Liverpool have seemingly been linked with every winger in Europe in the past week as the media try to second guess Kenny Dalglish. A deal for Downing is looking most likely; especially with reports suggesting that the winger is set to put a transfer request in so to force a summer move.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include why Charlie Adam would be a good signing; the pros and cons of Stewart Downing, while rival managers cannot second guess Kenny Dalglish.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
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Time for Liverpool to get their finger out in the transfer market?
The pros and cons of a Liverpool deal
To those who think Liverpool shouldn’t sign him, think again
Liverpool’s transfer activity and player development (Hybrid Moneyball)
Time to give Liverpool newbie a break
The seven signings by Kenny Dalglish this summer?
Trying to decipher Kenny’s transfer plans at Liverpool
Udinese star set to snub Arsenal for Liverpool
*Best of WEB*
Why Managers will find it hard to second guess King Kenny – Live4Liverpool
Time is a luxury Liverpool do not have – Our Kop
Why I Fear For Jordan Henderson – The Tomkins Times
Damien Comolli can work successfully with Kenny Dalglish despite previous problems with Martin Jol – Anfield Opinion
Why FSG are wise to invest in the future, but should never overlook quick success – This is Anfield
How the Reds maybe able to get £20M MORE to spend – Live4Liverpool
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Click on Mikel Arteta’s lady to unveil our WAG XI of the season
Bolton’s renaissance under Owen Coyle has slipped almost completely under the radar, what with all the drama at the top and bottom of the division. With Kevin Davies arguably in the form of his life, Coyle has kept the heartbeat of the old style Trotters, whilst bringing in a more enterprising style of play.
Blackpool’s strong showing in the top flight so far this season has been a little overshadowed in recent weeks by the antics of their manager Ian Holloway. From team selection controversies, to disputes over goal line technology, Holloway has not been out of the spotlight. Whether this is helping or hindering his players, remains to be seen, particularly if results start to dry up.
Blackpool are sure to hit a rough patch as clubs begin to figure them out, I see Bolton ushering in a testing winter for the Seasiders as Ian Holloway’s managerial mettle as well as his mouth are put to the test.
The director’s of football are a strange breed, from a fan’s perspective their role at the club is usually shrouded in mystery and we are left scratching our heads in an attempt to justify their position of power. Their emergence in this country is yet another example of how popular foreign traditions continue to shape the future of English football. Liverpool’s decision to axe Damien Comolli just days before their FA Cup semi-final caught many by surprise and presents the club with a real dilemma regarding their next move.
Hailed as senior management figures, the director’s of football come in all shapes and sizes with the role being designed to help alleviate the pressure from the shoulders of the club’s manager. These individuals act as an ambassador for the club by dealing with the day-to-day politics, attending meetings, shaking all the right hands and generally allowing the managerial staff to concentrate solely on footballing matters. However, should these lines become blurred then a power struggle ensues, which is when the whole structure begins to fall down.
There aren’t many success stories of these relationships in English football, perhaps because such appointments convey an undermining of authority, especially if the manager has no say in their preferred candidate. I think many people have an issue with the perceived superiority surrounding the title of the ‘director of football’. Can you imagine Ferguson being content with such a figure at Old Trafford? Avram Grant’s appointed into the role at Chelsea in 2007 reportedly contributed the departure of an unhappy Jose Mourinho.
Perhaps these individuals are best to distance themselves from the established personalities in football and instead take up roles where managers are still learning the ropes. This could be one of the reasons for the recent success at Reading where Nick Hammond currently sits alongside the impressive yet rather inexperienced Brain McDermott. This rare instance of triumph could be about to replicated at Crawley with Steve Coppell swooping in to aid caretaker manager Craig Brewster. It’s still early days but perhaps the director of football role presents a new and exciting challenge for figures in football, especially seeing as it can tempt a man that had seemingly retired from the sport after a brief and disinterested spell at Bristol City.
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The success stories of such folk on European shores exist at clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Benfica. In each example the man at the helm is a former player who has a previous affiliation with the club, perhaps if Liverpool are to succeed with their next appointment they should adopt this approach rather than court the likes of Johan Cryuff and Louis Van Gaal. Then again maybe this is a smokescreen measure that will see Dalglish take up the role, leaving the two to fight it out for the managerial hot seat.
