So we’ve qualified for Euro 2012, who are the likely lads who will make the plane to Poland & Ukraine. A 23 man squad, it’s a simple breakdown really,
3 Goalkeepers
8 Defenders
8 Midfielders
4 Strikers
Let’s start with the keepers
Goalkeepers
Shay Given
One of the easier picks, 120 caps and rising, a vital part of this Irish side and one of the most respected keepers in the game. Deserves a big tournament following heroic service and some stunning displays.
Kieran Westwood
A quality keeper, in inspired form for Sunderland as of late, let’s hope he continues to get game time between now and next summer. A great understudy to Shay and a more than ample deputy if called upon.
Darren Randolph
Experiencing a tournament will be beneficial for his development. Whenever Shay Given decides to retire, you would imagine that Westwood will take over and Randolph will be ready to deputise. Clearly though, as is the same with all third choice keepers, he will struggle for minutes on the pitch.
Defenders
John O’ Shea
One of the first names on the team sheet, great experience but more importantly big game experience from his time at Manchester United. On several occasions has stifled some of Europe’s most feared attackers, Thierry Henry in the 2009 Champions League Final springs to mind. Calm and collected on the ball.
Kevin Foley
Enjoying his football at Wolves and has never disappointed when called upon for his country. Reliable.
Sean St. Ledger
Has formed a more than solid defensive partnership with Richard Dunne and you get the feeling that he enjoys playing alongside him. Can be erratic at times but his bravery is one of the hallmarks of this Irish side. Dangerous in the opposition’s box at set pieces.
Richard Dunne
Our most important player, simple as that, I shudder to think what would happen if the big man was to get injured. Deserves more than anyone to play in a major finals having more or less missed out at the World Cup in 2002.
Paul McShane
Comes into the same category as St Ledger, actually don’t think there’s that much between them. Brave and can do a job.
Darren O’ Dea
Some might question his inclusion but the fact of the matter is that Trappatoni likes him. Fabulous performance out in Macedonia where he did very well against Goran Pandev. A traditional centre-half who loves defending.
Stephen Ward
Has made the left back slot his own, consistent form at Wolves has translated well into the international set up. His positioning is sometimes a little suspect but overall he’s a lot better than other left fulls out there.
Stephen Kelly
Has a decent amount of experience on the international scene at this stage and is comfortable in either full back slot. Vital to have flexibility in tournament situations.
Midfielders
Damien Duff
Never lets his country down, always, always turns in a good display, in a side with not too much emphasis on creativity, a heavy burden rests on Duffer’s shoulders. Not a bother to him.
Seamus Coleman
Many people would argue for his inclusion, but I don’t see him playing at right back because John O’ Shea is there and I don’t see him playing wide on the left or on the right because Duff & McGeady have to play and will play in my view. Make no mistake, Coleman will be effective in this tournament, just imagine a full back after spending sixty or seventy minutes defending against Duff or maybe McGeady and on comes Coleman with fresh legs rearing to go, running at defenders. Must be utilised.
Glenn Whelan
Some aren’t his biggest fan, particularly the RTE Panel; the thing is though, if fit, he will play. Whelan has played in almost every competitive international since Trappatoni took over. Trap likes him so he will play. Looks to be a bit heavy legged come the 70 minute mark in games and doesn’t use the ball well enough on occasions. Can pop up with a goal though as was emphasised against Georgia (away) and Italy (home) during the last qualification campaign.
Keith Andrews
Finished the campaign very strongly, particularly in the first leg of the play off in Tallinn where he opened the scoring. Also amongst the goals at his loan club Ipswich. Not a whole pile of craft with the ball but has a good engine. Will start.
Keith Fahy
Many people feel, (myself included) that Fahy warrants a starting berth in this team. Extremely comfortable on the ball, and fantastic delivery from set pieces. Should get a decent amount of time on the pitch this summer.
James McCarthy
A fantastic talent with great potential, I’m just not sure whether or not Trappatoni trusts him entirely. We’ve had the issue with him reporting or not reporting for International duty so you might wonder where exactly he stands with the manager. Within this Irish side ball playing midfielders are not indulged and up to this point McCarthy hasn’t played much so he will need to play in the friendlies leading up to the tournament to stake his claim.
Aiden McGeady
McGeady is our most dangerous attacking option, opposition teams double up on him every time he takes to the field, versatile on either flank, loves cutting in and firing off his right boot but can just as easily take a full back down the line and get his cross in. Vital he stays fit.
Stephen Hunt
It’s exactly the same as Seamus Coleman, Hunt has fantastic energy and a great delivery either from set pieces or from open play.
Strikers
Robbie Keane
Record International goal scorer and has got us out of several tricky situations in the past. As is true of several of the elder statesmen of this team, deserves to grace a big tournament and will have a big part to play. Despite his move stateside, he is a proven and respected goalscorer. Will be interesting to see if he goes out on loan to a European side to maintain sharpness ahead of next summer.
