Premier League footballers are not always the most reasonable bunch and it often seems like their money goes to their head. There have been a whole host of players who have taken action when they have sought a move in order to ensure that they can go to a bigger club and earn a bit more money. One of the first players to do this in the modern game was Pierre Van Hooijdonk who was after a move to Nottingham Forest and said of his contract dispute with Celtic that “£7,000 a week may be good for the homeless, but not for an international striker.” The Dutch international has set the trend, are here are 10 more Premier League ‘Scallywags’ who forced their transfer moves…
Click on the image below to see the TOP 10 PL ‘Scallywags’:
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Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has confirmed that he is a target for both Manchester United and Manchester City.
The 29-year-old has spent the whole of his career to date at the Santiago Bernabeu and is in no rush to leave, unless Real decide to cash in.
Casillas, told the Daily Star Sunday:"I am aware of the interest of both Manchester United and City. I'm always flattered whenever another club shows interest in my qualities as a goalkeeper.
"I have been at Real Madrid all my career and I still enjoy going to training every day. I enjoy meeting the fans too, but we all know how uncertain things are in football.
"I'm not going to say never. Right now Madrid would have to kick me out of the club before I consider a move.
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In the face of criticism and adversity, real winners emerge, and that is exactly what Frank Lampard has done this week, responding to being dropped with four goals in two games, and a man of the match performance at a stadium that has served both himself and his club so well in the past.
Both Chelsea fans and players have a special affection towards the Reebok stadium, having sealed two titles there, and through Lampard goals ironically enough. As the fates or rather the fixture list allowed, the game in one of their most successful grounds came at an opportune time, with Chelsea and Lampard needing solid performances to answer their critics.
The only player from a Chelsea perspective who may be a little disappointed today is Petr Cech , who conceded for the first time ever in the Reebok, yet overall it was as good a performance from Chelsea as it was bad from Bolton , who having lost Jussi Jaaskalinen before the match looked in sixes and sevens at the back, with the reserve keeper making error after error.
It was also a good day at the office for former Bolton loanee Daniel Sturridge , who scored twice, and showed his respect for the club who gave him regular games by celebrating minimally for both goals. The in-form Chelsea striker certainly lived up to the glowing assessment made by Owen Coyle before the game, and justified the decision of AVB to start with him up front, leaving another former Bolton player, Nicholas Anelka on the bench.
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In defence, Terry looked as solid as ever, yet question marks remain over David Luiz, who certainly has more than enough quality on the ball – obviously being a Brazilian we would expect nothing less – but still takes more than the necessary risks in a defensive capacity. It has been said more than once that the player may be more comfortable as a holding midfielder than a centre back, yet AVB seems to be set on partnering him with the ever present John Terry at the back.
It will not go unnoticed for Chelsea fans that when their £50 million pound man Torres is suspended, they manage to score five goals and win with swagger, and Torres will be more than a little concerned to see the combination which brought Chelsea so much success in Lampard and Drogba linking up so well today. If this continues, the Spaniard may well see himself relegated to the bench for the huge match against Arsenal when he is finally eligible to play again.
Although they remain rock bottom in the table, things are not as bad as they may seem on paper for Bolton, who have had more than a couple of difficult fixtures recently having played United, Arsenal and Chelsea, and will look to rapidly gain points this month, with a trip to the DW stadium and also a home game against a very shaky Sunderland. It seems vital for Coyle to get Jussi back as soon as possible, with Bogdan looking in no way able to cope with the rigors of the Premier League.
Chelsea and Lampard meanwhile look to have more than answered their critics, and with discipline issues at City and injury woes at Old Trafford, look to be more than back in the race for the title – not that they would have ever counted themselves out of it.
Article courtesy of Rebecca Knight from This is Futbol
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Mario Balotelli may not be scoring on the pitch but off the pitch his injuries have not been hindering his form. New Year Eve’s was supposed to be one he was spending with his then current girlfriend Sophie Reade, only to then sub her at the last minute for her best friend Faye Evette Betts.
To add insult to injury Balotelli dumped Reade by text shortly afterwards. The Italian has been in the headlines on several previous occasions already this season, mostly on the front pages.
He returns to action tonight, in the Manchester City squad to face Europa League side Aris Salonika with a possible starting place alongside Carlos Tevez. Obviously due to his latest shenanigans his fitness will not be a concern for manager Roberto Mancini. His manager will be hoping his recent scoring off the pitch can reproduced on it as City hope to recover from the derby defeat last Saturday.
Sophie Reade is said to be devastated by the betrayal of her best friend with her former boyfriend. Sophie took to her Twitter page to blast Mario, and her friend Faye. She posted: ‘Would like to let everyone know Faye Evette is a
and slept with the guy I was seeing! What a friend and welcome 2011.’ She added: ‘Mario Balotelli is a
!!’
Whether Balotelli has any interest in making Faye Betts his long term girlfriend remains to be seen, he may just prefer to rotate his squad, to keep his run of form going.
