Tottenham drew a blank against Stevenage at The Lamex Stadium on Sunday, as the League One outfit held their Premier League opponents to a 0-0 draw.
The north London side fielded a strong side that included Gareth Bale, Jermain Defoe and Scott Parker, but could but not break down the stubborn hosts.
Harry Redknapp admitted that his side found the going tough after the match, and that his men resorted to playing long balls due to the pitch.
“I expected it to be tough, honestly,” the Spurs manager told Sky Sports.
“I knew how hard it was going to be. The pitch was bumpy and the ball was bobbling everywhere, it was a difficult game to play football.
“We have all been here. I have been here so many times in the past, nothing surprises me.
“We started thumping it didn’t we? That wasn’t part of the plan.
“I think the lads weren’t comfortable with passing the ball that much. We ended up going long, which wasn’t what we wanted to do,” he concluded.
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The fifth round replay will be played at White Hart Lane on Wednesday 7th March, with the winner set to play Bolton in the quarter finals.
Sandro, the 22 year-old Brazilian midfielder, scored his first goal in England last weekend, a 30-yard belter at Stamford Bridge, the opener in Tottenham’s eventual 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. His manager, Harry Redknapp, reserved praise for his young talent until Spurs’ disappointment was completed, having remonstrated with the goal-scorer immediately after he had given his side the lead. Redknapp was frustrated that Sandro was allowing Frank Lampard too much freedom in the middle of the park, but the Brazilian neglected Lampard to foray forward and lash an unstoppable shot past Petr Cech, an incident that Redknapp was unable to appreciate at the time.
“It was a fantastic goal, a great strike,” Redknapp told the club’s official website following the game. “He really covered some ground at Chelsea, he worked his socks off for us in there.” Sandro, whose protracted transfer to White Hart Lane was eventually completed last August, was purchased as a defensive midfielder with a commanding presence and robust approach, rather than for his goal scoring proficiency. He has was selected as one of 7 reserves for Dunga’s World Cup squad last summer, and follows Brazil’s former manager in a long line of Brazilian defensive midfielders who break the common perception of South American flair.
Gilberto Silva announced himself on a universal stage some nine years ago at the World Cup in South Korea and Japan and forged a successful career in the Premier League with Arsenal, winning the league once and the FA Cup twice. The World Cup winner is no longer available for his country, and Felipe Melo and Ramires have failed to perform anywhere near the standard set by Gilberto, so Sandro may provide the defensive cover Brazil have required in every recent team. This role is not necessarily a new phenomenon but the South American country appear to value its worth highly, and have exported a number of players in this mould, particularly to the Premiership, in recent seasons.
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Although Lucas Leiva failed to fulfil his early promise, having signed for Liverpool as Brazil under-20s captain, he has proved a dependable member of the Reds first team and developed effectively over the past 18 months. Ramires similarly found it difficult adapting to life at the summit of the Premier League having signed for Chelsea last summer, but this is his first season in England, and he has shown flashes of quality which will encourage Carlo Ancelotti moving in to the next campaign. Denilson was branded with similar expectations when he signed for Arsenal in 2006 and has also struggled to break in to the Gunners’ first team regularly, but has performed acceptably over the course of his 151 games in English football.
The perception of Brazilian football on the continent is changing, and the five-time World Cup winning nation are producing more defensive-minded players in order to maintain pace with the changing nature of the sport. David Luiz has proved an inspired signing at Stamford Bridge having joined from Benfica in January and epitomises both a solid physical presence and technical ability on the ball. Sandro is beginning to acclimatise to the rigours of the Premiership well, and if he forces his way in to Harry Redknapp’s first-team thoughts for next season, we may be witnessing a Gilberto pretender that can actually deliver.
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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards
Manchester United’s veteran manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed in August that he believed a fully fit Everton squad had an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season.
Despite the pre-season optimism, three defeats out of six, to Blackburn, Aston Villa and Newcastle, have left Everton winless and propping up the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. To make matters worse, The Toffees were also embarrassingly knocked out of the Carling Cup by Brentford at Griffin Park last week, currently the bottom side in League One.
David Moyes and his men were booed off the pitch following their last home game at Goodison Park, a 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Newcastle. That shambolic display was symptomatic of the club’s inconsistency so far this season. It seemed Everton had turned a corner following their dramatic injury-time comeback against Manchester United in early September. However it soon proved to be another false dawn following two draws and a defeat since that epic two-minute double salvo from Mikel Artea and Tim Cahill. It remains the worst start to a season for the Blues in 16 years and Moyes admits he is worried by the current state of affairs.
