All posts by h79snht.top

I know what you’re thinking. No it’s not ‘at the end of the day’, ‘without a shadow of a doubt’ or ‘the team are in a period of transition’. The latest statement to be countlessly banded about the chasms of the beautiful game is ‘lost in translation’ and surrounds that ever-so controversial tool which is Twitter. Whilst we may be able to easily decode the boo boo’s as made by home-based players on the world wide web such as Darren Bent, Sam Deering and Ravel Morrison, when foreign stars take to their keypads, they always have the excuse that their comments were indeed ‘lost in translation’ or misinterpreted incorrectly.

If you ask me, and Sam Allardyce for that matter, Twitter is indeed a dangerous tool for any player, British or not, in that the lack of regulation means in a densely politically correct society, the pitfalls for misquoting a topic are endless.

Chelsea’s David Luiz was the latest Premier League star to take to Twitter this week denying he meant any association between his comments surrounding respecting the manager and Frank Lampard’s dropping to the Blues bench in recent months.

He was quick to utter on Thursday night;

‘This is media,Frank know me,and I never said about him!’ I said generaly! I only talked about coaches and players in general. Always CFC’

Whilst you may have realised that the cavalier centre back couldn’t spell ‘generally’ correctly and that he doesn’t leave gaps after his commas, you may have also found a sarcastic reference to the media in this country.

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Of course with Twitter available to mass populaces and with more citizen journalists around than at any other stage in history, the players should really know better than to get tangled up in pointless debates surrounding potential conflicts in the team camp.

If Luiz really secretly did aim a pot shot at Lampard relating to his vociferous disapproval at being dropped, then surely it would have been better to keep his mouth shut and not turn a flippant comment into a potentially damaging issue surrounding the club and its inconsistent push for Champions League football next term.

Arguably as careless as one of his raids up the pitch, Luiz is just the latest player who seemingly has been ‘lost in translation’. Should we let him off this time?

Well, another controversial figure in Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez was also ‘lost in translation’ after his SkySports interview following that infamous refusal to come on from the substitutes bench in Munich earlier this term.

Tevez’ agent Kia Joorabchian stated

‘Carlos does speak English but it is not good enough to host a full-blown interview. Both questions were interpreted incorrectly and both Carlos’ answers were interpreted incorrectly’

Yet another case of the translation issue. Whilst it must be contended that the players are new to this county and their mastery of the language may not be as good as Eidur Gudjohnsen’s, it seems to be the first defence jumped to that the players were misquoted. What’s more likely is that the players simply may have been ‘found out’ or the tongue just slipped.

If you follow Jack Wilshere or Joey Barton, you know as well as I do, that they fill their time away from the pitch by grooming their fanbase with insightful references to leisure pursuits, the latest games or if you are Barton; quotes belonging to George Orwell. There is a clear sense of immediacy with their keypad tapping’s and they aren’t thinking of any potential consequences just like you are I when we reach to fill that blank, yet ever-so attractive status or ‘what’s happening’ bar.

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What is indeed happening is that players are at times forgetting their professional responsibility. Whilst entitled to their free speech, players should be smarter when commenting on issues relating to their club. Twitter is a media gold mine and the next story is never a million miles away. If you trawl through the player’s pages’ surely one of them has slipped in something a bit juicy and media-worthy?

So let us return to David Luiz and his Twitter innocence. Maybe he was misquoted this time. Sensationalism in the press is never likely to cease. But let this be a lesson to the Brazilian and potential misquoted players everywhere. You won’t be ‘lost in translation’ forever and it is only a matter of time before the Twitter curse may come to bite again

Is the ‘lost in translation’ excuse too readily executed? Is Twitter potentially dangerous to club PR? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

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Sandwiched directly between Promo and Prompt in the dictionary is a word that is totally prohibited in my house, I am sure you are aware of this word.

My beloved Swindon Town are sitting on top of the Npower League 2 table, who would have thought that after losing 3 of the first 4 games this season this would have transpired. Simply amazing. Never have I felt such pride in supporting Swindon Town. Paolo Di Canio has been such an inspiring character so far this season, catalysing our push for (insert forbidden word here).

Fans are now turning up at the County Ground expecting a result, confident in knowing that we have the depth and quality to achieve this. Disappointment seldom occurs, but rather than dwelling on missed opportunities, the lads are working hard and looking forward to the next game.

Paolo (Manager Of The Month), Benson (Player Of The Month), Richie (League 2 Player Of The Year), and the club winning Programme and Family club of the year is very inspiring. Not only does this demonstrate quality and class within League 2 but also that the club is moving forward in the right direction.

