Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye is set to be out of Premier League action until January with a groin injury.
The Frenchman sustained the problem whilst on international duty, but it was initially thought to be a minor issue.
However, Alan Pardew has conceded that it appears to be worse than originally thought and that the ex-Lille man may be out of action until after Christmas:
“Cabaye looks like he could be out four to six weeks.” He told the Evening Chronicle.
“He might possibly have to have a little surgery on that groin. It could be we run all the way to the end of January before I have my first team to pick from.”
His absence is of particular concern to Pardew who is already missing Ryan Taylor, Haris Vuckic and Dan Gosling with long-term problems.
To make matters worse, Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote will be unavailable for the start of 2013 due to African Cup of Nations.
Pardew admitted that with the holding midfielder’s imminent absence, he cannot afford to lose any more members of his squad:
“When Cabaye comes back, Cheick will be gone. It is tough for us at the minute,
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“You have seasons when you lose players and you have to be able to cope with it.
“If I had everybody available then losing Cabaye would not be such a blow. At the minute we cannot afford to lose anybody.”
With nearly half of the season gone already in the top flight, every team is readying itself for the busy and potentially decisive festive period, which can often make or break any European hopes any respective club may secretly harbour. But with both the Manchester clubs seemingly assured of Champions League football again next term, what about the other hopefuls, such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle and Arsenal? Let’s take a look and assess their chances.
Last season, Chelsea’s success by triumphing in the most unlikely of circumstances saw them clinch the final qualifying place despite only finishing 6th in the Premier League, cruelly relegating Tottenham to the Europa League. After all, as Liverpool fans experienced after their shock success back in 2005, it’s difficult to call it the ‘Champions League’ when it doesn’t have the defending champions in it and along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, England had its four representatives, who, by and large, most people would have predicted prior to the season beginning, even if the route was somewhat convoluted this time around. This season, though, the race for a top four place looks wide open and several teams stand a reasonably good chance of gatecrashing the party.
The fact that so many of the top sides are currently in a period that they would term as ‘transition’ means for the first time in recent memory, there could be two places up for grabs in the top four, with only Sir Alex Ferguson’s and Roberto Mancini’s sides good enough to string a consistent run of form together at the moment, despite their obvious deficiencies and each and every challenger has gone through a period of rotten form already.
Chelsea currently sit in third in the league table at the moment, but a ten-point gap has slowly but surely opened up behind United and they’ve slipped well off the pace, long before the deeply unpopular Rafa Benitez ever stepped through the door at Stamford Bridge. The team’s blistering start was unexpected, yet they lack leaders throughout the team aside from the traditional and much-maligned ‘old guard’ and they look brittle at the back when put under any sort of pressure.
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They became the first defending champions to crash out at the first hurdle in mid-week despite hammering Nordsjaelland 6-1 at home, with the damage already done under Di Matteo and the disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Juventus proving costly. They are currently on a run of seven games without a win in the Premier League and the struggles of Fernando Torres up front refuse to go away, with the spectre of Falcao looming large. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of quality that they have within the squad should mean they are there or thereabouts by the end of the term and they always retain the ability to strengthen heavily in January should they need to, and you suspect they just might to try this route to success again in the hope of reviving a flagging campaign.
Arsenal produced a stunning comeback in form towards the back end of last season from February onwards, overhauling a huge lead that their north London rivals Tottenham had on them in the process on their way to third place, but a repeat performance looks unlikely at best at the moment. They’ve qualified for the Champions League during the past 15 consecutive seasons under Arsene Wenger, a tremendous run which he deserves credit for, but without someone like Robin van Persie to lead the line, they look short of not only confidence, but quality in several key areas and they look unlikely to extend it to 16 seasons in a row this year.
My tip for the top four this season was Tottenham and I’ll stand by that given the progress the team is currently making under Andre Villas-Boas, particularly given the sheer pace of change at the club over the past few months. While they are a flawed outfit, prone to capitulation, they look capable of stringing together a run of results more than most of their rivals for a top four spot. It’s imperative that they keep Moussa Dembele fit, though, for without him, they lack energy and conviction in the middle of the park, while they could also do with a new centre-half in January, but they finally appear to be hitting their stride and look set to make the top four for the second season running for my money.
