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Leeds United ended their travels for the 2011/12 season with a long trip to South Wales to take on play-off bound Cardiff City. Trips across the border to slay Welsh Dragons have been pretty fruitless for the Whites in recent times; in fact it has been 28 years since Leeds have returned home with the spoils.

That fact alone would be enough to dishearten most supporters from making the long trip from West Yorkshire to South Wales. When you throw in the fact that the game was a 12.30 kick off, that Leeds had absolutely nothing to play for, and for the last few weeks have looked like they were planning their summer holidays then you would expect a pitiful turn out from most clubs.

But Leeds United are not most clubs and over 1400 hardy supporters set off for the 4 hour journey to Cardiff. Whilst not one of the largest contingents to follow the Whites this season, it was still a remarkable number of fans to travel to a game, which to all intents and purposes meant absolutely nothing.

The level of support the club receives on its travels is perhaps one of the reasons that the away form of Leeds United has been their saving grace this season. When on the road, it is a given that you give the team your unequivocal backing, and get behind them, no matter what.

At home things have been hugely different. Ten defeats at Elland Road tells its own story. That is not to say that the fans have not got behind the team, but with the support spread around a ground which has been sparsely populated for most of the season, it has been difficult to generate the febrile atmosphere the ground has been known for.

There are many reasons for the lack of spark from the home fans this year. Attendances have generally been relatively poor, in the main due to the prohibitive ticket prices. With the cheapest ticket generally around the £26 mark, it has been a case of pick and choose for most supporters in these difficult economic times. This has seen attendances fluctuate from the 33K who turned up for the match against West Ham, to the paltry 19K against Birmingham and Peterborough.

There has also been the split between fans at how the club is being run. As was seen from the comments following my last post, there are differing opinions as to the success of the Ken Bates regime. A series of protests at how the club is run took place around the turn of the year, and although there has been a truce in recent weeks following the appointment of Neil Warnock, it can be taken as read that should there be no investment in the side during the summer, then the protests will return.

It does seem that there is to be a huge revamp of the squad. Following the release of Mika Varaynen and Ben Parker early last week, Darren O’Dea had his loan from Celtic cancelled on Friday following his dismissal in the 1-0 defeat at Blackpool.

The Republic Of Ireland international was rumoured to be interesting Neil Warnock next season to join the club on a permanent basis, with initial talks taking place. However that deal is now dead and Leeds look to be on the verge of making Jason Pearce of Portsmouth the first addition to the squad for 2012/13, especially now that Pompey have been relegated to League One.

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If Pearce does sign it is a signal of Warnock’s intent, looking for hungry young players to rise to the challenge of playing for a big club. It’s that sort of signing that will excite the fans, and get them back behind the team next season, restoring Elland Road to the fortress it once was. With the fans behind them home and away, Leeds United will be a different proposition to the team that has been masquerading as them this term.

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Harry Redknapp is reportedly chasing Roma striker Mirko Vucinic, according to Mirror Football.

Redknapp is on the lookout for a new striker with the 27-year old high on his list. The Montenegrin scored 9 goals in 24 league appearances as Roma stuttered to 6th place and bidding is expected to start at £12 million.

Spurs are looking to overhaul their striker force after inconsistent performances from Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuvchenko whilst Robbie Keane’s Tottenham career is seemingly over.

Vucinic first signed for Roma in the Summer of 2006 and has gone on to score 62 goals in 196 appearances for the club. Preferring to play on the left side of the attack, Redknapp apparently sees the forward as key to Spurs re-qualifying for the Champions League.

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Vucinic has scored 11 times in 21 caps for Montenegro but was injured during the 0 – 0 Euro 2012 qualifying match with England in October of last year. Having scored twice in the qualifying stage already he will be looking to add to his tally in the return leg this October.

Emmanuel Adebayor has put himself firmly in the frame to start against former club Arsenal after his hat-trick in Manchester City's 3-1 Europa League victory over Lech Poznan.

The Togo striker had been a peripheral figure at Eastlands during the opening months of the campaign but opened his account for the season with a treble against the Polish side.

Speaking afterwards, City boss Roberto Mancini suggested the former Arsenal striker is likely to retain his place when the Gunners arrive for a Premier League clash on Sunday.

