Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed that he may remain Ivory Coast manager until the next World Cup, dampening down rumours suggesting he was set to be revealed as Fulham's next boss.
The Cottagers were believed to have identified the Swede as the perfect replacement for Roy Hodgson who was unveiled as Liverpool's new manager earlier in the summer.
Former England manager Eriksson took over as Elephants boss on a short-term contract before the World Cup but was unable to guide his team through the group stage in South Africa.
However, Eriksson enjoyed the experience, telling Swedish broadcaster SVT:"They (Ivory Coast) were really pleased and I guess that I can stay on if I want to. If so, it will be for four years until the next World Cup finals.
"I'll make up my mind in a week or so. I have to do it soon since there are friendlies in August and qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations in September and October."
When asked about the Craven Cottage vacancy, the 62-year-old added: "I do not know, honestly. I do not think Fulham have decided what they want to do,"
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Fulham are also believed to be interested in appointing Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld or United States boss Bob Bradley.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Newcastle United have surprised everyone this season and sit third in the league going into the November international break, with Alan Pardew putting together a hard working, talented side that are confident of beating anyone in the division. 25 points from 11 games is a stunning return from the side that sit just one point behind the Champions and are comfortably in the Champions League places.
A summer of signings and speculation was captivating for a neutral as St James Park was once again the home to controversy and negativity. The summer began with the shock departure of captain and former top scorer Kevin Nolan to Championship side West Ham as he once again linked up with former Toon boss Sam Allardyce. The fee is still undisclosed but though to be around £5million, Nolan went cheap in the Geordies eyes and doubts began to fill the supporters’ heads.
The outspoken midfielder Joey Barton was the first to slam the club for this transfer policy and he soon found himself in the reserves and not having a future at the club after comments made about the clubs hierarchy. Pardew made his feelings clear, that he wanted Barton to stay in the reserves until he felt he was committed to the North East club once again. After seemingly been forgiven, Barton played in the opening game of the season against Arsenal and was once again in the thick of the action.
Just days later Barton was released formally on a free and with interest high in the aggressive midfielder, QPR snapped him up on a five-year-deal and his time at Newcastle was at an end. The Geordie fans clearly appreciated what Barton had done for them and gave him a standing ovation when Newcastle travelled to QPR just weeks later.
Both Barton and Nolan were considered two of the best players in the Newcastle side last season, hard working, goal-scoring midfielders that are not easy to come by in the English game. However, the attitudes of the players and the ego that was building around them could have been a valid reason for Pardew getting rid of the players during the summer.
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Nolan scored 30 goals in his 91 games for Newcastle, making him a valuable member of the side who on to be captain when they returned to the Premier League two years ago. His top moments will have been lead by a hat-trick against rivals Sunderland in October 2010. Nolan publicly criticised the clubs sacking of much loved manager Chris Hughton before Pardew came in and this may have been a point that Nolan did not let go of in the summer.
Barton became a first team regular last season and the supporters loved his aggressive, passionate attitude that was clear for all to see. His off the field comments and actions did not go down well with the club’s board and management however, and he was often getting into trouble with the FA about his controversial posts on Twitter. It was eventually them comments that left him looking for a new club.
The former West Ham and Charlton manager, Pardew, has built his reputation on gathering hard working, team players that will work 100% every game causing minimal fuss along the way. Taking West Ham from a mid table Championship side to Uefa Cup football in three years, bringing in Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on the way, it is fair to say Pardew has been successful in his fairly short managerial career.
His shrewd transfer business has been the main reason for his success; both at West Ham and now at Newcastle, as the departure of Andy Carroll in January followed by Barton and Nolan in the summer have proved a catalyst for great results, form and team spirit. The need to replace such players was obvious and fantastic signings such as Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye have come in and been excellent in the first quarter of the season, with Ba’s goals firing the side up the table and Cabaye’s composure in midfielder taking over the role of Barton and to a degree Nolan too.
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The team spirit at St James Park is clear to see and the unbeaten Magpies will look to extend that run after the international break when they visit Manchester United, Manchester City and host Chelsea in the space of three weeks. Tough games that will really show the quality and spirit of Pardew’s side, but even if the results do not go to plan, Newcastle will still be above their expectations going into the busy Christmas period and January transfer market, where do not be surprised if two or three more shrewd deals happen at St James Park.
