Tag Futebol

The manner in which Tony Pulis’ Stoke have established themselves in the Premier League hasn’t been to everybody’s taste, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be lauded for what is undoubtedly an impressive achievement. After his reappointment in 2006, Pulis and Stoke earned automatic promotion to England’s top flight on the final day of the 2007/08 season.

Despite initially being favourites for relegation the following season, Stoke surprised many in the first year back at the top. Victories against Arsenal, Aston Villa, Spurs and Man City would be indicative of the force that Stoke would come to represent – not necessarily feared but always respected.

Pulis’ finest achievement would come in the 2010/11 season as he guided Stoke to a place in the Europa League, courtesy of their place in that season’s FA Cup final (Man City, the winners, had already qualified for the Champions League).

In order to facilitate their European ambitions they signed, among others, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Jonathan Woodgate, and Matthew Upson. In fact Stoke’s current squad boasts a selection of players who have played for some of the top teams in English football including: Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Stoke’s ambition should not be doubted. Over the last five years Stoke have spent over £68m on transfers despite having only sold players to the effect f £8m over the same period. The only teams to have a higher net spend during this time were Chelsea and Manchester City.

However, having made such investments are Stoke in serious danger of regressing next season? Last season Stoke finished 14th with 45 points. – their lowest position and points tally since they rejoined the Premier League.

Clearly the burden of European football will have affected their performances yet this is also the strongest squad Stoke have had in decades. Stoke may have established themselves in the league, and may have clawed their way up to European football but as many a Premier League manager will testify: establishing yourself as a European club is considerably harder than doing it on a domestic level.

Without a change in direction for next season Stoke’s hopes of continuing to rise through the table could be severely hampered. Regardless of the extra games they had to play, Stoke were a far less effective side than they had been in previous seasons. They conceded more goals than in the previous two seasons and their record at The Britannia was also considerably worse than the two previous years.

Stoke may be in possession of players with a higher level of technical ability but until Pulis manages to use them with the same level of efficiency that he did with his previous, more rugged, players Stoke will continue to struggle.

After such a defined, effective strategy of physical football have sacrificed tried and tested tactics in search of club progression. A season in to this semi-transformation and the club has regressed domestically.

Next season could be pivotal, established Premier League sides can always go down, just ask Leeds, Newcastle of West Ham, and money doesn’t buy security.

Moreover, having already spent considerable sums of money it seems unlikely that Peter Coates would be willing to invest similar funds again.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

In Pulis Stoke have an astute manager who has proven his worth both tactically and in the transfer market but another season like 2011/12 and Stoke could find themselves fearing relegation once more. They’ve come a long way since 2008 but if things don’t change at The Britannia it could be a short journey back to where they came from.

Follow Hamish on twitter @H_Mackay

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

One of the most positive results of this year’s transfer deadline day was Tottenham Hotspur managing to keep hold of Croatian playmaker Luka Modric. To many this can be seen as a victory for football and evidence that player power doesn’t always win.

The Croat had previously admitted his desire to leave the North London club earlier this summer but his request was met with a firm response from Chairman Daniel Levy , the player would not be sold. Chelsea made no secret of the fact that they wished to sign him and had three separate bids rejected by Spurs.

The final bid, according to manager Harry Redknapp , came on the 30th of August and it is believed to have been worth £40m, £30m cash plus Blues defender Alex as part of the deal. Spurs stood firm and again rejected the advances of their London rivals.

Modric made a number of attempts to seal his exit from White Hart Lane and met with Levy more than once to discuss his future. Although the message from the club was clear a number of people, from the media especially thought it near impossible for them to hold on to an unhappy player.

The Croat’s exit seemed even more likely when he asked to be left out of the Spurs squad that travelled north to face champions Manchester United and even Redknapp made comments that indicated his departure could be likely.

More evidence to suggest Modric would be sold was the fact that Spurs had been in a similar situation in August 2008, when Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov sparked a similar sequence of events in an effort to secure his eventual transfer to United. Levy had at first taken the same hard line stance and insisted the player would not leave, but on deadline day he completed a £31m transfer.

Though it seems both Chairman and club have learnt from this and were determined not to lose arguably their best player, and especially not to one of their biggest rivals. The player stated he wanted to play Champions League football, but as manager Redknapp suggested keeping players like Modric will help get them back into Europe’s premier competition.

Similar again to this was Carlos Tevez’s situation at Manchester City, like Modric he had only recently signed a new contract but decided he now wanted to leave the club and yet again most expected him to do so. Like Spurs City stood firm and both players remain at their respective clubs.

Although many will argue that you can’t keep unhappy players this has to be seen as a victory for football as a whole. Players have for too long have been seen as the ones holding the power in the game but the situation of both Modric and Tevez demonstrates that this is not always the case.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Though it remains to be seen how dedicated they will be to the cause this year but for now both clubs have managed to hang on to two of their most prized assets.

Article courtesy of Patrick Giffney from This is Futbol

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]

It was fascinating to watch Theo Walcott’s interview after Arsenal’s FA Cup 3rd Round tie at the Emirates versus Leeds a few weeks ago. Having won his side a penalty in the 88th minute that Fabregas converted – saving Arsenal’s blushes and earning a replay – he admitted he had dived to win a penalty earlier on in the game.

On one side, it’s refreshing to hear a professional footballer be so honest in front of the camera. With the increase in media coverage in the last decade, players often have lessons in how to deal with the media and what to say and not to say in interviews. But in this interview with Walcott, he admitted he took a dive and apologised for doing so. Although I appreciate his apology, many professionals would avoid the subject altogether – he commented  about having a “laugh” with the referee after the game saying it was “his first dive, could you tell?” It makes you question how often this goes on within the game.

However, Walcott also mentioned the common saying in the game “if you feel a slight touch then go down” which has often caused debate over the whole diving issue. It is often seen as ‘smart’ when a player goes into a committed challenge to win a penalty or free-kick – it’s not seen as form of cheating but more like wise trickery. However, going down without being touched is as dishonest as you can get from a professional, not only are they conning the referee but they are cheating the opposition and the fans in order for their own team’s gain.

It reminds me of a story from earlier on in the season when Blackpool’s Ian Evatt claimed that referee, Howard Webb, told him and his fellow Blackpool players to “go to ground” if they want more chance of winning a free-kick. Webb’s point was that it is easier for referees to make a decision when they have a clear indication the player has been fouled.

The story came about when Webb was at Bloomfield Road as part of an FA Scheme to ease relationships between players and referees. Evatt had asked Webb why he hadn’t been given a free-kick during their game against Manchester City in a build-up to one of their goals. Webb had told him he was “too honest” by staying on his feet.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

So if referees are telling players to go to ground, what does it mean for Theo Walcott in his admission to diving? He could still face an FA charge over the incident but at least now he has a strong case to back it up.

[divider]

Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the Bolton v Chelsea match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!

Tottenham have identified Portugal star Joao Moutinho as a possible replacement for outgoing Luka Modric according to The Daily Mail.

The Porto playmaker has starred for the Iberian nation this summer at Euro 2012, but unfortunately missed a penalty in Portugal’s semi-final elimination at the hands of Spain.

With Andre Villas-Boas red-hot favourite to take over the vacant managerial position at White Hart Lane after Harry Redknapp’s dismissal, a move for the man he used to coach could well be on the cards.

Tottenham are resigned to losing Croatian star Modric, with Real Madrid leading the chase for the attacking midfielder’s signature.

As such the north London side will need a replacement, and although they are keen to bring Gylfi Sigurdsson to the club, Moutinho has also emerged as a suitable target.

Moutinho joined the Portuguese champions from Sporting Lisbon back in 2010 and has made 48 international appearances for his country.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’inblog’ align=’left’]

Newly promoted QPR haven’t had the best of pre-seasons ahead of their first Premier League campaign in 15 years. The optimism around Loftus Road has quickly turned to sheer misery with very little transfer activity and the revelation that captain and talisman Adel Taarabt wants to leave. Manager Neil Warnock hasn’t let it get him down although he has had to scrape the bottom of the bargain bin to strengthen his squad. Striker Jay Bothroyd and the injury prone former West Ham pairing of Kieron Dyer and Daniel Gabbidon have joined on free transfers. DJ Campbell will be hoping to replicate his 13 goal haul for Blackpool last season after signing for £1.25 million. But the squad still looks threadbare and missing some quality in vital areas.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle has been very busy in the transfer market bringing in free agents Nigel Reo-Coker and Darren Pratley to boost his midfield. Burnley pair Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears also moved to the Reebok Stadium although the latter broke his leg just a few days after signing. The same injury also struck down Chung Yong-Lee with the influential Korean winger out for the season. Coyle will be looking for his charges to improve on a disappointing 14th place finish after looking set to end the season in the top half. The 5-1 hammering from Stoke City in the FA Cup semi final sparked the downward spiral and the Wanderers boss will hope that the squad have shaken that off come the first whilst on Saturday. Still light in the striking department it’s likely that Coyle will dip his toes into the market again for a frontman to fire them into European contention.

It’s going to be a tough season for QPR and I’m afraid it’s going to start at home against Bolton on Saturday who will provide a rather harsh welcome back.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Verdict: 0-2

Fancy a flutter ahead of the Premier League kick-off – visit Goaldash to find out more information… Good Luck!

It seems like Avram Grant’s time as West Ham manager may well be up. It was reported in The Guardian yesterday that Grant has two games against Barnsley in the FA Cup and Birmingham in the Carling Cup to save his job and time is most certainly ticking on his West Ham tenure. This comes after Wednesday’s 5-0 hammering at the hands of Newcastle and former West Ham manager Alan Pardew at St James’ Park, an embarrassing result that brought an abrupt end to the Hammers’ improved form in the Premier League. West Ham are now rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and the chairmen aren’t happy. Here’s West Ham chairman David Gold looking at his watch, but what is he thinking?

Leave your suggestions below…

[divider]

This week you can win a copy of FIFA 11!

FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity – on and off the ball – for every player and at every position on the pitch with Personality+, an all-new feature that sees individual abilities reflected in game, enabling clear differentiation for every player.

For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: Paul McConnell – click here to see all entries

Roy Hodgson is looking forward to having Wayne Rooney back in the starting line-up and believes he is privileged to have a player of his quality at his disposal:

“Wayne’s a quality player, a world-class player. His ability is a bit special. You’re lucky if you’re a manager of a national team to have players of his quality available. Hopefully, he’ll make life that bit easier for us going into the next game when we need another result.”

Hodgson has refuted talk that there is a weight of expectation on the shoulders of Wayne Rooney and believes that it is part and parcel of being a top class player:

“This is part of being a top, top player in an important national team. If you are Sweden it’s Ibrahimovic, if it’s Ukraine I’m sure it’s Shevchenko. If it’s England it’s about Rooney and Gerrard and if it’s France it’s about Ribéry and Nasri. You trust these players who have put up with this kind of pressure in their lives for a long time, and that they know how to deal with it.

“Wayne won’t need reminding if he plays well on Tuesday everybody will be saying fantastic things about him. If he misses a chance or two people will say other things. As a coach you can’t protect him, but the players know their job.” (Guardian)

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Roma stars Francesco Totti and Simone Perrotta are excited with the plans set in place by new manager, Luis Enrique.The legendary midfielder, who starred for Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout a terrific career, took over from caretaker Vincenzo Montella, who initially replaced Claudio Ranieri, who resigned in February.

The permanent appointment has kickstarted a new era at Roma, with the players pleased with the coach’s new tactics.

“The system and methods proposed by the coach are new, interesting and above all very stimulating,” Totti told the club’s official website.

“The sessions began in earnest today at Riscone di Brunico. We are only at the start: day by day we will discover new things and settle into this different reality.”

“Everything depends on us and it’ll be our duty to put in the maximum effort right from now.”

Enrique is keen to implement a new style of football at the club, focusing on possession, something that had pleased Perrotta.

“The squad working here in pre-season is pretty much the same as in previous years, but everyone likes this new style of football,” Perrotta said.

