A catastrophic fortnight has seen Arsenal lose two of their most influential players to long term injuries. Arsene Wenger must be absolutely cursing his misfortune, especially given the significance of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott to the Gunners’ attacking third.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include…Van Persie must think he is cursed; Wenger vendetta and what more can George Graham do.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Arsenal stories on the Web this week.
VIDEO: TOP TEN Screamers
Arsenal and Man United are living proof that the set-up can work
Premier League clubs take advantage of the new breed of Brazilian
Wenger vendetta? I don’t think so.
Van Persie must think he is cursed
Abou Diaby is ‘not quite’ Patrick Vieira
What more can George Graham do?
Time that Cesc Fabregas moved on
What does a Celebrity Football Fan say about a club?
Should Wenger be going Dutch for Afellay?
The TOP 15 career defining moments
Caption Competition: Why is Theo Walcott shedding a tear?
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Best of Web
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Madrid show Arsenal how to spend recklessly and make it work – Le Grove
Should Arsene take a page out of Chelsea’s book? – Online Gooner
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Tough times ahead for Arsenal?? – Highbury House
Defensive Pessimism Is A Bigger Problem Than Injuries – A Cultured Left Foot
What to do about Robin Van Persie? – Online Gooner
Monty Python, Life of Brian – ‘let he who has never sinned cast the first stone’ thwack! Muuuum! – Le Grove
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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery
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
Manchester United set one foot in the knockout phase of the Champions League this week with a professional performance from the club’s second string in Turkey against Bursaspor. United have yet to hit top gear so far this season, but another win at home maintained the Red Devils’ unbeaten start to their Premier League campaign.
The week has not been without controversy for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. Portuguese winger Nani hardly covered himself in glory with his contentious goal at Old Trafford last weekend, and Wayne Rooney was spotted breaking a few rules of nutrition on a boozy birthday holiday. Ferguson will be keen for a break from the media glare after the intensity of the last few weeks.
This week’s top blogs have jumped on stories linking some of United’s old guard with big money moves to the Middle East. There are also entries concerning the potential of some of the side’s rising stars and concerns expressed about the issue of player loyalty in the wake of Rooney’s contract renewal.
We also have the best of what the web has to offer.
Featured articles of the week
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Will Nani ever fill the hole?
Is this the catalyst behind Manchester United’s title challenge?
WAG Weekly – Man United starlet scores a beauty!
A final pay day for United’s finest?
Manchester United stars set to cash in?
Ten things we have noticed from the Premier League this season
Smalling making big leaps at Manchester United
Manchester United starlet finally coming of age
Spurs, Liverpool, United…whose need for Real Madrid swoop is greater?
The Spanish solution to Arsenal and Manchester United’s pending problem
Is Wayne Rooney’s plight ultimately a blessing in disguise?
An important FACT that is lost on most Premier League players
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Click here to see the Best MANCHESTER UNITED around the Web this week
Best of the Web
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Rio has the X-Factor- The Busby Way
Carrick’s return welcome but only if it lasts- United Rant
A Salute to Sir Alex- The United Religion
EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool vs. Man United – Transfer spending comparison: 1990-2010 – Liverpool Kop
Karel Poborsky: what could have been?- The Busby Way
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has called on the club's fans to back his side to the hilt in tonight's Premier League clash with Birmingham City.
The Potters have slipped into relegation danger after a run of poor results, although Pulis believes a series of refereeing errors have not helped his team's cause.
Stoke have lost five successive matches in all competitions and Pulis is determined to end that dismal sequence, telling The Sentinel:"After the Manchester United game (Gary Neville's non-sending off) there was a lot of disappointment and people being vocal.
"Then after the Everton game (Tuncay's disallowed goal) there was a lot of disbelief and a lot of things were said.
"But on Saturday (Lee Cattermole's handball on the line) there was complete silence and that shows how much these decisions can affect the dressing room.
"I will be getting into the players but we also need the fans right behind us.
"What's happened over the last few weeks has galvanised the club. It's brought everybody back to the reality that to get through this we have to be as one.
