All posts by h79snht.top

It is an old adage that when one door closes another opens, and this has certainly been the case for Tottenham Hotspur. In the club’s failure to secure the signature of one playmaker, in the shape of current Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole, Spurs managed to snap up disgruntled Real Madrid Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart. But are the north London outfit regretting their missed opportunity to sign the 28 year-old England international? Not a chance. A more pertinent question, however, might be; is Cole regretting the same missed opportunity?

The fortunes of Cole and van der Vaart’s new clubs couldn’t have been more disparate since their respective transfers, with Liverpool languishing in the relegation zone of the Premier League, and Spurs looking not only to challenge once again for the much coveted fourth Champions League spot, but also to extend their stay in this season’s competition into the new year.

On an individual level Cole and van der Vaart have also led very different lives following their transfers. Having been sent off on the opening day of the season against Arsenal at Anfield, Cole has since flattered to deceive with his performances for the Merseysiders, and has issued a statement in The Sun today stating;

“I’m not playing well. I’m not going to say otherwise…Whenever you have periods like we’ve had you have to deal with it…You have got to stand up and be counted, be a man. I haven’t started as well as I would have liked but I will turn it around…With every breath I take, I’m thinking of how I can change it.”

Obvious reference to The Police aside, these are not the words of a man who fits his new club like a glove. On the other hand, van der Vaart, although having also received his marching orders in front of his new home faithful, has scored every time he has donned the Spurs shirt at White Hart Lane and is rapidly gaining a cult following in the white half of north London.

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So Tottenham have clearly moved on from their brief summer flirtation with Cole, but what of the player himself? Does his mind still linger on what could have been? With interest reportedly coming from both sides of north London over the summer months, Cole certainly had choices to make, but did he make the right one?

At the moment he clearly thinks not. But in his own words he is going to “be a man” and stick it out with Liverpool, hoping to improve both his, and the team’s performances. However, within the defensively minded set-up Roy Hodgson is playing at Anfield, their more offensive players are suffering; namely Joe Cole and Fernando Torres. In a more attack-minded Spurs side I believe Cole would have flourished, and under the guidance of former mentor Harry Redknapp, Cole may have experienced a renaissance in his play. I am not suggesting that Tottenham would have played better or worse with Cole, rather than van der Vaart in their side, although similar, they are in no way the same player, but I do believe Cole would certainly have succeeded far more on a personal level at Spurs than he has done so far at Liverpool.

So while Spurs have proven there is life after a summer love gone wrong, Cole may well still be dwelling over a love lost, gazing up at erstwhile and prospective employers from the foot of the table, lamenting over decisions made, kicking an imaginary football into an imaginary goal, pretending to be Rafael van der Vaart.

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With all the money that is around in the modern game, it is easy to overlook some of the other issues that are evident in the world of football.

Playing professional sport with an illness is something that should not be taken for granted. When people mention ‘asthma’, most people overlook it as a ‘minority’ illness and something that isn’t very serious.

How do I know this? Well, I myself am a sufferer and have been all my life. Every time I play sport, I go through the routine of warming up, doing my one inhaler and making sure my other inhaler is near by in case I need it.

Why is this relevant to football? Well, few people know that many professional footballers have to go through the same routine before matches and training. It may surprise many people of some of the names that suffer with asthma, and how they have done so well to overcome the problems it carries.

Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard confirmed he suffers from it and has spoken out to ensure that it should be treated properly, and not be overlooked. He says it shouldn’t hold youngsters back from wanting to enjoy the game.

Manchester United veteran Paul Scholes has played with the condition all of his career, and has not let it stop him playing at one of the best clubs in the world…not to mention picking up all those medals along the way.

Louis Saha, Paul Gascoigne, Ian Wright and Robbie Fowler are just some of the other well-known names that overcame the condition and go on to become very successful in the footballing world.