Kevin Doyle
Goals have dried up at International level for the Wexford man. He is aware that Jonathan Walters is on his shoulder but I feel his place in the side is safe. Trappatoni is loyal and unless Doyle suffers an awfully dramatic loss of form, he will start. What he brings to the party? Great focal point for the team, loves competing and making things difficult for centre halves and will run those channels all day. Vital for this Irish side to have an outlet as chances are we’re going be under the cosh quite a bit given the quality of our group opponents.
Jonathan Walters
Fantastic addition to this Irish Squad, great performance in Tallinn in the first leg of the play-off against Estonia. Phenomenal engine and loves chasing lost causes and unnerving defenders, very similar to Doyle and certainly has an important role to play in the Euro’s.
Shane Long
Fantastic consistency for Reading in the Championship last year earned him a big money move to West Brom where he has started well despite his recent injury set back. Explosive pace, and good option to have approaching the closing stages of games.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Arsenal Already On The Backfoot
Ahead of tomorrow's trip to Old Trafford to face Man United, Arsene Wenger has steered Arsenal into the group stages of the Champions League with a very good result away at Udinese. However tomorrow they face a different animal altogether, there’ s no doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson has smelt blood and the fact of the matter is that due to injury, suspension but more than anything reluctance in the transfer market, Arsenal face the league champions with an inept squad of players. I fear for the Arsenal tomorrow, I really do. The scoreline could get silly…
Arsenal’s defense was once again suspect during the week and they also lacked creativity in midfield. At this stage there isn’t even any point in getting animated about the situation, they need a centre back, possibly two and a left sided full back. I’m sure Wenger has recognized this but the question on everyone’s lips is why hasn’t he gone and got one?
There has been interest in Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Birmingham’s Scott Dann, Blackburn’s Christopher Samba and just this week, Bolton’s Gary Cahill. How not even one of these transfers has been pushed through baffles not only me but the whole of football, but I think I have an idea as to what goes on in Wenger’s head.
Being the economist that he is, Wenger loves a bargain, always has, the only big money that I remember him spending was roughly £16million on Jose Antonio Reyes back in 2004 and a similar amount on Andriy Arshavin back in 2009. Wenger singed Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax back in 2009 for £10million and that has turned out to be a real coup. So essentially I think that he is looking for something the same hence the measly offer of £6million for Gary Cahill during the week and a cheeky £10million offer for Phil Jagielka earlier in the summer. Far be it for me to tell Arsene Wenger what to do but I think he needs to realize that he needs a centre back and just bite the bullet and get one in. Take Man United and their signing of Phil Jones or even Liverpool’s signing of Stewart Downing. United probably felt they were paying over the odds at £16.5million for Jones as Liverpool probably did when they paid £20million for Downing. The point is that they got the player anyway despite going slightly over budget because both teams needed players in those positions. Wenger may have to accept that as genius as he is at unearthing these gems of players for little money and turning them into world class players, there simply isn’t any out there at the moment and with four days left in the transfer window, they need players to come in, simple as.
What is important here is that Wenger the economist steps back from the financial position of the club and concentrates on the football. What Wenger needs is a strong chairman of chief executive, be it Ivan Gazidis or whoever it is, to put their arm around him and say, “Look, if we need a centre back, central midfielder, striker, whatever, we’ll go and get him and if we have to pay a couple of million more than what we think he’s worth then so be it, you concentrate on the football” That is what would happen at most other clubs, Kenny Daglish identified Andy Carroll last January and bought him, £35million was a serious amount of money for a relatively unproven player, but Daglish got his man because Liverpool needed a striker, simple.
In recent weeks, Arsenal have collected £34million from the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and around £24million following Samir Nasri’s departure to Manchester City. They have lost arguably their two best players and that money needs to be reinvested in a central defender, a left back, a creative central midfielder and a striker. That’s four players with four days left in the window so that’s unlikely to happen, consequently Arsenal supporters may have to settle for a centre half and a midfielder or even worse still, Gunners fans may have to face the possibility that come midnight on Wednesday when the transfer window closes, Arsenal will be left with the same squad of players that they have now.
I really think that Arsenal will struggle to maintain their top four status this year even if players come in within the next few days, I also feel that they have to accept the fact that they have become a selling club. Fabregas and Nasri this year, Adebayor and Toure a couple of years back and before that Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini. You look back at the early days of Wenger's reign, were Arsenal a selling club? maybe, Overmars and Petit left for Barcelona, Nicolas Anelka left for Real Madrid, but what was different back then was when Overmars left, Pires came in, when Anelka departed, Henry arrived. Quality was replaced with quality… We saw what happened Liverpool when Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano left and were not not properly replaced - they lost their top four status in the Premier League. I belive a similar fate awaits this Arsenal side beacuse arguably their two best players have left and who has come in? Nobody…
Arsenal’s defense was once again suspect during the week and they also lacked creativity in midfield. At this stage there isn’t even any point in getting animated about the situation, they need a centre back, possibly two and a left sided full back. I’m sure Wenger has recognized this but the question on everyone’s lips is why hasn’t he gone and got one?
There has been interest in Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Birmingham’s Scott Dann, Blackburn’s Christopher Samba and just this week, Bolton’s Gary Cahill. How not even one of these transfers has been pushed through baffles not only me but the whole of football, but I think I have an idea as to what goes on in Wenger’s head.