Another team with an outside chance of making the grade is Everton, who happen to be going through their own patch of sticky form right at this minute, which has seen them draw seven of their last nine league games, winning just one. After a fantastic start, the traditional slow-starters have seemingly gone about their season in reverse and there’s a sense that they’ve failed to capitalise when the going has been good to establish themselves while others around them have floundered. They are still just three points off the pace and Tottenham in fourth place, but draws against the likes of QPR, Norwich and Wigan, not to mention the late equaliser they conceded against Fulham and their recent defeat to Reading could come back to haunt them further down the line. They are only one Marouane Fellaini injury away from their hopes being ended, and while they remain a solid, organised and increasingly attractive outfit to watch, their inability to grind out results and keep clean sheets could cost them dearly.
Their Merseyside rivals Liverpool are another team deemed with an outside chance of making the top four this season under new boss Brendan Rodgers and there’s evidence that slowly but surely they are adjusting to their new style of play with some success. They currently sit in 11th, but just seven points behind Tottenham in a tightly-congested table and their recent nine-game unbeaten run pointed to progress being made. The dampening of expectations around Anfield this summer, coupled with the fact that they are relying heavily on inexperienced youth players and are overly-reliant on Luis Suarez means they are not the best organised to make the step up required. The return of Lucas Leiva from injury should see them finish in the top eight, possibly even top six, and the club’s fans would have taken that at the start of the season; they are building towards a genuine challenge within a couple of years, but for the moment, it may have come too early for them and they need to remain realistic.
Finally, we move over to Newcastle, a side that’s failed to live up to expectations under Alan Pardew this season and one which is struggling with their own variant of second-season syndrome. With such a small squad, every injury and suspension has been keenly felt, while the lack of investment in the summer was tantamount to gross negligence; a needless tightening of the purse strings at the precise time when they needed to be loosened. The balancing act of European and Premier League football has proven too much to handle for them this season and they look set for a campaign of mid-table obscurity, which is a deeply disappointing follow-up performance to their fantastic breakthrough last year.
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If I had to stick my neck out on the line and predict the top four by May, coincidentally, it would look exactly the same as it does now, with Chelsea and Tottenham joining the sure-fire bets of United and City. The increasingly competitive nature of the top flight has made predicting the Champions League spots harder to predict than ever, with Swansea and West Brom also worthy of a mention after their early season form, but over the course of a long campaign, the teams with the most money will gradually edge ahead, with Arsenal’s decline creating the conditions for which another club can now steal a spot.
It’s far from sown up yet and Everton still stand the best shot out of all the remaining contenders if you ask me, but it’ll prove exceedingly difficult for the likes of Newcastle and Liverpool to come back after their slow starts. Clinching a top four spot is still considered the Holy Grail in England, with Arsene Wenger even ranking it above winning the League Cup, but with 23 games of the campaign left and such an open race, it promises to deliver a few twists and turns yet – the flawed nature of all the usual suspects practically guarantees it.
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Ipswich Town yet again failed to put in a good performance when fellow strugglers Peterborough United came to Portman Road on Saturday.
If the Tractor Boys were playing against a better side then it could have been another thrashing but thankfully the visitors were just as poor as the home team.
I have no idea what the Ipswich defence were doing when Lee Tomlin broke into the box. No matter how many times I watch the goal I can’t work out how they managed to let Tomlin have so much space to shoot. Ipswich did not even have a shot on target in the first half and if it wasn’t for Peterborough’s equally poor play then Ipswich would have never got back into the game. Perhaps the away side will feel like they could have won the game as Mick McCarthy’s side never looked like winning it.
Peterborough are mine and probably everyone else’s favorites to be relegated. The fact that Ipswich looked second best to a team destined for League One worries me greatly.
We can perhaps forgive the team for getting thumped by teams like Leicester, Blackpool and Crystal Palace because they are decent sides, but when they get showed up by the divisions weaker sides we have to draw the line and say that it is completely unacceptable.
You have to look at the likes of Lee Martin and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who get paid above average wages for those at Championship level and think what do they do to deserve those wages? Of course it is unfair to just single out two players but they are two prime examples of players that look like they don’t even care about their careers, let alone Ipswich’s league position.
Thankfully, Lee Martin’s contract is up in the summer so he will either be leaving or he will be signing a new contract on lower wages. I know a lot of fans think he has the potential to set the Championship alight but personally I would not have a problem with the club letting him go, even if it is for nothing. Yes he did win us a penalty and yes he may have the occasional good run of form once a season where he looks like one of our best players, but that is not really enough to justify having him around. With a bit more consistency I would consider him an average player at this level but nothing more than that. Most of the time he looks uninterested and it is a shame that he is letting what talent he has go to waste.
In fairness the same could be said for Jay Emmanuel-Thomas as the tricky winger has been far from his best this season. JET has always lacked consistency and even more importantly lacked composure in the final third of the pitch. It is exciting to see the former Arsenal player’s fancy footwork, weaving in and out of defenders to break into the box, but his inability to provide a decent cross or shot really lets him down.
Sometimes you get the impression that JET is really fired up for the game and defenders panic any time he gets near them. However once the winger knows he has a regular place in the team he starts to slack off, losing his enthusiasm and flair. Recently he has started on the bench and looks more up for games when he eventually does come on but why should we keep a highly paid player at the club who can never maintain a regular starting role?
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Like I mentioned before, these two players are not the only ones failing to pull their weight but they summarise the kind of players that are at Ipswich. If they don’t even care about their own careers then the club has no chance of getting the best out of them. January can’t come soon enough, hopefully McCarthy will get the money to bring some real footballers into the club.
He went from hero to jobless in a matter of weeks at Newcastle, but since then a lot has changed for Chris Hughton and he inevitably found himself back in the Premier League spotlight. In the wake of his former side’s current plight did the Magpies miss a trick by letting Hughton go?
The path he has taken since initially suggests they may have done. He did a tremendous job with Birmingham City to get a disjointed squad into the Championship playoffs. He also provided a respectable Europa League campaign, including a 2-1 victory in Brugge as a cherry on top of the cake for the Blues fans. He has shown that he has the capability of ensuring unity in his squads that can enable them to go on runs just as Norwich have. There were doubters of the Canaries as they struggled for early season form now they are on their best run in their Premier League history. The manager takes huge credit for that and rightly so.
I raise a smile at Hughton establishing himself as a Premier League manager. Newcastle fans nostalgically call upon the 5-1 Halloween demolition of Sunderland at St. James’s Park. No supporter on Tyneside will forget the day when Kevin Nolan caused havoc chicken clucking around as he put a hatrick past his team’s bitter rivals. There was the feeling that this alone would be spare Hughton a lot of time, and that a popular manager can finally settle. The lacklustre performance at the Hawthorns in his last game in charge was not an indicator of a departure. Nobody expected him to go when he did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though.
Now you look back you can see why his partnership with Newcastle United came to an end. Hughton was destined to leave for the reason that he may have been a great coach but his existence was not very much beyond that. I am not ignorant to assume that all he did was coach, but he was an isolated figure even if the fans never wanted to admit it. Newcastle supporters are correct to say he was unfortunate to be sacked, but the board knew exactly what he brought to the table. He was a motivator and encouraged a fantastic team spirit. This wasn’t enough; they did not have the confidence that he was the face they could put their trust in. The turbulent spell like they are facing now needs a strong personality to take the criticism in his stride and ability to see the vision of the board before the supporters. The quiet unassuming figure of Hughton was not what the Newcastle decision makers wanted to work with.
Ashley was all too aware having a manager in charge that was seen as a fans messiah was dangerous. He knew from when Kevin Keegan was installed due to fan power that this can only end one way, in tears. The Owner could not take the risk that Hughton could use the fans as a weapon against him. There was no communication between Chris Hughton and the board they were separate entities and for this reason they had to split.
Mike Ashley was rarely given credit for his meticulous business planning before the days of Pardew. This is because any manager’s positive image was done individually and did not include the main man in charge upstairs, which would have made the fans appreciate the board. Alan Pardew instantly spoke about working with the board as a unit. The 41 year old has marketed Newcastle as a brand run by the club’s hierarchy, rather than promoting his personal image of Mr Pardew being Mr Newcastle United. This was a perfect scenario for Ashley because he knew any popularity Pardew would gain he would benefit from too.
This is demonstrated when Alan Pardew explained about the club’s transfer failings he mentions the five man hierarchy getting it wrong with himself and chief scout Graham Carr included. The affiliation of blame to two popular characters in his honest appraisal draws in an acceptance from the fans. It deflects blame away from Ashley rather than venom and spite in his direction, which is essential. The owner knows that Pardew will work his visions around what is dictated to him and this is pivotal for any working relationship. Mike Ashley is the ultimate boss, because it is his money that goes in and Pardew understands this loud and clear. This is why he was so handsomely rewarded with an 8 year deal. The Sports Direct owner is sure to make some ruthless business calls on player sales and purchases in the future but the fact that this won’t be a surprise to Pardew is a massive boost.
Newcastle experienced a stormy spell when Carroll left for £35 million. A fan backlash then has prepared the former Southampton boss for this current wave of frustration. He answers to the board before the fans though and the unity this provides will ensure Newcastle remains a strong unit for the foreseeable future. If Pardew plays by Ashley’s rules he will be rewarded, and given opportunity to sign players to improve the team under a suitable structure.
Pardew and the club’s hierarchy have been on the same page since day one; he was wanted and had utmost respect from the owner. He is a channel of communication between the fans and the owner that had never existed under Hughton. How Hughton was viewed upstairs was always shrouded in controversy. He ended up in charge purely as an agreement of convenience in the Championship and because he got the Magpies promoted he had to stay, in the same way Abramovich was obligated to keep Di Matteo.
Alan Pardew is a completely different kettle of fish to what Hughton was. He buys into the Ashley plan and he doesn’t appear to be left in the dark on subjects and can usually shed light on issues between board and fans. I am convinced that results would not have been all too dissimilar under Hughton or ‘Pardiola’, but the current boss was brought in to guide the ship at times just like now. It is why the fans remain patient that he will turn it round once again and few fans have called for his head.
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While the split with Hughton was unfortunate and messy for the fans, essentially the board certainly understood why they sacked him, and what they wanted from a manager. The timing was difficult but when was a good time to ever sack a fans favourite. There may be a clamour from fans to recall Hughton’s great exploits and yearn for the days he was here. Those who do that though will miss the point of the way the Newcastle hierarchy has to run if the club is to have a long term future.
Joe Cole has revealed it was difficult turning down his old manager Harry Redknapp at QPR before opting to sign for West Ham.
Cole, 31, completed his move from Liverpool to Upton Park on Friday morning, signing an 18-month contract with Sam Allardyce’s side.
The former England international midfielder broke onto the Premier League scene at West Ham under Redknapp, who handed him his debut in the top flight, aged just 17, after spending four years at the club’s youth academy.
And Cole had the chance to reunite with Redknapp at a struggling QPR side during this January transfer window, but while he admits he owes a lot to Redknapp, he says he could not resist the opportunity to return to his boyhood club.
“That was the hardest thing for me,” Cole explained to London 24, “because Harry gave me my first chance and I will be forever indebted to him, but there was too much here at West Ham for me to say no.
“The only hard thing was turning down Harry because I love him and I would not be the player I was if it wasn’t for him.”
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce feels the former Chelsea man can now push on at Upton Park and force his way back into the England set-up.
But Cole, who has 56 caps for his country, is concentrating on regaining form for West Ham first.
“I need to get playing first, and probably will need three or four matches to get back to top level,” he said.
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“I will always harbour those ambitions because I love playing for my country, but it will be down to performance.”
Arsenal’s crucial 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the weekend came courtesy of a double from summer signing Santi Cazorla, which will have gone a long way to helping the club keep their hopes of clinching a top four place alive after a terrible week which saw them all but crash out of two cup competitions, but should he be contributing in such a fashion on a much more consistent basis?
Back-to-back defeats saw the Gunners crash out of the FA Cup to Blackburn at home despite dominating the game and lose in midweek to Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Champions League which puts their chances of qualification for the next round in some serious doubt, so in terms of maintaining their fragile confidence during a pivotal time as they chase a top four place, even though the win was in a nervy manner, the result was more important than the performance against Paul Lambert’s relegation strugglers.
The two goals took Cazorla’s tally to a healthy 11 for the season from 27 games in the league, but as perhaps the team’s most standout performer in terms of natural talent, aside from Jack Wilshere, you are often left with the sense that he should still be doing a lot more than his six assists testify. He could best be described as more of a decorator than a dictater of play, and is he simply a consequence of his environment that requires more help for him to truly flourish?
In his 27 league outings to date this campaign, the diminutive Spaniard has created 65 chances, completed 87% of his passes and hit the target with 53% of his shots. In what can only be described as an altogether deeper-lying role than he performed while he was in Spain, firstly with Villarreal and then Malaga, not to mention the Spanish national side, Cazorla has nominally played out wide as part of a four-man midfield or as one member of a three-pronged attack from either the left or right flank, but Wenger has him sitting deeper and trying to get on the ball more and effect play.
Nevertheless, against top quality opposition this season, Cazorla has flitted in and out of games far too much for what that role demands and he can often be found playing well within himself, failing to get the tempo going to the sort required to see Arsenal at their best. This is not some youngster we are talking about either, but a 28-year-old, experienced professional with over 40 caps at international level.
It may be a somewhat casual comparison to make, simply because they are all from the same country and are seen as creative fore-bearers for their respective sides, with a heavy emphasis on them to instigate moves, but when you highlight the impact that both Juan Mata and David Silva have had in the past, Cazorla comes up short, even if in terms of natural ability he is comparable and is he simply the latest in a long line of mentally fragile big money buys from Wenger?
In his second season in England, Mata, four years Cazorla’s junior and in equally as inconsistent a side in Chelsea, has managed to create 64 chances in 25 league appearances, assisting nine goals in the league, 22 across all competitions and taking his goal return to 17 for the campaign, 10 of which have come in the league.
Meanwhile, 27-year-old Silva was absolutely integral in helping Manchester City to the league title last season and despite battling with injuries this season, and never quite getting up to full speed, symptomatic of the rest of Roberto Mancini’s side in that respect, he has still managed to create 73 chances for his team-mates in 24 games, with seven assists.
When Silva plays well, so do City and the same can be said of Mata at Chelsea but there must be a worry that Cazorla’s influence is somewhat more fleeting, even if it can still occasionally hit the same heady heights. It’s been suggested that both Silva and Mata are capable of making the step up in the future to one of the big two in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid, whereas when Cazorla was available in the summer, neither really pursued his signature, despite his outstanding season at Malaga, which speaks volumes of the standing he is held in and he noticeably dropped off in form and struggled after the international break earlier on in the season.
Alongside his double against Villa, his winner against Sunderland showed that Cazorla is starting to understand the responsibility he must take on within the side. They are under increasing pressure to secure that top four place for a 17th successive season or run the risk undoing all of their progress off the pitch by being unable to compete for the best players in the summer when Financial Fair Play is introduced from their platform of the Europa League. It is absolutely pivotal for their long-term plan that they make fourth this term.
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From a purely statistical standpoint, Cazorla has had an exceptional first season in the Premier League, but as one of the senior heads of the side, he needs to maintain his undoubted influence across the ninety minutes, particularly in games of importance, because when he does get himself more involved, he is a match-winner and he can’t let himself, like so many of his team-mates, wilt under the pressure. It may be demanding to ask more of a clearly excellent player, but he has an extra gear, the sort that neither summer signings Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski possess, and the technical ability to win games on his own, which he is finally starting to show, albeit intermittently.
As he adapts more to the demands of the top flight, the fans in turn need to demand more of a player capable of becoming their talisman. Wenger may be best served pushing him further forward so that he can do more damage in the final third as the season goes down to the wire, but the extent to which he maintains his form will determine, perhaps more than any other individual player in the Arsenal squad, whether they are ultimately successful in their quest for a top four spot this season.
Tottenham’s embarrassing Europa League defeat away at Inter Milan last week, where somehow they contrived to win, draw and lose all at the same time across the two legs, saw manager Andre Villas-Boas criticised heavily for getting both his team selection and formation very wrong, but it could also mark a watershed moment in his tenure, namely being that the contributions of both Brad Friedel and William Gallas simply weren’t good enough for a club of their ambition, and it’s high time they were both ushered out of the exit door at the end of the season.
It’s been a sight all too familiar for Tottenham fans over the past two decades; promising seasons torn apart by moments of madness and routine collapses of confidence just when the pressure is on them to perform. The debacle that was the Inter game seemed to be cruising to an inevitable outcome that would see safe passage through to the quarter-final stage minus the presence of Gareth Bale right up until half-time, but the way they fell apart shortly after the break spoke volumes of how far the two men in question have fallen.
What was needed against Inter was an old-fashioned European performance; to many, if not most, that will mean just being boring, tough to beat and preferably with five players across midfield so as to stop any flow through the spine of the side. Instead, what the Portuguese lined up with was a hotchpotch 4-4-2 system that he’s rarely used all campaign, let alone in a difficult away game, with Moussa Dembele on the right of midfield, Gylfi Sigurdsson on the left and Scott Parker as the ball-player in front of the back four. Even when looking at that written down on paper, it’s astounding such an astute young coach thought that was the way to go about grinding out a result.
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Of course, while the performances of the vast majority of the side were abysmal, none more so than ‘hero’ Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored the goal that sent them through to the next round despite a truly dreadful showing, it was the relationship between Gallas and Friedel at the back that proved a real cause for concern. They simply can’t be used again in Europe now after how they performances here, where they both more than contributed to the chaos around them.
The 41-year-old goalkeeper has enjoyed a long and productive career, but now is the time to slowly but surely nudge him out to the retirement home. After a decent start to the season, and please note that it was decent, not the spectacular showing we were all told it was because of a match-saving display against Norwich shortly after Lloris signed, Friedel has come to represent a style that doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the side. They have evolved and moved on without him and his failure to adapt nearly proved to be costly.
Sure, he’s good in and around his six-yard box, but the reactions are slowing due to the inevitable and unavoidable onset of time, while he couldn’t be more different from what Lloris brings to the team. It’s strange to talk about goalkeeping styles, because in a predominantly reactive position, stopping what’s in front of them is the main job for every goalkeeper, but the France international has also come to sweep behind Villas-Boas’ high line to great success, one error against Liverpool aside, in recent months. Like a comfort blanket, he provides security to the ball played in behind, which Friedel’s ageing legs simply can’t.
When Villas-Boas persisted with the high line after the break even when it became clear it was not working, especially with Gallas present (more on him shortly), they simply didn’t have the right man between the sticks to help plug a gap and exploitable weakness in a ropey back four.
Moving on to Gallas and it’s truly astonishing that he’s still at the club and wasn’t moved on last summer. Perhaps in all the upheaval at the end of last season they simply forget he was there, but that Villas-Boas once considered Gallas a superior player to Michael Dawson and more capable of fitting his system is one of the greatest managerial errors of judgement this season in the entire top flight. Thankfully it has since been corrected, but the Frenchman is still nonetheless in the loop and has made 20 starts across all competitions this term, more than Dawson and the same as Steven Caulker.
It wasn’t just that he showed an embarrassing lack of technical ability for the goal which saw Antonio Cassano’s free kick zip into the bottom corner via his shin leaving Friedel rooted to the spot, or that he’s now so slow that he completely negates playing with a high line, or that he even allowed Cassano so much space at the back post for the opener, it’s that he just doesn’t seem to care at all anymore.
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His performance in the FA Cup semi-final 5-1 defeat to Chelsea last season was as poor a piece of professionalism as I’ve ever seen from a player, where during the build-up to one goal, he actually just stopped running after his marker and gave up. He’s completely lost any pace he once may have had and has come to resemble a penguin trying to sort out his feet whenever the ball comes near him and he’s played a large part in why the side has just seven clean sheets this season in the league.
Villas-Boas will be forgiven for underestimating Inter in the second leg and getting his plans all wrong because by and large he has done great work at the club this season and most fans will recognise that, but when it comes to Friedel and Gallas, who by the start of next season will have a combined age of 78, they simply don’t offer anything that they couldn’t already get elsewhere in terms of squad depth, and they are hindering the team more than they’re helping at the moment. Whenever it comes to that point with a player, it’s time for them to move on.
The last week for Coventry City was supposed to be a defining week in the clubs history and whilst in many ways it has been, there are still so many questions that have been left unanswered.
The confusion which now surrounds the club began late on Thursday evening when out of nowhere owners Sisu chose to put Coventry City FC Limited (CCFC Ltd) into administration. The statement released detailed that CCFC Ltd a ‘non-operating subsidiary’ had been put into administration but CCFC (Holdings) Ltd was not suggesting the club itself had been spared administration.
Confusion was the overriding emotion following this statement and the scheduled court case which would have seen the club as a whole go into administration was postponed to allow for further investigation into the club.
The other important aspect which was the only thing that we seemed to be a hundred per cent certain on was that Sisu’s actions had voided the contract between them and ACL meaning Coventry City FC now had no home, with there now being no rental contract between the two parties.
Rumours and possible scenarios began to circulate around the social media sites as City fans tried to understand the implications of Sisu’s actions. Rumours of new owners looking to invest as well as potential grounds to play our remaining home fixtures, and whether or not the club will get a points deduction.
Then on Friday it emerged that the club was clearing out stock from the club shop at the Ricoh arena. It was later confirmed that staff and stock had been moved to a different location which was later confirmed as city’s Ryton training ground. This seemed to signal the end of City’s time at the Ricoh but now where does the club go.
Saturday arrived with pretty much all of the questions still left unanswered and attentions turned to the match against Portsmouth. Does this match even matter was the question on a lot of fans minds but being football fans we got on with it and got behind the boys in Skyblue.
It was a game where the players could be excused from being distracted by what’s been going on at the club but the players seemed to respond relatively positively. An early penalty looked to give the Skyblue fans something to cheer but McSheffery stepped up and had is penalty saved by an impressive Eastwood. Things kind of went downhill from there and despite a number of good chances for City it wasn’t to be their day. 2-0 to Portsmouth was the final result and it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse for City.
How wrong I was as new continued to break over the next few days. News emerged that ACL and others believed the club had made a mistake and was actually in administration as a whole. For this reason ACL went into court on Tuesday with the intention of withdrawing their application for CCFC to be put into administration.
This has all come down to where a so called ‘golden share’ lies. This ’golden share’ refers to the clubs membership of the football league and it is now understood to lie with CCFC Ltd and not as Sisu suggested with CCFC (Holdings) Ltd. This should have meant the club were going to be confirmed as being in administration but continued discrepancies mean we are still left wondering although a point’s deduction looks more and more likely as time goes on.
One thing that is very interesting as well as worrying is that the court was informed that the club is actually £60million in debt. Now Sisu have consistently stated that the club has no debt so once again it would suggest that we have all been lied too on an even bigger scale then we could have imagined.
The club has taken some positive steps in that a short term deal is now being talked of too enable the club to play its last three home matches at the Ricoh Arena. No matter what happens I think everyone can agree that this is a favourable scenario for all involved.
Our club is in crisis and we are undoubtedly looking for a saviour. Former life president Joe Elliot this week has stoked the fans hopes by publicly talking about an American millionaire who is apparently interested in the club.
His name is Preston Haskell and has in the past shown strong interest in another UK based football club, Leeds United. On the face of it he seems like the real deal. He has a fortune worth an estimated $250 million (£157 million), is a genuine sports fan, great business knowledge and so far have only heard good things about this millionaire from Texas.
We have heard all this before though and had our hopes raised only to be left with the likes of our current owners. At this moment in time though anyone other than Sisu seems like a good option and for that reason I welcome administration and I never thought I would say that.
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It is a huge shame that it has come to this for our beloved club but administration does offer he club a potential fresh start. We have been going downhill as a club for as long as I can remember and just maybe this could finally be the beginning of revival for the club. My only concern is how far we are going to have to fall before we begin to rise again.
Sisu’s dealings with this club are far from over and there is plenty of drama still to come that I am sure of. It does have to end at some point though and one way or another I cannot wait for a resolution to this so once again we can concentrate on the football side of things.
Everton have set their sights on Cardiff boss Malky Mackay if David Moyes decides to leave the club at the end of the season.
Moyes has admitted his side look set to miss out on a top-four finish following Saturday’s defeat at Sunderland and a top-five finish, which would secure a place in the Europa League, also looks unlikely following Spurs’ win over Manchester City on Sunday.
There has been speculation throughout the campaign that manager Moyes could walk away from Goodison Park when his contract comes to an end in the summer if the club miss out on European football.
The Sunday Mirror have now reported that Mackay, who led Cardiff to the Championship title this season, is a leading contender to take charge of Everton if Moyes decides to call time on his stay with the Merseyside club.
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However, Cardiff are keen to keep hold of the Scottish manager and Everton could face a big battle to secure their reported top target.
Manuel Pellegrini’s wealth of experience will stand him in good stead when he takes over at Manchester City. The lack of trophies won’t matter, nor will his solitary season at a ‘big’ European club count against him in the Premier League – at least it shouldn’t. Manchester City, provided they take on a realistic approach in what they want from Pellegrini, could reap the rewards of one of Europe’s better managers in the game today.
There is nothing not to like about the Chilean manager. He is the anti-Mourinho, persistent in his desire to steer clear of the eye of the storm and remain utterly dignified in his attitude to management. Manchester City, for their achievements with Roberto Mancini and his recent firing, do not want to hold themselves in the same line as Chelsea. Pellegrini won’t write headlines for the wrong reasons, accusing his counterparts of voyeurism, exposing club captains and declaring war on anyone who seeks to challenge him. Pellegrini is here for the football, and that should be the biggest headline.
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Manchester City need to regroup and rediscover the level of football they reached during their title-winning season. Under Pellegrini, the emphasis will be on players like David Silva and, should he arrive, Isco. The biggest breakthrough this coming season, however, will be in taking Sergio Aguero back to the top as the team’s premier striker.
And success is almost guaranteed under Pellegrini on this front. He has a sensational record of getting the best out of his players, overcoming obstacles and delivering aesthetically pleasing football. His teams at Villarreal and Malaga were built around small schemers, excellent technicians in the midfield just ahead of a robust central midfielder or midfield pairing. Mancini must be wondering what he had to do to get Fernandinho last summer; under Pellegrini, the soon-to-arrive Shakhtar player will be City’s Jeremy Toulalan, their Marcos Senna: the undeniable and necessary balance to the flair forwards.
If this is a project Manchester City are serious about, Pellegrini will deliver success on numerous fronts. The most obvious goal is to reclaim the Premier League title and justifying the incredible outlay by the club over the years; many have been quick to question whether Fernandinho is worth the reported £34 million. Manchester City will also need to become a force in Europe, doing away with the tag of disappointment from their two recent ventures into the Champions League. Pellegrini has a phenomenal record in UEFA’s premier club competition. Some will look to Real Madrid, but that short spell does little to discredit the fine work put in with Villarreal: the excellent football on display at El Madrigal, the Champions League semifinal. It’s difficult to forget Malaga’s fairy tale adventure last season, and there is almost a certainty that Pellegrini will pull off something equally spectacular with a club and squad who dwarf Malaga on every front.
One of the biggest successes, though, could be Pellegrini’s promotion of youth players. Again, if City are serious and look past the somewhat idiotic notion that all managerial appointments work in cycles of two or three years, they’ll see a rediscovery of the youth system at the club. For all their wealth and ability in the market, the goal should still be to bring through academy players. John Guidetti is a name who could benefit greatly from Pellegrini’s presence at the club.
The media in England might find some disappointment in Pellegrini, as the manager will do little to feed their appetite for a controversial story. But that’s exactly what City will want. The club will be represented by one of Europe’s classiest and most likeable managers. Pellegrini won’t plant battles with his players in interviews and he most certainly won’t lose or create divisions within the dressing room. There will be some who won’t easily forget the short spell with Real Madrid, but that was a project that was never truly Pellegrini’s, and City should learn a lot from the lack of control the manager had at the Bernabeu. It’s been said that if Jose Mourinho had not been available following his single season at Inter, Pellegrini would likely have stayed on. Barcelona, too, are not oblivious to the Chilean’s credentials, singling him out as a possible replacement for Tito Vilanova should his health continue to play a factor in his management at the Camp Nou.
Pellegrini has a history of overachieving, doing so much more than what is expected of him. Martin Demichelis was a player reborn at Malaga, Borja Valero’s career was turned around completely at Villarreal, and Joaquin experienced his best years in Spanish football under Pellegrini at Malaga.
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Pellegrini finally gets the reward he’s been deserving of: a very real opportunity at silverware in European football. There’s absolutely no doubt that Manchester City have made one of the best managerial appointments of the summer.