One player that only confirmed he suffered from asthma last year was former-England captain David Beckham, who was photographed using an inhaler during LA Galaxy’s MLS Cup Final defeat to Real Salt Lake. Beckham, who has carved out massively successful careers in sport, advertising and merchandising (to name but a few) has never let the condition hold him back.

His agent, Simon Oliveira, was keen to point out that Beckham never wanted to make it public that he suffered from asthma, but youngsters should instead use it as an inspiration and follow in his footsteps.

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“David has suffered with this since he was a young boy but obviously it has had no effect on his performance.

“He has never sought to make it public but, if it does inspire any sufferer to think they can achieve great things, then so much the better.”

Although it’s way too late for me to consider a career in sport, players like this can act as an inspiration to youngsters that have asthma…not just in this country, but all over the world. The condition stops us from breathing properly, but it is fantastic to see so many great players shrug off the condition and battle against it to achieve what they have.

Who doesn’t love a good rant? The Premier League are ‘investigating’ Blackpool boss Ian Holloway after he made ten changes to his side against Aston Villa. Holloway’s emphatic response is that he will quit if his club are fined for fielding a ‘weakened side’. The claim is that Holloway intentionally fielded a sub-par team against Villa with the knowledge that they were more likely to get points against West Ham on the weekend if his players were fully rested.

Holloway was understandably furious with the allegations: “We deserved at least a point and how dare anybody tell me the players I’ve been working with, I can’t treat them with respect and give them a chance.” He also highlighted how important it is to keep players fresh and not to burn them out: “We’ve got four games in 12 days and the lads I’ve played every week are struggling to keep up the level”. How can the Premier League argue against that? The League’s fixture list is ridiculous convoluted at the best of times and Holloway has a duty by his players to ensure that he doesn’t over-exert them. When the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool rotate their squads, no one takes much interest. When Blackpool does it, it creates a furore.

The trouble is that there’s already a precedent set by the Premier League. When Mick McCarthy fielded a Wolves side with ten changes against Manchester United in December 2009 the League saw fit to fine him £25,000. Mick argues that Holloway won’t be able to dodge the fine: “They won’t escape it, how can they? If they do then the Premier League is absolutely toothless.” Whether Blackpool sidestep the fine or not, doesn’t the whole affair highlight the Premier League’s infuriatingly bad judgement?

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Ian Holloway is manager of Blackpool FC and as such, it’s his duty to pick eleven men to take to pitch every match day. It is not the duty of the Premier League to decide who has a right to play and who doesn’t. If the Premier League approved the 25 players required at the beginning of the season, what right do they have to say now that a certain collection of these players are not worthy? Every player in the accepted 25 man squad must be capable or they wouldn’t have a contract in the first place.

It compounds the whole affair that Holloway’s team played so well against Villa despite apparently being a ‘weakened side’. Nobody can say that the players didn’t acquit themselves well or that they were unworthy opposition for Villa. They lost only by the odd goal and deserved at least a point. In the fight for Premier League survival, why shouldn’t Blackpool be allowed to field whatever team they want? It’s Blackpool that will live or die as a result of Holloway’s decisions. This strikes me as a case where the League has no right to stick its beak in.

The FA has no right to ‘ok’ team-sheets. If the fine goes through it will be indicative of a sad state of affairs. It would be sadder too if Holloway follows through on his promise to quit. He’s a genuine character and a good bloke. I personally hope both he and Blackpool remain in the top flight next season and that the Premier League sees sense.

If you’re interested and want to hear more feel free to follow me on Twitter.

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It’s easy to forget that Salomon Kalou is just 25 years of age. The man is a Premier League winner, champion of three FA Cups and one League Cup. He has also scored goals not only at the Home of Football (Wembley), the Theatre of Dreams (Old Trafford) and, um, the Stadium of Light (Sunderland), but also on perhaps the three biggest stages of them all, the Olympics, the World Cup and the UEFA Champions League (including a penalty in the shoot-out in Moscow).

