Two weeks ago I went on record stating that if Shrewsbury could pick up a victory away at Morecambe and at home against Port Vale then we would be celebrating promotion come May.
Well this was nearly the case, after successfully picking up three points on the road at Morecambe, we then played host to Port Vale.
We took the lead in the 50th minute through a James Collins goal, only for the game to be dramatically called off fifteen minutes later due to a fire in the family stand.
So now I now have to rejudge my earlier prediction. This weekend we had Dave McCalister sent off in our disappointing 1-1 home draw with Aldershot. This was the second sending off we have seen in our side in the last two games (not counting the abandoned game with Vale). This could not have come at a worst time in the season for us with two massive games in the space of three days coming up.
Over the easter weekend we face two teams who are looking to face a survival battle come the final month of the season, obviously this could go eitherway.
First we travel to Moss Rose this Friday to take on second from bottom and in serious danger of relegation Macclesfield Town. Moss Rose has been kind to us over the last two seasons, with us registering two victories in our last two encounters. With a big turn-out expected in the away end, I feel as though we can pick up a victory here, even with a number of key players missing through suspension.
The following Monday we face struggling Bradford City at home and for me this is a crucial game for us as Torquay travel to an in-form Oxford. This means they could face a real task to get something from that game. If the Gulls fail to pick up three points and we do, it puts in a position of power come the final run-in.
Following this we have two home games and with our home form being as good as it is, it wouldn’t be too stupid to presume we can pick up the points needed to help us seal automatic promotion.
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However as a Shrewsbury Town fan we all know it never quite runs that easy. Lets just hope for no more fires.
We have seen it very rarely over recent seasons; probably because the demand for success or survival is simply so high nowadays. But playing players out of position is a dying trend in the Premier League and on the few occasions it does happen, fans and punditry panels alike are quick to undermine the decision, giving it little airtime as a rash and brainless dabbling of the system. One of the most extreme changes of position was that of Blackburn’s Christopher Samba last term as the centre back was deployed in a forward’s role to hold the ball up and give Rovers more of a physical presence or should I put it more bluntly; battering ram up top. The decision, although eyebrow-raising at the start was a relatively successful one with Samba possessing a surprising good touch and an astute holding up of the ball.
More successful shifts in position famously include Gareth Bale who has forged a reputation as one of the finest wingers in the Premier League following advancement from the left full back berth. Perhaps the most recent example of a positional change has been Martin Jol’s decisions to deploy Moussa Dembele in a central midfield berth for Fulham. The natural second striker has been dropped deeper for his dribbling abilities and ease on the ball and it seems to have paid off with the Belgian flourishing in his new role over the past month or so.
So why don’t managers execute positional changes far more often? It must be contended that for every first choice there is a usually a backup squad player and it would frustratingly resemble an insult to play a player out of position rather than deploy a natural replacement. Nevertheless, with the modern breed of full backs raiding down the channels more greatly than ever before, surely there are more ‘Bale’s’ out there in the sense that the pacy full back is almost a second winger anyway. For example, Aaron Lennon at Tottenham has been injured in spells this term and has often had to be replaced by Niko Kranjcar or an unpopular decision to shift Luka Modric to the flank, where it is understandable that he isn’t best suited here. Kyle Walker would be adept at fulfilling Lennon’s role in that he is fast, can whip a cross into the box and is direct in his attacking of the opposition full back. Whilst we must accept Spurs let go of their replacement right back Vedran Corluka in January and need Walker’s consistent abilities at full back in this particular scenario, you see the point I am trying to make.
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It has been noticed at Manchester United also, that Antonio Valencia is an unorthodox, yet trusty full back when widespread injury strikes. The fact the Ecuadorian is one of the Premier League’s hardest working players, possessing substantial upper body strength and good tracking back skills, means he can drop back into the full back position and achieve an assured performance as a Rafael or Fabio might do for example. Of course, United have flourished recently using Valencia’s excellent crossing abilities to create many assists further up the pitch, but by discovering players’ hidden versatility and looking even closer at their exploits, costly decisions to carelessly wade into the transfer market just might be avoidable.
