Arsenal closed the gap on the top four with a thoroughly professional performance at the Stadium of Light. Arsene Wenger stated this week that the next seven days will define their season and the Gunners have certainly got off to the perfect start. They travel to the San Siro in midweek to face AC Milan in what will be Thierry Henry’s last game for Arsenal since his return to North London. Arsene Wenger was hoping to keep the Frenchman longer, with the up and coming derby at the end of the month, but the Red Bulls wanted him back in New York.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles that include; the rise of Oxlade-Chamberlain; Frimpong’s new found spare time, while Spanish tax laws may play into Premier League club’s hands.
Best of FFC
Spanish Tax ruling may ultimately play into the Premier League’s hands
Arsenal’s top TEN tattoos…well sort of!
What are the long-term ramifications for Arsenal?
A welcome stance that Arsene Wenger has taken
The rise and rise of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsene Wenger keen on Eden Hazard
Frimpong’s new found spare time
The ideal role for Aaron Ramsey?
Destined for a future ‘top four’ move?
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Best of WEB
[divider]
Who should start in the ‘hole’ position – Rosicky or Ramsey? – Gunnersphere
Dirty Harry does anal Arsene and Arsenal a massive favour! – Le Grove
In praise of the Ox – Online Gooner
One Of Speaks: Let’s Get This Party Started Right – A Cultured Left Foot
Gervinho stunner! Wilshere & Oxlade-Chamberlain shouldn’t even be considered for England…….. – Highbury House
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“Frankly, Marca is as creative as some English newspapers. That means you cannot believe every word that is said in Marca. They don’t care, Marca, at all. I think they are even far more from real evidence than any English newspapers. They create just stories.” Wenger talking in response to Madrid being linked with Van Persie (Daily Telegraph)
Roberto Mancini refused to shake hands with Tony Pulis, or talk to the media after the game at the Britannia Stadium as the Man City boss was frustrated at the physicality dished out by Stoke City. David Platt revealed that the Italian was raging at the end of the game and just needed time to cool down after some of the challenges that were being made; something that Pulis felt was a bit rich given Gareth Barry’s tackle on Glen Whelan. The dropped points give’s United the advantage in the title race as they prepare to play Fulham.
Elsewhere in the news Robin van Persie believes Arsenal have their own Rooney in Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alan Pardew calls on the Newcastle support to convince Demba Ba to stay, while Kenny Dalglish believes that Liverpool are a victim of their own success.
Headlines
Roberto Mancini has bemoaned the tactics deployed by Stoke City in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium – Guardian
Kenny Dalglish believes that Liverpool have been a victim of their own success, in light of the Reds defeat against Wigan – Guardian
Sir Alex Ferguson remains confident that Manchester United will keep their nerve in the title run-in – Guardian
Alan Pardew has called upon the Newcastle support to make it impossible for Demba Ba to leave the football club – Daily Telegraph
Mark Hughes has laid into Djibril Cisse for his two footed challenge that saw the Frenchman see Red for the second time in a matter of weeks – Independent
Bolton paid a fitting tribute to Fabrice Muamba at the Reebok Stadium yesterday – Independent
Fabio Capello has expressed an interest in returning to England and managing in the Premier League – Daily Mail
Chelsea have a £37m hole they need to fill if they are to comply with the financial fair play awards – Daily Mail
Tottenham and Chelsea are set for a £7m battle this summer for the services of Demba Ba – Daily Express
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Liverpool are plotting a summer move to sign Matias Suarez, but face huge competition for his signature – Mirror
Robin Van Persie believes that Arsenal have their very own Wayne Rooney in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Sun
One of the most interesting sub-plots to this summer at Stoke, will be whether Defender Jonathan Woodgate will be offered a new contract. The injury prone centre half signed a one-year pay as you play deal in June, and although featured heavily in the first half of the season, he hasn’t been since for a couple of months amid speculation over his future.
The experienced Woodgate is still three games short of his target, which would trigger an automatic new contract, but it seems Tony Pulis is keen to sign him up. On the face of it, it does seem a good deal. Stoke are crying out for experienced and quality centre-backs like Woodgate to back up the younger pair of Robert Huth and captain Ryan Shawcross. Woodgate has England caps and boasts stints at Real Madrid and Tottenham, but his career has somewhat gone downhill since those glory days, due to injury.
At the beginning of the season Woody dislodged Robert Huth from the first team which, looking back, seems an incredible decision from Tony Pulis. The bold move back fired, with Woodgate looking increasingly suspect, the team were calling out for Huth’s imminent return. The German had an immediate impact, and Woodgate was shipped out to right-back, where his lack of pace and weakness against it was brutally exploited.