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"Maybe we'd got a bit complacent, but this will liven everybody up because we're in a scrap. What we've got to do, as a club and as a crowd, is roll our sleeves up and start picking up points.
"I think supporters have a right to stand up for their club. They pay good money to watch their team and have every right to complain about some of the decisions we've received."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wayne Rooney has apologised to the Manchester United fans for the manner of his new contract negotiations last month.
The England international, who says he would never sign for Manchester City, threatened to leave United because of their lack of ambition, before penning a lucrative new long-term deal.
He said:"I feel like I've apologised to the fans but everyone keeps saying that I haven't. If that's the case, then I apologise for my side of things.
"I've made my point clear since I signed my contract that I'm committed to this club for the long term. I want to be successful here. Everyone is saying that I was definitely going to Manchester City. Believe me if I had gone it wouldn't have been in England.
"I spoke with the manager and (chief executive) David Gill. They reassured me the club was moving forward and from that it took maybe two or three hours to negotiate my contract and sign it.
"It wasn't a distraction to my football because I haven't played that much but it was a distraction overall. I am just happy it is all over now. I want to put it behind me and look forward.
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"Mentally I have been okay. Because the football has not been going well and other things have happened, everyone has put it down to not being mentally strong enough. But I am.
"Obviously the most important thing for me at the minute is to play and score goals."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Alan Sunderland made a name for himself when he broke into the Wolves first team at the age of 17. He scored 30 goals in his six years at Molineux before securing a move to Arsenal, and it was there where he wrote himself into FA Cup folklore.
In the 1979 ‘Five minute’ FA Cup Final, Sunderland converted a last minute Graham Rix cross to clinch a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester United. Arsenal had been 2-0 up with five minutes to play when United pulled back two goals in as many minutes to seemingly steer the tie towards extra-time, but Sunderland, equipped with moustache and curly perm, stretched out his leg to net a last-gasp winner. But what happened to the Arsenal number eight after his Cup Final heroics?
Sunderland remained with the Gunners for a further five years and was their top scorer in the 1979/80 and 1981/82 seasons. He was a member of the Arsenal side that lost two cup finals in four days in 1980, the FA Cup Final to West Ham followed by Cup Winners Cup Final to Valencia on penalties. He also won his only England cap in 1980, playing 85 minutes in a 1-2 win over Australia in Sydney.
Alan joined Ipswich on loan in February 1984 after a run of unfortunate injuries and the arrival of Charlie Nicholas at Highbury. During his loan spell at Portman Road, Sunderland scored three goals in 15 games and helped Ipswich avoid relegation. He joined the Tractor Boys permanently in the summer of ‘84 and remained there for two years. Ipswich though were a team in decline and after league positions of 12th in 1984 and 17th in 1985, they were finally relegated from the top division in 1986. During these two years Sunderland scored eight goals in 43 appearances. After Ipswich, Sunderland had a very brief stint at Derry City before finally retiring from football in 1986.
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After retiring, Alan became a publican in Ipswich. After four years behind the bar Sunderland decided that he needed a change, in 2005 he said: “I was drinking myself to death, I needed to get away.” And get away he did.
Sunderland, now 57, moved to Malta in 1995 to, in his own words: “enjoy the climate and the fact there are no traffic jams”. He continues to stay active by playing tennis and golf and has spent some time coaching local football team Burkirkara FC. He has “plenty of contact” with ‘Malta Wolves’, the Molineux side’s Malta fanclub, and attends functions held by the group.
Speaking three years ago, he said of his famous FA Cup goal: “The day seems to belong in a different lifetime when I watch the highlights now, either that or it’s someone else scoring!”
To refresh your memory of the goal, here’s a video of his special moment:
[youtube rDUwYqPj1YE]
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Premier League action returns as the second round of Christmas fixtures kicks-off this afternoon. Tottenham v Newcastle and Man City v Aston Villa are arguably the pick of the games and both the home sides will be hoping for 3pts to strengthen their title challenges.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories which includes Pardew confident at Carroll staying; Wenger reveals Cesc concern and Avram Grant praises youth policy.
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Moyes has no money – Sky Sports
Ancelotti tells Chelsea to ‘wake up’ after another trying night – Guardian
Foster: I’d never go back to killjoy United – Mirror
Liverpool officially table €12.5m bid for Gervinho – IMScouting
Wenger reveals Cesc concern – Sky Sports
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Giggs: We won’t get carried away – Sun
Grant praises youth policy – Daily Telegraph
Spurs playing like the Dutch, says Van der Vaart – Guardian
The debate about who is to move into the Olympic Stadium post 2012 is raging with Barry Hearn the latest person looking to throw a spanner into the works. It is a tough decision for OPLC and few could blame them for deciding to delay their final verdict.
I want to make it clear from the off that I think it is a shame that the Olympic Stadium isn’t remaining a standalone athletics arena. While I understand the decision is solely due to financial reasons, I really feel it is a shame that athletics will become a secondary consideration in the very place where it will be showcasing one of the greatest sporting occasions in the world. Football is moving itself in, whether we like it or not.
A lot has already been written about which club is most deserving of the Stratford site, including a little bit of mudslinging between the rival clubs themselves. They all present a decent case, but who deserves the keys? Geographically I would give the stadium to West Ham, although I totally understand why Tottenham are sniffing around it.
The reasons Tottenham want to move in are obvious. They need a bigger stadium and the subsequent revenues it would bring would make a huge difference to the club’s quest to establish itself with the top clubs in Europe. I have seen a lot of negativity from Tottenham fans towards the move to Stratford, and it is understandable, but I believe that the board’s pursuit of the stadium is with the best interest of the fans at heart and not, like Karren Brady said, a ‘spur of the moment decision to make money.’ They want the best for Tottenham Hotspur football club; even though they know for supporters it will be a wrench to leave N17. Sometimes things need to be sacrificed for the sake of progress, despite how hard it will be to take.
The same could be said of West Ham and there are certainly sections of the Upton Park faithful who are less than impressed with the potential move. As I have stated I think West Ham deserve the stadium for no other reason than its location and their promise to use the arena for athletics throughout the year. I know the counter argument towards West Ham is that there is no place for a running track in football; however I don’t remember it affecting the atmosphere in Rome when I played there against Lazio. The old Wembley was the best atmosphere I ever played in despite how far the stands were from the pitch. It seems a weak argument in my view; yet seemingly a bandwagon that everyone is jumping on at present to knock the Hammers’ bid. I’m sure West Ham fans won’t mind how far away they are from the pitch, as long as the team are successful in the Premier League.
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So what is the solution and the way forward? West Ham, Tottenham, or who knows perhaps Leyton Orient can gatecrash the party. One thing in Barry Hearn’s favour is that all the original plans for the Olympic site will be retained and they have a chance to build themselves a bright future in a new 25,000 stadium. Unfortunately for Barry I fear on this occasion money will talk as the OPLC will see the financial potential of the Premier League boys a little too hard to resist.
Much has been made about potential transfer activity in and out of White Hart Lane this month, however despite a number of other transfer headaches Harry Redknapp’s biggest decision looks to surround the club’s longest serving player.
Ledley King has been a constant injury concern for the best part of four years. A chronic knee injury has to be constantly managed by the Tottenham medical staff, King reduced to weight and pool exercises instead of regular sessions with the rest of the squad.
The extent of his fragility was highlighted during England’s unsuccessful World Cup campaign- a tournament that the player reported fit for, but was ruled out of after only 45 minutes of the team’s opening group game.
The Tottenham club captain has not played for the first team since a muscle tear ruled him out of action in mid-October, and there remains no fixed return date for the defender.
For many other players, a conundrum of this nature would be a no brainer. A fitness record like King’s, combined with the nature of his current groin injury, which may still require surgery, would suggest that Spurs will get very little from including the England international in the mandatory 25 man squad for the rest of the year.
Transfer speculation suggests that the North London club will look to further strengthen an already packed squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. If Redknapp were to decide to put faith in his captain’s powers of recovery, that could well mean forcing other players out of the exit door.