Moyes said: “We started the season with the belief, coming off two defeats in 24 last year, that we would start the season well. It didn’t happen and that affects your confidence.
“It’s disappointing because I didn’t expect this. We expected to start better after the good run we had last year.
“We want to do better and nobody cares more than the players, I can see that by their attitude and the way they are training.”
Everton’s players showed some of that training ground commitment and desire down beside the River Thames last Saturday as they battled their way to a spirited 0-0 draw against Fulham. The Blues didn’t look like a side bottom of the table as they played with confidence and adventure. You could even argue they were unlucky not to grab all three points against their unbeaten South West London opponents.
Everton finished eighth last season despite a catalogue of injuries to key first-team players, which included defensive rock Phil Jagielka and playmaker Arteta missing a large chunk of the season. The injury curse has continued into this season with defender Jack Rodwell and striking duo Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe suffering long-term injuries inside the opening weeks of the new campaign.
The fixture list does not get any easier for The Toffees over the next few weeks, starting with an away trip to Birmingham on Saturday. Alex McLeish’s side are unbeaten at St Andrew’s in over a year and will not provide the best recovery tonic for a side struggling with form. This is followed by a Merseyside Derby against rivals Liverpool and a trip to Tottenham the week after.
Despite the club’s current position and difficult upcoming fixtures, Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright still believes the club can make it into Europe. He said:
“I can only say as a fellow fan I don’t believe we will be down there for much longer.
“The name of the game isn’t to get out of relegation trouble, believe me, but to get up towards the European places and I know that’s what everyone, especially the manager, is aiming for.”
Everton have too good a squad, as well as one of the best managers in the league in Moyes, to remain in the bottom three for much longer. Despite a woeful start, Everton showed enough grit and fight in their last game to get out of their current predicament and still fulfil that early season promise.
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Liverpool was once again frustrated at Anfield as they failed to breakdown the most resolute of Stoke defences. It wasn’t a vintage performance from Liverpool and you do sense that a few players were a little leggy from their mid-week exploits in the Carling Cup semi-final.
At FFC this week it’s there has been plenty of Liverpool blogs that include Adam bagging himself a beauty; the Reds fall victim to bandwagon journalism, while it is time to cash in on Dirk Kuyt.
We also look at other Liverpool articles from around the Web:
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The key ingredient in Dalglish’s recipe for success
WAG Weekly – Charlie Adam bags himself a beauty!
Liverpool fall victim to band-wagon journalism
Do Liverpool provide the big move he deserves?
Footballing Heroes holding back their clubs?
The complete frustration of bias punditry
Time for Liverpool to cash in?
Transfer dealings at Liverpool FC?
Dalglish’s worst bit of transfer business to date?
Dalglish and Villas-Boas looking to add some Latin flair this January
[divider]Best of WEB[divider]
Have the Reds wasted £100million? – Live4Liverpool
The Suarez Decision: LFC Grounds for Appeal? – Tomkins Times
Liverpool – Mid-Term Statistical Report – Anfield Index
King Kenny’s Return – A Year On – This is Anfield
3 Options Liverpool have to get past the Suarez ban – Our Kop
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Click on Balotelli’s NEW Flame below to see her in all her glory
Mirror Football is reporting that Chelsea is set for a summer clearout in order to get the best out of Fernando Torres and no longer build the squad around Didier Drogba. This squad changes are expected to be made irrespective of the identity of the Chelsea coach next season. Carlo Ancelotti is still waiting official confirmation on whetever he will be sacked or will be allowed to see out the final year of his contract.
Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka look set to head the exit the door – but defenders Paulo Ferreira, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov also look set for the cull. The future of Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba remains unclear.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to sanction the next stage of the re-building plans, after Chelsea lost out in the title race due to their ageing players and lack of squad depth. Malouda has been criticised for going missing for significant periods this season and Anelka had a very poor game against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final.
New signings have been earmarked in the shape of Spurs winger Gareth Bale and Ajax right-back Gregory Van Der Wiel and a central midfield playmaker is also being targeted. The summer recruitment policy will be that to bring in players between the ages of 21 and 28 – that will be established internationals.
