Swansea travel to North London looking for their first ever victory at White Hart Lane. They have never won a Premier League match against Tottenham and never won in 12 outings in the League against them.
They have only managed to pick up a dismal 2 points in total but with have renewed faith that this Sunday will be their lucky day having reached the Capital One Cup semi-final midweek.
Spurs will be looking to bounce back from their disastrous collapse at Goodison Park last weekend conceding two goals at the death. AVB’s men still remain firmly within touching distance of the top four so won’t be unduly concerned about their prospects just yet.
They should take note of the Welsh club as they look to secure back to back North London victories this season having despatched Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates not so long ago.
AVB will be without Gareth Bale (Hamstring) as Clint Dempsey looks to continue his impressive display of form deputising in the midfielder’s absence.
The Premier League clash may have come just too soon for Scott Parker who is on the verge of a return to the Spurs set up, adding much needed steel to the midfield, though he could make the bench.
Dawson and Benoit Assou Ekotto look doubts for the fixture with the latter only recently returning to light training. Younes Kaboul (knee) is also set to be out until next year.
Michael Laudrup will continue on with 34 year old Gerhard Tremmel as the impressive Michel Vorm remains on the sidelines.
Ashley Williams served a one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, so will return to the starting XI on Sunday. Neil Taylor remains a long term injury yet is expected to put pen to paper to a new deal to keep him at the club when he returns.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Tottenham have only failed to hit the back of the net in the League once this season and only Everton have matched this impressive record. So Spurs will be looking to get in amongst the goals again on Sunday.
Sunderland fans have been taking out their frustrations on Twitter after the club announced home tickets for sale at £25.
It’s been a miserable season for Sunderland fans, and what will make it even more infuriating is that the worst of it has come at home.
The Black Cats are on track for a historically bad home record this season, having won just twice at the Stadium of Light all season (1-0 wins against Hull and Fulham, not exactly exciting for the fans).
This week, the club announced tickets on sale for their final home games of the season, and needless to say fans are less than impressed with the pricing.
[ad_pod ]
The upper tier of the Stadium of Light is set to be closed next season to improve the atmosphere as attendances drop. Matchday tickets are now being sold at £25, and some fans are suggesting they give them away for free if they’re so intent on improving the atmosphere.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The club ownership, most notably Ellis Short, has come under considerable criticism from fans for quite some time, and their decision to keep ticket prices relatively high for a Championship club is not sitting well with the fans.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
As Peter Crouch nears the 100 goals mark in the Premier League we ask – has he been underrated during his career?
Everyone knows Peter Crouch, and when you stand at 6 foot 7 inches you’re not going to slip under anyone’s radar. But many see him as just a great big lump whose height is the be all and end all of his ability. However, the 33-year-old is still playing at the top level and he is getting very close to joining the Premier League ‘100 club’.
There is currently only 24 players in the ‘100 club’ which is topped by Alan Shearer who is the only player in the unmade ‘200 club’ with 260 Premier League goals. Peter is currently 0n 90 Premier League goals in 367 appearances after scoring twice already this season. If ‘Crouchy’ was to reach 100 goals he would be equal with Matthew Le Tissier and Didier Drogba.
By no means is he the most prolific, having scored no more than 12 in a single league season (Southampton 2004-05). To put it into perspective, Le Tissier and Drogba reached the 100 goal target in 258 and 226 appearances respectively.
Peter Crouch has certainly been more prolific for England and, after receiving a total of 42 caps, he has scored a total of 22 goals for the Three Lions – A ratio better than a goal every two games. Of course many will argue that because England are seeded high, they play most of their matches against much lesser teams and so it’s easy to score. But that simply isn’t the case, goals aren’t guaranteed at any level and Crouch deserves the respect that his England record suggests. For example, Emile Heskey managed only seven goals in his 62 appearances and Ian Wright, only nine in 33. International goals aren’t a given.
The most important thing to note about Crouch is that his technical ability is far greater than he is given credit for, for example his goal against Man City was one of the best Premier League goals ever in terms of technique. Not to mention his remarkable amount of acrobatic goals.
He’s not just a great big lump, in fact his aerial ability is by no means the best in the division. Many have noted that his heading ability doesn’t quite match up to the amount of headed goals he is expected to score.
Crouch hasn’t been the most prolific striker in Premier League history, as mentioned above. However, to have been selected in various Premier League teams over many years is no mean feat. After joining England’s top division in the 2001-02 season with a move to Aston Villa, he has dropped out of the top division just once, when he joined Norwich on loan in the 2003-04 season.
Many managers have favoured Peter Crouch and he has delivered for most of them, chipping in with goals here and there, and generally being a nuisance. He has played enough that he is almost entering the ‘100 club’ and that is a great achievement regardless of the amount of appearances that it has taken.
