Alan Pardew has denied the claims of fan favourite Andy Carroll that the striker was forced out of Newcastle United.
Carroll, who joined Liverpool for a club-record 35 million pounds on Monday, had been quoted as saying he was given no choice by the St James’ Park hierarchy but to agree to the transfer.
The 22-year-old striker also claims he was coerced into handing in a formal transfer request.
But Newcastle manager Pardew insists that Liverpool’s offer was only accepted after Carroll decided he wanted to leave.
“We turned down a big offer, and they came back with a second big offer,” Pardew said.
“We were having a discussion about what we were going to do with that offer when Andy requested to see me.”
“I went to see Andy face-to-face. I asked him what he wanted, and I went to the board. We had a discussion about what the ramifications would be for the whole club.”
Carroll signed a new five-year deal with Newcastle in October 2010.
But Pardew claimed that despite the extended contract being in place, the club had little option but to accept the substantial offer from Liverpool if Carroll wanted to leave.
“We took the view, with him signing a contract in October, that this would cause us all sorts of problems,” he said.
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“We decided that we needed the conversation confirmed, and (that) he put in a transfer request, which he did.”
“He spoke to his agent, and between them they put the request in. We decided with the size of the offer, and what it meant to us, that we would accept.”
“But no club is about one player. We’re absolutely gutted that he’s gone. It’s disappointing, but we’re not in a financial position like Liverpool.”
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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It’s not a new debate nor is it one to do strictly with football, or money, but just why is it that English players, in large, refuse to travel abroad and make their home in other countries?
I thought about this whilst reading Ruud van Nistelrooy’s response to David Winner’s fascinating book about Dutch football, Brilliant Orange. Van Nistelrooy said:
“As a Dutchman reading it, it’s a kind of mirror. It shows you things about yourself you’ve never seen before.”
Although van Nistelrooy is one individual and not representative of the whole, the mere fact that a Dutch footballer has read a book outlining theories on why his nation may perform like they do on the pitch is a welcome break from the tabloid pages most invariably find themselves in.
Succumbing to a generalisation I think it is absolutely fair to say English players don’t exhibit the kind of cultural versatility that players from Europe certainly possess. Taking a loosely football related argument as an indicator of the chasm between the breadth of adaptability on show at this World Cup alone we can take Germany’s match against England. When the final whistle blew we can safely assume that it was the German players who approached the English, speaking English. I don’t see John Terry offering a conciliatory ‘guten tag’ to Bastian Schweinsteiger had the roles been reversed. And with some of the Dutch, Spanish, German and French players able to give press conferences in two, sometimes three, languages I’m left wondering why we can’t replicate a similar standard of diversity.
This isn’t to uniformly blame the current English players in our league; they are more products of a longstanding tradition that we don’t travel well. Why is this? The first reason is that English has been the desirable language of business for a long time (although that’s now being gradually challenged). Another reason is that in the past five or six years especially we’ve had a strong showing in Europe, which confirms to many (albeit in this country more than others) that the Premier League is the best league in Europe. These are strong reasons to remain in England but what about the years where English football was by far a distant second to Spain and Italy?
A persistent and undeniable inability to want a move onto new shores, elsewhere in Europe, is very much an English failing. Talented foreign players constantly flood into England and increase their chances of becoming better footballers, often ousting promising homegrown talent in the process, but this is hardly their fault. A distinct complacency (perhaps even a fundamental lack of curiosity or belief) certainly exists amongst our players, both established and promising. It’s always beneficial for a proportion of our players to attempt life outside the Premier League; it gives them a chance to hone their match intelligence and general adaptability (something evidently lacking at this World Cup), on the pitch, culturally and socially. We definitely understate just how difficult it is for young foreign players to make it in this country (there is a dangerous habit of viewing young players as adult footballers, which is completely unfair, in our media). If we take Alex Song’s experiences as an example; he was born in Cameroon, grew up in France and moved to Arsenal in his late teens:
“Coming to Arsenal at the age of 17 was more difficult than going to Corsica at 13. There, I had someone [François Ciccolini, a youth team coach from the Corsican club Bastia]; when I came here I didn’t have anybody, I didn’t understand the language, the food was very different and I had no confidence. I lived in a hotel and when training ended I would go to my room and spend all of my time on the phone. To leave everybody you know in France and come to a new country, that is not easy. But it got better because I realised I had the boss [Wenger]. He would speak to me all the time at training and that gave me motivation.”
Aside from the very personal and individual struggles that Song overcame to make a success of his talents his story is indicative of the kind of hardship foreign players can endure, though far from easy, for the sake of what they love doing; which is playing football. That Song has potentially taken the place of a less able, less willing, less determined homegrown player should not be an issue for us, which is why merely citing foreign influence as the major contributing factor of the English failing is a parochial stance – it does not paint the whole picture.
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I can’t explain what keeps our players caught in their home countries for all their playing careers, even to the detriment of their progression as professionals. Even the successes (Paul Lambert, Chris Waddle, David Beckham, Steve McManaman) are more exceptions that prove the rule. It’s a cultural and educational problem too, not simply footballing; sport merely reflects, not causes, the endemic issues within our culture.
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The UEFA Cup has generally lacked excitement and controversy, or at least it did until the 25th October 2007, the date when Tottenham Hotspur turned the sacking of Martin Jol into a Hollyoaks episode during the game against Getafe. The Dutchman found out before the game, the whole world and his dog knew by half time and come full time a red faced Daniel Levy had some explaining to do.
The Lilywhites faithful have maintained their ‘love’ for their former manager since his sacking and I think even Arsenal fans would find it hard to argue that Jol was a decent guy who was unfairly treated and embarrassed by the Tottenham hierarchy. Which is why it was a pleasure to hear this week that Jol will be returning to Premier League management with Tottenham’s London rivals Fulham. Does the former Ajax man return to the Queen’s homeland with a desire or even a need to prove himself?
The former West Brom player led Tottenham to consecutive fifth place finishes before being sacked after one win in the opening ten games of the next Premier League season. His replacement, Juande Ramos, did lead the Lilywhites to a League Cup success, but the former Sevilla manager’s start to the next season sealed his fate and left many Spurs’ fans wondering why Jol went in the first place (perhaps it was Jol openly stating he would be open to the Newcastle job in 2006).
Since his bitter departure from White Hart Lane, the Dutchman has had a fairly indifferent few seasons, but managed to achieve moderate success, first leading Hamburg to the semi-finals in both the German Cup and the UEFA Cup, then winning the Dutch Cup with Ajax and coming runners up in the league to Steve McClaren’s FC Twente, earning an incredible goal difference of +86 in the process.
Jol obviously feels extremely bitter in the manner of his departure, but by joining Fulham, a club very much on the up, the former Ajax man could have the last laugh. Fulham are a ‘sound’ club with solid foundations and a supportive chairman. With Europa League football guaranteed next season, Jol may have the platform to establish himself as a top quality manager and subsequently prove a few people wrong in N17.
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Chengdu Blades came from behind to draw 3-3 against defending champions Shandong Luneng as the Chinese Super League season began on Friday.The Blades had their Australian contingent to thank as they fought back three times throughout the course of the match.
Hosts Shandong led from the first minute through Han Peng, before Chengdu levelled through former Sydney forward Brendan Santalab in the 11th minute.
Midfielder Wang Yongpo restored Shandong’s shortly before the break, but Santalab was again on hand to level on 65 minutes.
Just three minutes later, Brazilian striker Obina made it 3-2 to Shandong and the champions looked to set to hold on for an opening-round victory.
But Adam Kwasnik – on-loan from A-League grand finalists Central Coast Mariners – notched a 79th-minute equaliser to grab a point for Chengdu in their first outing under new coach Lawrie McKinna.
In other matches, Qingdao Jonoon also came from behind three times to draw 3-3 at Shanghai Shenhua.
Argentine Luis Salmeron struck a brace for Shanghai, but his goals were cancelled out by efforts from Brazilians Eber and Leo San.
Colombian Duvier Riascos put Shanghai back in front on 70 minutes and they held the lead until the 90th minute, when Zou Zheng levelled to snatch a draw for the visitors.
Serbian defender Marko Zoric was on target for Tianjin Teda in a 1-0 win at home to Shenzhen Ruby.