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It is nigh on impossible to remember a transfer deadline day which did not feature a veritable flurry of activity. Sky Sports News advertises their programming for this day way in advance, safe in the knowledge that there will be last minute drama. Cue television crews and reporters camped outside training grounds hoping to talk with a manager, player or owner. Fans text and email these reporters to say that their friend has just seen Marcus Bent alight a taxi near Molineaux or that Eidur Gudjohnson has been spotted at motorway service station. This year’s final day of the window may have been missing the dramatic events of previous years but still featured Ryan Babel lost over London in a helicopter and Tottenham’s deadline pushing capture of Rafael van der Vaart. But is the inevitable scramble to do business at the final hour to the detriment of sensible transfer activity?
Two of the more memorable deadline day transfers in recent years have been Robinho’s switch from Real Madrid to Manchester City and the unexpected arrival of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez at Upton Park in 2006. Manchester City fans would surely concede that Robinho’s expensive transfer was erroneous. The transfer had more to do with the newly wealthy club flexing their financial muscles. The Sky Blues were also after Dimitar Berbatov but signed the unsettled, troubled Brazilian who coincidentally departed for AC Milan on Tuesday. Despite the transfer of the two Argentines eventually costing nearly as much as Robinho’s British transfer record fee, Hammers fans believe it was well worth it.
Conducting business on deadline day invariably smacks of frenetic panic buying but the reality is a more mixed picture. The appearance of a late frenzy is tempered by the views of Ian Holloway who was said to be exasperated and frustrated for long parts of the summer when recruiting players. Moves for players do not come much later than Tottenham’s successful acquisition of van der Vaart. Two hours before the close of the window they place an £8 million bid for the Dutch ace. “The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close,” said Harry Redknapp. This is open to debate according to Real Madrid but seems excellent business for Spurs. He is an experienced midfield playmaker who passes well, strikes the ball excellently and is dangerous from set plays.
Reluctant to lose their star striker Asamoah Gyan, Sunderland were forced to pay in excess of £13 million to Rennes. After selling Kenwyne Jones and Frazier Campbell’s unfortunate injury the Black Cats felt they had to break their transfer record to sign the Black Star’s forward who was widely valued at £7 million earlier in the summer. Gyan, however, is strong, quick, has an eye for goal and is an extremely hard worker. West Ham have had a busy summer but had failed once again to find a suitable right-back. Running out of options the east London side moved for Lars Jacobson on Tuesday. The Dane featured at the World Cup but fell behind Michel Salgado and Pascal Chimbonda in the pecking order at Ewood Park.
Following a busy day in the Potteries Stoke City will be pleased with their late transfer dealings. Tony Pulis had been seeking to recruit players capable of offering a new dimension to the team, building on their top flight progression. Both Gudjohnson and Jermaine Pennant were brought to the Britannia on loan. Birmingham City were also industrious and astute to bring in Alexander Hleb, Martin Jiranek and Jean Beausejour.
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By waiting to the final day of the window some clubs argue they can force down the price of players while others desperate to buy will pay exorbitant fees to reluctant sellers. Moreover Roberto Martinez has blamed the window for unsettling his players during the early stages of the new season. Given the option most clubs would wish to conclude their business sooner but this often requires plenty of money. Manchester City could avoid last minute signings by having clear targets and deep pockets. For the rest of us it is probably wise to try enjoying the drama and hope a faulty fax machine can be blamed if your club submit their paperwork late.
Newcastle entertain Swansea at St James’ Park this weekend desperate to get their season back on track after picking one point from their last four games.
