Tag Futebol

Kenny Dalglish has called upon the FA to resolve this Luis Suarez affair once and for all. The Scot doesn’t believe that the delay is doing the Uruguayan any favours, a player who Kenny believes can be the perfect role model for the club.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include a £35m conundrum for Liverpool fans; improvements needed at Anfield, while UEFA ruling sees the Reds flex their financial muscles.

We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.

Are Supporters inadvertently getting in the way of progress?

Two football institutions could help pave the way for greater success

A long overdue clampdown on the very parasites of football

A £35m question that only Liverpool fans can answer

Dalglish and Villas-Boas’ £2m pursuit highlights the lengths clubs go

Simply costing Liverpool dear

Improvements still needed in Liverpool’s key area

UEFA ruling ensures Liverpool flex their financial muscles

John W Henry’s transfer theory holds up on closer inspection at Liverpool

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Don’t worry Stewart, most of it isn’t your fault – Live4Liverpool

The holier than thou and the whiter than white? – This is Anfield

Suarez & Downing | Statistically compared to rivals | Liverpool FC – Anfield Index

Is Kenny Dalglish’s irritated reaction over Andy Carroll justified? – Liverpool Kop

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Bang Tidy €5M International Claims Anfield Move “Close” – Transfer Tavern

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Click on Mrs Van der Vaart to unveil the Premier League Wag XI

If Fabio Capello thought that he had bought himself a little respite with the media after a shocking World Cup, then he finds himself back in the firing line following his decision to reappoint John Terry as captain. I am not suggesting that Terry is a bad choice, far from it, but is the armband really going to make a huge difference in his commitment for his country? There is no prouder lion than JT, regardless of whether he is wearing the armband or not.

Capello has just created a mess where he didn’t need to and the decision has done little more than rub Rio Ferdinand up the wrong way. The way it has been handled is an indictment of the poor communication that appears to have surrounded Capello’s reign and Rio certainly deserved better than to find out he had lost the role within the media.

Rio has been an absolute gentleman about the decision and has wished John Terry well, and it certainly won’t stop him giving 100% the next time he puts on an England shirt. I think that it is the bottom line of all this and while the rest of the squad won’t mind one iota about Capello’s decision, it is that the honour of playing for your country far outweighs your concerns about leading it, therefore that is why I find it strange to alienate not only Rio, but Stevie G as well by making this decision. It was a headache that Fabio didn’t need to create and only serves to throw further pressure on himself.

But let’s be honest, does the captaincy at any level, mean anything now? There was a time when the captain and vice ran the playing side of the football club and were that only bridge between the players and the manager; whereas now the armband is handed around like confetti and you only have to look back to that England friendly where no fewer than eight players were given the armband and now have the personal recognition of claiming they captained their country. It no longer holds the honour it once did and maybe Capello feels that JT holds the England pennant in a better fashion, or has a stronger handshake for the opposition, but the decision certainly does seem a bizarre. John Terry would have run through brick walls for his country anyway, regardless of the band of elastic around his arm, therefore the point of attempting to fix something that wasn’t broken seems like a pointless task by Capello to me.

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Former Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham defender Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock is one of the great characters of English football. Razor has the same no-nonsense attitude off the pitch as he did on it.

Uncompromising, controversial and outspoken, read more of Razor’s thoughts in his weekly column

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At just under a month away, the start of the Championship season is drawing closer and as ever, it’s going to be a stormer.

As many will tell you, the excitement of the league lies in its unpredictability. Who will go up? Who will go down? Because you don’t get the financial chasms that you see in the Premier League each team is competitive, from those coming up to those coming down. It is a gamblers nightmare, but a treat for the purists.

Last season was a little different, before the August it seemed like Newcastle were going to be clinching the title, and so it proved. But there was still much to keep people interested. Who would have expected Blackpool to gain promotion? Who’d have thought that Ipswich and QPR would under perform and Leicester and Nottingham Forest over perform?

So, who is going to win it this year? Well, according to the bookies Middlesbrough, Forest and Burnley are the favourites, but QPR, Reading, Leicester and Cardiff will have something to say about that. Leeds and Norwich, two big names coming up are sure to be in the mix also. If you asked people to guess next years Premier League top three, I would wager they would be identical. Ask the same people to do the same with the Championship and they’ll all be different.

