I’m sure I’m as honked off as most citizens of the Gooner Republic today. Talk about a roller coaster ride on Sunday evening. Let’s get a few things straight about yesterday:
Liverpool merited the point they got for effort.
Both penalties given in time added on were awarded correctly.
Arsène Wenger’s temper tantrum with Liverpool manager Kenny Daglish and referee Andre Mariner were embarrassing, at least to me.
The only way we can win the League now is for us to win at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night and at home to Manchester United. Even then we’ll still be relying on United dropping four points as they’re six points ahead, six better off on goal difference (38 to 32) and seven on goals scored (70 to 63). We now face a battle to maintain second place, never mind win the title.
Personally, I found Arsène Wenger’s dummy spitting bad grace at the belated final whistle embarrassing. His ever-increasing irascibility when things go wrong over recent seasons has been noticeable. You need to act your age, not your shoe size mate. About the only people he doesn’t seem prepared to blame are himself and his players.
No mate. That’s not our way. We’re the Arsenal. You need to show some class. I’ve blogged on a couple of occasions before on permitting off-field timekeepers controlled by signals from the referee with a stadium clock so everybody knows what’s going on with time remaining. It’s been done for decades in the elite level of rugby league, a sport with far less resources than football.
That said, the laws are as they are at the moment. Let’s be clear. We should have “frozen” the game after our penalty. Instead we panicked. Yet another Arsenal groundhog day. You can’t show that level of poor tactical discipline and expect to regularly challenge for trophies.
Personally, Arsène Wenger’s constant excuses and rejection – often ill-tempered – of any criticism are getting very, very old. I still treasure the trophies he’s won for us and the transformation of the club from what it was when he arrived. His isolation and insulation from the world in which the rest of us live is starting to really grate though. The man is starting to take on the appearance of a North African autocrat, totally out of touch with his people. We all know how that ended in Egypt and Tunisia, not to mention the current conflict in Libya.
Wenger is handsomely compensated for his work. I’ve heard estimates ranging from £5-7 million a year of the improved salary he received on signing his current contract extension which runs to the end of the 2013/14 season. He’s certainly not backward in coming forward to look after his own interest. You can’t blame him for that. A bit of gratitude and understanding would be nice however, rather than snarling and ill-tempered rejection of any criticism.
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Arsenal has already put up prices for Platinum Club level season ticket renewals. It appears that the club was all set to announce likewise for Gold general admission season tickets and match ticket prices for next season but deferred this after we lost the Carling Cup Final to Birmingham City. How cynical is that? Hoping we wouldn’t care in the warm glow of a trophy? Some things never change. The Club announced the Arsenal Bond in the aftermath of our 1990/91 League win.
I’m already alienated and skint enough through being an Arsenal supporter. The latest figures show that average disposable incomes in the United Kingdom will shrink by two percent this year as prices for essentials like rent, public transport, food, gas, electricity, water, etc soar and National Insurance Contribution rises kick in. I know the club faces many of these increased costs too but ticket prices are already ludicrously high, being amongst the most expensive in the world.
MEMO TO STAN KROENKE AND IVAN GAZIDIS:
NO FURTHER TICKET PRICE RISES. WE CAN’T AFFORD IT!
Last season the club faced a real struggle to sell the last few hundred Club season tickets. Around two thousand Gold season ticket holders didn’t renew. Demand appears to have topped out. We’re also in the middle of a horrible recession with “stagflation” (price rises in a stagnant economy) a real possibility.
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Meanwhile, we need to pick ourselves up for a crucial Derby game on Wednesday night. Never mind the Title. Pride should be at stake. I confess I don’t think many of our current crop of players “get it”, isolated and cosseted from the world most of us inhabit as they are.
For the second time in recent weeks I feel unable to finish this blog with my usual exhortation to keep the faith. Too many at Arsenal appear too out of touch with the club’s lifeblood – us, the supporters.
Stan Kroenke needs to understand that the manager must be held accountable. Not micro-managed, but challenged to get himself and the team out of the rut into which we’ve descended.
Written by Vic Crescit at the excellent Arsenal Insider
Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has vowed to keep Chelsea transfer target Asmir Begovic at the Britannia Stadium.
