Southampton announced on Thursday that first-team coach Eric Black has stepped down from his role at the club.
The Scotsman moved to St Mary’s in 2016 as part of Claude Puel’s coaching staff.
Even after the manager departed, Black stayed on, but has now decided to leave his position due to personal reasons.
The Saints’ official website has claimed that the 54-year-old has opted to address some back problems that have been caused by previous injuries suffered during his playing career.
In September last year, the Scotsman was caught up in The Telegraph’s investigation into corruption in football.
Black was accused of offering advice to third parties on how to bribe lower-league clubs, but following an investigation, Southampton did not find him guilty of any wrongdoing.
Judging by the reaction on Twitter, Black divided Southampton fans, with some pleased to see him step down, while others have been left disappointed.
Black has had coaching spells at numerous clubs, including Sunderland and Aston Villa.
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Peter Odemwingie says that he is “delighted” to have joined Cardiff from West Brom.
The controversial Nigerian attacker completed a deadline day £2.5million switch to the south of Wales from the Midlands after falling out of favour at the Hawthorns.
Odemwingie became the newly promoted club’s eighth signing of the summer, and is seen as a player that can add experience and attacking flair to their squad as they look to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the 32-year-old revealed that he was very happy to have finalised the move.
“I’m delighted to complete my move to Cardiff City. I’m looking forward to this fresh start at a Club that is really going places, a team that’s progressing fast,” he said.
“I’ve seen a little bit of the City and I know that my wife and I will really enjoy living in Cardiff. I can’t wait to get started – this move makes me very happy.”
Odemwingie fell down the pecking order with West Brom following his antics during the January transfer window.
The versatile forward drove to QPR’s Loftus Road stadium in a bid to push through a late move to the London club, despite not having permission to complete a move.
Cardiff fans, will Peter Odemwingie prove to be a good addition to your squad?
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England under-21’s have booked a place in the playoffs for Euro 2013 with a 1-0 win over Norway on Monday night.
The result means that the youngsters top the Group Three Qualifying Pool, and are now on the brink of competing in the tournament in Israel.
Sunderland’s Connor Wickham scored the only goal of the game at the B2Net Stadium in Chesterfield, and Stuart Pearce is delighted with the progression of his side.
“To win seven out of eight games in international football isn’t easy and we’re pleased to top the group but we know we’ve got to play better next month to get to the finals,” The Telegraph quote Pearce as saying.
“There are some outstanding teams left in the draw and no matter who you get, they will be up for the fight and the challenge,” he revealed.
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The draw for the playoffs will be made in Nyon on Friday.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United have been told that it will take £53m to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred in this summer’s transfer window.
The 25-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months, and it had been thought that the Red Devils were in pole position for the Brazil international.
That said, it is now understood that Paris Saint-Germain have expressed an interest in a player who will represent his country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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United boss Jose Mourinho is said to be keen to sign at least two new midfielders this summer as he looks to put together a squad capable of challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
The United fans have been reacting to the latest transfer report surrounding the seven-time Brazil international, and whilst many would welcome the midfielder to the club, there are those that are not too sure whether it would be the correct deal.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
So far in the 2015 edition of the summer transfer window, we have seen a host of top players leave their boyhood clubs. This week alone, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Iker Casillas have left Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively, moving on to pastures new. The likes of Xavi and Steven Gerrard have left their beloved clubs too, calling an end on their stellar club careers.
Circumstances differentiate between each move, with former Liverpool captain Gerrard and Barca icon Xavi looking to see out the autumn of their careers with a lucrative pay day and a fresh challenge. Two players who looked certain to add to the ‘One Club Man’ tradition have spurned the chance and moved abroad to see out their playing days. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this and both players thoroughly deserve such an opportunity after providing such a service to their employers.
However, the ‘One Club Man’ is now a dying breed. Less often are we seeing one player devote his entire career to a single senior team. Perhaps football is losing its sentiment. The Anfield skipper was seemingly rooted to the pitch on Mersey side, but after losing his place in the side, he has decided to move on to the MLS. Last year, Frank Lampard called an end to his Chelsea career and ended up at Manchester City. That particular move may have been forced on the player by New York City FC bosses, but the two former England internationals will this year line up State-side.
The most obvious factor in a move of this ilk is the pay day. It is a short career, and although top players earn eye watering sums a week, one last big contract abroad may be all too tempting. From this perspective, it seems to make sense for all parties. Captain Fantastic will (probably) never have to line up against his former charges, unlike his former England colleague, Mr Lampard.
