All posts by h79snht.top

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws believes that his old side will triumph ahead of their Steel City rivals in the fierce battle for promotion to the Championship

With five games remaining, only two points separate Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday in the fight for the second automatic promotion place behind Champions-elect Charlton and the 51-year-old admits that it will probably go right down to the wire but he maintains that the Owls have the nerve and form to hold off the Blades.

“Sheffield Wednesday have a great chance. I have seen them quite a few times this season: they have goals in them, they look organised

“I have got to say, I think Sheffield Wednesday will probably pip Sheffield United just at the final few hurdles, but all of the city of Sheffield would love both teams to go up, but make sure that Sheffield United do it the hard way in the play-offs!”

Wednesday, assisted by in-form striker Gary Madine, have won their last four games under new boss Dave Jones but Laws has been quick to praise the role Gary Megson played in their successful season.

“There has been a lot of work done by Gary Megson and the foundations have been set. Dave Jones has taken it on and continued that good work and I can see them getting stronger each game that goes by.” Laws told Yahoo Sport.

Laws was manager at Hillsborough for a three years between 2006 and 2009 and as a result he fully understands the amount of pressure that Jones currently faces at Hillsborough with high expectations from the fans.

“I remember at Wednesday – a big club, in terms of fan base – during my time we had a very limited budget, in the bottom four of the Championship, so we were actually overachieving.

“For us, the best way to deal with that was to be transparent with the fans so that they had a greater understanding of the situation and the challenges. And it certainly helps to manage the expectation because then they are not getting too carried away. Sometimes you can set expectations too high for a club and it is unachievable.”

For more insight from Brian Laws and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go towww.yahoo.co.uk/sport

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In one of their most difficult challenges of the season, Middlesbrough pulled off the unthinkable as they managed to beat automatic promotion chasing Southampton.

So with Championship teams heading into the final league game, there is still a possibility of Boro reaching this year’s play-offs after all.

Who would have thought it? Well, definitely not me. In my previous blog I had completely lost faith in Boro. I wrote about how our season was definitely over and that the Saints would be sealing their second consecutive promotion with a convincing win over us. I couldn’t have been more wrong, which has left me eating my words.

It did seem like it was all going to go to plan for Southampton when Billy Sharp found an empty net to put the Saints ahead after just forty-six seconds. But Boro obviously hadn’t read the script. A first home goal for Nicky Bailey and a perfectly placed free-kick from Merouane Zemmama in the 77th minute gave us a 2-1 win – ruining the promotion party for the 3,000 travelling fans, as well as handing Reading this year’s Championship trophy. Our late kick-off, Cardiff’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United and the pressure resting mainly on the Saints was a good mix that enabled us to pull off this result – keeping us within reaching distance of the top six.

As it stands, Boro are currently seventh with 70 points and Cardiff City sit in sixth with 72 points. It is a simple situation – the last play-off position and a chance to play West Ham or Southampton will go to either us or them.

The Bluebirds obviously hold all the cards at the minute and it is in their hands to throw away as anything but a loss away to Crystal Palace guarantees them their third consecutive play-off spot – unless they draw and Boro win 10 – 0 away to Watford. I am confident we will win our game so most of the focus will be on proceedings at Selhurst Park. The cliché pre-match quotes are already doing the rounds that “Palace is a hard place to visit” and that “they are a tough team to beat”, but I just think Cardiff are too experienced in this league to throw this opportunity away. However, I was convinced we wouldn’t beat Southampton so what do I know. Anything can happen on Saturday and it is definitely going to be one of the most nerve-wracking and nail-biting afternoons in recent years for us.

The victory over the Saints really was a fantastic and morale-boosting win for the Boro, especially with the Sky Sports cameras watching, and it has left fans full of optimism. The atmosphere at the Riverside during and after the match was electric.

Fans were in full voice throughout the game, with the chants “stand up if you still believe” and “with Tony Mowbray we’re going up” ringing from stand to stand. I haven’t seen the home supporters react like that for a long time and although we are the underdogs this weekend, there seems to be a genuine belief around Middlesbrough again. Not only for the Watford game but also for next season already. This was a huge contrast to the previous match after a bore draw with the worst team in the league, Doncaster Rovers, left fans, including myself, very angry and frustrated.

