence that the owner wants a more technically gifted outfit, who are more easy on the eye and can win over more sceptics who claim Chelsea are pedestrian. This is the asset-rich Russian’s ultimate goal and therefore unlike Stoke, there is a tendency to reject the reputation and throw big bucks at changing the situation. Because money solves everything right? In this case, it must be comprehended Chelsea’s ambitions are on a different level to Stoke but what differs is that Chelsea and their owner are more affected by criticisms.
We all applauded the marvel of Chelsea’s outstanding Champions League triumph over Barcelona but the reputation amongst football purists worldwide is that in a bittersweet fashion they conducted the victory with plenty of substance over style; or were the so-called beast amongst the beauty of Barcelona. Foreign owners are very flashy and impressionable but Abramovich shouldn’t forget what made Chelsea tick in recent years gone by. Many Chelsea fans are indeed excited by the arrival of Marin and the potential for more flair-laden stars but there is an overriding notion that Chelsea are always on the defensive, trying to reject the stereotype that they are boring, yet successful. The moral of the story, is that reputations run deep and you can’t try and pretend to be something you’re not. With the current personnel, Chelsea’s strengths lie in tactical play. Abramovich isn’t going to get his dream team overnight and an embracement of their very own reputation could be said to heighten their togetherness and unity as a particular type of outfit.
Are you a Stoke or Chelsea fan? Are you pleased with the way your sides play? Let me know your opinions @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
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Sao Paulo made it five wins from five after a 2-0 away victory at Ceara in Sunday’s Brazilian Serie A action.The table-toppers travelled to the strugglers hopeful of maintaining their perfect record and after a slow start, Paulo Cesar Carpegiani’s side kicked into gear.
Marlos scored the opener after 35 minutes and Lucas doubled the lead with 26 minutes remaining to seal a comfortable victory for Sao Paulo.
Palmeiras remain four points behind their city rivals in second place after they romped to a 5-0 home win over cellar-dwellers Avai.
A George Lucas own goal after 18 minutes kick-started the scoring and Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side put their foot down in a sensational 30 minutes of football.
Forward Luan found the back of the net after 22 minutes and grabbed his second 18 minutes later, before Kleber opened his account three minutes before half-time.
Kleber added the fifth from the penalty spot with 19 minutes to play as Palmeiras remained unbeaten.
In other matches, fourth-placed Figueirense were 2-0 home winners over Atletico Paranaense thanks to first-half goals from Heber and Juninho Barbosa, while Botafogo and Flamengo played out a goalless draw.
Roberson’s goal with five minutes remaining saw Gremio claim a point in a 1-1 draw with Vasco Da Gama and Coritiba and Internacional’s match also finished with the same scoreline.
Two goals in the final 15 minutes saw Atletico Mineiro escape with a 2-2 draw in their home match against Atletico Goianiense.