However, the departures of two World Cup winners from their clubs this week does indeed point to the dwindling sense of sentiment in the beautiful game. Madrid icon Casillas has been ripped from the Bernabeu goal, leaving his gloves wrapped still wrapped around the post. A stalwart between the sticks who presided over 18 trophies during his time at the club has been shipped off to FC Porto in a move his mother isn’t all too happy about it. The move has followed a dip in form over the last few years. Unlike the Gerrard and Xavi deals, Madrid have made a callous sporting decision.
The margins in top level football are so slim; head honchos at top clubs are losing the chance to remain sentimental. A player with the track record of Casillas has been forced to leave his beloved Bernabeu in tears. That’s football for you.
Schweinstiger’s move to Manchester United is perhaps the biggest indicator of this dying tradition. Spanish icon Iker has been linked with a move away since the Jose Mourinho days at Real. However, Bastian seemed to be a Bayern bastion. The German captain had not been often linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena, and his move has come as somewhat of a surprise. After 17 years at the German giants, his sale seems to have almost slipped under the radar.
It is hard to blame Bayern for letting him go. At almost 31, his best days may be behind him. Even if they are not, they are numbered. To get a reported £15m for a 30 year old who suffered injuries last year is too good to turn down, no matter how much he might mean to the club. No time for sentiment here, just pay the money and you can have whoever you want.
A number of different factors now dictate the dying days of top players. Decisions from the top can rip them away from their boyhood teams, and the offer to see out your career in a different corner of the globe may prove to be all too lucrative.
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So cheers Stevie, adios Iker and danke Bastian. Time to move on.
After their disappointing defeat to Crystal Palace in the Championship Play-off semi-finals, it seems Gus Poyet might have managed his last match for the Seagulls. Poyet, along with his assistants Mauricio Taricco and Charlie Oatway, were suspended by the Brighton board via a text message on Wednesday evening. Despite initial reports suggesting it was due to comments made by Poyet about the club’s budget, it fails to explain the suspensions for Taricco and Oatway.
It is now suggested that the trio were suspended for alleged breach of contract, with rumours that Poyet told his players on Tuesday that he couldn’t guarantee his future at the club. With a host of clubs linked with Poyet, it seems Brighton have taken a big step towards losing the former Chelsea player as their manager. But whose dugout could the Uruguayan be standing in next season? Click below to reveal the 5 teams he could be managing.
Click on the Goodison crowd to see Gus’ 5 options
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After putting in a dismal display at Dagenham on the Tuesday prior to our game at Oxford, I came away saying that we will play much better than that on occasions yet lose. My point was proven a little earlier than I had hoped, as Argyle lost 2-1 at the three sided Kassam stadium to slide into the relegation zone, albeit because of the alphabet.
Carl Fletcher opted to make changes for this game, as strikers Nick Chadwick and Matt Lecointe were dropped to the bench in place of Warren Feeney and Paris Cowan-Hall as Argyle started the game in a 4-5-1 formation.
Surprisingly it was Argyle, not the early pace setters in the league, that had the better of the opening exchanges after Tom Craddock sent his shot flying over Jake Cole’s goal. Argyle had the ball in the back of the net on the 10 minute mark through Warren Feeney although it was rightly flagged offside. The play in the lead up to the disallowed goal was promising though, as Conor Hourihane played a neat one-two with Andress Gurrieri before storming into the Oxford box. His ball across the box for Feeney to smash home was a good one, but the Northern Ireland international was miles offside. Truth be told, had Hourihane got a good shot on target himself, he probably would have scored.
At this point Argyle, backed by the Green Army in full voice, were well on top. Darren Purse directed a Hourihane corner goal-ward only for it to rebound back off Feeney who was desperately trying to get out of the way of it.
And then, in a cruel three minutes, the game was all but beyond the Pilgrims.
Stand in right-back Curtis Nelson failed to clear his lines which resulted in the ball being played into the box for Deane Smalley to take a few touches before smashing the ball past Cole from close range, and before the home celebrations for the goal had died down, Smalley made it two.
Conor Hourihane was caught in possession of the ball in the Oxford half which allowed the U’s to set up a swift counter attack. Alfie Potter led the charge with Smalley racing to catch up with him. As Potter reached the edge of the box he laid the ball off for Smalley to run on to, who fired home for his second of the game.
After failing to score in our first two games of the season it was looking highly unlikely we would get anything from this fixture, but at least the Greens gave themselves a half chance of getting back into the game by getting to half time with no further damage.
Fletcher made two changes at half time. Robbie Williams replaced an ineffectual Gurrieri, which pushed Onismor Bhasera up to left mid and Durrel Berry replaced Curtis Nelson at right back for his first appearance of the season due to injury.
The second-half was a totally different affair to the first. Oxford appeared to take their foot off the gas a little and Argyle dominated the possession yet rarely created any clear cut chances until Bhasera was brought down on the edge of the Oxford area. Up stepped Robbie Williams, whose sweet left foot is starting to become a good source of goals from free kicks, to curl the ball perfectly around the wall and into the bottom corner of the goal. It was the first goal Argyle had scored in the league and the first Oxford had conceded, the Pilgrims had 15 minutes of normal time to find an equaliser.
Argyle surged forward at every opportunity but could not find the goal to complete the comeback, although Berry went close with a speculative long range effort.
We are three games in to our League Two campaign, but only have one point to show for it. Had we been battered yesterday and played as poor as we did against the Daggers I would be very concerned, but I am not that worried – yet. Apart from the three minutes in which we conceded the goals yesterday I felt we were more than a match for Oxford, I left pleased with the performance despite the result.
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It will be interesting to see how we fare when Jamie Lowry and Rhys Griffiths return from injury as I think they are two key players our side is missing. If we perform like we did against Oxford, one of the better teams in this division, on a regular basis I am sure the results will come. I just hope for Carl Fletcher’s sake that it is sooner rather than later, as there are already some fans making noises about how the chairman should think about removing him from his duties.
Arsenal are reluctant to pay their new manager the same £8.5m-a-year salary handed to Arsene Wenger, according to the Daily Mail.
What’s the word?
The North London outfit are hunting for a new boss following Wenger’s decision to step down at the end of the season.
Supporters have been pleading for the Frenchman’s departure for some time due to the club’s recent failed Premier League title campaigns.
Now that their wish has been granted, attention has turned to who will take the hotseat at the Emirates.
According to the Daily Mail, the Gunners are not prepared to splash out on a huge salary, which pours significant doubt over the potential arrival of former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, who reportedly wants £15m a year.
The publication adds that whoever comes in will have a tight transfer budget of just £50m for the summer window.
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Can Arsenal get a high-profile figure without the cash?
Firstly, hiring someone who is currently out of work is arguably Arsenal’s best option with regards to cutting costs.
However, as mentioned, Enrique is believed to be demanding a hefty wage, while Carlo Ancelotti is likely to take the same approach.
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If money is an issue, the Premier League giants may have to settle for an inexperienced coach, with the likes of Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira being touted in the rumour mill as potential candidates.
A transitional period is expected when Wenger departs, but it may take even longer for Arsenal to get themselves back on track with an unproven coach at the helm.
When solid defensive players like Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic parted from Manchester United, there were doubts of how the Red Devils would replace them and cope in the future.
The answer? Not well. Their issues at the back have been exposed on plenty of occasions, but the three departures have made way for new, younger, fresher players to make their name. One of which being the Northern Irish Paddy McNair. But are Manchester United fans are expecting too much, too soon?
He may have been able to break through to the first team, but that stint was brief. Throughout this season he has only made twelve appearances, but is this enough to truly judge a player on? No. We have seen a glimpse of the starlet, who has done well when called upon, but is yet to reach his peak.
United’s injury woes have contributed to the rise of Paddy McNair this season. Chris Smalling, Phi Jones and Marcos Rojo have been no strangers to picking up knocks, which is why McNair had to be brought in. As the players have returned from injury – and of course gotten injured again – McNair has dropped back down to the bench.
On his brief experience in the Premier League, McNair has earned himself a new contract under Louis Van Gaal. The contract will see him remain at Manchester United until June 2017, but there is an option for another year. Clearly Van Gaal sees not only worth in him, but considers the 20-year-old as an ideal prospect for future campaigns.
Comparing players to those that have already succeeded can prove to be a recipe for disaster. Expecting Paddy McNair to be Nemanja Vidic on his debut is ludicrous. You cannot become a world class centre back over night.
But McNair will prove his importance. It won’t be this season, with just two games left, but he will be given more opportunity next year. Youth is important at Manchester United, and this player needs to be given his time to shine.
