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Babe of the Month - Autumnal Glory!
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How the 'Cookie' Crumbles!
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| Chris Coleman - Plenty of food for thought! |
As football fans we are all aware of the club versus country argument, the failure of players to deliver on the pitch, should they actually grace us with their presence in the first place, along with the worrying lack of passion and desire to proudly wear the national shirt by many of these men that have been blessed with a gift for a sport that rewards them handsomely in more ways than one is baffling!
Our respective nations have failed to perform over many years now and most of us have our own views and thoughts as to why we are so limp in our attempts just to qualify for major tournaments let alone win anything. It doesn't look like things are going to change dramatically in the next few years and I would be surprised if I see any nation from the British Isles come close to winning a major trophy in my lifetime.
The reason I say that is because the events of last week simply re-iterate my disillusionment with our game at international level - farcical!
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| 'Cookie' in his Palace playing days. |
The 2-1 defeat in Skopje was not a major surprise, it was typical old-school Wales as they ended up losing a game they should have won, but the humiliating 1-0 defeat inflicted on the Wales under-21 side by their counterparts from San Marino, (that nation’s first competitive victory at any level since their under-17 side beat Andorra in 2002) simply compounded a farcical week. At the heart of all that has been the line peddled by optimists about the supposed existence of a conveyor belt of young talent that would, in time, emerge to make Wales a different proposition.
'Cookie' joined the squad late in Macedonia, missing the final training session because he had lost his passport and missed the flight on Thursday. It was an oversight unfortunate enough on its own without the way it was compounded by Coleman’s claims that his subsequent late arrival didn't matter, because when Wales train abroad they do "next to nothing".
‘Cookie’ knows a lot of people are going to be looking at these turn of events and thinking that’s amateurish.
Then of greater consequence were his tactics and the clutch of what appeared to be mystifying substitutions the manager made as the game slipped away from Wales.
Why bring on defensive midfielder Andrew Crofts when they had Macedonia on the rack? Why bring on full-back Adam Matthews for an attacking midfielder? Why introduce striker Sam Vokes with just five minutes left?
Coleman also left the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale, on the bench rather than introduce him even for five minutes. There’s no suggestion at all of anything underhand on either Coleman’s part or Bale’s.
Coleman says he spoke to the player on the day of the game and he was not ready. Fine!
Coleman argued vehemently that Bale was only put among the replacements to provide psychological ammunition. But in deciding to put him on the bench, while having no intention of using him, Coleman opened himself up to inevitable criticism if the result went against Wales, which it subsequently did. I understand the psychological game he was playing but the ‘fear factor’ was only going to work if he’d brought him on. By not doing so, it was neither here or there.
I’d like to think Bale was genuinely injured on Friday night and could not play a part in Macedonia, but there’s a lot of politics involved in players – especially ones as expensive as Gareth – in playing for their countries.
Coleman has now presided over 11 competitive international matches. He’s won three, drawn one and lost seven.
Worryingly, in the last seven competitive encounters his team have scored seven times, but only twice from open play – Bale’s wonder-strike against Scotland at Cardiff City Stadium and Hal Robson-Kanu’s header in the return match at Hampden Park.
The defeat mathematically ended Wales' remote chance of overhauling Group A's top two Belgium and Croatia but ahead of the Macedonia game, the manager spoke about the importance of chasing third spot in the group and thus securing an improved seeding for the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
But if Wales lose to Serbia on Tuesday that’s another target which will be all but gone. You have to think the quest then will simply be to avoid finishing rock bottom of Group A. If they do then there is a good chance another home nation, Scotland could fill that void.
I hope that does not happen, but if it does, Coleman, just like any of his peers in the same position, would have to think long and hard about his future.
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Ten Sizzling Football Sex Scandals!
1/ Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn is considered as one of the best German goalkeepers of all-time, but his actions off the field did not always go down well with the public.He received plenty of negative publicity when in 2003 he ditched his pregnant wife Simone to be with night club hostess Verena Kerth, who was referred to as the 'Pierced Party Chicken' by some tabloids.
Bayern Munich commercial manager Uli Hoeness said at the time that the incident made him "vomit," and Kahn got plenty of criticism for his actions.
Kahn and Kerth's relationship lasted intermittently for five years.
2/ Malcolm Allison
The late Malcolm Allison's larger than life image was a mixed blessing.
In 1976, when Malcom Allison was managing Crystal Palace he took the Third Division side to the FA Cup semi-finals and despite his flamboyant nature Allison's managerial career was taking off, but he trashed it!
Allison's outspoken nature and womanising were of great interest to the tabloids and it was reputed that Allison had relationships with Christine Keeler of the Profumo scandal, singer Dorothy Squires and two Miss UK's.
In 1976, Allison received a Football Association disrepute charge after a News of the World photograph appeared showing him in the Crystal Palace players' bath with porn star Fiona Richmond whom he had invited to a training session. Ruining his career, Allison can take heart in knowing Richmond's biography "Tell Tale Tits" was more than likely dedicated to him!
3/ Tommy Docherty
After winning the FA Cup with Manchester United in 1977, then manager Tommy Docherty had the football world at his feet as he made plans to challenge Liverpool for domestic glory - until he was sacked for having an affair with the physio's wife Mary Brown, a woman 18 years younger than himself. And how many acres of newsprint would be expended on the story today had a contemporary Old Trafford boss left his wife and four children for the physio's missus?
Docherty told the press he was being punished for falling in love, but the United board were having none of it, sacking him for being in breach of his contract.
The Doc himself started ultimately unsuccessful legal proceedings against the board for defamation and wrongful dismissal, announcing his decision while sporting a black eye given to him by cuckolded magic-sponge man Laurie Brown.
The affair also resulted in the end of his marriage to Agnes, who had been his wife since December 1949. Tommy later married Mary Brown and they are still together after more than 30 years.
United fans mourned their loss with this creative reworking of Knees Up Mother Brown:
"Who's up Mary Brown? Who's up Mary Brown? Tommy, Tommy Docherty."
4/ Dwight Yorke and Mark Bosnich
No player has made a more impressive entrance to Manchester United than Dwight Yorke.
Having arrived from Aston Villa for £12.6million in August 1998, he managed to make both the back and front pages of a Sunday tabloid a month later when it printed stills from a video found in the player's rubbish, which showed he and former Villa colleague Mark Bosnich involved in an orgy with four women and a transvestite, the keeper being whipped by one leather-clad blonde while Yorke had sex with her friend. Former Villa ace Yorke and Australian keeper Bosnich secretly filmed themselves with the four women, and this was capped off with the fact that, during the orgy, Bosnich was curiously seen to be wearing a skirt.
Yorke is then said to have thrown the sordid video tape in the bin where a tabloid reader found it and exposed the story to the world.It ushered in a golden age of Yorke shagging stories, of which his former landlady and friend Sheila Dudley memorably said: "If some girl comes to his house with her knickers in her handbag, it's up to him, isn't it?"
Best among them was the conquest Yorke had convinced that he was a local postman named Brian. She said of their trip to a nightclub: "People were coming past and saying 'hello' to him and he said it was because he delivered their letters. I believed him. He seemed a lovely bloke."
Hailed by the Old Trafford crowd with the song, "Dwight Yorke, wherever you may be, You are the king of pornography," the striker harumphed that the chant "set a bad example to kids," shortly before Sir Alex Ferguson sold him to Blackburn Rovers.
5/ Garrincha
Garrincha, also known as the 'little bird' became infamous for his off-field conquests.
After lighting up the 1958 World Cup with Brazil, Garrincha returned to Sweden on tour where he got a local girl pregnant. On his return home he was greeted by angry supporters. He then ran over his father and was found drunk at the wheel with no recollection of the events.
Things didn't stop there as seven years later Garrincha walked out on his wife
and eight daughters for a samba singer. The late Brazilian is alleged to have lost his virginity when he was 12 with wait for it........a goat and fathered at least 14 children in his bed hopping career.
6/ Ashley Young
In 2007 Ashley Young brought a whole new meaning to a pre-match routine, showing a lot more skin than required when he was caught exposing himself on the internet.
The scandal was revealed in British tabloid The News of the World and told how the then Aston Villa star and 'serial diver' had stripped and performed a sex act for a girl he had just met on the internet hours before he made his England international debut.
7/ Ronaldo
In 2008 Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldo caused a stir while recovering from injury in Brazil when it was revealed he had picked up three prostitutes after dropping his fiancee at home.
But to the three times World Player of the Year's surprised he discovered the women he was about to do the dirty with were actually men.
Ronaldo, who was reported to be "very excited and wanted to go out and have fun," is said to have offered money to buy the prostitutes' silence, but one of the transvestites demanded more money before exposing the whole lurid tale to the media.