As far as I can tell the Premier League elite implements their directors of football as a glorified scout/agent, tasked with bringing in new transfers and handling contract negotiations. At Liverpool Damien Comolli was criticised for his role in squandering large sums of money on the likes of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing, despite the fact that each acquisition had come off the shopping list handed to him by Dalglish. Down at the Bridge, former manager Andre Villas-Boas repeatedly confirmed that he did not have much say in ‘club transfers’, notably the recent purchase of Kevin de Bruyne.
Let us not forget the apocalyptic mess that surrounded the Dennis Wise, Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley love triangle down at Newcastle. Not only did that special period involve some truly terrible signings but it also caused Keegan to walk, cost Wise his reputation and forced Ashley to attempt to sell the club by any means necessary. Whatever the current set-up on Tyneside with Pardew and co, it deserves huge praise and further consideration by other clubs.
The key reason for the varying levels of success in this country compared with other nations is the classification of the personnel in charge of the team. In Spain for example, the managers or rather head coaches are historically there only to prepare the players for matchday, they are often referred to as ‘Entrenadores’, which translates as ‘Trainers’. In England, the managers take on the majority of the workload, ranging from picking the team, training the players and sealing the transfers. Perhaps this established principle needs to be addressed before the directors of football can be incorporated effectively.
If our nations powerhouse clubs or rather their foreign owners remain intent on emulating the success of European teams by incorporating their philosophies, then it is vital that they make the right appointment. If the manager and the director of football aren’t singing from the same hymn sheet, then the only noise you’ll be able to hear over the commotion will be the boos from the stands.
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We have all heard many times the famous ‘where did it all go wrong?’ anecdote about George Best in the 70s and have no doubt afforded ourselves a wry smile at the tale. It makes you wonder if such an incident occurred in the modern day as to whether the story would have been appreciated in the same way; given the way that footballers are chastised for the slightest misdemeanour these days.
I know I risk the wrath of some by seemingly trivialising some of the footballer’s extra marital activities, but I ask the question as to whether it has anything to do with those who condemn it. I am sure Ryan Giggs is in a very dark place at the moment and why it is unforgiveable what he did to his wife and brother; it is his problem to sort out, not for the whole world to pass judgment on. I am sure there are many Premier League footballers out there have got up to no good off the field, but it appears Giggs is getting destroyed just because he looked to spend thousands of pounds attempting to keep his private life, well private.
I have a great amount of sympathy for Ryan Giggs and what will be his legacy within the game. If rumours in the papers are true and United are concerned that Giggs may turn his back on football in light of the last few weeks then I think it will be a terrible shame that the most decorated footballer in England of all time will bow out this way. Giggs is the finest player of his generation and deserves to be remembered so, not that person who struggled to keep his pants on. Show disgust for his off-field actions, but let’s not let it tarnish the excellent contributions he has made on it. George Best was let off for similar misdemeanours in the eyes of the public, largely down to his footballing abilities – I only hope Giggs is viewed upon in the same way in time, given the outstanding contributions he has made to the English game.
Everton defender Leighton Baines is hoping his fantastic free-kick in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw at Tottenham Hotspur will see him handed the set-piece responsibilities more often.
The left-back curled a stunning strike that flew into Heurelho Gomes' top corner to hand the Toffees a first-half lead, but Rafael van der Vaart's fortunate effort ensured the points were shared in the capital.
With Mikel Arteta usually the go-to-man for the Merseysiders, the pair are now set for a battle in future dead ball situations.
"I don't know if there is an understanding as much as he just takes them," he said.
"When we get over it, we discuss it, and Mikel ends up taking his fair share and I take a few as well.
"I wouldn't say either of us are massive specialists, so if one of us says we really fancy it then we leave it to each other.
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"But hopefully I'll be able to take a few more. I've not scored a lot of goals, but when I have scored they have tended to be memorable ones and that's another one for me really.
"It was very nice for me to see it come down and end up in the back of the net and I'm very pleased with it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Rangers have released a statement confirming that a quick sale of the club is needed, or the Ibrox giants may not be able to complete the season’s fixture list.
Administrators have been brought in to try and solve the Glasgow-based side’s financial woes, with a number of players facing redundancy to cut costs.
However, with things looking bleak, the club have called for potential investors to come forward.
“We are announcing we are accelerating the sale of Rangers football club,” David Whitehouse, joint administrator, said on the club’s official website.
“The club is in a perilous financial situation and that should not be under-estimated.