He has taken some stick from home supporters this season, and in some cases that was deserved, and it is safe to say that we expected more to come from the 32 year-old who Harry Redknapp was very sad to see leave Tottenham. But Tony Pulis was right when he said a couple of weeks ago “He’s been very good for Shawcross and Huth in many respects”.
Injuries have plagued another season for Woodgate, but Pulis firmly believes that he can return to his former glories. If he was to be given a run of games over a prolonged period of time then I am also confident that Woody could rediscover his very best, but I heavily doubt that he could ever remain fit enough to do so.
However, despite the fans reservations, Stoke should stick with Woodgate for one more year. At centre-back he is reliable when deputising, although not quite Huth or Shawcross. With the added experience of Matthew Upson, whose future is also uncertain, Stoke’s suspect defending this season will surely turn back into the resilient force it once was.
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On Sunday millions of people witnessed Manchester City lift the title as Champions. They also witnessed Joey Barton’s lavish attack on a number of the Manchester City players. Joey Barton saw red after an off-the-ball incident with Carlos Tevez, however after the red card had been issued, Joey Barton continued to retaliate by assaulting Sergio Aguero and head butting Vincent Kompany. Barton had to be pulled off the pitch by Queens Park Rangers staff after his despicable display on the pitch.
Tony Fernandes has left Mark Hughes to make the decision of whether Joey Barton should continue his career with Queens Park Rangers. The FA has charged Joey Barton with two violent conduct charges against the two Manchester City players. Barton has accepted the charge against Sergio Aguero however denied the second charge of the alleged violent conduct against Vincent Kompany. Joey Barton’s red card left fighting for survival QPR with only 10 men against a team who were playing for the title.
Many QPR fans feel disgusted by Barton’s behaviour however others think he should be given another chance. Barton brings a lot of unwanted attention towards the club, dragging his old reputation behind him. His constant ‘Big Man’ tweets can be infuriating when he is not performing on the pitch to back up his bold personality. Sunday’s events showed he is not worthy of the captaincy by not setting a good example and leaving his team to fend for themselves. Although not condoning his actions, it did demonstrate a passion and commitment to the club which has been lacking from the captain throughout the season. The fans look up to the leader of their team and want to be reassured of team spirit and dedication in the camp yet this was not displayed after a cruel loss against Bolton mid season as Barton tweeted after the match ‘A well f**k it #noonesdied’. What a great attitude to have as a Captain, definitely reassured the fans. In comparison to Djibril Cisse’s tweet after the same match ‘Trust me we will fight to the end to save this club’ which is the type of positivity the supporters needed at the time. Sunday’s incident showed a passion and care as he was clearly infuriated by the referees decision which initially can be argued was not a straight red.
Joey Barton is a good footballer but is he good enough to be such a liability too? At the beginning of the season we saw him struggle with his performance and the high expectations were lost by the R’s fans. His performance improved throughout the season and became a vital member of the Rangers midfield. He can be outstanding however can bring attention to the club for the wrong reasons. The R’s victory of staying up and leading City for the majority of the game has been overshadowed by unjustly actions on his behalf. He should not represent QPR as captain but should be given a second chance to aid the club into the future and if his actions continue there should be no room for discussion. Ironically referring to a tweet made by Joey back in December ‘why do people always want to solve any conflict with a fight as a pacifist I find it incredible’ is this an indication that it’s a rare act for him to do? Or do we believe what we have physically seen of his through recent years of him as a footballer?
Tweet me @gmileham1 and let me know what you think.
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Look down a list of famous Belgians. Somewhere you’ll find detective Hercule Poirot. Now the character, created by Agatha Christie, was in the business of mystery solving.
Should Dame Agatha still be writing today, perhaps a new challenge for Poirot would be to manage the Belgium, who travel to Wembley on Saturday.
There doesn’t look to be much that needs to be solved with the side. In theory, there is plenty to admire about the team, especially if you comb through the squad.
In goal, 20-year-old Thibaut Courtois has had a magnificent season for Atlético Madrid whilst Simon Mignolet is a good Premier League goalkeeper.
Move into defence and there are four quality centre-backs to choose from. Captain Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen stand out as the best. The Ajax pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are not far behind whilst in the midfield, Steven Defour, Axel Witsel and Everton’s well-coiffed Marouane Fellaini are all solid options too.
Nip slightly further forward and you have Fulham’s skilful attacking midfielder Mousa Dembélé along with the summer transfer window’s most promiscuous player. Crucially though, Eden Hazard has the talent to match his mischief in flirting with every top club in the Premier League. (If ever there was a sign that players hold the power today…) Up front, there’s the burly 18-year-old Romelu Lukaku, a striker yet to be tested properly in England by Chelsea.