8/ Wayne Rooney
Before he became a Manchester United star, Wayne Rooney was finding his way in the world playing for Everton and having sex with aging prostitutes.
In 2004 Rooney, who was at the time dating his future wife, 16-year-old Coleen, was caught out visiting a brothel in the backstreets of Liverpool and then became known as the footballer who liked to visit grannys, after his conquest with a prostitute dubbed by her fellow compatriots the 'Auld Slapper' was revealed.
Rooney is alleged to have paid £45 per visit and this included one time when he slept with a 52 year-old granny and mother of seven.
Wayne even signed an autograph for one of the strippers Charlotte Glover, a prostitute who spoke up after the story unfolded revealing that Rooney paid her £140 for sex in a bathroom in a shabby flat and left her a signed note which read: "To Charlotte, I sh*gged u on 28 Dec. Loads of Love. Wayne Rooney."
9/ Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou
A sex scandal back in 2010 involving French footballers Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou resulted in them being questioned by the police following allegations they had been using the services of an under-aged prostitute. Ribery winger even admitted of having sex with a 17-year-old prostitute called Zahia, although he said he had thought the girl was over 18.
Sidney Govou and Karim Benzema were also linked to the scandal, although the pair denied any wrongdoing. The scandal was only a tip of the iceberg as far as the France national team are concerned, with all their dirty laundry revealed at the World Cup 2010.
10/ John Terry
Football fans were also in for a shock in 2010 as John Terry, one of England and Chelsea's most influential players, was caught cheating on his wife with Vanessa Perroncel, an underwear model and ex-partner of former Stamford Bridge teammate Wayne Bridge - rumours also suggested he had got her pregnant and paid for her abortion.
Although his wife may have decided to give him "one more chance" the revelations did cost Terry the chance to lead England at the 2010 World Cup. The 29-year-old also lost the respect of many fans as they declared they were with "Team Bridge".
Terry also got his comeuppance live on TV when Bridge refused to shake his hand, or even acknowledge him, when Chelsea met Manchester City in a Premier League clash a few weeks later.
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Babes of the Month - Too hot to handle!
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Where are they now? - England's Under-17 Euro Winning Squad of 2010
We are currently in the middle of a break in the world of top flight club football as the senior England international team try to cement a place in the World Cup Finals being held in Brazil next Summer.
Back on the 30th May 2010 England (below) were victorious in the European Under-17 Championships in Liechtenstein. This eight team tournament included some European powerhouses including the likes of France, Portugal, Czech Republic and Spain, who England defeated 2-1 in the final. That sought-after Euro Championship title win was England's first age-group title since 1993.
That 1993 triumph, at the European Under-18 Championship hosted in England, was earned by a team that included Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Robbie Fowler and Sol Campbell who all went on to play for the senior team.
Three years after becoming the '2010 Young Kings of Europe,' only one of England's brilliant Under-17 team, Everton's Ross Barkley, is playing regularly in the English Premier League. So, where did it all go wrong for the golden generation?
The pressure for success at the top level of English club football is part of the problem. Managers may want to give younger players a chance but fear the consequences of failure.
There is a lot to play for in the Premier League. The clubs think about what happens when young players make mistakes. But if you instill confidence into players, they can show their abilities.
The influx of foreign players is something we have to look at but with some young players maybe things have become quite easy for them financially. They should leave the money aside and just concentrate on getting into the first team. All the rest will come.
Years ago, young players used to get more opportunities and statistics show the number of English players plying their trade for their respective clubs first team is sadly dropping. A lot are still in the academies when they should have been pushed on by now.
On the subject of ability Ray Wilkins who made his Chelsea debut at 17 and became club captain a year later said: "Technically, some of the young men in the academies are as good as it gets. But something goes slightly wrong when they get to a certain age. Is it that burning desire? Or is that situation where they feel they're not getting a chance so they don't work as hard? If you're not getting a chance, work doubly hard."
England Under-17 2010 Euro Winning squad:
GK: Jack Butland 20 years-old, plays for Barnsley, on loan from Stoke City.
GK: Sam Johnstone 20, plays for Yeovil Town on loan from Manchester United.
DF: Bruno Pilatos 20, former Middlesborough player, now plays for Darlington in the Evo-Stik First Division North.
DF: Luke Garbutt 20, plays for Colchester United, on loan from Everton.
DF: Nathaniel Chalobah 18, plays for Nottingham Forest on loan from Chelsea.
DF: Andre Wisdom 20, eighteen league and cup appearances for Liverpool's first team since Sept 2012.
DF: Ben Gibson 20, made his first Middlesborough start on 6th Aug 2013. Previous loan spells at Plymouth, York and Tranmere.
DF: Tom Thorpe 20, plys his trade in the Manchester United reserve team.
MF: Conor Coady 20, plays for Sheffield United, on loan from Liverpool.
MF: William Keane 20, One first-team appearance for Manchester Utd since 31st Dec 2011.
MF: Joshua McEachran 20, plays for Watford, on loan from Chelsea.
MF: Ross Barkley 19, Establishing himself as a first-team regular at Everton and made his England senior debut on 6th Sept 2013.
MF: George Thorne 20, signed professional contract with West Brom in Jan 2010. Currently recovering from a serious knee injury following loan spells at Peterborough and Portsmouth.
MF: Luke Williams 20, made his Middlesborough debut at just 16 back in Dec 2009. Has made a total of 22 starts for the North-East club.
FW: Benik Afobe 20, signed a pro contract with Arsenal in Feb 2010. Yet to make a first team appearance for the Gunners. Suffered a serious knee injury last March following loan spells at Huddersfield, Reading, Bolton and Millwall.
FW: Connor Wickham 20, After impressing at Ipswich Wickham at just 18 made a big money move to Sunderland in June 2011. Joined Sheff Wed on loan in Feb 2013 but now back with 'The Black Cats.'
FW: Robert Hall 19, plays for Bolton Wanderers. Previous loan spells at Oxford Utd, MK Dons, Birmingham and Bolton, before finally signing for Bolton on a permanent basis on 1st July 2013.
FW: Saido Berahino 20, Born in Burundi (East Africa) Berahino plays for West Brom. Previous loan spells at Northampton, Brentford and Peterborough.
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Crystal Palace - A Football Club in Crisis? Betting News on the next Palace Manager
Have the wheels well and truly come off at Selhurst Park or are current events part of a bizarre plan to give the other 19 teams in the Premier League a head start before 'The Eagles' go on a six month unbeaten run and challenge the big boys at the top of the league!
Sadly I and almost every Palace fan knows this season was almost over before it began. From the euphoria of a play-off final win at Wembley on 27th May, a chaotic summer took its toll on the South London club as they huffed and puffed, wheeled and dealed and ultimately failed to build a solid foundation for this forthcoming season.
Palace brought in players in abundance but mostly very average players and tried to knit a rather complicated pattern and following promotion to the 'top flight' in its current guise prove the critics wrong and stay there for more than a token one season for the first time in the Club's history.
To add into the equation the 25 man squad rule (youngsters aside) some somewhat mystifying questions were left unanswered and disharmony began to set in among the players. The squad that basically got us to the Premier League was to a certain degree broken up! The likes of Ramage, Garvan and Dobbie, instrumental in our promotion were left out, Moritz just left and Zaha is now bench warming at Old Trafford. Palace hitman Glenn Murray is still a long way off first-team action following knee surgery in May and no target man of his stature was brought in to replace him. Club captain Paddy McCarthy was included in the squad although he hasn't kicked a ball in anger for around 18 months. In addition no defensive coach was appointed.
As a result what palace fans feared has become reality. Eight games in and three points from a possible 24 has left the club second from bottom of the league table. A squad that has been chopped and changed far too regularly has mustered a paltry two goals conceded 13 in a run of five straight defeats, culminating in Monday's 4-1 home defeat by Fulham.
Desire, total commitment and enthusiasm are what you always get from Ian Holloway and he did a great job in leading Palace up in his first season but was he really up to the job?
After the opening day defeat to Spurs care of a dubious penalty decision, Holloway nearly blew a gasket and was ultimately fined and given a touchline ban for his reaction. I expected Holloway to galvanise the troops following the Spurs game, and that he and the players would come out with all guns blazing as they visited Stoke in the league and then Bristol City in the League Cup.
However a rather uncharacteristic spineless and soulless couple of performances (bar the first 45mins at the Britannia Stadium) were the tip of the iceberg as Palace stumbled like a naive bunch of newborns to adapt to the league and each other. Sure the guns were blazing but heads were all over the place and Palace were firing blanks! Also the usual effervescence wasn't there from the 'gaffer.' Perhaps it was all getting too much for the Bristolian. He looked like a man who'd worked himself to the bone all summer, was mentally fatigued, stressed and fresh out of new ideas.
