Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has backed new signing Charles N’Zogbia to find his form, despite a slow start to his time at the Birmingham based club.
Villa signed the France international from Wigan in a £9.5 million deal over the summer, but the winger has not shown the performances that made him such a hit at the Latics, and was substituted after an hour of the side’s 2-1 defeat to West Brom on Saturday.
Despite this, the Bulgarian midfielder has confidence in his team-mate’s abilities.
“A lot of people are on his back but we believe in him. We have seen it in training. Sometimes people need a longer time to settle in,” he told Mirror Football.
“We won’t give up on this boy because he is an important player for us. He will become good. He has been working hard and is looking sharper.
“It didn’t go well for him against West Brom but he will get back. We have a talent here and it will come a point where he starts playing well and scoring goals.
“We are patient with him and convinced he will come good,” the skipper concluded.
Alex McLeish’s men will look to bounce back from the defeat next weekend, as they travel to Wearside to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
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Manchester United striker Michael Owen has stated that current Premier League leaders Manchester City will have a dip in form at some point during the season, and it is too early to consider them as title favourites.
Roberto Mancini’s men have stormed to the top of the English top flight in an unbeaten run over 11 games, and announced themselves as challengers by beating United 6-1 at Old Trafford.
Despite the Etihad Stadium team’s undoubted quality, Owen feels there is a long way to go in the race for the title.
“They are top of the league, playing great – as well as they’ve performed in years,” he told Mirror Football.
“They obviously beat us quite well in the league and deserved to win that game. But it was only a few weeks earlier that we played really well and beat them in the Community Shield.
“Everyone then was taking a step back then and saying, ‘It might be a year too soon for City’ and it just shows how quickly things can change.
“They’re on a crest of a wave at the minute, but every team will go through a sticky patch at some point and we’re still early on in the season.
“We’ll see what happens after Christmas and start forming opinions then, but there’s no doubt about it, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
“Man United over the years have always gone on great runs towards the end of the season and have pulled it out of the fire many times,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, United have announced a 16.5 per cent increase in revenue for the first quarter of the financial year, making profit of £73.8 million for the period.
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The result means that the Premier League champions’ debt is reduced by £83.5 million to £433.2 million.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has stated that he won’t quit his post, despite being lambasted by his own fans in the side’s 2-1 home defeat to Wigan on Saturday.
The loss sees The Black Cats in 16th place and only two points above the relegation zone, in what has been a poor start to the season for the Wearside club.
Despite being singled out for abuse by the Stadium of Light faithful, Bruce will not walk away from the club.
“If I thought that by me going, it would help everybody, then I would consider it. But I don’t think that right now. I just want to get it right,” he told Mirror Football.
“Whatever abuse is thrown at me, I would never walk away – never. It’s not in my nature at all.
“But if I thought it would help, then I would certainly have a think about that,” he stated.
Part of the Sunderland fans’ grievances were the fact that Bruce was born in the Newcastle area, and the coach admits that the chants were the worst they have been in his time in management.
“I cannot help where I was born unfortunately.
“Can I turn the relationship around? I don’t know. It’s going to be very, very difficult. Hopefully, it’s bottomed out now. I don’t think it’s ever been as bad as that.
“If the players went out there and I thought they weren’t trying or I’d lost them, then you do start to take a look at the bigger picture. But every one of them did their best in difficult circumstances.
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“For me, we absolutely battered Wigan, but it doesn’t make any difference, we got beat. We are judged on results and unfortunately they have not been good enough. It ended up being a horror show,” he concluded.
Everton have confirmed that Landon Donovan will return to Goodison Park on a short-term loan in January.
The United States international played ten times, scoring twice, in a similar deal from LA Galaxy back early 2010, and the Merseyside club have detailed that a two-month loan has been agreed once more.
Toffees manager David Moyes admitted that he was glad to welcome the veteran forward back to England.
“I am delighted that we have managed to get Landon back. He will give us some good experience over January and February,” the Scottish coach told the club’s official website.
“He did well for us when he was over two years ago and hopefully will return with those same qualities.
“His season has just finished and like last time we need him to hit the ground running because the games come thick and fast at this time of year,” he stated.
Donovan meanwhile is also pleased with the deal, and is looking forward to competing in the Premier League again.
“The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Everton in 2010 and I’m hopeful that we can experience similar success this time around.
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“I want to thank David Moyes and Bruce Arena, as well as executives from both clubs and Major League Soccer for allowing me this unique and special opportunity,” the 29-year-old concluded.
It has been a phenomenal week for Kenny Dalglish as his Liverpool side literally have gone from a low to quite an incredible high in the space of seven days. A shocking defeat at the Reebok has been followed by a cup double on the Manchester sides, with victory against City giving them the Reds their first Wembley appearance since 1996. Dirk Kuyt was the hero this afternoon and scoring against the old enemy and securing the club’s passage to the 5th Rd of the FA Cup was the perfect way for the football club to end his barren spell.
This week at Football FanCast we have witnessed a mix bag of blogs that include the ideal way to fast-track Liverpool’s development; Kenny looks to tempt Madrid into a loan move, while Lucas provides the missing ingredient that is costing the Reds dear.