Undeniably, the monetary repercussions of football nowadays mean experimenting and dabbling with positional changes usually occur in an involuntary sense; whereby a manager is forced into the decision, as the pitfalls or dissenting abuse for a positional gamble or risk are huge. Perhaps pre-season friendlies could employ more of a focus on positional changes but such an idea would be met by likely dissent.
Centre backs transformed to full backs are generally accepted as a fairly safe transition with many of the tackling and strength attributes being required at full back also. Branislav Ivanovic has probably been the best example of this. Also defensive midfielders moving to centre half have been met by some applause with Alex Song and Javier Mascherano at Barcelona representing that this positional change can breed relative success.
But cavalier decisions such as Dembele and Samba are still of the rare variety and positional changes still have that ‘emergency’ tag when they could be judged with more astuteness. Only time will tell, and the random nature of the Premier League means we just may uncover a hidden gem who currently is yet to find his new prosperous role.
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Are these points too radical or can you see the benefit in such decisions? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
As the transfer rumour-mill is in full flow, the latest name linked with West Ham is Joey Barton.
Despite strong rumours and some fans wanting Barton to be a Hammer, a move will not be made to transfer the controversial player across London. For me the reason the East Londoners’ will not be moving for Barton is their new found pride.
West Ham enjoyed a great season that saw them return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but, if you ask most fans what they enjoyed most about this season, it would be one thing.
Pride has finally returned to the club. This is a club that has lived in the shadow of controversy and drama. Bankrupt Icelandic’s, illegal Argentines, and dodgy Italians all came and went in a short era that saw the club aim for the Champions League but fall into the Championship this time last season.
The club went from rich to poor overnight, but most sickening for the fans was traditions and values of the club were being put in jeopardy, and the ambition for the future was non-existent.
It takes a lot to drive the Upton Park faithful away but many were just turning up ‘for the day out’ and because they felt they had to. But this season it changed. The fans didn’t turn up because they had to, they wanted to. They enjoyed winning, playing well and being ‘a big fish in a small pond’ and more often than not leaving the ground with a smile on their face.
The attendances were superb throughout the season, especially on the road. Record away attendances at Peterborough and Coventry were highlights. Fans enjoyed going to see their team play again and last weekend, when West Ham beat Blackpool at the home of English football, it was clear to see that the pride had been restored to the East End.
David Gold said: “You know, people talk about the money, but pride is so important, everybody here will be saying we’re back in the Premier League and they’ve had a tough time. We’ve had previous owners who have caused problems for the football club and of course we got relegated, but its pride.’’
So where does this return of pride at Upton Park fit in with that loveable character Joey Barton? Well, the bookies have made West Ham favourites to buy the QPR man despite the West Ham co-owner stating that would never happen.
It’s taken years to restore West Ham’s name, not just with their own fans but the F.A, the media, and other clubs’ fans. These were broken relationships that all needed to be fixed. By signing Barton, a player described by David Gold as: ‘’a player that could self-destruct’’ the Hammers would put their new name and pride at risk.
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If Joey was to behave like he did against Man City, then it would cause grief and harm to all the hard work that has gone on at West Ham. Barton’s track record clearly makes him a risk to sign, and is he worth the risk based on his football ability? Probably not.
There was a time when Joey Barton and West Ham would go together quite well, where they would be suited, but not now, the two parties are very much moving in different directions. Not under this management and ownership, this is a new West Ham, a club to be proud of.
The conclusion of the Championship season marked the end of an awful season for Nottingham Forest.
The team struggled to adapt on the pitch to, new manager, Steve McClaren’s philosophies and a lack of results alienated the fans. This came to a head following the 3-1 home loss to Birmingham, which ended with both the manager and long-time chairman Nigel Doughty stepping down from their posts.
Steve Cotterill took over the reigns as manager but despite a good start of four wins out of his first six fixtures, Cotterill’s side followed this with a sequence of seven games without finding the net. It wasn’t until the end of February that the club were able to turn around the form which saw them languishing in the relegation zone and they were able to climb, albeit only slightly, to the lofty position of 19th at the end of the season.