Being the economist that he is, Wenger loves a bargain, always has, the only big money that I remember him spending was roughly £16million on Jose Antonio Reyes back in 2004 and a similar amount on Andriy Arshavin back in 2009. Wenger singed Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax back in 2009 for £10million and that has turned out to be a real coup. So essentially I think that he is looking for something the same hence the measly offer of £6million for Gary Cahill during the week and a cheeky £10million offer for Phil Jagielka earlier in the summer. Far be it for me to tell Arsene Wenger what to do but I think he needs to realize that he needs a centre back and just bite the bullet and get one in. Take Man United and their signing of Phil Jones or even Liverpool’s signing of Stewart Downing. United probably felt they were paying over the odds at £16.5million for Jones as Liverpool probably did when they paid £20million for Downing. The point is that they got the player anyway despite going slightly over budget because both teams needed players in those positions. Wenger may have to accept that as genius as he is at unearthing these gems of players for little money and turning them into world class players, there simply isn’t any out there at the moment and with four days left in the transfer window, they need players to come in, simple as.
What is important here is that Wenger the economist steps back from the financial position of the club and concentrates on the football. What Wenger needs is a strong chairman of chief executive, be it Ivan Gazidis or whoever it is, to put their arm around him and say, “Look, if we need a centre back, central midfielder, striker, whatever, we’ll go and get him and if we have to pay a couple of million more than what we think he’s worth then so be it, you concentrate on the football” That is what would happen at most other clubs, Kenny Daglish identified Andy Carroll last January and bought him, £35million was a serious amount of money for a relatively unproven player, but Daglish got his man because Liverpool needed a striker, simple.
In recent weeks, Arsenal have collected £34million from the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and around £24million following Samir Nasri’s departure to Manchester City. They have lost arguably their two best players and that money needs to be reinvested in a central defender, a left back, a creative central midfielder and a striker. That’s four players with four days left in the window so that’s unlikely to happen, consequently Arsenal supporters may have to settle for a centre half and a midfielder or even worse still, Gunners fans may have to face the possibility that come midnight on Wednesday when the transfer window closes, Arsenal will be left with the same squad of players that they have now.
I really think that Arsenal will struggle to maintain their top four status this year even if players come in within the next few days, I also feel that they have to accept the fact that they have become a selling club. Fabregas and Nasri this year, Adebayor and Toure a couple of years back and before that Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini. You look back at the early days of Wenger's reign, were Arsenal a selling club? maybe, Overmars and Petit left for Barcelona, Nicolas Anelka left for Real Madrid, but what was different back then was when Overmars left, Pires came in, when Anelka departed, Henry arrived. Quality was replaced with quality… We saw what happened Liverpool when Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano left and were not not properly replaced - they lost their top four status in the Premier League. I belive a similar fate awaits this Arsenal side beacuse arguably their two best players have left and who has come in? Nobody…
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Transfer Activity - Who's In and Who's Out?
Last week we looked at Manchester United and Chelsea and which players should be brought in and which players should be shipped out. Today we’re going to take a look at Arsenal and Liverpool.
Arsenal
In
Christopher Samba
For about the past five years, Arsenal have been crying out for a dominant, physical centre half. Arsene Wenger completed an excellent piece of business this time two years ago by snapping up Belgian Thomas Vermaelen, a snip at £10million. Vermaelen is an excellent defender but without him for most of the season just gone Arsenal struggled badly. They looked fragile and vulnerable as usual from set plays and were tailor made for the more physical teams to just go and pick them off. Samba could go a long way to solving that problem, plucked from the wilderness by Mark Hughes he thrived under his management at Blackburn and later under the tuition of Sam Allardyce and is now a well schooled student in the cut and thrust of the Barclays Premier League. A central defensive partnership of Samba and Vermaelen would be resolute and solid and could just be the catalyst for this Arsenal team to finally go and realise their apparent potential. Haven’t previous title winning Arsenal sides been predicated on strong defences – Bould, Adams, Keown, Campbell, Toure. It’s not rocket science...
In
Scott Parker
Scott Parker is an out and out winner, you can say to me he has just been relegated with West Ham but along with a couple of others he carried that team on his back throughout the season. Arsenal need winners, a couple of experienced heads that when the chips are down can stand up and be counted. Parker has a phenomenal engine and decent passing ability; also he is not afraid to put his foot in. I can genuinely imagine Parker inspiring both the younger and the foreign players around him during games, galvanizing players and helping the team to see out games and tight situations. He may not be blessed with the same level of ability or technique that sum of these Arsenal players possess but he has the mentality and desire of a winner something severely lacking within this Arsenal side.
In
Karim Benzema
Again, it’s not rocket science; essentially you have a player who has had an unsuccessful period with Real Madrid and has appoint to prove. His ability is there for everyone to see, pace, power, two feet and a wonderful finisher. When Robin Van Persie is fit, he is up there with the best strikers in the world, however when he is unavailable, Arsenal struggle, Chamakh is a decent player but you need to replace quality with quality. A strike duo of Benzema and Van Persie would send shockwaves through the Premier League and would be a real statement of intent from Arsenal. Arsenal’s Chief Executive has said today that he expects a busy summer at Arsenal in terms of transfer activity, let’s hope he’s speaking the truth.
Out
Nicklas Bendtner, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Andrei Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci, Carols Vela, Manuel Almunia, Emanuel Eboue.
Liverpool
In
Stewart Downing
If Downing isn’t top of Kenny Dalglish’s shopping list then maybe I don’t understand this game after all. When you’ve got a 6ft 5inches centre-forward in the form of Andy Carroll lurking around the penalty area, your priority must be to add quality in the wide areas. The former Middlesbrough man has just come off the back of a fantastic season, particularly the second half of the season and was rightly voted as Aston Villa supporter’s player of the season. He has reached a point in his career when a big move is the right step, perhaps he thought he was doing that with Villa but they are a club in slight transition following the departure of Martin O’ Neill. Liverpool is the arena for Downing to fully realise his outstanding potential. He has been somewhat overshadowed in the past two years by the emergence of his former Middlesbrough team mate Adam Johnson. What’s more is that Downing is a proven talent in the Premier League, leader within the Aston Villa set up and a former captain of Middlesbrough, therefore one would be surprised if he wasn’t to succeed. Liverpool have been looking for a decent winger for years, look at all the poor and average signings they have made in wide areas. Pennant, Riera, Gonzalez, Zenden, the list goes on, they now have an opportunity to go out and buy a wide player with quality.
In
James Milner
If you’re looking for a player to play wide on the left, it’s only good sense to look at the opposite flank. Make no mistake about it Dirk Kuyt has done more than a decent job playing as a right sided midfielder for Liverpool, full of energy, determination and courage but unfortunately with little end product. Kuyt’s future with Liverpool is a striker along with Carroll and Suarez and he will enjoy further success as a front man. Liverpool need quality coming from both flanks, a couple of weeks ago, Ashley Young was my man for Liverpool, I wanted Kenny Dalglish to do a raid on Aston Villa, part with £40 million and return to Merseyside with both Downing and Young. Unfortunately, Ashley Young looks Old Trafford bound so Liverpool will have to look at alternatives. Take James Milner for example, with City reportedly in the market for Udinese’s flying Chilean Alexis Sanchez, one does wonder where does that leave James Milner? He has failed to secure a regular starting berth for City this season so perhaps this is an avenue which Liverpool could pursue. Granted, Milner has only been at City one season so let’s not right him off yet. At the same time, with the money involved at City, you just never know what could happen.
In
Charlie Adam
I’m constantly reading speculation linking Charlie Adam with a move to Merseyside so I thought I’d better comment on it. I don’t feel that Liverpool need to spend lavishly in the centre of midfield. They already have players of the ilk of Lucas and Meireles, while the emergence of Jay Spearing looks promising. That’s not even mentioning the return of Steven Gerrard, who in many ways will be like a new singing for the Reds. Charlie Adam would be a decent signing, fantastic delivery and a wonderful striker of the ball. He could prove very effective from set pieces with the obvious threat of Andy Carroll. Furthermore, I get the impression that he works better under a British manager; surely it must be every Scottish footballers dream to play under Kenny Dalglish?
In
Stephen Warnock
I’m never quite sure if players re-signing for former clubs is a good idea but this one I feel could work. A former academy and first team player, Warnock has a point to prove, his career has progressed nicely, steady development at Blackburn which earned him a big money move to Aston Villa. He has since showed good form there and that form was rewarded with a place in England’s World Cup Squad last summer in South Africa. Warnock is another player with a point to prove, sold by Liverpool nearly six years ago, he will want to return and be successful.
In
Scott Dann
The former Coventry defender has endured a tough end to the campaign as part of the Birmingham City side that capitulated and were relegated on the final day of the season. Dann enjoyed a wonderful first year in the Premier League; his partnership with Roger Johnson at the heart of the City defence was the bedrock on which that brilliant season was built upon. He is now a Premier League Player and won’t want to go back to the Championship. Furthermore he is a Liverpudlian, therefore you get the sense that he fancies this move. No doubt that it would be good business all round.
Out
Joe Cole, Poulsen, Kyrgiakos, Jovanovic, Konchesky.
Arsenal
In
Christopher Samba
For about the past five years, Arsenal have been crying out for a dominant, physical centre half. Arsene Wenger completed an excellent piece of business this time two years ago by snapping up Belgian Thomas Vermaelen, a snip at £10million. Vermaelen is an excellent defender but without him for most of the season just gone Arsenal struggled badly. They looked fragile and vulnerable as usual from set plays and were tailor made for the more physical teams to just go and pick them off. Samba could go a long way to solving that problem, plucked from the wilderness by Mark Hughes he thrived under his management at Blackburn and later under the tuition of Sam Allardyce and is now a well schooled student in the cut and thrust of the Barclays Premier League. A central defensive partnership of Samba and Vermaelen would be resolute and solid and could just be the catalyst for this Arsenal team to finally go and realise their apparent potential. Haven’t previous title winning Arsenal sides been predicated on strong defences – Bould, Adams, Keown, Campbell, Toure. It’s not rocket science...
