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It seems that Ross Turnbull is unable to put a foot right. Chelsea’s back-up goalkeeper started his first and only game of the season against Newcastle in the Carling Cup last month and was beaten four times. Ever since joining the club from Middlesbrough on a free transfer in 2009, Turnbull has been nothing more than back-up to Petr Cech and Hilario in the Chelsea goal and he looks set to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Turnbull has not progressed during his time at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has apparently lost patience with the Englishman. Reports have linked Turnbull with a move to Stoke as part of a deal which would see young Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic join the club in the next transfer window.

The omens were not good for Turnbull, even at the beginning of his Chelsea career. He was handed his first Chelsea start against Aston Villa in a reserve team fixture. During the game, Turnbull made a series of bad errors which resulted in a humiliating 4-0 loss.

Things were not to get better for Turnbull. During Chelsea’s pre-season, Turnbull turned in yet another error-strewn performance against Ajax. He dropped a massive clanger for Ajax’s second goal when he slid to meet the ball on the edge of the area. However, he misjudged his momentum as it would take him and the ball outside of the area. He proceeded to let go of the ball which allowed Ajax midfielder Siem de Jong the easy task of rolling the ball into the open net.

Apparently, being an English goalkeeper at a “top” club is something of a poisoned chalice as Scott Carson and Ben Foster were to find out.

Scott Carson joined Liverpool back in 2005 but his time on Merseyside was fraught with frustration. He played only 9 times in 3 years with Liverpool and was sent on loan three times. Carson went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday on a one month deal in March 2006 and was  integral in helping the Owls escape relegation that season.

He returned to Liverpool at the end of the season only to be loaned to Charlton for the whole of the 2006-2007 season. During his time at the Valley, Carson was a regular in the Charlton goal, playing all 36 games in the Premier League that he was permitted to (he missed the two games with Liverpool as part of the loan agreement).

The next season was much of the same for Carson. He was considered back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Pepe Reina and was sent on loan to Aston Villa. At Villa Park, Carson was once again a mainstay in goal, playing 35 times for the Villians as they finished 6th in the league.

Once again, Carson returned to Liverpool but enough was enough. He decided to move to West Brom in search of regular first-team football which the Baggies could provide him.

By joining West Brom in 2008, Carson has managed to gain a semblance of stability in his career after playing for 4 different clubs in 3 years.

Like Carson, ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster came to Old Trafford with the hope of eventually unseating Edwin van der Saar as United’s number one goalkeeper but eventually grew tired of waiting for his opportunity and decided to move to Birmingham City this summer.

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For Foster and Carson, it was a case of unfortunate timing as to why they failed to make the cut at Liverpool and Manchester United. It was not that they weren’t talented enough. It’s just that they had established world-class goalkeepers ahead of them in the pecking-order. To stick around and wait for their opportunity would be detrimental to their careers so they did the sensible thing and moved to secure first-team football elsewhere.

Both Carson and Foster have been vindicated in their decision to move. They both start week-in week-out for their respective clubs. If they continue their good form, who knows? There could be a chance that they could earn a move back to one of the “top” clubs sooner rather than later.

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The Premier league has up to 40 international stars who originate from Africa, making them one of the smallest minorities in the top English tier.

The question has to be asked, would Premier League clubs benefit from starting football academies out in Africa? The answer is most certainly yes. It would be naive to cut off hot prospects of African football, a continent which have portrayed their love for the game for so many years.

Players in the past have shown they have what it takes to showcase their talents on the biggest football platform in the world. The likes of Tony Yeboah, Nwankwo Kanu, Jay Jay Okocha, and more recently Didier Drogba have graced the Premier League to great effect.

It is essential that the Premier League continually acknowledge the wide spread football potential in Africa, not only does it compliment the works of the western world in the long run, but it implements a new platform and new opportunities for the youth in deprived areas.