However, it wasn’t just on the field which saw the club endure a torrid year, as touched on earlier, Nigel Doughty’s resignation and subsequent death in February has had an enormous impact on the club, with finances looking tight for the first time in a decade. Over the last number of seasons Forest have been losing over £13m a year, which without Doughty’s backing is not sustainable.
The club has revealed that the money received in January from Leicester and Chelsea for Wes Morgan and Patrick Bamford has already been spent on bringing loan players to the club and the costs of running a football club. Forest will no longer be able to compete as one of the biggest spenders in the division on transfer fees or the wages that players demand; no longer will the club be linked with the likes of Max Gradel or Nicky Maynard, whilst big money signings, such as Ishmael Miller will also become a thing of the past.
Of the match-day squad which beat Portsmouth 2-0 on the final day of the season, nine of the sixteen are either out of contract during the summer or were at the club on loan. The club’s policy of allowing contracts to expire, risking losing players on free transfers is nothing new, with Kris Commons, Kelvin Wilson, Nathan Tyson and Robbie Earnshaw all leaving for nothing over the past few years.
This year it is the contracts of club captain Luke Chambers, stand out players Joel Lynch and Garath McCleary and squad members Paul Anderson, Paul Smith and George Boateng which have been allowed to run down. This will have to stop given the cost it takes for the club to replace them; they don’t want to find themselves in a similar position next summer when Lee Camp, Chris Cohen and Dexter Blackstock are all out of contract.
Whilst the club risk losing a number of players for nothing over the coming months, without new investment it is also unlikely that they will be able to continue paying the wages of high earners Ishmael Miller, Matt Derbyshire, Jonathan Greening and Andy Reid.
However, whether the club will be able to persuade other clubs to take these players off their hands is another matter, with only Andy Reid performing to an acceptable level over the past 12 months. The squad is also unbalanced with the club employing a huge number of strikers whilst, at times, Cotterill struggled to name a back four this season; Guy Moussi often found himself out of position at the heart of the defence.
All this information paints a rather bleak picture of what the summer and next season will bring for Forest. Nevertheless the club will continue to battle on and it isn’t inconceivable that new owners will buy Forest in the coming months; one thing that the club does have which their rivals do not is a name known throughout world football, one which makes them an attractive proposition to potential buyers.
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The eventual introduction of Financial Fair Play could also be of a great advantage to Forest if managed correctly over the upcoming seasons. Forest had the seventh highest average attendance in the division last year, a year in which the club finished 19th. Financial Fair Play should allow Forest to remain competitive in the Championship as long as the club are sensible in altering their wage bill over the summer and adding realistic talent to an already decent squad, it is easy to forget that the majority of the players at the club are the same players which reached the play-offs two years in a row under Billy Davies.
The future is difficult to predict for Forest. Whilst the club is likely to lose a number of players this summer hopefully they will retain a solid core of the current squad, removing the players on larger contracts and redistributing that money on more suitable targets. If Cotterill is able to move on those players which haven’t performed at the club and is given the opportunity to bring in a few on smaller money it isn’t impossible for the side to enjoy a successful season following an exhausting summer for the manager.
Samir Nasri denied England victory in their opening game of Euro 2012 scoring the equaliser for France to cancel out Joleon Lescott’s first international goal in Donetsk.
After tense opening England struck first blood as Lescott stole ahead of Alou Diarra to head Steven Gerrard’s exquisite free kick past Hugo Lloris in the 19th minute. But six minutes before half time Nasri levelled beating Manchester City teammate Joe Hart at his near post with a low drive from 20-yards after being teed up by the impressive Franck Ribery. Neither team posed real threat to each other in the second half with both seemingly content to leave the Donbass Arena with a well earned point.