This year is also going to be interesting for Hull, Portsmouth and Burnley, the relegated three. Burnley have kept their finances in check, so perhaps look best suited to bouncing back, but it won’t be easy. You can get odds of 50/1 for all three to come straight back up, a bet that I certainly will not be backing.

The problem the Championship has is the distance that the Premier League has moved in the last 10 years. Because it is so financially dominant teams that go up struggle to compete, so it is seen as a lesser league, which is simply not true. If I were to put my money where my mouth is I’d take Boro, with the addition of Kris Boyd, to nick the title with Cardiff finishing second. The playoffs? Well, that’s anyones guess!

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Written By Karl Sears

Leighton Baines scored a dramatic late penalty as Everton came from behind to beat Wolves and secure only their second home win of the season.

The left back had already set up Phil Jagielka’s equaliser curling in a wonderful free kick for the Toffees skipper to head home after Stephen Hunt had given Mick McCarthy’s men a first half lead with a penalty of their own. It was then left to Baines to decide the game and he made no mistake cooly slotting home from the spot with just seven minutes left on the clock. It will come as a welcome relief to manager David Moyes who has seen his side slip to 17th after a run of one win in six Premier League games. For Wolves they will feel that the decision by referee Jon Moss to award a penalty for Steven Ward’s nudge on Louis Saha in the area was harsh with the defeat seeing them slip to fourth bottom. Despite starting the campaign in positive fashion McCarthy’s side have claimed only one victory in their last nine and are too close to the drop zone for comfort.

Despite their poor run of form the visitors were bright in the opening exchanges and they took a deserved lead through Hunt’s penalty on 37 minutes. David Edwards made strides into the Everton penalty only to his progress halted by the outstretched leg of Maroune Fellaini. Referee Moss didn’t hesitate in pointing to the spot and Hunt made no mistake from 12-yards and score his second goal of the season. That proved to be the wake up call the home side needed and they were level within seven minutes with Jagielka getting on the end of Baines’ whipped free kick to plant a header past Wayne Hennessey. Controversy then engulfed the confines of Goodison Park with Toffee’s fans convinced they should have had a penalty after Karl Henry appeared to tug back Tim Cahill as the midfielder tried to get on the end of Fellaini’s shot. Mr Moss kept his whistle firmly away from his lips as the home support appealed ferociously for a spot kick.

Half time certainly didn’t do the game any favours with the opening 20 minutes passing without incident with the Everton supporters’s going from penalty appeals to lambasting their team for their sloppiness in possession. However the Toffees kept plugging away as Wolves faded and the travelling support had Hennessey to thank for snuffing out Saha as he made a rare foray into the penalty area. Ward then produced a marvellous block to deny Cahill from two yards out but it proved to be all in vain as the home side stole the points in the dying embers. Moss adjudged Ward of fouling Saha in the penalty area and Baines kept his nerve to drive home the spot kick to hand Moyes’ side a vital three points that moves them clear of the bottom three and into 12th.

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Hoffenheim dealt Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund just their third loss of the season, while Bayern Munich thrashed Hamburg on Saturday.Ninth-placed Hoffenheim had not won in four games heading into their clash with the runaway league leaders at Rhein Neckar Arena, but Vedad Ibisevic’s goal in the 63rd minute was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for the hosts.Bayern Munich’s hopes of reeling in Dortmund are all but over, but they at least snapped a three-game losing streak in all competitions with their 6-0 triumph over Hamburg at the Allianz Arena.Dutch international winger Arjen Robben scored a hat-trick, netting Bayern’s first three goals in the 40th, 47th and 55th minutes.France midfielder Franck Ribery added the fourth in the 64th minute – assisted by Robben – before Germany attacker Thomas Mueller made it 5-0 15 minutes later.A Heiko Westermann own-goal topped off a rampant victory for Bayern and moved them above Mainz into fourth spot on the table, though Louis van Gaal’s side have played an extra game.Schalke 04 moved into 10th place with a late 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Veltins Arena.Spaniard Jurado put the hosts ahead on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot, but Georgios Tzavellas equalised in the 70th minute for Frankfurt.Substitute striker Angelos Charisteas took just 60 seconds to have an impact on the game after coming off the bench for Mario Gavranovic, scoring the winner in the 84th minute.Kaiserslautern upset seventh-placed Freiburg 2-1 with a 90th-minute winner to Erwin Hoffer at the Fritz Walter Stadion.Freiburg forward Adam Nemec scored at both ends to leave the match poised at 1-1, before Hoffer’s heroics helped Kaiserslautern out of the relegation zone.Nuremburg came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 2-1 at the Volkswagen Arena.Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic had put the hosts on target for a crucial victory with a 23rd-minute goal, but Nuremburg were level at half-time courtesy of defender Philipp Woolscheid.Swedish centre back Per Nilsson nabbed the winner for Nuremburg at the death to leave Wolves just one point outside the drop zone.