In
Scott Parker
Scott Parker is an out and out winner, you can say to me he has just been relegated with West Ham but along with a couple of others he carried that team on his back throughout the season. Arsenal need winners, a couple of experienced heads that when the chips are down can stand up and be counted. Parker has a phenomenal engine and decent passing ability; also he is not afraid to put his foot in. I can genuinely imagine Parker inspiring both the younger and the foreign players around him during games, galvanizing players and helping the team to see out games and tight situations. He may not be blessed with the same level of ability or technique that sum of these Arsenal players possess but he has the mentality and desire of a winner something severely lacking within this Arsenal side.
In
Karim Benzema
Again, it’s not rocket science; essentially you have a player who has had an unsuccessful period with Real Madrid and has appoint to prove. His ability is there for everyone to see, pace, power, two feet and a wonderful finisher. When Robin Van Persie is fit, he is up there with the best strikers in the world, however when he is unavailable, Arsenal struggle, Chamakh is a decent player but you need to replace quality with quality. A strike duo of Benzema and Van Persie would send shockwaves through the Premier League and would be a real statement of intent from Arsenal. Arsenal’s Chief Executive has said today that he expects a busy summer at Arsenal in terms of transfer activity, let’s hope he’s speaking the truth.
Out
Nicklas Bendtner, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Andrei Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci, Carols Vela, Manuel Almunia, Emanuel Eboue.
Liverpool
In
Stewart Downing
If Downing isn’t top of Kenny Dalglish’s shopping list then maybe I don’t understand this game after all. When you’ve got a 6ft 5inches centre-forward in the form of Andy Carroll lurking around the penalty area, your priority must be to add quality in the wide areas. The former Middlesbrough man has just come off the back of a fantastic season, particularly the second half of the season and was rightly voted as Aston Villa supporter’s player of the season. He has reached a point in his career when a big move is the right step, perhaps he thought he was doing that with Villa but they are a club in slight transition following the departure of Martin O’ Neill. Liverpool is the arena for Downing to fully realise his outstanding potential. He has been somewhat overshadowed in the past two years by the emergence of his former Middlesbrough team mate Adam Johnson. What’s more is that Downing is a proven talent in the Premier League, leader within the Aston Villa set up and a former captain of Middlesbrough, therefore one would be surprised if he wasn’t to succeed. Liverpool have been looking for a decent winger for years, look at all the poor and average signings they have made in wide areas. Pennant, Riera, Gonzalez, Zenden, the list goes on, they now have an opportunity to go out and buy a wide player with quality.
In
James Milner
If you’re looking for a player to play wide on the left, it’s only good sense to look at the opposite flank. Make no mistake about it Dirk Kuyt has done more than a decent job playing as a right sided midfielder for Liverpool, full of energy, determination and courage but unfortunately with little end product. Kuyt’s future with Liverpool is a striker along with Carroll and Suarez and he will enjoy further success as a front man. Liverpool need quality coming from both flanks, a couple of weeks ago, Ashley Young was my man for Liverpool, I wanted Kenny Dalglish to do a raid on Aston Villa, part with £40 million and return to Merseyside with both Downing and Young. Unfortunately, Ashley Young looks Old Trafford bound so Liverpool will have to look at alternatives. Take James Milner for example, with City reportedly in the market for Udinese’s flying Chilean Alexis Sanchez, one does wonder where does that leave James Milner? He has failed to secure a regular starting berth for City this season so perhaps this is an avenue which Liverpool could pursue. Granted, Milner has only been at City one season so let’s not right him off yet. At the same time, with the money involved at City, you just never know what could happen.
In
Charlie Adam
I’m constantly reading speculation linking Charlie Adam with a move to Merseyside so I thought I’d better comment on it. I don’t feel that Liverpool need to spend lavishly in the centre of midfield. They already have players of the ilk of Lucas and Meireles, while the emergence of Jay Spearing looks promising. That’s not even mentioning the return of Steven Gerrard, who in many ways will be like a new singing for the Reds. Charlie Adam would be a decent signing, fantastic delivery and a wonderful striker of the ball. He could prove very effective from set pieces with the obvious threat of Andy Carroll. Furthermore, I get the impression that he works better under a British manager; surely it must be every Scottish footballers dream to play under Kenny Dalglish?
In
Stephen Warnock
I’m never quite sure if players re-signing for former clubs is a good idea but this one I feel could work. A former academy and first team player, Warnock has a point to prove, his career has progressed nicely, steady development at Blackburn which earned him a big money move to Aston Villa. He has since showed good form there and that form was rewarded with a place in England’s World Cup Squad last summer in South Africa. Warnock is another player with a point to prove, sold by Liverpool nearly six years ago, he will want to return and be successful.
In
Scott Dann
The former Coventry defender has endured a tough end to the campaign as part of the Birmingham City side that capitulated and were relegated on the final day of the season. Dann enjoyed a wonderful first year in the Premier League; his partnership with Roger Johnson at the heart of the City defence was the bedrock on which that brilliant season was built upon. He is now a Premier League Player and won’t want to go back to the Championship. Furthermore he is a Liverpudlian, therefore you get the sense that he fancies this move. No doubt that it would be good business all round.
Out
Joe Cole, Poulsen, Kyrgiakos, Jovanovic, Konchesky.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Transfer Activity: Who's In and Who's Out?