Begovic has come under fire after finding himself in the transfer spotlight this week.
Potters boss Tony Pulis criticised the Bosnian goalkeeper after claiming he refused to play in Tuesday's Carling Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town.
However, despite strong transfer interest from Premier League champions Chelsea, Coates claims the club has no plans to sell a player they only signed from Portsmouth in January.
"This is an internal matter and we will decide on what action to take," he stated.
"He is regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the Premier League and we are not interested in any new offers from Chelsea.
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"We are not interested in what Chelsea do and we have already rejected an offer, from them, for Begovic.
"We wouldn't welcome another bid from Chelsea and, as far as I am aware, we have not received a new offer from Chelsea for him."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sir Alex Ferguson has pinpointed Tottenham as a genuine threat to Manchester United’s title this season. The Scot believes that the North Londoners have been the most exciting team to watch in the last 10 games and have the squad to mount a serious challenge this year.
Elsewhere in the news Wenger believes they will be back in the title race if they beat City; D-Day for Steve Kean, while Liverpool joins the chase for Tiote.
United may get European reprieve – Guardian
Wenger: Arsenal will be back in the title race if they beat Man City – Guardian
Man Utd to spend £29.3m on Benfica’s Gaitan – Daily Telegraph
How passion play led to a bust-up with Balotelli – Independent
Another defeat means Tuesday is D-Day for Kean – Independent
Keane makes Fergie feud public… Sir Alex would’ve been nothing without likes of me! – Daily Mail
GB Olympics squad spot and mega Paris deal beckon for Becks – Daily Mail
Liverpool in chase for Toon star – Mirror
Walker vows to stay with Spurs – Mirror
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Torres still no substitute for success as AVB overlooks £50m misfit again – Daily Mail
Steven Gerrard’s career saved by quick-thinking medical staff at Liverpool – People
Newcastle heading for a Tyne and Wear tug-of-war for Aston Villa’s James Collins – People
It is advantage Manchester United as their title rivals all fell away at the weekend throwing away valuable points. The only thing preventing Sir Alex Ferguson and a record breaking 19th title is themselves and you would be a brave man to bet against them.
In the papers this week there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Adebayor felt unloved at Manchester City; Bale admits to foreign lure, while Arsene Wenger bemoans the fixture list.
*
Rooney set to escape ban for foul-mouthed goal celebration – Guardian
Wenger bemoans fixture list – Sky Sports
Chelsea are looking to the future – Daily Telegraph
There is a resolve at St James’ Park and Ameobi is finally walking the talk – Daily Mail
Adebayor: I felt unloved at City – Sun
Bale admits foreign lure – Sky Sports
How Downing became Villa’s right-hand man from an also-ran – Daily Mail
Drog caught in Blues fan row – Sun
Birmingham manager McLeish backs Super Kev to play until he’s 40 – Daily Mail
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Dalglish eyes wide boys Young and Jarvis to attend Carroll service – Mirror
City can finish second, insists Mancini – Guardian
My guess would be, ‘probably not enough’. I noticed it a while ago and have developed nothing but respect and admiration for it. It’s not an easy ‘gig’ as I see it, following the kids. They’re hardly ever on the TV and at times it must feel like you’re constantly sifting for gold in a glistening stream, hoping to capture something that carries a huge reward.
Right, here’s Windy…
A Spurs XI, managed by Tim Sherwood, drew 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient last week. I must admit that I didn’t make it to the game – I couldn’t face the four hour round trip on a Wednesday evening, and I felt that £15 was a bit steep for what was essentially a reserve side (fair play to those who made the trip!). By all accounts, it was a fairly drab affair – Orient dominated the first half (and could have scored many more), and Spurs dominated the second. Our goals came through Ryan Mason, and Jon Obika.
Tim Sherwood gave a very useful interview after the game: Spurs starlets need time to mature, says Sherwood
“For us it’s a case of getting experience and stepping up to see who can maybe go on loan to someone,” said Sherwood. “We haven’t got a team ethic in this group, it’s all about producing players for our first team and managing their careers from here on in.
He (Obika) is scoring goals, he just needs to find a home. We need to get him a good home to go to and get him some experience, but rest assured wherever he goes he will score goals, because that’s what the boy is all about.