The outcome was somewhat inevitable although it has left opinions divided amongst the fans. Holloway and Palace parted company this week and now Crystal Palace face league leaders Arsenal tomorrow lunchtime, both managerless and rudderless.
So who are the available targets to take up the managerial role, which to be fair is by any standards one of epic proportions! Palace need a man with experience, who commands respect, who can take charge of a dressing room that already seems fractured, who can get the best out of some pretty average players, play a system that suits the squad, someone that will help shore up the defence and be creative going forward, even if it is not pretty to watch and ultimately grind out results.
Crystal Palace FC at the moment is not a place for the feint hearted, so I suggest the new gaffer is mentally strong, someone who is prepared to role up his sleeves, be proactive and who can motivate a group of players who currently come across as disillusioned and lost in the headlights and he needs to do it fast.........no easy job by any means with Palace already 1/10 shots to be relegated!
According to the bookmakers the front running candidates are as follows:
Tony Pulis:
The 55 year-old Welshman took his first steps into management at Bournemouth in 1992, where he was a player/coach and then Harry Redknapp's assistant. He then took control when Redknapp left the club. He then went on to Gillingham before leaving in 1999 after a dispute with chairman Paul Scally. Pulis then had unsuccessful spells at Bristol City and Portsmouth before being appointed manager of Stoke City in 2002. He was sacked by Stoke in 2005 only to return a year later. His left Stoke in May 2013 following a falling out with chairman Peter Coates.
Management Style: Pulis has a reputation within the game for achieving solid results on small budgets and also maintains the proud record of never being relegated as a manager. Throughout his managerial career Pulis has used the long ball style of play.
Betting News:Pulis can be backed at 10/11 with Bet365 and most firms but 11/10 with Coral to be the next Palace boss.
Avram Grant:
Grant has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, and also managing the Israeli national team for four years.
Grant moved to England in 2006 to become Technical Director of Portsmouth before being appointed Director of football at Chelsea in July 2007. Two months later, in September 2007, following the departure of José Mourinho, Grant was appointed manager of Chelsea. Despite steering the team into the Champions League final, the League Cup final and contesting the Premier League title to the last day, his contract was terminated at the end of the season. Grant returned to Portsmouth as Director of football in October 2009, and was made manager the following month. After the club's relegation to the Championship Grant resigned and, on 3rd June 2010, was appointed as manager of West Ham United, a role he held up until 15th May 2011, when he was sacked after the club was relegated to the Football League Championship. On 13th January 2012, Avram Grant was named the new manager of Partizan Belgrade. After guiding Partizan to their fifth consecutive Serbian championship, Grant resigned on 14th May 2012.
Management Style: Grant is known in Israel for giving a chance to young players in almost every club he coached. Grant is considered one of the most successful Israeli coaches. He has a reputation of a lucky winner in Israel, which caused the invention of the frequently used humorous term 'Hatachat shel Avram'. This means 'Avram's Ass,' a reference to the allegedly large amount of luck Grant enjoyed during the 2006 World Cup campaign
Betting News: William Hill go 4/1 for Grant to become the next Palace manager. Bet365 are as big as 10/1 on 'Avarm's Ass' to be next in the Palace hot seat!
Gianfranco Zola:
The 47 year-old Italian had a decorated playing career both in Italy and in England with Chelsea. He also won 35 caps for the Italian national team. He began his managerial career with the Italian U-21s before taking over at West Ham United in the Premier League in September 2008. On 11th May 2010, two days after the end of the 2009–10 season, West Ham announced the termination of Zola's contract with immediate effect. Avram Grant was announced as his successor on 3rd June 2010. He has been in charge of Watford since July 2012. In his first season, Zola led Watford to 3rd place and a play-off position, which then saw them progress to the final at Wembley. There, they lost 1-0 ironically to Crystal Palace.
Management Style: Zola likes his sides to play with a flair and has also received praise for integrating more youth products when manager of West Ham's first team.
Betting News: Zola is 9/1 with Paddy Power to take over at Selhurst Park, although Betfred go 25/1 on the same outcome.
Martin O'Neill:
The 61 year-old Northern Irishman began his managerial career in 1987 with Grantham Town. He went onto manage Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City, Leicester City, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland. He guided Leicester City to the Football League Cup final three times, in which he was twice victorious, in 1997 and 2000. In his time as Celtic manager between 2000 and 2005, he led the club to three Scottish Premier League titles and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final in Seville. O'Neill was sacked by Sunderland on 30th March 2013 after an eight-game run of five losses and three draws, leaving the team one point above the Premier League relegation zone with seven games left to play in the season. Overall Martin O'Neill has a 51% win ratio over his whole managerial career.
Management Style: O’Neill’s public image, though, is that of a nice guy and his management style has been built on inspiring his players, especially in the early days when, with his energy and enthusiasm. He worked wonders, often with decidedly ordinary individuals and teams. He is not one to doubt his own abilities.
Betting News: O'Neill is as short as 2/1 with Coral and as big as 4/1 with Boylesports to become Palace's next manager.
Chris Coleman, Neil Warnock, Alan Curbishly and Tony Popovic are also fancied candidates for the vacancy.
# Prices correct at time of going to press.
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Babe of the Month - Reading Minsk
Anton Zingarevich is a Russian businessman best known for being the owner of Reading Football Club, who play in the English Championship. Zingarevich's bid to take over the club was announced in January 2012, and he formally purchased the club on 29 May 2012.
In 2008, Zingarevich met his future wife, a Belarusian Victoria's Secret super-model called Yekaterina Domankova, commonly called Katsia. The couple married in late 2009.
Katsia was born in Minsk, Belarus in 1990 and she earned the title of Ford’s Supermodel of the World in 2006 which truly launched her modelling career. But that wasn't her first brush with the modeling industry. While completing homework in a café one day, she was approached by an agent from Select in London and officially began her path as a model.
But more recently, she gained notoriety by appearing in the Victoria’s Secret "What Is Sexy?" commercial alongside Erin Heatherton, Adriana Lima, Lily Aldridge, and Candice Swanepoel.
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All the latest transfer gossip across Europe!
Here is a round up of all the latest transfer gossip across Europe today!
Is your club involved?
Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus, Inter Milan, Corinthians, Napoli, Liverpool, Hamburg, Aston Villa, West Ham, Everton, Hull, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Manchester City, Malaga, Manchester United, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Lyon, Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, FC Groningen, Valencia, Arsenal, Southampton Watford, West Brom, Barnsley and Tranmere Rovers.........are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.
Sporting Lisbon have placed a £6m price-tag on winger Diego Capel (right), 25, a target for Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham - Daily Express, The Sun and sportsmole.co.ukInter Milan are weighing up the chance to try signing 24 year-old Brazilian international Alexandre Pato from Corinthians next January, but face opposition from both Arsenal and Tottenham for the forward - transfermarketweb.com
Juventus' general director Giuseppe Marotta has responded to fresh rumours by reiterating that Fernando Llorente (right) is not for sale. Reports in Italy continue to suggest that Arsenal hold an interest in the 28 yer-old Spain international and are plotting a January raid - sportinglife.com, transfermarketweb.com and skysports.com
Liverpool are reportedly preparing a January swoop for Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye. The 27-year-old is thought to be valued at around £18m by the North-East club - The Northern Echo
Napoli manager Rafael Benitez is eyeing up a raid on his former club Chelsea for Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta - Daily Star and Sportsmole.co.uk
Benitez is also planning to ask another of his ex-clubs Liverpool to open talks on a deal for 26 year-old midfielder Lucas - The Sun
Despite being offered a new Hamburg SV, Venezuelan international Tomas Rincon (25), is considering his options as he can leave as a free agent next summer. It is reported Rincon (right), who can play as a defensive midfielder or right-back is a target for Aston Villa, Hull City and West Ham - Bild (German tabloid)
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, disappointed with Joe Hart's performances, is willing to sign Argentinian goalkeeper Willy Caballero (32), a former player of his, in January. The 32 year-old is contracted to Málaga CF until 2016 - transfermarketweb.com
Everton, Hull and Crystal Palace have joined Newcastle in the race for Manchester City's 22 year-old midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim - Daily Star
Manchester United are lining up Sevilla's Alberto Moreno, 21, as a replacement for left-back Patrice Evra - Daily ExpressReal Sociedad's former French Under-21 international winger Antoine Griezmann (right), previously on the radar of Juventus, Tottenham, Arsenal and Olympique Lyon, is now being pursued by Manchester United, whose management are ready to make an effort to sign him in January.