And so we’ve reached the end of another season and although the transfer rumour mill has been tipping away nicely in the last few months, we can expect it to go into overdrive as soon as the transfer window opens.
Over the next few days, I thought it might be useful to take a look at next season’s teams in the Barclays Premier League and see what areas they need to strengthen in and what players are now surplus to requirements. We’ll start with the recently crowned champions, Manchester United and the runners up from the King’s Rd in West London, Chelsea…
Manchester United
In
Luka Modric:
With today’s confirmation that Paul Scholes is to hang up his boots, it is imperative that United replace him and Modric is the closest thing to Scholes that realistically United could get. He is stylish yet effective, he never shuns responsibility for getting on the ball and initiating attacks. Depsite his fragile frame, there is a braveness to him and on top of all that he is an adaptable player i.e. He is comfortable playing as part of two or a three man midfield and he is more than capable of doing a job in either wide position. There will be an obvious reluctance on Spurs part to sell but an offer of over £20 million could force their hand.
Gareth Bale:
I won’t be popular amongst Spurs fans but does anyone get the feeling that Gareth Bale was born to play for United? His attributes are clear for everyone to see, genuine honest wide play, powerful running and top class delivery. People (myself included) questioned his PFA Player’s Player of the Year Award. Whether it was right to award it to the Welshman or not, The fact of the matter is that in every game I’v seen him play for Spurs, he has been their most dangerous player. The money being asked for Bale is getting a bit silly, but hey, Harry Redknapp must be thinking to himself, if Newcastle got £35 million for Andy Carroll, I’m going to cash in here myself. Whether United will meet Spurs valuation remains to be seen.
David De Gea:
A new keeper is a priority at Old Trafford, quite simply it took Sir Alex Ferguson too long to replace Peter Schmeichel, poor signings were made, namely Bosnich, Taibi and even Barthez to an extent. This was covered up somewhat due to the poor quality of the teams challenging United in the early part of the noughties so this time they need to get it right. As regards, De Gea, I will openly admit, I’v only seen this lad play on around five or six occasions, the most impressive of which was a home match for Athletico Madrid against Barcelona during the season just gone. He was awesome, and seemed to possess all the attributes of a top drawer keeper. A good presence, excellent shot stopper and he was particularly impressive in one on one situations, in that he always seemed to stay big and remained on his feet. Edwin Van Der Sar has vouched for de Gea big time and has proclaimed him as his natural successor. It would appear that Fergie has heeded his advice by pursuing De Gea. We will have to wait and see if this transfer goes through but from the outset it seems that it could be good business alright.
Out:
I don’t feel that it is a time for massive reconstruction within this United squad, however with the retirements of Gary Neville, Edwin Van der Sar and now Paul Scholes, the squad is nearly reconstructing itself. We are also unaware of what Dimitar Berbatov’s feelings are given his omission from the Champions League Final Match day squad but we can only guess that he is unhappy. Michael Owen spent ninety minutes sat on the bench against Barcelona so that tells it’s own story about his future at the club. As for Owen Hargreaves, while everyone sympathises with his predicament, the fact is, he hasn’t played consistently in nearly three years due to a horrific string of injuries. There is no doubt that he is still one of the better paid players at Old Trafford so selling Hargreaves and trimming the wage bill would be good business all round. There would be several clubs vying for his signature if the player agreed to a pay as you play contract.
Chelsea:
In
Wesley Sneijder:
The Chelsea Midfield needs to be revamped, whilst undoubtedly full of energy and physicality they lack creativity, as well as the guile and cunning to really open teams up in tight situations. Sneijder is a wonderfully gifted and creative footballer with the added bonus of being a dead ball specialist. He consistently picks the right pass and constantly finds himself in space, the mark of a quality player. Given the free role in a three man midfield he could excel and more importantly we could see the best of a certain Fernando Torres as a result. He would be pricey having recently signed a new contract with Inter Milan, but Chelsea showed last January by signing both Torres and David Luiz that they are not afraid to splash the cash. Sneijder would be well worth it.
Neymar:
From what I’v seen of this guy he looks to be the real deal, what this Chelsea side is screaming out for is creativity and flair, they need to get away from the Mourinho era and revamp this team. If Roman Abramovich is after the silky football that we believe he craves, then signings of the Neymar ilk are the way to go. This kid has bags of skill, great balance and a burst of acceleration in possession that is Lionel Messi like. Blessed with sublime vision and dribbling skills he would be a wonderful acquisition for this Chelsea side. However he is hot property and Abramovich will have to fork out if he is to meet the asking price of his current club Santos.