Ryan [Mason] had a good experience at Yeovil, he did well for them and they did well for him. He’s looking to step up now. He’s technically gifted, he keeps the ball, he hates giving it away.
He’s getting fitter and a little bit stronger as well which is good news and I think he’s ready to step up to the Championship and maybe go on loan there to get a career before eventually, hopefully his Tottenham career.”
It’s good experience for them to know that if they’re going to go out on loan at this level it’s very physical.
That’s the way it is in England: if you’re outside the Premier League you’ve got to be ready for a battle. It’s good experience, when we come and look at them on loan we don’t judge what they’ve done on the pitch, we look at their attitude, which needs to be spot on, and their ability will come through.
It gets them used to the intensity of the dressing room. Some of these boys at Orient are playing for their livelihood, they’ve got mortgages to pay, so it’s good for some of these boys who think they’re going to be Tottenham players on big contracts to get a bit of an eye opener.”
Really positive comments from Sherwood – and pretty much exactly what I’d want to hear from him. I hadn’t previously held particularly strong views either way on him – on one hand, he was a big advocate of Didier Zokora, a cult hero to many, but certainly not to me. But on the other, I’ve noted his attendance (and his encouragement to the players) at the handful of U18 games I’ve been at since he joined the club – even when he was only part-time; this I found impressive.
He is spot on regarding Obika, who many Spurs fans seem to have written off. Indeed, I don’t think he is the greatest player (he was warming Millwall’s bench at the end of last season), but he is a player who can become a Darren Bent-style goalscorer in my opinion. He is also a very humble guy, with an excellent attitude towards the game.
Sherwood also calls it right on Mason – “He’s technically gifted, he keeps the ball, he hates giving it away” – that just about sums him up. I’d like to think that Mason has a future at Spurs, especially with Modric to learn from. He could become a Modric-type player, although he has shown in his U18 days that he also has the ability to score goals, so he will probably end up playing further up the pitch than Luka.
I would imagine that Sherwood will look to organise fairly regular friendly games for his group of professionals in the coming season, as well as keeping a close eye on the U18s – working as a link between John McDermott, the Academy Manager, and Harry Redknapp. One wonders where this leaves Clive Allen.
The Milk Cup
A Spurs U17 side participated in the well-known Milk Cup over in Northern Ireland last week. Our squad was as follows:
1 Reece Samuels
2 Kevin Stewart
3 Daniel Day
4 Ronnie Hawkins
5 James Yeboah
6 Ramil Sheriff
7 Laste Dombaxe
8 Freddy Champion
9 Alasan Ann
10 Lee Angol
11 Kenneth McEvoy
12 Luke McGee
13 Thomas Gardiner
14 Janoi Donacien
15 Samuel Smith
16 Victor Zapata Caicedo
17 Oliver Modeste
18 Alexander McQueen [I think they must mean Darren McQueen, who made his U18 debut aged 14]
A handful of these players had some U18 experience last year – McQueen, Yeboah and Dombaxe may be names that you’ve heard before.
We played in the Premier Section, which meant that we played County Londonderry first (26/07/10). We won this game 4-0, with Ronnie Hawkins, James Yeboah, Laste Dombaxe and Lee Angol getting the goals. The goals can be viewed here at 5:26 (although I’m not sure for how long); good to see Redknapp there watching. Number 4, Ronnie Hawkins, looks very comfortable on the ball, and seems to take set pieces too. According to some excellent eye witness reports from wlhatwhl on the brilliant COYS forum, Laste Dombaxe was the stand-out player for Spurs.
In our second game, we beat KV Mechelen of Belgium 1-0 with Dombaxe scoring a penalty, having been fouled himself. The full team team was Thomas Gardiner; Ramil Sheriff, James Yeboah, Janoi Donacien, Daniel Day; Laste Dombaxe, Kevin Stewart, Ronnie Hawkins, Freddy Champion, Lee Angol; Victor Zapata Caicedo.
We then met Donegal Schools in the Quarter Final. Having been 1-0 down for most of the game, Laste Dombaxe scored an excellent equaliser with two minutes to go, only for Donegal to score a screamer from distance a minute later. You can watch the goals here (this time they are first up in the video).