"He's scored a hat-trick and he has a good chance of playing against Arsenal," he admitted.

"He gave an excellent performance. It was very important for us and for him. A striker needs to score goals and he scored three, so I'm happy for him."

City are now top of Group A and Mancini is happy with their unbeaten start in Europe.

"This was a good victory for us because we are first in the group now," he added.

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"I watched Poznan four or five times, they are a good team. But we played very well in the first half. In the second half we started so-so.

"I thought they could be a problem but the third goal finished the game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

In-demand Lille playmaker Eden Hazard has admitted that he is flattered by Manchester United’s reported interest in signing him in the summer.

The Belgium international has lit up Ligue 1 with impressive individual displays over the last number of seasons, and was a key player in bringing the top-flight title to the Lille Metropole last term.

With Real Madrid and Inter apparently interested in him, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham have also been linked with a summer bid for the attacking midfielder.

Spurs in particular interested the player, with his father also suggesting that a move to White Hart Lane would be good for his development. (Daily Mail)

Hazard has previously stated that he would prefer a move to a Premier League club, and the latest rumours in France and England are that Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to bring him to Old Trafford; something the player would welcome.

“Of course [United interest me], this is a club that excites everyone, but for now my focus is on Lille,” he told La Voix du Nord, translated to English by The Daily Mail.

“But yes, it is a pleasure to be watched by one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best,” he admitted.

A bidding war over the playmaker is expected come June, with Hazard already admitting that this will be his last season with the French champions.

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By Gareth McKnight

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West Ham’s season has lurched to another low after reports of a brawl at the relegated club’s end-of-season gala awards on Monday.Police were called to Grosvenors House Hotel in Park Lane in London after tables were reportedly overturned, a vase smashed and chairs thrown, with security allegedly pursuing a group of fans as they fled the premises.

It has been suggested the trouble began when a West Ham player refused to sign an autograph for a fan.

The brawl capped a dark few days for the Hammers, whose relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed on Sunday after a 3-2 loss at Wigan.

The result led to the immediately sacking of manager Avram Grant, with West Ham hosting Sunderland in their final game of the season on Sunday.

Captain Scott Parker followed his Football Writers’ Association footballer-of-the-year win with the player, supporters’ player and goal of the season awards at the Hammers’ gala event.

Kenny Dalglish, a one time manager of Newcastle United, offered his opinion to the Sunday Mail about the situation at Newcastle this season. The issue is that in fact there isn’t a problem at Newcastle this season – but there should be, it’s Newcastle after all. There has been much said about Newcastle this season, enough to believe that they were sitting bottom of the table without a hope. In fact Newcastle have started the season in fine form. They taught Aston Villa a lesson in August, came from behind to beat West Ham and thrashed Sunderland on Sunday. For a club that has just been promoted, most fans surely would be happy with the start so far.

The media have brought about this saga about Newcastle this season. The problem is the media love the story of a club. With Blackpool they are the underdogs, the no hoper’s if you will. If they get a couple of points the media patronises the club with language along the lines of, ‘well done’ and ‘not going without a fight.’ Newcastle however are different. Their media story is turmoil. Newcastle United, before relegation were a club in turmoil – most fans would have to accept. As for today, the club has been stabilised by a good young English manager, Joey Barton is looking the player he was when he was called up for England and it looks as though England may have found a striker for the future in Andy Carroll.

So to what Kenny Dalglish was speaking about. First of all the managerial situation at Newcastle. Dalglish has argued that the board have put Chris Hughton’s future in limbo by not offering him an improved longer term deal. Too many times Newcastle United have offered long term deals to managers and less than a year or so later they have been fired, costing the club millions in pounds. Is it such a bad idea to put a manager on a shorter term deal and analyse situations more frequently. With shorter deals, the pressure is on the manager without a doubt but if he is thriving under it, like Chris Hughton appears to be, why change? The problem does come if Newcastle were to loose five or six games on the bounce – the manager would be under intense pressure. That is the reality of Premier League football for every club in the division, not just Newcastle.

As well as the managerial situation, Kenny Dalglish talked of the lack of funds that Chris Hughton has been given to keep the team in the Premier League. Dalglish argued, ‘At any other club, Hughton would be given a big pay hike, the stability of a long-term contract and maybe a quid or two to spend on new players to help Newcastle preserve their status in the Premier League.’ It doesn’t seem credible that Mike Ashley would be holding funds from Hughton because of a lack of trust. If that was the case Hughton would have been fired a long time ago. The issue of money arises because of the past. Newcastle have spent big in the past on Alan Shearer, Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola and Michael Owen.

The expectation was Newcastle would have to repeat this to stay in the division. Newcastle do not have the investment at the present time to be splashing cash on players. The job Hughton has done has been remarkable in this sense. He has an ability to get the best out of his players. Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Fabricio Coloccini have all thrived under Hughton. When you have a manager that offers these skills, spending money on big players isn’t the be and end all. Sure Newcastle fans would love to see big name players gracing St James’ Park again, but its the sign of the times – things are changing financially in football.

Kenny Dalglish’s worries over Newcastle United are in the main unfounded. The start to the season has been solid- however their home form could be better. Is there really that much uncertainty around St James’ Park. If there is, the manager and players have done a fantastic job in putting football first this season.

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Newcastle showed on Sunday what they are all about. They have a young team mixed with a fair amount of experience. The squad is together, the manager is respected and the club is stabilising slowly. It is still too early to say where Newcastle will end up this season. That is the nature of the Premier League. However, at the start of November, would many Newcastle fans truly believe they would have just thrashed Sunderland 5-1 and be sitting in seventh position. Without a doubt it would be fantastic to see Chris Hughton be offered a new long term deal while the atmosphere at Newcastle is so positive. Very few mangers would be more deserving of such a deal. The media should be more positive about Newcastle and the job both the players and management are doing.

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Luka Modric is like yeast to Tottenham Hotspur, without him they would surely be unable to continue their rise up the Premier League table. His supreme technique and composure on the ball has seen him develop into an integral part of Redknapp’s midfield, where he effectively operates ahead of the tenacious Scott Parker and behind the marauding van der Vaart.

However, all is not well at the Lane with Modric reportedly seeking pastures new. The much publicised transfer saga with Chelsea has fractured relations with Daniel Levy as the Croatian claims his chairman broke a ‘gentleman’s agreement’, which involved entertaining any offers from a bigger club. It was apparently only an intervention from Redknapp that prevented the midfielder from going on strike and his inspired performances this season are a credit to his manager’s man-management skills. Modric remains idolised by the legions of Spurs fans but he could once again place that in jeopardy should he try and engineer another move away.

The ongoing turmoil at Chelsea perhaps suggests that Modric should be thankful to Levy for blocking his potential move. The constant exclusion of Frank Lampard would imply Andre Villas-Boas favours defensive minded midfielders in a team that dictates patient build-up play. A stark contrast to Harry’s energetic, high tempo style of play.

The latest reports in the tabloids indicate that Modric has started to flirt provocatively in the direction of Sir Alex Ferguson. There’s no question that he would flourish in United’s midfield in amongst the likes of Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney. He would certainly represent a better long-term signing than Wesley Sneijder but his £40m plus price tag is enough to deter most suitors.

Herein lies the issue, should Modric be looking to force a move in a climate that would suggest big money moves are on the decline? Especially with the introduction of the new Financial Fair Play regulations.

Former Spurs forward Robbie Keane insists Modric should remain in North London as Chelsea no longer represents a step up on the career ladder;

“I’m looking at Chelsea trying to get Luka – it’s going to be very difficult now to convince him to go there because it’s looking like Spurs have overtaken them.”

However former Spurs midfielder Steven Pienaar offers a different insight, claiming that once a player has his mind set on a move then it’s almost impossilbe to discourage him, and any attempt to do so can have a detrimental effect.

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“Tottenham will want to keep him at the club, but it is difficult when a player like him wants to move on. I understand from my own experience that if a good opportunity is blocked by your club, it can be hard to concentrate.”

Should Modric look for an escape route beyond the British coastline then it’s difficult to unearth many options. Both the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid have established and relatively crowded midfields, who would struggle to find room even for a player of his calibre. In my humble opinion no team in Italy looks like realistically challenging for the Champions League just yet but perhaps Bayern Munich or PSG would have the financial clout along with the reputation to match his aspirations.

The sales of Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas and even Gareth Barry all mirror the current situation between Modric and Spurs, each one enduring contrasting consequences by prolonging their exit. United continued to be successful with the often dejected Ronaldo but Villa ended up receiving a reduced transfer fee from Manchester City after a difficult season, and according to Jack Wilshere, Fabregas was influential in his development as a player.The one common denominator is that they’ve all struggled to replace their departing talisman and so should Harry decide to let Modric go, it’s vital that there is a replacement waiting in the wings.

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The future of Luka Modric appears to align with Harry Redknapp’s next career move. The pint-sized playmaker has often spoken of his admiration towards his manager and is said to be waiting patiently for the conclusion regarding the England job. Should Harry depart then it’s essential that Levy replace him with a candidate of world-class stature, who will signal the intent of the club whilst serving to quash any murmurs of discontent from within the squad.

One point remains abundantly clear: Unless his performances drop, Spurs simply cannot afford to lose their creative Croatian.

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below or on Twitter @theunusedsub

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It has been revealed that West Ham are to send ‘expert’ representatives to India for ‘player identification’ camps this summer in order to uncover the best young talent the country has to offer. The camp will provide workshops for coaches and parents and a shortlisted few will be invited to the club’s London academy for trials, where the best candidates will be granted opportunities to break in to the first team.

Those first team opportunities are currently being reaped by a collection of underperforming, overpaid and some overweight players, whose time in the Premiership will surely be coming to an immediate end whether or not the Hammers survive their relegation challenge. The likes of Luis Boa Morte, Lars Jacobsen, Danny Gabbidon, Carlton Cole and Matthew Upson, who all featured in the Irons’ most recent performance – a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City – no longer provide the quality, individually or collectively, to compete in England’s elite league.

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But what has gone wrong for West Ham this season? Scott Parker, the captain, was recently awarded the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, Demba Ba, a January signing from Hoffenheim has scored 5 in his eleven appearances since joining, and Thomas Hitzlsperger now appears to be rewarding Avram Grant’s trust following a lengthy injury sustained before the start of the season. So there are certainly positives hidden underneath the evident turmoil at Upton Park, which implies that Grant may have to shoulder some of the responsibility for the club’s form, but the Hammers avoided the drop narrowly last season and are only three points behind their total for 2010 with 3 games remaining this term.

Although the club had invested in ten reinforcements between last summer and January’s transfer window, none of the permanent or loan recruits can claim to have performed to a top-half cailbre. The East London side’s finances have been managed erratically (to say the least) since the Icelandic takeover and through the Tevez mess, and Grant has been particularly restricted in the transfer market since succeeding Gianfranco Zola last June. But maybe it’s too easy to say that the Israeli faced an impossible task by taking the helm, particularly as Blackpool boss, Ian Holloway, has implemented a recognized style with far fewer internationals and reduced transfer funds at the club which emerged from the Championship just eleven months ago. Grant took Portsmouth down last season with a points tally reading 19, having lost the FA Cup Final to Chelsea two years after he led the West London club to final defeats in the League Cup and Champions’ League.

West Ham legend, Tony Cottee, firmly believes the manager is to blame for his former club’s instability, recently stating: “I don’t think the club has progressed since Avram Grant was appointed. Under [Gianfranco] Zola it was acknowledged that we played good football and the players were certainly behind the manager in terms of his philosophy and beliefs. Unfortunately, since the [new] manager was appointed we’ve been in the bottom three for most of the season.” Cottee isn’t the only former Hammers icon to express his views on the team’s failings, and retired defender, Julian Dicks, has also vented his frustrations by declaring: “The players don’t work hard enough. If you’re struggling you need people who are going to put themselves about, make tackles and pressurise the other team. Only Scotty Parker does this on a consistent basis.”

Both make a valid point, and it is hard to see how the club are going to make the vast improvements necessary in almost every department in order to reverse their continual demise. Last year’s takeover by David Gold and David Sullivan only served to prevent the club from being placed in to administration, but in practice simply papered over the cracks which have been growing for several seasons. A change of manager is required, but that is just the start.

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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards

Ryan Giggs sat down with CNN’s Alex Thomas for an enlightening interview in which the Manchester United legend talks about the past, but the Wales international is not finished yet and is still focused on bringing more trophies to Old Trafford:

Ryan Giggs: I’ve been so lucky to be part of United’s most successful time. We had it rammed down our throats and Liverpool were just winning everything and I grew up as a United fan hating that.

Alex Thomas: Can you take us back to 1990, what was it like then?

RG: Day-to-day, it was completely different, obviously we didn’t have Carrington, we didn’t have the facilities that we have, we were at the old training ground, the Cliff, which had unbelievable history, the Busby Babes trained there, Best, Charlton, Law, you could feel the history within the building but obviously time moves on. Back then, you know 17, 18 I would get to training, we would start at half ten on the pitch, I would be there at maybe ten past, quarter past, so you’d maybe spend a little bit of time in the gym, and then you’d be home for like half 12, 1 o’clock. Now it’s completely different you know, we have massages, we have pools, we have all the facilities you could think of…

AT: is it easier being a player now than back then?

RG: These days, is it harder? Probably, because of the scrutiny you’re under, one good game and you’re a world beater, and obviously then they bring the money in to it, so you have a couple of bad games, you know, should he be earning this money? It does boil down to the character of the individual, but you do need help. I had good people around me, I had the manager, I had Brian Kidd, I had Eric Harrison, all these coaches when I was a young player, I had Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce when I got in to the first team. I’ve had people to keep my feet on the ground and you do need that help you know, at 17, 18 scoring goals for the first team, you’re playing well, everyone’s patting you on the back…it is very easy to get carried away.

AT: When you look back at the career, the photos and the memories and stuff, who are your biggest friends in football?

RG: Scholesy, Nev…Nicky Butt, Paul Ince I was great friends with because he helped me in the transition of coming from youth team to first team, he helped me in that respect and we just clicked.

AT: What more do you want to win before you call it quits?

RG: You want to win everything, you want to win every game that you enter, every trophy that you compete in, you want to win. You can’t always do it but you’ve just got to try your best to win.

AT: If I said you’re only allowed one more?

RG: If I’m only allowed one more? (laughs) I would say Champions League, but it changes, tomorrow, I could say the League. The League and Champions League are obviously massive.

AT: Is it possible to win the treble again?

RG: It’s possible but it’s difficult.

AT: Harder than in ’99?

RG: I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s harder. I think it was hard then, you just need everything to go for you…You grow up watching the World Cup, European Championships and you want to be part of that, but it just wasn’t to be, but I enjoyed it, I enjoyed playing for my country, I enjoyed playing in Cardiff, I enjoyed going away and training with different players, because I’d never experienced that before obviously playing at one club, but yeah it was a major disappointment.

AT: You’ve got such a vital role here, are we going to have to wait to hear if you’ll have any involvement with the Wales set-up?

RG: Yeah, I would love to be part of a team that took Wales to a major Championship, and whatever role it may be, I don’t know, but for the moment I’m just concentrating on playing my football and that’s all I can see at the moment, but in the future hopefully, yeah…I’ve been in football since I left school and I’ve enjoyed it so much and it’s given me so much pleasure that I want to carry on and be involved, I don’t know how and I don’t know in what sort of capacity but I’ll definitely be involved.

Interview transcript provided by CNN International.

The Mirror are reporting that Liverpool are looking to take Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero on loan for the rest of the season.

The Spanish midfielder has been on the fringes of Jose Mourinho’s side thus far this season but did manage to make a rare start this past weekend against Athletic Bilbao.

Granero has been rumoured to be on the move to Malaga this January, but injury to first-team regular Sami Khedira has meant Mourinho had to persuade the former Getafe player to remain at the Bernabeu.

However, Kenny Dalglish is determined to add to his squad and believes he’ll be able to prize the Spaniard away from Madrid, if only for the short-term.

Granero has also been a target for Arsenal in recent months with both Arsene Wenger and Dalglish looking to add extra firepower to their respective midfields. (Goal)

The stumbling block for the Reds will be Madrid’s insistence on selling the player should he leave this January. But with very little in the way of potential suitors for the midfielder’s signature, Liverpool may have a clear run with just over a week left until the transfer window closes.

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