The world is still yet to witness a ‘World FIFA’ player of the year since the legendary George Weah. That’s not due to the lack of talent in Africa (because there is talent) but it’s simply because there is not enough exposure of the African market within the Premier League.

Nonetheless, the likes of Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand have set up foundations in Africa which have created a platform for young footballers to follow their dreams on that long road to success. It will only be a matter of time before player power will prevail and mount a positive influence on their respective clubs.

There is no harm in investing in African talent in my opinion; the only flaw will probably be wage demands as we saw with John Obi Mikel for Chelsea, but you have to expect that from any player in this day and age.

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However, one must look at the benefits in the long run, constant nurturing, plying his trade gradually to become the complete player without spending lucratively.

The only way is forward for both parties to be honest, if the Premier League open up a new doors to fresh talent then the young players within the continent have a chance to show what they are made of.

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It is widely expected that Arsenal’s loyal servant Pat Rice will retire from his role as Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager come the end of the 2010/11 campaign, after 15 years as the Frenchman’s right hand man. The two have often represented a cute old married couple that are so in sync with one another that you could easily imagine them finishing each other’s sentences, but sadly, like all good things, they appear to be coming to an end; is there another soul mate out their for Wenger?

Ray Wilkins

A hugely experienced assistant manger with Millwall, England U21 and Chelsea and is respected within the world of football. Wilkins may not be a popular choice with the fans due to his Chelsea connections, but the former Manchester United player has undeniable quality working with the players and fellow staff members. Another sticking point, if Arsenal were to hire Wilkins, is Wenger’s reluctance to bring someone on board whose ‘blood doesn’t run Arsenal.’

David Platt

He is currently assistant manager to Roberto Mancini at the Manchester City ‘revolution’. Platt’s premature career in management unfortunately lacks positives and has been marred by fan disapproval wherever he has gone, with Nottingham Forest blaming the former England international for their eventual fall into the third tier of the English leagues, and his current employers fan base disapproving of his appointment due to his perceived anti-City stance as a pundit. Despite all this, Platt would be adored by the Gunners faithful and without a doubt, with someone like Wenger as a mentor, Platt would progress in leaps and bounds to one day perhaps take over the reigns at the Emirates.

Tony Adams

Has had rather unsuccessful stints as a manager, overseeing Wycombe Wanderers relegation to League Two and then being sacked as Portsmouth manager after only sixteen games, which resulted in only ten points being picked up by Pompey. However, Adams has had various roles up and down the management hierarchy, reserve team manager at Feyenoord and first team trainee coach at Utrecht; no doubt these jobs will have provided great experience for ‘Mr Arsenal’ should he take up the role as Wenger’s assistant manager.

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Steve Bould

Current manager of Arsenal’s U18 youth side, a team that has won two successive titles as well as the ‘double’ last season. Bould’s appointment is the most convenient one as the former Arsenal defender would have been working closely with Wenger within the management set-up already.

Daniel Blazer

This blood does indeed run Arsenal, and with a wealth of experience after having successfully led Arsenal to back-to-back Premier League titles as well as a Champions League victory (on Football Manager), it is surely only a matter of time before Arsene picks up the phone and gives me the call. But if you’re reading, Arsene, I don’t come cheap.

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Who do you think should be Pat Rice’s replacement?