Best of FFC
The ideal way to fast-track Liverpool’s development?
Caption Competition – Liverpool welcome back a friendly face
Can the likes of Spurs and Liverpool strike the financial balance?
Liverpool look to tempt Madrid into loan move
The worst Liverpool XI of Premier League times?
The missing ingredient that is costing Liverpool dear
Liverpool’s Top TEN Footballing Villains…well in my view!
How can football clubs bridge the academy gap?
Is Liverpool’s recent transfer approach a cause for concern?
Why are Premier League clubs ‘missing the boat’ in the transfer market?
Kenny has money to spend on the right signing
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Best of WEB
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So Where Exactly Are We Going Wrong? – Live4Liverpool
A Review of the Dalglish/Comolli Signings – Tomkins Times
Skrtel, Agger, Carragher | The Battle for the Centre – Anfield Index
Reds must address striking dilemma before season slips away – This is Anfield
Rangers’ Demand For Bids Over £6M Attracts Liverpool – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“It’s been a great week for us in the end, even though it started so badly at Bolton. We are in the Carling Cup final and the next round of the FA Cup, and though I was critical of the players a week ago, full credit to them for getting back on track with two really big wins.” Dalglish was talking to the BBC
Mark Hughes has confirmed that he is in talks with QPR in regards to their vacant managerial position.
The Loftus Road club parted company with Neil Warnock at the weekend, and the former Fulham boss has become the favourite to take over at the London club.
Hughes has confirmed that talks are ongoing, and will continue on Tuesday.
“Talks are still progressing. I’m obviously interested in what everyone here has had to say,” he told Sky Sports.
“It is an interesting project they are talking about, but there is a lot more to discuss yet and we will wait until the morning and have further discussions.
“It went really well today (Monday). We still have to discuss a number of things.
“There are a number of factors. I’ve got to be clear in my mind that this is the right decision for me and QPR have to be comfortable in their own mind as well.
“I’m an ambitious manager and I hope that the next job I have the club can match those ambitions,” he continued.
Hughes also stated that it was not important whether a decision was made before this weekend’s fixture against Newcastle, and that it was an important time in his career.
“We are not at that point at this moment.
“We are still discussing the ideas the club have and I have obviously got to think very carefully about what has been said overnight,” he finalised.
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It’s been yet another drastic, season defining week at Arsenal football club. In an eerily similar manner to the previous campaign the Gunners crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Sunderland after seeing their Champions League dreams dashed following a thumping from AC Milan. The same arguments have cropped up once again with boss Arsene Wenger bearing the brunt of fans frustration over his reluctance to strengthen the playing squad in the transfer window.
A dressing room filled with too many average players and youngsters lacking in first team experience has hindered Arsenal’s chances of ending their confidence sapping seven-year trophy drought. Attendances are down at the Emirates Stadium and supporters are becoming restless. Essentially the wheels are coming off with their great rivals now taking up the mantle as the number one team in North London.
With that weighing on their minds the board have decided to act declaring that Wenger will have a £55 million summer war chest to rebuild the squad and return the Gunners to their former glories. An abundance of names had been bandied about during the January transfer window with some of Europe’s top talents linked with the Gunners showing they still have the pulling power to attract big names.
Despite Wenger’s reluctance to dip his toes into the transfer market during the winter it’s expected that he will overhaul his squad once the season ends. Who the Frenchman has on his hit-list remains to be seen but one thing is for sure it will be an exciting summer of speculation for Arsenal fans.
Here are TEN players Arsenal should sign in the summer
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It seems to be all the range nowadays to have a go at English Football’s governing body. Whether it be for the non use of technology, quality of refereeing or the latest issue, the national side’s management post.
Almost a month ago Fabio Capello walked out on the England set-up following the Terry-gate scandal, and since then the FA have been taking a rather relaxed approach to filling the now vacant position. Tottenham chief Harry Redknapp seems to be odds on favourite to take the hot seat, however the FA, to public knowledge, have yet to make an official approach, leaving the issue a little up-in-the-air.
This method hasn’t gained much credit from the on looking fans and media, yet it could perhaps be a positive way to go about things, as the FA must respect Spurs and ensure they make the correct appointment.
Redknapp has taken charge of five matches since the link with the role, achieving positive results in just two, (3-1 win against Stevenage and 5-0 triumph over Newcastle) which points to a distraction from the job at hand. It can be argued that if the FA were to name him as the future manager, he would know exactly where he stood, yet with a string of tough fixtures on the horizon, such as Everton away, Stoke, Chelsea and the resurgent Sunderland, the fallout of accepting the job and a possible string of poor results would be catastrophic. To leave the issue in the background keeps ‘Arry’s loyalty, in the public eye at least, with Spurs and their current quest to secure Champions League football after an impressive season thus far. Although a section of the White Hart Lane support are all too aware that their manager would find it borderline impossible to turn down the call of his country, until there is concrete evidence, it must be assumed that he has the professionalism to be 100% committed the North Londoners cause.
