After seeing some of the response on the internet to Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Blackpool I think we need to calm down and actually get to grips with where we are as a club.
We had a fantastic but also somewhat lucky season in 2009 where we reached the Premier League, much of the money from that season paid off debts and parachute payments have been used to cover costs of being relegated, on the wages for players like Andre Bikey and bigger contracts for the likes of Jay Rodriguez. Brian Laws was a mistake and Eddie Howe has had a bigger rebuilding job – I’d like to think we can agree on that.
As for now, we have a big problem with our supporters. The away fans this season as always have been fantastic and remained behind the team. However our home support (which has significantly dwindled since the Premier League) I can only describe as embarrassing. Often the atmosphere has felt flat and with a team trying to develop a new playing style, that is incredibly frustrating for those of us who do get behind the team!
After the Blackpool game I had a brief look on Twitter and regret doing so. Some of the idiotic comments on the #twitterclarets hashtag were just pointless. As as for our messageboards this season, well lord give me strength.
Let’s see where we are at for next season. We’ve got a pretty strong base in our team with good young and hungry players that are getting close to adapting a style similar to the likes of Wigan and Swansea who have won rave reviews this season at times in the top flight. I’ve been pretty pleased with the Austin/Ings partnership and with the extra forwards such as Paterson we have at our disposal I’m not totally worried about the loss of Jay Rodriguez.
The defence (with the exception of Saturday) has been looking fairly strong of late and that is a sign for a better start to next season than this. With a couple of sensible additions then I think we can make this even better, I for one am very happy with the initial signs of Danny Lafferty. The supporters baiting and criticism has helped to ruin the Burnley career of Brian Easton who I wish the best of luck with another club.
With some strong youngsters coming through the ranks, whom I hope to break through to the first team squad, I think we have the potential for an excellent season. Our finest moments have come with the backing of the fans, 10 away wins this season is testament to our away support, so let’s get behind the boys and help them to a prosperous 2012/13.
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To start this transformation I suggest fans get out in force for the final home game of the season vs. Bristol City to not only start getting behind the boys but also pay tribute to two of our major forces in the boardroom. Barry Kilby and Paul Fletcher, who have offered a great deal to this club over the years, let’s pay tribute to them!
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has cast doubts on his long-term future at Goodison Park.The Belgian midfielder, in talks with the club aimed at securing a new contract on Merseyside, has indicated he could leave the Blues to pursue Champions League football.
Keeping the 23-year-old is one of manager David Moyes’ priorities, and it had been hoped he would agree to a lucrative extension of his current deal.
Moyes has a good relationship with the man he made the club’s record 15 million pound signing from Standard Liege three years ago.
Speaking in Belgium, where he continues his rehabilitation from the ankle injury that ended his season two months early, Fellaini told media 7sur7: “One thing is certain, I want to play in a team that wins trophies and play in the Champions League. Everton is a team of sub-top.”
For now, Fellaini, whose contract expires in two years, wants to remain in Merseyside despite interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
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The fans’ favourite added that he will not necessarily leave the Toffees this summer, suggesting he will wait to see whether Moyes can lead his side back into Europe before deciding on his future.
Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton will take his time over appointing a new assistant following the departure of Colin Calderwood.
Calderwood left St James' Park last week to take the managerial reins at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian.
Former Magpies coach and Chelsea number two Steve Clarke has been linked with a return to the north-east, but Hughton is in no rush to make a backroom appointment.
"It's something I have wanted to take some time over. I don't expect to take too long over it, but I haven't named one yet," he explained.
"I have a few in mind, but certainly no decisions have been made yet."
Speaking about Clarke, who has been out of work since leaving West Ham at the end of last season, Hughton added:"Probably the reason it has been mentioned is because he is a very, very good coach who is available and he has a history at this club.
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"But he is one of a few very good coaches who I would have thought about, but I categorically haven't made any decisions yet.
"I have given myself that little bit of time to make what I feel will be the best decision."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Ahead of their second leg Champions League semi final against Barcelona in the Nou Camp, Chelsea might feel a little confident that this weekend’s Clasico will hit Barcelona for six, one way or another. They might also find inspiration from teams such as Sevilla going to the Nou Camp back in October and getting a 0-0 result. But ultimately, the only way forward for Chelsea in this tie is to attack.