The 33-year-old has not been particularly underrated in terms of his influence on the Premier League, but I feel he has been underrated internationally. His goals to game ratio is right up there with any of his England predecessors. He has been given a fair crack with his country with 42 appearances over a five-year period, but he rarely let his country down and he was certainly a nuisance to deal with for opposition defences.
Some still say that he has a case at 33 years old to be recalled, however, I think that ship has sailed and England should be (and are) looking to the future rather than running to the past.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Underrated for England – yes. But as for the Premier League – he’s underrated in terms of his technical ability but his goals have been good but not great. Although I really hope he makes it into the ‘100 club’.
Players who join clubs on free transfers and go on to be successful is something of a rare sight in the Premier League these days, as we now usually see the players signing for big fees being the ones who get all the limelight.
But Mohamed Diame’s outstanding game-changing substitute appearance in West Ham’s 3-1 win over Chelsea at the weekend got me thinking of the most successful free transfers we have seen in the Premier League.
The only player to feature twice is Brad Friedel, because it still amazes me how the consistent American stopper hasn’t been the subject of a huge transfer fee throughout his career.
Click on Jay-Jay ‘so good they named him twice’ Okocha to see the 15 most successful free transfers in Premier League history
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Sunderland fans are not happy with Chris Coleman’s comments about their home form.
Speaking after yet another home defeat on Tuesday, Coleman seemed optimistic about the game at QPR this weekend solely because it isn’t at home.
“We have another game in 4 days, maybe it is good it is away from home because we do not perform here,” the Welshman said.
Coleman’s side showed all their worst qualities against Villa on Tuesday night, allowing Lewis Grabban to score from a failed clearance before letting James Chester nod home in first half stoppage time to double the lead.
The hosts showed little signs of life before conceding the third goal, prompting shouts of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” from the home fans.
[ad_pod ]
Three-nil did not flatter Aston Villa, and the home form simply cannot continue if Sunderland are to stay up. The Black Cats have won just twice at home in the league all season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The final home game of the season is against promotion favourites Wolves, but Preston, Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich and Burton Albion all make trips to the Stadium of Light before then. While none of these are easy fixtures, they are certainly winnable.
Sunderland fans have been reacting to Coleman’s comments on Twitter, and they are not best pleased…
Garry Monk took over as Swansea City manager last season after the departure of Michael Laudrup.
He was seen as a temporary solution to stabilise the club whilst a more permanent solution was sought. Since then, however, he has gone on to make quite a name for himself in a short space of time and looks like he fits well into life as a Premiership manager, with statistics suggesting he is doing a better job already than his Dane predecessor.
Last Saturday’s gritty draw at Sunderland took Swansea to ten points — a quarter of the way to the initial target of 40 — after only six league games. At the same stage last season, Laudrup’s side had only seven points on the board. And the season before that when Brendan Rodgers was in charge of their first season in the top flight they had five points at the same stage of the season.
Much is made in football about how vital managerial experience is before taking on a Premier League team with favour being shown to those who have been in management for a long period of time than a young, newly retired ex-player taking charge of a former club.
On the whole, this opinion tends to be correct given that in recent seasons, those who have not long hung up their football boots and gone straight into managing a Premiership team do not tend to be very successful.
Alan Shearer had a spell in the Newcastle hot-seat as emergency cover but could not stop them from being relegated. Gianfranco Zola had a very bad spell in charge of Premiership outfit West Ham with a severe lack of managerial experience and was was very soon out of his depth, failing to hold on to his job. Paulo Di Canio was another young manager who came into Premiership football too quickly and was soon out of his depth with Sunderland.
So what sets Garry Monk aside from the rest? Much has to be said of the romance associated with a former player taking charge of his beloved club, with mixed results. Billy Bonds, a much loved legend and hero at West Ham, was turned on by the fans after a poor managerial spell, which shows even the most loved of players might not have the same luck as a manager.
One has to admire Monk for his passion and grit. He displays a determination to succeed that is infectious throughout his whole club and is reflected by his players. Swansea remain aware of their real club status among the bigger boys in the Premiership with no illusions of grandeur, yet they play with a lot of confidence and gusto, often showing a winning mentality and a lack of fear that is rare to see from the so-called “smaller” sides.
Monk has the black and white colours of Swansea running in his veins after a ten year playing career for the Swans. He was established as a long serving player who had seen the club rise like a phoenix from the ashes, on the brink of extension to the giddy heights of the top flight of English football.
He saw it all and was involved heavily in most of the ups and downs at the Welsh side. This is what sets him apart from the rest. This new managerial position is more than just a day job to Monk, it is his passion, his life and his soul. Having seen the struggle to get the Swans up to where they are now, with a solid base of great football, stable finances and a decent squad to build on, he is determined to prove the doubters wrong and take his club up to the next level.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Some people will always pencil Swansea in to the relegation favourites pigeon hole despite the fact they have steered clear of any type of serious relegation dog-fight since their arrival three seasons ago.