He is, in the current Chelsea squad, 3rd top goal-scorer – behind Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba and 7th longest-serving player. Most astonishingly is a statistic that seemed to have passed everyone by, including most Chelsea fans. This was that, after his goal against Wolves at the end of October, he had scored 9 goals in 9 games, against Inter Milan, Aston Villa, Wigan x2, Stoke, Blackpool, Man Utd, West Ham and Wolves.

However, despite these impressive statistics and accolades, ‘Number 21, Salomon Kalouuuu’ has a frustrating inconsistence, a flattery to deceive that sees the pendulum of his performance swing from laudable to laughable, often within minutes. You only need to go as far as last Sunday where, but for Kalou’s goal, Chelsea would have found themselves point-less at St James’ Park. This is over-looking the fact that, but for his second-half miss, with the goal gaping, Chelsea would have left St James’ Park as league leaders.

See also his performance versus Atletico Madrid last season, which saw him fluff an opportunity at 0-0 but ultimately, score 2 goals in a 4-0 win. No-one will ever forget, nor let Salomon forget, the ‘Worst Miss Ever In An FA Cup Final™’, which came at Wembley in May. I’m sure I don’t need to go on with examples of his exasperating execution, as anyone who visits Stamford Bridge on your average Saturday is bound to be baffled by Chelsea’s apparent Ivorian-Irishman O’Kalou, such is the regularity of the cries of woe and anguish from the Shed and Matthew Harding faithful.

Nevertheless, I feel that our bewildered-looking, Bambi-on-ice impersonator is a vital member of our squad. Lets recall some of the better times: a hat-trick against Stoke, a standout performance at the San Siro which included a goal and a stonewall penalty that was not given and the winning penalty in the Community Shield last year and Chelsea’s only goal in the same fixture this year. Focusing on last season, which is only fair in my opinion as the 2010 version of Salomon Kalou is a different player to the wet-behind-the-ears 2006 version, the 37 appearances he made show just how worthy a squad player he is for Carlo Ancelotti. It’s also worth mentioning that he would have enjoyed more pitch-time for Chelsea, had he not been in battle at the African Cup of Nations. If anything, his value to the team and to Ancelotti has become even greater this season, with the side so often left with a youthful and inexperienced substitutes’ bench after 2 seasons of sparse arrivals and frequent departures. He has 6 goals from 6 Premier League starts (and 5 substitute appearances), and has arguably (or perhaps not) been on better form that Chelsea’s supposedly 2nd senior striker, Nicolas Anelka.

Possibly Kalou’s best attribute is his lack of injury proneness; the Ivorian can almost always be trusted to play any role in any game, and his unwavering determination and enthusiasm to help the Chelsea cause whenever he pulls on the shirt should, in my eyes, be given more credit that has previously been given. This is a family man with a squeaky clean image who lives with his sister, who learnt how to play football the hard way at the astoundingly successful Académie Jean Marc Guillou, funded by ASEC Mimosas (aka ASEC Abidjan), which has more than 10 alumni now playing in top-flight European leagues (with one of them reportedly earning £220k per week at an infamously wealthy Manchester club). Given his development while he has been plying his trade in West London, it is not ridiculous to think that, with a continuance of loyalty and willingness to learn and improve, the Ivorian will one day be more than just ‘a handy squad player’.

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Twitter. Love it or hate it, it has become a great place to get the latest football news and receive insights from Premier League clubs that you might not otherwise get. It is the tweets from professional players that are of most interest, unless of course you want to get embroiled in the world of the spoof Sam Allardyce (I can highly recommend that you do!). The personality of players really comes out, which isn’t always the best thing for players who are lacking a bit between the ears, and while Tweets many be of great interest to us, they are getting the players themselves into a bit of bother.

The prime example of this is Aldershot’s Marvin Morgan, who was transfer listed and fined two weeks wages after an outburst on Twitter in which he said to the Shots’ fans “I hope you all die”. Morgan was booed during his side’s 2-1 defeat by Hereford and responded angrily on Twitter with a rant that said “Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where’s that going to get you! I hope you all die.” Not exactly a great way to get on side with the fans and the statement from Aldershot that said Morgan was foolish was something of an understatement.

