Manchester United can take a step closer to the Premier League title at Old Trafford tomorrow in what could prove the decisive result. A 19th title will prove a record in English football and see Fergie finally deliver his promise some 20 odd years ago.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes Ferguson right to question breaks; the recipe of United’s success, while how the Red Devils can solve a problem like Lionel Messi.
We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.
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How United solve a problem like Lionel Messi
FIVE things we learnt from United’s CL stroll at Old Trafford
VIDEO: Busby, Shankly, Stein – Football Men Part 3
Is Fergie right to question breaks?
A £26m luxury that Manchester United could do without?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s £6m transfer steal
How many more hits can Manchester United take?
What has been the recipe to United’s season so far?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘Greatest XI’ of all time
Real Madrid look to hijack United’s late move
*Best of WEB*
Wingless Ferguson – United Rant
The man being tasked with stopping Lionel Messi and Barcelona – The Busby Way
Time For Ferguson To Make It Right Against Barcelona – The United Religion
Lose Against Chelsea And Be Damned To Finish Empty Handed – Red Flag Flying High
Ravel Morrison: when is enough… enough? –Stretford End
Should Chelsea Fans Fear Howard Webb Appointment? RoM
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Click on Miss Yespica below to see her in all her glory
The Liverpool nightmare that has been Hicks and Gillett finally appears to be at an end as NESV have taken the reins of the football club. Looking at the forums it appears opinion is split as to whether they are the right men to take control at Anfield, given the offer that was on the table from Peter Lim.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag blogs which has included…£300m deal offers Liverpool hope, Fernando Torres dilemma and the unlikely hero in Liverpool’s sorry saga.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Liverpool stories on the Web this week.
The Premier League WAGS Arena just got better
£300m deal offers Liverpool fresh hope
Top 10 Most Famous Liverpool Supporters
The Fernando Torres Dilemma
The unlikely HERO in Liverpool’s sorry saga
SIX of the Best – Merseyside Derby moments
The least of Liverpool’s worries at this moment in time
Liverpool’s FIVE starlets ensure the nation’s future is a bright one
Should Liverpool repel transfer approach or cash in?
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Best of Web
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TOP 5 Liverpool January Transfer Targets? – Live4Liverpool
Support the Red Men – This is Anfield
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Strange Days Indeed – Kopblog
The Rob Jones Interview – Well Red
Victory for common sense, defeat for conmen – Tomkins Times
Who’s in the wrong position? Glen Johnson or Roy Hodgson? – Live4Liverpool
According to reports by Sport Italia, via Football Italia, West Ham United are in talks to sign Genoa centre-back Armando Izzo, who is rated at £8.5m according to The Sun, and Birmingham City should be watching developments closely.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Sport Italia, via Football Italia, reports that the east London outfit are keen to bring the 26-year-old Italian to the London Stadium as Manuel Pellegrini looks to strengthen his defensive options ahead of the new campaign.
The Hammers conceded a joint-high 68 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term, and it is no surprise that the Chilean boss is looking for reinforcements given the club has lost Jose Fonte and James Collins in recent months, and with Winston Reid often hampered by injury issues.
Izzo has four years remaining on his contract at the Serie A side, but he could be available for something of a bargain fee before the English top flight window closes on August 9.
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Why should Birmingham be monitoring the situation?
Well, Blues boss Garry Monk will be determined to add new faces to his own squad this summer to ensure they don’t find themselves in another relegation battle in the upcoming season, and while one of his side’s main issues last term was their failure to put the ball in the back of the net, it doesn’t mean that he won’t look to strengthen at the back, too.
One player that may well have caught his eye is 6ft 2in West Ham centre-back following a successful season-long loan spell with Bolton Wanderers last time out, and he is likely to definitely be available should the Irons push through a deal for Izzo.
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Burke is a tall centre-back who is strong in the air, and he has proven that he can be a more than useful central defender at Championship level for Birmingham, who would be making their best signing in years if they snap up 19-year-old World Cup ace.
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Southampton fans have had a lot to complain about this season due to the performances on the pitch.
As it stands, the coastal club are in the relegation zone, one point adrift of Premier League safety.
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino has taken the brunt of criticism from the supporters, who have criticised the Argentine’s formations, in particular.
The only shining light has been the team’s FA Cup form as they find themselves in the quarter-finals of the competition following last weekend’s 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.
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This Saturday, attention turns back to the league, and Southampton will try to get back to winning ways with an away trip to Burnley.
In three games’ time, the Saints will take on West Ham United at the London Stadium, and on Twitter, the club have posted details about ticket prices.
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It has been revealed on Southampton’s official website that for the travelling fans, adults will have to pay £30, while Over-65s and Under-21s will be charged £25.
Fans reacted to the news on Twitter, and the overwhelming feeling is not positive.