Regardless of the outcome at the weekend and whether or not we actually reach the play-offs, Boro have given a good account of themselves this season, despite the slide during the past month or so. We have genuinely challenged for the top six in one of the most unforgiving and competitive leagues in the world, so to still be within touching distance as we head into the final game of the season is very respectable, especially after our past few seasons.

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Looking forward, we have a great local chairman and manager who both have the interests of our club at heart and we are obviously moving in the right direction. I am positive we will continue to improve next season and that the fans will soon celebrate promotion back to the Premier League. But for now there is just the small matter of  sixth spot to resolve – come on Crystal Palace and up the Eagles.

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It was billed as the biggest game in Premier League history. For Manchester United it turned out to be an evening to forget. Monday’s demoralising loss at rivals City not only handed their rivals all the bragging rights but virtually presented them with the Premier League trophy. United appeared to be overcome by the occasion turning in a timid display that had Sir Alex Ferguson fuming as he almost came to blows with Mancini on the touchline. It’s not often that Ferguson rises to the mind games of his managerial counterparts but the Italian clearly irked him enough to spark confrontation. For once in his career the 70-year-old was on the losing end of his famed psychological scuffles. Reclaiming top spot won’t be an easy feat for the Red Devils after providing City with a massive boost of momentum with two games remaining. The war of words between Ferguson and Mancini over who has the easier run-in is akin to a meaningless schoolyard spat. Maximum points from Swansea and Sunderland is require to give United a fighting chance.

This week on FFC debate has arisen over whether Wayne Rooney should have been the incumbent of a top end of season award and Hernandez puts his contemporaries to shame.

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Best of FFC

Should Rooney have been given the nod?

When Did Play-acting Become Fashionable in football?

The Top TEN Manchester Derbies of all time – VIDEO

Deep rooted personnel – how would they ever leave their clubs?

Javier Hernandez puts his contemporaries to shame

Fergie keeping tabs on Icelandic ace

Has this January transfer window myth finally been dispelled?

‘The Final Countdown’ – The Football Coffee Break 11

5 ways for Manchester United to stop City

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Best of WEB

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The Complete Waste Of Phil Jones – Red Flag Flying High

“For me it is just another league. For the supporters it is special.” – The Busby Way

We Shall Not Be Moved? – Some Ramblings – 7Cantonas

Hope and despair – United Rant

“That doesn’t mean to say I’m bitter and twisted towards Man United” – The Busby Way

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Is The £7m Rated Kagawa Really The Right Man For Sir Alex? – Transfer Tavern

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Quote of the Week

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“I don’t think we have easy games.  If you go to Sunderland on the last game of the season, with the support they have and the manager they have got, you don’t expect an easy game and the way Swansea has played this season has been admirable. City have got two games left. If they win their two games they win the league.” Sir Alex Ferguson hits back at Roberto Mancini’s claim that Man Utd have an easier run in that title rivals City

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Swansea Preview

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When Luka Modric used the outside of his foot to whip a majestic cross over the entire Spanish defence to his compatriot Ivan Rakitic in Croatia’s Group C game against Spain, Spurs fans must have been hoping that nobody was watching.

Looking on as your star players perform well at international tournaments is always a bittersweet occurrence, especially when you’ve just missed out on the Champions League and said player has got the itch.

The prospect of Modric  remaining in north London, whilst still a possibility, appears unlikely considering the departure of Harry Redknapp, his desire to play in Europe’s top competition and a host of suitors knocking at his door.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest and it’s not hard to see why. Despite the added competition the price is not thought to be as high as it was last year when Chelsea had a £40m bid rejected. Times have changed, Redknapp is gone, Modric’s Croatian team-mate Vedran Corluka suggested that the playmaker could leave and Spurs have the chance to take that money and reinvest it.

However, the problem for Spurs runs deeper than just Modric. There are also rumours that Rafa van der Vaart could be tempted by a move to Schalke to meet up with former boss Huub Stevens. Stevens expressed his desire to work with the Dutchman again and with the Spurs midfielder now 29 he could be open to one last big contract, especially as Schalke are in next year’s Champions League. The former Ajax, Hamburg and Real Madrid man did state that he was willing to stay at Spurs for another year but that was before Redknapp was sacked.

Parker is now 31, with a history of injury problems and is bound to return from Euro 2012 physically exhausted – Tottenham have some difficult decisions to make. Whilst Spurs are lucky enough to have excellent back up to the first team in Huddlestone and Sandro, without the attacking flair of van der Vaart or Modric the midfield would lose some of it’s cutting edge.

This is clearly a crucial time for Spurs. To miss out on the Champions League once or twice can be excused by the players but if they fail to break in to the top four this year the exodus of certain players could begin. Modric was crucial to Spurs’ early season form last year and Tottenham have to decide whether to cash in on the Croatian now or hold to him to his, quite lengthy, contract for another year or two.

It seems somewhat ironic that Spurs, who have so enjoyed, and in fact benefited from Arsenal’s demise in the past decade should now begin to experience some of their rivals’ problems. The prospect of losing your best players is a biannual occurrence for the Gunners as each transfer window brings new rumours. Unless Spurs’ fortunes begin to change, they too could see the vultures circling.

The difference between the two north London clubs is that Arsenal have Champions League football and Spurs have their players tied down to much longer contracts. The problem for Daniel Levy is whether or not an unhappy Modric, held against his will, would perform as well as he has over the past two seasons, especially without the man management skills of Redknapp.

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There are positives for Tottenham fans however. Just as other clubs may be using the European Championships as a shop window for Modric, so too can Spurs look for a replacement. Dzagoev and others have impressed in Poland and Ukraine but just as in their pursuit of a manager, Tottenham need to act fast. Lessons can be learned from Arsenal’s nightmare summer of 2011 in which they dragged their transfer business out until the last day. Spurs must ensure that the mistakes of their rivals are not repeated.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Manchester United winger Nani is thought to want a solution to his contract situation, with a move away from the club on the cards should nothing be resolved in the next fortnight The Sun state.

The tricky wideman has grown in importance at Old Trafford and was impressive in Portugal’s march to the Euro 2012 semi-finals.

However, Nani only has two years left on his contract with Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, and feels that he is entitled to a new deal and a salary increase.

He is currently earning approximately £90,000-a-week, but is keen to increase this by £30,000 – £40,000.

Despite Nani being keen to increase the length of his contract, United are now considering their options. They have already signed Shinji Kagawa this summer and are also keen to add Porto winger James Rodriguez to their contingent.

Along with existing widemen Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, Ferguson appears to have an abundance of talent on the flanks.

Nani is valued at around the £25 million mark, and Juventus are known to be monitoring the situation; it remains to be seen whether United will look to extend the player’s stay at the club or cash-in on him before his value drops.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Robin van Persie has not travelled with Arsenal on their pre-season tour, as the club admitted that they have turned down three offers for their Dutch striker. Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that Manchester United are one of those club’s who have made an opening offer, believed to be around £15m, but they are falling well short of the Gunners’ valuation.

Elsewhere in the news Oscar confirms that he hasn’t signed any contract at Chelsea; Luka Modric wasn’t at training yesterday fuelling rumours that he is off to Real Madrid, while Liverpool are closing in on Joe Allen.

Headlines

Sir Alex confirms Arsenal’s report that Manchester United is one of those teams who have tabled a bid for Robin van Persie – [Sky Sports]

Liverpool is closing in on a deal for Swansea midfielder Joe Allen – [Sky Sports]

Oscar confirms that he has had a medical at Chelsea but hasn’t signed any contracts, stating he will decide on his future at the end of the Olympics – [Guardian]

Luka Modric was the notable absentee from Tottenham’s training session, fuelling rumours that he is closing in on his move to Real Madrid – [Guardian]

John W Henry has confirmed that Brendan Rodgers is under no pressure to finish in the top four next season – [Guardian]

