Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish has welcomed the selection dilemma that the availability of new signings is giving him.
McLeish has deadline-day signings Alex Hleb and Jean Beausejour available for Saturday's derby trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Hleb, who is on a season-long loan from Barcelona, has recovered from an ankle injury while Chile international Beausejour has finally received his international clearance to play in the Premier League.
"Hleb is looking good and it is great to see his undoubted quality on the training field," McLeish told the club's official website.
"He's a little bit behind the players in terms of games played because the other players played six games in pre-season as well as some practice matches and also the start of the campaign.
"Hleb's not played too many games at all – two international games and he came back with a slight injury, but he's trained this week.
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"I just have to make a decision whether I throw him right in or whether he comes from the bench in the early stages."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Karim Benzema has ruled out all talk of a potential January swap deal involving Wayne Rooney.
Ever since Rooney declared that his long term future will be away from Old Trafford; speculation has been rife within the media about his next move. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have all been mooted as potential destinations for United’s No.10, as has Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, who according to reports in Spain are preparing to use Karim Benzema as bait in order to lure Rooney to the Bernabeu in January.
However the French striker confirmed that he is not interested in leaving Real Madrid in the distant future and is determined to prove his worth at the Bernabeu.
“It’s only normal that players are linked to Real Madrid. This is a great team,
“Ferguson is a fantastic coach, but I play for Real Madrid.
“I feel more integrated now. My Spanish is better and I understand almost everything. I love Madrid.
“I am working hard to earn more playing time,
“Once I play people will see what I am capable of. I am sure I will succeed with Real Madrid. I don’t have a single doubt.
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“I have the mindset to play here. If I have to defend and run, I will. That is fine. I will work harder to play more and to prove to everyone that I am a good forward that can score a lot of goals and play pretty football.” (SkySports)
Karim Benzema has scored 10 goals in 41 appearances since his £30m move from Lyon back in 2009.
Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley has signed a new long-term contract that will keep him with Steve Bruce's team until the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
The 25-year-old Scotland international's previous deal was due to expire at the end of this season but he has produced some of the best performances of his career this term.
Bruce said:"Obviously there's a decision myself and the board have had to make and, to be fair to Phil, he's done very, very well.
"The last thing we wanted to do was to let Phil run into a Bosman situation. He has played his part, he is a valuable member of the squad and he has been rewarded for that."
Bardsley added:"I'm delighted to be able to stay. Talks have been ongoing over the last couple of weeks and I'm really pleased to be here for the next three-and-a-half years.
"It's a club which I enjoy being at, I love living up here, the lads and everything about being here. Being part of the manager's plans is great and I'm enjoying my football."
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Bardsley has made 81 appearances for the Black Cats, having started his career at Manchester United.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham and Manchester United booked their passage through to the Champions League knock out stages with a relatively straight forward victory last night. Harry Redknapp has called upon his Tottenham side to go on and win the group, so to avoid any of the big guns in the next stage.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories from clearouts at Liverpool; West Ham reiterating there are no dangers with their Olympic bid , while Sam Allardyce has been told to liven it up at Ewood Park.
Hammers unaffected by bid – Sky Sports
Tottenham’s flair finds ideal expression in open fields of Europe – Guardian
Babel could lead Liverpool exodus – Daily Telegraph
If we don’t qualify it’s a disaster – Sun
Tottenham and Newcastle battling for Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro – IM Scouting
Uefa investigates Real red cards – Daily Telegraph
McCarthy sits out chairman mystery – Sun
Report: Steven Pienaar won’t stay at Everton, could leave in January – IM Scouting
Malouda – Blues have lost aura – Sky Sports
Rooney: This is just the start – Guardian
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Cole slams ‘diabolical’ West Ham – Daily Telegraph
1. Snow business like no business – It is my solemn duty, and deep regret to announce that my report-stroke-all-to-obvious-and-try hard-attempts-at-comic-observation from the Blackpool – Manchester United game have been cancelled due to bad weather. I’d been struggling in the run up to the encounter as it was, perturbed by the fact that writing from home isn’t one of the many jobs that fall under “Things heavy snow prohibits you from doing”. Unfairly shorn of the opportunity to say I was unable to make it in to work, I never the less remained resolute in my determination to be a proper, dedicated member of the British public by being put out the smallest bit of adverse weather. I thus decided instead that I’d claim I couldn’t make it out of work, and as such had developed a sort of claustrophobia induced Shining-like cabin fever which was prohibiting me from doing anything productive, apart from playing the Playstation, which is of course a well known and accredited way of maintaining mental stability during psychosis. This is of course how things work in England when it snows. If the ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ had been set here Jake Gyllenhaal wouldn’t have stood a chance. Forget the day after tomorrow, the world would’ve ground to a halt three weeks before yesterday, as everyone in Britain packs up and gives in at the merest hint of some flakes on the line at Penge. Thankfully my faith in the system won out as Blackpool’s state of the art – for the 1980s – pitch buckled under the pressure of whiteness and the game was abandoned, leaving me completely justified in my lazine..er…convictions.