Heurelho Gomes admits he is tempted to return to his native Brazil after accepting that his time at Tottenham Hotspur is up. The 32 year-old shot-stopper Gomes told Portal da Band: "I am much more open now than before as I have been in Europe for almost 10 years and I miss Brazil, my mother, brothers and friends - skysports.com
Currently on a deal with Stuttgart until June 2017 and already tracked by both Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04, Romanian international Alexandru Maxim (23) has been targeted by Liverpool as well. The 23 year-old atttacking midfielder is likely to leave on a full basis during next summer - transfermarketweb.com
Manchester City are considering a bid for FC Groningen's Richairo Zivkovic, 17, who has been dubbed the "new Arjen Robben" - Daily Mirror
Valencia midfielder Ever Banega (right), 25, has confirmed he wants to move in the January transfer window, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Southampton all believed to be interested in the Argentina international - Daily ExpressHull City striker Aaron McLean reveals that he would be opening to leave the club on loan should the Tigers accept an offer from a Football League outfit - skysports.com
Watford have signed West Brom's 20 year-old midfielder George Thorne on loan until the new year - Daily Star
Barnsley's Jim McNulty has extended his loan deal with Tranmere Rovers until the start of January - sportsmole.co.uk
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Incandescent with Rage - Walking & Talking!
My eyes have been opened up more and more so of late than at any other time towhat is truly one of the banes of my life. My exasperation at the obsession of walking and talking whilst on a mobile phone has raised my blood pressure to an unhealthy level.
It is fast becoming the norm rather than exception and to the detriment of society. Oblivious to others and on a totally different planet those that are guilty of indulging in this unacceptable 'crime' has lead to a fundamental breakdown in the the very basics of what I would describe as acceptable human behaviour.
Manners, consideration for others and spacial awareness are not recently discovered forms of human behaviour!
Yesterday as I was forced (not for the first time) to hastily sidestep a walking talking robot my thoughts drew to the halcyon days when mobile devices the size of a household bricks were fixed in cars or only belonged to those only those in the higher echelons of society.
Having to listen to someone talking at an inordinately and unnecessary volume on a mobile phone in itself is often infuriating, and although it is regrettably a common occurrence nowadays, it is in my world anyway incredibly discourteous to those in the immediate vicinity.
I wrote any article many years ago entitled
Incredibly 75% of the UK population has a smartphone so you can be sure a lot of those people are not even walking and talking, more likely walking and gawking as they stick their faces into their brightly lit gadgets to entertain themselves. Whether they are playing Angry Birds, checking emails, placing an online bet, looking for the latest football scores, participating in textsex, poking someone on facebook, posting a tweet or whatever, the underlying point is that nothing they are doing is life or death that cannot wait a few minutes. No thought is given to those around them, and as a result in their world the word 'respect' only relates to an Aretha Franklin mantra.
The days of looking out for your fellow being and human interaction are seemingly over. Giving up your seat, letting a lady take her place in front of you, a gesture of good will, a simple acknowledgement, the muttering of those immortal words please and thank you, seem all but a distant memory when your eyes are steely fixated on your screen as you text your partner because you may be five minutes late home, therefore dispelling any possible accusations that you might be having an affair with Mabel who refills the vending machines.
The 'walking talking' brigade amble along blindly in their self-absorbed world, get in your way, knock into you without even the scent of an apology, and all this while their obsession with their mobile device leaves them floundering in a world where time is money, but more importantly where time is precious!
Nowhere is this more commonplace than on public transport. Every morning and evening people from all walks of life are busy negotiating their way to or from their place of work. We all have the same goal, to get from A to B as quickly as possible, as safely as possible. The extremely fast pace of life we all subjected to in this modern age means that in order to do this requires a good deal of concentration.
One does not need a slow paced, erratic walking persona in a robotic trance to hinder your journey, anymore than a delayed mode of transport to get the blood boiling, because those people that do not engage in such behaviour are fighting back!
I have witnessed people deliberately barging into, shouting at and gesturing at these narcissistic self-absorbed characters as they carry on beavering away on their phones, electing to choose to take up a pretence that would have you believe they are oblivious to everyone around them. Perhaps one may deem this type of behaviour somewhat inappropriate, even condemn it, but is it not largely understandable?
But tell me; why should we obligingly make way for or take responsibility for navigating around people who have no thought for those that are around them!
So I ask you 'phone addicts,' why not think about your milieu from time to time, and at least step to one side and complete the life saving heart operation on your touch screen, so others can pass without fear of being bumped, barged, tripped or worse!
Phone addicts........mind the GAP!
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The Best Footballers NOT going to the 2014 World Cup!
On Wednesday night the thirty-second and final remaining place for the 2014 World Cup finals in Rio was secured by Uruguay. Earlier in the day Mexico completed the formalities of defeating New Zealand and so the teams heading to Brazil were confirmed.However some high profile teams will be missing next summer at one of the biggest sporting events in the world including the likes of Sweden, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia and Denmark. Along with these missing teams there are some tremendously talented players who will also absent from footballs greatest global stage.
GK: Petr Cech - (Czech Republic)
Chelsea’s stalwart will not be adding to his 105 caps for Czech Republic this summer as Cech misses out on his second World Cup in succession. Cech played in every minute of his nation's group stage qualifying campaign but was unable to secure their place in Brazil. The Chelsea shot-stopper conceded nine goals in ten matches as his side finished third in the group. However at 31 Cech should not give up hope of featuring in Russia 2018. The giant goalkeeper remains a vital player for club and country.
RB: Lukasz Piszczek - (Poland)
Borussia Dortmund's marauding full-back (right) misses out. The Pole loves to gallop forward and is great in doing so. It's a shame we will not see this mans bursting runs forward in Brazil. Piszczek scored twice in qualifying but could not help Poland out of England’s group.
CB: Daniel Agger - (Denmark)Denmark's leading scorer during World Cup qualifying, Agger (extreme right) was incredibly unlucky not to make the World Cup, with his side the only country to finish second in their qualifying group and miss out on a play-off spot.
CB: Branislav Ivanovic - (Serbia)
The Chelsea defender was one of only two players to take the field in every one of Serbia's matches during qualifying but his side performed poorly, missing out on a play-off place to rivals Croatia
LB: David Alaba - (Austria)
Placed in a qualifying group alongside Germany and Sweden, the Bayern Munich full-back was unable to guide Austria to their first World Cup since 1998 - although he contributed more than most, leading the goalscoring ranks with six strikes.
DM: Nemanja Matic - (Serbia)
The Benfica midfielder only returned to the international fold in September after a lengthy absence but will be missed in Brazil. Last season's Primera Liga 'Player of the Year' has established himself as one of Europe’s most impressive combative midfielders.
LM: Gareth Bale - (Wales)
Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes and Ian Rush never managed to play in a major international tournament and the world's most expensive footballer will not feature in Rio, but the 24 year-old has time on his side. He will be focusing on helping Wales qualify for The 2016 UEFA European Championships, which will be held in France.
RM: Arda Turan - (Turkey)
Turan is one of Atletico Madrid’s prized assets, having made his move to Spain from Galatasaray in 2011. The 26-year-old is also a very influential member of the Turkey squad, creating 29 chances for his Turkish teammates in qualifying. Turan also has 13 goals in his international career to date.
AM: Marek Hamsik - (Slovakia)
Napoli midfielder Hamsik is most definitely the name that catches the eye when scanning the Slovakia squad. Hamsik has attracted a lot of attention across Europe and is another key name that will be missing out on the World Cup in 2014, after Slovakia finished well behind Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece in qualifying.
ST: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)Currently leading the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with nine goals in 12 games, Lewandowski (right) could only help his nation finish fourth in England's qualifying group.
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
The mercurial Swede, famed for his spectacular goals as well as his outrageous comments, did his bit in the play-off against Portugal, scoring twice but he could not haul a below par Swedish side to the finals.
Other noticeable absentees:
Gylfi Sigurdsson - (Iceland) Iceland's fairytale came to an end with a 2-0 play-off defeat against Croatia, which means the Tottenham midfielder will not make his debut at a World Cup finals.
Aaron Ramsey - (Wales) The Arsenal star has improved beyond recognition this season and now boast statistics to rival any midfielder in Europe. It would have been fascinating to see if Ramsey could replicate his stunning club form on the world stage in Brazil.
