Is it time for Roy Hodgson to be put of his Anfield nightmare? The manager has lost the faith of the fans, and they are turning on him at every bad result. After a recent good run of form it seemed that Liverpool had turned a corner, but defeat to Stoke on Saturday evening gave rise to renewed calls for his head. If NESV decide that Roy Hodgson is not the man to take Liverpool forward through this transitional phase there will be some exceptional candidates for one of the top jobs in world football. We have put together a short list of five managers who would be considered should there be a change at the top at Liverpool.
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Click on image below to see the FIVE candidates
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What do you think? Comment below and contact me on twitter, where you can also get all the latest Liverpool news!
The Sun report that Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will do all he can to tempt Robbie Keane back to Molineux, in a desperate bid to save the club’s Premier League status. Tottenham announced last week that Keane was free to leave the London club and it seems that Wolves are the early favourites for his signature.
Robbie Keane has expressed his desire to stay in the Premier League, and Wolves may be his only option. He has an affinity with Wolves, only last year stating how ‘overwhelmed’ he was by the welcome he received when Tottenham travelled there.
”No matter what you’ve done at a club, a lot of the time people just boo you, but with Wolves it’s different. Even to this day I go back and it’s great.”
Wolves need something to save their season and Robbie Keane’s return could change the whole atmosphere around the club. Mick McCarthy knows he needs to do something quick to change Wolves’ season and the signing of Keane may just do this.
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Will Keane make a fairy tale return to Molineux – RATE THE RUMOUR
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I really hate this time of year. No, not because it marks the start of the transfer window, and an inevitable sense of anti-climax when a series of hyped moves fail to materialise, or because January is quickly becoming known as sacking season, with clubs releasing and appointing managers quicker than Ryan Babel says something stupid on Twitter.
No, the reason that I dislike this stage of the season so much is the award of the Ballon d’Or, what it represents in the modern game, and the way in which we as fans and pundits interpret its meaning.
Football is a team sport. To identify one player as being the finest exponent of the game over the course of a year should be incredibly difficult, yet the selections for this award are always boringly predictable.
I will preface what I am about to say by stating that I do not for a moment dispute that any of the previous winners of the Ballon d’Or are anything but sensational footballers, but what exactly is the award meant to reflect?
Over recent years, the honour appears to have been given to the; “best, most marketable, flair player playing for a major European side given licence to roam between midfield and attack of the year.” Without doubt, a small field.
Inevitably, goals are what win football matches, and the players that score them are given high credit for doing so. This has always been the way the football world works, and is why prolific strikers can earn three or four times the amount of a solid defender.
However, how can you quantify the contribution of a goalkeeper or a defender and weigh it up against the goals of a striker?
The only defender to win the award since 1996 was former Italian skipper Fabio Cannavaro, a direct appreciation of the fact that Italy had won the World Cup without scoring many goals, and the fact that it would have been impossible to give preferred choice, Zinedine Zidane, the award considering his behaviour in the final.
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This year’s edition perfectly encapsulated the problem. There are football fans that believe all of Lionel Messi’s major contributions to football games are solely the result of individual moments of genius, that if there had been no other players around to help him, he would still have made that jinking run or driven straight through the heart of an otherwise solid defensive unit.
However, last season went to show just why this theory is so flawed. Despite putting in, according to many observers, the performances of a “generation” as Barcelona romped to another La Liga title, at the World Cup in in South Africa, Messi was utterly powerless to prevent his nation progressing beyond the round of 16. This was despite his own moments of quality, as there was little around him to provide the space and supply that the Argentine thrives on and is accustomed to.
At the same time, the Spanish midfield and defence gave a lesson to the other sides in the tournament about the importance of ball retention and distribution, and whilst importing Messi into that line-up, would have made their triumph more exciting, Spain showed the importance of the collective over an individual.
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Why then, did Messi win this year’s award? Some may argue that the destination for the award does not matter. All three are remarkably talented footballers who have achieved much in another sensationally successful year, so why spilt hairs?
The problem is that the Ballon d’Or award mentality creates a culture that can be seen everywhere. From Wayne Rooney’s proclamation that he would leave Manchester United to Carlos Tevez’s bizarre transfer request saga, top players are being told on the one hand that they must fit as part of a team, yet in the same breath that if their team is successful, they alone will take the acclaim, for team success will contribute to their coronation as the best player in the world.
Across a football landscape where there are widespread complaints about the selfish, greedy and egotistical nature of top footballers, it may be time to re-evaluate how we define individual achievement on a football pitch.
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Premier League pair Blackburn and Birmingham, who are both looking to strengthen their squads in January, have put Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam at the top of their winter wish list.
Blackpool have arguably been the surprise package this season, and it has been Adam who has been the driving force behind much of the Tangerines’ good form. The talented Scot has weighed in with three goals and four assists so far this season, but it is his general contribution and man of the match performances that have really caught the eye.