The Magpies’ superb start to the campaign, which saw them go 11 unbeaten, has unravelled in recent weeks with the 4-2 defeat at Norwich last Saturday their third in the last four. After a season of walking the tightrope with deathly thin squad things came to a head at Carrow Road with Alan Pardew going into the fixture without five first team players. Defenders Fabrico Coloccini and Steven Taylor were the two biggest misses with Pardew having to field fullbacks James Perch and Danny Simpson in central defensive positions. The move didn’t pay off for the Geordies as the Canaries took full advantage using their height and physical presence to score headed goals from three set pieces. The loss of Dan Gosling following his red card was another bitter blow for Newcastle who have performed admirably in the last month or so against both Manchester clubs and Chelsea. However a draw at Old Trafford is all they have to show for their efforts and they’ll be determined to get back to winning ways on Saturday. Goals haven’t been hard to come by with free transfer Demba Ba scoring twice in East Anglia to take his tally to 11 in 10 games whilst Yohan Cabaye has proved to be a beacon of creativity in midfield. Pardew will be expecting his side to go out and dominate from kick off against a Swansea side who have yet to register a victory away from the Liberty Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers’ men recorded their first win since the end of October against Fulham on Saturday – a run of four games. The Welsh club have started their debut campaign in the Premier League very well losing just the once at home but it’s their away form that is proving to be a big concern for supporters. They have picked up only two points from their eight fixtures on the road and need to start winning on their travels if they are to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle in 2012. Whilst they do lie 11th in the table they are only five points separating them and third bottom Wigan and with teams below them starting to pick up more points Rodgers should be ensuring his side are hard to beat away from home. They’ve conceded 18 in their seven games away from the Liberty Stadium scoring six and come up against a Newcastle side who have seen their defence decimated in the last fortnight. The likes of Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer, Danny Graham and former Magpie Wayne Routledge will be crucial to leaving Tyneside with some points under their belts and will be expected to punish a weakened Geordie back four. Michael Vorm will be equally as important and fans will be hoping he can repeat his heroics from last week in the North East and keep the black and white shirts at bay.
Newcastle – 7th
Last Five: Lost 4-2 v Norwich (A), Lost 3-0 v Chelsea (H), Drew 1-1 v Manchester United (A), Lost 3-1 v Manchester City (A), Won Everton 2-1 (H)
Potential Starting X11: 26. T. Krul 3. D. Santon 6. M. Williamson 2. F. Coloccini [C] 5. D. Simpson 18. J. Gutierrez 16. R. Taylor 4. Yohan Cabaye 25. G. Obertan 23. S. Ameobi 19. D. Ba*
Injury News: Newcastle are still without key players Steven Taylor, Danny Guthrie, Sylvain Marveaux and Cheick Tiote who will miss the visit of Swansea
Key Player: Demba Ba
The former West Ham striker who moved to Tyneside on a free in the summer is fast becoming the bargain of the season after his double at Norwich last week took him to 11 in 10 games for Newcastle. Ba has everything the Geordies crave in a striker with his work rate, aerial strength and deadly finishing endearing him to the St James’ Park faithful. He’ll be expected to continue his hot streak in front of goal against Swansea on Saturday.
Match Fact: Newcastle will be looking to continue their good form against Swansea in their first Premier League meeting having won three out of the last four against the Welsh side.
Swansea – 11th
Last Five: Won 2-0 v Fulham (H), Lost 4-2 v Blackburn (A), Drew 0-0 v Aston Villa (H), Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (H), Drew 0-0 v Liverpool (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. M. Vorm 27. A. Richards 2. A. Williams 16. G. Monk [C] 3. N. Taylor 27. M. Gower 15. W. Routledge 7. L. Britton 12. N. Dyer 11. S. Sinclair* 16. L. Lita
Injury News: Rodgers is without leading scorer Danny Graham for the visit of Fulham whilst Angel Rangel remains out.
Key Player: Michael Vorm
A relative unknown until his stunning debut for the club against Manchester City the Dutch keeper is fast becoming a cult hero in Wales. Vorm was imperious last week against Fulham saving a penalty and pulling off a number of astonishing match winning saves to ensure his side ended the game with all three points. He’ll have to be at his best this time round against a free scoring Newcastle side.
Match Fact: Swansea haven’t won at St James’ Park since a 2-1 victory back in October 1980 when both sides were battling it out in the Old Division Two
Last Time at St James’ Park
Championship 28 November 2009
Newcastle 3-0 Swansea
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Harewood (8, 28) Lovenkrands (21)
Attendance: 42,616
PREDICTION
Despite losing three out of the last four Newcastle haven’t let their confidence drop and would have walked away from Norwich last week victorious if they had a full strength team out. They take on a Swansea side desperate to put points on the board over christmas to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle during the new year. It’ll be a tough ask to beat the Magpies at St James’ Park with Pardew’s men focused on getting back to winning ways.
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.
One name that has persisted in the transfer gossip columns and sports pages is that of French striker Loic Remy. The 23-year old Nice forward has reportedly been a target of West Ham, Stoke, Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal. Many more clubs across Europe have sent scouts to watch the forward who earned his second international cap last week. But is this player and his busy agent worth all the fuss and conjecture? Would Remy be able to live up to his ever burgeoning profile?