Looking Forward…

After bouncing back from defeat to local rivals Oxford United with back to back wins, Swindon now face a Crewe side unbeaten in 6 games under boss Steve Davis. Crewe are certainly contenders for the play-offs especially with teams above them dropping vital points at this pivotal stage of the season, and with young Nick Powell showing maturity beyond his years with 11 league goals this season, Swindon keeper Wes Foderingham will be kept busy.

With just one defeat in 14, Swindon will be eager to increase distance from the chasing pack. A win for Swindon will no doubt increase their chances of (insert forbidden word here). This week Swindon acquired the services of on loan midfielder Lee Holmes from Southampton. Holmes said: “It’s great to be back at Swindon and I can’t wait to get going again. They are such exciting times ahead here.” Lee has a lot to live up to, as his previous appearances for the Robins were impressive on his loan spell in 2004.

With another game right around the corner (2nd Place Torquay currently) on Tuesday night, a good result on Saturday will relieve some pressure on Swindon, with their 7 point advantage over The Gulls.

Further Forward…

It is just over a week or so until 30,000 Robins descend on the notorious Wembley Stadium. For me, receiving my tickets on Monday made the event even more realistic. I remember the play-off final against Millwall in 2010 and coming away from the match so miserable, not only did we lack passion but the desire to succeed. This time is different: great team togetherness, a passionate manager and a belief that we can achieve anything.

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Let’s hope the pitch is as smooth as silk and for goodness sake, no bobbles please…

By Swindon Town blogger Craig Kendall. You can follow him on Twitter @engoism. 

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Tottenham and Arsenal are ready to open up a bidding war over Brazilian midfielder Hernanes, who has become an important player for high-flying Lazio, according to The Daily Mail.

The South American box-to-box player had an excellent debut season in Europe last term, and is part of Edy Reja’s third-placed team in Serie A.

The north London rivals and Liverpool are believed to have sent scouts to watch the Brazil international, who has won eight caps for his nation.

With Hernanes not replicating the same form this season as last, and Stefano Mauri becoming an integral player for the Rome-based giants, Lazio are ready to cash in on their £20 million rated midfielder.

Hernanes is believed to be slightly frustrated with being substituted regularly this term, and has had a couple of niggling injuries that have prevented him from stringing a run of games together.

Meanwhile, Lazio are also reportedly interested in Spurs midfielder Sandro, with a potential swap deal in the offing should Harry Redknapp be willing.

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By Gareth McKnight

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If you ask most Stoke fans to name their five favourite Potters players from the last twenty years, one of the more frequent names will be Ricardo Fuller. The Jamaican striker will go down in Potters folklore as one of the most popular players ever to wear the red and white. However, it is sad to say, but this could very much be the last season we could be seeing Ric at the Britannia Stadium.

The poultry £500,000 was paid for his services to take him from Southampton back in 2006, could be described as Pulis best ever piece of business. Fuller epitomises the rise of the club. Under the guidance of Pulis, he and the other miss-fits the manager had assembled realised their potential and fired the club into the Premier League. Fuller, however, was arguably the most important link. His 16 league goals that season don’t pay testament to his impact. His lethal combination of strength, speed and cool finishing made him the most feared striker in the Championship. He also had a trick or two.

The 32 year-old could be best defined as an undiscovered genius and would have played at a far higher level if it wasn’t for a long-term knee problem and his attitude. His Stoke years have been by far the best of his career, while previously managers recognised his talent, they couldn’t quite extract the most of it, and all the baggage that comes with Fuller usually guaranteed him a swift exit, a terrible waste of a superb talent.

Tony Pulis, however, isn’t an ordinary manager. He is prepared to put with all the baggage Fuller brings and all the problems he poses. Few other managers would have kept faith with him after some of the stunts he has pulled in his time at the Britannia. As long as he did it on the pitch it was less of a problem.

He isn’t a natural goal scorer, despite him being the clubs top marksman for four successive years. But he did have a knack for scoring extraordinary goals. Just type into YouTube the goals against Wolves back in 2008, his solo effort against Aston Villa in our first ever Premier League home match is one of my most favourite memories as a Stoke fan, and his one away at West Ham isn’t bad either. He could pull something out of nothing when we most needed it, a piece of skill, a clever pass or even surging run. Fuller was unpredictable, and that’s why the crowd love him. Even today, if we were losing, Fuller could still do a job. He still strikes fear into defenders, even if he is in decline.

People often suggest that it was Rory Delap’s throws that are the main reason Stoke still exist in this division, but we couldn’t still be here without Fuller. Whether he could step up and be counted in our first Premier League season was pivotal to our survival. And of course he did, he finished with double figures in the league. Without those goals Stoke wouldn’t be here. For those two seasons, the promotion campaign and the first season, Ricardo Fuller will always be one of my heroes.

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Sadly, over the past two years the club and player have been going in different directions. Stoke are growing, improving every season. Fuller is getting older and retirement looms. He probably couldn’t last into his mid-30’s due to his chronic knee , which is so bad that he rarely takes part in full training to protect it. He has gone into decline now he is a little bit slower, much less potent and not quite the genius he was. His contract runs out in the summer, and if he isn’t offered another one and does leave after six years, I would just like to thank him, because without him we wouldn’t be where we are today.

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Fact: Chelsea would not be the force they are now had they not been bestowed the sacred gift of a Russian Billionaire’s blank cheque book. Roman’s vast wallet has undoubtedly been the source for the most significant period of success in the club’s entire history, and yet he has still received his fair share of criticism along the way. With the promise of unlimited funds comes the expectation for instant results and with the growing realisation that Abramovich dictates the ruling over transfers, are the managers at the Bridge merely puppets in this oligarch’s theatre of dreams?

Shevchenko, Torres, De Bruyne and now Marin, just some of the names who have emerged from the shopping list of Roman Abramovich. His vice like grip on the Blue’s incoming transfer acquisitions must leave his managers feeling claustrophobic, as it is they who will harbour the responsibility to mould them into a triumphant outfit.

Jose Mourinho struck gold upon hearing that deals for Petr Cech and Arjen Robben had already been concluded before his arrival but he also had to welcome the likes of Mateja Kezman and Shaun Wright-Phillips. The Special One was fortunate enough to incorporate this invasion of new blood thanks to his man management skills and talents as a master tactician. Sadly though, not every manager shares similar attributes and have therefore struggled to succeed in Roman’s unconventional set-up. Will the Chelsea owner ever realise that you can have the best players in the world but without an inspirational manager, you’ll never have the best team.

There was always a certain unease about the tenure of Andre Villas-Boas at the club, who tried to implement the free flowing football of Barcelona into a team who were beginning to feel the strain from their aging legs. His frustrations visibly bubbled to the surface when he revealed he had nothing to do with the impending arrival of Genk winger Kevin De Bruyne.

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“You have to speak to the people from the club about that. It’s club policy. It’s not within my immediate projects. He’s a player the club has scouted for some time. I’m a manager who respects club policy.” (Daily Mail)

It strikes me as bizarre and somewhat unsettling that a manager may serve no purpose in the transfer policy of a major European club. Roman can be credited with trying to ensure future success but it hardly seems fair when he’s depleting funds from the transfer kitty on players the manager may not want or even need. Surely the main excitement of management stems from the opportunity to imprint your style and personality onto the team, and what better way to illustrate your credentials than by your dealings in the transfer market. You only have to cast your mind back to the catastrophic fallout between Mike Ashley, Dennis Wise and Kevin Keegan to understand that such a system simply cannot work. Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson, the most decorated man in Premier League history, enduring the humiliating process of playing individuals he himself did not purchase?

During Abramovich’s residence in West London, the club has undergone five summers in a state of limbo, whereby they have been in the process of changing managers. This is vital period in the footballer calendar when the wheels begin to turn on contract negotiations, agent discussions and the identification of summer transfer targets. If Chelsea do not afford this luxury to their manager then who exactly is in charge? I disapproved of Roberto Di Matteo’s classification as merely a puppet upon his appointment as interim manager, but the quote below suggests Di Matteo is happy to play second fiddle, at least while his future remains under consideration.

“When the time is right in the summer, the people at the club will make the decisions that are right for the club.” (Daily Mail)

Perhaps Roman is right to dictate where his money goes, after all the chairman will presumably outlast the manager and should therefore take control of the future direction of the club. However, how can Abramovich expect to attract his desired world-class candidate if he will not afford him to chance to prove himself in the transfer market?

The world of football exists purely in the present, despite fans clinging on to past achievements or looking ahead to a potentially bright future. If targets are unfulfilled then you’ll find yourself heading for the exit door even if you haven’t been anywhere near the transfer window. This raises one key question, how can any manager steer Chelsea to success with Roman’s hands still firmly on the wheel.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’ve spent all day drooling over that Papiss Cisse wonder strike from Wednesday night.

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Mario Mandzukic’s second half equaliser earned Croatia a well earned point against Italy in Poznan to leave Group C poised on a knife-edge.

Slaven Bilic’s side knew a win over the 2006 World Cup winners at the Municipal Stadium would confirm their passage to the quarter finals after their impressive win over the Republic of Ireland last Sunday. But they struggled to assert the same authority as they did in their opening game as the Italians took control of the game and took a deserved lead six minutes before half time courtesy of a glories Andrea Pirlo free-kick. But Mandzukic’s third goal of the tournament kept their hopes alive although they’ll have to beat Spain to be certain of a place in the last eight.