England defender Matthew Upson has played down the divisions that have reportedly ripped Fabio Capello's squad to pieces.

In the wake of the poor display in the 1-1 draw with the USA and dismal fare produced in the grim goalless stalemate with Algeria, rumours spread suggesting the England players were unhappy with Capello's stewardship.

However, West Ham United defender Upson, who comes into the team for the vital match against Slovenia as Jamie Carragher is suspended and Ledley King injured, said:"We were disappointed after the (Algeria) game but we had some spare time the following day in Cape Town and we all went off and had a bit of reflection on what happened.

"But with football, you have to put that behind you and we have to move on to the next game, which comes very quickly.

"You can't dwell and, as a group, we have to move on and I think we've done that. It's out of the system and it's all down to the game on Wednesday.

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Aston Villa have started an inquiry to get to the bottom of Barry Bannan’s car crash on Sunday morning, as the midfielder was arrested on drink-driving charges.

The Scotland international was in an accident involving a Range Rover on the M1 heading southbound at 5.30am on Sunday, and was arrested by local police before later being bailed.

The 21-year-old was accompanied by Shrewsbury striker James Collins, a former Villa player, who also was arrested and bailed.

Villa boss Alex McLeish confirmed that the inquiry over the incident has began.

“There are internal inquiries and an investigation going on and that’s all I can really say at the moment. We felt it was best that he did not train with the team today [Monday],” the Scottish manager told The Guardian.

The energetic midfield man is regarded as one of Villa’s most exciting prospects, and has been a welcome inclusion in Craig Levein’s Scotland squad of late.

The former Celtic youth player has won nine caps for his country to date, and has added guile and creativity to a at times static Villa midfield.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was delighted his side emerged from a Tuesday of controversy with a Champions League victory in Milan.

Redknapp’s side went to the San Siro full of confidence and produced a hard-fought 1-0 victory, thanks to a late strike from Peter Crouch. But the game was not without its flash points, including a two-footed tackle from Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini and Gennaro Gattuso’s clash with Tottenham assistant Joe Jordan after the final whistle.

Spurs boss Redknapp was pleased with his side’s team performance, but singled out Aaron Lennon and Heurelho Gomes for special praise.

“It was a fantastic performance, the lads were brilliant,” Redknapp said.

“In the first half we were by far the better team. I knew they would press in the second half and it was hard not to drop deep, but the lads at the back were magnificent. We hit them on the break and it was well deserved. For the first 25 minutes we were the better team.”

“We said at half-time to give the ball to (Aaron) Lennon as he had the beating of his man. He did fantastically to square it (for the goal).”

“The whole team were magnificent, every one of them did their job. (Heurelho) Gomes made big saves at vital times. It was a great night for the crowd. It was important to play in the right areas and pick the right ball – and we did.”

But Redknapp was less enamoured with Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini’s two-footed lunge on Vedran Corluka which forced the Croatian off the pitch.

Remarkably, Flamini was only given a yellow card for the tackle, leaving Redknapp incensed.

“That’s a red card all day – how do you not get a red card for that?” he said.

“It’s an absolute disgrace – they should look at that surely and they should do something about that, that is a dangerous, dangerous tackle.”

Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri bemoaned his side’s mistake in the lead up to the counter-attack that provided the Spurs goal, but says his side can still qualify for the quarter-finals.

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“The mistake with that counter-attack cost us a lot,” Allegri said.

“We were pushing hard at that time, trying to gain an advantage. Tottenham defended well and closed down all the space – it had been a really difficult game for us. We made too many mistakes, especially when we were not in possession.”

“We played better after the restart, even if we were only dangerous from free-kicks. This defeat is a pity because Tottenham didn’t create many chances and now we must overturn this result in London. It will be a different game, but I think qualification is still up for grabs. We have to play with balance and have faith in our quality.”

10 years after meeting one another in England’s third tier Swansea and Stoke come face-t0-face for the first time in the top flight at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.

