The excitement can begin, even though 2012 is just a few days old, preparations should be under way for this summer and Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland where England will once again fall at the quarter finals stage and the players will be roundly slated.
But the main positive for me and for plenty of Premier League players is that Mr Capello will be leaving his post as manager when England’s tournament comes to an end. The overpriced Italian coach has failed to improve the Three Lions in his spell here, even though a promising group of youngsters have emerged to work well with some key experienced players.
I feel that a number of players have not been given a fair chance over the past few years in a time of need; especially at the World Cup in South Africa where the squad was missing some key attributes that were obvious to the majority of fans. On that note, here is an alternate England XI that have been harshly ignored by Fabio Capello during his reign.
Click on Steven Taylor below to unveil the alternate England XI
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Who do you think should be in the alternate XI? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
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Mid-table Maritimo extended their unbeaten run to four with a 1-1 home draw with Nacional in the Liga Sagres on Friday.The hosts entered the game on the back of three consecutive victories, which had lifted them to eighth, and grabbed a result against a Nacional side who are still fighting it out for third position with the likes of Sporting Braga and Sporting Lisbon.
Campos Djalma put Maritimo in the lead after just 16 minutes, with the Angolan continuing his hot streak of form with the early goal.
It was Djalma’s fifth goal in six matches for his side and handed the free-scoring Maritimo the initiative, although they could not add to their advantage in the first half.
Nacional came out in the second half keen to impress and grabbed an early equaliser through Brazilian Diego Barcelos.
Neither side could find a winning goal in a tense finale as both sides shared the spoils at the Estadio dos Barreiros.
Stoke City have been handed a major boost after record signing Kenwyne Jones was cleared of having suffered a serious ankle injury in the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Wolves.
The 25-year-old £8million recruit from Sunderland lasted just over ten minutes of the Molineux clash, amid fears that he could be facing a lengthy lay-off.
However, subsequent scans and X-rays have revealed only minor ligament damage to Jones’ right ankle.
Manager Tony Pulis told the club’s official website:“The news is as good as we could have expected in the circumstances.
“We were obviously very concerned about the extent of the damage over the weekend, but the tests have shown only minor ligament damage.
“We will assess Kenwyne’s progress over the next few days, so it is hard to say how long he will be out, but we are talking days, rather than weeks or months.”
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Premier League leaders will be expecting to maintain their five point lead at the top of the table with victory over newly promoted Norwich at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Roberto Mancini’s men dropped points for only the second time this season with Joleon Lescott’s own goal gifting Liverpool a share of the spoils at Anfield last week. That draw meant City missed the chance to widen the gap between themselves and rivals United to eight points after the Red Devil’s were held at Old Trafford by Newcastle. That draw on Merseyside ended a run of seven consecutive wins that had catapulted City to the pinnacle of the top flight and made them firm favourites for the title. A majority of the credit for their unbeaten start to the season has to be laid at the doorstep of Mancini. The Italian has brought together a legion star names and moulded them into a finely tuned unit that puts in highly accomplished performances every week. Against the backdrop of the Carlos Tevez affair Mancini has kept his players motivated and focused on the task in hand which is testament to his man management skills. He’s worked wonders on the temperamental Mario Balotelli who has looked a shadow of the petulant teenager he masqueraded as for much of the previous campaign. The 21-year-old has been in sparkling form in front of goal and, despite his harsh sending off against Liverpool last Sunday, has enjoyed a relatively trouble free season thus far. The same goes for the likes of David Silva, Micah Richards and James Milner who have all become indispensable to City in the last few months. For now City are sitting pretty at the top although bigger tests are coming in the near future and it will be interesting to see whether they can sustain the momentum built up over the last 13 games during a packed festive programme. However supporters will be expecting victory on Saturday against a Norwich side who they’ve lost just once against in the last six meetings.