We went on to play Porto in the 5th-8th play-off, drawing 0-0 (unusual scoreline for a youth game!), unfortunately losing 5-4 on penalties. In our final match, we played Belevedere of Dublin, winning 5-0 and therefore finishing 7th out of the 24 teams.
Northern Ireland Milk Cup Winners – Etoile Lusitana (from Senegal – first African team to win the Milk Cup)
Runners up – Bolton Wanderers
3rd – Desportivo Brasil
4th – Donegal 93
5th – Aspire
6th – FC Porto
7th – Tottenham Hotspur
8th – Belvedere
Eurofoot
As well as the Milk Cup, we have taken an U18 team to participate in the Eurofoot competition (as we do each year). We have been drawn in Group B.
Group A
Celtic
Club Brugge
AA Gent
E. Frankfurt
STVV
Botafogo
Group B
Anderlecht
Brondby
Cercle Brugge
Tottenham
Standard Luik
NAC Breda
The squad list for this one is as follows – some familiar names, and some less so.
1 Archer Jordan 12/04/1993
2 Dukes George 4/03/1993 [who I believe is either on trial, or has signed from Northampton Town]
3 Byrne Nathan 5/06/1992
4 Nicholson Jake 19/07/1992
5 Ekong William 1/09/1993
6 Lancaster Cameron 5/11/1992
7 Luongo Massimo 25/09/1992 [who was on trial with us last year, and could now have signed permanently from Sydney Tigers]
8 Carroll Tom 28/05/1992
9 Coulthirst Shaquille 2/11/1994
10 Kane Harry 28/07/1993
11 Prtichard Alex 3/05/1993
12 Oyenuga Kudus 18/03/1993
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13 Ranieri Mirko 8/02/1992
14 Durojaiye Olumide 20/10/1992
15 Ward Grant 5/12/1994
16 Munns Jack 18/11/1993
17 Tapping Calum 5/06/1993
22 Francis-Angol Zaine 30/06/1993
In our opening game on Friday morning, we won 3-2 against Cercle Brugge. Kane, Oyenuga and Lancaster got the goals, and Kane popped up again in the afternoon, as we beat NAC 1-0.
Today we play Anderlecht, Standard and Brondby -you can keep up to date with the results here.
And finally… Billy Big Bostocks
John Bostock had plenty to say this week; some of it sensible, and some total nonsense in my opinion. Firstly, his comments on grass roots football in this country, which I think are sensible, intelligent and which many others would agree with:
“It [England U19 vs Spain] was the hardest game I’ve played, energy-wise. It felt like we were chasing shadows at times.
They have probably been brought up playing that way. They played like they were brothers on that pitch.
I’ve had some good coaches in my time but the problem with English football is it’s not consistent. Different coaches have different approaches.
In Spain it seems every youngster is coached the same way. It’s almost like it’s a belief. Individually we’re not that far behind them but as teams, we are.
Something has to change with the coaching. I’m not talking about the professional game, but right at the bottom from the age of six, seven because kids need to know how to play together.
Look at the senior England team. Individually, we have the best players in the world but as soon as they come together it’s not the same.
I think most of our youth coaches have taken the joy out of football. That is kicked out of us at a young age. Too much pressure is put on kids to go out and win games.”
I can’t disagree with Bostock on a lot of this – I do think there is a massive problem with grass roots football, and I personally get frustrated when I walk past the Sunday morning games, and see young kids playing 11-a-side on full-size pitches. How can that be helping their football? Other than fitness, it gives them very little. But really, that’s a discussion for another day.
Instead I’d like to focus on Bostock’s comments about how he has been blocked by foreign players:
“You look at the foreign contingent over here and they’re blocking us.
It’s so frustrating. You want to prove yourself, but it’s hard when you don’t get a chance.
Some players have been given chances – for instance, Jack Rodwell was given his at Everton and he took it. But the rest of us haven’t really been given that chance. Getting bits here and there is not really enough.
None of us know much about the new rule [8 home-grown players in a 25-man squad]. I just know clubs now have to put some of us in the squad.
But clubs are spending millions on foreigners and they still want to play them. It just means we will be sitting on the bench.”
Ignore all the lifestyle stuff that comes with being a footballer, all we want to do is play football.