Australia’s failure to make it past the group stage of the 2010 World Cup has seen them slip to third in the Asian rankings for 2014 qualification.The change in rankings means the Socceroos will likely have a tougher path to the 2014 tournament in Brazil when the groups for the initial qualification stage are announced in July.The rankings differ from the current FIFA rankings, which have Japan on top (17th overall) from Australia (21) and then Korea Republic (32). The path through Asia is exactly the same as it was in 2010 with the top 20 teams grouped into five groups of four. The top two from each group then go through to the final group qualification stage which features two groups of five.Last time Australia were put in a pot which separated them from other top-ranked sides, and were given an initial group featuring Iraq, China and Qatar.This time round, top seed Japan and second seed South Korea, who both made it through to the second round of last year’s World Cup, cannot be in the same group as the Socceroos, nor can fourth-ranked North Korea or fifth-ranked Bahrain. Asia will have 46 countries competing for a spot in the 2014 World Cup. Teams outside the top five have to endure a two-legged knockout stage to determine if they progress to the initial group stage.
The Football Association has attempted to diffuse the continuing controversy surrounding England coach Fabio Capello and the player index bearing the Italian's name.
The 'Capello Index' website remains live despite Capello demanding its removal immediately after it went live over the weekend.
The site first made headlines before the World Cup when it claimed it would, with the input of the experienced coach, rate the performances of every player, including Capello's own England squad, during the tournament in South Africa.
Capello distanced himself from it before the tournament, but the fact that it went live over the weekend and remains accessible is believed to be a source of embarrassment to both the Italian and his employers.
However, Club England managing director Adrian Bevington insists there is no problem between Capello and the FA.
Speaking about any direct link between Capello and the website, he said:"After the developments of the weekend, this will not happen while Fabio is England manager.
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"We have been consistent with this view, but managed sensitively.
"However, as has been made clear, Fabio had absolutely no involvement in the ratings that have appeared from the World Cup and did not give his name or approval to them."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Rafael Van Der Vaart scored two superb goals to hand Tottenham victory against Blackburn at Ewood Park to further increase the pressure on Rovers boss Steve Kean.
The classy Dutchman scored in each half to hand Tottenham their sixth win in seven games which keeps them in the hunt for fourth place also continuing his hot streak in front of goal. Mauro Formica had given Rovers fans hope after he equalised but they were once again left frustrated as their side were outclassed by Spurs in every department. The Ewood faithful vented their frustrations in the direction of Kean with several protests, posters and banners calling for his exit despite it being only his 30th game in charge since taking over last November. Their dissatisfaction is justified though with Kean presiding over six wins during a reign that has seen the club slump to the foot of the table.
Despite their winless run stretching to four games on the back of last weeks 1-1 draw with QPR the home side were bight in the early exchanges with Junior Hoilett going close firing the ball over Brad Friedel’s crossbar after a jinking run. Tottenham threatened themselves and youngster Jason Lowe produced a superb block to deny Gareth Bale before Gael Givet thwarted Emmanuel Adebayor. Spurs were far from their best but they needed only 12 minutes to break the deadlock with Van Der Vaart finishing off a delightful move. Adebayor sent the galloping Walker away down the right before cutting the ball back for the Dutchman to finish past Paul Robinson. The visitors were now in the ascendancy and should have been two up minutes later only to be denied by some fine goalkeeping from Robinson who was alert to keep out Bales cross the nicked off Martin Olsson. Rovers rallied and were looking dangerous from set pieces with Christopher Samba’s height causing problems and when he came to meet a Morten Gamst Pedersen free kick the ball fell to Formica who showed great feet to work space and drive the ball past Friedel.
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Spurs threatened again before the half was out with Luka Modric seeing his 25-yard strike turned around the post by Robinson before Hoilett threatened at the other end testing Friedel with a stinging strike. The scoreline remained level going into the second period until Van Der Vaart popped up again to put Spurs into the lead for the second stroking the ball home from 20-yards after picking up a loose ball. Rovers weren’t going to go down without a fight continuing their aerial assault and should have had a penalty after Formica was fouled by Benoit Assou Ekotto following confusion with Friedel. The veteran American keeper showed he hasn’t lost any of his agility despite slowly poking into his forties superbly tipping Samba’s header over the bar. Substitute Yakubu then failed to covert a teasing Olsson cross as Rovers supporters intensified their protests at the final whistle as Kean failed once again to guide his team to victory.
