Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has admitted that his side will be in for a difficult game against Manchester United on Saturday, but has stressed that his team must convert any chances they create to stand a chance of getting a positive result.

The Tyneside club have had an excellent start to the campaign, and are currently in fourth place in the Premier League standings after 12 games.

However, following a 3-1 defeat to leaders Manchester City last weekend, The Geordies have a tough fixture list over the next month that will test the side’s resolve.

“If you are going to Old Trafford against the quality of player and the atmosphere that’s created, of course you are going to find it very, very difficult,” Pardew told reporters at a pre-match press conference.

“The odds are that you are not going to get many victories. You need a bit of luck, sometimes the ball to roll your way or fortune to favour you.

“But you have got to force that. We have got to force them into a situation where they might make a mistake, or we have a forward running beyond and a player commits himself and they are down to 10 men.

“It’s crucial when that chance comes along that we take it, because we aren’t going to get many chances there,” the manager admitted.

Pardew will lock horns with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Toon trainer is full of respect for his opposite number.

“He’s clocking up all sorts of milestones. It’s about time he walked away and gave someone else a chance. He has been brilliant.

“I know he will be smarting from Tuesday’s draw, so unfortunately, we are on the back of a negative from Manchester United’s point of view, so it will be a tough game for us.

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“When the last game of the season comes around, I expect Manchester United to be playing for the title. He wouldn’t have it any other way, the manager,” he stated.

By Gareth McKnight

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Tottenham look to get their winning run back on track as the Mackems arrive at White Hart Lane tomorrow afternoon. It represents a stiff test for Harry Redknapp’s men who will be keen to get the three points to strengthen the club’s push for a top four finish.

At FFC this week there has been various Tottenham blogs that include what next for Luka Modric; not a transfer necessity for Harry, while January represents the defining moment for Spurs.

There is also a selection of the best blogs from around the web:

Not a transfer necessity for Tottenham

The defining moment for Tottenham Hotspur

Simply a marriage of convenience at Tottenham?

What next for Luka Modric?

Freidel, Hart, De Gea…who has had the greatest impact?

Villas-Boas looking to gazump Spurs’ January move

Spurs face tough competition to sign Lawal

The TEN things we can ‘expect’ in the January transfer window

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Best of WEB

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The name is Foy. Chris Foy. Licence to Kill. – Dear Mr Levy

Modric Wins Coveted Award. – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2

Lump On Tottingham – Harry Hotspur

I Couldn’t Handle It. We Were Winning – Tottenham On My Mind

Van der Vaart, the Tottenham romantic who loves to entertain – Guardian

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Click on Roger Johnson’s misses below to unveil our current Premier League Wag XI

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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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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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Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has stated that he wants to be more of a threat at set pieces, and contribute goals to the Premier League champions.

The versatile defender has chipped in with three goals since joining from Fulham, and is eager to up this tally in the future.

“I’m definitely working hard on my role at corners and free-kicks in order to make an impact,” Smalling told Mirror Football.

“When I joined, one or two of the coaches pointed out that they were looking for goals from the centre-halves.

“Obviously, Nemanja Vidic scores a few and if you can add goals to your armoury, it’s a massive plus point.”

“Hopefully I’ll keep finding the net and contribute a bit more in the future.

“I don’t want us to be relying all the time on the strikers for goals,” he concluded.

Smalling is in contention to feature for United against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Saturday.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Arsenal are again readying themselves for a swoop for Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo this summer, according to the Mirror.

The 27-year-old Italian international was watched by Arsene Wenger’s assistant Boro Primorac in the Viola’s recent game with Genoa and the midfielder would come on a Bosman if signed.

The new move for the midfielder comes after Arsenal enquired about the player last year.

Montolivo has been one of the stars of Serie A for a number of seasons now and the Fiorentina schemer is affectionately known as the ‘magician’.

Appearing in all of Italy’s games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Montolivo represents one of the finest talents on the transfer list this summer and would add even more creativity to the midfield ranks in what is the Gunners chosen game style.

It has been heavily documented that there is a lack of experience in the Gunners roster as a whole and Montolivo would provide added guidance to the likes of younger midfield counterparts Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin.

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With the Gunners likely to spend big on the retention of Robin Van Persie and the recruitment of Lukas Podolski, a move for Montolivo on a free seems sensible business and there is likely to be substantial transfer activity in a summer of upheaval at the Emirates Stadium.

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It has been heavily documented this season that without Robin Van Persie, Arsenal would be somewhere unthinkable in terms of their league positioning. Picking up the PFA Player of The Year last night, nobody can deny that the Dutchman has had an incredibly prosperous 2011/12, striking 27 league goals and firing the Gunners to a more respectable third at present. However, whilst Van Persie has been individually brilliant, his team as a whole has flattered to deceive and if you judge a successful season by trophy contention, the Gunners have been further of the mark this term than ever before in seasons gone by. Early cup exits and inconsistencies have weighed heavy on the club and juvenile calls of ‘one man team’ might not be that immature as first billed. When Van Persie has scored, Arsenal have usually gone on to win, and when he hasn’t they have struggled. It has been as simple as that and whilst Arsenal fans may flauntingly gallivant that they have the best striker in Europe, it’s a bittersweet emotion in many Gunners fans heads that secretly there is a reluctant acceptance that he is over-relied upon, individually outstanding and therefore prone to widespread interest in the forthcoming transfer window.

This so-called curse of individual brilliance may not be limited solely to Arsenal however when we look at the squad dynamic of rosters elsewhere. Whilst the curse in the case of Van Persie refers to a reliance on goal scoring in particularly, other squads’ merits are usually hinged upon a certain few individuals too.

If we embark on the continent and Barcelona in particularly, a few weeks ago, only a brave individual would question Pep Guardiola’s tactics with certain calls of weaknesses being shunned and laughed off as ludicrous nonsense. With the recent two defeats to Chelsea and Real Madrid, stupid punditry calls for ‘it being impossible’ to defeat Barca have been justifiably answered with aplomb. With Chelsea’s rigorous focus on the art of defending, a method was efficiently carried out to counteract the train-like consistency of Barcelona’s attacking play with the rare case of players looking solely to Messi alone for inspiration. Whilst we already know many of Barcelona’s players acquire the skill and know-how to win as a team, the semi-final first leg highlighted that when the chips are down, Messi was the player given the ball most often to try and run and weave between the Chelsea lines of four. You would expect the world’s best player to be looked towards but the rare lack of penetrative passing from Andres Iniesta and Xavi meant Lionel Messi was the focal point or in the case of this article, the example of individual brilliance looked upon in terms of skill, flair, and that ‘opening up of the door’ in regards to the Chelsea defence. Over the past couple of years, Guardiola’s side have been ‘at it’ more often than not winning with tremendous style from a variety of goal scorers but when they haven’t more recently, the reliance on Messi to make those darting runs has been clear to see.

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Similarly, you wouldn’t expect much criticism of current Premier League leaders Manchester United given all of Sir Alex Ferguson’s wisdom and their hard working style, but for many when Wayne Rooney isn’t available for selection or rarely isn’t ‘at it’, the squad struggles in terms of attacking vibrancy and chance conversion. Nobody is there to replace the tireless energy of those gut busting runs from deep and those clinical finishes nearly as often as Rooney achieves it. This could describe the curse of Rooney’s individual brilliance. The Van Persie’s, Messi’s and Rooney’s of this world bring all the strands of a team together with their distinct attributes and take them away and you have significantly weaker first eleven’s despite the rich heritages of their respective outfits.

Manchester City have also struggled despite their large accumulation of talent when a few vital cogs have been missing during the campaign with Yaya Toure’s and Vincent Kompany’s absences coinciding definitively with a lack of energy and drive in midfield and a shaky, mistake laden back line. If you look further down the table also, clubs such as Blackburn Rovers are often in wanting of flair and chance creation during the ninety minutes and Junior Hoilett has been the man over-relied upon in sparking some life into Rovers one-dimensional attacking play. Liverpool could also be said to still over-rely on the individual battling merits of their captain Steven Gerrard who is their only example of a player who makes such characteristic and purposeful strides forward.

Look closely and you will source just who the match winners are in teams across the nation. Perhaps Van Persie is the most noticeable and extreme example yes, but the idea is applicable to many other teams also, whose respective individual brilliance is looked towards probably just as often, but for different and less traceable reasons, whether they be flair, camaraderie or fighting spirit.

Can you see my point or am I talking as much nonsense as Ray Wilkins? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

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Just the six games in the Premier League this week,

Who would prove mighty and who would be meek?

Well, Sunderland and Wolves could’ve played in the dark,

The difference in the result wouldn’t have been stark,

Man City mow Canaries in a six goal treat,

As Paul Lambert’s men become shredded tweet,

Swansea City end their losing run,

But Blackburn gloomy and having no fun,

Brendan Rodgers can thank the Swans super Sig,

The Icelandic maestro just loves having a dig,

But Manchester United five points clear,

As Manchester City enviously leer,

Two weeks now til the big showdown,

With United likely to retain their crown.

Goal of the Weekend

The performances of Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero have often been overshadowed this season by the antics of his fellow strikers, namely Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez. However, Aguero’s two goals on Saturday helped City thrash Norwich but his first strike in particular was magnificent.

He arrowed a 25-yard shot into the top corner rendering John Ruddy’s dive futile. It was the Argentinian’s first goal in the Premier League this season which has come outside of London and Manchester. Considering this statistic, it’s impressive that he’s third in the goal scoring charts with 21 goals in the Premier League.

Player of the Weekend

Had Papiss Demba Cissé not been performing so well for Newcastle United in recent weeks, it would be easy to label Gylfi Sigurdsson as the best signing in the January transfer window. The attacking midfielder, who’s also the chairman of an Icelandic fishing industry company, has seven goals in 14 appearances. This is the first time he has played in the Premier League having never had the opportunity to do so with Reading.

As he showed again on Saturday, he’s relishing the opportunity. Sigurdsson scored another spectacular effort against Blackburn, something which has become a trademark of the Icelandic. It was his first goal at the Liberty Stadium and he also grabbed an assist. Sigurdsson’s shot rebounded off the post onto Scott Dann and in turn into the goal, rounding off a 3-0 defeat for Blackburn and another good day for Gylfi Sigurdsson and Swansea.

Interview of the Weekend

Carlos Tevez is hardly a darling of English football after his refusal to come on as a substitute for Manchester City against Bayern Munich in September last year. However, his second start since Roberto Mancini declared he would never play for City again brought the Argentinian a hat-trick.  This meant he was named man of the match by Sky Sports – cue Carlos facing the cameras, but not for very long.

After asking questions to Vincent Kompany, Sky Sports’ Andy Burton turned to Carlos Tevez and what happened next was bizarre, yet somehow expected….

Andy Burton: Carlos, you happy to be back?

Carlos Tevez: Yes [Laughs, then Pauses] I man of the match?

Andy Burton: You are man of the match, you’ll get that [bottle of champagne] in a minute

Carlos Tevez: Thank you! [Takes Champagne and tries to walk off] Thank you, see you

Andy Burton: Very quickly, did you dive?

Carlos Tevez: huh?

Andy Burton: Did you dive?

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Carlos Tevez: I don’t know [Rushes off}

Andy Burton: OK, he’s off!

It’s doubtful this interview will endear Tevez any further to those who dislike him but if he helps claw Manchester City back into the title race, their fans won’t mind!

For more on the Premier League, follow @archiert1 on Twitter.

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From Barcelona to Rome, Bojan Krkic has done alright for himself. But would a move to the Premier League be the next best move for the striker?

One of Barcelona’s best talents to graduate from their famed La Masia youth academy in recent years has struggled to make his mark on European football. The pressures and expectations at Barcelona weren’t greatly eased by his move from the Nou Camp to Roma last season, either. New coach Luis Enrique attempted to assemble a squad of players to tie-in with the playing ideals of his former club Barcelona. But even with Bojan arriving on a two-year loan deal, and with the possibility of more playing time, both he and his new club have struggled to a degree this season.

Bojan has admitted to entertaining the idea of returning to Barcelona in the future, however his playing time might be significantly less than his first stint at the club due to the emergence of other La Masia graduates.

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Interest in the striker from the Premier League has always been high, as this morning once again showed with Liverpool showing an interest. But with Liverpool looking to bolster their squad ahead of next season, more questions should be raised as to whether Bojan would fit in with the style of the Premier League and specifically Liverpool.

The problem the youngster has had in recent years is the serious lack of time to develop as one of the most impressive talents in European football. You couldn’t hide from commentators emphasising how young the player was whenever he turned out for Barcelona, and even more so when he got himself on the score sheet.

A player like him jumping across big clubs in Europe with the hopes of settling down is going to be a problem. He hasn’t developed into a natural goal scorer that his youth days suggested, and he’s done little over the past two years to warrant a starting place in any big side.

His small frame will also be a problem in the Premier League. There has been a significant shift over to smaller, technically gifted footballers in England, but Bojan lacks the confidence of those players. Strength is a problem for him, unlike compatriot Iker Muniain, who has been afforded less of the limelight at Bilbao and is developing at a steady yet impressive pace.

That’s not to say Bojan wouldn’t be a good fit for any Premier League club. After all, this is still a player who played for Barcelona. He’s quick and, with the right guidance and environment, can fulfil the potential he showed as a teenager.

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Would Liverpool be a step too far at this stage? From what we’ve seen of Bojan so far it does appear so. But he still has time and bags of potential to develop into a player capable of leading the line for a big club.

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Resist. Resist the temptation to focus on England losing on penalties. Avoid that search for a scapegoat and look on a grander scale as to why England failed – as some such as Jonathan Wilson have ruminated before (especially in the Anatomy of England) there is no sole reason for England’s (continued) lack of success.

Still, some search peerlessly for someone to take responsibility, with the main candidates this year Ashley Young and Ashley Cole having missed penalties. However, the wisest words from the England camp came from Theo Walcott when he spoke to BBC Radio 5live after the game.

“Sometimes for the positives, you have to learn from the negatives,” was the eloquent summation from Theo Walcott after another spot-kick heartbreak. Quite a few negatives are there to point out. Even in the two games which were won at Euro 2012, England weren’t impressive. Their weaknesses were there for all to see against, in comparison to previous years, sub-standard France and Italy sides.

On Sunday evening against the Italians, the ball retention was poor as shown by 32% possession and a pass completion ratio 15% less than the opposition. The first touch of many players was also lacking. As soon as any real pressure was applied by Italy to England on the ball, they struggled. Whilst some of the last ditch tackles by Joleon Lescott and John Terry were impressive, it is worrying that in over three hours against France and Italy, England managed only two shots on target. Their only one of the night arrived from right back Glen Johnson – and that came within the first few minutes in Kiev too.

And for all the defensive qualities Hodgson’s 4-4-2 gave England, on numerous occasions, Italy successfully got between the two banks of four to create chances, with Ricardo Montolivo in particular, a constant menace. Now, these rigid tactics which Hodgson used suited the English team overall, but not necessarily the certain individuals like Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. Those two in particular are used to playing with more creative freedom at their respective clubs. To give them that might have proved suicidal to the team. Still supporters crave the fluidity of play that Spanish and German fans enjoy.

They must realise playing in the fluid fashion demanded does not come quickly. According to Uli Hesse, Jürgen Klinsmann helped to put in place the attacking philosophy which we are seeing from Germany currently, back in 2004. It’s only now that Germany appear to be peaking. Of course, there’s more to this, especially in terms of how football is structured in Germany.

Now, no matter what the choice of style is, there will always be a loud minority, voicing their discontent – such is the nature of it being a national team, everyone feels it is of extra importance to voice their opinion on how it should be run.

Ultimately, as many as possible within the game need to be pulling in the same direction and it’s something that is still not happening in English football, such is the way the Premier League and the FA seem to work against each other, rather than with.

Now at Euro 2012, there was some improvement from the 2010 World Cup debacle. In South Africa, the togetherness and subsequently the passion appeared to be lacking. What was missing in Kiev though was the skill and the technical ability. Not the first time that’s been said either as some like Chris Waddle have bemoaned the coaching of young players in England previously.

He has a point too. As mooted earlier though, you cannot ignore the other factors from trying to explain why England lost to Italy. Whether it’s the amount of time Hodgson has been the England manager, that players were tired after another long Premier League season or that they just weren’t good enough – there is no single, correct answer way to explain as to how England reached the quarter finals.

Whilst the words of Theo Walcott are encouraging in that it gives the impression action will be taken, again, as Chris Waddle pointed out in the aftermath, little has changed technically on the pitch since 2010. To expect major progress when there has only been two years since South Africa is unrealistic – like the expectations of those who thought that having edged past Sweden and Ukraine, “England really could go all the way.”

Hodgson’s team can take positives from the tournament – the new manager still hasn’t lost a game in normal time and there were some good individual performances from some of the squad’s younger players.

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Whilst fans will yearn for more, in both results and in style at the World Cup, they must realise this – Football is not necessarily about being able to play beautifully all the time. It’s about having the ability to play the football which suits the situation. It’s something that England still doesn’t have. Maybe when they can, they’ll have a chance in a major tournament but for now, England are some way from this – and it’s not the first time they have been either.

Article originally written @ Gone With The Rhind – For more musings on Twitter, follow @archiert1

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