The Canaries returned to winning ways last week with a hard fought 2-1 win over QPR at Carrow Road but will be preparing themselves for a backs to the walls job in the blue half of Manchester. Paul Lambert’s side ended a run of one win in six with victory over Rangers but knows his side will have to perform much better if they are to come away from the North West with points under their belts. Halting the City express is arguably their biggest test since winning promotion back to the top flight and one that the Norwich players are sure to relish. They’ve performed well against three of last seasons top four despite losing each game they’ve come away with a sense of pride after taking the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea right to the wire away from home. I doubt anyone expected them to be sitting comfortably in 10th place going into December although that is likely to chance when they come up against City. However it would be wrong to count out Lambert and his side before a ball has even been kicked at the Etihad. Performing above expectations and confounding the critics has become somewhat of a speciality in Norfolk over the last few years with back-to-back promotions and a strong start to life in their first Premier League campaign in seven years. Their is a feel good factor flowing around Norwich at the moment that is sure to generate enough positivity to assist them in staying clear of the relegation zone. One concur does remain for Lambert though and that is his sides propensity to concede goals. His side have yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season and coming up against free scoring City isn’t the ideal time to try and correct the problem. Whilst a heavy defeat may be on the cards don’t expect the Canaries to just lie down and accept that.
Manchester City – 1st
Last Five: Drew 1-1 v Liverpool (A), Won 3-1 v Newcastle (H), Won 3-2 v QPR (A),Won, 3-1 v Wolves (H), Won 6-1 v Manchester United (A)
Potential Starting X11: 25. J. Hart 2. M. Richards 4. V. Kompany 6. J. Lescott 13. A. Kolarov 34. N. De Jong 42. Y. Toure 21. D. Silva* 7. J. Milner 16. S. Aguero 10. E. Dzeko
Injury News: Mancini has no new injury worries going into the game against Norwich with Owen Hargreaves the only man in the Etihad Stadium treatment room.
Key Player: David Silva
He is the man that makes City tick, the conductor of the sky blue orchestra. David Silva’s form this season has been nothing short of mesmerising and his importance in the side has grew substantially throughout. The Spanish midfielders creative influence has seen him become a major part of the way City attack with his elegance and vision cutting defences wide open time and time again this season. Norwich’s creaky back four will be no match for the Manchester magician and his enormous box of tricks.
Match Fact: This will be only the ninth time City have met Norwich in the Premier League era with their last encounter coming in 2005. Mancini’s side enjoy playing the Canaries though having won three and drawn four of their previous eight top flight meetings.
Norwich City – 10th
Last Five: Won 2-1 v QPR (H), Lost 2-1 v Arsenal (H), Lost 3-2 v Aston Villa (A), Drew 3-3 v Blackburn (H), Drew 1-1 v Liverpool (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. J. Ruddy 23. M. Tierney 20. L. Barnett 2. R. Martin [C] 25. K. Naughton 7. L. Crofts 4. B. Johnson 11. A. Surman 12. A. Pilkington 14. W. Hoolahan 5. S. Morison*
Injury News: Apart from long term injury victims Zak Whitbread and James Vaughan manager Lambert has no fresh injuries in his squad.
Key Player: Steve Morison
The summer signing from Millwall has performed superbly in his debut season in the Premier League scoring five goals and proving to be a real nuisance in and around the penalty area. To give you a measure of just how good Morison has been he is keeping the Norwich captain Grant Holt on the substitutes bench. The Welsmans’s physically intimidating approach up front will come in handy against a City defence that has hardly been troubled during the current campaign.
Match Fact: Norwich don’t enjoy playing in the blue half of Manchester winning just two out of their last 24 visits to City. The first of those came in September 1964 and they had to wait 33 years before winning their next in 1997.
Last Time at Maine Road
Premier League 1 November 2004
Manchester City 1-1 Norwich
Flood, 11
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Francis, 46
Attendance: 42,803
Referee: Steve Bennett
PREDICTION
City are unstoppable at the moment and the minor blip at Anfield last week will be corrected with a massive win against mid-table Norwich on Saturday. Maintaining that gap between themselves and rivals United is imperative going into the potentially damaging festive period that will be a true test to their title mettle. Norwich on the other hand will be looking beyond this game although thats not to say they won’t give the league leaders everything they’ve got on the day. Their leaky defence coupled with City’s razor sharp attack should see them slide to a defeat.
Regardless of how the rest of this season pans out, the future of Blackpool’s want away captain, Charlie Adam, is likely to dominate headlines throughout the summer transfer window. Reports this week suggest that Tottenham’s Niko Kranjcar appears set to leave North London with a view to getting more regular first team action, and with this being the case, the Seasiders’ star attraction could well be the man touted to replace him.
Bearing in mind that Adam was bought from Rangers for half a million pounds 18 months ago, the thought that the dynamic midfielder could become the subject of a bidding war is likely to please the money men at Blackpool. Ian Holloway, on the other hand, might have a few regrets about seeing his most prized asset leave in the summer, particularly if the club are contemplating life in the Championship.