On the balance of play the performance of Cesare Prandelli’s side merited maximum points as they dominated from the outset with Mario Balotelli going close to breaking the deadlock inside three minutes. The Manchester City striker received Emanuele Giaccherini’s pass from the left before swivelling and firing just wide from 12-yards. Balotelli then had a shot blocked and Claudio Marchisio saw his blistering long-range strike shave the crossbar.

Stipe Pletikosa then had to be alert to thwart Balotelli and it took until the 20th minute for Croatia to give Gianluigi Buffon something to do in the Italian goal. Darijo Srna whipped a right wing cross into Nikica Jelavic and any touch would have taken it past Buffon who was able to safely prevent the ball from flashing across the penalty area. Marchisio was then denied twice by Pletikosa as Italy started to crank up the pressure in search of the opening goal.

It came in the 39th as Ivan Rakitic fouled Balotelli on the edge of the area. Pirlo stepped up to curl a wonderful rich-footed free kick over the Croatian wall from 20-yards and inside Pletikosa’s right hand post. Luka Modric went close to drawing his side level just after the break before a series of niggling fouls saw a stream of free kicks cool the games tempo. Italy soon got back into their groove and Balotelli again went close fizzing a shot just wide.

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Those missed chances came back to haunt the striker as Croatia took advantage of a rare sight of goal to level proceedings. Ivan Strinic’s pass was missed by Giorgio Chiellini allowing Mandzukic a clear sight of goal to control and finish confidently past Buffon. That seemed to lift Bilic’s side who finished the game stronger but couldn’t find the winning goal that would have taken them to the knock-out stage and leaves them having to beat the world champions to ensure their progression

Blackburn have announced that they have completed a deal to bring Newcastle striker Leon Best to the club.

The Republic of Ireland international fell out of favour at the Tyneside club after the purchase of Senegalese pair Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse, and was not part of Alan Pardew’s plans going forward.

Steve Kean’s men are keen to bolster their contingent after relegation to The Championship, and Best joins Danny Murphy as another new face at Ewood Park.

Rovers have announced the deal on their official website, which will give the fans hope that their team can bounce straight back to the top flight.

“Blackburn Rovers have this evening completed the signing of Leon Best from Newcastle United,” a statement reads

“The 25-year-old striker makes the move from the North East to the North West for a fee of more than £3m, signing a four-year deal.”

Best scored 10 goals in 46 appearances for Newcastle.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has raided his old club for the services of talented midfielder Joe Allen after a summer-long pursuit.

Announced as an undisclosed fee, Allen’s buy-out clause of £15million was reported to have been triggered yesterday and the deal was soon complete.

One of this summer’s lengthy transfer stories, mainly due to Allen’s participation for Team GB at the Olympics, is finally over and although Rodgers said he wouldn’t sign any Swansea players this summer, Allen is clearly delighted with the move.

“I feel incredible. Everyone knows the history of this club, it’s a massive club, and I’m delighted to have joined,” Allen told Liverpool’s official website.

“I feel incredible. Everyone knows the history of this club, it’s a massive club, and I’m delighted to have joined.”

“The passion that people here have for football is something I share and I want to be part of that.

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“I’m looking forward to being part of some great years ahead for Liverpool Football Club.”

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Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has admitted the football club could have handled Luis Suarez’s racism charge better.

One of the main sagas of last year’s Premier League season, was sparked when Suarez was charged with racially abusing Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra.

The controversy begun when then Liverpool boss, Kenny Dalglish ordered his team to wear t-shirts defending their star striker, following the FA’s decision to hand the Uruguayan an eight game ban.

Tensions reached boiling point when Suarez refused to shake the hand of the French left back.

Werner told BBC Radio five live things could have gone better, “I think we may have handled it differently in retrospect.

“Some mistakes were made but I do feel the episode is over with. We have moved on. Lessons have been learned.” Werner also told the BBC it is “critical” that the club secure Champions League football this year.

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The Anfield club are absent from Europe’s premier competition for a third straight season and miss out on the financial benefits of being in that competition. Domestic rivals Chelsea, reportedly earned £47 million, after winning the competition outright last term.

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Sergio Aguero should only be side-lined for a month, despite being stretchered out of Eastlands against Southampton.

When the Premier League champions’ top scorer went down clutching his knee ten minutes into City’s 3-2 win over The Saints, many feared the diminutive Argentine could have suffered ligament damage.

But scans have shown no major damage and the 24 year old could return as early September 15 when the Blues face Stoke.

Roberto Mancini spoke to The Independent, “I don’t think Sergio will be out for a long and we are hoping he will be back after the international break…we feared he could be out for six months or maybe even more which would have been very bad news.”

Aguero managed 30 goals in all competitions for the Manchester club last term, including the notorious stoppage time, title winning goal against Queens Park Rangers.

With an international break at the start of September, City may only be without their £38 million striker for two games.

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