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As well as the issues faced at Tottenham, there remains another problem, just how much could Redknapp do in a permanent role from now until the kick-off in Poland/Ukraine? The answer, very little. As a manager in the top-flight of English football, it’s not as if Redknapp isn’t privy to witnessing over 90% of the potential talent pool of the EURO 2012 squad, quite often having to tackle various potential players on a weekly basis. This gives him the ability to analyse their strengths and weaknesses, so in the event of taking the job he would already have an idea of who he felt necessary to take along. As Spurs manager, he also has vast experience in working with many players in and around the England set-up, with the likes of Scott Parker, Jermain Defoe, Kyle Walker, Aaron Lennon and Michael Dawson all being regulars on his team-sheet. A knowledge of these men and a continued spell working with them can only further build the relationships, and with Walker, Dawson and Parker being possible key squad members, this could be a useful opportunity.
Besides this in a permanent role, the next England manager will have a minimal amount of fixtures in which to work with his squad, as only Norway and Belgium await the Three Lions. Even though preparation can only be of benefit, such a small amount of scheduled games cannot really change anything, and the knowledge of players from watching previous national matches could be enough to go upon.
Yes there are issues such as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand which will have to be addressed, but looking on Redknapp could choose his course of action and act swiftly if given the role. Backroom staff could be another problem, but with the FA having created the saga there could surely be little opposition to drafting in new members.
The FA are right to respect Tottenham’s plans by playing softly-softly. A lack of preparation is by no means ideal, but having made a rod for their own back it’s too late to act rash. Harry can still gain the necessary knowledge for his probable tenure with the national side while keeping Spurs on track.
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Tottenham attacker Rafael van der Vaart has stated that he is hopeful that Emmanuel Adebayor will stay at White Hart Lane after the season ends.
The Togolese marksman has been on loan in north London from Manchester City this season, but his future is somewhat unclear due to seemingly unmatchable wage demands.
Van der Vaart has hailed Adebayor’s influence at Tottenham and admitted that he hopes the African striker stays with the club.
“He is a great player for us, works his socks off and we love him here,” the Netherlands international told the London Evening Standard.
“He played for Real Madrid, Arsenal and City and I was surprised he came but I hope he stays.
“He is a top striker, one of the best I’ve played with. I played with Ruud van Nistelrooy; (with Real Madrid and Holland) he was fantastic.
“Normally strikers wait for their chances and score but he [Adebayor] is working and even when he doesn’t score he is still important for the team and that’s what makes him a big man for us.
“Last season I had a good understanding with Peter Crouch but with him it’s even better. He is tall, strong and also is not selfish,” Van der Vaart concluded.
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I would like to start this blog by saying a big thank you to David Connelly, Bartosz Bialkowski and Radhi Jaidi amongst others who, as I predicted in my last article, were released by the club after their contracts expired.
Jaidi remains at the club in an ambassadorial role and he will help to raise the clubs profile in Africa, as well as obviously looking out for the next generation of talented footballers to emerge from that continent.
As for Connelly and Bialkowski, both served the club well over a number of years, and indeed Connelly’s goals at the tail end of the 2010-11 season, helped the club fend off the challenge of a dogged Huddersfield side to gain promotion from League One. Plus he carried that form over into the next season with his goals helping to cement our place at the top of the table, and setting us on course for back to back promotions.
As a Saints fan it has come as no surprise that the recently released relegation odds see us as second favourites for relegation next season, despite the fact that no new signings have been made by the club and the new season is more than two months away. Only Reading have shorter odds on relegation, and there is an obvious bias towards London clubs for some reason, as West Ham who only managed to scrape promotion through the playoffs, are listed as fifth favourites.
Additionally, Norwich, who actually finished last season in 12th place in the Premier League, are shorter odds than both the newly promoted Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, a team that only survived on the last day thanks to Bolton’s luckless result at Stoke City.
Of course, the bookies are looking to avoid paying out large sums of money and more money is going to be taken on newly promoted clubs going straight back down, but in recent seasons, the three relegated clubs have more often than not been clubs who have been in the top flight continuously for more than one season.
Saints fans are used to being labelled as “relegation fodder”; after all, we were usually the bookies favourites for the drop, year on year, when we were last doing battle in English football’s top flight. In fact, if my memory serves me right, the only time we weren’t tipped for the drop was the 2004-05 season, when we were actually relegated.
With reports of a transfer offer for Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez being bandied about, one that is in the range of £6 million; which would smash the previous club record on a single fee of the £4 million we shelled out for Rory Delap (yeah £4 million for Delap!), we may well see an influx of big money signings as we look to consolidate next season.
Talking of next season, the club this week released its season ticket prices for our first foray into Premier League football for seven years, and the 30% increase comes as no real surprise.
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What is a shock is the £50 admin fee for using the clubs instalment plan, in addition to the 25% payment that needs to be made upfront, with the balance paid off over only five months. I think this is going to put a lot of people off the idea of getting a season ticket, if they have not already got one.
Individual match day tickets are going to be divided into three categories depending on the attractiveness of the opposition, although the prices have yet to be announced. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that St Mary’s is bouncing ahead of an exciting year for everyone at the club.