Roy Hodgson’s team selection was the subject of debate prior to kick-off after he named 18-year-old Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting lineup at the expense of Stewart Downing and it appeared to be a shrewd move as England made an encouraging start to the game. Oxlade-Chamberlain was given an immediate opportunity to stretch his legs as he faced up to Phillipe Mexes beating the French defender on the left but seeing his low cross cut out.
It was Laurent Blanc’s side who carved out the first meaningful chance of the game on 11 minutes as Nasr’s a low strike sailed wide after seeing a flurry of crosses and corners dealt with easily by Lescott and John Terry. England nearly snatched the lead soon after as James Milner darted into the France penalty area to latch onto Young’s pass. The midfielder did well to take the ball round Lloris but lacked composure opting to shoot first time into the side net with the goal gaping. As the heat began to take over an injury to Danny Welbeck allowed the players to take on some fluid and it seemed to have the desired effect for the Three Lions as they broke the deadlock just before the half hour.
Gerrard whipped across a free kick from the right which was was met by Lescott from five-yards who timed his run perfectly to nip in front of a napping Diarra to nod the ball home. France offered an immediate riposte and Diarra brought the best out of Hart with a thumping header from Nasri’s cross. Les Bleus continued to press in search of an equaliser and were finally rewarded when Ribery set up Nasri to crack an past Hart who got the faintest of fingertips to the ball but couldn’t prevent it from going in.
France were the almost gifted the chance to snatch the lead after the break following a weak back pass from James Milner only for Hart to thwart Nasri and bail out his teammate. Gerrard was then denied a clear sight of goal by a firm challenge from Mathieu Debuchy after a neat interchange with Danny Welbeck before blocking a low Patrice Evra cross at the other end. As the tempo dropped the French continued to pour forward and Karim Benzema almost caught Hart out with a drive from range. Scott Parker then gallantly threw himself at a rasping Florent Malouda strike as England continued to defend with grit and resolution.
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Welbeck was next to make a telling intervention deflecting Yohan Cabaye’s goal bound effort wide for a corner whilst Gerrard took the sting out of another Benzema blast sending it wide at the expense of a corner. England struggled to put much together in the final third as the clock wound down although Mexes was alert to cut out a low Milner centre as Welbeck lurked behind on a rare forage forward. On the balance of play a draw was a fair result and didn’t flatter either side.
Gianluigi Buffon has praised the performances of Mario Balotelli in the European Championships.
The Manchester City striker has been under pressure in Italy to perform and finally live up to his reputation on the international front, something the Italian goalkeeping legend believes Balotelli has achieved in the past three weeks:
“Mario has done very well thus far, and he has great natural talent and that is a fantastic starting point for him.
“But he’s also come into a squad where there are a lot of star players, not only on the footballing side but in general. Mario deserves the most credit because he’s really worked hard and wanted to succeed.” (Daily Mail)
Buffon has also praised the attitude of the Italian team, in light of the match fixing scandal that rocked Italy in the weeks prior to the tournament:
“There is something unique in the Italian mentality.”
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“Beyond everything that has been said, and the rumours, Italians have a lot of respect and love for the national squad which goes above and beyond anything else.”
Arsenal are ready to sell Nicklas Bendtner to AC Milan in a move that will see Philippe Mexes switch to the Gunners, Mirror Football report.
The Danish striker spent last season on loan at Sunderland, and with the summer signings of Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski at the Emirates Stadium, is unwanted by Arsene Wenger.
The Rossoneri are looking for a new centre forward after selling Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain, and have identified the Scandinavian as an affordable option.
Mexes meanwhile is said to have had a disagreement with the San Siro club, and withdrew from their pre-season tour of the United States as a consequence.
With Mexes and Bendtner both looking destined to play their football elsewhere in 2012-13, reports in Italy have suggested that Arsenal and Milan will undertake a swap deal.
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There’s just seven days left until the end of the transfer window and managers are frantically attempting to wrap up their business before September begins. With the new season underway, teams have been able to identify what’s gone wrong so far and they can therefore alter their plans accordingly to make sure they’re well equipped for the months ahead.