Gareth Southgate has decided to step down from the FA after only 18 months in the job – [Daily Telegraph]

Stuart Pearce believes that the Olympics will create the same unique spirit around the nation that was experienced in Euro 96 – [Daily Telegraph]

Emmanuel Adebayor is holding out for better terms at Tottenham Hotspur, after the North Londoners agreed a deal with Manchester City – [Independent]

Romelu Lukaku has reiterated his desire to leave Chelsea on loan next season if he fails to secure regular football – [Independent]

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Tottenham scouts watched Brazil strikers Leandro Damiao and Hulk in action against Great Britain ahead of a possible bid for the duo – [Daily Mail]

PLEASE NOTE – click on the sources to view the original articles

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Nicklas Bendtner looks set to leave Arsenal in the near future, with AC Milan and Galatasaray fighting it out for the player’s signature according to The Daily Mail.

The burly forward spent last season on loan at Sunderland after it became apparent that he was not part of Arsene Wenger’s plans, but the Black Cats have opted not to make the attacker’s move to the Stadium of Light permanent.

After an impressive showing for Denmark at Euro 2012 Bendtner has seen his options increase, with a number of European clubs now considering an approach for him.

A fee of around £7.5 million is expected to be commanded by the Gunners, with AC Milan and Galatasaray the main sides in contention for his signature.

The Rossoneri are in dire need of a new striker after offloading Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain, and are said to be ready to sign Bendtner at a discounted price.

The Turks are back in Champions League football for next term and as such are keen to bolster their firepower.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The last time I wrote I started by saying “don’t get carried away”. Well despite the weekend’s result, my feet are still cautiously on the ground.

However, if we leave Leicester with three more points and another effortless performance, then I fear there will be many Blackpool fans getting very excited. And who could blame them?

This is already our best start for many years, and if we make it four consecutive league wins we will top the league with 12 points and already have racked up a goal difference of at least +10. A very, very impressive start.

At the moment, us Blackpool fans are experiencing that joyous combination of both brilliant football and great results. It might not last, results wise, but it will almost certainly continue to entertain us. This purple patch has come after three years of measured progress on and off the pitch. Since Holloway’s arrival he has changed the structure and philosophy of the club. We play a brand of football that everybody loves to watch. A brand of football that doesn’t change, no matter who we play or what the score. And off the pitch, we actually have a youth structure that plays the same way, making progressing from reserves to first team easier for younger players. And, being a lover of pure football, I am so glad this has happened to my club and really, it’s all down to Ian Holloway.

I’ll always remember hearing a quote from the delightful Mick McCarthy which put me into a rage-induced coma. After yet another uninspiring performance which disgustingly gained three points, he said “We don’t have to entertain anybody”.

I was gobsmacked that he could possibly have that opinion. I ranted for weeks to whoever would listen (nobody). So you can imagine my delight when I heard Ian Holloway’s post-match comments this week. Despite winning 6-0, he was annoyed with the first half performance as it wasn’t as fluid as he expected. But this wasn’t sign of arrogance. He was just disappointed that the football wasn’t as entertaining as it should have been. He went on to say “Anyone paying to watch football these days deserves to be entertained because it’s so expensive. That’s all I’m striving for… We aren’t in real life here – we are just here to entertain people.”

It is comments like these that have made our recent results so satisfying. It’s not just that we are winning, but that the results are almost a second priority to entertaining football. And long may it continue. I am sure we can all agree that watching football is very sodding expensive, and too many managers forget that it is an entertainment business. Thankfully, with the recent rise of the continental style, we are seeing more teams adopt a more exciting approach right through the leagues, from Swindon to Swansea.

So, can this football keep getting the results?

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Well, we head to Leicester, a team Holloway hasn’t beaten since they sacked him. In fact, we only gained our first point against them under Holloway last year. Away from home, against a good Leicester side who haven’t started as well as they will have wanted, all makes for a very tough test. In fact, this is probably our toughest test yet.