Christian Eriksen - (Denmark) The Denmark midfielder (right) is yet to make his mark in the Premier League this season, but he created more goalscoring chances than any other player in the Eredivisie (Dutch League) with Ajax last season.Andriy Yarmalenko - (Ukraine) Yarmolenko can play as a winger or as a centre-forward. The 24 year-old plays his club football for Dynamo Kiev and has an excellent goal scoring record for both club and country.
Henrik Mkhitaryan - (Armenia) The Borussia Dortmund maestro has impressed in the Bundesliga this season but remains hampered at the international level by one of Europe's weaker teams. Mkhitaryan played every minute of qualifying and inspired impressive results like the 2-2 draw against Italy in Naples, but it wasn't enough.
Neven Subotić - (Serbia) Subotić has dazzled for Borussia Dortmund, but his national team didn't cut the mustard. To add to his woes it was recently confirmed he will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
Stevan Jovetic - (Montenegro)
Montenegro have risen rapidly since they gained independence in 2008 and Manchester City's £22million forward has been a key player during that time.
Matija Nastasic - (Serbia)
The third Serbian defender on this list, it is a wonder how they do not have a better defensive record, but at 20 years of age Nastasic still has plenty of time ahead of him to make it to a World Cup.
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Her agencies are: Elite New York, Karin Paris, Modelwerk, Riccardo Gay Model Management – Milan, Select Model Management – London and Wilhelmina Nova Models - Munich.
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Current English Premier League Form Guide
Current Form Guide based on last 5 Premier League results as at Midnight Monday 9th Dec 2013
Pos # Last 5 Results Points
1 (7) Newcastle Utd WWWLW 12
2 (1) Arsenal LWWWD 10
2 (3) Chelsea DWWWL 102 (1) Arsenal LWWWD 10
2 (19) Crystal Palace DWLWW 10
2 (2) Liverpool WDLWW 10
2 (4) Manchester City LWWWD 10
7 (5) Everton DDWWD 9
7 (14) Norwich WLWLW 9
8 (11) Aston Villa WDDWL 8
8 (13) Stoke City DWLDW 88 (10) Swansea City DWLWD 8
11 (9) Manchester Utd WDDLL 5
11 (6) Tottenham DLLDW 5
13 (12) Hull City LWLLD 4
13 (8) Southampton WLLLD 4
13 (20) Sunderland LWLDL 4
16 (18) Fulham LLLLW 3
16 (17) West Ham Utd LLWLL 3
17 (15) West Brom DDLLL 2
17 (16) Cardiff City LDLDL 2
# (Current League Position)
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The Ten Dirtiest Teams/Players in the Premier League so far this season!
Here are the the Top 10 ranked dirtiest Premier League teams by order of ill discipline so far this season, and the major culprits.
As at 16th December 2013:
Top 10 Dirtiest Teams:
1/ Stoke City 36 Yellow cards / 0 Reds cards /13.4 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 13th
2/ Aston Villa 33 Yellows / 0 Reds / 13.3 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 11th
3/ Manchester Utd 33 Yellows / 0 Reds / 11.3 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 8th
4/ Swansea City 31 Yellows / 1 Red / 9.9 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 10th
5/ Tottenham 30 Yellows / 1 Red, 10.4 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 7th
6/ Everton 28 Yellows / 0 Reds / 10.2 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 5th
7/ Hull City 26 Yellows / 1 Red / 11.2 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 12th
8/ Sunderland 20 Yellows / 4 Reds / 11.1 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 20th
9/ West Ham 24 Yellows / 2 Reds / 11.3 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 17th
10/ Newcastle 24 Yellows / 2 Reds / 11.8 = Ave Fouls Committed Per Game / League Pos 6th
Top 10 Dirtiest Players:
1/ Paulinho - Tottenham: 4 Yellow cards, 1 Red card, Fouls Committed 16
2/ Lucas Leiva - Liverpool: 5 Yellows, FC 31
3/ Branislav Ivanovic - Chelsea: 5 Yellows, FC 26
4/ Youssouf Mulumbu - West Brom: 5 Yellows, FC 25
5/ Mathieu Debuchy - Newcastle United: 5 Yellows, FC 22
6/ Wayne Rooney - Manchester United: 5 Yellows, FC 21
7= Chico Flores - Swansea City: 5 Yellows, FC 20
7= Jonathan Walters - Stoke City: 5 yellows, FC 20
8= Gabriel Agbonlahor - Aston Villa: 5 Yellows, FC 19
8= Ángel Rangel - Swansea City: 5 Yellows, FC 19
* Information gathered and compiled courtesy of the following websites: http://www.whoscored.com http://www.premierleague.com/ http://msn.foxsports.com/ and http://guardian.touch-line.com/
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All the latest transfer gossip across Europe!
Here is a round up of all the latest transfer gossip across Europe today!
Is your club involved?
Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Monaco, PSG, Brighton, Hull City, Sunderland, Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Benfica, Crystal Palace, Atlético Madrid, Everton, Manchester City, Arsenal, Lyon, Tottenham, Schalke, Roma, Fulham, West Ham, Al Ain, Stoke City, Morecambe, Kuban Krasnodar and Bastia..............are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.
Manchester United have been told by Borussia Dortmund that they will have to pay up to £40m to sign 24 year-old Germany midfielder Marco Reus - Daily Mail
Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in January will start to ask information about the stiker of Barcelona, Pedro (right), who is not able to find a place in Gerardo Martino's line-up - Marca (Spanish newspaper)
The relationship between Leo Messi and Barcelona is not so good as it might appear at present, and should the Argentinian decide to leave Paris St Germain is one the few clubs which can afford to sign the striker - Le Parisien (French daily newspaper)
Sunderland are expected to face stern competition from their Premier League rivals, if they make a move for Brighton midfielder Liam Bridcutt - Sunderland Echo
Reported Manchester United target Everton Ribeiro has insisted that talk of him moving in January is just 'speculation.' Ribeiro, 24, who claimed the award for best player in the Brazilian top flight last season, has attracted plenty of attention across Europe after his impressive performances for Cruzeiro - Globe Esporte (Brazilian TV Sports News)
In June, Juventus are ready to invest a lot of money in the transfer market. For the forward line they continue to observe the situation of Mario Mandzukic (right), who with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski will quit Bayern Munich - Tuttosport - (Italian sports newspaper)
Juventus are also eyeing Angel Di Maria, who can leave in the end of the season. The Real Madrid player, worth about 25-30 million euros and also Chelsea, Monaco and PSG are interested in him - Tuttosport (Italian sports newspaper)
Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has revealed that he has opened talks with the club over a new deal. Sagna's contract at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of the season, but the 30 year-old France international has indicated that he would like to extend his stay in North London - beIN SPORT (affiliate of Al Jazeera Media Networks)
Hull City are targeting Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher in a £6m transfer. The Scotland international, 26, has not scored for the Black Cats since the 27th October, and has recently been struggling with an ankle injury - Daily Mirror and transfermarketweb.com
According to latest rumours coming from Spain, Real Madrid's management have reached a pre-agreement with Borussia Dortmund in order to sign German international playmaking midfielder Ilkay Gündogan (right) aged 23 from Borussia Dortmund.The former FC Nürnberg star, currently on a deal with the Bundesliga giants until June 2015 was also being tracked by Arsenal and Barcelona, along with both Inter and AC Milan.
Gündogan is expected to join Real after the end of the ongoing season - Marca (Spanish newspaper)
Napoli are close to signing Daniel Agger. The player has reportedly already spoken with his former coach Rafa Benitez. Liverpool have reduced the request for the player: he can be signed on loan for 600,000 euros - Il Mattino (Italian daily newspaper)
Chelsea are willing to offer Senegal striker Demba Ba to Inter Milan as a makeweight in their efforts to sign the Italian club's 27 year-old Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin - Talksport
There has been plenty of speculation about the future of Erik Lamela, just a few months after he arrived at Tottenham for a club-record fee. Reports in Italy suggest he could soon be heading back to Serie A, with Inter Milan have set their sights on the Argentine winger - Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian newspaper)
Bayern Munich have loaned central defender Jan Kirchhoff to Bundesliga rivals Schalke for the next 18 months - sportinglife.com
Benfica trio Ezequiel Garay, Nicolas Gaitan and Nemanja Matic are all being lined up for moves to Manchester United - Manchester Evening News
Jose Iribarren, the agent of Benfica forward Nicolas Gaitan (right), says that he is unaware of any offers for his client – with Manchester United and Paris St Germain again being linked with the Argentina international - ABOLA (Portuguese newspaper)and sportsmole.co.uk
Fulham have been linked with a January move for Roma midfielder Michael Bradley, according to sources in Italy. The US international is said to be interesting the London club, though it is thought that Roma are only willing to let the 26-year-old go should they sign a replacement
Crystal Palace are keen to open talks regarding a new contract. The midfielder, 20, signed a five-year contract in May last year, but will apparently be in line for a pay rise with the new deal. A club source was quotes as saying that "protection" is the driving force behind the idea as Williams has attracted interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton - Daily Mirror and sportsmole.co.uk
Bayern Munich continue to be interested in Atlético Madrid midfielder Koke. The German club would like a swap deal with the Swiss international midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri - El Mundo Deportivo (Spanish daily newspaper)
Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis (right), 28, is a target for new Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood for a fee of around £5m when the January transfer window opens - Metro
West Ham have made tentative enquiries into the possibility of signing striker Ghana international Asamoah Gyan on loan in the January transfer window.