Fill out our survey and win a pair of PUMA EvoPOWER boots as worn by Mario Balotelli, Cesc Fabregas and Marco Reus!
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
We can all agree that the job of refereeing a football match is a difficult one; a task that will only get trickier the higher up the football ladder you climb, while coping with all of the external pressures must take a very thick skin. It is not an enviable task in the slightest, yet there have been several big Premier League games this season which have been ruined by poor officiating, with many match officials choosing to rule by the letter of the law rather than taking into account the mitigating factors which had led to the incident.
Having sympathy for the nearly impossible job that referees up and down the country have each and every weekend and slamming them for the poor decisions they make would seem to be a contradictory stance to take, but it’s one that the vast majority of us fall into. Obviously, you get plenty of former players in the studio on TV with an even looser grasp of the laws than most fans, with Jamie Redknapp in particular only believing it counts as a deliberate handball if you happen to be looking at the ball at the exact time of the infringement, which is baffling to say the least.
The benefit of hindsight is often being used as a stick to beat officials with, as if after Graeme Souness has seen a touch and go decision from eight different angles can confidently claim that the referee has ‘had a shocker there’. This retrospective school of thinking has quickly altered and distorted the way we view incidents, but the men in black out on the pitch get just one chance to view an issue and split-seconds to make a judgement call. By its very nature, simply due to the pace of the game, mistakes will be made, and often. Calls of bias or ‘unfair treatment’ are commonplace among the managing fraternity as a tool to distract attention elsewhere rather than focus on their own deficiencies.
Nevertheless, aside from the sort of close calls which it often takes several angles and umpteenth viewings to come to any sort of definitive decision, there are those which are so obvious that even in real time, from a stand a considerable distance away from the pitch, look simple to adjudge, but are given a baffling decision.
For example, Gareth Bale has already been booked three times this season for diving. Of the three incidents, two of them were perhaps fouls on the Tottenham winger, with one just a flat-out poor decision which saw the call go against him simply down to his theatrics. He has a reputation as a diver now, and rightly so after his swan lake impression for a penalty against Arsenal last season, but some officials appear to be letting that influence their judgements.
[cat_link cat=”premiership” type=”list”]
There are several grey areas with this, because ‘simulation’ does not just take into account diving. For example, during the dull 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester City last month, Mario Balotelli was cautioned for diving by Chris Foy after he grabbed the ball 30 yards from goal and charged towards the edge of the box, before seemingly flinging himself into David Luiz’s elbow to try and earn a free kick in a dangerous position.
What exactly was Luiz supposed to do differently in that situation? Balotelli had already made his mind up to make a deliberate attempt to ‘earn’ the free kick. Nevertheless, the outcry that the Italian was then booked was hysterical to say the last. According to the Laws of the Game: “A player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour if (he) attempts to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to be fouled.” While a booking may have been harsh, the decision was correct. The context was that the situation was pre-judged, therefore can be considered cheating as such and under the bracket of simulation.
However, turn your attentions back to a different encounter at Stamford Bridge just a few weeks previously, the 3-2 game between the hosts and Manchester United, and Mark Clattenburg came to a very different conclusion. There was contact on Torres, and while the Spaniard went down easily under Jonny Evans’ challenge, the decision to similarly award him a second yellow card for simulation, completely ignoring the pace and tempo at which the match was being played, let alone the context of the scoreline, magnitude of the teams involved and what impact it would have on a huge game and he was clearly wrong. Surely it would have been better to award the free kick but not the yellow for the sake of the rest of the match as a spectacle?
Two broadly similar incidents of a player anticipating contact and using it to their advantage, both players were handed a yellow card, yet for some reason it just feels wrong. It’s contradictory to complain about the inconsistency in refereeing when tribalism and partisanship is at the very heart of the game, leading observers such as myself to complain about the very consistency we so crave.
It’s idealistic to think that games of importance will not be marred by poor decision-making in the future, with Liverpool on the receiving end of some truly terrible calls with concerns to penalties awarded for and against them this season. These things do not balance themselves out over the course of a season, that is little more than a well-worn and quite frankly tired cliche.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The argument often put forward is that ex-professionals need to get more involved with refereeing the game, but for anyone that’s watched Soccer Saturday or Match of the Day will tell you, they rarely ever know the rules themselves (I’m looking at you here, Paul Merson). They confuse experience with knowledge. Plenty of them aren’t fit to be pundits, let alone match officials. The current system has its flaws, and idealists will always crave consistency or cry wolf when it doesn’t benefit them.