2. Young man, there’s no need to feel down – As North London’s fancy modern under soil heated shrine to corporate determination and foreign efficiency commendably dealt with the one day of snow London had had three days earlier and been fighting ever since, Samir Nasri continued a growing and encouraging trend. A small band of young, previously inconsistent and often derided wingers are suddenly starting to come very very good, and in an era where La Liga is assumed to have gained the best, established, peak players, it can only be good news for the Premiership. Nasri, along with Manchester United’s Nani and Tottenham’s soon to be Ballon d’or winning – despite the trifling matter of not being nominated – Gareth Bale have all suffered the ignominy of growing up under scrutiny in a big team. All have endured the dismissal of fans, pundits and Alan Green. And all this season seem to have stepped up their efforts, and quality quite drastically. Nasri’s two goals against Fulham where magical, as he quite literally (TM Jamie Redknapp) walked in a winter wonder goal not once, but twice, despite them both seemingly scored against a row of stoned traffic cones. Added to his volley against Villa last week and his commanding performance against England at Wembley, he looks to be ripening nicely. Though the whole snood, gloves with short sleeves thing needs to stop. If you’re going to be soft, be soft properly!
3. When Saturday Comes – As Chelsea continue to slide further away from their early season form and deep into a patch of whatever colour the opposite of purple is (yellow?) Everton’s Jermaine Beckford continues to serve as a reminder of what would actually happen if a player plucked from obscurity was suddenly given his chance at the big time. Despite Hollywood (not to mention Sky1’s peerless football soap opera/Hollyoaks audition/Nuts magazine photo shoot opportunity Dream Team) telling us constantly how slim the gap between the very top, and those who’re earnest and try really hard actually is, it’s not fooling anyone. It’s certainly been no Hollywood experience for Beckford so far, and even when he does manage to score an important late equalizer against the reigning champions on their own patch, the overriding reaction is “yeah well I could’ve done that” and all the plaudits go to Leighton Baines.
4. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Everyone loves a good fight don’t they? Well apart from Audley Harrison (though to be fair I don’t know why everyone’s being so harsh on him, it’s not like he’s ever hurt anyone) but down at Eastlands they’re kicking off all over the shop. Bangerang! Fresh from a good old training ground dust up between Jerome Boateng and the quintessential moody troubled child Mario Balotelli (who’s unfortunate but obviously very serious inability to smile is surely losing him countless lucrative sponsorship deals) the Middle Eastenders were at it again on Saturday as captain Carlos Tevez unleashed a few choice verbal volleys and dramatic gesticulation his managers way. His rather long and protracted attempts to learn English, which seem to have taken him four years and is still an on going process, surely rule him out of knowing any rude words in Italian, but it’d be interesting to see how Mancini deals with such public petulance. Whatever the reason though it seems to have gotten City playing some sexy football. They devastated Owen Coyle’s Boltolona with attack after attack but were unfortunately let down by most of the final chances falling to their full backs. Maybe they could buy some more strikers and play them as full backs? Or use some of their existing 47? Bellamy and Adebayor might get a game then.
5. Baggie Trousers – After riding out their little slump, West Brom are back to within 8 points of the Champions League places (so, 7 points) and back playing like it. In addition to the almost prolific Odemwingie, in Somen Tchoyi they seem to have found the valuable professional equivalent of that awkward fat lumbering kid at school who is unfathomably good at scoring goals, usually by hitting it really hard at the goal whenever he’s anywhere near it. At my school he was called Yassir and looked like a sort of Persian Super Mario, but he could wallop it goal-bound like nobodies business and had tricky feet for someone with the turning speed of an old lady trying to parallel park a transit van. Such an achievement would probably be enviable to Sol Campbell though who celebrated his 500th Premier League appearance by having a rest whenever West Brom attacked.