Out
Frank Lampard:
People will look at this and think, “The guy writing this is off his rocker!“ I’v always thought Lampard was a good player, in the days of Jose Mourinho, he was a consistent scorer of goals and was an extremely effective player for Chelsea. However, the fact remains that the Holy Grail for Chelsea is winning the Champions League. It is quite clear that the current team is not and has not been good enough. Lampard is symptomatic of the way Chelsea play and they will never improve or change their style of play with him in the team. He is ineffective if Chelsea are struggling in a game and is incapable of grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and providing something special. I have become acutely aware of this in recent years but certainly in both legs of Chelsea’s Champions League Quarter Final against Man United this year. I looked at Lampard several times in both those games and basically he was just shuttling up and down the pitch. He barely put his foot on the ball over the 180 minutes of the two games and therefore had zero influence. My opinion is not based solely on those two games. He struggled badly in several other games this year when Chelsea have had their backs against the wall and I feel his time is up at Stamford Bridge. That said, he is still a revered player within the game and Chelsea could pick up a tidy sum for him despite his age.
Didier Drogba:
Again this will surprise many readers. Make no mistake Drogba is an awesome striker and will be ranked amongst the Premier League’s greatest strikers. However at 33, one does wonder how much he has left in him? Furthermore if Chelsea continue with a 4-3-3 system then put simply, it is either Drogba or Torres. Neither of them will happily sit on the bench therefore one of them undermines the other. Torres is 27 years old and just cost Abramovich £50 million so you would imagine that he will play. I don’t feel that on current form that Torres is the better striker, however Torres is a better prospect for the future due to his age therefore Drogba should be sold.
Yuri Zhirkov:
Good things were expected of the talented Russian left footer but he has failed to deliver, hindered by the fine from of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda ahead of him, he has struggled for first team football. Chelsea could also get decent money for him.
Over the next few days, I thought it might be useful to take a look at next season’s teams in the Barclays Premier League and see what areas they need to strengthen in and what players are now surplus to requirements. We’ll start with the recently crowned champions, Manchester United and the runners up from the King’s Rd in West London, Chelsea…
Manchester United
In
Luka Modric:
With today’s confirmation that Paul Scholes is to hang up his boots, it is imperative that United replace him and Modric is the closest thing to Scholes that realistically United could get. He is stylish yet effective, he never shuns responsibility for getting on the ball and initiating attacks. Depsite his fragile frame, there is a braveness to him and on top of all that he is an adaptable player i.e. He is comfortable playing as part of two or a three man midfield and he is more than capable of doing a job in either wide position. There will be an obvious reluctance on Spurs part to sell but an offer of over £20 million could force their hand.
Gareth Bale:
I won’t be popular amongst Spurs fans but does anyone get the feeling that Gareth Bale was born to play for United? His attributes are clear for everyone to see, genuine honest wide play, powerful running and top class delivery. People (myself included) questioned his PFA Player’s Player of the Year Award. Whether it was right to award it to the Welshman or not, The fact of the matter is that in every game I’v seen him play for Spurs, he has been their most dangerous player. The money being asked for Bale is getting a bit silly, but hey, Harry Redknapp must be thinking to himself, if Newcastle got £35 million for Andy Carroll, I’m going to cash in here myself. Whether United will meet Spurs valuation remains to be seen.
David De Gea:
A new keeper is a priority at Old Trafford, quite simply it took Sir Alex Ferguson too long to replace Peter Schmeichel, poor signings were made, namely Bosnich, Taibi and even Barthez to an extent. This was covered up somewhat due to the poor quality of the teams challenging United in the early part of the noughties so this time they need to get it right. As regards, De Gea, I will openly admit, I’v only seen this lad play on around five or six occasions, the most impressive of which was a home match for Athletico Madrid against Barcelona during the season just gone. He was awesome, and seemed to possess all the attributes of a top drawer keeper. A good presence, excellent shot stopper and he was particularly impressive in one on one situations, in that he always seemed to stay big and remained on his feet. Edwin Van Der Sar has vouched for de Gea big time and has proclaimed him as his natural successor. It would appear that Fergie has heeded his advice by pursuing De Gea. We will have to wait and see if this transfer goes through but from the outset it seems that it could be good business alright.
Out:
I don’t feel that it is a time for massive reconstruction within this United squad, however with the retirements of Gary Neville, Edwin Van der Sar and now Paul Scholes, the squad is nearly reconstructing itself. We are also unaware of what Dimitar Berbatov’s feelings are given his omission from the Champions League Final Match day squad but we can only guess that he is unhappy. Michael Owen spent ninety minutes sat on the bench against Barcelona so that tells it’s own story about his future at the club. As for Owen Hargreaves, while everyone sympathises with his predicament, the fact is, he hasn’t played consistently in nearly three years due to a horrific string of injuries. There is no doubt that he is still one of the better paid players at Old Trafford so selling Hargreaves and trimming the wage bill would be good business all round. There would be several clubs vying for his signature if the player agreed to a pay as you play contract.
Chelsea:
In
Wesley Sneijder:
The Chelsea Midfield needs to be revamped, whilst undoubtedly full of energy and physicality they lack creativity, as well as the guile and cunning to really open teams up in tight situations. Sneijder is a wonderfully gifted and creative footballer with the added bonus of being a dead ball specialist. He consistently picks the right pass and constantly finds himself in space, the mark of a quality player. Given the free role in a three man midfield he could excel and more importantly we could see the best of a certain Fernando Torres as a result. He would be pricey having recently signed a new contract with Inter Milan, but Chelsea showed last January by signing both Torres and David Luiz that they are not afraid to splash the cash. Sneijder would be well worth it.