Midfielder Jamie O’Hara appears happy to be one man leaving White Hart Lane on loan, suggesting on Twitter on Monday that he is desperate for game time, but organising a deal for fringe squad players Robbie Keane and Niko Kranjcar is likely to prove more problematic.
The situation is further complicated by King’s fellow long-term injury absentee, Jonathan Woodgate. The former Leeds defender has recently stepped up his rehabilitation from a long-term groin injury that, only a few months ago, looked set to curtail his career. The defender was originally left out of Redknapp’s 25 man squad back in the summer, and will be desperate to secure a place when the squad lists are refreshed at the end of the transfer window.
Woodgate is far closer to a first team return than King, and may figure prominently in the final weeks of the season. Redknapp’s dilemma is exactly how much faith he can put in a player who hasn’t played for almost a year and an injury that he described as recently as September as “untreatable.”
The Spurs boss has made no secret of his admiration for both players and, injury permitting, views both as pivotal pieces in the Tottenham jigsaw over the coming years.
In an ideal world, both men would be included in Tottenham’s 25 man squad for the second half of the season- many other Premier League sides could get away with carrying one or two players with the hope they recover full fitness, however Spurs simply do not have that breathing space available.
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With Woodgate nearing a return and King looking at an indefinite period of recovery time, Redknapp could be forgiven for having to choose between his two defensive lynchpins. Does King’s most recent injury paint a dark picture for a man that only recently celebrated his 30th birthday? Can the club continue to rely on a player who is unable to play back to back fixtures?
Should Redknapp decide his club captain is no longer fit for purpose, Woodgate’s elevation would appear a formality. Despite King’s excellent form at the tail end of the last campaign, securing the club a Champions League berth, it would appear this decade’s answer to Darren Anderton is in danger of being left behind.
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Blackburn manager Steve Kean has urged his strikers to be more clinical in front of goal as the club pushes for a place in the Europa League.
Rovers, currently ninth, travel to the DW Stadium on Saturday to face Wigan, and Kean wants his players to put away their chances to move up the table.
“We’ve had 20 attempts on goal in the last two games but we really need to be converting those stats into goals – hopefully we can do that against Wigan,” Kean said.
“We’re in a good position and we’re playing well. We’re creating lots of chances in front of goal and but we just need to finish them off.”
Blackburn lost 1-0 to Tottenham on Wednesday night but Kean took heart from the loss against their high-flying opponents.
And when asked about whether a European finish was a possibility, Kean
responded: “Yeah – we’ve got to look up (the table). We put Tottenham – a very good team – under loads of pressure and we just need to build on it.”
“The aim has always been to try and finish better than last year and in the top half and we’re going well at the moment.”
“We’ve got 10 points away from home and this time last season we only had six so hopefully we can add to that tally against Wigan.”
Kean also paid tribute to John Williams, who resigned on Friday as executive chairman.
“John has been here a very long time. He’s pulled the club through difficult financial times and it’s disappointing he’s decided to stand down.”
“I always had a good relationship with John but we wish him all the best.”
Kean also had some good news this week after defender Chris Samba extended his contract.
The 26-year-old had asked for a move away from Ewood Park in January, but has made a U-turn and signed a new contract until 2015.
“Chris is a quality player as everybody knows. There was interest from other clubs but he’s decided to pledge his future.”
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“He’s settled playing at centre-back with Ryan Nelsen and hopefully we can see all the strengths he’ll bring to the club.”
Right-back Gael Givet, who failed a late fitness test ahead of the Tottenham game, remains a doubt for the Wigan clash while defender Phil Jones remains a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Kean also revealed Blackburn’s two marquee January signings, Mauro Formica and Ruben Rochina, will have to wait to make their debuts.
“They won’t be in contention this week as they’ve only had a couple of sessions. In two weeks we’ll start to see them as I think it’s important they don’t push themselves too much.”
“They don’t speak a lot of English at the moment but Michel Salgado and Roque Santa Cruz are helping them. We’re just bedding them in gradually.”