Goals from Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano and Honduran Luis Ramirez helped Hangzhou Lucheng defeat visitors Nanchang Bayi 2-0.
After waking up to the news of the crippling weather conditions and all but two Premier league games being called off over Saturday and Sunday, nobody could have been too pumped up for Sunderland versus Bolton. To be fair, the game was decent, but Craig Gordon’s save from Zat Knight was truly unbelievable. It was an instinctive save, requiring razor sharp reflexes which defied the normal laws of physics. It was a save that young goalkeepers dream of making. Craig Gordon’s save will be remembered for years to come, but what about some other great saves? It is impossible to say one save is better than another – games are different, circumstances differ in games. We have found five truly great saves, made by goalkeepers playing in the Premier League. Watch, admire and if you so wish, practice in the snow.
Click on gloves below to see 5 great saves
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Like what you read? Follow me on twitter for some more outstanding saves.
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
Manchester United have not ruled out the possibility of Rio Ferdinand being fit enough to feature in the opening Premier League game of the season against newly-promoted Newcastle United on August 14.
There were fears that the former West Ham United and Leeds United defender was set to be sidelined for several months when he suffered a knee ligament injury in early June.
Ferdinand sustained the injury in England's first training session after they arrived in South Africa and was unable to play any part in the team's ill-fated World Cup campaign.
However, a United spokesperson has told the club's official website that Ferdinand is set to be out of action for ten weeks, meaning he should be fully-fit by mid-August.
If the 31-year-old is not ready for that clash he could be available to feature in the Premier League game at Fulham or the 28 August clash against West Ham United at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, reports suggest Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to launch a £15million bid for Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill.
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The veteran United boss is keen to add some central defensive cover for Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic who both missed large chunks of last term through injury.
Real Madrid continue to be linked with Vidic and United currently have only Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling as back-up for their first-choice central defensive partnership.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
To say the transfer window (so far) has been uneventful is tantamount to saying the Arctic is a bit nippy, as the majority of Premier League clubs are seemingly being careful with their finances. In some cases clubs simply have to sell before they can buy, much to the frustrations, no doubt, of many managers and supporters.
The lack of spending at the top of the Premier League has surprised many, especially given the open nature of last season’s title race. You would have thought the likes of United and Chelsea would have looked at a big outlay this summer, to ensure the also-rans remain at an arm’s length in their pursuits of the title. Only City have made substantial moves this summer, although you do feel that they may well struggle to strike a balance. This means this season’s race for the title, Champions League and Europa League places are very much as they were last year, unless we witness a major change in the transfer wind in the coming fortnight.
The media is predicting that a transfer storm is set to erupt, but it begs the question as to whether Newcastle really need to partake in some last minute shopping.
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Does Hughton need to bring any players in before the transfer window shuts in 16 days time and if so who would you like to see him bring in?
Since the final whistle blew at Eastlands on May 5th, Tottenham fans were licking their lips at the prospect of talent that would join the club due to their Champions League status. Nearly three months have since passed and the most mentioned possible signings of Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker are anything but tasty.
But the lack of players entering the front door of White Hart Lane disguises perhaps the biggest plus of the pre-season period, the nullity of those leaving from the exit.
In recent times, Spurs have failed to keep hold of their best players, the likes of Michael Carrick, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov all left in search of more likely success with ‘bigger’ clubs. The past season’s achievement however has raised the north-Londoners to a platform where they can prepare for the new season without the fear of having to replace the key members that got them there.
Stability is craved by every club but is becoming increasingly harder to achieve due to the trend of aiming for instant success. Tottenham on the other hand, are showing (for once) that they are on the right track. None of the first team has been linked with moves away from the club; even faint whispers of Luka Modric to Manchester United and Gareth Bale to Inter Milan were quashed as soon as they appeared.
Harry Redknapp has shown he has faith in his current squad and has every right to. With one of the lowest average age squads in the Premier League and strength in depth in nearly every position, this Spurs squad is growing and improving, together, with each step it takes.
Seeing rivals Arsenal being pestered for their captain and Liverpool having to sell their anchor man plus still unsure of their goal machine’s future while silly Spurs have their feet up with no such worry is something that no fan could have written a year ago.
Written By Andrew Vou
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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