Holloway may consider himself lucky to still have Adam at the club at all. It is understood that there were a number of passionate exchanges between player and manager in the final days of the transfer window as Adam attempted to negotiate a move higher up the Premier League food chain. A fragile truce appears to have been reached for the time being, however, it appears that should the Scotsman be plying his trade at Bloomfield Road come August hell may very well have frozen over.
Yet, of his potential suitors, the most likely destination for Adam could well be the most damaging for his career prospects. Having struggled to make a proper impact in the SPL when at Rangers, the thought of becoming a squad player at Tottenham should in theory encourage the Scottish international to look elsewhere.
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If Tottenham do make the Champions League next season, the imperative for them will be to continue to build on a squad that has not quite had the consistency this season to challenge for the title. The focus should arguably be on recruiting reinforcements up front, as Spurs have an incredible amount of midfielders on their books.
How Adam would react to going from being the main man at Blackpool to anything but that at a ‘bigger’ club is incredibly difficult to gauge. Having made few appearances at Rangers across his six-year stay in the SPL, and the history of similar players to have made moves to White Hart Lane in recent seasons, the omens for Adam are not brilliant.
It is equally difficult to know who else would want to obtain Adam’s services. Liverpool were one party interested in the midfielder in January, but the effect that having a summer to spend further funds may well weaken their resolve to try again. Other Premier League clubs may be interested, but with those potential buyers not consisting of any of the current top four, the former Ross County loanee may see the white half of North London as his only realistic choice.
Blackpool’s captain was understandably frustrated at missing out on what he must have seen as the best chance he will get to play in the Champions League again, and to secure regular Premier League football. That being said, the chance that Adam now has to secure his current employer’s Premier League survival before moving on is something he may well feel he owes to the club that made his name south of the border.
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Sir Alex Ferguson is no stranger to pulling the odd surprise from up his sleeve when it comes to signing strikers. Not even the bookies have seen the United’s managers shock signings coming over the past twenty years. Eric Cantona, Andy, sorry Andrew, Cole, Henirk Larrsson and Michael Owen have left both United’s opponents and even fans dumfounded as nearly everyone was oblivious to their prospective arrival.
The United manager’s latest acquisition has left everyone reaching for the nearest search engine to find out just who on earth Tiago Manuel Dias Correia.
While I won’t waste anyone’s time regurgitating the biography I’m sure anyone who’s remotely interested in Bebe has already read, I will simply state that this signing while not likely to be the final piece of the jigsaw for European domination does raise a few questions that have yet to be addressed.
For starters are United really skint? According to reports, Bebe cost around 7.4 million quid, now while that is hardly in the stratosphere and less than what Stoke City have just forked out for Kenwyn Jones, it’s still a fairly large amount of money. It’s not loads but it ain’t peanuts. If United are penniless then spending over £7 million on a player who’ll be lucky if he makes the bench for the Carling Cup this season is foolish to say the least. Say what you may about Sir Alex, as many often do, but foolish is not something you’d associate with him – unlike angry or moody. Both David Gill and Fergie himself have claimed that despite the protests of many and the debt the club are in, there is still money available for transfers. While most people have been sceptical of this to say the least, I’ve often though there may be some truth to it, simply because if there wasn’t I can’t imagine Fergie lying on behalf of the Glazers. Yes they pay his wages but that doesn’t mean he has to be their puppet- unlike Gill who I trust slightly less- and if he were to state there is no money, could they sack him? No one is bigger than the club but Fergie is pretty much untouchable, if the Glazers think they’ve got problems with the green and gold campaign getting rid of the manager would start a Mancunian Armageddon.
Secondly if money is not the Mesut Ozil issue then what is? The young playmaker has been the most spoke about German since the Queen got married to that Greek fella. It seems there isn’t a club in world football that hasn’t been linked with the scary eye-browed one of late. Money has been mentioned as an obstacle to him joining the ranks at Old Trafford however with the asking price thought to have been anything from £13 to £20 million, if United can afford over £7 mill for a sixth choice striker, then surely they club could have spent a few more on one of the brightest young stars in the game. The reason for Ozil not signing- unless he does as part of a conspiracy to leave me with egg on my face – must be either a choice by the player himself or Fergie. Whether Ozil has let the powers that be know he has no intention of playing for United is unknown but also highly unlikely as no formal bid has been made. The likelihood is that Fergie has decided not to pursue him, the question is why? Well if it’s not money that leaves for me two likely reasons- faith in the current squad including Darron Gibson and Tom Cleverly or an unwillingness to remove a potential squad member at Ozil’s expense.
With Premier League clubs having to submit a 25-man squad to the FA by the end of August, and with only players under 21 years old being exempt, every squad place is precious. If United’s squad consisted of- VDS, Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, O’Shea, Vidic, Rio, Evra, Evans, Scholes, Park, Giggs Carrick Obertan ,De Laet , Fletcher, Gibson, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Rooney, Berbatov, Hernandez and Owen then that would leave one space. Owen Hargreaves is –yet again- currently recovering with no real return date- yet again- in sight. If Fergie did buy Ozil then the door would surely be shut on Hargreaves making the squad. Although it still seems unlikely the Canadian-born England midfielder will make the squad at least he does have a slight chance. Hargreaves has retained his squad number the question is will we be seeing at Old Trafford again anytime soon.
Another question is should Fergie trust the judgement of Carlos Queiroz? The former United number two has been instrumental in convincing Fergie to buy a player yet to play a competitive match in the Portuguese top flight. Normally such a gamble would never have been entertained, after all even Chris Smalling had played several Premier League games before United signed him .Yet the word ‘untested’ would be something of a compliment to Bebe who has only played 26 games in the Portuguese third –tier. I’m not about to get on the lad’s case before he’s even kicked a ball in a United shirt and he may well be the real deal, it just seems a little strange, with all the striking options at Old Trafford- including five under the age of 25, Fergie saw fit to add another. Quieroz may have overseen one of United’s most successful periods but his judgement has been called into question on occasion and I just hope Fergie’s faith isn’t misplaced.
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The final question I’ve been left to ponder is whether we’re seeing a drastic shift in United transfer policy? The signing of Chris Smalling after only a handful of games for Fulham last season was a surprise to many United fans as it’s not something that happens very often at Old Trafford. Most players that arrive via a transfer are usually already established, it is very rare for a relative unknown to be bought- or at least it was. While United have bought young players in the past, Da Silva twins for example, it now seems to becoming a little bit more commonplace and the prices the club are willing to spend on somewhat unproven players is increasing. Admittedly in the case of Hernandez, sorry I mean Chicharito, it was a move that already looks like paying off, but with an outlay of over £24 million for three players who are- or at least were- fairly unproven, is this a drastic change in transfer policy for United? Spending large amounts on unknown players has never been the norm at Old Trafford but with clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea not to mention some ‘noisy neighbours’ able to outbid United, the club may feel the way forward is to take a bit of a gamble on promising stars. Fergie has lamented the over-inflated prices of the transfer market and he may feel this is the only way around it.
Read more of Justin Mottershead’s work on his blog ‘Name On The Trophy’
Dennis Tueart is one of football’s most forthright and eloquent characters, and his long-awaited autobiography is the refreshingly honest story of his days as a flying left-winger with Sunderland, Manchester City, the New York Cosmos and England.Typically candid in his views on his career, his clubs and his team-mates, Tueart recalls his spell at Sunderland in detail – from his early days under inspirational manager Alan Brown to the famous Wembley triumph in 1973 when the city was brought to a standstill and Bob Stokoe and his men returned home to a red and white heroes’ welcome after achieving one of the most sensational FA Cup final triumphs of all time.As well as Dennis’s reflections on his football journey, and his forceful views on Manchester City and the game itself, the book is also packed with great stories – from the Sunderland training session which involved the defenders heading golf balls, to a tour to the Far East with City when Asa Hartford offered to help stretcher him off then promptly dropped him. At the New York Cosmos – who had signed him to replace none other than Pelé during the razzmatazz heyday of the North American Soccer League, and for whom he starred alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto – he rubbed shoulders with icons of showbiz and sport like Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, Rod Stewart and Bjorn Borg.Offering an intelligent insight into the world of football from the perspective of both a player and a club director, Dennis Tueart: My Football Journey is a powerful and entertaining story of the Sunderland cup final hero, Manchester City legend and one of the game’s most opinionated and enduring personalities.All Dennis’s royalties from the sale of this book will go to the teenage and young adult cancer unit at The Christie cancer centre in ManchesterAbout the authorBorn in Newcastle but considered too small to play for his hometown club, Dennis Tueart was snapped up by local rivals Sunderland, with whom he sensationally won the FA Cup in 1973 against the mighty Leeds. He signed for Manchester City as the iconic Bell/Summerbee/Lee era came to a close, famously firing the Sky Blues to League Cup glory in 1976 with the overhead kick pictured on the cover of this book. In 1978 he was signed by the New York Cosmos to replace arguably the world’s greatest ever footballer, Pelé.He returned to City in 1980, eventually playing 268 competitive games and scoring 108 goals for the club he continues to follow, and later played briefly for Stoke, Burnley and Derry City. After hanging up his boots, he forged a successful career in business, one that he combined with his nine years as a director of Manchester City between 1997 and 2007.He now continues to run a successful conferencing business, Premier Events, and still follows City from his executive box at the Etihad Stadium.
Fulham boss Mark Hughes praised Blackburn Rovers for putting up a terrific fight in the Cottagers’ 3-2 home win on Saturday.Rovers twice came from behind in the English Premier League encounter to level with Fulham following a Damien Duff brace, but Bobby Zamora eventually clinched the three points for the hosts with a late penalty.Hughes paid tribute to his former employers after the thrilling contest, while also praising his players for standing up to the challenge.”It was a difficult game today, Blackburn are a very strong side, I love their physicality and they kept us on our toes,” Hughes told Sky Sports.”For long periods we weren’t able to play as we wanted to and that’s the pressure that Blackburn put us under, but we stuck to it and were determined to get the ball down and play our stuff.””We created a number of chances in the first half, converted one of them, and restricted Blackburn to very few.””(The) second half went back and forth, to and fro, and we really tried to keep momentum and I think we did that.””I think we were brave, we wanted to play our stuff, and kept on creating chances and got our noses in front again.””Thankfully, in the end, we got the benefit of a penalty decision and we’re pleased about that.”Steve Kean felt referee Mark Clattenburg’s decision to award Fulham the match-winning penalty – after Grant Hanley was adjudged to have fouled Aaron Hughes – was harsh, but the Blackburn boss stopped short of criticising the official.”I asked the referee to look at the situation and his recollection is that Grant Hanley had both hands around Aaron Hughes and that’s why he gave the penalty,” Kean said.”I’ve looked at it again a number of times and I think, technically, he’s right – there is contact.””But what I said to him is that, if that’s a penalty, then you’ll probably have at least ten every Premier League week.” “So, we feel aggrieved, but we’ll accept his decision, he has a very hard job and we respect his interpretation.””(We feel) very hard done by, I feel we did well in every single minute of the game.””If we only got a point from this game we’d have been disappointed and now, to find myself without any points, it really is a tough day.”
Liverpool's new manager Roy Hodgson is adamant that neither Fernando Torres nor Steven Gerrard are for sale, following rumours of potential big-name exits from Anfield this summer.
Spain striker Torres has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona, while England midfielder Gerrard was a reported target for Real Madrid.
However, Hodgson has spoken to both players and reassured them that the Reds are not about to offload any of their star performers.
He told reporters:"I have met with Fernando. I found him to be a very pleasant man and we had a nice conversation.
"As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player.
"He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.
"We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.
"I have also met with Steven and thought the talks were positive.
"We are in a situation where we hear our players are being courted by other teams, but it is all just rumours.
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"What we haven't had is a club wanting to buy Steven Gerrard. Steven Gerrard is not for sale – I made that clear to him.
"I told him I supported the club's policy that we don't want to sell our best players and have to start building again."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Aston Villa have confirmed that Barry Bannan has been suspended, as the club conducts an internal investigation into the midfielder’s arrest early on Sunday morning.
The Scotland international was involved in a car crash on the M1 heading southbound late on Saturday night, and was arrested by local police on the charge of drink-driving at 5.30am.
The 21-year-old was later bailed pending further action, and did not train with the Midlands side on Monday.
With the seriousness of the offence, Villa boss Alex McLeish has admitted that the player has been suspended, and will not be available for the team’s next game.
“Barry Bannan has been suspended while the club carries out internal enquiries into allegations which arose last weekend. He will not be available for this weekend’s game at Sunderland,” the Scottish coach told the club’s official website.
The news will be a blow for Villa, as Bannan has emerged as one of the side’s brightest prospects and has become an important part of the Birmingham-based club’s first team.
Villa go into the game against Sunderland eager to get points, after a 2-1 home defeat to West Brom last weekend left the side’s supporters disgruntled.
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