“Regrettably, we have been unable to agree cost-cutting measures with the playing staff on terms that will preserve value in the business. We understand the players’ position as the scale of wage cuts required to achieve these savings without job losses were very substantial indeed.
“In view of this, we are faced with a situation of making redundancies within the playing staff on such a scale that would materially erode the value of the playing squad. We are striving to strike a balance where cost-cutting measures can be implemented but do not destroy the fabric of the playing squad to the extent that it will inhibit the prospect of a sale.
“However, no-one should be in any doubt that in the absence of sufficient cost-cutting measures or receipt of substantial unplanned income, the club will not be able to fulfil its fixtures throughout the remainder of the season.
“As a result, we are expediting the sale process and over the next few days we will be holding discussions with prospective purchasers who have declared their interest. The manager, Ally McCoist will play an integral part in these discussions.
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“If however it becomes apparent that the sale process cannot be accelerated there will be no choice but to implement very severe cost cutting measures at the club,” he concluded.
Sepp Blatter has outlined reforms to be implemented if he is re-elected as FIFA President, while also revealing he once rejected a bribe.Blatter, 75, is campaigning for re-election to his post as head of world football’s governing body, a role he has held since 1998.
The Swiss is up against Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam, with the election set to take place on June 1.
The issue of alleged corruption within FIFA has dominated the election agenda.
In response, Blatter has proposed changes to the process of selecting the chairman on three key committees.
“Handling the past will be presented to the Congress,” Blatter said.
“We have to make sure that immediately after the election that we rebuild the image of FIFA.”
“We need to reinforce the judicial bodies and we shall find a solution how to handle the past in order that we can stop forever in the future all these damaging things about corruption.”
“These bodies should be more independent and this is a question I will bring to the Congress, that the Congress should elect the members of these committees or at least the chairmen of the three committees – the ethics, disciplinary and appeal committees.”
Blatter also revealed that was given cash in an envelope – an attempted bribe – during his time as FIFA General Secretary, a role he held between 1981 and 1998.
He did not reveal who tried to bribe him.
“I received once an envelope, when I was secretary general and in this envelope there was an amount of money,” Blatter said.
“I couldn’t refuse because he put it in my pocket.”
“I came home here to FIFA and gave it to the finance director and he put this money on the account of the Swiss Bank Corporation at that time, and informed the guy ‘the money you gave to the secretary general is in that bank’ and a few days later he reclaimed it.”
“Then it was specifically known that please don’t try to give money to somebody who’s in the FIFA.”
Yesterday’s 2-0 defeat highlighted a number of key issues with regards Chelsea’s midfield make up- particularly when Michael Essien and Frank Lampard are not available. In deploying Jon Obi Mikel, Ramires and Yury Zhirkov, in central midfield Carlo Ancelotti relied heavily on one of those three players to play a more creative role a la a Lampard or Michael Ballack. Considering that all three of the players in question remain without a goal in the Premier League, and do not possess the physical presence required to control the midfield in these contests, this lack of threat was not a major surprise.
However, at the very least, Chelsea would have expected the trio to keep the ball far better than they did. Zhirkov, looking increasingly like a left-back being played out of position, was fortunate not to have been sent off in the first half as he brainlessly tripped the returning Dirk Kuyt, before sliding in unnecessarily on FernandoTorres. Mikel won the ball with similar regularity to the manner in which he usually does, however his distribution was sloppy, whilst Brazilian Ramires looked overawed.
Ballack was allowed to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, after it appeared that the German was showing signs of poor motivation and physical decay in Chelsea’s engine room. Even the half-fit, disinterested Ballack that we saw in patches last season would have been an improvement on two of Chelsea’s midfield trio yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile Frank Lampard’s various injuries continue to linger.
Ramires lacks the forward momentum of his fellow countrymen
Ramires is quickly becoming a real concern. He has looked good in a number of games this season, however is quickly resembling a couple of Arsenal midfielders in that he looks great when players back off and allow him time to pick his passes, yet looks weak and naïve when he is placed under physical pressure.
In both this game and the Manchester City fixture he gave the ball away with frightening regularity. In other games he has had Michael Essien to cover for him, however here his errors in possession were punished. The bigger concern, however, was his inability to pick a pass. On several occasions he would be forced into a corner instead of playing an early ball and without Essien’s body strength would end up conceding possession- this was key to Chelsea’s second half momentum stalling after the hour mark.
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Carlo might need to strip off to get extra cover
Last season, it was widely acknowledged that Chelsea were maybe a couple of players light with regards creating a title winning squad. When the Blues were freed up to make signings in the January transfer window after their transfer embargo was lifted, Carlo Ancelotti famously promised that he would run around Chelsea’s Cobham training base naked if he reneged on his claim that he would not sign any further players before the season was out.
As we approach another transfer window, Ancelotti must surely be re-thinking his suggestions that he would yet again refrain from getting out the Abramovich chequebook. With only a handful of injuries to their squad, Chelsea already looked very stretched yesterday afternoon.
The worrying aspect of this is that Chelsea do not have a raft of high quality players to come back. Undoubtedly, a fit Michael Essien and Frank Lampard would improve their shape and discipline considerably, however it is the lack of options during the inevitable periods of player absence that must surely concern Ancelotti and Ray Wilkins. If the Blues are to finally triumph in Europe, a creative central midfielder is an absolute must in the January sales.
Josh McEachran not trusted yet
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For all the talk of the promise surrounding young midfielder Josh McEachran, it is clear that Ancelotti does not quite trust the boy in big games. This is indicative of where the boy really is in terms of his standing within Chelsea. Very few footballers would look out of place spending a handful of minutes in a team packed with world-class talent, passing the ball around at the end of a game where the result has already been decided.
Whilst making regular appearances for Chelsea is not to be scoffed at, the real stamp of approval for McEachran will come when Ancelotti brings him into a game where the result is not yet settled and backs him to change the match- something that very few players are actually able to do. That Chelsea’s central midfield area was so poor yesterday and that McEachran was not given this chance speaks volumes about how close he really is to figuring in one of these big games.
Petr Cech returning to his best
Over the last few weeks Petr Cech has begun to make the sort of contributions between the sticks that Jose Mourinho used to brag would win his Chelsea side ten points a season.
Last week at Blackburn he made a number of crucial stops to prevent a slip-up, and whilst Chelsea were already 2-0 down before his key contribution came in this game, a genuinely brilliant save with the outside of his right boot prevented further embarrassment for the league leaders. If Cech has suffered from a run of poor games over the last two years, this season his performances have been back to the quality we saw before his accident at the Madejski in 2006.
Tottenham Hotspur has always been good at linking themselves with hundreds of players. When I was at school they were linked with Rivaldo and Guardiola and when they signed Edgar Davids I suddenly started believing that every rumour was an actual possibility – if only that had been the case this January. The signings of Yago Falque, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen brought hardly set the football world alight, but Harry Redknapp is renowned for making shrewd moves and we will be hoping that he has pulled yet another rabbit out of the hat with these deals.
Here I have compiled a team based entirely on linked players, and it’s quite an eleven which at least shows that they’re chasing good players, unfortunately, it really is chasing.
In a way this list is born out of frustration; a month of rumours has left us with very little in a way of progress but let’s just hope that Messrs Saha and Nelsen will give us enough to get over the line. I have adopted a 3-5-2 formation and to be fair it is a decent team in its own right.
Click on Ganso to unveil the Tottenham XI that we were rumoured to sign in January
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While the FIFA disputes continue to rumble on in the background, the attention now moves on to Wembley’s showpiece between Barcelona and Manchester United. UEFA believe it will be the most watched game of all time as arguably the two biggest teams in Europe go head to head for the biggest prize in club football.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Bin Hammam goes on the defensive; Stuart Pearce hits out at Wenger over Wilshere, while Billy Davies moves into the frame to takeover at West Ham United.
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‘If I’m guilty, so is Blatter,’ declares Bin Hammam – Guardian
Arnesen’s legacy at Chelsea open to debate – Daily Telegraph
England Under 21 manager Pearce hits out at Wenger over Wilshere U-turn – Daily Mail
Graphic: Ferguson’s Plan B – Daily Telegraph
FA hands Touré six-month suspension – Guardian
Billy Davies in frame for West Ham job – Mirror
Ray: I’ll never go back to Chelsea – Sun
It’s a Downing dilemma as Arsenal urge contract rebel Nasri to decide on future – Daily Mail
Valenica: The boss saved me – Sun
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Falcao linked with Arsenal and Spurs – Guardian
Adam set to leave Blackpool so Scot can stay in the Premier League – Daily Mail
United-Barca will be most-watched club game ever say UEFA – Mirror
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