Neymar:
From what I’v seen of this guy he looks to be the real deal, what this Chelsea side is screaming out for is creativity and flair, they need to get away from the Mourinho era and revamp this team. If Roman Abramovich is after the silky football that we believe he craves, then signings of the Neymar ilk are the way to go. This kid has bags of skill, great balance and a burst of acceleration in possession that is Lionel Messi like. Blessed with sublime vision and dribbling skills he would be a wonderful acquisition for this Chelsea side. However he is hot property and Abramovich will have to fork out if he is to meet the asking price of his current club Santos.
Out
Frank Lampard:
People will look at this and think, “The guy writing this is off his rocker!“ I’v always thought Lampard was a good player, in the days of Jose Mourinho, he was a consistent scorer of goals and was an extremely effective player for Chelsea. However, the fact remains that the Holy Grail for Chelsea is winning the Champions League. It is quite clear that the current team is not and has not been good enough. Lampard is symptomatic of the way Chelsea play and they will never improve or change their style of play with him in the team. He is ineffective if Chelsea are struggling in a game and is incapable of grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and providing something special. I have become acutely aware of this in recent years but certainly in both legs of Chelsea’s Champions League Quarter Final against Man United this year. I looked at Lampard several times in both those games and basically he was just shuttling up and down the pitch. He barely put his foot on the ball over the 180 minutes of the two games and therefore had zero influence. My opinion is not based solely on those two games. He struggled badly in several other games this year when Chelsea have had their backs against the wall and I feel his time is up at Stamford Bridge. That said, he is still a revered player within the game and Chelsea could pick up a tidy sum for him despite his age.
Didier Drogba:
Again this will surprise many readers. Make no mistake Drogba is an awesome striker and will be ranked amongst the Premier League’s greatest strikers. However at 33, one does wonder how much he has left in him? Furthermore if Chelsea continue with a 4-3-3 system then put simply, it is either Drogba or Torres. Neither of them will happily sit on the bench therefore one of them undermines the other. Torres is 27 years old and just cost Abramovich £50 million so you would imagine that he will play. I don’t feel that on current form that Torres is the better striker, however Torres is a better prospect for the future due to his age therefore Drogba should be sold.
Yuri Zhirkov:
Good things were expected of the talented Russian left footer but he has failed to deliver, hindered by the fine from of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda ahead of him, he has struggled for first team football. Chelsea could also get decent money for him.
Friday, July 9, 2010
England, Perennial Underachievers or Just Not Good Enough?
And so another World Cup has passed England by and the rest of us are left to trawl through the rubble of England's excursion to South Africa and indeed Capello's reign in charge of the three lions. England qualified comfortably, so what? They topped a poor group where the only threat came from an inconsistent and in some cases ageing Croatian side. England showed good form in their qualification campaign, nine victories out of ten and once again, some of the players but more so some of the poorer journalists within the English media started to fancy their chances. I don't know how mant headlines that startedwith TERRY: "WE CAN WIN WORLD CUP". Even during the tournament, when John Terry gave his cringeworthy press conference, he came out and said, I'm here to win this tournament" Ambition is fair enough, but downright naivety is another thing. The reality is, England have no basis for such optimism heading into major tournaments. Let's take their record over the last twenty years. Italia '90 - Semi-Finals, good but let's not forget that on their way to that semi-final they defeated Belgium and Cameroon who can hardly be considered as two of football's superpowers. USA '94 - Didn't qualify. France '98 - Last 16. Korea/Japan - Quarter Finals. Germany '06 - Quarter Finals. South Africa '10 - Last 16. England have no World Cup pedigree, therefore how they can delude themselves into classing themselves as one of the favourites boggles me? Take the German's for example, in the last three World Cup's they have reached two semi-finals and one final. That's World Cup pedigree. England lacked creativity at this World Cup, more fundamental still, they lacked someone to get on the ball and initiate attacks. When I saw Lampard and Gerrard starting in the centre of midfield against USA, I couldn't believe my eyes. You could make an argument for Gerrard but not for Lampard for one simple reason. Frank Lampard has not played as a central midfielder in the last seven years, he plays in a free role off a striker and is very good at that. Both Lampard and Gerrard have no interest in starting attacks, their natural instinct is to finish attacks. Take the Spanish for example, you have Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas all wanting to get on the ball and start attacks, Gerrard and Lampard were hiding. Unless England address this problem, they will never compete on the International arena. I suggest Capello recognised this and made a last ditch effort to try and get Paul Scholes to travel with the squad. Scholes declined but I feel Michael Carrick could have dug England out of a hole. As a poor a season as he has, Carrick could have been the man to get on the ball in midfield giving either Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson and John Terry an option. How many times throughout England's games did we Ashley Cole on the ball looking for an option before hoofing long in the end, he was looking for an option and neither Frank Lampard nor an unfit Gareth Barry could provide it. I don't know where England go from here... They have an upcoming fixture against Hungary and if they under perform the pressure on the manager will be immense, at the moment there is no signs to suggest that they are going to pull a performance out of the bag, if they aren't at it in the first twenty minutes, the fans will be on their back and the pressure will mount. How long Capello can stick it out? Only time will tell...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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