Midfielder Tim Cahill believes a first win of the Premier League season is just around the corner for an improving Everton.
The Toffees saw their winless run stretch to six games following a goalless draw with Fulham last weekend.
David Moyes’ side face Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Saturday and Cahill believes it is only a matter of time before results begin to mirror performances.
“We would have loved to have got our first win but it obviously just makes us hungrier now,” he told the Liverpool Daily Post.
“We knew how tough it was going to be especially with our position in the table which put more pressure on the game.”
Speaking about the resumption of his strike partnership with Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Cahill added:“We started off really bright and sharp and it’s been a while since I have had a chance to play up front with him.
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“We played well and had a few chances and got close to scoring. The football was positive.”
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How dull is the Carlos Tevez affair becoming? The Argentinean striker has caused controversy in every year that he has been in English football, whether it’s his fault or not, and many people will be glad to see the back of him, but not me.
The former Boca Juniors and Corinthians hitman was credited with keeping West Ham in the Premier League in 2007 after scoring vital goals in huge games that helped the Upton Park side beat the drop on the final day of the season at Old Trafford. His time in the East End though was overshadowed by the third party ownership from meddler and agent Kia Joorabchian that resulted in the Hammers paying around £25million over four years to relegated Sheffield United. Tevez unsurprisingly moved to Manchester United that summer where he felt he was harshly treated throughout by Sir Alex Ferguson even though he did manage to score 34 goals in 99 games that earned him a move to arch-rivals Manchester City for a reported £35million+ deal that is one of the biggest ever in English football.
Tevez, who turns 28 on Sunday, hit the prime of his career last season, becoming City captain, leading them to FA Cup glory, a Champions League spot and 23 goals in 39 games. The Argentine was a vital member of the Blues side that created history under Roberto Mancini. However, Tevez revealed he wanted to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer with a move to his native Argentina the preferred option to allow him to be with his family. But City could not get the required funds from any club and Tevez was told to stay. Since then Mancini has claimed that Tevez refused to warm up in a Champions League defeat away at Bayern Munich and he has not played since after being dropped and suspended by the club. So it was a certainty that Tevez would leave Manchester in January, but with just over 24-hours to go of the transfer window, Tevez remains a City player.
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But in amongst the lengthy transfer saga, I feel that the majority of people are forgetting just how good Tevez is and that on his day he is one of the best strikers in the world. Scoring 52 goals in 84 games at City and an overall record of a goal in nearly every other game in his career is certainly an attractive stat that should be remembered. Plenty of clubs wouldn’t go anywhere near Tevez in this window as his off the field history is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about him and City’s understandably high asking price is a stumbling block.
Unfortunately for Tevez his agent Joorabchian’s approach to transfers have definitely had an effect on his move but it would be nice to hear from the player himself. The main man at City last year will need a few weeks to get match fit after not playing for so long but it would not surprise me if he went on to score bundles of goals if he was to move on this week and silence any critics that don’t really know what has happened at City.
Tevez will always score goals, work extremely hard and win a team games, well worth the asking price in my opinion and someone will take him in the summer if not tomorrow. The striker is one cap away from 60 for Argentina and although he is not far off of turning 30, he may still have a good few years left in him. A bad attitude? I’m not sure, but a world class footballer? Yes.
What do you make of the Carlos Tevez affair? Let me know on Twitter @Brad_Pinard
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When looking into the history of the illustrious, handsome, and most stimulating club in British football, you would find many a hero. The double-winning side are all heroes, but success does not create cult heroes.
Today I want to look at cult heroes. A cult hero is a maverick, one who is often idolised by little pockets of fans. These players are revered for their oddities and their individuality and not so much for their greatness or success on the pitch.
I am going more along the lines of Ramon Vega, Andy Sinton, Gary Doherty (the ginger Pele) and David Ginola, rather than legends such as Greaves, Lineker, Blanchflower, Perryman, Mackay, Bobby Smith, Cliff Jones, Glenn Hoddle and Gary Mabutt.
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If his players still perform, then it appears that Carlo Ancelotti couldn’t care less about what they do away from the pitch. As long as it doesn’t affect their performance, then apparently they can be as free and easy as they so desire. Ancelotti said:
“I’m not interested in the private life of my players. It’s not involved in our job. I think private life has to be private life. John Terry was able to keep his private problem outside of the training ground, and for that reason he remained captain of Chelsea.”
Does he have a point? Certainly in terms of a boss of a group of employees, their private life should be irrelevant. If they continue to do their job to a level that is satisfactory to their bosses, then that is as far as the issue goes within that environment. The area becomes a murkier shade of grey with professional footballers because they are in the public eye, and considered role models, especially to impressionable children.
On a personal level, I decided a long time ago that my opinion of footballers as people, and how I follow them on the pitch were two different things. I am under the impression that I would have very little in common with most players and probably wouldn’t get on with them very well, but that doesn’t mean I don’t will them to do well on the pitch (I should stress this all depends on the individual and the team they play for).