Gyan left Sunderland in 2012 to join Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates - skysports.com
Spurs midfielder Sandro has told Italian giants Inter Milan and Roma he does not want to quit North London for Serie A - Daily Mirror
Reports from Serbia are suggesting that Stoke City are ready to sign Vladimir Stojkovic on a short-term contract after Asmir Begovic was ruled out for six weeks with a broken finger. Stojkovic is a free agent - skysports.com
Morecambe forward Kevin Ellison has extended his contract with the club and will remain at the Globe Arena for another 18 months.
Former Liverpool and QPR striker Djibril Cisse has agreed terms which will see him return to his native France in the New Year. Cisse is currently on the books of Russian outfit Kuban Krasnodar, but is closing on a switch to Bastia - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper)
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The Top Divers in the English Premier League
'Diving' is the most elaborate form of cheating in professional football, but it stems from a basic disrespect and lack of authority in the game.
Diving is bringing down the whole reputation of football. Trying to trick and deceive the referee is cheating and too often it goes unpunished. At present, players can be suspended and fined for violent conduct even if the referee does not see the incident at the time. This should also be the case for diving!
Here is a list (in no particular order) of current Premier League players with a reputation for diving:
Danny Welbeck - Manchester United The Manchester United striker might be one of English football's brightest prospects, but has a tendency to tumble to the ground under no contact. His most recent attempt to con the referee came at White Hart Lane last Wednesday, as Welbeck pretended to fall over Vlad Chiriches’ outstretched leg in an attempt to earn his team a penalty (right). Welbeck may have been let off the hook by referee Howard Webb, but it definitely won't have helped his reputation.
Andy Carroll - West Ham United
The currently injured West Ham striker has been cautioned twice for a diving offence in his Premier League career, and on both occasions they have been blatant dives. For a man of Carroll's size it's quite amusing when he tumbles over to try and claim a free kick......his dives are horrendous and he hardly ever gets away with them.
Ashley Young - Manchester United
Ashley Young has got his fair share of critics. The England and Manchester United star has been at the centre of several diving storms in recent seasons after seeming to go to ground too easily. The problem got so bad that he was warned about his conduct by Sir Alex Ferguson, while current manager David Moyes has also done the same. The latest controversy saw Young dive to earn United a penalty in their Champions League clash at Real Sociedad last month. It's fair to say not everyone is convinced that he was fouled, especially after he was booked for taking a tumble (right) at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace last September.
Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool
The Liverpool and England goalscorer has been called out twice in his Premier League career so far, and has dived throughout his time in the Premier League. He occasionally dives for Liverpool and was known to do it for Chelsea.
Fernando Torres - Chelsea
The Spaniard averages a yellow cardfor simulation every 66 games. He's
picked up three yellow cards so far in the Premier League, however he gets away with a fair few.
However back in October 2012 Torres received a second yellow card for simulation that resulted in him getting sent off. It left Chelsea with just nine players on the pitch, and in many people's eyes Torres behaviour was seen to have contributed considerably that day to a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United. Within six minutes of his red card Van Persie shot against the post and the ball came out to Rafael before Hernández applied the final touch for a dramatic victory.
Javier Hernández - Manchester United
Hernandez, also known as Chicharito is one of the most clinical finishers in the Premier League. He has a superb strike rate of a goal every two and a bit games for the Red Devils, but also has the unwanted reputation of going to ground far too easily. As a result and has been booked a couple of times for diving.
Oscar - Chelsea
Oscar, the Chelsea attacking midfielder is at number two. He receives a yellow card at least once every 26 games, the latest incident of the Brazilian diving was at St Mary's stadium on New Years Day where Chelsea were victorious over Southampton. Oscar was faced with a choice last Wednesday: round the Southampton goalkeeper and score a virtuoso goal or dive and try to win a penalty.Incredibly, the Brazilian let out a shriek and launched himself into the south coast’s rainy skies (right). It was a shameful, perplexing act that was punished with a yellow card by referee Martin Atkinson.
Luis Suarez - Liverpool
Luis is a wonderful footballer, one of the very best in world. Suarez could play for anyone with the form he's in now, unbelievable with the ball and scores the most terrific goals. However, the Uruguayan is a very controversial player as he's been known to cheat before. Most recently he was blasted for simulation, although he was not booked, after the Liverpool striker appealed in vain for a penalty during the Reds' 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on 29th December.
Adnan Januzaj - Manchester United The Belguim born Manchester United winger has broke onto the scene this season with some brilliant performances in the Premier League. Unfortunately the winger has already been booked five times this season (3 of those for simulation), the last being on New Years Day during their 2-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. Januzaj is now behind only Gareth Bale in the all-time list of top-flight divers, despite making just 14 Premier League career appearances!
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Biggest January Transfer Signings In Football History
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer window" is the unofficial term commonly used by the media for the concept of "registration period" as described in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of a Player.
The January transfer window in England commences at midnight on the 31st December and ends on the 31st January if a working day, and again, if not, on the first working day thereafter.
Here are the biggest January transfer signing in world football history:
Luis Suárez - Ajax to Liverpool
In 2011 Liverpool were looking for a striker who could partner Fernando Torres up front and their search ended at Ajax, when Liverpool signed Luis Suarez for £22.8m from the Dutch outfit. However in an ironic twist of events Torres ended up leaving 'The Reds' on January deadline day, to join Chelsea. It would be easy to argue now that Liverpool in fact acquired the better player since signing the Uruguayan hitman, as the Spaniard's career has stuttered since his big money move to Stamford Bridge. Suarez is now considered to be one of the top strikers in the world and has scored 22 goals in 16 Premier League games so far this season.Klaas Jan Huntelaar, another Ajax man was signed by Real Madrid in 2009. The Spanish giants paid £24m to acquire Huntelaar's services. The Dutchman is one of the most prolific strikers in the world but his Real Madrid career got off to the worst possible start when a misunderstanding over UEFA's registration rules meant he could not be named in the club's Champions League squad. This and following Real's decision to look for a new crop of 'galacticos' he was forced out of the club after just seven months, despite scoring eight goals in 13 starts. He joined AC Milan for £13m in August 2009.
Willian Borges Da Silva - Shakhtar Donetsk to FC Anzhi Makhachkala
Russian Premier League club FC Anzhi Makhachkala surprised many with their money when they started splashing the cash for players. Willian was signed by Anzhi for £25m from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2013. However following a restructuring decision by Russian owner Suleyman Kerimov, Anzhi chose to transfer list their whole squad in August 2013, including new signing Willian, and he was sold to Chelsea that same month for £30million.
David Luiz - Benfica to Chelsea
Benfica's 2011 squad was full of talented players and one of those players was David Luiz, the unpredictable Brazilian ball playing defender/defensive midfielder. Chelsea signed David Luiz on 30th January 2011 for £26.5m, where he became an instant fan favourite. The 26 year-old is currently being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and also reports of a possible return to Benfica all on the cards.
Ediz Džeko - VfL Wolfsburg to Manchester City
Edin Džeko is a 'traditional' number 9, who wassigned by Manchester City from Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg for £32.5m on 3rd January 2011. In their title winning season of 2011–12 season Džeko finished as the second highest Manchester City goal scorer behind Agüero scoring 19 goals in all competitions, 14 of those goals in the Premier League. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international hasn't been a regular starter for Manchester City for a couple of seasons now, due in part to the quality of the strikers they have signed in the last few years. Despite this Džeko's record in front of goal is very impressive. In August 2010 Džeko became the highest scorer in the history of VfLWolfsburg with 59 goals in 96 appearances. For Manchester City the 27 year-old has netted 53 goals in 134 appearances in all competitions, many of those as a substitute.