That’s all any of us have ever wanted to do since we were young. We just want that chance to show we can play and hopefully we will get it.
I just want to play. The dream is to play for Tottenham but I want to play and if I have to go out on loan to prove myself then I will.”
And here’s what he should be saying:
“You can’t help but learn from quality players like Modric and Kranjcar. I stay behind with them a couple of times a week to try to improve as a player.
This season I’ll be working hard in training to catch Harry’s eye, and to try to get into the squad – then, who knows what can happen.”
Firstly, it’s a slightly bizarre comment, since Spurs have a lot of English players, and specifically in midfield, which is where he wants to play. Does he really think that if it weren’t for that pesky journeyman Modric, he would be a regular starter?
Secondly, can he really compare himself to Jack Rodwell? In my opinion, Jack Rodwell will be an England player within the next 18 months, and will probably be a mainstay for our national side for years to come.
I’m not a expert on John Bostock, but I think I’ve seen him enough times for Crystal Palace, Tottenham U18s and England (at all levels) enough to pass comment. I personally think that his biggest problem is that he believes his own hype. He hasn’t particularly impressed for the U18s, he hasn’t particularly impressed on loan at Brentford (although he put in a fine display and got two goals in his first game for them), and he hasn’t particularly impressed for England.
He is a skillful player, no doubt. He is also a big, strong lad. However, we all know that there is far more to being a footballer than this, which is something that John McDermott, the Academy Manager at Spurs is always keen to make clear. Take Sam Cox for example. He has now joined Exeter City, but he was kept on at Spurs for longer than perhaps his skill level alone justified. This was because he brought a lot of other qualities – professionalism, a superb work ethic, a positivity in his place and in his communication to is team mates, and the ability to help set the tempo of a match. In my opinion, Bostock is desperately lacking in these areas.
Having his level of skill is all well and good, but you have to know how to use it. In this article, it seems to me that he is keen to blame others for his own failings, rather than getting his head and bettering himself. I find it disappointing, and I would not be at all surprised for him to slope off to another club at some point in the near future. If that were to happen there would be some Spurs fans, no doubt, who would blame the coaches for not getting the best out of such a prodigious talent. However, if you see this guy play – see how he is often on the periphery of matches, see how he doesn’t seem to want to roll his sleeves up, and see how he isn’t really fussed with the defensive aspects of the game – you really have to question why he thinks he deserves a chance over other players of a similar age. Particularly those who keep their mouths shut, and focus on their game.
*******
You should visit his Windy’s blog and enjoy all his work HERE. Here at the Tavern, we’ll be giving you the occasional heads up, but bookmark it and give yourself a working knowledge of the youngsters coming through.
Thomas Vermaelen scored at both ends to rescue a point for Arsenal after his own goal which threatened to give Fulham a shock win at the Emirates Stadium.
The Belgian defender could only look on in dismay after he opened the scoring at the wrong end slicing an attempted clearance from Danny Murphy’s pass ended up in his own net. He rectified his misdemeanour though heading past Mark Schwarzer in the Fulham goal to earn the Gunners a point in what proved to be a lacklustre tea-time contest that failed to get going. Both sides had opportunities to score throughout the game but shoddy finishing and some excellent goalkeeping from Schwarzer keeping the score at bay. Arsene Wenger will be disappointed that his side failed to beat the lowly Cottagers who showed plenty of fighting spirit with their disciplined approach stifling the attacking qualities of the Arsenal side. Martin Jol, on the other hand, will have been extremely pleased by his sides display as they travelled back to the Thames with a well earned point under their belts.The Gunners could have closed in on the top four with a win which many were expecting them to achieve after tasting victory in their last five games.
It was the home side who started the better with Andriy Arshavin having a goal ruled out for offside with just four minutes on the clock whilst Aaron Ramsey was denied by Schwarzer after a flowing move involving Robin Van Persie and Alex Song. The Welsh midfielder had another chance in the 24th minute firing well over after some excellent wok from Theo Walcott on the wing. The England winger was a peripheral figure for much of the game but did manage to force a save from Schwarzer in the 26th minute as Arsenal threatened to take full control. Fulham have been poor on the road over the last year or so and they barely made a peep in the first forty five minutes with Moussa Dembele’s fizzing 20-yard effort proving to be their best opportunity. Brede Hangeland headed a corner wide before Dembele forced Wojciech Szczesny after taking advantage of some sloppy Gunners defending.
