Heurelho Gomes could be on his way out of Tottenham, according to the Daily Mail, with Corinthians set to make a January move for the out-of-favour goalkeeper.
The Brazilian has slipped down the pecking order at White Hart Lane after summer signing was installed as number one by manager Harry Redknapp at the start of the campaign.
Redknapp admitted that Gomes is likely to leave the club in the new year and revealed the 30-year-old is unhappy after effectively being relegated to third choice behind Carlo Cudicini.
“He’s not happy and he’s eyeing a January move. If the chance comes for him to play elsewhere, I’m sure he’ll take it.” the Spurs boss said.
“I’ve not bombed out Gomes and made him No three keeper but we decided Carlo Cudicini would be better on the bench.
“Gomes has trained hard but Friedel is fantastic. If ever there was a man who didn’t deserve those two beatings by Manchester United and Manchester City, it was him.”
A move back to his homeland with Corinthians could now be on the cards for the Brazilian who has suffered an indifferent spell during his time in England.
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After building up a decent reputation with PSV his time in North London will be remembered for a catalogue of high profile errors which have overshadowed some sparkling performances at White Hart Lane.
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.
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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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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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.
The January transfer window is imminent, moves are being planned and pre-planned and in swift attempts to shift deadwood for “transitional phases”, players are being told they can leave. One player to already fall victim to age discrimination in the workplace, is 32-year old Nicolas Anelka , who has been told he doesn’t feature in Chelsea ’s long term plans under Andre Villas-Boas , stating that, “the club has decided to work with Chelsea’s players of the future and I have accepted this.” Just how long Villas-Boas has to regiment his troops, fluctuates with the week and whether or not his vice-captain on the field of duty, Frank Lampard , is starting, or if his captain’s racially slurring his way through games next to an incompetent David Luiz.
However, as the fashionable debonair critic slayer continues to slay critics fashionably, whilst remaining debonair, “ the talent of this team is not in question,” he told reporters a week after having to defend his team’s talents, “this has been a continuous persecution of Chelsea, continuous aggression of one club. We have become your target. We have to accept it,” in the background, he’s been ushering players out of the door quietly. Some are, understandably, reluctant and are holding on to the door frame Winston-Bogarde-style.
A further five players could be set to follow Nicolas Anelka out of Stamford Bridge, however unlikely to do so in the wage-increasing style the Frenchman is, with a new path in his career in China with Shanghai Shenhua starting in January. Ivorian pair Drogba and Kalou have apparently been offered a way out, as well as the already transfer-listed Alex and Portuguese defensive duo, Paulo Ferreira and Jose Bosingwa. One player not aging, not cheap and not expected as potentially on the transfer list is Fernando Torres .
This isn’t because he’s top class, banging goals in week-in-week-out, or because he’s in high demand, this is because he cost Chelsea £50m less than a year ago. However, over thirty appearances later, Fernando Torres has spent much of his playing time in a pedestrian manner and has only scored five times. In a career that could be valued at £395,480.00 a goal, spreading his total transfer fees over his total goal count, he has cost Chelsea over twenty times that, at £10m a goal. If they do want to get shot of him, it’s to cut their losses, not make a profit.
The rumoured fee for the European Championships and World Cup medallist is as little as £20m, £30m less than Chelsea acquired him for from Liverpool , and the same fee at which the Merseyside club brought him for, before enjoying his services 81 times in front of goal in 142 appearances. At 27-years old, his career is far from over, and many a player has slumped mid-career, before reinvigorating themselves elsewhere.
It should be no different for a player that was arguably up there with the best just a few years ago. Signing him would be a gamble, but it could be a gamble that could see a player with class, just no form, signed at a cut-price deal with the ability to quickly prove his weight in gold.
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Another player with just as many goals, as well as the same price-tag, as Fernando Torres in the past two months is Carlos Tevez . The difference is that one has been frozen out by his own accord, and the other has been frozen out, making just one start in his club’s last 8 games, by his manager. For Carlos Tevez , there is no questions being asked of his quality, or whether he still has it, it is over his attitude. The Argentine has managed to steal much of Manchester City ’s limelight in a season that has seen them spend the majority of it at the top. His refusal to take to the pitch, whether it happened or not, his failure to return from Argentina and countless claims and counterclaims of defamation, have hindered all the good work going on at the Etihad. January may provide both parties with a way out.