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It is widely expected that Arsenal’s loyal servant Pat Rice will retire from his role as Arsene Wenger’s assistant manager come the end of the 2010/11 campaign, after 15 years as the Frenchman’s right hand man. The two have often represented a cute old married couple that are so in sync with one another that you could easily imagine them finishing each other’s sentences, but sadly, like all good things, they appear to be coming to an end; is there another soul mate out their for Wenger?Ray WilkinsA hugely experienced assistant manger with Millwall, England U21 and Chelsea and is respected within the world of football. Wilkins may not be a popular choice with the fans due to his Chelsea connections, but the former Manchester United player has undeniable quality working with the players and fellow staff members. Another sticking point, if Arsenal were to hire Wilkins, is Wenger’s reluctance to bring someone on board whose ‘blood doesn’t run Arsenal.’David PlattHe is currently assistant manager to Roberto Mancini at the Manchester City ‘revolution’. Platt’s premature career in management unfortunately lacks positives and has been marred by fan disapproval wherever he has gone, with Nottingham Forest blaming the former England international for their eventual fall into the third tier of the English leagues, and his current employers fan base disapproving of his appointment due to his perceived anti-City stance as a pundit. Despite all this, Platt would be adored by the Gunners faithful and without a doubt, with someone like Wenger as a mentor, Platt would progress in leaps and bounds to one day perhaps take over the reigns at the Emirates.|Tony AdamsHas had rather unsuccessful stints as a manager, overseeing Wycombe Wanderers relegation to League Two and then being sacked as Portsmouth manager after only sixteen games, which resulted in only ten points being picked up by Pompey. However, Adams has had various roles up and down the management hierarchy, reserve team manager at Feyenoord and first team trainee coach at Utrecht; no doubt these jobs will have provided great experience for ‘Mr Arsenal’ should he take up the role as Wenger’s assistant manager.Steve BouldCurrent manager of Arsenal’s U18 youth side, a team that has won two successive titles as well as the ‘double’ last season. Bould’s appointment is the most convenient one as the former Arsenal defender would have been working closely with Wenger within the management set-up already.Daniel BlazerThis blood does indeed run Arsenal, and with a wealth of experience after having successfully led Arsenal to back-to-back Premier League titles as well as a Champions League victory (on Football Manager), it is surely only a matter of time before Arsene picks up the phone and gives me the call. But if you’re reading, Arsene, I don’t come cheap.Who do you think should be Pat Rice’s replacement? Follow me on Twitter and join in the discussion.

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Stricken Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia could be back in action as early as February, according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Ecuador international's season was thought to be over after he picked up a horrific ankle injury during Tuesday's goalless Champions League draw with Rangers.

The 25-year-old is still facing a long spell on the sidelines after dislocating and fracturing his ankle, but Ferguson has given an upbeat reassessment of the injury following surgery on Thursday.

"Antonio had his operation and it was successful," he said."The break was clean and we were delighted to announce that. It was a major concern for us at the time.

"There's ligament damage but we're looking at the end of February, which is better than we thought on Tuesday night.

"He's a strong boy and he's very positive about it – being positive helps in these situations."

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Meanwhile, Ferguson has backed his squad to cope with the absence of Valencia in the coming months, adding:"It's a blow losing good players but, in the context of the kind of squad we have, we should be able to cope with it.

"You always fear when you have a good player out of your team it's going to be a loss. But having players like Nani, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-Sung, plus Gabriel Obertan and Bebe means we have options."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Yesterday’s ‘Super Sunday’ certainly didn’t pass without controversy as both Manchester clubs served up more capital punishment on North London.

Harry Redknapp was left seething at the failure of Howard Webb to take action on Mario Balotelli, following his stamp on Scott Parker; while Arsene Wenger came out on the defensive in response to the barrage of abuse he received from supporters for his decision to replace Oxlade Chamberlain with Andrey Arshavin. The subsequent results mean that it appears to be a two horse title race, with Spurs now trailing the leaders by 8pts, while defeat sees Arsenal left fighting with Chelsea for a top four finish this season.

Harry Redknapp was left fuming yesterday afternoon as Mario Balotelli escaped punishment for stamping on Scott Parker’s head. To make matters worse for Tottenham the Italian went on to score the winning penalty in stoppage time, to rub extra salt in the Spurs manager’s wounds – Guardian

Kenny Dalglish has threatened to make changes to his Liverpool personnel, after a horror display at the Reebok Stadium. The Reds manager didn’t feel the attitude displayed on the pitch was fitting of the football club and was totally unacceptable – Guardian

Arsene Wenger went on the defensive last night after being heavily criticised by the Arsenal faithful who booed and heckled his decision to take off Oxlade-Chamberlain and replace him with Andrey Arshavin. The Frenchman doesn’t understand why he needs to justify his substitutions, even though the decision cost Arsenal dear – Guardian

Harry Redknapp appears in the High Court today to respond to charges of tax evasion. The case is expected to last at least two weeks, which will mean Harry will be missing from the day to day running at the football club – Daily Telegraph

Andre Villas-Boas has called for calm in the week ahead of John Terry’s return against QPR. The Portuguese manager believes that the media creating a Terry v Ferdinand campaign is only going to make the situation worse – Independent

Mark Hughes has no problem with Joey Barton’s tweeting and is not going to prevent his captain from using it as a vehicle to express his views – Daily Mail

Robbie Keane admits he doesn’t miss the Premier League, following his goalscoring return at Molineux at the weekend. The LA Galaxy star said he got itchy feet waiting for the MLS pre-season to start and wanted to get some game time, hence his loan move to England – Daily Mail

Chelsea have been told to up their offer if they wish to sign Shakhtar playmaker Willian. Andre Villas-Boas has been quoted a fee of £28m to land the Brazilian, after their reported £20m bid was rejected – Daily Mail

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Lyon have expressed an interest in signing Tottenham defender Vedran Corluka. The Croatian defender is out of favour at White Hart Lane and is thought to be keen on a move away to get regular first team football, with his place in the Croatia Euro 2012 squad uncertain – Mirror

QPR’s hopes of landing Manchester City’s Nedum Onuoha has taken a little setback as Everton have entered the running for his signature – Metro

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Manchester United moved a step closer to a Champions League final at Wembley with a convincing 2-0 semi-final first leg win over Schalke.The English powerhouse dominated possession at Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday, and their superior skills were put on show in a fine two-minute period midway through the second half which saw Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney score in quick succession.

United will take their two-goal lead to the second leg next Wednesday at Old Trafford, where they have not lost in all competitions since April last year.

Rooney was infamously sent off at the Veltins Arena when playing for England against Portugal in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but the 25-year-old put that horror memory to bed when he put through Giggs for the first goal, before scoring himself.

Giggs snuck in behind the Schalke defence to fire a left-foot shot under Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the 67th minute, and less than two minutes later, Rooney received the ball from strike partner Javier Hernandez to deliver a body blow to the Germans at Neuer’s near post.

In the opening 45 minutes, Neuer was a one-man band in keeping out United’s forward attempts, with each of Hernandez, Giggs, Rooney and Park Ji-Sung having chances kept out by the German shot-stopper and Schalke captain.

Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have never enjoyed the most cordial of relationships, but Mourinho’s latest verbal assault against the Arsenal manager came completely out of the blue. The Independent quotes Mourinho as stating,

“If you don’t play well you don’t win. It is hypocrisy to say: ‘We played well but we did not win.’ They claim they had bad luck, that they had 90 per cent of possession or lost a goal to a last-minute set-piece. I sometimes think these coaches must be so much more intelligent than me. When I lose I always find the reason why. We lost because we played badly, because we made mistakes or because the opposition was better.”

Although Jose refused to name the coach he was referring to, it was clear that Mourinho was talking about Wenger, but just to clarify matters he went on to say,

“There is a coach whose teams have been playing fantastically for 10 years and his players are always young. It is always a very young team that never wins anything. For me this is hypocrisy.”

Mourinho has the right to say what he wants, but he is managing in Spain not England now and thus the comments he has made seem totally uncalled for, but Mourinho obviously misses his spats with Wenger and wants to get a rise from the Frenchman. One generally makes these kind of comments when a meeting between sides is imminent, but it is unlikely that Arsenal and Real Madrid will meet at all this season and Mourinho might be better off concentrating on his own teams quest to dethrone Barcelona.