Andy Carroll - Newcastle to Liverpool
Andy Carroll was enjoying the season of his life at Newcastle when Liverpool came knocking, after selling Torres on the last day of transfer window. Liverpool were short of options and paid a huge fee of £35m on 31st January 2011 for the striker,(the transfer made Carroll the most expensive British born footballer of all-time) and it proved to be a costly error of judgement. An injury sustained in December 2010 delayed his Liverpool debut until March 2011. Carroll was weighed down by the burden of that outrageous transfer fee and the expectation that came with it. It took its toll on the Gateshead born player and he was soon to find himself frozen out by Reds' manager Brendan Rodgers. In August 2012 Liverpool agreed a £2 million season-long loan deal with West Ham. This move was made permanent in June 2013 for a fee of £15 million.
Christian Vieri - Lazio to Inter Milan
Christian Vieri, a prolific scorer who hit the spotlight after having an amazing season with Atletico Madrid in 1997-98, scoring 24 goals in 24 La Liga games, as well as 5 goals in 7 appearances in European competition. The following season the Bologna born striker moved to Lazio for a fee of £22m. Inter Milan boss Marcelo Lippi suggested to his chairman Massimo Moratti that the Italian striker would make an excellent addition to his team and be the perfect strike partner for the Brazilian superstar Ronaldo.So after one season at Lazio, Vieri was signed by Italian giants Inter Milan for a fee reported to be £32million, a world record at the time. Inter would be Vieri's ninth club in his ninth season of being a professional footballer. He went on to score 123 goals in 190 appearances for Inter in all competitions, before leaving in July 2005. Vieri then had spells at four other clubs before retiring in 2009.
Fernando Torres - Liverpool to Chelsea
This former Atletico Madrid striker went on to become one of the best strikers in the world at Liverpool. He became an instant favorite. However, in 2011 he left Liverpool to join Chelsea in for a record breaking fee of £50m. The news he was to leave Liverpool along with the huge transfer fee was considered 'absolutely shocking' at the time. However he has still not justified his fee and or even come anywhere near the form that he showed at Liverpool.
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All the latest transfer gossip across Europe!
With the closure of the January 'transfer window' fast approaching, here is a round up of all of today's transfer gossip across Europe......and it's been a busy day!
Is your club involved?
Chelsea, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Napoli, Sevilla, Everton, Liverpool, AC Milan, Basel, Benfica, PSG, Newcastle, Roma, Barcelona, Arsenal, Valencia, Zenit St Petersburg, Real Mallorca, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Norwich, Leicester, Bolton, Blackburn, Ipswich, Swansea, Tottenham, Juventus, Inter Milan, Stoke, AS Monaco, Newcastle, Montpellier, Celtic, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Sivasspor, Genoa, Bolton, Freiburg, Sunderland, Lille, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, Doncaster, IK Start, Huddersfield, QPR, Cagliari, Fulham, Evian TG and Colchester United............are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.
Chelsea have told Manchester United they will have to pay £40m for Spain midfielder Juan Mata, 25, who is keen to leave Stamford Bridge to secure regular first-team football ahead of the summer's World Cup. Reports emerged overnight claiming that the North-West outfit were considering launching a club-record £37m bid for the Spaniard (pictured right) - All newspapers inc: Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The GuardianAtletico Madrid have entered the race with Manchester United to sign Chelsea's Juan Mata - Marca (Spanish national sport newspaper)
Manchester United have reportedly denied that they have made a bid for Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata - BBC Sport
Bayern Munich defender Dante has claimed that Manchester United have shown an interest in his services. Dante, 30 made forty-five appearances as Bayern won a treble of trophies last season - FOX Sports Brazil
Paris St Germain are preparing a record €80million (£66m) offer to try to sign Chelsea's Eden Hazard in June - France Football (French sports magazine)
Sevilla have reportedly rejected an offer of €12million (£9.9m) from an unnamed club for left-back Alberto Moreno. Rumours have suggested Manchester United and Napoli are interested in Moreno, who has also been linked with Real Madrid and has a release clause in his contract of €30million (£24.7m)- Diario de Sevilla (Sevilla based Spanish newspaper)
Liverpool are waiting to learn the extent of the knee injury that Lucas suffered during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa. If Lucas' injury proves to be serious then Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wants AC Milan midfielder Nigel de Jong to replace the Brazilian - Corrierre dello Sport (Italian national sports newspaper)
Liverpool are preparing an €18m (£15m) offer for Basel's 21 year-old Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah - Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (Swiss daily newspaper)
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he is keen to complete a loan move for AS Monaco striker Lacina Traore this month (subject to a work permit). Traore (pictured right), an Ivory Coast international, joined Monaco earlier in this transfer window from Russian side Anzi Makhachkala - sportsmole.co.uk and transfermarketweb.comNapoli have been linked with a string of players this month and Rafa Benitez is now interested in Barcelona's former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song. The Cameroon international's former Arsenal team-mate Thomas Vermaelan is also wanted by Napoli during the transfer window, according to reports - Sport (Spanish daily sports newspaper) and La Gazzetta dello sport (Italian sports newspaper)
Napoli have been told Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is not for sale - Daily Mirror
Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc wants to sign a midfielder this month, with reporting that Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye and Roma's Miralem Pjanic are the two targets. A €25million (£20.6m) offer could be made for Cabaye. PSG have started talks with Roma about a deal for Pjanic, which could include Javier Pastore heading in the opposite direction - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper)
Newcastle United are yet to receive a bid from Paris Saint-Germain for Yohan Cabaye - despite reports of fresh interest from the oil-rich French giants - Newcastle Cronicle
Miralem Pjanic has left the door open for a move away from Roma following interest from Manchester United - Manchester Evening News
Benfica striker Rodrigo Moreno (right), who had a loan spell at Bolton earlier in his career, is attracting interest from Arsenal, Valencia and Zenit St Petersburg with Benfica rumoured to want a minimum of €25million (£20.6m) before considering a sale - O Jogo (Portuguese daily sport newspaper)
Striker Samuel Eto'o, 32, says he will sign for Real Mallorca when his short-term contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season - Daily Express and Daily Star
Bayern Munich are interested in Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky, with the 33-year-old Czech midfielder's contract to expire soon - Bild (German tabloid newspaper)
Inter Milan vice-president Marcelo Madeiros has reiterated that the club only want to sell Ignacio Scocco after receiving a loan offer for the winger. Sunderland and Cardiff City have been strongly linked with a move for the 28-year-old - skysports.com
Crystal Palace have joined Stoke City in the race to sign £5m rated AS Monaco striker Emmanuel Riviere, 23 - The Times and Daily Mail
A number of clubs are monitoring Crystal Palace Daniel Gabbidon's contract situation at Selhurst Park. Wales international Gabbidon is out of contract at the end of the season and Palace have yet to open talks with him about a new deal. Norwich, Leicester, Bolton, Blackburn and Ipswich are all thought to keeping tabs on the Palace defender - skysports.com
Tottenham could make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin, 27, (pictured right) after the Italian side rejected Manchester United's earlier offer for the Colombian - Le Figaro and L'Equipe (French daily newspapers)Juventus and Inter Milan are going to finalise an exchange between Mirko Vucinic and Fredy Guarin, despite Inter fans strongly criticising this deal - Corriere dello sport (Italian sports newspaper)
Inter Milan have announced that they no longer wish to pursue the swap deal between Fredy Guarin and Mirko Vucinic with Juventus - sportsmole.co.uk
Celtic are willing to offer £6million for Benfica midfielder Filip Djuricic this month. Djuricic only joined Benfica last summer from Heerenveen, but could be allowed to leave for the right price - A Bola (Portuguese newspaper)
Newcastle have reached an agreement to sign Montpellier midfielder Remy Cabella, 23, but the French club say the £12m rated 23 year-old will not join the Magpies until the summer - Metro
Sunderland have completed the signing of goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. He is a 27-year-old Argentinian international. He is a free agent after he was released by Almeria - skysports.com
Fulham are waiting to hear back from Swansea after making an offer for Wales left-back Neil Taylor - skysports.com
West Ham striker Modibo Maiga is in talks with Turkish club Sivasspor - skysports.com and The Times
Nottingham Forest are in talks to sign Sunderland striker Danny Graham on loan. Graham is currently on loan at Hull City, but Steve Bruce is thought to be willing to cut short his loan stay at the KC Stadium following the recent arrivals of Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic - skysports.com
Danny Graham is the man Bolton boss Dougie Freedman has identified to lift the gloom at the Reebok Stadium - The Bolton News
Fábio da Silva could move on loan to the Bundesliga club Freiburg from Manchester United until the end of the season - The Guardian
Hull City manager Steve Bruce wants to sign Ghana international midfielder Sulley Muntari, 29, from AC Milan in a £3.9m deal - The Sun and Daily Star
Hull City striker Matty Fryatt is being linked with a host of clubs. The likes of Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves are all thought to be monitoring the striker's situation closely as they weigh up moves for the forward - skysports.com
Manchester United striker Federico Macheda currently on loan at Doncaster Rovers is on the radar of Fiorentina. Macheda's contract expires in June and the Italian club are interested in the 22 year-old - TMW agency
Arsenal scouts were at the Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Friday to watch Lille left-back Pape Souare (pictured right) play against Saint-Étienne - Daily Mail
Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has emerged as a target for Championship leaders Leicester City. Hennessey's future at Wolves has been the subject of speculation all month with Crystal Palace also interested in his services - skysports.com
Huddersfield have signed midfielder Sondre Tronstad after agreeing a compensation fee with IK Start. The 18-year-old Norway youth international has put pen to paper on a deal until June 2016 and the Terriers have the option of an extra year.