The only deliberation left, is how to get rid of him. Carlos Tevez is wanted, make no mistake about it. His clash at Manchester City is very much on a personal level, and while he is lambasted as a mercenary, a sap to the game, a bad tag to the game even, a move away is the only feasible way a reasonable judgement can be made on the player. This is where the problem lies: Mancini only wants him to leave on a permanent transfer and to a club abroad; the interest is with other English clubs or loan offers.
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There is no denying that these two performers have ability in abundance. One is a shell of a former self. One currently lives in a shell. However, with reasonable fees on their heads, in a time of unproven English starlets selling for £10m, a cut-price quickfire double bid for the both of them could make a club’s season. A team such as Tottenham , a team such as Manchester United if Paul Ince is to believed on his views of Manchester United , could benefit tenfold by signing these two strikers.
However, as easily as the players could make a club’s season, they could break it. Torres has only scored 5 goals in the past 11 months and Tevez hasn’t been playing football since September. His attitude could turn on any team that takes a chance on him, and together, if both players were to act as they are currently, one club would quickly become broken.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean will be staring down the barrel of a loaded gun after watching his side slip to the foot of the Premier League table after they were beaten by fellow strugglers Bolton in an epic relegation six-pointer at Ewood Park.
In a game that will go a long way to defining both clubs’ season it was the Trotters who came out on top ending a run of five consecutive defeats to give them a real chance of getting themselves out of trouble during the christmas period. As for Rovers they had to endure a third successive defeat and now find themselves four points from safety having played a game more than their rivals at the bottom. The pressure is now firmly on Kean with reports suggesting that his job would be under increasing scrutiny should he lose against West Brom and Bolton in the space of four days. Supporters once again vented their anger and frustration over their manages continued tenure in the dugout leaving the owners with a serious decision to make over whether to give Kean a chance to save the club from the doom of relegation. Since taking over last December the Scot has won only seven games since then and failed to keep a clean sheet in 20 games since their last shut out in April – ironically against Bolton.
Owen Coyles’ side were clearly the hungrier of the two sides out on the field and it was no surprise when they took the lead with only five minutes on the clock. The normally reliable Christopher Samba saw his hashed clearance fall to David N’Gog who found Mark Davies and the midfielder made no mistake drilling the ball past Paul Robinson. The goal was met with jeers and chants demanding Kean be relieved of his duties there and then as the relationship between manager and supporter plummeted to new depths. Such negativity was clearly having an effect on the players as they struggled to and the noise around Ewood Park became even more blue as the Trotters doubled their lead just after the half hour mark. More shoddy defending from the hosts saw Morten Gamst Pedersen fail to deal with Martin Petrovs cross allowing the ball to find Nigel Reo-Coker who swiftly turned and lashed the ball home. Inevitably a torrent of abuse was directed towards the home dugout as Kean stood aimlessly staring out into the mess that was his Blackburn Rovers on field. It almost got worse before the half was over with N’Gog having a shot blocked before the whistle for half time proved the catalyst for more boo’s and jeers.
A major response was needed after the break and luckily for Kean his players provided it 12 minutes after the restart with Yakubu halving the deficit escaping the clutches of Gary Cahill to slam Junior Hoiletts pass into the back of the net. The Nigerian almost levelled the game later on only to see his shot deflected wide as Rovers went on the offensive. However their gung-ho approach left them susceptible to breaks on the counter and Bolton almost profited with Petrov speeding down the wing and crossing for Tuncay who failed to make contact with the ball as it flashed across goal. As the minutes ticked by the home sides hopes of an equaliser faded as the Trotters held on to secure a massively important three points and ease the pressure on Coyle’s shoulders ahead of their Boxing Day meeting with Newcastle. As for Kean and Blackburn, lets see what the morning brings.
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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.
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
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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
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“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).
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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