All posts by h79snht.top

It’s widely reported that the English Premier League is the best League in the world. Winning the Premier League is footballs greatest challenge. It is the most competitive, best contested and most interesting league system anywhere. It’s little wonder then, that many talented players across Europe have their eye on one day playing in the Premier League. With this in mind and the January transfer window fast approaching, what better opportunity to assess the likelihood of players from foreign climbs joining the Premier League during the transfer window? I’ve put together a top 10 list with a surprising number of big names. Whilst some of these potential transfers are more plausible than others, there’s little doubt that every name on the list below provides the top brass of the English Premier League with a reason for temptation.

[divider]

Click on Benzema below to see the 10 players to tempt PL bosses

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Newcastle v Liverpool on Saturday and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

It all kicked off in the world of Twitter last week. The first FA improper conduct charge related to the social networking site was handed out to Liverpool’s Ryan Babel and a couple of QPR players didn’t hold back in letting Blackburn’s El Hadji Diouf know their feelings towards him. So with Twitter becoming more popular amongst footballers and them seeing it as a chance to have their two pennies worth, is Twitter just a bit of fun or are players stepping over the line?

Let’s start with the Babel case. Babel posted a link to a mocked up picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt. While probably not the most sensible move, surely it was just a bit of fun and the FA giving him a fine is just showing how out of touch the organisation is with reality. Just because Babel is a footballer does it mean he doesn’t get a right to free speech? I’m sure Webb didn’t lose any sleep over it, it might have just encouraged him to put Babel in his book the next time the two of them meet!

PFA chief Gordon Taylor summed it up perfectly by saying “Where’s our sense of humour gone in our game?” Taylor went on to say “To my mind, and to most footballers’ minds, it is the same sort of stuff that flies about every weekend via mobile phones, but they are obviously taking a stance on it. I thought a warning would have been sufficient.” Let’s face it, referees get abuse shouted at them for 90 minutes every weekend, I’m sure one Tweet isn’t going to make a big difference.

Then there’s the Tweeting incident involving QPR. I want to start off by saying that El Hadji Diouf is one of the players I despise most in British football. By all accounts his behaviour in the FA Cup was disgraceful, but then that doesn’t surprise me. QPR manager Neil Warnock obviously doesn’t have a very high opinion of him, describing him as a “sewer rat” after his four-letter tirade to Jamie Mackie as he lay on the ground seriously injured.

On Twitter following the match QPR’s Bradley Orr posted “Never come across a more repulsive human being than E-H Diouf! The things he was saying were disgusting! The lad has just broken his leg! You horrible disgusting man E-H Diouf! Your time will come!” Maybe the last bit was a tad unnecessary. Goalkeeper Paddy Kenny added “That **** Diouf will get it one day, what goes around comes around.” I think maybe Diouf would do well to stay clear of the QPR players in the near future.

You can’t really blame the QPR players for venting their feelings towards Diouf in response to the despicable actions of the Senegalese striker. Maybe they would have been better off keeping their opinions of him to themselves, but then we wouldn’t get to follow an interesting Twitter account! I wonder what Twitter misconduct charge Babel would have been given if he said that about Mr Webb?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Babel now says he’s in “Twitter Jail”, but is that where footballers should stay? I hope not because Twitter gives us an insight into what players are actually thinking, rather than the mundane cliché’s they come out with in post-match interviews. Does anyone know if Ian Holloway has a Twitter account? That would be well worth following, that’s for sure!

[divider]

Love fantasy football? Love live footy? You’ll love live fantasy football! Take part in the Leeds v Arsenal match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!

Porto had to sweat but were able to maintain their eight-point buffer at the top of Portugal’s Liga Sagres, thanks to a 1-0 win over Beira-Mar on Saturday.

Brazilian striker Hulk converted a 35th-minute penalty at Estadio Municipal de Aveiro to record Porto’s 15th win in 17 games and preserve their unbeaten record in the league this campaign.

Second-placed Benfica – who loom as the only realistic threat to Porto’s title chase – beat Nacional 4-2 at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

The hosts went ahead in the eighth minute when Argentine midfielder Nicolas Gaitan scored, before Brazilian defender Sidnei doubled their lead after 20 minutes to give Benfica a 2-0 buffer at half-time.

Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo seemingly put the game out of reach when he scored six minutes after the break, but two goals within the space of ten minutes gave Nacional hope of nabbing a point.

Luis Alberto and Rene Mihelic scored in the 76th and 85th minutes respectively, only for Benfica’s Franco Jara to make sure of the result for the home side with his 89th-minute goal.

Vitoria Guimaraes won 3-2 at Rio Ave when Edgar Silva converted a 90th-minute penalty – his second goal of the game – to move his side to fourth place on the table.

Sporting Braga fought back from two goals down to draw with 10-man Vitoria Setubal 2-2.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Naval de Maio’s Robin Previtali broke Portimonense hearts with a 90th-minute equaliser in their bottom-of-the-table clash, which finished 1-1.

Olhanense accounted for Academica 2-1 in a come-from-behind win, while Uniao de Leiria equalised in the final stages to force a 1-1 draw with Pacos de Ferreira.

Two months after he was sacked as coach of Brescia, Beppe Iachini is back in charge of the Serie A side.

Brescia moved quickly to remove Mario Beretta, the man who replaced Iachini on December 6, after the 3-0 home defeat to Chievo left the Rondinelle bottom of the table.

The loss, Brescia’s fifth in their last six games, sparked protests from angry fans who demanded a meeting with Beretta.

“I am not going,” Beretta told Sky Sport Italia television.

“They insulted me for 90 minutes. If they had been civil then I would’ve gone to the meeting, but in this atmosphere they can forget it.”

That paved the way for Iachini’s return. “I am sorry for Beretta, as he was unlucky in this experience,” Iachini said.

“I return with great enthusiasm to pick up the work that was interrupted. We need to rediscover the unity and spirit that took us to win the Serie B championship and get a good start to this season.

“I still have an excellent rapport with the fans and I know the President always had faith in me.”

“It will take something special to avoid relegation. I haven’t seen the recent games, so I’m not sure what awaits me. Quite aside from tactics, we need to find our self-belief again, our enthusiasm and remember to think as a team unit, not individuals.”

“We also hope for a bit more luck, which was notably absent from my last few matches in charge.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

President Gino Corioni was less generous with Beretta’s plight.

“I never saw Brescia play football with him in charge,” Corioni said.

“It’s true, we lost with Iachini as well, but at least the team used to play.”

Senegalese star Demba Ba struck a brace to steer West Ham United towards a three-goal comeback in his first start for Avram Grant’s side since arriving from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in January.

The Hammers were three goals down at the interval but were spurred on by Ba’s double to force a dramatic tie by the 83rd minute.

The former Hoffenheim striker arrived at West Ham last month after scoring 37 goals in his three-and-a-half-year stay in the Bundesliga.

He spent much of last year’s campaign on the sidelines due to injuries and reportedly failed a medical ahead of a transfer to Bundesliga side Stuttgart.

But 25-year-old Ba returned to form this term and managed six goals in 17 showings for Hoffenheim before demanding a Premier League move in January and refusing to take part in his club’s training camp.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Stoke City were apparently close to signing the player but it was reported he had failed a medical before Avram Grant’s West Ham swooped for the African forward.

Click here to see the video at IM Scouting

Palmeiras were denied the chance to extend their lead in the Campeonato Paulista when they were held 0-0 by Mogi Mirim on Sunday.The league leaders, managed by former Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, could not find a winner at the Est?dio Romildo Vitor Gomes Ferreira, and were down to ten men at the final whistle after goalkeeper Bruno Cortez was dismissed late.Corinthians handed Santos their first loss in the league this season with a 3-1 triumph at Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho.Fabio Santos scored a brace, while Liedson added a late goal to seal the match.Former Manchester City and Galatasaray midfielder Elano scored the only goal for Santos.Mirassol won their third consecutive match with a 2-0 victory over Linense at the Estadio Jose Maria de Campos Maia to move into second spot on the table.Sao Bernardo went 2-0 up inside 18 minutes against Noroeste, and that was all they required to hold on for the win, with Danielzinho and Dirceu netting the goals at the Estadio Primeiro de Maio.Ponte Preta brought up their third win on the trot, and their eighth game unbeaten, with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Botafogo at Estadio Moises Lucarelli.Assis put the visitors ahead after 12 minutes with his first goal in the Paulista, but a stunning nine-minute goal spree saw Ponte Preta overrun their opponents to come out comfortable victors.Ferron (30th minute), Marcio Diogo (32nd) and Dirceu Lucas (39th) were the goalscorers for Ponte Preta.

Liverpool will be looking to continue their resurgence under Kenny Dalglish when they face Braga in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.Dalglish’s side, who are unbeaten in the competition so far, head to Portugal on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over English Premier League leaders Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.They will have to make do without influential captain Steven Gerrard, however, who has not travelled with the squad after suffering a recurrence of the groin injury that kept him out of both legs of Liverpool’s round-of-32 triumph over Sparta Prague.New striker Luis Suarez is also unavailable, with the Uruguayan cup tied having represented former club Ajax in the Champions League this season. On a positive note, 35 million-pound signing Andy Carroll could be set for another cameo from the bench, with the former Newcastle forward unlikely to start as he battles back to full fitness after a groin complaint.Liverpool will have to be at their best to keep their unbeaten record intact as Braga have won five of their six home games in Europe this season, including a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Champions League.Although Domingos Paciencia’s side have struggled for form recently domestically – sitting in sixth spot in Liga Sagres – they will come into the game buoyed by a 2-1 victory over reigning league champions Benfica on Sunday.

AC Milan meet champions Inter Milan at the San Siro on Saturday in a match that could well define the title credentials of both sides.Milan have topped the Serie A standings for much of the 2010-11 campaign, but Massimiliano Allegri’s men have stagnated in recent weeks and were held to a 1-1 draw at home by bottom side Bari on March 13 before slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Palermo.

Inter, by contrast, endured a difficult start to their campaign under former manager Rafael Benitez, but since he was replaced by Leonardo in December, the reigning Italian and European champions have gone from strength to strength.

Their league record since the Brazilian took over has been impeccable, with 12 wins, two losses and a draw seeing them sitting just two points behind Milan with eight games remaining.

Leonardo will be hoping for more good form from Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who has scored 19 league goals this season, with four in his last four Serie A games.

Also on Saturday, Brescia will be desperate to move out of the relegation zone when they host Bologna.

Sunday sees another huge fixture, when third-placed Napoli – who are just three points behind Milan – take on a fifth-placed Lazio side who are desperate to keep their Champions League push alive.

As well as Inter, the big movers of 2011 have undoubtedly been Udinese and the northerners are unbeaten in the league so far this year from 13 games – scoring 35 goals and conceding only 10.

That form sees them lying in fourth place in the league, six points behind Milan, ahead of Sunday’s trip to relegation candidates Lecce.

Elsewhere on Sunday, sixth-placed Roma host Juventus at the Olympic stadium with a spot in next season’s Europa League the objective for both teams, and the visitors will be keen to slash Roma’s five point advantage.

Catania welcome Palermo at the Stadio Angelo Massimino for an all-Sicilian affair while struggling Cesena play host to Fiorentina.

Bari are six points adrift at the foot of the table and need maximum points from their trip to Parma, Cagliari visit Genoa in a mid-table clash and Chievo Verona welcome a Sampdoria side who are just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Two of this season’s underachievers meet when Everton welcome Aston Villa to Goodison Park on Saturday.

Heading into the 2010-11 campaign, both Everton and Villa were considered realistic contenders for European football, but things have not worked out as they would have hoped.

Villa had, in fact, already secured a Europa League play-off berth with their sixth-place finish last term, but after Martin O’Neill’s walkout on the eve of the season, they slumped to a 4-3 aggregate loss to Rapid Vienna in August to dash their hopes of an extended European run.

Everton finished in eighth place in 2009-10, just outside the European spots, but after failing to register their first English Premier League win until October, David Moyes’ men never really got going this season and find themselves in eighth place, nine points behind fifth-placed Spurs.

The situation is far worse for Villa boss Gerard Houllier, who was brought in to replace O’Neill in September. With just one win from their past six league games, Villa are in 14th place, just one point clear of the relegation zone.

In their most recent league game they slumped to a 1-0 loss at home to fellow relegation contenders and Midlands rivals Wolves, prompting some supporters to voice their displeasure with Houllier after the final whistle.

The Frenchman has almost a full squad to choose from heading into Saturday’s match, with defenders Richard Dunne and Luke Young a chance to return from their respective shoulder and knee injuries, although fellow stopper Ciaran Clark is out through suspension.

The news from the treatment room is not quite so good for Moyes, with striker Louis Saha, midfielder Jack Rodwell and defender Seamus Coleman all carrying ankle complaints, while midfielder Mikel Arteta is battling a hamstring problem.

Lowly West Ham welcomes fellow relegation candidates Aston Villa on Saturday, with both sides needing a win to boost their survival hopes.The Hammers succumbed to a 3-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers last Saturday in the English Premier League, however Avram Grant’s men saw two efforts on goal clash with the woodwork.

The defeat further dented West Ham’s bid to remain in the top flight as they sit in third-bottom on 32 points and having lost their previous two encounters.

Kieron Dyer, who was sent on loan to Ipswich Town last month, has returned to Upton Park to help with the Hammers’ relegation battle after appearing in four Championship matches.

England international Scott Parker, who was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year Award, will again be the focal point and talisman for West Ham as they look for inspiration heading into the final six games of the season.

And the Aston Villa game is arguably the most important game for Grant’s troops, given they have tough away clashes with Chelsea and Manchester City to follow.

Grant has stated that 41 points would be enough for his side to avoid the drop.

Aston Villa, like their opponents, are also in the thick of the relegation dog fight having contrived to struggle this season following last season’s impressive sixth-place finish on the table.

French manager Gerard Houllier has had a tough time resonating with the Villa players, since his appointment in mid-season, but they nonetheless will be buoyed by their triumph over Newcastle last week.

Welsh international John Collins scored the solitary goal that helped move the Midlands outfit into 14th spot on the table.

Captain Stiliyan Petrov, whose contributions have been limited in recent weeks, is fighting to regain his starting spot with Nigel Reo-Coker.

Victory on Saturday is also a must for the Villans who will encounter several tricky matches heading season’s end.