Leyton Orient’s hopes of playing at Wembley this season might have ended in pretty emphatic style at the Emirates on Wednesday night, but while Arsenal move on to a quarter-final meeting with Manchester United in a week’s time there might yet be a way for the Os to reach Old Trafford this season too. The venue for the League One and League Two play-off finals at the end of May has been switched from London to Manchester, and although Orient currently lie eight points behind sixth-placed MK Dons they have lost just twice in the league since November and their extended FA Cup run has left them with games in hand over all their rivals.
As a growing number of people are becoming aware, however, Leyton Orient’s most important battles are likely to be fought off the pitch in the coming months.
Hours before their FA Cup fifth round replay against the Gunners it emerged that, pending the bid’s political approval this week, Orient were planning to sue the various bodies involved in the decision-making process involved in West Ham’s proposal to play their home games at the redesigned Olympic Stadium from the beginning of the 2013/14 season. After what must have been a busy day of letter-writing for Orient’s owner, Barry Hearn, he confirmed that West Ham, the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), City Hall, the government, and the Premier League had all been threatened with legal action.
On Thursday West Ham’s wishes were indeed given the formal backing of the government and the London mayor, Boris Johnson, and so the outrage felt by the Premier League club’s east London neighbours at the Olympic Stadium decision looks set to see the matter settled in court.
The severe reservations that Leyton Orient have about West Ham playing in the Stratford area of the city revolve around the Olympic site being only about a mile from Orient’s Brisbane Road ground and the fact that the Hammers are planning to lower their ticket prices once they move in so as to be able to fill as many of the 60,000 seats as possible. Brisbane Road’s average attendance is less than one tenth that which West Ham will be hoping to attract from 2013, but Orient’s big fear is that their already relatively modest support will dwindle by as much as 30 per cent in the face of such close competition.
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The possible outcome is a bit like that Simpsons episode, “Bart of Darkness,” in which Lisa is enjoying the popularity with her classmates that comes from having a swimming pool in her back garden only for Martin Prince to build a bigger and better one down the road. As her pool empties of friends, the water level falls to the floor. The allegory here, for Leyton Orient, seems simple enough: with fewer fans, the life could drain out of the club.
By raising legal objections to West Ham’s move, Orient will be seeking to take the Premier League to task over the body’s own rules regarding club relocations. In section 6.5 of rule 1, the League purports to oppose any ground move that would have a negative effect on any team already playing in the area.
Perhaps some people might claim that Orient are overreacting, as was claimed in this article on FFC last month, because West Ham’s present Upton Park ground is already fairly near to Brisbane Road and the Premier League outfit will only be a couple of miles closer than they currently are. However, given that the proposal for West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium was actually a joint bid between the club and Newham council – who will also have access to the stadium and in particular its retained athletics track – and the fact that the £95m it will cost to turn the structure into a permanent football stadium after the Games includes £40m of public money in the form of a loan from the council to West Ham to carry out the work, Orient have a right to be curious as to how and why the decision to back the Hammers’ bid was reached.
The distance involved in West Ham’s move might seem small, but a couple of miles can make a huge difference in a conurbation such as London where there are so many clubs competing for support. References abound at the moment to the casual fans that Orient fear they could lose with West Ham right on their doorstep and, while this might be an uncomfortable reminder that many of the 9,000 fans that Orient took to the Emirates on Wednesday were not Brisbane Road regulars, such fair-weather supporters have the potential to become seasoned followers over time should their affection for the club be allowed to blossom.
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The chances of Orient attracting more fans in the future thanks to a season as successful as this one is shaping up to be will be greatly reduced should those living in their particular east London catchment area take their support (and their money) elsewhere. The club’s fortunes – on and off the pitch – would only suffer.
Geographically speaking, West Ham’s relocation might not be in the league of Wimbledon’s switch to Milton Keynes in 2003, or Arsenal’s move from south to north London in 1913, or even the distance involved had Spurs moved to the Olympic Stadium, but the grounds for lending a side public money in order to fund a new home that they will struggle to fill without an aggressive ticketing strategy – all to the clear detriment of another club – need a lot of explaining.
Leading into the World Cup, the German side were looked upon as an unknown quantity. A side without their talisman Michael Ballack and the investment in youth by Joachim Löw failed to fill many pundits with confidence they resembled great German teams of the past. They were regarded as a team in transition rather than tournament contenders.
But one man above all should have been aware of the threat the German side held. Stuart Pearce. Six members of the German U21 side graduated to their senior side after leading Germany to a 4-0 triumph over Pearce’s England in the final of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. You could almost call it déjà vu in Bloemfontein.
Amongst them was Mesut Özil, the man who out shone any England player on the pitch and ultimately sent the Three Lions home. The midfielder broke English hearts in Sweden last year causing England all sorts of problems. He set up two of the goals and added the second, with a little help from Scott Loach. He proved to remain a thorn in England’s side in the Free State Stadium. He and his team mates condemned Fabio Capello’s side to their heaviest defeat at a major championship.
Manuel Neuer, Dennis Aogo, Jerome Boateng, Sami Khedira and Marko Marin were the other five players to break into the senior side. England, however, have only integrated James Milner and Joe Hart from the England U21 squad. The Aston Villa midfielder has made a big impression on Capello keeping Joe Cole out of the side, despite the country’s plea to start the former Chelsea winger. Hart has failed to make an appearance during the tournament.
England and Fabio Capello, if still in charge, must follow Germany’s rebuilding process if they stand any chance of future success. The ‘golden generation’ have again failed to meet the semi-finals requirement at another major tournament. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and others will all surpass 30 by 2014. The current England squad are entering a transition stage, much like the Germans, and their bitter rivals have shown what Capello must do.
Germany are not the only team to have benefited from the 2009 U21 tournament. Serbia have included Gojko Kačar, Zoran Tošić and Ivan Obradović in their squad while Javi Martínez earned a call-up for Spain.
So who are England’s main future prospects? Manchester City winger Adam Johnson failed to make the 23-man squad but the Three Lions have long cried out for a left winger. His goal against Sunderland last season currently proves he has a creative instinct England’s left-hand side lacks.
Having established himself as a first team regular last season, Everton’s Jack Rodwell was rumoured to be wanted by Sir Alex Ferguson who wanted to bring the midfielder to Old Trafford for 15 million. This level of interest demonstrates the potential the 19-year-old possesses.
Missed out because of an injury plagued season, Theo Walcott has failed to fulfil the potential he promised as a youngest at Southampton. The forward needs to replicate his goal scoring form he showed against Croatia.
Capello must keep a close eye on qualifying for the 2011 UEFA European U21 Championship in Denmark as the senior squad needs reshuffling with a few new aces added to the pack.
Written By Michael Muncaster
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Click on image below to look at the SPANISH babes at the World Cup
Fernando Torres has spoken about his year from hell at Chelsea, and revealed that when he was on the bench he did not want to come on as he was afraid things could only get worse.
The Spanish striker has suffered a dramatic dip in form since a January 2011 move from Liverpool, and was largely used as a substitute as a consequence last season.
Torres admits that he has had a tough time, and thanked the fans for their patience.
“The season was not for me, it was for others,” he told La Razon, translated to English by The Sun.
“Chelsea wins the FA Cup but I don’t play the semi-final nor the final. I didn’t taste anything.
“I feel I participated a bit more in the Champions League but even so it was not the Champions League I wanted to win, not like that. I want to win another Champions League and in a different way.
“The fans helped me a lot — and you don’t understand why.
“You come from outside and you have played well in this league and, with the Spanish mentality, the first who should have turned against you are the fans. You are not living up to expectations but they still support you. These people are special.
“At times I was thinking, ‘I will sit here on the bench, I won’t make any noise, I don’t even want to play.’ But they are demanding that you jump on the pitch and play. They lifted my spirits so many times. Not even my team-mates succeeded in doing that in this way. Whatever I do from now on will be for the fans.
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“That is why I want to win another Champions League. For them,” he concluded.
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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