Sergio Aguero is aiming to learn from Carlos Tevez’s mistakes in learning English to enable him to settle into life in Manchester. Aguero is determined to be a huge success in England and is prepared to everything he can to fit in and adjust to the different culture.
Elsewhere in the papers Arsene Wenger insists that he is no quitter; Fergie set to make a final Sneijder bid, while Fernandes considers a move away from Loftus Rd.
*
I’m no quitter, says Wenger – Guardian
Mata on verge of £23.5m Chelsea move –Guardian
QPR’s Fernandes considers move from Loftus Road – Guardian
Man City ready to let £25m flop striker go for free – Mirror
Fergie to make final bid to bring Sneijder to United as midfielder has Inter time-out – Daily Mail
New boy Aguero is learning from Tevez trouble by studying English – Daily Mail
Life is Tweet again for Barton despite swipe at referee Webb – Daily Mail
Davies: Bolton cannot compete with big spenders – Mirror
Roy Hodgson emerging as candidate for England job – Mirror
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Ben Arfa eyes comeback a year after sustaining injury – People
Capello won’t drop Walcott after wingers comments – People
Football’s world governing body FIFA have rejected Mohamed Bin Hammam’s appeal against his lifetime ban from the game, but the shamed executive is refusing to let the matter lie.
The Qatari chief, who is the former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president, was banned from the game back in July after being found guilty of bribery, and FIFA have confirmed that his appeal has been turned down.
“The Fifa Appeal Committee, under the chairmanship of Francisco Acosta (Ecuador), has confirmed today the decisions taken by the Fifa Ethics Committee on 23 July 2011 regarding the ban on Fifa Executive Committee member Mohammed bin Hammam for a breach of the Fifa Code of Ethics,” a statement on the official FIFA website read.
“The appeal made by Mohammed bin Hammam has been rejected and the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee confirmed.
“The sanction of being banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life has therefore been maintained,” it concluded.
Despite this, Bin Hammam has refused to accept the governing body’s decision, and will continue in his protest.
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“As expected, the FIFA appeals panel, which met in Zurich today, upheld the 23 July ruling by the FIFA ethics committee, and we will therefore be taking our appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS),” his lawyer Eugene Gulland stated to reporters after the decision.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has admitted that he was happy with his side’s discipline in their 1-0 win over QPR on Sunday.
Leon Best scored the only goal of the game at the Sports Direct Arena, ruining Mark Hughes’ first match in charge of the Loftus Road outfit.
Pardew was pleased with his side’s efforts after the game and spoke of an accomplished performance by the Tyneside team.
“We were disciplined with the goal that we had and tried to look for another,” The Magpies’ boss told Sky Sports.
“And then in the last period of the game we were just seeing it out really, it was a nice disciplined performance from us.
“The most pleasing part was the second half when we took a grip of the match and didn’t really open the game up,” he stated.
The only downside for Pardew and Newcastle was an ankle injury to Yohan Cabaye, but the home team’s coach has stated that it doesn’t look serious.
“It was a strong challenge, but Shaun Derry is a player who makes strong challenges. The referee was right on top of it.
“I thought it was borderline yellow/red, but I think probably it was a yellow. He seemed to get the ball.
“There always controversy about tackling. It’s very, very difficult for referees, so I am not going to sit here and criticise that decision.
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“But Yohan was upset. He felt it was probably a little bit over-exuberant, but the doctor thinks he is going to be okay,” he concluded.
Bolton boss Owen Coyle announced that he is not interested in signing transfer listed Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton.The 28-year-old was placed on the transfer list by Newcastle on Monday after criticising owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias.
Barton was linked to several clubs including Bolton, but Coyle said on Thursday he would not try and sign the one-time England international.
“I think Joey Barton’s best position is in the centre of midfield, that’s not an area we are looking to strengthen,” Coyle said.
“What I do know is whoever does manage to sign him is getting a hugely talented player and I’d imagine a player with a point to prove so it will certainly be good business for someone.”
The Scottish manager has not ruled out a move for Manchester City wingers Sean Wright-Phillips and Vladimir Weiss.
Coyle helped Bolton to 14th in the English Premier League last campaign, but said his team was capable of producing surprises this season.
“I think if you ask anybody at the beginning of the season they would say that the top six places should fill themselves, barring something going horribly wrong any of those elite clubs,” Coyle said.
“But I think it’s also fair to say that on any given day we are all capable of beating whether it be the top six or not.”
“Consistently we know that we’ll not match them over the season but we know game to game we can go and win games and take points and that’s why it’s the best league in the world.”
Bolton meet La Liga outfit Levante in a pre-season friendly at Reebok Stadium on Friday.
There have been plenty of highs and lows at Upton Park over the past ten years or so, with managers and players coming in and out on a yearly basis have made it extremely difficult for consistency and stability for the Hammers fans. A second spell in the Championship in the space of 7 years for West Ham has made the supporters more passionate and loyal than ever.
Areas of the media and rival supporters brand Hammers fans hard to please and fickle, something that is an understandable opinion but they will find it hard to back the statement up. With the farce that has been the running of the club since the Icelandic group took over in 2006, it has been tough to watch at Upton Park, but the clubs’ fans have never turned their back on their side and turn up week in week out.
This season has been a prime example of the support that is one of the best in country. The East-End club do not have the biggest stadium in the Championship but do have the highest attendances in the league. For a club that has been relegated after a dismal show last season that takes loyalty to consistently turn up each week and get behind your team. Away from home it is a similar story that has been the real positive from relegation in my opinion.
West Ham will consistently sell out their away end at opposition’s stadiums but this season has seen the club take that to another level. Once the allocation is sold out, the co-chairman applies for more tickets and that is something that the poorly supported clubs with bigger grounds are more than happy to accept.
For example a record breaking 6,800 Hammers will be at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday for the league visit to Coventry after there were 5,000 at Hull a week ago. The club have confirmed that the 4,700 tickets available for Reading away in two weeks time have also been snapped up, emphasising the terrific support this season for the promotion favourites.
Newcastle United had a similar situation when they were in the Championship a few years ago, going on to become a strong Premier League force once again and that is the long term aim for West Ham. For a team in the Championship to be supported as well as the Hammers have been this season is remarkable and people questioning their loyalty should rethink that.
The majority of supporters I have spoken to are fully behind Sam Allardyce and the owners; despite what the press may tell you; and with the club sitting second in the Championship table, there are reasons for optimism for all Hammers fans and it is the start of something special at Upton Park with everyone singing from the same hymn sheet once again.
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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has revealed that he is unsure whether or not he wants the vacant England manager’s position.
The White Hart Lane head coach has been the frontrunner to succeed Fabio Capello as national selector, but he has admitted that he is happy in his current role.
“I’m not sure,” Redknapp said in an interview with L’Equipe, translated to English by Sky Sports, when asked if he would like to manage England.
“I have a very good job at Tottenham today and I like it. But I do not know. We will wait and see.
“When you have a club, you are looking for a striker and you take them. When you’re coach, you must do with the players you have in your country.
“If you do not have a good scorer, you have none. And you almost never see the players. Two days every two months, it is very difficult,” he stated.
Redknapp continued by talking up France’s hopes at Euro 2012, who he believes will be a difficult opponent for England.
“The French team has a good team. It will be difficult for England at the Euros. The group is difficult with Sweden and Ukraine.
“I believe Laurent Blanc is doing a very good job. The 2010 World Cup was a disaster, but he has come in and done a great job,” he praised.
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Nicolas Anelka could be the latest big name player to make the move to the Russian Premier League with FC Terek Grozny lining up a move for the Chelsea striker the Daily Mail reports.
Stars like Samuel Eto’o, Roberto Carlos, Balázs Dzsudzsák and former Stamford Bridge teammate Yuri Zhirkov have all moved to Russia in the last 12 months to join Grozny’s rivals Anzhi Makhachkala who are also interested in the Frenchman.
Anelka’s contract in West London expires in June and has been linked with several Turkish clubs interested whilst a move to America a possibility with a clutch of Major League Soccer teams considering a move for him.