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It is ironic to think that Brazil, known for their overt attacking intuition, would have been the first to shift to four defenders from the traditional W-M formation used so widely up until the late 1950s. A natural progression of having four defenders resulted in at least one of the full backs being responsible for complimenting attacking play. As England have lined up with Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson in these World Cup warm-ups we can see a marked evolution from the days, a decade ago, where the defensively minded Neville brothers were deployed in the same positions. What has caused the need for full backs to become attacking threats? Though Arrigo Sacchi would be sad to know – as with most natural progressions on the tactical front – it was a reactionary process that is still difficult to pin down.
One thing that is clear is Brazil’s 1950 World Cup final loss to Uruguay facilitated the national team change to 4-2-4 from the, then widely used, W-M. Both of Uruguay’s goals stemmed from an over exposure of the full back, Bigode, and the trauma of the defeat led to the introduction of an extra man in defence. As football punditry and managers alike often seem to misrepresent formations as ‘defensive’ it is only the application of formations that make them so i.e. the introduction of an extra defender is not a defensive move when considering the end product for the Brazilians.
In the 40s some Brazilian domestic teams used one of the three defenders in the W-M as a player responsible for moving forward when the team was in possession. This move would be compensated by a covering midfielder dropping back and such an instance of tactical malleability is indicative of Brazil’s latter successes – their 4-2-4 would really be a 4-3-3 when on the defensive and a 3-3-4 when in attack. The advent of one attacking full back and another more disciplined one, tucking in when the former is out of position to provide balance is precisely how Brazil operated in 1970 (Carlos Alberto moving forward and Everaldo tucking in). This remains operational today as Chelsea have a central defender at right back (though Ivanovic has done very well to overlap when required) and Manchester United have the marauding Evra on one flank and the less adventurous Neville on the right – albeit this is as much due to a lack in personnel as it is a tactical imperative. Interestingly I think Evra has been United’s best player after Rooney this year and the change of system in Ronaldo’s departure has seen his responsibility in attack increase.
Continue reading on page 2…
The 1950 loss to Uruguay highlighted an interesting tactical point that we have seen occur in the 2000s in the Premier League and another reason why attacking full backs have gained importance. Brazil’s W-M successfully and comfortably beat all other teams using the W-M, but when facing the narrow Uruguay – using a sweeper – their attacks became less threatening. In the early part of this decade we can see (and I commented on this in a previous article) Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were clinically adept at overwhelming the flat 4-4-2 that oppositions would invariably put out against them. Wenger took an attacker from the youth team (Ashley Cole) and put him at left back and a passing midfielder (Lauren) and made him into a right back. The reason was to utilise the space that all full backs have when a 4-4-2 faces another 4-4-2, thus adding another dimension to attacking play. The difference between the full backs Wenger inherited (Dixon and Winterburn) and the ones he established (Cole and Lauren) encapsulates the evolution perfectly.
With tactical variation more prevalent the role of the full back has not diminished. Chelsea’s 4-3-3 under Mourinho devastated the flat 4-4-2 in a different way to Arsenal because by flooding the midfield, if wide men tried compensating for the numerical disadvantage in the centre of the pitch, the full backs had space in behind to threaten. A natural progression in tactical development has occurred due to the attacking full back; they have caused the deployment of defensive forwards. Park Ji Sung and Dirk Kuyt are prime examples of players whose importance have risen when considered against a threatening full back.
When teams face Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Chelsea or Manchester United a pressing concern for managers is to curb the influence of Alves, Maicon, Lahm, Cole and Evra respectively. That these players are considered some of the best in the world is indicative of the importance of the attacking full back at present.
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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.
Manchester City ran riot in the second half at Ewood Park scoring four goals and sending the pressure on Blackburn boss Steve Kean up to critical levels.
The Rovers boss could do nothing as his side fell apart after the restart as Roberto Mancini’s men swept them aside to keep their unbeaten start to the season alive after Tuesday’s Champions League nightmare in Munich. Adam Johnson opened the floodgates breaking the deadlock 10 minutes after half time before Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri and Stevan Savic added three more to the Citizens within touching distance of neighbours United at the Premier League summit. As for the home side they sit a point and a place of the bottom with fans becoming increasingly worried that their team could be playing Championship football this time next season. They certainly played like a second tier side as City quickly got into the rhythm hardly giving their hosts a sniff across the 90 minutes.
With Carlos Tevez’s midweek spat with the club to overshadow preparations for the game Sergio Aguero limping off with a groin injury during the first period Mancini will be delighted with his players as they strolled to yet another high scoring win. In truth they offered little in the first forty five with Mario Balotelli looking the most likely to shooting over the bar before curling the ball narrowly wide. Those two chances sandwiched a marvellous piece of defending from James Milner with the midfielder putting in a superb block to deny Yakubu from opening the scoring.
Thats about as good as it got for Rovers as City came out after the restart intent on going home with all three points in their back pocket. An increase in tempo was too much for the hosts and it was no surprise when Johnson curled a terrific shot into the top corner to give City the lead. That opened the floodgates and Balotelli doubled their advantage three minutes later darting in front of Scott Dann to volley Nasri’s cross past Paul Robinson. The Frenchman, who had earlier replaced injury victim Aguero, then got on the scoresheet himself thumping the ball home via a deflection from Jason Lowe after a swift counter attack. They weren’t finished there with Savic nodding his first goal in City blue with a minute left on the clock to round off yet another impressive win and leave Kean wondering what to do next.
Get over to Goaldash and check your numbers to see what you might have won!
Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez has affirmed his love for the club and dispelled rumours that he is unhappy at Eastlands.
“I don’t think anyone loves the shirt more than me,” Tevez told the club’s website mcfc.co.uk.
In December, the Argentina striker handed in a transfer request to City bosses amid reports that he was homesick, missing his children and even considering retiring from the game.
Yet he subsequently withdrew the request and now appears to be happier than ever at Eastlands.
“I never walked out of the club or wanted to do any harm to the club, not for anything in the world. I do not think there is anyone who loves the shirt more than me. I show that in every game I play. I give everything I have got,” he said.
“I do not speak very often to the press. I just have it in my head, I do my talking out there on the field, which is the most important thing.”
“People might want to have a pop at me but I am completely at ease here. I want to do my best for the City shirt.”
“It is a period in my career where I have begun to enjoy things more. I am happy and very relaxed as a result of the football I am producing.”
The Argentine, 27, now turns his attention to Saturday’s Manchester derby, with City looking to overhaul United’s five-point lead at the top of the table.
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Yet Tevez seemed to suggest that he and his team-mates would be more than happy with a fourth-placed finish.
“We are right in there battling it out for a Champions League place. That is what the team is aiming for and where the team ought to be.”
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.”
It was certainly no shock when Ashley Young swapped Villa Park for Old Trafford in the summer for the relatively cheap sum of £17 million. Considering players at the same level or below were going for grossly inflated prices it seemed that Sir Alex Ferguson had pulled off a coup in landing the England winger for such a paltry fee. A blistering start to his Manchester United career, including three goals in four games, has seen people label him as a potential signing of the summer. But at such an early stage in the season is it right to make a statement of that nature?
There is no doubting the impact Young has had at United since he joined from Aston Villa. In my opinion they haven’t had a winger who could play on either flank with such ease since the days of Andrei Kanchelskis. He gives them an option that not many clubs can call on in the top flight with his pace, trickery, shooting and his crossing ability second to none from both sides. There aren’t many wingers who can whip an exquisite ball over like he can with either foot with Arsenal feeling the full force of his powers. Despite the positive opening to his career at Old Trafford I do believe it’s unwise to get carried away just yet.
Ferguson has an exceptional track record of getting the best out of wingers and wide midfielders like Young. Aside from a few glaring blemishes (Jesper Blomqvist anyone?) he has worked wonders with a number of wide men over the years. Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kanchelskis and David Beckham are the prime examples of those who have excelled under the Scot during his 24 years as United boss. He honed their skills from a young age and turned them into world-class players.
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If Young is looking to achieve the same success and push himself into the world-class bracket then Ferguson is the perfect tutor. At 26-years-old you may think that it’s too late for Young to even consider making that step up into the realm of Ronaldo. The Red Devils boss took two or three years to mould him into the world-beater he is today.
The calibre of training on offer at Manchester United is head and shoulders above Aston Villa’s, no disrespect to them, and Young will certainly feel the full benefit of that step up. Practicing and mixing with the likes of Giggs and Wayne Rooney everyday can only better Young’s all round game. Despite his great start he does have some negative facets to his game. At times his crossing can be frustratingly inconsistent which won’t go down well with Rooney or Ferguson. His work rate when Villa didn’t have the ball and penchant to go to ground very easily will also turn those early cheers from the stands into dissatisfied groans. All of these things need to hammered out of the England winger if he is going to make the step up over the next few years as he enters his prime years.
A few years of prowling the Villa Park wings have done him no harm with regular football but he hasn’t had anywhere near the level of coaching Manchester United will give him. It’s only in the last few years that he’s finally broken into the England setup, which you could argue, is rather late for a player of his quality and the fact that the national team continues to obsess over the left side of midfield. The pressure on wingers at Manchester United is also something Young will have to cope with as fans and pundits will always be making comparisons with those who have come and gone. He will have bad games which could affect his confidence, form and send him into a slump. With competition for a place on the flanks in Ferguson’s side, Young will need to perform week in week out.
Ultimately I do think he is a fantastic signing for United and will improve as a player. It’s whether he can actually make that step up and take on the mantle that those have held before him which poses the bigger question. Signing of the summer? I’m not hedging any bets just yet.
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