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To suggest that Atletico Madrid’s prolific hitman Radamel Falcao might already be searching out an English phrasebook might seem a little premature, but with interest in the Colombian reaching almost feverish levels on these shores, there’s every chance that the 27-year-old could find himself plying his trade in England next term.
With a reported release clause of near on £52million and alleged wage demands in excess of £200,000, Falcao is of course a target for only a very select few in the European game.
But with Barcelona’s interest having cooled and Atletico reportedly holding no designs on selling up to local rivals Real Madrid, bar a potential move to Paris Saint-Germain, the path is seemingly paved for the former-Porto man to try his hand within the Premier League.
With the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and even perhaps Manchester United interested in acquiring the Colombian’s services, it’s likely that Falcao will have no shortage of suitors come the summer. But far from simply analyzing what team would benefit the most from his unique set of striking gifts, what club offers the best move for the player himself?
Certainly, from a financial perspective all three of the aforementioned trio – a term used loosely, given the very tentative authenticity of United’s rumoured interest – would have few problems in financing Falcao’s extortionate wage demands.
With the notorious bargaining skills of Jorge Mendes as an agent, no club is likely to be able to bring the 27-year-old to their haunts without laying out a significant financial package. But with Roman Abramovich said to be a huge fan of the player and Manchester City’s de facto owner Sheikh Mansour presumably determined to regain his side’s Premier League crown, Falcao isn’t likely to find personal terms an issue with any of his English suitors.
Differentiating quite where Falcao would be better off from a purely sporting perspective, however, isn’t quite as easy a feat.
Chelsea have long been mooted as arguably the most likeliest destination for Falcao, should he move to England this summer. With the club in need of a consistently world-class striker and current incumbent, the faltering Fernando Torres, reportedly an attractive makeweight for Atletico manager Diego Simeone, a move to Stamford Bridge seems to make sense all ways up.
Yet for as logical as such a move may seen, there are enough variables floating around West London to ensure that the one time-River Plate striker would have plenty of food for thought before agreeing to sign on the dotted line for the Blues.
With Rafa Benitez set to step down from his interim managerial role at the end of the season, there is a strange uncertainty to the future direction in which the Stamford Bridge ship is set to sale. One would imagine that Abramovich would be keen to explain to Falcao in detail who he’s likely to be plying his trade under, yet even with May now fast approaching, we’re still no closer to discovering who is set to take the managerial reigns at the club this season.
With talk of Jose Mourinho’s return to the club now dampened and such a small shortlist of real, renowned European names there for the club to look at, would Falcao feel quite as keen as linking up with, say, a David Moyes like manager? Certainly, should the Blues fail to qualify for the Champions League, they would face an almost impossible task in attracting a player to the club who remains so desperate to play in the competition.
Although if stability is one of the most off-putting factors regarding a potential Falcao switch to Chelsea, then it seems difficult to believe how Manchester City offer a striking foundation of solidarity for the Colombian to become part of.
After a season in which City have so meekly surrendered their Premier League title, there are no guarantees that Roberto Mancini will be there to commandeer his side for another campaign and even fewer clues as to who might feasibly replace him. Either way, should Falcao find himself likely to be offered identical personal terms from both clubs, he’s probably quite likely to find himself offered a similar level of question marks from Chelsea and Manchester City as well.
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Yet if stability isn’t a guarantee at either club, then a wealth of attacking talent most certainly is. Plump for either club and Falcao can look forward to having the likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard or David Silva and Yaya Toure supplying him the goods to feed upon. But while Mancini would surely fire Falcao straight into the starting line up at the Etihad Stadium, it’s at Stamford Bridge where you feel a more natural home awaits the prolific marksman.
With Fernando Torres widely accepted to be the one who makes way for Falcao should he arrive at the club, although Demba Ba would have a role to play, the Atletico man would be the indisputable main man down at Chelsea. With the likes of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko plying their trade at City, regardless of how well Falcao may or may not link up with one of the feted trio, he’s not going to be afforded the autonomy that he will do at Stamford Bridge.
Even if City decide to sell another of the aforementioned trio, at Chelsea, he’s not going to have to play beside another out-and-out striker or face anything in the way of the sort of competition he would do up at the Etihad.
Either club would offer Radamel Falcao a superb base in which to push on during the prime years of his career, but for all the questions that are still to be answered at Stamford Bridge, it’s Chelsea which perhaps offer him the better pick.