It isn’t just Morgan that has got himself into trouble. Newcastle’s Jose Enrique didn’t put himself in new manager Alan Pardew’s good books by saying that he would miss the Tottenham match at White Hart Lane with an injury before the starting XI was even announced. Newcastle responded by saying that they were going to educate the players on how to use Twitter, a meeting that I’m guessing would have gone along the lines of “just keep your mouth shut”.

Even if players aren’t making Twitter gaffes, their mothers are on Facebook really sticking the boot in. Paul Konchesky has been getting a bit of stick at Anfield since his move from Fulham, something Liverpool fans have every right to do. However, his mum Carol was far from happy and on Facebook told the ‘scouse scum’ to ‘stop living off the past’ (you can see the rant in full here). Konchesky must have shook his head in disbelief when he saw that, but I suppose you can say good intentions and all that.

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Social networks are a way to show support for players, something that Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas did after teammate Jack Wilshere was dissed by Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli who said “Jack who?” However, I think Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has got it just right with Twitter, with Tweets such as “Oh my days….has any1 else seen what Song has done to his beard??? Not a good look…AT ALL!!” showing just what it should be used for. Social networking is just a bit of fun, and players should steer clear of abusing fans and just have a bit of light-hearted banter!

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Four second-half goals saw Bayern Munich romp to a 5-1 victory over Kaiserslautern in Saturday’s Bundesliga action.

The performance from Louis Van Gaal’s side was the highlight of the day’s play in the German top flight, with Mario Gomez striking a hat-trick in the triumph.

Both sides entered the game in form, with Bayern unbeaten in six while Kaiserslautern had not lost in five.

Arjen Robben opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time when he made the most of Thomas Mueller’s assist and just a minute after the break, Gomez doubled the hosts’ lead.

Kaiserslautern were entertaining thoughts of a comeback when Jan Moravek pulled one back just after the hour-mark, but Gomez’s second with just 10 minutes remaining wrapped up the result.

The in-form striker snared his treble five minutes later, making it a remarkable 22 goals in his last 17 matches in all competitions for Bayern, before Mueller added the fifth in injury time.

League leaders Borussia Dortmund remain 13 points clear at the top of the standings, despite sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Stuttgart.

Mario Gotze put the table-toppers in front on the stroke of half-time but Dortmund were made to pay by Pavel Pogrebnyak who struck with five minutes remaining.

Hannover failed to take advantage of Dortmund’s slip-up as they were beaten at home by Schalke by a solitary goal.

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Despite sitting a whopping 12 points behind Juergen Klopp’s side on the league table, Hannover found themselves in the usual position of second before kick-off.

But their league position counted for nothing as Raul struck the sole goal in the match after 33 minutes after good build-up work from Lukas Schmitz.

In other matches, Simon Kjaer’s 82nd minute goal gave Wolfsburg a 1-0 away win at Mainz while Julian Schieber’s equaliser gave Nurenburg a point in a 1-1 draw with Freiburg.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is expected to be fit for the derby against Manchester United on February 12.

Balotelli, 20, is in the United States to visit specialist Bill Knowles as he attempts to overcome a long-term knee problem.

The Italian has struggled with a knee injury since joining City from Inter Milan in the close season.

He missed nine weeks after aggravating the knee in September and has been out of action after the problem flared in City’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa in December.

“He is continuing to work and maybe he can come back to play in three or four weeks,” City boss Mancini said.

“It is important he shows his talent here. For his future it is important for him to improve and this is the best championship in the world.”

Balotelli, no stranger to controversy during his short career, recently made the bold statement that he was a member of the best attacking line-up in the world.

He also claimed United forward Wayne Rooney was ‘not even the best striker in Manchester.’

The comments have angered the red half of the city, but Mancini believes the outspoken Balotelli should be taken a little less seriously.

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“I haven’t read the interview so I don’t know what he has said. But he likes to joke sometimes and these things are jokes,” Mancini said.

“We live in a free world. If someone wants to say something, it is better that he does. I respect every opinion.”

“We are not in a war. We are free to say what we want.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes his side’s 2-0 win over Wolves was a crucial step forward following their shock result against Newcastle.

Wenger’s side threw away a 4-0 lead at St James’ Park last weekend, conceding four goals in the last 22 minutes to draw 4-4. But on Saturday they were back to their best, with a Robin van Persie enough to secure all three points against Wolves.

“It wasn’t easy to read about the Newcastle result in the media and we needed a response today,” Wenger said.

“With the number of chances we created and the quality of our game, we did that. We were defensively solid and that was important after the four goals we conceded last week.”

“We created many chances and if there is one criticism maybe it is we did not score enough goals but I think that is down to their goalkeeper and all the keepers who are inspired here. (Wolves ‘keeper Wayne) Hennessey had an outstanding game.”

Wenger said the win would give his men confidence as they prepare to tackle the toughest job in world football – a Champions League clash with Barcelona at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

“We had to stay focused. For us it is important to go in strong against the best team in the world,” he said.

“It is important for us to go in strong because psychologically it builds confidence and as well gives us a strong position in the league.”

“We are not favourites in this game but I think we can do it.”

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy made no excuses for the defeat, admitting his side were completely outclassed by the Gunners.

“There was a murder going on out there and we were the recipients of it unfortunately,” McCarthy said.

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“We’ve come and tried everything but they were better than us from one to 11.”

“They were better than us and have slapped us but we did try everything whether it be personnel, shape or formations. They were better than us and turned us over and I have not one complaint at all.”

The result, coupled with West Ham’s 3-3 draw with West Brom, leaves McCarthy’s men locked to the foot of the table.

Football fans’ willingness to show their dedication comes in all shapes and sizes. One such way is to splay their dedication over their body in the form of a tattoo. I can understand why somebody might choose to tattoo their footballing allegiance onto their body. Whilst women come and go, a football team is for life. It’s the manly man’s equivalent of getting “I love mom’ yet a tattoo is a big commitment, so it’s important to get it right. As you can imagine, this process isn’t always a success.

Below are the top 10 Liverpool tattoos to be found on the net – the good, the bad and the plain ugly – click on image below to unveil gallery:

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Have you got a better Liverpool tattoo? Football FanCast would like to invite the readers to submit their own entry via our Facebook Page. The winning entries will go forward to our grand competition to find the best tattoo in the Premier League.

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Second-placed Rennes host fourth-placed Marseille at the Stade de la Route-de-Lorient on Friday in the pick of this weekend’s Ligue 1 fixtures.Rennes are just behind Lille on goal difference with both sides locked on 49 points apiece, and Friday’s game shapes as a crucial one in deciding the ultimate destination of this year’s title.With Marseille and third-placed Lyon both four points behind the top pair, points are like gold dust – and with 12 games remaining the competition for next season’s European spots is hotting up.Rennes are the form side of French football at the moment, riding high after five consecutive league wins, and manager Pierre Dreossi will be hoping for more good form from Colombian striker Victor Montano, who has scored in three of their last four games.To do so they will have to counter a miserly Marseille defence who have conceded just 12 goals away from home this season.League leaders Lille play on Sunday, when they welcome 13th-placed Valenciennes to the Stadium Lille Metropole.On Saturday, Lyon will look to keep the pressure on the leaders when they travel to play Sochaux, and bottom side Arles play host to Lorient at the Stade Fernaud Fournier, but appear certain to be relegated – 13 points adrift of their nearest rivals.Caen travel to Nancy and Lens will look to escape the drop zone when they play host to Toulouse.Nice play Auxerre with both sides looking to put more breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone, and 10th meets 11th when Brest travel to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to play St Etienne.On Sunday, shock relegation battlers Monaco will look to climb out of the bottom three when they travel to take on Jean Tigana’s Bordeaux side and Paris St Germain welcome Montpellier to the Parc des Princes.