For some, it could be a busy week. Teams like Norwich and QPR had a dreadful start to their season, while others, like Swansea or Fulham got off to a flyer. It would be surprising if the big teams didn’t strengthen in some way as they continuously look over their shoulders at what their rivals are doing. The days building up to the deadline are often the most exciting and we can hope for a final flurry of activity akin to previous years, with Robinho’s move to Manchester City in 2008 being the perfect example.
There are still plenty of bargains to be had out there this summer; teams don’t have to spent big to bring in the right player and to help out the Premier League scouts in the busiest of weeks, we’ve assembled a list of 20 names that would prove great value for money.
Click on Aidan McGeady to unveil the 20 bargains
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Newcastle’s Alan Pardew is the latest Premier League manager to call for the transfer window to be slammed shut as soon as the new season starts, BBC Newcastle reports.
Clubs are still frantically looking to add to their squads before tomorrow’s deadline, fuelling the argument that this has an unsettling effect as the new season gets underway.
Some of the most high-profile sagas have included Luka Modric’s eventual move to Real Madrid, while the likes of Clint Dempsey is still hoping for a summer transfer to Liverpool after stating he will not play for Fulham again.
Pardew admits to this effect on his side and stressed the need for all business to be concluded before a league match is played.
He said: “It’s really not fair. The transfer window should be shut before we kick a ball and that way everyone knows where they are.
“The reality is it shuts on Friday night and we have to sweat right up to 12 o’clock. That’s the type of club we are now.”
Newcastle were involved in one of the most high-profile last-minute transfers of all time after they sold Andy Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million in January 2011.
Fellow Premier League Managers have backed Pardew’s sentiments, with Wigan’s Roberto Martinez admitting the toll that Chelsea’s interest has had on Victor Moses.
Moses has since completed a move to Stamford Bridge, but his former manager believes it had a negative psychological effect on the player’s performance.
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Unsurprisingly, the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Man United have dominated the speculation, something that Pardew has been keen to emphasise.
“The top three or four teams have a massive advantage; they can even play with you and say they are coming for one of your players but then not actually [do so]. I’m sure that goes on.”
Times are tough for the wonderfully nicknamed Chairboys.
For fans of League 2 Wycombe, delight at a Supporters Trust takeover of the club in the summer has been tempered by the financial realities of off field cost cutting (including the sale of last season’s top goal-scorer, the mercurial Stuart Beavon) and a rocky start to the season on pitch, with 2 defeats from the opening 3 games.
It’s made for the most difficult period of manager Gary Waddock’s spell at Adams Park thus far, and for the first time supporters are more than arguably turning against the man who has led Wanderers to 2 relegations and a promotion in 3 rollercoaster years.
Expectations of another instant return to League 1 in Wycombe’s 125th anniversary season, and a continuation of the yo-yo like fortunes of the club are not as great as in previous years. Supporters have been made well aware of the many financial challenges that lie ahead, and the difficulty of breaking even in times of recession, which even in boom years has proved an often insurmountable challenge at Football League level. With Beavon moving on to pastures new at Preston North End, hopes of promotion have been further dashed, and it would be fair to say that a mid table finish is the realistic ambition now.
But whether such a finish will be enough for Waddock remains to be seen. Fans are increasingly sceptical of what is seen by some as a regime of an “all talk and no walk” mentality, poor signings, lack of motivation, and tactical ineptitude. Certainly Waddock appears to have hit a ceiling as far as League 1 is concerned – 4 clean sheets in the last 57 matches tells its own story – and complaints over the poor quality of signings have clear merits. Last summer’s rather rag tag group including the likes John Halls, Ben Harding and James Tunnicliffe was criticised throughout a disastrous campaign which included a 6-0 home defeat to Huddersfield (live on Sky), a 5-2 thrashing at Brentford, and a 4-0 humbling at fellow strugglers and eventually relegated Chesterfield. Waddock’s motivational skills came under fire as promises of improved displays and bouncebackability were followed by a ubiquitous disappointing display, more often than not accompanied by a defensive collapse. Many of these performances might have resulted in managerial sackings at other clubs, but Gary Waddock finds himself in somewhat of a unique position.