1) You won’t have to queue for half an hour in your local…
Remember the Italy game? When it was four deep at the bar and the bar staff were ignoring you anyway because they were all watching the game? Oh… we remember. Now, though, that nightmare is over. All the part-time fans have lost interest and you’re laughing all the way to the front of the queue.
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2) The perfect excuse to leave work early
There’s still plenty of games to kick-off at 5pm and what kind of heartless boss would deny a football fan like you the basic human right of leaving work at an adequate time (3.30pm) to take the glorious once-every-four-year spectacle that is the World Cup? If the worst comes to the worst, just bail out and tell the office you’ll make it up to them in the winter.
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3)You won’t have to fight with your partner for the TV remote
So what if it’s the new series of Celebrity Masterchef? That constant, attritional battle with your significant other for possession of the flicker is over. England are out. Of course you’ll want to watch most of the other games, however, letting control of the TV slide when Algeria vs Russia is on will only guarantee your spell in charge when the business end of the tournament comes about.
home tv
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4) You can finally go on summer holiday
Let’s be honest… you were never going to leave the country when England still had a shot at winning the competition. It would have been ethically wrong. Now Roy’s boys are out though, those summer holiday plans that had been put on ice can start to materialise. Go watch the final on a beach somewhere – you’ve earned it.
Happy couple clinking their glasses while relaxing on their deck chairs
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5) It won’t happen again for at least another four years
Take a deep breath, relax. That agonising combination of heart-break, disappointment and self-loathing at your own hopeless optimism can finally be put to bed. Well, for four years that is.
Even though the Royals manager saw fit to omit the striker for the weekend’s Premier League fixture, Danny Guthrie is set to return against the Gunners.
With rumours of a bust up between Guthrie and McDermott denied by the manager, the former Newcastle player is set to face what looks set to be effectively the Arsenal second string as Wenger looks set to continue the tradition of using the trophy to bring through the youngsters.
Reading have no new injury worries ahead of the game on Tuesday night, with McDermott playing down any trouble between himself and Guthrie ahead of the game, saying “there was no bust-up. Danny wasn’t selected to play,” with Guthrie already forced to apologise to the club and manager this season after using twitter to air his views when previously not selected for the first team.
McDermott meanwhile has expressed delight at facing Arsenal for the first time as a manger, confiding “I’m looking forward to it, really looking forward to it.
“I was lucky, really, to be brought up at a fantastic club like that.”
He also leapt to the defence of Wenger and the lack of trophies the club have won over the past few seasons stating “I’m sure they want to win trophies – of course they do – but they always qualify for the Champions League, which is a phenomenal achievement in itself.”
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World Cup performances always add new names to the Premier League’s transfer rumour columns, but sometimes it churns up old ones too. Fabian Schar is a fantastic example – back in summer 2014, during the World Cup in Brazil, he was strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur having impressed with FC Basel in the Champions League the season previous.
The switch never quite materialised and Schar’s career ended up taking a somewhat more modest path instead, joining Hoffenheim a year later and then moving to Deportivo in summer 2017, who were unfortunately relegated last season.
But that only suggests the Switzerland international will be on the move once again this summer so the World Cup has come at a perfect time for him – and his opening performance has given due cause for revived interest from his former suitors.
Indeed, after an explosive start from Brazil, Switzerland managed to curtail the impact of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and company as the Group E clash ended in a 1-1 draw, and Schar played a key role in that. In fact, he won the most headers, made the most clearances and blocked the most shots of any Switzerland player while recording two tackles and two interceptions.
Curiously too, Tottenham find themselves in need of a centre-back option once again this summer, with Toby Alderweireld potentially leaving the north London club due to his contract situation. So, Spurs fans, should Pochettino revive his interest in the Deportivo defender, who Transfermarkt value at just £2.7million? Let us know by voting below…
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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”256266″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Three reasons we love to hate… Spain”]
Tottenham Hotspur are through to the next round of FA Cup after successfully negotiating a tricky replay at home to Newport County on Wednesday night.
After initially drawing with the League Two outfit at Rodney Parade, the mid-week match in the midst of a busy schedule was unwanted, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side put together a professional performance to make it through comfortably by two goals to nil.
An own goal and an Erik Lamela effort were enough for the win, pleasing supporters who harbour hopes of winning significant silverware this season.
It was a night that Pochettino played some fringe stars, with matches against Arsenal and Juventus on the horizon.
One of those was 20-year-old defensive prospect Juan Foyth, who was making just his sixth start for the club since joining last summer.
Supporters were delighted with his composed performance, believing he has all the tools to go on and become a success at the club.
The next step in his progress will be seeing how he fares in Premier League action but, for now, fans are happy to appreciate his talents in cup competitions.
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Stoke City winger Matthew Etherington has reiterated that he will be leaving the Potters at the end of the season, as reported by Sky Sports.