At this stage, with an unlikely lead to protect against one of the world’s most devastating attacks, it only seems rational to go into the Nou Camp and park the bus, plane, and any other large unit that may come in handy. But games like Sevilla’s 0-0 should be seen as the exception. A game in which goalkeeper Javi Varas was the undoubted man of the match, denying Lionel Messi from the penalty spot in the 94th minute. Yes Sevilla parked the bus, and Freddie Kanoute did all he could to further frustrate the Catalans. But if there was game for Chelsea to use as a template heading into next week, it should be either Athletic Bilbao’s 2-2 draw in the Basque country, or Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
On both occasions Barcelona were given a much more open game than they’re used to. Playing at high tempos from one end to the other doesn’t suit Barcelona’s style of slow and patient build-up play. And it certainly doesn’t help when one of their key assets in their attack in Dani Alves is stuck in his own half defending the advances from the opposition.
Both 2-2 draws were slightly different affairs in the bigger picture, but ultimately neither Bilbao nor Madrid had anything to lose. With that mentality they were able to pin Barcelona back and stop them dictating the game in a fashion they’re comfortable with. Chelsea, on the other hand, do have a lot to lose. But losing their lead seems almost guaranteed as Barcelona have not failed to score at home since the visit of Sevilla.
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It has been brought up a number of times since Chelsea’s surprise victory on Wednesday night that Chelsea got everything spot on tactically and suffocated the space in their own half. To an extent that’s true, but it doesn’t disguise the twenty four shots Barcelona had, or the lion’s share of possession. Instead, it highlighted the deficiencies in this Barcelona team. A team who are completely lacking any alternative options when a game becomes difficult. It would be completely foolish on Chelsea’s part to believe that will be the case the second time around next week.
Barcelona will be expecting a team to sit with 10 men behind the ball and afford them the time and space to meticulously prod and probe the Chelsea defence for gaps. What they won’t expect is a team to go out and genuinely give them a tough time and go looking for more goals.
There’s no denying that Barcelona’s defence has holes and weaknesses. Javier Mascherano has been preferred as the regular centre back for Guardiola this season, and he’s been a success for the most part against La Liga opposition. A player unlikely to see many games ahead of Sergio Busquets in his favoured position, he’s managed to excel in a less familiar role. But there were noticeable problems against Chelsea and Didier Drogba. The Barcelona backline are not used to dealing with aerial long balls, and that combined with the presence of Drogba forced a number of uncertain moments for the centre backs.
In much the same way, Athletic Bilbao were able to pressure the Barcelona back four with their pressing high up the pitch. Marcelo Biesla has transformed that team into much more than just a long ball team with Fernando Llorente at the tip of the sword. Instead, they’re forced to press the opposition when in possession. Real Madrid did the same thing when the tie seemed over in the Copa del Rey and it highlighted that Barcelona can’t handle the kind of pressure they like to impose on their opponents.
Again, while it has been done before, it would be almost surrendering the game if Chelsea were to go into this game with a defensive mind. They’re certainly not going to see much of the ball, but that shouldn’t discourage them from pushing bodies forward when an opportunity does arise.
Roberto di Matteo’s team have pace, power, and goals in them that would frustrate Barcelona and put them under enormous pressure.
With seemingly the Champions League as the top priority for the season, there’s very little chance of Barcelona not scoring on the night, regardless of Chelsea’s defiant backline. The only option for Chelsea on the night is to score more.
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Do you fancy playing on the pitch at Stamford Bridge?
In an interview with LFC TV, former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso stated he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of playing for the Reds once again in the future:
“Why not? I think that in football so many things change, and why not? I have my red passion and if circumstances arrived then why not? At the moment I don’t know what is going to happen, but it could be a possibility. Never say never.”
At 29 years of age, Alonso hasn’t got that many years left at the top of his game but it seems he may like to have a swansong back at his old club sometime in the future if he was given the opportunity.
The circumstances surrounding his departure were controversial, and I am not going to discuss them here because they are now irrelevant in regards to the future (any comments below debating this issue will be deleted as I haven’t got the time to moderate an argument which may well go long into the night), but I think it is fair to say that we have certainly missed him over the last couple of seasons.
Certainly his best season came in his last campaign for the club when the Reds were challenging for the title, and he was the integral conduit for both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to receive the ball further up the pitch. Without needing to go deep to find the ball, players such as Gerrard knew that Alonso would pick him out with his pin point accurate passers. The Basque was just as accurate at pinging a 40 yard diagonal ball as he was passing short a few yards to a team mate.
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The deep lying playmaker effectively made the team tick and dictated the tempo of play in Rafa Benitez’s side. We have yet to replace him, and hopefully King Kenny and Damien Comolli are on the case searching for an ideal replacement. A Player such as Charlie Adam has been touted as a possible signing but I am unsure about whether he would in fact be a direct replacement.