However it’s now emerged that Grozny who are drawing up a lucrative contract offer for the 32-year-old as they strive to compete with fellow Russian giants Anzhi, Spartak Moscow, Zenit St Petersburg, CSKA Moscow and Rubin Kazan.
Despite competing with a host of top strikers Anelka has featured in every Chelsea game so far this season making nine appearances and scoring one goal.
His cause has been helped with Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres both serving suspensions, Didier Drogba suffering a serious injury and 18-year-old Romelu Lukaku being eased into Premier League life making him the only senior forward consistently available to Andre Villas-Boas.
However his early season form may not be enough to warrant a new deal and his five-year stay at Chelsea could end next summer with a move looking increasingly likely.
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Charlie Austin couldn’t have timed his return to goalscoring form any better. With Jay Rodriguez looking set to miss the next few weeks with a groin injury, I was concerned about our goals drying up between now and the end of the season.
I needn’t have worried. Austin, who has played second fiddle to Rodriguez for much of the season, came off the bench at Portsmouth and bagged his first career hat trick in the final fifteen minutes. He began the season well, scoring 9 goals in his first 17 appearances, but then a shoulder injury suffered against Leeds United in November set him back, and after missing four matches he struggled to find the net upon his return.
Before his hat trick at Portsmouth, he had scored only twice in his previous eighteen appearances, and I think that was down to a lack of confidence brought about by the dislocation to his shoulder. It can’t have been easy for him to watch his strike partner Rodriguez – who has scored frequently and consistently throughout the campaign – grab the headlines but his goals on Saturday should provide him with the boost he needs.
With Rodriguez facing a battle to return before the end of the season, Austin has a genuine chance to overtake his partner’s league tally of fifteen. He currently stands two shy of that mark, and a fully confident Austin could be about to benefit from a purple patch over the remaining seven fixtures. Three of those games are against teams in the bottom four, and I’m sure Austin will be looking at the next few weeks as a chance to stake his claim for a regular starting berth next season.
Of his 39 appearances so far this season, 13 of those have been as a substitute and often he has only entered the action in the final ten minutes of games. On Saturday at Portsmouth he came on shortly after half time and I think that this is much more suited to his game. It gives him the time to get up to speed with the action; as we saw on Saturday, his first goal arrived twenty minutes after coming on, and two more followed in the next fifteen minutes.
His finishes were all predatory, coming from a combined distance of about fifteen yards and as an out and out goalscorer he brings something different to the squad. Rodriguez is more of an all-round forward who holds the ball up, wins the flick-ons and scores all types of goals. Martin Paterson is a workhorse; never likely to be prolific in the Championship but his high energy performances create chances for others. Danny Ings, who scored his first goal for the club at Portsmouth, looks very sharp but as yet Burnley fans have not seen enough of him to make an informed opinion.
The types of goals Austin scores remind me of watching Andy Payton in the late nineties, and as a Burnley fan I can’t pay him a higher compliment than that. He is not particularly tall, muscular or quick, but he often finds himself in the right place at the right time in and around the penalty area. His partnership with Rodriguez has produced 35 goals so far this season, and if a Premier League club do come in with a good offer for Rodriguez in the summer, Eddie Howe will have to base next year’s campaign around Austin’s goals. His display at Fratton Park on Saturday suggests he is up to it.
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It’s crazy how fast things can change in the space of a week. A fortnight ago Tottenham steamrolled the Magpies at White Hart Lane scoring four goals before half time and appearing invisible. Fast forward seven days and Harry’s Hotspurs, albeit a little understrength, struggled to break down League One minnows Stevenage in the FA Cup fifth round.
Hardly the ideal preparation for a North London derby that could confirm the transference of the power in North London. Spurs are still in with an outside chance of winning the Premier League title and slaying their fiercest rivals in their own back back garden would keep them within touching distance of the two Manchester clubs.
This week on FFC questions have been asked over Tottenham’s future as title challengers, whether they have what it takes to compete in the Champions League next season and can they afford to let Emmanuel Adebayor slip through their fingers? Theres also news of a potential move for one of Brazil’s hottest striking prospects!