There is more talent in the Belgian squad to name but having gone through these players alone, it’s puzzling at how they’re not at the European Championships this year. As Inspector Poirot might notice though – football isn’t played on paper.
Belgium missed out on qualification for the Play-Off stage by two points with draws at home to Austria and away to Azerbaijan ultimately costing the Red Devils a chance to go to Poland and Ukraine. It is ten years since they last played in a major tournament.
Preventing progress is the lack of togetherness and stability. Marc Wilmots is occupying a caretaker role currently after Georges Leekens vacated the role midway through May. He was the country’s fifth different manager since the 2002 World Cup and he didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with star player Eden Hazard either.
They’re also not helped by the nature of modern-day international football either. Long gone are the days when international squads were able to spend any meaningful length of time together. In 2012, club football rules as that’s where players spend the majority of their time. Most importantly, they’re also the ones who pay the wages meaning the loyalty to the club grows stronger.
This isn’t to say it will stop Belgium from improving as a national side. With the players in the squad, there is no reason why they can’t become a very good team. In the build-up to Saturday’s game with England, some in the media have explained what dangerous opposition they are.
However, it’s as if some members of the English press haven’t learnt lessons about their own country over the years. Even though expectations have been realistic for the upcoming European Championships, it must be appreciated that just because you have good players does not mean you are going to do well. Belgians don’t seem to suffer from the delusions of grandeur which have plagued England.
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Belgium is not a nation renowned for its prowess in the sport. This might help them in the long term but they need to find a coach who can organise the talented group of players into a coherent formation and tame the likes of Eden Hazard.
That will be tricky. It’s perhaps a shame Hercule Poirot is unable to take over. It would probably be one of the simpler challenges for him as it’s not hard to see why things aren’t quite right for Belgium.
Article originally written @ Gone With The Rhind – For more football musings on Twitter, follow @archiert1
Portugal have become the first team to make the Euro 2012 semi-finals, after a 1-0 win over Czech Republic guaranteed their place in the last four.
In a cagey match a late Cristiano Ronaldo header was the difference between the teams in a relatively even encounter.
The Real Madrid superstar has admitted that it was a tough game against Michal Bilek’s men, and that his nation are looking forward to facing either France or Spain in the next round.
“We are happy for that and we know it’s going to be difficult in our next match but we are ready, we are confident, the team is very mature, so we are ready for the fight,” Sky Sports report Ronaldo as saying.
“I remember the last game (against Holland) when I also hit the post, so it happened again today.
“But the most important thing was that I scored and the team won. The side played very well and we are in the semi-finals, so we are very happy for that,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Manchester United winger Nani is in confident mood after the victory.
“It was a very difficult game but we did very well. I think everyone was fantastic on the pitch, so we’re satisfied with the result.
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“Now it’s going to be more difficult every game. But all the team are very confident and I am very confident in the next game and now we have to rest and prepare,” Nani stated.
Paolo Di Canio has stated that Mario Balotelli was selfish during Italy’s Euro 2012 campaign and needs a slap.
The Manchester City forward played the majority of the Azzurri’s games in Ukraine and Poland, and scored a decisive brace against Germany in the competition semi-finals.
However, the temperamental attacker marched down the tunnel straight away after Italy’s 4-0 final defeat to Spain and the Swindon boss feels that Balotelli’s attitude needs to improve.
“Balotelli is just selfish. He deserves a lot of slaps,” Di Canio told The Sun.
“Against Germany he did two good things but in the end I saw a player who was just waiting to celebrate.
“Balotelli does not play for the team, only for himself.
“He is an egotist, who thinks the world revolves around him.
“Guys like Balotelli deserve lots of slaps rather than pats on the shoulder. Antonio Cassano led the team to the final,” he stated.
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We’ve all heard the famous footballing quotes from Jose Mourinho’s ‘Special One’ to Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘Football. Bloody Hell.’ A good quote can earn you the limelight for some time, indeed Ian Holloway’s reputation is practically based on his ability to deliver a quality press conference with some amusing anecdotes or insane ramblings.
However, some quotes can be funny, some can be a slip of the tongue or some can be simply inappropriate. Often though, players, managers, officials or even commentators can offer musings on the game in a very philosophical manner, be it about how the game should be played or certain incidents in football. Collected below are some fine examples of when individuals in the beautiful game have given their taken on certain aspects of football with either hilarious or baffling consequences. Try and make some sense out of 25 of football’s best philosophical quotes:
25. Terry Venables – “As a manager you learn with your ears and not with your tongue”.
24. Mark Lawrenson – “If you’re a goalkeeper, it doesn’t matter what you save the ball with; if you keep it out, it’s not a goal.”