It is thought that Birmingham are hoping to beat Blackburn to the midfielder’s signature by making an offer of £2 million later this month and while Ian Holloway will do all he can to avoid losing Adam, the cash-strapped seaside club could find the offer difficult to turn down.
Earlier this season it was reported that Adam got into a row with the club and threatened to take them to court over unpaid bonuses, a case which he later won.
Adam signed for Blackpool from Rangers in 2009 for a club record fee of £500,000. He repaid the fee by scoring 19 goals in 49 appearances, including a goal in the play-off final at Wembley, as Blackpool won promotion to the Premier League in 2010.
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Lazio manager Edoardo Reja is predicting an intense affair when his side faces Bologna on Sunday.
The Serie A’s fourth-placed side travel to take on the league’s 15th side at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, and Reja said he wants his side to be switched on for the entire 90 minutes if Lazio are to get the three points necessary to stay in touch with league leaders AC Milan.
“We’re heading in the right direction. Bologna play very well and they’re well structured on the pitch. If you don’t have high intensity and high rhythm you risk too much against them. Therefore we should face Bologna giving our all for the whole 90 minutes,” he said.
Reja hinted some of his starting 11 may be rested to avoid potential injuries from too much game time.
“Of course I should take into consideration the players who have played 90 minutes in the previous matches,” he said.
“For example, as far as the forward department is concerned, (Sergio) Floccari has been substituted in two matches in order not to make him too tired, whereas (Mauro) Zarate has played 90 minutes in three consecutive matches. He has also had a slight muscle strain to his adductor.”
“Because of that he is a bit tired, so I should deeply evaluate the time played by each player recently. If I have to line up a fit team and play an intense match, then I need players whose conditions are at 100 percent at least for an hour or so.”
Reja said Brazilian midfielder Hernanes is Lazio’s thermometer, and his performances can lift the team when they are below par.
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“I’ve been talking to him and he is starting to believe that he can still improve very much. As you have seen in previous matches, when he plays good, the whole team does the same,” Reja said of Hernanes.
“Thanks to his technical and tactical skills he can definitely make the difference for Lazio. He has been able to do it in previous matches, he can finish, create chances and also support the defence because he provides good cover when Ledesma changes his position.”
Karim Benzema’s solitary goal proved enough as France overcame 10-man Brazil at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
The French took full advantage of Brazilian midfielder Hernanes’ dismissal following a clumsy tackle five minutes before the interval, as Benzema bobbed up in the 54th minute to score the only goal of the game.
The hosts started brightly in Paris, with Benzema finding himself on the end of Yoann Gourcuff’s pass after nine minutes but the striker’s shot flashed just wide.
The Brazilians responded strongly and were the dominant side for much of the first period, with Alexandre Pato hitting a curling shot just over the bar before Dani Alves had his free-kick blocked.
France came close on the half-hour mark when Alou Diarra’s header from yet another Gourcuff delivery sailed just over.
The game turned in France’s favour on the 40 minute mark when Benzema tried to control a bouncing ball only to be struck by Hernanes’ flailing boot, with the Brazilian midfielder receiving his marching orders from referee Wolfgang Stark.
Numbers won out after the break, with France taking control of the match and unlucky to finish only one ahead.
Roma winger Jeremy Menez made a great run nine minutes after the interval before firing a low cross to Benzema, who gratefully tapped home from close range.
The Real Madrid striker could have had a second moments later but Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar made a brilliant reflex save from his close-range header.
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The Inter Milan shot stopper was on hand again just after the hour mark to stop a low effort from Benzema with the French pouring on the pressure as Brazil tired.
In the end the hosts settled for a timely1-0 win ahead of next month’s Euro 2012 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Croatia.
Former Rangers and Millwall defender Kevin Muscat has retired.
The 37-year-old confirmed his decision to hang up his boots at an emotional press conference in Melbourne on Wednesday after a professional career which has spanned more than 20 years.
The captain of A-League side Melbourne Victory cited his growing frustration at his inability to keep pace with the game as the motivation behind his intention to call it quits in June at the end of the club’s Asian Champions League group stage campaign.
It means his final A-League match was the infamous clash against Melbourne Heart, where he was sent off and handed an eight-match ban for a shocking tackle on Adrian Zahra.
Muscat’s career has been dogged by controversy, usually involving on-field tackles.
Brutal challenges on Christophe Dugarry, Craig Bellamy and Matty Holmes, the last of which cost him substantially in a civil suit, saw him branded one of the most-feared defenders in England.
He broke down in tears when thanking both his Melbourne Victory team-mates and his family.
Muscat played for Crystal Place, Millwall and Wolves in England as well as Rangers in Scotland before returning home to captain Victory for the past six seasons.
He said the demands of keeping up with the rigours of training and playing in the A-League were beyond him and he could no longer maintain his high standards of professionalism.
“There has been a lot of consultation and deliberation. I’ve come to the conclusion it was time to go and I will be doing that at the completion of the Champions League,” he said.
“I think the one word when I kept thinking about, I kept recalling how frustrated I’ve become. When I say frustration, it was about turning up to training and not being able to do what I’ve asked of other people throughout my career, to put in and give 100 percent.”
“Increasingly over time I have not been able to do that. Then when I was able to do that, it took me a couple of days to recover. It was a catch 22 in preparing for football games.”
“It’s been over the last two years, not over the last month, two months, I’ve been constantly asking myself questions after the games and after training. In the last three to four months, a lot of the answers have been no. The negative side of things has built up to the frustration of not being able to do what I asked my team-mate to do,” he said.
“Enough is enough and the time has come.”
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While his playing style has drawn plenty of criticism over his career, Muscat said he does not regret his approach to the game.
“In terms of how I am going to be remembered, I understand I’ve had my critics throughout my career. I consider myself to have had a successful career,” he said.
Muscat played 122 A-League matches and represented the Socceroos 51 times over 12 years.
Muscat, who has already been sharing his playing duties with an assistant coaching role, is expected to become a full-time assistant next season.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has once again been the subject of praise from the media for his work in the transfer market. The loan signing of Jamie O’Hara has seen the midfielder score twice in just four appearances. His form has also inspired Wolves to wins against Blackpool and Manchester United, as well as a draw at rivals West Brom.
The ninth-longest serving manager in the English leagues, McCarthy has seen a wealth of talent both enter and leave Molineux during his time in charge. I think it’s fair to say we have seen our fair share of flops during McCarthy’s time, the likes of Maierhofer, Eastwood and Shackell come to mind.
However, most Wolves fans will agree there has definitely been more positive than negative arrivals in Wolverhampton. I’ve had a look back over all of McCarthy’s signings (there were a lot) and picked out the five that matched these categories – a) the best value for money b) consistent performers c) best overall performances in a Wolves shirt.
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Michael Kightly
Pretty obvious one to start off. Originally signed on loan from non-league Grays in the winter of 2007, Kightly impressed immediately and scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win at QPR in December. Despite interest from Manchester United, he signed permanently for a fee (believed to be in the tens of thousands, rather than millions). Kightly went on to earn England under-21 caps, help Wolves to promotion and become one of the best players outside of the Premier League. Only injury has stopped him from progressing even further.
Matt Jarvis
Another lower league signing, Jarvis moved to Molineux from Gillingham in June 2007 for an undisclosed fee (again, not expected to be anywhere near the millions). He settled in the team and immediately showed why McCarthy had taken a gamble on him. A pacey and tricky winger, Jarvis was instrumental in helping Wolves gain promotion, and go on to remain in the Premier League. Has recently been linked with an England call-up and moves to other Premier League sides. Jarvis continue to impress and is improving as the season goes on.
Kevin Foley
Completing the trio of lower league signings, Foley joined Wolves about a month after Jarvis. Joining from Luton, who had just been relegated to League One, Foley was regarded as one of the brightest young defenders around. Foley made the right-back spot his own at Molineux, going on to win the Wolves Player of the Season award in the 2008-09 season. Last season, he made the transition from defender to midfielder, and comfortably settled in the middle of the park as part of the 4-5-1 formation employed by McCarthy. A regular member of the Republic of Ireland squad, Foley is easily one of the most steady and consistent players at Wolves.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE for the rest of the top five…
Kevin Doyle
Joined Wolves in the summer of 2009, ahead of their new season in the Premier League. With a £6.5 million pricetag around his neck, it would be fair to say big things were expected. Doyle didn’t disappoint. After overcoming an early injury, he went on to establish himself as the spearhead of the Wolves 4-5-1 system. Playing up front by himself, he finished the season with 10 goals and picked up the Wolves’ Player’s Player of the season. Despite being linked with a move, Doyle stayed at Molineux and has gone on to impress this season. Although his goal tally is not huge, his workrate in games is as good as I have ever seen from a Wolves player. A fantastic player and signing.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
There were plenty of contenders for this last spot, but I had to give it to Ebanks-Blake as, let’s face it, we wouldn’t be where we are today without his goals. Joined for £1.5 million from Plymouth in January 2008, he went on to score 12 goals and even finished the season as the Championship Golden Boot winner. He went on to win the accolade again the following season, scoring 25 goals to help Wolves win the title and gain promotion. Although he didn’t continue his goalscoring exploits in the Premier League, his second goal of the season saw Wolves draw 1-1 with Blackburn and all-but guarantee their survival. This season has seen his goalscoring return, having scored six so far. ‘SEB’ continues to find himself used as a ‘super-sub’, but remains a firm favourite with the fans!
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There we go, in my view, McCarthy’s top five signings for Wolves. There were plenty more that could have made the list. Captain Karl Henry joined for a relatively small fee, Stephen ‘Utility man’ Ward likewise. George Elokobi was another lower league success, whilst Adlene Guedioura was somehow discovered in the obscurity of the Belgium second division.
We must not forget the players that cost money, but proved their weight in gold, such as reliable defender Christophe Berra and popular full-back Ronald Zubar have proved very valuable acquisitions. You can even look to free signings such as Marcus Hahnemann and Gary Breen as to how clever Mick can be in the market.
If you look at the majority of the signings, there seems to be one thing in common – where they were discovered. McCarthy seems to have a talent for spotting players where nobody else would have thought to look. From non-league to lower league Belgium, and from Serbia to the Irish leagues, McCarthy must have eyes all over the globe. So, if you are a footballer and are hoping to get noticed, I reckon Mick isn’t too far away!
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish praised the fighting qualities of his players after they moved out of the relegation zone on Wednesday.McLeish’s side managed a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park, with the point good enough to see them climb above West Ham into 17th place in a packed bottom-half of the English Premier League table.Jean Beausejour’s header put the Carling Cup winners in front after just 17 minutes and despite John Heitinga’s superb leveller, McLeish was still pleased with the effort from his players, especially defensively.”We had to get back to basics and we defended really well, but we didn’t really penetrate after a really bright start,” McLeish said.”I have to pay compliment to the battling qualities of my players and we will need that right until the end of the season.”The former Rangers manager is also expecting this season’s relegation battle to go right until the last day, with just 11 points separating eighth-placed Sunderland and bottom-of-the-league Wigan.”It’s going to be tough and it’s going to go right to the wire,” he said.”We have a lot of tough away games, but if we show that spirit and character and on our day we can win any game as we proved against Arsenal.”Everton manager David Moyes bemoaned the injury to playmaker Mikel Arteta after the match, with the Spaniard, who was captain of the Toffees for the night, leaving the field early with a hamstring injury.Moyes feels that Arteta’s absence hurt his side going forward as they failed to convert their second-half dominance into a victory, but expressed his happiness with the club’s recent form.”It was a setback (to lose Arteta) and you could sense it was a setback for the crowd as well as we needed Mikel to be creative for us,” Moyes said.”I couldn’t tell you how bad the injury is as I have not had a chance to speak to the medical team yet. He played very well on Saturday and to lose him so early on was a major blow.””We played better in the second half than in the first half, but we just didn’t have the quality to turn some of the good play into goals.””We are disappointed we couldn’t take full advantage and the get the home win, but we have picked some good points in the last few games.”
Sir Alex Ferguson believes his Manchester United side are playing like champions after their gritty 4-2 win over West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday.United looked to be on course for more dropped points at half-time, trailing 2-0 after a pair of penalties were converted by Mark Noble.
But Wayne Rooney ripped the game apart in 15 second-half minutes with a hat-trick before substitute Javier Hernandez completed the win six minutes from the end.
The victory gave Ferguson’s men an eight-point lead over second-placed Arsenal, although the Gunners have played two games fewer than United, and the 69-year-old was delighted with the performance.
“We played like champions today and we played to our ability,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.
“That was a championship-winning performance.”
“It’s not an easy place to come with the fight for relegation and that result might put them (West Ham) in trouble.”
Ferguson watched Saturday’s match from the stands as he served the second of a five-match touchline ban, but he was impressed by the resilience his players showed.
“Being two goals down at half-time was a travesty considering the possession and chances created in the first half,” he said.
“We kept making chances in the first half, they couldn’t get the ball off (Antonio) Valencia in the first half and he delivered two or three fantastic balls, he had the opposition on toast really.”
“We had to go for it, bring in Hernandez and put (Ryan) Giggs to left back. Goal difference didn’t matter, we needed to get something.”
“Second half when Chicharito (Hernandez) came on, he gave you pace and the running behind line we needed.”
“There was a strong bench today with Nani, (Dimitar) Berbatov and (Michael) Owen. I thought if it was still 2-2 in last 10 minutes, then I would bring Michael on and go for it – going for it is vital to our club.”
West Ham boss Avram Grant – whose side remains in the bottom three as a result of the loss – said they did not make life difficult enough for United in the second half, but remained positive about the relegation fight ahead.
“It was too easy for them to control the game,” Grant said.
“In the second half they had nothing to lose, put Giggs at left-back and sent a lot of quality players forward. But we have given them too much space.”
“There were a lot of positive things. We wanted to win and did everything very good in the first half. But footballers need to complete two halves.”
“The league will be very tight but I think we can do it because we have come into good shape at the right time.”