Perhaps it is impossible to find a direct replacement without being able to raid Barcelona for someone like Xavi. That’s how highly I rate Xabi, and the fact he was selected consistently beside the midfield maestro for Spain during the side’s World Cup triumph, shows how highly people back in his homeland rate him too. He is now an integral part of the Real Madrid side and has stated he is happy to stay in Spain.
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For the time being we will have to move on. Players I rate with the same style of play and passing range are few and far between, but I would be happy to see the likes of Ever Banega or Steven Defour to fulfil that role. Still, I am hopeful that sometime in the future Xabi will return and will perhaps show us once more how great he could be.
If memory serves us correctly, it wasn’t so long ago that a certain person, of the name Joey Barton and who also had the envious profession of being a professional football player, was a figure of derision and despised for his demeanour and actions predominantly off the field of play. These actions were numerable and malicious, with most other people who commit these acts being reprimanded in much stricter ways. The majority of people would agree that Barton was a lucky man to have such a safe environment that protected him from harsher punishment whilst he marauded about unleashing his fury at will. I’m also fairly certain that the majority of people would have rejoiced at Barton being cast off to jail for a lengthy period of time or prohibited from playing football ever again.
The incidents that gave Barton notoriety included the stubbing out of a cigar on the face of a reserve team mate whilst at Manchester City, assaulting Ousmane Dabo at the same club in training, charged with assault and affray for a fight in Liverpool after a night out and further accounts of disorderly behaviour. To combat this reckless behaviour he had to attend anger and behavioural management sessions in order to try and curb his explosive character when confronted with aggressive or problematic situations. These clinical sessions have obviously accounted for the progression of Barton’s character from reprobate to role model. Although it has been a long and arduous battle for Barton and those around him, he has now been repaying the faith that others had in him. For no one can doubt that he is a talented player and one who may well earn an England call up if he continues to impress, all that was needed to compliment his ability was the mentality that allowed controlled aggression and to eradicate his disposition to violence.
Now I know it is quite early on in the season to be hailing this transformed character and forget all of his previous history that shadowed his image, but after the commanding performances he has displayed, it is positive and welcoming to see. The main example is when Newcastle played Wolves, with Barton being subjected to a fine folly of overtly physical challenges, with players careering into him in order to evoke a reaction and sway the match in Wolves favour. Yet Barton maintained a philosophical approach and played his game, with the Wolves tactic failing to materialise a sending off. He has cemented his position in the centre of midfield, with Alan Smith making way for the new signing Chiek Tiote, marking Barton’s centrality to the team.
A man’s reputation often precedes him, as the saying goes and in this case it is no different. That is until that reputation becomes false in the face of new experiences or a change in character. This latter transformation is the case for Joey Barton; he has come through the turmoil, tribulations and answered his detractors to forge a new path that bodes well. He was obviously a troubled soul that often vented its frustrations and insecurities in the wrong manner, fortunately being a professional footballer can be very forgiving and the necessary recourses to help were found. Yet he still had to want this change and achieve it, which owing to recent performances he has proven.
Rather than throwing in the towel and neglecting the troublesome young man, there was enough to suggest that he would reform himself. Having done so, it serves as a lesson that the long-term is more desirable than the short-term which could have been taken in dismissing the lad altogether. Through rehabilitation, hard work, a desire to succeed and the belief of those around him, Joey Barton has emerged as the player that Newcastle paid nearly £6million for and the person that doesn’t arbitrarily commit offences within society.
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Leeds fans are not happy with Pontus Jansson’s comments after the Reading match, as the centre back issued a rallying cry three months too late.
Leeds looked to have secured just their second win since Boxing Day on Saturday at the Madejski, but a Eunan O’Kane own goal meant the two struggling sides shared the points.
Jansson equalised for the Leeds on the brink of half time, after Jón Daði Böðvarsson had given the home side the lead. Pablo Hernandez thought he had stolen all three points for the visitors, only for O’Kane to put one in his own net just two minutes later.
It was an improved performance from Paul Heckingbottom’s side, with most fans at least somewhat happy that they finally showed a bit of fight. However, it wasn’t exactly a controlled performance, and Jansson’s post match comments have angered fans.
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“At the moment I feel ashamed. In 2018 we have one win and I’m born to be a winner and win games. That’s what I live for, that’s why I play football – because I want to win games. We’ve got one win in 2018 so I feel bad,” said the 27 year-old defender.
“We had a good talk after the game against Wolves. We sat down for 30 minutes in the dressing room. Now it’s up to everyone to show balls and to prove if they want to stay in Leeds. They have to show it now on the pitch.”
Leeds fans will take at least some promise from the performance on Saturday, and the fact that the players are clearly frustrated with their recent form means at least they have something in common with the fans.
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Still, fans are not impressed in the slightest by Jansson’s comments, questioning the point of even issuing a rallying cry now the side are out of the playoff picture.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
In the pick of this evening’s Champions League action, reigning champions Real Madrid play hosts to Premier League side Liverpool.
The Reds are back in Europe’s competition for the first time since 2009 this season, but were quickly brought back down to earth when Los Blancos visited Anfield last month, thumping the Merseysiders 3-0.
Going to the Bernabeu certainly won’t improve Liverpool’s odds, but there’s still a chance the Reds can claim a respectable result against the Group B leaders.
That, however, will largely depend on whether the Premier League runners-up can dominate the individual battles.
Thus, here’s FIVE key battles Brendan Rodgers’ side need to win if they’re to come away from the Bernabeu with a point or more.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON MARIO BALOTELLI TO REVEAL
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CRISTIANO RONALDO VS SIMON MIGNOLET
Football – Real Madrid v Sevilla – UEFA Super Cup 2014 – Cardiff City Stadium, Wales – 14/15 , 12/8/14Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
With an outrageous 22 goals already this season, including this stunning strike at Anfield last month:
… and now just one strike away from matching Raul’s all-time Champions League top scorer record of 71 goals, if Liverpool are to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring at the Bernabeu for the first time since August, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will have to be on top form.
The Belgium international has come under fire of late – Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher even saw grounds to criticise his attempts to prevent Phil Jagielka’s wonder-strike during the Merseyside derby:
But with the odds firmly against him to keep Real Madrid’s star forward at bay, Mignolet enters the Bernabeu fixture under little pressure.
That being said, Ronaldo’s currently enjoying the hottest form of his career. And just in case you’d somehow forgotten what he’s capable of – maybe you’ve been hit on the head with a very, very large spanner – here’s the Portugal international’s twenty best ever goals:
KARIM BENZEMA VS DEJAN LOVREN AND MARTIN SKRTEL
Karim Benzema may find himself slightly outshone by the impeccable attacking cast surrounding him at Real Madrid, but tactically, his influence remains pivotal.
He’s the man who links play between the midfield and the front-line for Real, occupying defenders, always providing a direct outlet and creating space for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Martin Skrtel and summer signing Dejan Lovren have struggled to gel as a centre-back partnership this season and failed to prevent the France international from getting from the score-sheet at Anfield. In fact, he netted twice – this shrewd header:
…followed by a close-range finish as a result of some poor marking from a corner:
Lovren and Skrtel need to match the physicality of Benzema’s stocky 6 foot 2 frame – especially in the air – whilst also stopping the Frenchman from supplying those around him.
He’s grabbed five assists already this season, although the 26 year-old is yet to claim a set-up in Europe:
JORDAN HENDERSON VS TONI KROOS
Toni Kroos is Real Madrid’s pace-setter; their deep-lying playmaker that dictates the direction and tempo of attacks.
The German World Cup winner was allowed to run riot at Anfield, with his 89 passes (producing an incredible pass completion rate of 97.8%) only bettered by central midfield partner Luka Modric:
He’ll inevitably get time and space on the ball – that’s why he’s one of the top midfielders in world football – but Liverpool need to reduce it as much as possible, and that task will likely fall to Jordan Henderson.
The England international’s form has been turbulent this season but he’s got the energy and athleticism to go toe-to-toe with Kroos for much of the match. He’s also the second-most proficient tackler in Liverpool’s squad:
…so if any Reds player can catch Kroos in possession high enough up the pitch to start a counter-attack, it’s undoubtedly the former Sunderland youngster.
Likewise, the German international’s defensive qualities leave a lot to be desire, and Henderson has the pace and intelligence to exploit space behind him on the break.
We know he can score and create around the penalty area too:
And Liverpool’s attackers will need the 24 year-old’s support on a night where they’ll spend the majority of it isolated.
MARIO BALOTELLI VS PEPE
Brendan Rodgers felt compelled to haul Mario Balotelli off at half-time against Real Madrid last month, and the Italian striker’s return for Liverpool stands at an incredibly disappointing two in twelve.
But with the injury-stricken Daniel Sturridge’s chances of starting rated ‘highly unlikely’ by the Liverpool boss, it appears Rodgers has little choice in giving Balotelli another crack against Los Blancos.
He didn’t find an inch of room against Pepe at Anfield – in fact, Liverpool’s summer signing failed to land a shot on target – which is perhaps why he ended up swapping shirts with the Real Madrid centre-back at half time.
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But an eternally enigmatic, unpredictable figure, Balotelli has a knack of pulling off the sublime without a moment’s notice – take this strike against Bologna for example:
Could this be the night he justifies his £16million transfer fee?
GLEN JOHNSON VS ISCO
There were certainly more notable performers during Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory at Anfield last month, but the individual statistics are incredibly telling.
In a tucked-in left-hand role that allowed him to drift centrally, midfielder Isco recorded the second-most touches of any player on the pitch:
In addition to the most successful dribbles:
In fact, the Spain international’s 8.44 rating, according to Whoscored.com, was only bettered by Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, so his influence in the Anfield victory cannot be overstated.
His league form has been solid too this year, so solid in fact, it appears Carlo Ancelotti will stick with his ad hoc 4-4-2 against Liverpool to accommodate Isco, despite Gareth Bale returning from injury.
To prevent a repeat performance, we’ll have to see some improvement from Glen Johnson. His experience – boasting 43 career outings in Europe and 54 caps for England -could prove vital at the Bernabeu, but the 30 year-old’s form has been wanting this season, as shown below, and Brendan Rodgers will expect more.
The ticket and corporate hospitality sales for the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final were launched today in Amsterdam at an event which also included the presentation of the event design for the match, which will be played at the Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday 15 May 2013 at 20.45CET.
The event, attended by final ambassador Patrick Kluivert, UEFA Executive Committee member and Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) President Michael Van Praag and deputy mayor of the City of Amsterdam Eric van der Burg, formally launched the UEFA Europa League final ticketing concept.
A dedicated ticketing portal will open on UEFA.com on Monday 3 December 2012 at 12.00CET to sell 18,000 tickets to the general public via a lottery process. Tickets are available in four price categories: €135 (category one), €100 (category two), €70 (category three) and €45 (category four). The prices were set by UEFA in consultation with the Amsterdam final local organising committee and the independent Football Supporters Europe network (FSE), and the sales period will run until Friday 18 January 2013 at 12.00CET.
Additionally, for football fans under the age of 14, UEFA has reserved 200 youth ticket packages in category two for the price of category four tickets. One youth package, which comprises two category two tickets for a child and an accompanying adult, costs €90. Tickets with wheelchair access are in category four, and a ticket for an accompanying person is included in the price.
Applicants can apply for up to two tickets per person in the same price category. All valid applications will enter a lottery at the end of the sales phase, regardless of the time of submission. Consequently, customers are advised not to rush their application in the first hours after the opening of the ticket portal. The shipment fee per order is €8 in the Netherlands, €20 within Europe and €35 outside Europe. Applicants will be informed by email by February whether they have been successful in the lottery.
In line with UEFA’s policy to promote the competition among the general public, a total of 38,000 tickets, representing 79% of the net stadium capacity of 48,000, will go to the supporters of the two finalist teams and to neutral fans. Out of this allocation, the two finalist teams will receive a total of 20,000 tickets – 10,000 each – for distribution among their supporters. A significant allocation – 30% of these tickets – has been made available in category four, ensuring as wide as possible access to the match for the finalist clubs’ fans.
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The remaining tickets are allocated to the local organising committee, to UEFA’s 53 national football associations and to commercial and broadcast partners.
Further details of the corporate hospitality programme, through which 1,500 packages are available, as well as the UEFA Europa League Final 2013 event design, can also be accessed via UEFA.com.
In terms of value for money, Tottenham Hotspur’s acquisition of Jan Vertonghen in the summer of 2012 has to go down as one of the best deals in recent memory.
Indeed, Spurs are believed to have paid around £10m to sign the centre-back from Ajax, and he has gone on to become one of the best defenders in the European game.
Now 30, Vertonghen is fast closing on 250 appearances for Tottenham, and he is already considered as a legend in the eyes of many of the club’s supporters.
Vertonghen was outstanding alongside Belgium teammate Toby Alderweireld last season, but has had a new centre-back partner for the majority of this term, with Davinson Sanchez coming into the fold.
Vertonghen, who is believed to collect £100,000 a week at Spurs, recently commented on the special relationship that he has with the Tottenham fans, and they were quick to respond to the defender’s words.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below: