Birmingham City manager Lee Clark is desperate for success over Stoke City in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.
The Blues have had a tough season in the Championship, winning just 3 of their 13 league matches.
Their troubles off field have hindered Clark’s side too, with the club’s financial problems leading to the sales of Jack Butland, Curtis Davies and Nathan Redmond. But the 41-year-old is aware of the effect a cup victory could have on the team, and fans:
“I’m conscious of that every time we play, I want to give the fans a little bit of happiness because I understand what’s going on and the predicament they’re in,” Clark told Sky Sports.
“In terms of people who are at the forefront of my mind are my players, my staff and the supporters – I want to make them feel as happy as I possibly can every time we play. A good cup run can do that, I felt that after we beat Swansea in the last round, and we’ve got a chance against a Premier League team on Tuesday night.”
“It’s a tough call for us but every time we get out on the pitch I want to give them something back because I sense the support they’re giving me and the group is really good. I can imagine they’re frustrated at times, but over that they’re seeing the reality of what we’re doing. I listen to the fans and I see them around the stadiums and I think they’re showing a lot of belief in us and feeling towards the players because they understand the predicament we’re in.”
Birmingham were relegated at the end of the 2010-11 season, just months after lifting the Capital One Cup trophy after a shock victory over Arsenal.
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Football Association chairman David Bernstein has made a full and sincere apology after the recent revelations unearthed by the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
The news has been uncovered that police officers were made to change their statements in an attempt to detract blame from the officials onto the fans; 96 people died in the incident.
Bernstein has made a heartfelt apology to Liverpool fans and all those impacted by the disaster.
“We are deeply sorry this tragedy occurred at a venue the FA selected,” a statement, published on Sky Sports, reads.
“This fixture was played in the FA’s own competition, and on behalf of the Football Association I offer a full and unreserved apology and express sincere condolences to all of the families of those who lost their lives and to everyone connected to the City of Liverpool and Liverpool Football Club.
“This should never have happened. Nobody should lose their lives when setting out to attend a football match and it is a matter of extreme regret and sadness that it has taken so long for these findings to be published and the truth to be told.
“For 23 years the families have suffered unbearable pain and we have profound sympathy for them.
“I would like to commend the professional work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, while also recognising the tireless commitment shown by so many people in maintaining the fight for justice, particularly the family support groups.
“The FA has co-operated fully with the Independent Panel throughout this process and has released all documentation in line with their requests. I would also like to make clear that we will of course fully co-operate with any further inquiry.
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“The FA and English football has changed immeasurably, and learnt many lessons in the last 23 years. Through advancements in safety and investment in facilities English football is now a much safer, more welcoming environment for supporters,” he concluded.
Aaron Ramsey has stated that the 1-0 Champions League win over Marseille in midweek has the potential to kickstart Arsenal back to life, and that the players’ confidence is returning.
The Emirates outfit had a shaky start to the campaign, but have put in better performances of late; the Welsh midfielder scored an injury time winner at the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.
With Stoke the next opponents for Arsene Wenger’s men, Ramsey is confident that his team have put their inconsistency behind them.
“The confidence is returning, no question. We’ve not had the greatest of starts but hopefully now we’ve turned a bit of a corner and we’re getting a few wins on the bounce,” he told Mirror Football.
“I feel it’s important to keep up the momentum and hopefully get another win over the weekend which will give us more confidence and belief.
“We need to take it into the league because we’ve done well in Europe so far. Hopefully we’ve got a few wins on the bounce so we just want to keep the momentum going.
“It was a great moment for me personally in Marseille and a great one for the club. We’re in a great position in the Group now and hopefully we can continue and finish the job off in Europe,” he concluded.
Arsenal have only lost one of their last six games, and with a number of home games on the horizon will look to string together a better run of form.
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It’s been a bugbear for many for a while now. You see, Fabio Capello just doesn’t understand. He isn’t English, he doesn’t grasp the English mentality, he doesn’t instil the fighting spirit that had previously driven our national side to decades of glory. The majority of our national sports journalists are unequivocal in the belief that the next England manager must be English – and judging by the comments of David Bernstein in the past, it seems that the FA agree.
Only, it seems that the rules are quite flexible – they are there to be bent. I was watching the Sunday Supplement on Sky at the weekend, and the selection of journalists in the studio were discussing the next England manager.
Broadsheet journalist Paul Hayward pushed for an English successor to Capello – or British. Apparently, it’s the same thing. He continued by quoting Gareth Southgate, who believes that international football should be the players and managers and supporters of one country against the players and managers and supporters of another country. Martin O’Neill was touted, as he was “effectively” English, having spent his whole life in English football (it would be pedantic of me to mention his five years as Celtic manager, or time out of the game).
Sorry to disappoint, but Martin O Neill is no more English than Fabio Capello. Maybe he understands what it takes to be an England manager more than Capello, who knows? Maybe he understands the mentality of your average England player, knows more about the passion involved, the words needed to inspire. Maybe. But then maybe Arsene Wenger does too, and he couldn’t be called upon due to his place of birth (not that he would be anyway).
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There’s no right or wrong in believing that an England manager should be English – some believe, like Southgate, that all parts of the set up should be the nationality of the country they are managing/coaching/cleaning the kits for. Southgate went as far to claim the bus driver should be English too – I would hope that comment was tongue in cheek. If that’s your view, then fair enough. It’s not mine, but each to their own. Brian Woolnough commented on the Sunday Supplement that the fans wanted an English manager – I’m not sure how he knows this, but there you go. Funny though that there seems little outcry at foreign coaches managing other England/British teams, often leading them to glory – our phenomenal track cycling team, our cricket team, our Olympic-winning rowers. Is it unacceptable for them to be coached by foreigners, or do we ignore this because they tended to be rather successful?
The fact is that England players have to be English – the manager doesn’t. So why not utilise this and get the best man for the job? That doesn’t necessarily mean throwing millions of pounds at someone, I can agree that was foolish of the FA, but it does mean you get a much greater choice. After all, the choice of English managers is pretty pitiful – if the nailed-on successor to Capello is a man with one FA Cup to his name, then don’t expect world domination to follow. This preconception that getting an Englishman back at the helm will right all the wrongs is laughable, and ignores the fact that Eriksson and Capello have the best records of all English managers since 1966. Capello might not be the answer, but if he isn’t it’s not because he was born in the north-east of Italy. Redknapp might be great at talking to people (usually through a car window), and every Sun journalist will simultaneously orgasm should he get the job, but it’s unlikely the players will perform any better. Hayward argued that the £50m thrown at the last two England managers had proved foreign managers to be a failed experiment – poppycock. The money might have been wasted, but their lack of “success” cannot be used as a reason to return to an English manager, when they have performed as well as their English predecessors (Capello rather outperforming his predecessor, Eriksson doing likewise).
The FA is right to wait until after the summer to choose a successor. The truth may be linked to them wanting a manager who is due in court on tax evasion charges on January 23rd 2012 (having just left hospital with a heart problem). It wouldn’t look good to be courting him now would it? Also, England still has a manager, and public discussions over a successor could be construed badly, though Capello has made no secret of the fact he is going, so you could argue the FA has the right to look now, which they probably are very subtly.
But English it will be. Let’s give it a go – get Redknapp in, get David Beckham as his patriotic sidekick, let’s regain our passion for the national side, let’s give youth a chance, play to our strengths, let’s use that bulldog spirit. And then let’s go out on penalties in the quarter-final as usual – because the view that England must have an English manager is a perfectly fair one, but let’s not kid ourselves that it will solve all our problems.
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Everton are reportedly set to extend manager David Moyes’ contract in the new year, as the Scottish coach looks to increase his time on Merseyside further.
Moyes will have been in charge at Goodison Park for ten years come March, and despite his current deal not expiring until 2013, the Toffees’ owners are keen to have their main man at the club for the foreseeable future, The Independent reports.
The Scot is currently the highest earner at the club, taking home £65,000 per week, and a similar figure is expected to be offered to keep Moyes from moving on.
Despite Everton’s obvious and well-documented financial problems, Moyes has made no suggestion of any desire to leave Goodison, and the Scot has built a close-knit squad over the last number of years.
The news comes following Everton’s 2-1 extra time time win over West Brom on Wednesday night, in which captain Phil Neville scored a 103rd minute winner.
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Everton now take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as they look to build on their midweek win.
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The mere mention of the words ‘football agents’ usually makes the blood of most football fans around the country boil. The not universally liked characters are often at the centre of football news, which is especially the case around the recent transfer deadline day.
Last week it was revealed that Football League clubs spent a total of over £16 million on agents’ fees last season, an increase of £4 million on the previous year. This is an incredible stat considering the effect the economic crisis is having on the beautiful game.
With the pressure for teams across the leagues to break even or even survive, the money paid out to agents is often a large expenditure that many fans would like to see change. Whilst it is unrealistic to think that over the foreseeable future no clubs will ever pay out an agent fee again, the fees being shelled out are a major point of concern for many clubs.
But it is not only the money side of agents that is often criticised for having a detrimental effect on the game. How often do we hear ‘reports’ from agents that other teams are interested in their players or their star players are looking to leave? For a short time last season Manchester United faced the incredible prospect of losing star striker Wayne Rooney. Reports surfaced that Rooney wanted to leave Old Trafford but with the help of his agent Paul Stretford he made a shock u-turn and instead signed a lucrative new deal. Questioning the legitimacy of Stretford’s intentions (and Rooney himself, with players not completely blameless in the football agent mess) is not a hard task.
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One answer to the continuing problem of agents and specifically the money involved is caps. The Guardian revealed late last year Fifa’s plans to implement a 3% of the total fee cap for agents, with an overall limit of £1.25 million. This move would present a shift in the pattern for clubs shelling out a lot of money to often greedy agents, with suggestions it could save clubs nearly £60 million. However, it is still unclear whether any such practices will be put into place in the near future.
But do agents just have a part to play in modern football? With the often chaotic nature of the transfer window (and deadline day especially) agents provide the source to bring in that one new player a club has been craving or they present a club’s best chance of getting rid of that overpaid player that they desperately need to shift off their books. Only eight clubs across the Football League didn’t pay agents fees during last season, a stat that shows football’s reliance on the good or bad service agents provide.
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There is a clear need for transparency when it comes to agents, their practices and the fees being played to them. A cap on agents’ fees would be an obvious solution to the growing problem that agents are having in the beautiful game and whilst it may not yet have got as far as them ruining the game, football agents are likely to continue to be a hated but unfortunately commonplace feature of modern football.
Do you think football’s hierarchy should implement agent fee caps? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
He was undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s best players last campaign with Arsenal, but Samir Nasri is finding that with a big money move to Manchester City, has come big questions over just where he fits within Roberto Mancini’s short and long-term plans. Does he even fit at all?
Nasri has indeed managed 25 starts in all competitions for City this term but has had to be content with six appearances from the bench; a role he didn’t fulfil during his time in North London. Part of one of the Premier League’s largest squads, Nasri was always likely to be competing with fellow star-studded names for a starting berth; understandably so, following Sheikh Mansour’s investment in the club’s revolution.
But three-quarters of the way through his debut season at the Etihad, and arguably the summer signing with the least impact, Samir Nasri is still not at home in his new Manchester surroundings, questioning was it ever the right move?
Let us retrace our steps back to the summer whereby a clutch of clubs were purring at the thought of adding the Frenchman to their ranks following the best season of his career whereby he struck 15 goals in all competitions for the Gunners.
It is not disputable that any club back then would have been criticised in their attempts to land the unsettled Arsenal star, but by employing the wisdom of hindsight, it is clearly evident that Nasri’s talents are being wasted in Mancini’s side.
Nasri spoke this week aiming another shot at his former employers:
“Sometimes it’s good to win ugly. You don’t always have to play good football to win”.
But you gain the overriding notion that Nasri is talking about the team philosophy and not of his own individual preferences. After all, he has had to be content to play second fiddle to the hard working exploits of James Milner in the ‘big’ games this season.
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Nasri was the artistic and creative force in the Gunners ranks last term and someone who they have struggled to replace. Aside from his jibes, how Arsenal would love to employ his attributes alone back into their underachieving side.
The Frenchman often played in a more attacking role at Arsenal as a playmaker if you will. Here, Nasri’s aesthetic qualities were abundant for all to see, but at City, Mancini prides more of his game plan upon solid defensive work and lightning counter attacks. Nasri has never been much of a tracking back player and Mancini’s Italian mentality surrounding being hard to beat is in stark contrast to the attitude employed at the Gunners.
Perhaps, this explains James Milner’s preferred choice in the team given his grit and hard-working qualities up and down the flanks, as opposed to Nasri’s flair and sparkle, deemed much more appropriate from the bench.
Of course, one of Nasri’s reasons to leave North London was his desire to win trophies and the Frenchman may just do that at City this season, but it would all be achieved through a bit-part role, in contrast to the consistent roles Kompany, Yaya Toure and Aguero play at the Etihad.
At any big club, the mark of quality is the strength of the squad, but you learnt during his time at Arsenal that Nasri was on the way to becoming one of the world’s top talents. Playing consecutively and in Arsenal’s style, which was a match made in heaven, truly made the Frenchman stand out. Laurent Blanc was ready to build the France squad around his qualities but his moves to do this may prove a little premature.
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Nasri’s impressive season inevitably saw him headhunted by a new club this summer, but he is finding out quickly just like Torres and Carroll before him that the team philosophy just doesn’t seem to match up with that of his own.
It remains to be seen whether Nasri is to really grasp his chance at City and stamp his own mark on an efficient team this term. The gut feeling is that he was most definitely an ‘Arsenal’ type player. He is still not at home at City.
Is the best yet to come from Nasri or should he have stayed at Arsenal? Join the debate @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
As we approach another week of European football, with the Champions and Europa League set to hit our TV screens between Tuesday and Thursday night, some questions have to be asked of UEFA’s introduction of a 5th and 6th referee in European football and their completely cack-handed approach to implementing this system – so it works for the good of the game.
The first and obvious question is are these extra officials actually contributing anything to actually achieving the correct decisions being made? The simple answer is no! Despite the introduction of more assistants, Captain Hook could count on his available fingers, the number of times these waxwork dummies have actually been seen to assist the boss in helping to achieve their chief objective to ‘ensure that the Laws of the Game are upheld, informing the referee of incidents of any kind that he may otherwise have missed, particularly in key areas of the field like the penalty area and its surroundings’ – since their introduction to the Europa League group stages in the 2009/10 season.
The second is why do they not have flags? Mind boggling really, given the bright shiny flag is such a tried and tested method of attracting attention. Instead, the hapless incumbents of these positions are given, what appears to be a toned down version of an old fashioned police truncheon. No wonder, they’re not making any decisions! I for one would be just plain embarrassed to wave such an implement in a stadium full of fans, who have never been known for their fondness towards officials. This said, they do have wireless communication through to the referee in the middle. So perhaps the lot of them just suffer from stage fright or are mute? Alternatively UEFA might just be entrusting a little crowd control on them as something to do with their underused batons?
Last, but by no means least, why this season have they started to stand on the opposite side of the goal that they originally stood on? Apparently, the official line from UEFA is because referees like to run the diagonal. Do they really? How nice for them; when their job is to run anywhere on the pitch necessary to get a good viewpoint of the game – they are being paid to officiate. In order to ‘ensure that the Laws of the game are upheld’. Even more baffling, when you consider the promotional video UEFA released, which shows them standing in their original position.
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So can we assume, that they no longer see more and the now we see exactly the same video is on its way?
They have a system of multiple referees in American Football and it appears on the surface to work in a much better way. Why? Simple, they actually do what they are there for. Every time they see an incident, they throw their flag on the field of play. Well it’s not actually a flag and more of a yellow hanky, with a knot tied in it, but you get my point – they’re paid to do a job and as such endeavour to do it.
The more cynical amongst us might suggest, that UEFA and football authorities in general have no or little interest in getting the decisions right in football. A game, where at the highest level in the Champions League the stakes are now so high. The very cynical might think this is because it still leaves some scope to ensure the status quo is maintained at the expense of the smaller clubs playing in Europe.
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Football has been a professional sport for a very long time now. The most popular sport on a global scale by a long way, yet the standard of officiating is still light years behind that of Rugby Union, which has only been professional since 1995. How can this be in a world so driven by technology? We are constantly given stats to tell us how far a player has run in a match and the such like, yet, there is firm resistance from the powers that be to actually make sure the decisions taken on the pitch, which affect our beautiful game on every level are the right ones.
UEFA chose to go down this route of extra officials instead of technology. The evidence so far, with the arse-about-face way it has been implemented is screaming from the rooftops, is that it’s a bad one. It is a system that could possibly work, but while the extra officials continue to be seen to remain marginalised and not do the job they’re paid to do, it never ever will!
Andre Villas-Boas has claimed that despite not getting Chelsea to the desired level at present, he will not require the services of Guus Hiddink to assist him at Stamford Bridge. The Dutchman was linked with a move back to West London in a Sporting Director capacity, but Villas-Boas said he will solve the recent slump with his current staff and players like he always does.
Elsewhere in the news Mancini rules out replacing Tevez; Redknapp defiant over Defoe, while Tim Krul’s debt to the Dutch master.
Villas-Boas says he doesn’t need Hiddink’s help at Chelsea – Guardian
Mancini rules out replacing Tevez – Daily Telegraph
Gaitan still on the radar as Ferguson looks to fill midfield hole – Independent
Scudamore rules out ‘Rooney rule’ – Guardian
It is not the end of an aura! Anfield is still special, insists defiant Dalglish – Daily Mail
Redknapp: Defoe will not leave Spurs – Guardian
Tottenham defender Kaboul is top target for Italian giants Juventus – Daily Mail
Arsenal hope Gervinho can add finishing touch – Guardian
Wolfsburg to make £4.5m January swoop for Arsenal midfielder Rosicky – Daily Mail
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Victory in the recent Copa America tournament saw Uruguay return to the stage as a footballing superpower. Their spirited brand of football, characterized by high energy and fearlessness saw them take on the nations of arguably the strongest footballing region in the world and win.
Spirit is riding high in Montevideo, after their impressive fourth place showing at last summers World Cup, the little giants of the footballing world, were even more impressive in the Copa America, thus propelling themselves to fifth in the world rankings and making them the dark horses for the 2014 World Cup in Rio.
Since the good times prior to the 1950‘s, Uruguay have been condemned to mediocrity. It has been a bitter blow to take with their proud sporting history, but hardly surprising for a nation of little over 3.5 million people. You simply cannot expect a nation that small to keep producing quality year after year.
The resurgence in the past few years has to be credited to head coach Oscar Tabarez, the veteran who has brought the good times back to Uruguay. The transition began in the 2007 Copa America where they narrowly missed out on the final through a penalty shoot-out. Tabarez pondered how in such a small nation, it was possible for them to keep hold of their talents and their identity on the world stage. His tactic was to change their game plan to match the weaknesses and strengths of their opponents and this adaptability has certainly paid off.
He installed a high team spirit, which is unrivalled by teams littered with star names and individuals. Tabarez used every player in his squad during the Copa America, making every player feel important and part of the cause, and his side responded to this brilliantly. Uruguay play and win as a team. This team spirit is only set to increase as the side will spend a month together at next years Olympics and in the Confederations Cup in 2013.
They are strong throughout the side, with young keeper Fernando Muslera commanding at the back, and players like Diego Lugano and Alvaro Pereira providing experience and quality. Players like Diego Forlan and Lugano aren’t getting any younger though, but that shouldn’t worry Uruguay, as they seem to have a wealth of riches at the present time.
They have Edinson Cavani, who was injured during this tournament, to come into the side and bolster their strong attack. Their under-17 and under-20 squads have also done well at recent tournaments, Uruguay seem to have a conveyor belt of young players moving to the senior side. Sebastian Coates looks like he could ultimately be Lugano’s successor, while playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, and striker Abel Hernandez would fit comfortably into a Uruguay side in the future. Tabarez again has to be given credit here, as he was the one that came up with the project to identify technically gifted youngsters and develop them through the country’s youth sides. Recent results show that they are heading in the right direction, and if they continue to produce exceptional talent of the class of Luis Suarez then they will continue to punch above their weight on the world stage.
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Tabarez has instilled balance, team spirit and a hard working nature to this Uruguay side and if he can keep the main core of this golden generation together then they will certainly be a side to be feared over the next few years.
Let me know your thoughts on this golden era for Uruguay, comment below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter