Carlos Tevez is set to attend an enquiry with Manchester City officials on Monday, as the Premier League club try to get to the bottom of the incident in the Bayern Munich Champions League game.
Citizens boss Roberto Mancini has claimed that the Argentina international refused to come off the bench at the Allianz Arena whilst his team were 2-0 down against the Bundesliga giants.
The South American forward has denied these accusations, but has been suspended for two weeks by the club as they look to clarify the details of what actually happened.
City HR staff and lawyers are set to quiz Tevez on what happened on Monday, according to Sky Sports, with the attacker’s future in England in jeopardy.
Tevez handed in a transfer request over the summer, stating he was unhappy at The City of Manchester Stadium, but the Premier League team failed to find a suitable buyer and he was forced to stay at the club until January at least.
Due to the bitter taste this has left, and the form of strike pairing Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, Tevez has not had much time on the pitch this season, and looks increasingly likely to leave the side once the transfer window opens in the new year.
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Last week was the best week in the Champions League that I can remember for a long time, particularly as a follower of the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur put in a highly accomplished performance against AC Milan in the daunting arena that is the San Siro, and then their north London neighbours Arsenal showed an ability to tough it out and overcome arguably the best team in the world in Barcelona, in the first leg at least. But then with all the optimism surrounding the European competition from an English perspective, news emerges that almost defies belief.
Saturday May 28th is the standout European fixture on this year’s football calendar. It’s the date of the Champions League final and should be a great day for English football, what with the match being played at the home of English football – Wembley; and four Premier League teams in Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all with a realistic chance of being part of the grand occasion. However, while an English club or maybe even two could reach the final, most of us football fans have no realistic chance of going.
Obviously not everyone can go to the Champions League final, but many of those considering applying for tickets will have been put off by the ridiculous prices quoted. The cheapest tickets on general sale will cost £150, with that figure being almost halved for fans of one of the team’s in the final to £80. It that wasn’t bad enough, a further kick in the teeth is the administration fee per pair of tickets, which is a whopping £26. Yep that’s right, £13 per person for admin, which I’m guessing amounts to a couple of minutes filling in details on a computer and then posting the tickets to you – that’s one expensive envelope!
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There has been outrage and widespread disbelief in the media surrounding the price of the tickets, and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has expressed his thoughts. I’m not Fergie’s biggest fan, what with his boycott of the BBC; more someone highly respectful of his achievements in English football, but for once the Scot is right on the money. Fergie said “It’s a killer and a corporate deal. Managers and players can’t do anything about it. I don’t know what you can do.” They could always use a portion of their wages to compensate and bring the prices of tickets down, but that’s another matter.
Now I’m not detached from the capitalist world in which we live and I understand the ticket prices are driven by demand. In fact they could possibly double the price and the 86,000-capacity Wembley Stadium would still be filled, but that’s not really the point. The issue here is that once again football fans are footing the bill for the support of their team, or the support of football in general in the neutral’s case here. UEFA’s director of competitions, Giorgio Marchetti, might well defend the prices and argue that “we don’t think that the Champions League final is overpriced,” but then he’s not paying for tickets, is he?
Champions League finals of course used to take place on Wednesday nights, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter moved it to a Saturday so that more families could go. But in truth, how many families are going to go with the ticket prices set as they are? Very few I’d bet, and while going to a Champions League final contested by two English teams or indeed won by a Premier League club at Wembley would be a priceless experience, £176 isn’t a price I’m willing to pay. Oh well, looks like I’ll be watching it on the telly then!
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted the club are still chasing Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas despite having their opening transfer bids rejected.
The Spain international, who left the Catalan giants for the Gunners as a teenager, is contracted to the Emirates Stadium outfit until 2015, but he as made it clear he wants a return to his homeland.
However, the La Liga champions failed with an initial bid of around £30million and now Laporta will allow sporting director Txiki Begiristain decide what course of action they will next take.
Laporta said:"It's a price that we consider to be his market value. Arsenal have rejected it. Now the sporting director must decide what should be the next step.
"We are in negotiations and we'll see how they turn out. At times, these operations are resolved at one speed, and others at another.
"We have to do everything we can to convince them that the best thing for all is to reach an agreement.
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"The club have full confidence that Arsenal will end up understanding the situation."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester United midfielder Anderson is at a crossroads in his career at Old Trafford; one more season interrupted by injury and poor form will surely see him shipped out to bring an end to a frustrating six year-spell at the club, but is he even up to the task in hand?
The Brazilian midfielder signed from the club back in 2007-8 for a fee in the region of £17m from Portuguese club Porto with a burgeoning reputation as a creative attacking midfielder off the back of some superb performances for his country at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player as Brazil took silver. There is clearly a player there, or was to be more precise, there was, which is what makes him such an infuriating figure.
Upon moving to England, though, Sir Alex Ferguson set about altering his style from a creative attacking midfielder into more of a box-to-box midfielder and it’s been a bumpy transition, with the 24 year-old failing to score in his first two seasons at all, while enduring a series of muscle and joint-based injuries, which would indicate that he struggles to cope with the physical rigours of the position and the league in general.
I’ve long thought that his reputation in his debut season, where it appeared that everyone thought he was brilliant, was built more upon two superb eye-catching performances in the big televised games against Liverpool that term as opposed to any real consistent form and he’s struggled to put together a decent run ever since to be honest, not making more than 20 league appearances in his last four seasons. He plays the game at a lively tempo, which the at times static midfield at the club could do with a bit more of and he’s got a decent range of passing, but he needs to prove it over a sustained period to be truly worthy of another shot.
There’s also the fact that last season, while back in Brazil, that he was fined for refusing to take a breathalyzer test after being pulled over by the police, not to mention his ballooning weight problems prior to pre-season and he starts to represent something of a lost cause. Can the club really afford to carry him for another year?
With Tom Cleverley equally as injury-prone, Darren Fletcher ruled out with a long-term illness for the foreseeable future and both Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs coming to the end of their respective careers, the midfield department at United looks threadbare with options. Anderson featured just three times after the turn of the year last campaign and they simply cannot afford for him to do the same this term. Add into the mix that the club have bought Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell this summer and it looks as if Ferguson is preparing for the worst-case scenario already.
Anderson said of his injury troubles last term: “The last two years have been very difficult,” he told reporters. No-one wants a player who has a lot of injuries. But I am still young. I am only 24. And I believe I can get through this. All summer I stayed in Europe to work on my knee. Now I am 100%. I don’t have any more injuries. I don’t have a problem. This is a very big season for me. The thing is, if I stay fit, I can be that player. I can be a success at United. You have seen, when I don’t have a problem, I play well. The problems come when I have an injury. After six or seven games last season it felt as though one leg was 30% weaker than the other.”
The problem with Anderson has never been his talent, nor his potential, but his application and his determination, two key values which United fans appreciate more than anything. He doesn’t quite have the discipline to play a holding role, and his partnership alongside Tom Cleverley at the start of last season, which has been cited by the pro-Anderson brigade that he’s worthy of another shot, saw the central midfield area riddled with gaping holes in it as time and time again the opposition just seemed to walk right through it at will.
He can deliver the odd brilliant performance, and somewhat unusually, in big games as opposed to the more routine ones, with decent showings against Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham last term, but it’s that crucial consistency which is sorely lacking and at £17m – it’s bizarre that Alberto Aquilani is often touted as a huge flop whereas Anderson has been just as bad to be honest and cost roughly the same fugure. The club would do well to see any sort of return on their investment at the moment and I’m not entirely sure whether a club in Europe would take such a risk if they did decide to sell him.
Liverpool fans are often mocked for the “this will be our year” schtick, although I can’t say I’ve actually met one of these mythical fans ever before, but Anderson apologists are just as bad, “if he stays injury free, he could be a top-class midfielder, this will be his year” – his continued support from some sections of the terraces is just plain bizarre.
In his defence, he has had a torrid time with injuries and he’s still pretty young, so there’s plenty of time to prove himself over the course of his career, but his time away on the treatment table is far too often used as an all too convenient excuse by his supporters and truth be told, nobody is really sure what he’s capable of delivering over the course of a long campaign, stretched over four competitions, and that’s the most concerning thing of all.
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Hope in this instance is blind and there’s no real evidence that he’s good enough these days. Blinkered fans would do well to remember that after six years at Old Trafford, he is still something of an unknown quantity, which tells you everything you need to know about how poor and frustrating he’s been. Talk about Anderson is always centered on the word ‘if’, but if he has one more iffy season, then you wouldn’t begrudge Ferguson for cutting his losses and getting rid at the end of the season.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has questioned Roberto Mancini’s decision to banish Carlos Tevez from the Manchester City first-team, and feels the omission will benefit the rest of the Premier League.
The Argentina international refused to come off the bench against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in mideek, and Mancini told the press that Tevez’s time at the club was finished.
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Despite the striker’s petulance, Scholes feels City are a better team with Tevez playing.
The Manchester derby is the pick of what promises to be an action packed weekend of Premier League football at both ends of the table. Victory for Manchester United will undoubtedly knock City out of the title race; however defeat will open up the doors again and make it the most open title pursuit in years.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories that includes Tottenham considering legal action over Olympic snub; FA to ban AWOL players, while Manchester United rubbish sale rumours.
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Tottenham consider legal action over Olympic Stadium snub – Guardian
Charlton on the Sheikh – Daily Telegraph
We have the technology, we can rebuild him, that’s why Carroll is our… £35m MAN – Daily Mail
Torres failed to show respect, says Agger – Guardian
FA to ban AWOL England players – Sun
Wilshere holds key to Capello’s dream team – Daily Telegraph
Man United rubbish rumours of £1.6bn sale – Mirror
Parker keen to grasp every opportunity – Guardian
Hammers hit by Keane KO blow – Sun
Liverpool ramp up Eriksen pursuit by sending Lee to watch Ajax star – Daily Mail
Young eyes club-and-country partnership with Bent – Mirror
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Team GB captain Ryan Giggs has admitted that he is desperate to win gold at the Olympic Games.
The Manchester United man is eager to lead his side to the final on August 11, and states that the competition will be his last hurrah internationally.
“As a footballer, you don’t start out in your career hoping to win the Olympics. You want to win leagues, FA Cups and European Cups,” he admitted to The Sun.
“I’m still disappointed I never got to a major championship with Wales but we weren’t good enough to get to a European Championships or World Cup.
“But to get the chance to play in a tournament at such a late stage of my career is obviously one I’m excited about and looking forward to.
“Of course, you want to win every game and win the tournament. We know it’s going to be tough — but having seen the quality of our team over the last few weeks, we’re hopeful of going a long way.
“An Olympic gold would be up there with my European medals. I don’t like to prioritise any medal or trophy, because it’s always a good feeling when you win.
“It’s always a challenge — no matter what you win — and this is a big challenge.
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“It’s going to be difficult because there’s a lot of quality in the tournament but there’s quality in our dressing room as well,” he concluded.
In light of the launch of the new football gaming phenomenon that is ‘Goaldash’ I decided to look at the six greatest solo goals of all time.
Footballers around the world have graced the game with many fantastic solo goals. Most include mesmeric runs around defenders who just fall at their feet whilst others may include one or two slices of luck. But these are all goals that fans will never forget…
1. Diego Maradona
This stunning effort in the 1986 World Cup is a goal few fans will ever forget, especially the English who were on the receiving end of a goal that often tops the ‘best of’ charts. Whilst the Argentine may also be remembered for another infamous strike, this one is by far the greatest solo goal of all time.
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2. Ryan Giggs
Giggs’ individual goal in 1999 was definitely a sign of the greatness to come from one of the Premier League’s most talented players ever. Taking on and beating the whole Arsenal defence is not an easy task but Giggs managed it with deadly ease and this goal will be fondly remembered as one of the defining moments in the English game.
[youtube quI_LkMj4HI]
3. Lionel Messi
Any list of the greatest solo goals would not be complete without a strike from the master of turning defences inside out, Lionel Messi. The Argentine is the current king of the spectacular and this goal against Getafe in 2007 sums up why Messi is the world’s greatest footballer.