Etherington has failed to break into the side under Mark Hughes and so will not be offered a new deal when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The former West Ham winger is hoping to stay in the Premier League with a new club but is taking nothing for granted after a tough few months at Stoke.
Etherington is now 32 years old and he knows that he may not have many more years left at the top, so will put a lot of thought into his next move.
“I am definitely leaving,” said Etherington in the Sunday Mirror.
“I have not heard anything from the club, which is fair enough, I have not played a lot lately.
“I will have been there five years in the January just passed and it has been a great time so I am really sad it is coming to an end.
“But there are no hard feelings. I think they are looking to go a different way, which is absolutely fine.”
The BBC’s landmark The Price of Football survey across the entire nation, taking into account teams at every level from the Premier League and below, has led to some shocking revelations about the real expense that the game has on our bank accounts, so what does the future hold for the everyday fan? Are we being priced out altogether or are there other alternatives out there for us to try and make the best of?
Of course, being in a double-dip recession, having disposable income around is difficult and is simply not readily available to everyone and anyone, but even in tough economic times such as these, football fans turn out in their droves every weekend. It’s like a ritual, there’s nothing better to do on your Saturday but the startling statistic that the average cost of the cheapest adult ticket in the top four divisions of English football has risen by 11.7% – more than five times the rate of inflation, is enough to make you choke on your Bovril.
It all depends on geographical location as much as anything it seems, even if the division that your side plays in will obviously have a knock-on effect. Your average season ticket for Arsenal will set you back a cool £1,995 and they also come in as the most expensive average day out for a fan, totalling a whopping £134.30 in total, which when you compared it to Sunderland costing on average of just £48, then it becomes clear that certain clubs are more than taking their fair share.
According to the findings, seven out of the 10 most expensive match days for supporters in League Two alone are based in the South and South-West of the country, with four of those being based less than 36 miles away from London. This trickle down effect is alarming to say the least. We all know that the majority of the nation’s wealth resides in the South of the country, but does that necessarily mean that it’s acceptable for clubs to rip them off? At the very least, it’s hugely cynical, at it’s worst, borderline exploitative.
Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the FSF said of the survey: “We want football to be available to all income levels. Certainly at some clubs that is not the case. We are in the wrong ballpark for prices of tickets.
“I hear all the time of long-term supporters who have given up season tickets because they resent paying the money they are asked to pay. There is a danger that supporters feel alienated. Despite the difficult economic times we live in, prices at some clubs and at some levels of the game are still exceedingly high.
“It is quite shocking that at Arsenal, for example, the cheapest season ticket is only £15 short of £1,000. We would like to see a much greater effort to reduce ticket prices and in particular give the benefit of the massive amounts of media income that comes in at the top of the game to the match-going fan.”
So what can we really do about the rising cost of ticket prices? Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, never a man short of a word, gave a telling remark in his response to the findings, labelling the game as part of the ‘entertainment’ industry, arguing that rising costs is not solely concerning football. This appears to be the main crux of the matter, the evolution of the game from a sport into a fully-fledged entertainment industry, perhaps the biggest around the globe. The revenues are massive and while cheaper ticket initiatives, like the one that Arsenal currently fund, are a welcome reprieve, are they really doing enough?
One way out of the mire that’s been suggested is a solution termed ‘dynamic pricing’, which essentially means the later you leave it to buy a ticket, the more you’re likely to pay – the exact same way that we buy plane tickets or book hotels and it’s generally accepted that the later you leave it to book your holiday, the more it will cost you.
Prices change daily based on demand and it will certainly improve competition for tickets, perhaps meaning more sell-outs lower down the leagues as supporters try to get themselves the best deal and Cardiff, Bristol City and Derby have already brought in the pioneering scheme, which rewards loyal fans and season ticket holders above your casual fan.
Having been a casual fan of Leyton Orient when I was at university, it does seem a bit of a flawed system in my eyes and it could only lead to the growth of more ticket agents and touts in the industry than we already see and it looks like another step towards a corporatocracy being established in football.
There’s no doubt in my mind that season ticket holders should be rewarded and dynamic pricing means they will be in the long-run but at the expense of other fans? One of the best things about football is that there is no tiered system in terms of support by and large, but this idea could see you paying significantly more than the chap next to you on match-day.
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The average cost of following your team around the country now has risen dramatically and above the level of inflation, so the result means it’s skewed in favour of the clubs rather than the fans. Without any real demand or public cry for ticket prices to come down, they simply won’t do, and instead all we are left with are these piecemeal initiatives aimed at placating the masses.
The average fan is most certainly being priced out of the game, but then again, with most clubs seeing it as ‘entertainment’ as opposed to a sport, would they really even care if they lost their core die-hard fan-base? The painful truth is that they probably wouldn’t and they’d likely still sell the tickets anyway, which just goes to show you how expendable we’ve become.