“The coach wants us to keep possession of the ball a great deal, whereas in Italy we’re accustomed to seeking cross-field passes immediately to get it closer to the goal.”

“The coach has made it clear he does not want long balls.”

With Edin Dzeko set to move to Manchester City, Emmanuel Adebayor’s first team opportunities will be even more limited than they already are at Eastlands. Tottenham, West Ham and even Real Madrid have been linked with the 26 year old, but Sky Sports believe that Liverpool have also enquired about the services of the striker. Considering his high wages and a big fee that would be demanded, a move to the Reds would most probably be a temporary loan until the end of the season. With the Reds needing a striker, it seems an interesting prospect, but is Adebayor the type of player Liverpool need at the moment?

To some extent it is actually disappointing that a move from Manchester City to Liverpool is a possibility. After all, in years gone by, City would have seen the Reds as rivals at the top of the table but with the Manchester club 14 points ahead of Liverpool, and with the Reds all but out of the race for a top four spot, let alone the Premier League title, City obviously feel that the Merseyside club are no longer a big enough threat, to allow some of their players to leave for Anfield.

It is kind of dispiriting to see Liverpool being constantly linked with other Premier League club’s rejects but with while we lie in mid table; we must at least consider some of these options. The prospect of Adebayor at Anfield is a difficult one to debate. On the hand, Liverpool are in desperate need of a striker and somebody like Adebayor who has a good aerial presence and can hold up the ball would be an excellent addition to the team. He would certainly prove a better choice than Carlton Cole. As well as being a good foil for Fernando Torres, he would also contribute his fair share of goals, taking the onus off Steven Gerrard and Torres.

These are the positives but Emmanuel Adebayor certainly has a great many negatives as well. He is perceived as a somewhat disruptive figure in the dressing rooms at both Arsenal and City. At the Gunners, Arsene Wenger seemed to be pretty willing to let him go for £25million to City, despite his undoubted ability, while in Manchester, even as recently as today, he was rumoured to have had a training ground bust up with Kolo Toure.

Especially with Liverpool in as difficult times as they are at the moment, would adding the 26 year old to an already down dressing room be a good idea? With some of the players seemingly low on confidence as they are, would the combination of this and the notoriously confrontational Adebayor be a good mix? The striker is prone to having arguments with team-mates at the best of times, but if things are going poorly, won’t frustrations boil over even more?

In Liverpool’s current mid-table position, they certainly need players with his ability, but they also need players with the right attitude. Hopefully, if a move was made for Adebayor, the striker would come here to be positive and prove the doubters at City wrong. He could become a very good signing, but with the 26 year old, there is always the other possibility and that he could lower team spirit in a team that really needs to be high on morale at the moment. Do the pros outweigh the cons for you?

Read more of David’s blogs at his excellent site Live4Liverpool

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

*

[divider]

Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Arsenal v Man City and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

With Danny Welbeck carrying an injury, Liverpool striker Andy Carroll is set to lead the line for England this summer, according to The Telegraph.

The Anfield hitman has had a largely inconsistent 2011-12 campaign, but improved towards the end of the season with goals for the Merseyside club.

Welbeck is still suffering from an ankle injury that he picked up in the Manchester derby back in April, and is reported to have limped out of Three Lions training this week.

England defender Joleon Lescott has backed Carroll to start for Roy Hodgson’s men in Welbeck and Wayne Rooney’s absence, and pose a real threat to opponents this summer.

“Andy Carroll is a threat in any game,” the Manchester City centre-back told reporters.

“It’s nice to see him getting the media coverage and the high praise he deserves over the last few weeks of the season.

“I’m sure his confidence is high going into the tournament. Andy’s always a handful to play against but when his confidence is high it’s even worse.

“He has great ability, it’s not just in the air. International football is not just about that aerial threat but not many teams have that presence in the air and he brings that to the squad.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“He’s had a good finish, been called into the squad for a major tournament so if his confidence is not high for something like this, there’s not a lot it will be high for. So you’d like to think after his last couple of games and getting called up, this is the best he’s felt about himself,” Lescott admitted.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]