Former owner Steve Hayes, seemingly occupied with the sale of the club, apparently had neither the means nor the wherewithal to dismiss Waddock and therefore the 50 year old remains in post and for some, living on borrowed time. Poor displays in this season’s 2 league defeats (and an abandoned match at home to Bristol Rovers) have done little to allay these fears, and unhappiness at certain summer signings has resulted in a growing number of supporters calling for change. Waddock is hasn’t been under this sort of pressure since his exit from QPR in September 2006.
But there is cause for some optimism. Not least with Waddock’s record as a League 2 manager, which certainly at Wycombe is impressive. Leading the side to an instant promotion in 2010/2011 was no mean feat, especially considering the intense competition between the Chairboys and Shrewsbury Town, who took the fight right to the final game of that memorable season. Before he left Aldershot to take over at Adams Park, Waddock had left the Hampshire side in 6th position after consolidating the year before. It’s clear that he feels at home at this level, and it’s a division he’ll know well. There’s certainly no denying that Gary Waddock is a proven League 2 manager.
One idea put forward by supporters (some of whom are anti Waddock) is that former assistant manager Martin Kuhl was key to the club’s successes and his absence is one of the reasons for the blues’ current struggles. But that idea doesn’t seem to add up when the 10 game unbeaten run and promotion to League 1 (after Kuhl’s departure in April 2011) is taken into account. It’s also worth noting that Kuhl was of course assistant to Waddock in the relegation season of 2009/2010. Any notion that the presence of Martin Kuhl would have made any discernible difference to Wycombe’s fortunes seems flimsy.
Waddock has been deservedly criticised at times for poor signings, though it appears that any further transfers to Wycombe are, due to financial constraints, likely to be made through use of the loan market, and this could actually prove to be Waddock’s chance to shine. He seems to be a more shrewd operator when loanees are involved, with Stuart Lewis (later signed on a permanent deal), Scott Donnelly, Marcello Trotta, Craig Eastmond, Gary Doherty (now signed to the club permanently), and Paul Hayes all examples of the manager’s clout. He’s also dealt well with emerging youth talent, with last year’s outstanding talents Jordon Ibe and Kadeem Harris (the former now at Liverpool, the latter at Cardiff City) being blooded sparingly but sensibly, and Anthony Stewart and Charles Dunne now regular members of this year’s squad.
Keith Scott has been tipped as an alternative to the current Wycombe boss, though whilst his record is statistically impressive, the ex Wycombe legend has plied his managerial trade at an agricultural level, with Leighton Town and Windsor and Eton (now Windsor FC) his former clubs. To say that taking on an unproven manager in a potentially very difficult situation, in a League 2 which has never looked as competitive as it does now, would be a risk is an understatement. Sean Dyche would be a far more appealing alternative but financial demands are likely to prove a stumbling block, and it’s arguable that Dyche is carefully biding his time should a job at a higher level (the Coventry City vacancy perhaps) come calling. Other potential candidates are few and far between.
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It’s highly likely that Waddock will be given time under the new Supporters Trust regime, and this is the sensible option. Despite League 2 being highly competitive, relegation in a division containing the likes of Barnet, Burton, Dagenham, Accrington, AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth, York City (who Wanderers beat 3-1 on the opening day of the season), Morecambe and Bradford is highly unlikely. It’s also worth noting that Wycombe’s 2 defeats have come by a single goal: at home to Gillingham (a side amongst the promotion favourites with statistically the best League 2 attack in 2011/2012) and away at Southend United (also amongst the favourites and have strengthened their squad in the summer). Three games in and some of the panic seems hysterical and impractical. This is a season fundamentally and unequivocally based on stability for a club very much in transition, and whilst Waddock may not be the long term man for Wycombe, now is not the time for a knee jerk managerial change. League 2 is a very different beast from a League 1 which daunted Wycombe, and unless the club’s Football League status is under genuine threat after 15-20 matches, the brown envelope shouldn’t be on the order paper.
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