Mourinho and Wenger experienced an ignominious relationship when the former managed Chelsea, with constant stinging comments being exchanged between them in the media. The war of words came to a head when Mourinho infamously called Wenger a ‘voyeur’. The Arsenal manager was understandably upset with these words and even Mourinho realised he had gone too far, and almost went as far to apologise for the incident. When Mourinho left these shores the rocky relationship cooled for obvious reasons, but now it seems that Mourinho is ready for another round of verbal jousting and it will be interesting to see if Wenger responds.

The fact is that despite what he says about Arsenal, Mourinho may well experience his own problems at Real Madrid this season. The expectation levels at the Bernabeu are unmatched anywhere across Europe, not only must the team win every trophy going for the board to be happy, but they must do it in style as well. At Real Madrid Mourinho may face the biggest difficulties of his career to date. There is no doubting his ability to win trophies, but his style of play is certainly on the more defensive side of the scale. He may bring trophies to Real Madrid, but he might have a harder time convincing fans who demand stylish attacking football that his is the best way. In the opening game of the season his side have already dropped points on Barcelona, drawing away at Mallorca. There will be easier games than this for Mourinho but it just might be worth his while to concentrate on his job at Madrid, rather than concerning himself with Arsene Wenger and goings on at Arsenal.

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Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill was unhappy with the award of a penalty to Everton on Boxing Day, as the sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.

Jack Colback has given the Wearside club a 1-0 lead at the interval, but Leighton Baines struck from 12 yards to earn the visitors a point.

O’Neill has annoyed by Everton’s penalty however, as Leon Osman was adjudged to have been fouled, when in fact he had kicked the ground and fell.

“I was unhappy obviously,” he told Sky Sports.

“I think that the players who were involved were more upset about that. Obviously it was pretty clear that the Everton player hit the ground.

“Unfortunately, yes I had the chance to watch the incident again and it was obviously not a penalty,” he commented.

Toffees boss David Moyes also stated that Howard Webb’s decision was wrong, and that a penalty should not have been awarded.

“I’ve had the chance to see it again,” Moyes admitted.

“I don’t think it’s a penalty kick – well, it’s not a penalty kick.

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“It’s a terrible decision by the referee. It wasn’t a penalty kick and Martin O’Neill should feel hard done by,” he stated.

By Gareth McKnight

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Given the disastrous result last night in the Champions League, coupled with the recent poor form in domestic competition, it must be hard for a Spurs fan to be anything but awashed with bitterness. I, for one, cannot bear to read any more about the fashion in which we went down to Real Madrid. Instead, I wish to look forward to the summer and examine Tottenham’s previous transfer policy under Harry Redknapp. Let us turn our attentions to the type of player Tottenham need.

Despite being linked with the most exotic sounding players from all parts of the world, under Redknapp, Tottenham have predominantly bought players from within the Premiership. Unless I’m mistaken, other than Sandro, Van der Vaart, Khumalo and Pavlyuchenko, Tottenham have bought only players from within English football in the last three years.

Tottenham have picked up some bargains in doing this. Gallas on a free transfer, Kranjcar for £2m and Pienaar for £2m are just a few. You can add names like Bentley, Kaboul, Bassong, Palacios and Corluka to that list of players bought from other English clubs. But as well as signing proven Premier League talent, Tottenham have also invested in some of the best young talent in the country. Firstly in Gareth Bale and then in Kyle Walker, there are also a handful of good Tottenham prospects on loan around the country. Both types of player here, the young buck and the experienced player, represent good buys.

This has served Tottenham well in transforming them from a club at the foot of the Premier League to a fourth placed finish last year. But, if they are going to push on and make the feat of finishing in the top four a habit, do they need to adjust this transfer policy?

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A player of a similar standard to Van der Vaart is the kind of quality Tottenham need to bring in. But this was a freak transfer, a player of this quality is not going to be available for £8m every year. If he had not become available on transfer deadline day, Tottenham would not have even begun to think about trying to sign him. Tottenham need to be more proactive in looking for players and not wait to be offered them on the last day of the transfer window.