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You can follow Oscar on Twitter here; http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary where you can join his campaign to change everyone’s facebook profile picture to a picture of themselves to put an end to campaigns that don’t practically achieve anything.
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.
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.
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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Wigan will travel to Anfield in search of more goals as they take on in-form Liverpool in the English Premier League on Saturday.
The Latics found the back of the net four times in their win over Blackburn last weekend, in a round that saw a record 43 goals scored across 10 matches.
Wigan also boast an excellent record against Liverpool. Roberto Martinez’s side are undefeated in their last two matches against the Reds and have scored at least one goal in their last six matches against Liverpool.
And their manager said they would be aiming to continue that goal-scoring record when the two sides meet on Saturday.
“Last weekend was a great advert for the Premier League and it was typical of the nature of this season,” said Martinez.
“From our point of view to score four goals at home is an achievement that has been coming this season from the amount of chances we’ve been creating.”
“And also the quality of the goals were of the highest order, and we’ll plan to continue on the same lines.”
Wigan have a number of players returning from international duty during the week, including James McArthur, who scored for Scotland in their 3-0 win over Northern Ireland.
Pleasingly for Martinez, he has almost a full list to choose from, with no major injuries to speak of.
For Liverpool the match will be a chance to continue their resurgence in the second half of the season, with the Reds up to sixth in the Premier League on the back of a five game unbeaten run.
Liverpool put an end to the Fernando Torres transfer saga by beating the Spaniard and his new side Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last week.
Torres’ replacement Andy Carroll is still not ready to play because of a thigh injury, but fellow signing Luis Suarez is in line to play, as are skipper Steven Gerrard and Martin Kelly, who both came through their midweek internationals unscathed.
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Liverpool are still in contention for a Champions League spot next season, but first-team coach Steve Clarke said it was important they did not underestimate teams like Wigan.
“I think you only have to look at recent results in the Barclays Premier League to know that everybody is dangerous,” Clarke said.
“We have to be on our guard but we also have to be confident and sure of ourselves and think we are looking like a good side again.”
“We want to continue that and pick up another three points and keep looking at the teams above us.”
Borussia Dortmund underlined their Bundesliga title credentials after beating defending champions Bayern Munich 3-1 on Saturday.The result all but ends Bayern’s title challenge this season, with Louis van Gaal’s side now 16 points adrift of league leaders Dortmund, who showed why they have been the team to beat all season with an entertaining win at the Allianz Arena.Bayern would have been hoping to capitalise with rookie keeper Mitchell Langerak making his first start in goals for Dortmund, but it was the visitors who drew first blood when Lucas Barrios opened the scoring after just eight minutes.Both sides were creating a plethora of chances, and it was no surprise when Bayern levelled through Luiz Gustavo seven minutes later.But Dortmund were back in front almost instantly after Nuri Sahin placed a curling shot past the outstretched hands of Bayern goalkeeper Thomas Kraft, before Mats Hummels’ goal on the hour mark sealed a telling victory for Juergen Klopp’s side.Hannover and Mainz kept the pressure on the Bundesliga leaders with both sides recording hard-fought away wins.Hannover had an 89th minute header from defender Christian Schulz to thank for their 1-0 victory over St Pauli, a result that lifts them into third place on the table ahead of Bayern Munich.Meanwhile, a 2-1 win over Hoffenheim ensures Mainz remain in fifth spot on the table.Mainz took the lead through Andreas Ivanschitz at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, but the hosts looked to have salvaged a share of the spoils when David Alaba equalised seven minutes from time.Enter Elkin Soto, and the Colombian midfielder secured all three points for Mainz just two minutes later when he found himself on the end of a Marcel Risse cross to fire home the winner.Elsewhere on Saturday, Cologne moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a surprise 1-0 win over Freiburg thanks to a Lukas Podolski goal.Relegation battlers Kaiserslautern claimed a valuable point at home with a 1-1 draw against Hamburg, while Schalke and Nuremberg also drew 1-1 when Raul cancelled out Jens Hegeler’s opener for the visitors.