A vast amount of improvement was needed from the hosts and they almost snatched the lead through Van Persie who worked himself into space before seeing his curling strike headed off the line by Chris Baird. It proved to be a vital intervention as the visitors took the lead on 65 minutes courtesy of Vermaelen’s own goal. The Belgian’s sliced clearance somehow ended up in his own net as he tried to clear Murphy’s pass to John Arne Riise after it bounced off the Fulham defenders chest. The prospect of leaving their first ever win at the Emirates seemed to wake the Cottagers up with the outstanding Schwarzer keeping them ahead with a brilliant save from Johan Djourou’s header. However he was beaten with eight minutes to go and it was Vermaelen who made the breakthrough making up for his own goal by heading in Walcott’s right wing cross to earn the Gunners a point that moves them above Liverpool into sixth.
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Arsene Wenger and Joe Jordan have both received a one-match ban from European Football for incidents in the respective games of Barcelona v Arsenal, and Milan v Tottenham. The idea that the governing bodies of football dislike English teams will only be strengthened by these bans.
Gennaro Gattuso acted like a spoilt child all evening in Milan’s first leg encounter with Tottenham. At one point he punched the turf in anger and on numerous occasions he advanced on Peter Crouch, waving his finger and puffing out his chest. He was unjustified in his assault on Joe Jordan in which he grabbed him by the throat and then head-butted him. But to ban a coach who did nothing just shows favouritism towards the Italian side.
What will happen next, any player from an English team who gets fouled will be banned if they show frustration, or recieve a yellow card for showing pain?
Gattuso’s agent claimed that Jordan had called him a ‘f****** Italian b******’. It is no doubt because of these cliams of racism that Jordan has been banned. But Jordan denies making these racist remarks. Jordan has admitted to telling Gattuso to ‘f*** off’ when the Italian advanced at him, but he denies accusations of racism.
If Gattuso is stooping to lying in order to get himself out of trouble, it just shows how desperate he is. Accusations of racism will make Gattuso’s punishment lighter as UEFA clearly don’t want to get on the wrong side of a race row.
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But calling an Italian footballer an ‘Italian B******’ is surely more offensive than it is genuinely racist. If I called Jordan a fiery Scotsman, I doubt he would accuse me of racism (please note that I would never pick a fight with Joe Jordan, I am not that stupid). But why do UEFA take Gattuso’s word over Joe Jordan’s? If anything he has proved himself to be the more unreasonable of the two.
Furthermore, it has been reported that racism is common in Italian football, Samuel Eto’o said, just last week, that he would look to move clubs soon as he is embarrassed by the racist abuse he receives when he plays in Italy. Where are UEFA then? This is a case of double standards.
Secondly, even if Joe Jordan did tell Gattuso to f*** off, banning him is ridiculous. If swearing is now worthy of a ban, I doubt there will be enough players to compete in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Every player must swear and express their anger at an official at least once every game, but maybe it is only offensive when it said in English.
The other important question is, will Jordan’s absence affect Tottenham’s performance? Harry Redknapp said ‘Of course I will miss him (on the bench). It’s good to have someone else there.’ I think Jordan showed the value of having an experienced head at the San Siro. He had the guts not to back down to Gattuso, but he showed restraint and maturity. With the Tottenham squad being relatively inexperienced, any figure who has played in Europe before is going to help them.
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If you think this is another case of UEFA showing double standards when English teams are involved in confrontation you can contact Joe on twitter @joeasutin8.
Maybe Jordan and Gattuso should have a man hug to make up, here’s how it’s done…
It is becoming increasingly likely that Kenwyne Jones will be transferred from Sunderland to Stoke City in a £9million deal this month.
The Trinidad and Tobago international has been a long-time target of Potters boss Tony Pulis who is keen to improve on his team’s mid-table finishes in each of the last two campaigns.
Jones was condemned for a poor display in Sunday’s 3-1 pre-season defeat at Hoffenheim and appears resigned to leaving Wearside.