For example, as a Chelsea fan, I count my lucky stars that we have Ashley Cole, who, no arguments please, is the best left-back in the world. I also however, think he is pretty moronic, and believe that he has truly messed up a good thing in regards to his marriage and personal life. It doesn’t stop me wanting him to do well for Chelsea and England, and if he chooses to live his life in that way, then that is his choice to make.
I also don’t believe – perhaps slightly naively – that there are vast numbers of young men who live their personal lives in homage to Rooney, Cole and Terry. People have their own morals, and don’t do things because Wayne Rooney says it’s ok. I don’t know if the recent allegations about Wayne Rooney’s infidelity are true or not, and I’m not that bothered either way, partly because my name is not Coleen, but mainly because it has no personal effect on my life.
The moment that John Terry’s form dipped during the media furore last season, was the moment I started being bothered by the whole situation, and the moment I felt like I had been wronged in some way. I can even remember thinking we were going to lose out on the league as a result, thanks to that outing at Goodison Park, when Terry had one of his worst games in a Chelsea shirt. Am I being selfish, maybe a little.
I don’t think I am alone. Most fans want their team to do as well as possible at all costs. After last weekend’s stories about Wayne Rooney, people will either not believe them, or ignore them. Very few fans of Rooney will have changed their opinion of the man over the last week. If you asked England fans whether they would have wanted Rooney to be dropped for the game against Switzerland, the silence would have been deafening.
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that he and his players are delighted at Paul Scholes’ return from retirement, as the veteran midfielder played a part in his side’s 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday.
The Red Devils raced into a 3-0 first half lead at the Etihad Stadium, with a Wayne Rooney double and a Danny Welbeck strike giving the visitors a clear advantage.
Despite Vincent Kompany being sent off, goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Sergio Aguero pulled City back into contention, but the Premier League champions held on for a derby victory.
Scholes came off the bench for the last half hour, and despite being slightly at fault for City’s second goal, received praise from Ferguson.
“The last few weeks, Paul has been training very hard with the reserves and doing a lot of work in the gym,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.
“He came to see me and said ‘I regret retiring’. There are no negatives for me. The players have been delighted. I am delighted. The fans are delighted.
“The last few weeks he has been stepping up his training and been taking part in our training sessions during the week.
“It is a terrific addition to our squad at a very important part of our season,” he concluded.
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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri has denied that the club would back away from signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic permanently.The Swede’s successful reintroduction to the Serie A, following a poor first season in La Liga with Barcelona, has been soured by on-field disciplinary issues.
Ibrahimovic is serving a three-match suspension for abusing a match official during the side’s win over Fiorentina which resulted in a straight red card.
It was also his second red card in consecutive matches which prompted Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi to publicly express his disappointment with the former Blaugrana player’s behaviour.
But the Rosseneri coach dismissed comments that it could lead to the striker’s departure in the summer.
“I believe that Ibra will stay at Milan and that he has been exemplary this season aside from this month in which he has paid dearly for inappropriate behaviour,” Allegri said.
“He has done extraordinary things above all in the first five months and he’ll get back on track after his suspension.”
“I believe that Ibra wanted to repay us after his initial two-match ban so it’s a great disappointment for him to be suspended again.”
New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson was full of praise for England midfielder Joe Cole, after he made a fine debut for the Reds in the 2-0 home win over Rabotnicki in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Cole lasted the full 90 minutes at Anfield and Hodgson was delighted with the former Chelsea man's performance.
He told the club's official website:"His energy and enthusiasm meant he had a really good home debut.
"Joe is desperate to play. He came here because he thought he might get the opportunity to start more games than he did at Chelsea.
"He is a very enthusiastic, effervescent footballer who the more he plays, the happier he is. He is the type of player who wants to play every minute of every game.
"Whether that is going to be possible is another matter, but it's a good quality to have.
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"Joe can play a lot of positions, but it is going to be a question of where we need him most and how he will fit in best with us and the rest of the players.
"When you have got a player of his quality, you work hard to get him on the field and you put him on the field in a position where he is going to best serve the team."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City travel to Stamford Bridge on Monday night knowing a win over Chelsea could see them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
It will be a tough ask for Roberto Mancini’s men to overcome the Blues in West London following their confidence boosting 3-0 wins over Wolves and Newcastle. Andre Villas-Boas’ side turned the Geordies over in their own back yard last week to lift themselves back into the top four and ease the pressure on their managers shoulders. The former Porto coach’s job had come under increasing scrutiny after home defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks whilst a fall out with owner Roman Abramovich was reported in the press. However they’ve snapped out of their turgid run of form with two encouraging performances and two clean sheets despite still looking shaky at the back. John Terry and David Luiz still don’t look comfortable playing beside one another and the latter was lucky not see red after hauling Demba Ba down in the fourth minute as he bore down on Petr Cech’s goal. What has been most impressive about Chelsea in the last few weeks has been the understanding generated by the front three of Juan Mata, Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge. The latter was unstoppable on Tyneside last week as he dominated the right side with his speed and strength seeing him win a penalty and score late on to seal the game. Drogba has also rediscovered his form with another powerhouse display at St James’ Park whilst Mata continues to get better every week. All three will need to be in top form if the Blues are to overcome the lead leaders.