Queens Park Rangers chairman Tony Fernandes has confirmed that Julio Cesar is likely to leave the club before the transfer window closes. Cagliari have shown an interest in signing the goalkeeper and the Brazil international has confirmed he would be open to joining the Serie A club - sportsmole.co.uk and skysports.com
Fulham midfielder Derek Boateng could join Evian TG on loan - L'Equipe (French daily newspaper) Watford are also reportedly interested in the Ghana international - skysports.com
Colchester United have signed 22 year-old Chelsea goalkeeper Sam Walker on a on an 18-month contract - sportsmole.co.uk
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The World’s Richest Football Clubs
Deloitte Football Money League has unveiled its annual money list. They have profiled the top earning football clubs in 2013.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are football’s biggest moneymakers for the fifth straight year, while Manchester United lost its place among the top three biggest-earning clubs for the first time. Despite dropping down the list Manchester United increased their revenue by 13%.
Despite tough economic conditions, particularly within Spain, Real and Barca's ability to generate substantial commercial revenue both domestically and internationally is central to their success.
Both Spanish clubs enjoy substantial revenue from individually negotiated broadcast deals, which is key in contributing to their overall revenue advantage over their European peers.
United, who are enduring a lackluster season under new manager David Moyes, dropped to fourth behind European champions Bayern Munich in the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte.
It is the first time Manchester United have dropped out of the top three but Bayern Munich had an exceptional year. Next year United will have the Chevrolet (shirt sponsorship) deal plus other new commercial deals in their figures, and the new Premier League TV deal so they will be confident they will be back in the top three in twelve months time.
Beyond 2013/14, consistent qualification for the Champions League is key in Manchester United challenging to regain top spot in the Money League, a position it last held in 2003/04.
Two Gulf-owned football clubs rank among the richest in the world, according to Deloitte’s annual money list.
Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain made the biggest growth in 2012-13, shooting up from 10th to 5th.
The club’s global profile was enhanced by David Beckham’s four-month spell in the France championship-winning team.
The largest part of PSG’s income last season came from commercial deals that yielded €255 million. Its sponsors include airline Emirates, kit supplier Nike and the Qatar Tourism Authority.
Manchester City, owned by Abu Dhabi’s Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, moved one place up the rankings to sixth place, aided by their sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways.
Two English Premier League rivals are directly below Manchester City on the list, with Chelsea in seventh, who saw a small decline in revenues to £260 million pounds and Arsenal in eighth whose turnover rose 4% to £243.6 million pounds.
The Top 20 Deloitte Football Money League 2013:
1st: Real Madrid
Madrid stayed top for the ninth straight year after revenue rose slightly to £444.7 million pounds ($703 million/€518.9 million). Regardless of their trophyless 2012/2013 season, they have managed to maintain their top spot. Profitable stars like Cristiano Ronaldo – recently crowned the world’s best player is also a factor for retaining their top spot.
2nd: Barcelona
Barcelona had revenues of £413.6 million pounds ($654 million/€482.6m), $49 million behind Real. They also raked in huge sums commercially thanks to profitable players like Lionel Messi.
3rd: Bayern Munich
Bayern’s income leapt 17 per cent to £369.6 million pounds ($584 million/€431.2m), as the German club won the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.
4th: Manchester United
United were overtaken by Bayer despite revenue growing to £363.2 million pounds ($574 million/€423.8m), thanks partly to their English Premier League title-winning success.
5th: Paris Saint-Germain
Income at PSG soared by 180 per cent to £341.8 million pounds ($540 million/€398.8m) as it won the French league for the first time in 19 years.
6th: Manchester City
The blue side of Manchester saw turnover rise by 17 per cent to £271 million pounds ($449 million/€316.2m), despite the team failing to win a trophy last season. They overhauled Arsenal and Chelsea to become the second richest English Premier League club on the list.
7th: Chelsea
Chelsea's turnover dropped slightly to £260 million pounds ($431 million/€303.4m). This saw the London club drop two places on the money list to seventh place.
8th: Arsenal
Arsenal’s turnover rose to £243.6 million pounds ($404 million/€284.3m), despite failing to win a trophy yet again last season! The purchase of German player, Mesut Ozil at a cost of $70 million resulted in a small drop in revenue.
9th: Juventus
The Turin based club saw a huge rise in total revenue to £233.5 million pounds ($369 million/€272.4m). Their move to a new stadium in 2011 helped boost revenue and they made the most money from the European Champions League in 2013 despite only reaching the quarter-finals.
10th: AC Milan
AC Milan dropped two places to tenth in Deloitte’s list after a modest rise in revenue saw them record £225.8 million pounds ($357 million/€263.5m) in total.
11th: Borussia Dortmund£219.6m/€256.2m
12th: Liverpool£206.2m/€240.6m13th: Schalke 04£169.9m/€198.2m
14th: Tottenham Hotspur£147.4m/€172m
15th: Inter Milan£144.6m/€168.8m
16th: Galatasaray£134.6m/€157m
17th: Hamburg SV£116m/€135.4m
18th: Fenerbahçe£108.3m/€126.4m
19th: AS Roma£106.6m/€124.4m
20th: Atlético de Madrid£102.8m/€120m
Liverpool dropped out of the top ten for the first time since 1999/2000.
Liverpool are five-time European champions but haven't qualified for the continent's most lucrative club competition since 2009. The encouraging sign for Liverpool is that even without European football they saw revenue grow by 9% and might shoot up the list next season thanks to a record TV deal for English clubs.
Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe force their way into the rich list, making it the first time since 2005/06 that two clubs outside the recognized big five league in Europe -- Spain, Italy, Germany, England and France -- have appeared in the top 20.
Galatasaray are the biggest club in Turkey, and boast the biggest name manager in Roberto Mancini, the biggest name players in former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba, ex-Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder and the biggest star in Turkish football in Burak Yilmaz.
Fenerbahçe boast the likes of former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles, fellow former Anfield star Dirk Kuyt and Senegal striker Moussa Sow.
The Istanbul outfit continue to reach UEFA Champions League qualification, and although they have fallen at the play-off stage in each of the last two seasons, the foundations are there to go one better next year.
Those factors all combined make them the highest earning Turkish club on this list. As well as the two Turkish teams, Brazilian club Corinthians also made it into the top 30.
The total combined revenue for the top 20 clubs is up 8% to a staggering €5.4 Billion Euros.
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Babe of the Month - Laure Boulleau
Laure Boulleau was born 22nd October 1986 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Laure is a football player who currently plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain of the Division 1 Féminine. She primarily plays as a defender and is a member of the France women's national football team. Boulleau has made nearly 150 appearances for PSG, scoring 13 goals and has 42 caps for the French women's national side.
Laure began her senior football career in 2003 at CNFE (Fernand Sastre National Technical Centre), commonly referred to as INF Clairefontaine ("Institut national du football de Clairefontaine"), INF, or simply Clairefontaine. She spent two years at the centre that specializes in training French football players. The academy is one of twelve elite academies located in and around France that are supervised by the French Football Federation (FFF). Only the best players from the Île-de-France région train at the Clairefontaine academy.
In 2005 Laure joined Paris Saint-Germain Féminines (PSG Ladies) based in Paris, France. The club has been the female section of Paris Saint-Germain since 1991. PSG Ladies is managed by Camillo Vaz. The Stade Georges Lefèvre of the Camp des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with a capacity of 3,500 seats, is the main stadium of the club. Paris Saint-Germain won the Division 2 Féminine in 2001 and were promoted to the top-tier. Since then PSG has never been relegated from the Division 1 Féminine. The ladies were Cup runner-ups in 2008. PSG captured their first major title and most prestigious honour to date after claiming the Coupe de France Féminine in 2010. In 2011 PSG finished runners-up in Division 1 Féminine and qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in its history, following a decisive victory over second-placed Montpellier in the final match of the season.
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