A player like Pienaar does represent good value, but he is hardly a player to take Tottenham to the next level. Kranjcar too, is a good player but he is not going to reach his full potential, playing week-in, week-out, at Tottenham. Additionally, rather than paying more money for foreign players like Bassong (£8m) and Palacios (£12m) from other Premier League clubs, shouldn’t Tottenham look to bring them in direct from abroad? This would see the squad continue to develop as it has done, but at a fraction of the price.

If Tottenham are going to establish themselves as regular top four finishers, Daniel Levy is going to have to bite the bullet and spend large sums on quality players. More money will be available if Tottenham use more imagination, Newcastle bought Bassong from Metz for £500,000. Fair enough, going abroad involves risk, Pavluychenko has not exactly been brilliant, but I think that Spurs are now at a stage where they have to be more imaginative than just buy decent Premiership players.

Tottenham’s signings under Redknapp, have been very much of a club looking to grow. Now the club has grown to achieved its preliminary goal (fourth place), we must use more imagination to ensure that 2010/11 isn’t a flash in the pan, ‘one-off’ season.

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To offer suggestions on signings, disagree or even concur with Joe, you can contact him on twitter.

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What is it with Newcastle United and central defenders? Error-prone centre-halves with the tendency to make costly mistakes at vital times have become common viewing on Tyneside in recent seasons. The names Titus Bramble, Claudio Cacapa and Jean-Alain Boumsong sends shivers down the backs of most Magpies fans and the club know central defence is a position they must get right if their return to the Premier League this season is going to be a successful one.

For a while it looked as though Argentina international Fabricio Coloccini’s name would be added to the unfortunate list of defenders who have failed to live up to expectation during their ill-fated spells at St James’ Park. A product of the famed Boca Juniors youth academy, the scraggly haired defender arrived at Newcastle in 2008 with a massive reputation following a hugely successful four year spell with Spanish side Deportivo La Coruña. After a promising start, the £10.3m defender’s performances, much like Newcastle’s, began to go rapidly downhill. A defensive horror show in a 5-1 defeat at home to Liverpool in December of that season was the sucker punch the Argentine failed to recover from as Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League.

The 28-year-old was expected to be one of the first major casualties in a Newcastle summer clear-out as the club came to terms with the reality of life in the Championship. The club were keen to save on the player’s reported enormous £70,000-a-week wages and were actively seeking a buyer. Newcastle’s inability to push through a cut-price exit highlighted just how badly Coloccini’s reputation had taken a battering following his dismal first season in English football.

It’s amazing what a year in the Championship can do to a player however and Coloccini came through a potentially testing time in English football’s second tier with flying colours. The centre-back, known more for his classy style of defending than his physicality, dealt admirably with the uncompromising style of play renowned in the Championship. His sterling performances at the back last season has seen him become a firm fans’ favourite in the North East, helping Newcastle lift the title with the meanest defence in the league. His performances also seen him named in the Championship Team of the Year and manager Chris Houghton has tipped his defender to shine on his return to the top flight.

“Colo had a very, very good season, along with the other players. It’s important he carries that form into the Premier League season,” Houghton told The Chronicle.

“He was a foreign player coming to England two years ago, and the settling-in period is never easy. But now it’s about him and the other players maintaining the form that they showed last season.”

The pressure will be on the Argentine to deliver in the Premier League this season, even more so following the news his regular defensive partner Steven Taylor will miss the opening three months of the season with a dislocated shoulder. Coloccini will be Houghton’s automatic first choice in central defence, most likely alongside new signing Sol Campbell, with Mike Williamson providing cover until Taylor returns from injury. The Argentine still has a lot to prove and the pace of the Premier League will again test Coloccini’s top flight credentials. Coloccini certainly has all the attributes to be a hit in the Premier League and the two years of experience in English football will be a major benefit to Newcastle as they look to consolidate their position in the top flight this season.

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