Goal-scorers have long been the hardest and most expensive position for clubs to fill. This partly explains why large sums are often charged for forwards who already have proven Premier League experience. Remy lacks that experience having spent his entire career in France but his attributes suggest he could adapt seamlessly to life in England’s top division. The forward who has been compared to Thierry Henry, started his senior career at Olympique Lyonnais. The youngster struggled to establish himself in their first team and was loaned to fellow Ligue 1 club Lens, where he found the net on four occasions. Such was the promise and potential of the 6ft striker, Nice decided to break their transfer record to sign Remy for 8 million euros in 2008. During his first season there he scored 6 goals in 6 games early on, then endured a relatively quiet period before hitting a purple patch later in the campaign. Remy scored 14 league goals last season in a faltering Nice team which finished 15th in Ligue 1.
Attuned to clinical finishing and playing in a variety of attacking positions his suitors patently believe he can take a step up to the PL. Remy appears to be a thoroughbred, possessing physical strength, skills, speed and scoring ability. He has been deployed as a lone striker but French football journalist, Tom Williams has inferred that he could struggle in this role against PL defences. “At Nice, he played from the right and he’s played from the left for the under-21s.” Williams additionally notes that Remy has used his pace to devastating effect when Nice adopt a counter-attacking style. PL scouts have sent glowing reports back to their respective clubs on the Frenchman who is technically proficient and a clean striker of the ball.
The wave of interest in his possible capture is due to this ability to perform in a range of forward positions, whether out wide or from deep. Put rather crudely strikers can be often be divided into two distinct camps. There are old-fashioned British style centre-forwards who rely on their physical presence and sense of timing and those who use their skill, wily movement and speed to unsettle defences. Remy’s potential to transcend this binary distinction explains his appeal to a diverse range of clubs.
This assortment of skills shows why clubs from Stoke to Arsenal have expressed an interest in Remy. He seemed destined for West Ham last month but the two clubs disagreed on the initial fee payment. Remy visited the Britannia stadium recently but stated that White Hart Lane would be his preferred destination. “A move to Spurs would be interesting,” he told L’Equipe. “Stoke is not a move I want. Nice is in real need of money and it should be adaptable with the price to help sell me.”
Remy’s club may not be as malleable as he wishes given their reluctance to lose the player for less that £13 million. Barring the exploits of Manchester City, the transfer window has been exceptionally peaceful to the extent that Stoke’s £8 million signing of Kenwyne Jones had the capacity to shock. Yet for a fee not on the scale of a Mario Balotelli or David Silva many PL clubs could score an early victory over their competitors by swooping for the talented Remy.
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Another weekend passes and once again the officials take centre stage but for all the wrong reasons. Chris Foy was the pantomime villain this week, although Harry Redknapp and Tottenham didn’t find it very funny.
The referee had a shocking game at the Britannia and while the neutrals clamour (as they always do when the refs have a shocker) for technology, the reality is that officiating is simply getting worse and you shouldn’t need someone with a monitor to tell a linesman when a player is 3yrds onside, while referees should know that blatant handballs in the box actually constitutes a penalty for the attacking side and a subsequent red card. Foy went the other way and turned a blind eye to the penalties, before sending off Younes Kaboul for questioning his failings. If referees cannot get even the basics right; then my worst fears about the introduction of technology will come to the fore.
I am all for technology in football when it comes to decisions like sending offs, penalties, and of course goal-line technology; however my continued concern against it is where will it end? Would football end up following the same route as Rugby or Tennis when you find teams appealing for every decision and calling on refs to get video assistance? It will certainly ruin the ebb and flow of the game, especially as I feel that the majority of challenges will be unfounded. But are we going to be left with any other option, if the likes of Chris Foy and the assistant referees cannot get even the most basic details and decisions right.
So where does football go from here and want is the answer to the declining standards? Harry Redknapp mooted the idea of two referees, but is that really going to help matters, given the nature of the mistakes we witnessed over the weekend. Some say we should make referees stand court after a game and be open to questioning – a nice idea but flawed given referees will probably hide behind statements like ‘I didn’t see it’. It is certainly a worrying situation and one that has no long-term fix, unless the FA get tough with those who are failing and look to give them greater assistance on the sidelines in making crucial decisions. The refereeing training programme needs improving and officials need to be made fully aware that they’ll be penalised for continued failings. If Tottenham miss out on the Champions League by a point come the end of the season, then the officials at the Britannia will have cost the club something in the region of £20-40m for their negligence to the rule book; an expensive mistake and ones that the FA should look to start preventing in the future.
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