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce will step up his pursuit of Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck on a loan move if Jones leaves the Stadium of Light.
Jones only signed a new four-and-a-half year deal with Sunderland in January when Tottenham were rumoured to be interested in snapping him up.
He moved to Sunderland from Southampton for £6million three years ago and has gone on to score 28 goals in 101 appearances for the club.
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Stoke boss Pulis is continuing his attempts to offload Dave Kitson and James Beattie which would give him the capability to sign Jones.
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Most Norwich City fans would agree that the team has adjusted to life in the Premier League superbly well. However, the better the team does the higher expectation levels will be raised. Some supporters have been overly critical of individuals following the defeat against Aston Villa. Those fans have short memories and quickly forget where these players have come from.
The reality is this is a squad made up of players recruited from the Championship and League One. Those same players have now been thrust into the limelight at Premier League level. There are no easy matches and every game is against top-flight and international calibre players.
Teams like Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic may be more likely to feature in the bottom half of the table than the top half, but they have still been in the league for a long time, and have established Premier League squads.
This is all very new for Norwich City and it is a steep learning curve. Yes of course the team needs to cut out individual errors, but it’s early in the season and the Canaries are in the top half of the Premier League table. Fans should be patient and supportive towards the players.
Also supporters should be careful what they wish for. Leon Barnett received his fair share of abuse following his poor performance against Villa. But remember fellow central defender Ritchie De Laet made errors earlier on in the season. De Laet is far more error prone than Barnett is.
It is easy for fans to suggest that players should cut out the errors. But it’s not quite as simple as that when they are constantly up against players that are superior in ability and in many cases more experienced. The game is also incredibly fast-paced with only a few seconds in thinking time.
Paul Lambert is a good manager and has clearly seen something in these players and will find a way of getting the very best out of them. But also remember that a lot of these individuals have never played in the Premier League before. As much as we would love to see Norwich finish in the top half, surviving in this league alone is a massive achievement.
It’s been a fine start to the season and it may be time to lower expectations. Norwich needs to learn to walk in the Premier League before they start to try and run. Fans need to understand that it is a big step up and players will make mistakes.
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The talk of referees in football has never been a positive one, especially this season with Sir Alex Ferguson facing a 5-match ban for comments he made about match officials. But the men in black (or whatever colour they’re wearing these days) have a history in the game, without them football games would not be able to function and the rules they are using are in place to make the game better. A pioneer in football rules and refereeing is former English referee Ken Aston.
He is probably best remembered for being the referee during the infamous World Cup game between Italy and Chile in 1962 which was dubbed ‘The Battle of Santiago’ because of the large degree of violence and brawls during the game and credit to Aston for keeping the game playable for 90 minutes.
But Aston was more than just a top referee at that time, he was the man who invented the red and yellow card system after some confusion during a game between England and Argentina at the 1966 World Cup. England’s Jack Charlton had called the press office after the game after reading he had been cautioned by the German referee, baring this in mind Aston came up with the idea of a yellow (steady) and red (stop) card system after stopping at traffic lights. His idea meant that the cards could be universally used in games and break down language barriers. It was first used in the 1970 World Cup.
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His involvement in the game did not stop there as he was the first referee to use the black with white trim as a uniform which became standard attire for match officials. Previously, in 1947 he introduced bright yellow flags for linesman to use having previously used the colours of the home team.
He also introduced the idea of a substitute referee in 1966 in case the match official couldn’t continue. Other inventions were the number boards to announce substitutions and he proposed that the pressure of the football to be written into the laws of the game.
Ken Aston, who was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Indian Army during World War II, was FIFA’s Head of World Cup Referees for the 1966, 1970 and 1974 tournaments. His legacy lives on today, where the red and yellow card system is still used as an important part of keeping order in the game whilst keeping everyone informed about key decisions.
But, for those who’ve not seen any footage of that infamous ‘Battle of Santiago’ game, then check it out on the video clip below for some astonishing scenes during a World Cup game. And if you’re watching it with other people, you can inform them of how important the referee Ken Aston was to football.
One quote from Aston which I love was what he admitted after this game : “I wasn’t reffing a football match, I was acting as an umpire in military maneuvers.”
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For more lessons of Football History, follow me on Twitter @verbal_football