23. Johan Cruyff – “Football is simple. You are in time or too late. When you are too late, you should start sooner.”
22. Ian Holloway (describing a win over Chesterfield) – “To put it in gentleman’s terms if you’ve been out for a night and you’re looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they’re good looking and some weeks they’re not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She wasn’t the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let’s have a coffee.”
21. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – “There are no good saves, there are only weak shots.”
20. Sir Bobby Robson – “If we start counting our chickens before they hatch, they won’t lay any eggs in the basket.”
19. Sir Alf Ramsey – “The missing of chances is one of the mysteries of life.”
18. Gordon Strachan – “The world looks a totally different place after two wins.”
17. Stuart Murdoch (on his position in charge at Wimbledon) – “I am in a good position at the moment because no-one is running the club. I am hoping there is nobody out there to sack me.”
16. Bill Shankly – “Train the right way. Help each other. It’s a form of Socialism without the Politics.”
15. Graeme Le Saux (on competition for places) – “When you’re walking onto a bus and trying to get there before the person in front of you, that’s a different level of competition than playing in front of 80,000 people.”
14. George Hamilton (commentating on Real Madrid) – “Real Madrid are like a rabbit in the glare of the headlights in the face of Manchester United’s attacks. But this rabbit comes with a suit of armour in the shape of two precious away goals.”
13. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (The anti-philosopher) – “Then Guardiola started his philosopher thing. I was barely listening. Why would I? It was advanced bulls**t about blood, sweat and tears, that kind of stuff.”
12. Howard Wilkinson – “I’m a firm believer that if the other side scores first you have to score twice to win.”
11. Dennis Bergkamp – “Behind every kick of the ball, there has to be a thought.”
10. Glenn Hoddle (on Paul Gascoigne) – “75% of what happens to Paul Gascoigne in his life is fiction.”
9. Fabian Barthez – “Unconsciously, I fell in love with the small round sphere, with its amusing and capricious rebounds which sometimes play with me.”
8. Graeme Souness (on the return of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke) – “It was only a matter of time before they got fit and after that it’s like riding a bike or making love to a beautiful woman; you never forget.”
7. Mark Viduka – “I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league.”
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6. Sam Allardyce (on team spirit) – “There are scientists who will tell you that spirit, because it can’t be measured, doesn’t exist. Bollocks. It does exist”
5. Ian Holloway (on the January transfer window) – “It’s been an absolute living nightmare, to be honest. It is just ludicrous, I don’t see who it benefits at all. When my wife’s shopping, we need some milk and bread on a regular basis. We can’t buy it all at the start and then wait until January because it would have all gone off.”
4. Jose Mourinho (on pressure) – “For me, pressure is bird flu. I’m feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It’s not fun and I’m more scared of it than football.”
3. Brian Clough – “If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”
2. George Best – “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered”
1. Eric Cantona (on the English press) – “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”
Tottenham Hotspur are chasing Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez, according to reports from the Daily Star.
The Premier League club have made an enquiry about the Chilean attacker, who is rumoured to be available with Barca boss Tito Vilanova no longer seeing him as key to his first-team plans.
The Catalans are said to be chasing Brazilian sensation Neymar and may look to move the man they signed from Udinese last year to fund a potential deal.
This has alerted Andre Villas-Boas, who is believed to be keen to add greater depth to his squad.
A potential stumbling block in any deal could be the Spanish side’s asking price. Having paid in excess of £30m to bring the attacker to the club they are likely to be looking to recoup much of their outlay, meaning a bid of around £20m may be needed.
Equally adept in a wide or central role, Sanchez would add another dimension to Spurs’ attack and provide competition to established players such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.
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The 23-year-old has struggled to recreate the form that made him one of the most sought after players in Europe since arriving at the Nou Camp and even admitted recently that his performances have been below par.
Liverpool are also rumoured to be interested, but the lure of life in London and Tottenham’s greater chances of Champions League football may be a deciding factor.
Dutch champions Ajax have completed the signing of 21-year-old striker Daniel Hoesen from Fulham for an undisclosed fee.
Hoesen was signed by Roy Hodgson in 2009, after catching the eye as a 17-year-old playing for Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch second division. However, Hoesen struggled to break into the first-team at Craven Cottage.
As a result he went out on loan to Finnish side HJK Helsinki and then back to Fortuna last season where he proved to be a potent goal threat scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances for the club. Consequently, Ajax coach Frank de Boer has taken a punt on the young Dutch striker who has no experience of playing top-flight football in either the Premier League or the Eredivisie.
Hoesen told the official UEFA website: “I am extremely happy and it is fantastic to play with a top club like Ajax. I moved to Ajax at a young age and that was a nice experience, but luckily Fortuna gave me the chance to play myself into the picture. I am thankful to them for that.”
Ajax will soon learn the fate of who they will be playing in the Group Stages of the Champions League later today.
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