Decisions will always go against your side and sometimes the problem is the rule itself rather than the official in question (red card for every last-man offence, yellow card for removing your shirt during a goal celebration, the lack of definition over two-footed challenges). With that in mind, while following the Laws of the Game to the letter is important for the vast majority of incidents, like the two mentioned above, sometimes coming to the same conclusion is not necessarily the right result. It’s a tricky job pleasing us all, eh?
Leeds United fans in the Transfer Tavern will want to see a number of transfers happen this summer following the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa as manager.
The Chilean was appointed last week as the new man in charge of the Elland Road outfit and the locals will be hoping his name and experience can help take the Whites back into the Premier League.
The Yorkshire outfit know that they will need a number of additions this summer in order to have any chance of making that a possibility and have been heavily linked with a number of attackers as they look to add to their firepower.
Matej Vydra is one of the names that has been mentioned over the past couple of weeks and a number of the locals have been wondering whether anything could happen for the Derby County man.
According to Phil Hay, who is the chief football writer for the Yorkshire Evening Post, there has been some progress, however, it does appear there could still be some way to go.
It is believed the wage demands will not be a problem for the Czech Republic international but rather the transfer fee, with Derby asking for around £11million to let the deal happen.
Landlord’s Verdict
The Leeds fans in the Tavern will be encouraged that there has been progress about a deal with the prolific goalscorer as they look to add an attacking threat to their game.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Vydra was crowned the league’s top goalscorer with 21 strikes to his name and the locals will want to see him doing his thing at Elland Road in the very near future.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, a former FC Zenit stalwart expects the Russians to be able to overcome the challenge of Celtic in UEFA Europa League action this evening.
What’s the story?
Aleksei Igonin made over 150 appearances for the Russian outfit between 1998 and 2003 so is more than familiar with the expectations of the visitors to Celtic Park.
However, the retired player’s belief that Zenit can deal with what Celtic have to offer perhaps highlights an over-confidence in the Russian camp that the Hoops can exploit after kick-off.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Igonin said of tonight’s encounter:
I have no doubts the Scots will endlessly load high balls in from the wings in their own half. So it is important Zenit stand up to this onslaught early on. But I am certain Zenit will score at least once. Aleksandr Kokorin is in great form, but the best player at the moment is Emiliano Rigoni. He is a constant danger on the right wing and is capable of producing dangerous crosses. He is key to Zenit getting through.
It’s clear that Igonin may not have seen much of Celtic in action recently given his belief Brendan Rodgers’ will be loading high balls forward and perhaps it’s a misconception that plays into the Hoops’ hands.
Will Zenit be ill-prepared for Rodgers’ possession-heavy approach to football, something he has refused to compromise regardless of the level of opponent so far in his Celtic career?
Zenit’s dangers
One thing Igonin is certainly right about is the key men that Celtic will need to stop if they’re to have hope of progressing to the last 16 of the competition.
Aleksandr Kokorin, who has scored at Celtic Park before with Dinamo Moscow, is showing a lethal touch this season with 18 goals in all competitions. That’s especially true in European competition where he’s netted eight times in just nine appearances.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The other big danger is Emiliano Rigoni, who averaged a goal every 77 minutes in the Europa League group stages this season, netting six times in total and also providing two assists, both of which came away from home.
The pair scored 11 of Zenit’s 17 goal haul in the last stage, a team total that was more than any other side in the competition.
Can the Hoops defence raise their game and stop this deadly duo?
Roberto Martinez says that the Europa League is an exciting challenge for his Everton side and one that will help his players to progress.
After narrowly missing out on a spot in the Champions League, the Toffees are gearing up for the continent’s second biggest club competition, with German side Wolfsburg set to take to the turf at Goodison Park tomorrow night.
While a number of managers – including Jose Mourinho in the run up to his side’s recent game – have slated the Europa League for it’s demanding Thursday night fixtures and long trips, Martinez is at the other end of the spectrum in regards to the tournament.
WANT MORE? >> Everton transfer news | Latest transfer news
The Spaniard says that it’s honour to be involved in games against big sides and that the extra fixtures and new challenges will help his squad to build on the development they made last season:
“We are very excited, we have been working hard for 12 months to achieve this opportunity.” He is quoted by The Mirror.
“The Europa League is a great competition. It’s where we need to be, testing ourselves. The only way to fulfil our potential is by playing games, like the one we are going to have tomorrow.
“The draw has been really kind in bringing two phenomenal football teams of the quality of Lille and Wolfsburg to Goodison.
“It’s a phenomenal challenge for us.
“But that’s what we want at Everton. That’s the expectation we want to bring to ourselves. We embrace playing in Europe and it’s what we need to fulfil our potential as a squad.
“I know the potential here is huge and in order to fulfil that, we have to play games like this one we are going to be facing tomorrow.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Everton are in Group H alongside Wolfsburg, Lille and Russian side FC Krasnodar.