[youtube 5vmm-xCq4To]
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Find Out More About GOALDASH by clicking here
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4. Michael Owen
Whilst this goal may not be as mesmeric or spectacular as others, the way in which a young Michael Owen introduced himself onto the world stage with his amazing goal was worthy of a mention. Owen attacked the Argentine defence all by himself and stunned the 1998 World Cup with a sublime finish.
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5. George Weah
Again this goal doesn’t include fantastic skill but Weah’s ability to run from his own penalty box, past a handful of defenders and then calmly slot the ball into the corner deserves a place in the best solo goal charts. He did get a couple of slices of luck along the way but it was still a fantastic effort from Weah for AC Milan against Verona in 1996.
[youtube MMnR1QM5Te4]
6. John Barnes
Another fantastic individual goal that was partly one of the greatest solo goals for Barnes fantastic individual effort but also the setting in which he scored it. Barnes took on Brazil and beat them at their own game, dodging past defenders with ease to score this unforgettable goal in 1984.
[youtube 9SCyXGiJ-jc]
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So how does Goaldash work?
So what is Goaldash all about then?
Bored of playing the Lottery? Failing every week on the Pools? Then why not give ‘Goaldash’ a go – a football gamble with a difference.
‘Goaldash’ is a fabulous concept which fuses the Lottery format with pre-chosen football fixtures. Whereas you may use birthdays or your own favourite numbers to pick your six numbers, with ‘Goaldash’ you need to use your foresight of the Beautiful Game to select the six teams that are likely to score the quickest in the pre-selected 24 fixtures.
It only costs £1 a pop to enter and you have the chance to win a million pounds, every given week.
All you have to do is scour the 48 teams and pick out the 6 teams that are likely to score the quickest on the Saturday afternoon. The matches are chosen from the Premier League, the Football League, as well as the Scottish divisions therefore you will have plenty to work out and strategise before you make your selections.
Playing the Lottery has just got fun, especially as your odds are a damn sight greater.
Fancy your chances? Fancy winning £1million pounds? Why not give it a go!
It’s been a pretty good week for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. After a Robin van Persie hat-trick helped to dispose of Wigan at the weekend, leaving the Gunners second in the Premier League table, they defeated Ipswich in the Carling Cup semi-final to keep them battling on four fronts this season. The second leg at The Emirates in midweek wasn’t as straight forward as it might have been and Arsenal had to wait until the second half until they finally broke the deadlock and overpowered the Tractor Boys. One Arsenal player who was forced to leave the field before that, being replaced by Emmanuel Eboue, was Bacary Sagna. The Frenchman suffered concussion after colliding with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Wenger later revealed his was sick after the match. Here is Sagna looking a little bit out of it, but what are the Arsenal physios saying to him?
Leave your suggestions below…
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This week you can win a copy of Premiership Psycho!
Kev King has the world at his feet. His is the world of top flight football: where brands are all, lifestyle is god, adoration is obligatory and there is nothing – and no one – that money can’t buy. And up until last season, Kev had the Premier League status to match his premier lifestyle.
Now, relegated to a lowly league, forced to watch injured from the bench, and paranoid about his girlfriend’s rising celebrity profile, he feels less in control of his life. And it’s making him angry. Fighting his way back to the top, he leaves a trail of destruction. But can his millions and his talent keep him at the top of his game – or are his violent secrets about to rob him of everything he has?
C.M. Taylor’s “Premiership Psycho” is a compelling, hilarious and horrible insight into celebrity culture and a brilliant fictional portrayal of contemporary football.
For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here
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Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.
Last week’s winner: Kenny – click here to see all entries
Chelsea are readying a £4 million bid for teenage Southampton defender Luke Shaw, and will contact the newly-promoted Premier League side this week according to The Daily Mail.
The west London club are looking to revamp their squad this summer, with a number of the old guard expected to leave and new faces galore expected.
With Roberto Di Matteo brought in on a permanent basis as the club’s manager, the additions of Marko Marin, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard have already been captured.
However, 16-year-old Shaw is next on the Stamford Bridge club’s wishlist, after impressing for England under-17’s.
The young left-back made his first-team debut for the Saints against Millwall in the FA Cup last season, and is highly-rated amongst youth scouts.
However, despite Chelsea’s interest, Southampton are keen to keep hold of their young star and will resist the Blues’ attempts to snatch him away.
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