In a day and age where transfer fees are continuing to soar upwards each year, signing a player for a relatively small sum of money and watching him turn in performances that outstrip those of a £30m pounder is a glorious sight. In the midst of these over expensive footballers there have been a few cheap gems to wade through the crowd and make a name for themselves in the Premier League. Looking back over 20 years of England’s top flight, players bought for something like £3 million,which was still considered a huge fee back in the early nineties, who went on to become legends and the focal point of success during their time at the club aren’t as common anymore.
There is nothing more satisfying then seeing your club sign a relative unknown for a nominal fee and watch him tear the Premier League up like he’s prowled the football fields of England for years. Over the years there have been some unbelievable footballers who have commanded a few that pales in comparison to what some modern day players earn in a month. Unearthing an unpolished jewel for peanuts and polishing it into an 24 carat diamond isn’t as common as it used to be and you could say that some of the romance that used to exist in football is lost because of that.
But lets not get lost in the doom and gloom of all that and celebrate the top ten cheap Premier League revelations that have cropped up over the years.
Click on Ole Gunnar Solksjaer to reveal the top 10
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Written by Jak Penny
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The United States clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals while Canada fell short as the group stages wrapped up on Tuesday.The US needed at least one point to make it to the last eight but picked up three with a 1-0 defeat of Guadeloupe in Kansas City.
Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore scored the winning goal in the ninth minute for the host nation, who should have won by more, given their complete dominance of play.
Altidore blasted a strike past Guadeloupe goalkeeper Franck Grandel from 25 yards out, but at least six easier chances went begging as Bob Bradley’s side struggled to kill off the contest ahead of the final whistle.
Nevertheless, the US sealed up second place in Group C and will advance to face undefeated Jamaica in the quarter-finals.
That is more than can be said for northern neighbours Canada, who crashed out of the tournament in heartbreaking fashion with a 1-1 draw against Panama.
The Canadians looked to have secured a berth at the expense of Group A third-placegetters El Salvador as they ushered a 1-0 lead into injury time.
But Panama attacker Luis Tejada scored seconds from the whistle to ensure his nation would finish on top of Group C and face the Salvadorans in the next round.
Dwayne De Rosario had earlier been dragged down by Eybir Bonaga in the 62nd minute and gratefully converted the penalty for Canada.
Canada finish third in Group C, a mere two goals shy of El Salvador’s superior goal difference and a place in the last eight.
Guadeloupe finish bottom with three straight losses.
The Carlos Tevez saga has dragged on for much of the summer, and is currently showing no signs of abating. It is unclear whether Tevez will be at Manchester City by the end of the transfer window, but there are not a lot of clubs currently showing an interest in him. After the player distinctly expressed that he wanted to leave Man City at the start of the summer, it appears that he could now be left in transfer limbo. If he remains at Man City, should they welcome him back with open arms?
Tevez announced his desire to return to South America and one of his former clubs Corinthians at the beginning of the summer, stating that he was unsettled in Manchester and that he wanted to be closer to his family, a valuable and honourable reason to seek out a move-if that is really the case. Tevez then went on to make rather disparaging remarks about Manchester, which have probably riled quite a few City fans who would be happy to see the back of him. Unfortunately for Tevez, his proposed move to Corinthians fell through at the final hour. After stating that he never wanted to go to Manchester again, he could end up spending a considerable period in the city-well at least until January, when he will probably seek out a move again. So what should City do with him?
There are no doubts that Tevez is absolutely world class, and from a purely on the field perspective-regardless of comments or behaviour off the field-City would be mad to leave him out of their side. He was joint top scorer in the Premier League last season, and his goal scoring record at Man City speaks for itself-44 goals in 66 games over two seasons. He helped City to their first trophy under their new regime, as well as bringing Champions League football to the club. He may be unsettled, but if he were to stay and play at City he would give 110% as he always has done wherever he has played. He is such a hard worker, and will chase down every ball, and put in a huge effort for the team.
The one thing Man City have to be careful with is that he doesn’t cause upset within the camp. No player is bigger than the club, and they wouldn’t want Tevez to unsettle the dressing room. Tension may now exist between Tevez and his team-mates, as he may have lost their respect. There is a lot of clearing the air to do, if he remains at the club. It is also unclear where he will fit with Sergio Aguero now at the club. They played together at the Copa America, but it didnt really work, as they are similar kind of players. Fans may also have been pushed too far by his want-away antics, seeing him as disrespecting the club and the city, and if the club welcome him back, it could cause anger amongst the supporters.
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One thing you can’t argue with and have to respect is what Tevez has done on the pitch. If he remains at City, he will no doubt get his head down and his hard work and efforts on the pitch should win the fans back around eventually. Last year Wayne Rooney managed to win back the affections of the Man United fans after his similar want-away behaviour. Fans should be willing to forgive Tevez if he does the business on the field.
Unless a deal can be struck in the next few weeks-possibly with Inter-then Tevez will remain a Manchester City player. For a player of his quality, and the skills and talent he possesses it would be silly for City not to welcome him back. If he does remain at the club then fans should be willing to forgive and forget. After all the hard work he put in for them last season, he deserves that much.
Liverpool made it back-to-back wins on their pre-season tour of Asia with a thrilling 6-3 victory against Malaysia XI.New signing Charlie Adam got the ball rolling with an early penalty, while a brace each from David N’Gog and Maxi Rodriguez spared Liverpool’s blushes after the hosts mounted a late comeback.
The English Premier League club was gifted a goal on 25 minutes when striker Andy Carroll was brought down in the box.
The referee made new signing Charlie Adam retake the subsequent spot-kick, but the former Blackpool midfielder opened his Liverpool account at the second attempt.
The home fans were on their feet just before the break when Mohd Safiq Rahim beat the wall and goalkeeper Brad Jones with a stunning free-kick.
Liverpool reasserted their authority in the second half with two goals in two minutes.
They both came from the feet of striker David N’Gog, who turned home a deflection for his first and made it 3-1 on 69 minutes with a confident finish.
Malaysia looked beaten when Argentine Maxi Rodriguez converted a cross from compatriot Emiliano Insua.
But the hosts staged a late comeback with two quick goals from Mohd Safee Mohd Sali, capitalising on some unconvincing goalkeeping from Reds substitute Peter Gulacsi.
Liverpool were not finished yet, however, and made it 5-3 as Rodriguez grabbed his second in the 90th minute.
Dutchman Dirk Kuyt made it six in stoppage time to wrap up an entertaining work-out.
Fulham manager Mark Hughes has rejected reports he is set to leave the club at the end of the season.Hughes, 47, has been linked with English Premier League rivals Chelsea in recent days but moved to quell the speculation by releasing a statement on Wednesday.
“I am very happy at Craven Cottage and am looking forward enormously to building on what we have achieved this season,” Hughes said on the club’s official website.
“I enjoy a good relationship with the owner, management, players and supporters of Fulham Football Club and look forward to continuing that relationship next season.”
In other Fulham news, defender Chris Baird has been charged by the Football Association for abusive and/or insulting gesture towards a match official.
Baird is alleged to have given referee Lee Mason a V-sign after he was booked for a challenge on Liverpool’s Durk Kuyt during Monday’s 5-2 home defeat.
Baird has until Thursday to respond to the charge.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of Manchester United, there have been some memorable players who have come out of Old Trafford. Admittedly, Fergie has made some dodgy signings over the years – you’ll be pleased to hear that William Prunier and Eric Djemba-Djemba won’t be making my list, but seeing as this week we are concentrating on football’s cult heroes, I’ve decided to put together 10 of Manchester United’s finest.
It was a tough decision to leave out players we would all consider a hero of football, and players who Manchester United fans would consider a legend for their contributions to the cause; Diego Forlan has unfortunately missed out despite his brace at Anfield even though it did confirm his slot in United folk-law. Some of the players included were also winning over the hearts of United fans before Sir Alex’s time.
So here are my Manchester United top 10 cult heroes. You may feel some players have been hard done by, as they miss out. But free feel to argue their case below in the comments section!
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Click on the image below to see the Top TEN
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Former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit has urged the Stamford Bridge club to try once-more to sign Luka Modric from Tottenham come the January transfer window.
Andre Villas Boas’ men had at least three bids for the Croatian midfielder rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy over the summer, with a deadline day offer of £40 million knocked back by the White Hart Lane outfit.
Despite this, and Modric’s willingness to continue to play for Harry Redknapp’s team despite the speculation, the Dutch coach feels another attempt should be made to pry the playmaker away from Spurs come the new year.
“The player Chelsea still need, for me, is Modric,” Gullit told Mirror Football.
“They have great players all around the pitch but he has something Chelsea doesn’t have at the moment. He is creative and dominates the passing game in the midfield – he could be like Xavi or Iniesta are to Barcelona.
“I was surprised Tottenham didn’t accept £40m because they are known to sell their best players for good offers. I think Chelsea will try to sign Modric again in January and maybe this time they will get him,” he concluded.
Harry Redknapp has previously stated that Modric is pivotal in Spurs’ development as a team, and the North London side are reportedly set to offer the Eastern European a pay rise to keep his suitors at bay.
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Chelsea are set to rival Arsenal and Fulham for the signature of Brighton star Lewis Dunk, the Metro understands, after the 19-year-old defender has established himself in Gus Poyet’s side.
Dunk, a product of the Seagulls’ academy, has impressed for Poyet’s side after the Uruguayan was forced into playing the teenager due a host of injuries to key defenders, including Adam El- Abd and Tommy Elphick.
A string of eye-catching performances alongside captain Gordan Greer in the heart of defence have seen his stock rise considerably after Brighton’s strong start to the season.
With a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense defender Dunk has proved to be unfazed by the physicality of the Championship and has attracted admiring glances from the Premier League.
Arsenal and Fulham have already sent scouts to the Amex Stadium to watch the defender in action during last week’s Carling Cup defeat to Liverpool. Chelsea, who have followed Dunk’s progress through the ranks, had representatives watching him in Friday’s draw against Leeds.
Despite his emergence as a first team regular on the South Coast and Poyet’s eagerness to build a team capable of a promotion push it’s thought a bid of £5 million would be enough to see him leave the club, with further scouting trips expected from all the interested parties.
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Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table after beating Arsenal in a pulsating encounter between two top flight heavyweights at the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini’s side dropped to second for a few hours after rivals Manchester United won away at QPR earlier in the day but regained top spot following David Silva’s winner eight minutes into the second half. It was the response every City supporter expected after their first defeat of the season against Chelsea on Monday and will be delighted their players were able to bounce back with a hard fought win. Defeat was harsh on Arsene Wenger’s side who deserved to leave the North West with at least a point only for Silva’s goal sending them home empty handed as their nine game unbeaten run came to an end. Wenger will see it as a missed opportunity to close the gap on the top four with the Gunners still three points away from the Champions League places.
Sergio Aguero was a typical bright spark throughout and should have put the home side in front with only five minutes on the clock blasting the ball over the bar after controlling Pablo Zabaleta’s cross. Joe Hart was soon called into action at the other end producing two top quality saves in quick succession turning Gervinho’s angled away from goal before tipping Aaron Ramsey’s stinging effort over the bar. Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny was also forced into a save after Per Mertesacker allowed Mario Balotelli to fire the ball towards goal before keeping out another Aguero effort. An injury to Johan Djourou forced Wenger into shuffling his defensive pack and moving Laurent Koscielny out to right back as the second half got underway. It proved to be a costly decision as the French defender was caught out by Balotellin the lead up to City’s opener.
The young Italian found himself in acres of space only to his shot parried by Szczesny into the path of Silva who didn’t hesitate tucking the ball home from two yards out to score his sixth-goal of the season. An immediate response was needed from the visitors and Theo Walcott almost brought them level before Robin Van Persie had an effort saved by Hart as he searched in vain for his 20th goal of the campaign. However it was City who looked more likely to score next and Zabaleta almost secured the points beating Szczesny from the edge of the area only to see the ball smash back off the post. Arsenal still hadn’t given up hope of rescuing a point but couldn’t find a way past Hart seeing his header tipped over by the England keeper before firing high and wide from range as the home side extended their unbeaten run at home to eight games.
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After watching Rob Earnshaw squander an absolute sitter for Wales against England, I want to discuss the psychology of missing an open goal. I don’t want to pile any more misery on Earnshaw. You can only feel a horrible gut-wrenching sympathy with the Cardiff City lad. Whatever has occupied him since that miss – shopping, driving or trying to drown his sorrows in a bar – he’ll have been reliving that moment approximately once every 10 seconds.
I missed a couple of shockers myself, all forwards do, so I know it’s the worst feeling in the world. But to understand what it is that makes a professional striker miss one of the most high-profile and glaring opportunities of his career, you have to know what it is that makes a goal-scorer tick. Goal-scoring is a gift given by whichever God you believe in. It cannot be taught, which is what tends to make managers so distrustful of my breed. They know there is nothing they can do to influence us. No, it is all about instinct and nerve.
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Personally, I spent every moment of my football career riddled with self-doubt – except for the 90 minutes a week when I was out on the pitch. I know plenty of footballers who have been exactly the opposite. Cocky as hell when they’re not playing, always talking a good game and never playing one. Off the pitch, I was a typical young bloke who didn’t want to take any responsibility for anything. On the field of play, I was a different person entirely.
I knew it was my responsibility to score goals and I made damned sure I scored them. When they talk about a sportsman being ‘in the zone’ I understand what they mean. It’s not quite as extreme as being a sniper, who’s able to get his target into a viewfinder and pull the trigger in the knowledge that he’ll be taking his victim out. But you need the same sort of mindset, the same coldness. You must have no feeling, you must pick your spot and, more often than not, pass the ball into the net.
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There are many strikers who have all the talent in the world, who are outstanding in training, but could not hit a barn door in front of 100,000 people. Missing an open goal is usually caused by a moment of fear or panic. It’s about flinching under pressure, rather than holding your nerve. I can watch certain players go clear on goal, one-on-one with the keeper as the crowd rise to their feet, and I just know they are going to miss. There are a few, such as Wayne Rooney, who have simply ‘got it’ – that coldness, that nervelessness that I remember in myself and you know more often than not, they’ll snap up a chance.
Missing an open goal is not the worst offence a striker can be guilty of. Every time you arrive in the box and sniff out those chances you are taking a risk – you are gambling on being a hero or looking an absolute prat. There are a hell of a lot of so-called goalscorers who simply aren’t brave enough to take those gambles often enough. And while he’ll never be the greatest striker in the world, Earnshaw cannot be accused of being one of those.