City are simply unstoppable at the moment and chalked up yet another high-scoring win last weak sticking five past helpless Norwich at the Etihad Stadium. It’s now 12 victories from 14 for Mancini’s side who continue to lead rivals United by five points at the Premier League summit and they know extending that is a real possibility should the Red Devils drop points on Saturday. Despite extending their unbeaten run last week they’ll travel to West London knowing they won’t be in for an easy ride against Chelsea. Mancini know the Blues forward line is currently in red-hot form and will be keen for his defence to snuff out Drogba and co at every opportunity and prevent them from even testing Joe Hart. However with the brittle nature of the home side’s defence City will be counting on their attacking players to punish any mistakes made the fragile Luiz. Sergio Agüero was inspired aganst the Canaries last week whilst David Silva produced yet another virtuoso performance. Getting the ball to the Spaniards feet and letting him work his magic will be the key to success in the capital.
Chelsea – 4th
Last Five: Won 3-0 v Newcastle (H), Won 3-0 v Wolves (H), Lost 2-1 v Liverpool (H), Won 1-0 v Blackburn (A), Lost 5-3 v Arsenal (H), Lost 1-0 v QPR (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. P. Cech 2. B. Ivanovic 26. J. Terry [C] 4. D. Luiz 3. A. Cole 6. O. Romeu 7. Ramires 8. F. Lampard 10. J. Mata 11. D. Drogba 23. D. Sturridge*
Injury News: Villas-Boas has no new injury worries with Michael Essien the only player currently in the Stamford Bridge treatment room.
Key Player: Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge was the star of the show once again for Chelsea putting in another industrious display down the right flank at Newcastle last week. The youngster was a constant menace on Saturday giving Magpies full back Ryan Taylor his toughest afternoon of the season. His speed and strength won the Blues a penalty and a goal for himself at St James’ Park although he could have had more if not for goalkeeper Tim Krul. More terrorising forays down the wing will be expected as he comes face-to-face with his old club.
Match Fact: Chelsea have a good record at Stamford Bridge against City winning nine of the fourteen Premier League meetings between the two sides.
Manchester City – 1st
Last Five: Won 5-1 v Norwich (H), Drew 1-1 v Liverpool (A), Won 3-1 v Newcastle (H), Won 3-2 v QPR (A),Won, 3-1 v Wolves (H)
Potential Starting X11: 25. J. Hart 2. M. Richards 4. V. Kompany* 6. J. Lescott 22. G. Clichy 18. G. Barry 42. Y. Toure 21. D. Silva 7. J. Milner 19. S. Nasri 16. S. Aguero
Injury News: Mancini will be without left back Aleksandar Kolarov for the trip to West London whilst Owen Hargreaves also remains out.
Key Player: Vincent Kompany
With the likes of Agüero and Silva doing the business in the City attack it’s been a relatively comfy ride for Kompany and his back four. However when called upon the Belgian giant has completed his tasks with consummate ease. His strength in the air and no nonsense approach will be key to Mancini’s side coming away from Stamford Bridge with maximum points. His tussle with Drogba will be one to look out for.
Match Fact: City’s record in West London doesn’t make easy reading with only two wins in 14 Premier League visits. Their 4-2 success in February 2010 was their first since they beat they had beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since January 1993.
Last Time at Stamford Bridge
Premier League 20 March 2011
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
Luiz (78) Ramires (90)
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Attendance: 41,741
Referee: Chris Foy
PREDICTION
Chelsea’s win over Newcastle last week will have boosted their confidence and lifted the pressure even further of Villas-Boas’ shoulders. With Sturridge, Drogba and Mata leading the attack they have the quality to beat the league leaders. However City are unstoppable at this current time and they don’t look like letting their momentum cease for a second. They’ll be coming out all guns blazing as they look to maintain their advantage at the top ahead of rivals United.
There is a common opinion that footballers are lazy, greedy and arrogant. This is a cheap and easy band wagon to jump on and I want to stress that not all footballers are like this. I understand that footballers are paid to play football and you might think they should be judged on that alone. But, whether they want to be or not, footballers are heroes to kids all across the world and that makes them role models too.
While some footballers are lovely, highly respectable professionals, some are far from that. The worst role models are those who are high profile players, likely to be idolised by thousands of kids. From cheating to being arrested, the ways some players represent themselves is shameful. Here are the top ten footballers who are the worst role models.
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Veteran defender Sol Campbell looks set to sign for Newcastle United ahead of the new Premier League season.
The 35-year-old former England international had been in talks with both Sunderland and Celtic alongside Arsenal where he ended last season.
However, he appears to have settled on the Magpies where he is now expected to sign a one-year contract at St James' Park.
Campbell arrived in the north-east on Tuesday morning prior to a medical before being confirmed as manager Chris Hughton's third signing of the summer.
Hughton has added utility man James Perch and former Everton full-back Dan Gosling to his ranks in recent weeks.
However, with first-choice centre-back Steven Taylor struggling with a shoulder injury ahead of the new campaign, the current squad is short on numbers at the back.
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"If I look at what we've got at this moment, defence is probably the area where we're a little bit light," admitted Hughton on Monday.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email