Best of FFC
Arguably The ‘Premier League XI’ of the season so far
Can Tottenham be ‘Long Term’ Contenders
Are Tottenham better equipped this time round?
Can Tottenham afford not to secure a permanent deal?
Damiao confirms Tottenham offer
A mistake to quit White Hart Lane?
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Best of WEB
[divider]
We Didn’t beat Stevenage – Dear Mr Levy
Modric Magic and Van der Vartistry: The North London Derby – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2
FA will have to fund Arry’s replacement – Harry Hotspur
Harry’s Human After All – Tottenham On My Mind
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Levy Quoted £12M For Dynamic Ledley King Replacement – Transfer Tavern
[divider]Quote of the Week[divider]
“I would love to stay at Tottenham and help them become champions.
“And I really enjoy working with this manager. Harry Redknapp has done so much to give me my confidence back. He told me, ‘Whether you score or you don’t score, you are a great player. You make goals, you work hard, you run for the team, you defend for the team. Your presence alone gives more space to others like Bale and Van der Vaart’.
“That’s great to hear because when your manager makes those sort of compliments you do your very best for him. That’s why I’m not surprised he is the main man now for the England job.” Emmanuel Adebayor describing the pleasure of working with Harry Redknapp (The Sun).
After Manchester City produced their financial reports – or more accurately, losses last week, it resulted in the very predictable outcry around football and indeed the world. Much the same with Chelsea when Abramovich took over, or what PSG and Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala have to look forward to, the influx of money cannot suddenly balance the books, and although they are not in actual financial jeopardy, on paper they record staggering losses and are technically in grave danger.
However, this is not a ‘real situation’ and the clubs are in no danger of going into administration, rendering the figures basically useless, as they will almost certainly continue to spend and get into a ‘worse’ situation. Cue UEFA attempting to increase the financial fair play rules and do something about this – specifically preventing clubs who breach said rules from entering the transfer market.
In reality, any excuse for football’s governing bodies to create another useless rule that can easily be worked around seems to be welcomed, and in a time where there are much more pressing issues – racism anyone – as per usual the focus is on something far more trivial.
Yes, there will always be the people who say the billionaire owners are destroying football and making it untenable for the rest of clubs, but it is a fact of life now that such people exist in football, and no amount of good character tests or fair play rules are going to stop them from buying a club and pouring billions into it.
The latest proposals by UEFA have been placed on the shelves in Nyon for the time being, and will be collecting dust along with the files on racial chanting, bribing referees and Jose Mourinho’s latest misconduct, as they quite simply cannot legally enforce them.
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To impose a transfer ban on clubs who breach said fair play rules is flawed to say the least, with the EU and issues of restraint of trade being the most likely to be employed by a club or player affected by these rules, and would be laughed out of court. Not to mention the small fact that UEFA do not actually have any say over player registrations – it is a combination of FIFA and national associations who hold all the cards here, and UEFA can actually do very little.
The ‘sliding scale’ that Platini and Uefa wished to adopt – a range of sanctions before a club is barred from the competition all together – would range from the proposals above to stopping an individual player from participating in the competition or withholding prize money. Cue a huge range of lawsuits ranging from Human Rights issues, restraint of trade etc things that the ECJ love ruling on and take very seriously.
Although the idea from UEFA is commendable on some scale, and supported by clubs such as Arsenal, it is a non-starter, and would bring much more trouble than it would solve should it be implemented.
Yes without such sanctions the new proposals loses validity, but in reality did it really have that much anyway? To lose a maximum of £38 million over the next three seasons is nigh on impossible for clubs such as City, and even reducing losses will not achieve this – Chelsea, despite former exec Peter Kenyon’s claims had not broken even on schedule, and the way they are going a Roman revolution and more losses will be inevitable.
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For clubs with billionaire owners, the fact of the matter remains that they can and will buy players both their balance sheets and UEFA tell them they cannot afford, and UEFA’s proposals will end up putting them so far into debt with court cases and legal challenges should they come to pass that the whole sorry affair will end in tears.