But by Saturday we will know what our squad will be for the next 4 months. If Matt Phillips is still here, I can’t see him being left out much longer. His addition to the starting line-up could be massive, with teams surely starting to focus on Tom Ince, having another goalscoring winger on the pitch will be priceless. A reason I seriously hope we keep hold of him no matter what the price. Other rumours about Baptiste, Ince and a few others are still cropping up, but I can’t really see anybody wanting to leave. Holloway is still after a striker, so we could still see a new face by kick off on saturday, but to tell you the truth, I would happily take a loss on saturday in favour of keeping hold of everyone in our current squad.

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The chairmen of Premier League clubs are to be presented with a range of possible financial controls to limit spending.

The league’s top executives have produced a discussion paper on financial controls for the chairmen to consider which could eventually lead to clubs being forced to break even every year – or face sanctions. This would mean a serious blow to clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea who have return significant losses in recent years. There is strong support at other clubs for such controls – Wigan chairman Dave Whelan said on Wednesday that measures to cut spending were needed urgently, while Manchester United originally sparked the move at the league’s meeting earlier in the summer.

No decision will be made on any measures when they are presented on Thursday – instead two groups of 10 clubs, each with clubs mixed up to reflect size and region, are to be formed to discuss the options in more detail. Whelan’s own club Wigan have also operated at a loss – the Latics returned a net loss for the year ending May 2011 of £7.2million – but even he is in favour of the controls. He told Sky Sports “some clubs are spending way more than they can afford and get into trouble – look at Portsmouth.”

Manchester United’s chief executive David Gill has been one of the driving forces behind European clubs accepting UEFA’s financial fair play rules for clubs in the Champions League and Europa League to only spend what they earn, and he wants the Premier League to follow suit. The Football League have also introduced a similar system into the Championship and Gill believes the top flight should bring in similar measures.  Gill, also speaking to Sky Sports, said last week:

“A lot of clubs would be happy just to introduce the financial fair play regulations into the Premier League now, some wouldn’t, but that’s a debate that has to have happened. And it will happen. If you look at it we’ve got financial regulations in the league below us, the Championship, and the competition above us, the Champions League, so we need to do it.”

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 Arsenal’s assistant manager Steve Bould said he was delighted with the performance of newly acquired striker Lukas Podolski following Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Montpellier last night, reports The Mirror.

Bould was in charge for the night due to manager Arsene Wenger’s European touchline ban picked up in a last-16 tie against AC Milan last season. He said that he is impressed every time he sees his star striker play: “Podolski’s made a real impact. I’ve not seen many finishers as good as him – ever.”

The German international, who signed for Arsenal on loan from Cologne for an undisclosed fee in the summer, has now scored in each of his last three games for the Gunners.

“Right foot, left foot. They always go in at 100mph in training,” Bould said.

“He’s a good trainer, a good boy, he’s really added something this year.”

Meanwhile, Bould also admitted that one should not underestimate the importance of Arsenal’s victory in France last night: “It’s fabulous to get an early away win. We’ve had a decent start to the season and it’s important to keep the run going so it’s important all round, for the whole season.”

Thanks to the win in the south of France last night, Arsenal must surely be feeling optimistic about their chances of progressing to the last-16 stages of the Champions League already, with two successive home games against Olympiakos and Schalke 04 which they will be expected to win.

Bould attributed the hard fought victory to the togetherness that is currently evident within the camp: “We’ve got great team spirit and I think that was evident tonight. Everybody’s digging in and things are looking okay.”

In the week Arsene Wenger tipped Bould – who has led the Arsenal under-18 side to several league and cup titles – to be a future manager at the club. However, Bould is unsure whether he is ready to take the mantle of being a manager just yet.

“I’m not sure I enjoyed it. I’ve got a headache and a half.,” Bould added.

“It’s tough. It’s a different pressure to what I’ve been used to taking the under-18s but we won and we had a great result.”

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The Gunners had to come from behind when Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen was alleged to have bundled over Montepellier’s Younes Belhanda in the penalty area. The Moroccan international duly stepped up with an audacious chip to deceive Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

However, two goals in two first-half minutes from Podolski and Ivorian striker Gervinho ensured that Arsenal managed to hang on to the three points despite a dogged effort from Montpellier in the second half.