That game took placed in 2001 with the Swans relegated to the bottom division and flirted with a potentially damaging drop into the conference during the next two years. Everyone remembers the remarkable escape of 2003 and since then it’s been rise after rise for the Welsh club culminating in last seasons play-off final win which secured promotion to the top division. They won their first league game since that Wembley victory two weeks ago beating West Brom 3-0 before coming back down to Earth seven days later with a 4-1 hammering courtesy of Chelsea. Despite the difficult start they’ve made to Premier League life the Swans have enjoyed every minute of their time in England’s top division so far and their propensity to attack and entertain is a refreshing change from the guarded philosophy normally exhibited by promoted sides. Brendan Rodgers is unwavering in his principals and ethics that football should be played with a certainly style and swagger with the Swans slick passing game winning them many admirers already. The pace of Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer is exciting whilst Joe Allen and Ashley Williams have proved themselves capable performers at this level. They’ll also take great pride in their unbeaten home record that reads a win and two draws and will be hoping to put one over on Tony Pulis’ Potters. Leon Britton is an injury worry with a back injury. Alan Tate, Steven Caulker, Kemy Agustien and Ferrie Bodde all remain long-term absentees.

For the football romanticists out there the Stoke reached the play-offs in 2001 but missed out on promotion but they eventually reached the promised land seven years later as we all know. The Potters have begun the season in red hot form and have shown they can juggle their gruelling Europa League campaign alongside that of the League and cup commitments. Pulis’ men have lost only once this season away at Sunderland but showed superb character to fight back and take a point from Manchester United last week. Deadline day signing Peter Crouch scored the equaliser in the game and was also on target on Thursday in a famous win over Besiktas at the Britannia Stadium. Jon Walters was also on target in that game and the duo look to be building a promising partnership up front. They could both miss out with Pulis likely to make wholesale changes as he tries to keep his squad fresh and free from injury. He could be without Matthew Etherington who suffered a dead leg in midweek and could join Salif Diao and Kenwyne Jones in the treatment room.

Key Players

Ashley Williams – The Welsh centre half has been immense for the Swans with his speed and power house style giving several Premier League strikers a shock so far this season. He will relish a physical battle against the likes of Crouch and Walters and will do his best to come out on top.

Ryan Shawcross – As ever the Potters skipper will be vital to his sides chances of claiming victory at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. A colossus in the heart of defence he may have some trouble dealing with the speed of Sinclair if they manage to get in behind.

Verdict: 2-1

Defender Ashley Williams is Swansea City’s highest ranked player on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Williams is currently in 46th place on the Index Williams has made 10 clearances, 11 interceptions and seven blocks in the Swansea City cause this season The Stoke City players covered a total of 120,678m (74.99miles) during last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United. This was 20,269m further than the total distance covered by the United players in the game Ryan Shawcross was the Stoke City player to cover the most ground (11,712m/7.28miles) during the game, closely followed by Glenn Whelan (11,706m/7.27miles) and Jonathan Walters (11,474m/7.13miles)

Fancy winning a million pounds??

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Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is not fazed about the venue for his side’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid in April.

There had been reports one of the two sides could play at home in the final, which will be played on Wednesday April 20, going against the standard practice of staging a cup final at a neutral venue.

Whatever the authorities decide, Guardiola insists his men will be ready.

“We will go wherever they decide,” Guardiola said. “We will turn up wherever the federation decides that we will play.”

“It doesn’t worry me at all. If it is at the Bernabeu, then we will go there. If it is the Camp Nou, then we will play here – they decide.”

“The normal thing to do for a cup final is to play it at a neutral venue. But the federation are in charge. With the help of (Real president) Florentino Perez and (Barca president) Sandro Rosell, they will decide where we play.”

The Barcelona boss is hopeful of some heavy scoring when his side plays host to Atletico Madrid in La Liga action on Saturday, and said that despite the Europa League champions’ poor form of late, he was looking forward to a tough encounter.

“Atletico Madrid want to beat Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they are professionals who have won the Europa League and the European Supercup,” Guardiola said.

“They are a team who had to perform miracles in order to get a chance on goal four days ago (in their 2-0 home loss to Athletic Bilbao).”

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“They are a very good team on a bad run of form, which happens at times, but they are one of the big sides in Spanish football and they come here tomorrow.”

“With it being a Saturday game against Atletico Madrid, I expect and hope that the stadium will be full.”

“I hope that it is a game like those between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have always been, and that there are a lot of goals. We will do our best to make that happen.”