Roy Hodgson has claimed this is how he wants his new-look England side to play after beating Italy 2-1 in Berne last night.
Five players gave assured performances on their senior debuts as Jack Butland, John Ruddy, Jake Livermore, Ryan Bertrand and Tom Cleverley took to the field.
“I’m pleased,” he said.
“It was the type of game I sort of expected; two teams with a lot of changes looking to make a big impression ahead of the qualification campaign.”
The result goes some way in easing England’s pain after losing to the Azzurri on penalties in the Euro 2012 Quarter-finals.
He added:”I am happy with the way we responded to that challenge and the performance we gave.”
Ashley Young was the only player in the line-up who started on that painful evening in Kiev, while Joleon Lescott and James Milner appeared from the bench.
Hodgson said:”It’s the qualifiers that really count, but it’s nice to know we have a deeper squad of players than that we took to the Euros.”
He was pleased with the Three Lions’ strength in depth, but admitted that it would be unwise to make comparisons with the performance against Italy in Euro 2012.
“In the Euros, especially towards the end and the second half against Italy where they dominated, we did have an excuse,” he said.
“We were a bit tired at that time.
“It wasn’t a typical performance from an England team, and not the way we want to play.
“This is the way we want to play.”
England begin their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign away at Moldova on 7th September.
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The Daily Mirror exclusively reports this morning that a bid has been received from a Qatari financial body, reported to be backed by the Royal Family, for the full value of Manchester United. The unpopular Glazer family have endured serious financial difficulties since the start of the recession and will have to give serious consideration to the bid, which the Mirror says is in the region of £1.5bn.
In today’s other stories, Mohammed Bin Hammam’s appeal against his lifelong ban from football has been denied by a FIFA appeals committee, Sol Campbell blames “institutionalised” prejudices in English football for the lack of black or ethnic minority managers in the Football League, and there are growing fears for the whereabouts of former West Ham striker Savio after the German youth international went missing from his current Italian side, Juve Stadia. Interpol are joining the efforts to locate the 22–year-old.
Qatari Royal Family in £1.5bn bid for Manchester United – Daily Mirror
FIFA appeal committee upholds Bin Hammam’s life ban – The Guardian
Parliament ramps up the pressure on FA to reform – The Guardian
Bayern Munich lining up new bid for Malouda – The Sun
Campbell: Lack of black managers is thanks to “institutionalised” prejudice – Daily Mirror
Spurs to land starlet after hush-hush trial game – Mirror
Wenger won’t rule out permanent deal for Benayoun – Mirror
Fletcher: United facing toughest title defence yet – The Guardian
Fabregas: Hard to see Arsenal winning trophies any time soon – The Independent
Agbonlahor: I almost quit Villa because of Houllier – Daily Telegraph
Pardew: Taylor ready for England call – Daily Mail
Bruce may give teen prodigy Wickham first Premier League start this weekend – Daily Mail
Former Hammers striker Savio feared missing in Italy – Daily Mail
Ball thieves leave Wigan kicking air – Daily Mirror
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New West Brom boss Roy Hodgson says although he did not intend on returning to the Premier League so soon, he simply could not refuse the offer.
Just over a month after the 63-year-old was sacked from English giants Liverpool, the former Inter Milan and Fulham manager has arrived at The Hawthorns with one aim only: to steer West Brom clear of the relegation zone.
Hodgson admitted he was blown away by the presentation given to him by club chairman Jeremy Peace and sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth and said it played a big part in his decision.
“It was not my intention to return to Barclays Premier League football this quickly,” Hodgson said.
“But I was so impressed by the way the chairman and Dan Ashworth sold the project to me that I was very happy to accept the offer.”
“I am delighted that a club of West Bromwich Albion’s stature has given me the opportunity to help them in their quest to retain their Premier League status and to build for the future.”
Despite his new side featuring in a relegation six-pointer at home to West Ham on Saturday, Hodgson will not take control of first-team affairs, preferring to leave first-team coach and caretaker manager Michael Appleton in charge.
“I hear that Michael has done a terrific job looking after the players this week and preparing them for tomorrow’s game,” said Hodgson, who has signed a contract until June 2012.
“I know from my previous visits to The Hawthorns the kind of atmosphere the fans can generate and I am sure they will get right behind Michael and the team.”
Peace was delighted to have appointed Hodgson and was pleased the matter was sorted so quickly, with so much at stake.
“I am delighted to welcome Roy as our new head coach,” Peace said.
“At such a vital stage of the season, we felt it was important we identified and appointed the right man as quickly as possible. Roy emerged as the outstanding and unanimous choice of the football club board and we are delighted to have appointed our number one target.”
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“We believe his vast experience and knowledge of the game is exactly what we need for the challenge we face, both in the short and long-term.”
Peace also praised Appleton for his involvement in the lead-up to Saturday’s big match, which could send West Brom as high as 14th or as low as the bottom of the table.
“However, as Roy has stated, the club’s immediate focus is offering Michael, Keith Downing, Dean Kiely and the players all the support they need as they prepare to face West Ham,” he said.
“We are very grateful for the way Michael has taken over the reins this week. He has fully justified our faith in him.”
Luka Modric’s behaviour towards Spurs has been ill advised, immature and totally disrespectful, but it hasn’t been surprising. That so much financial and emotional faith and resources are invested into these players appears to make little difference to their moral compasses.
For all of Levy and Tottenham’s supposed fury at the Croatian’s recent absences from training there seems to be little they can really do about it. If anything, the longer he remains at odds with the club the more untenable his position in north London becomes, thus weakening Tottenham’s hand in negotiations.
When a club has a player tied down to a long contract they can always use the threat of holding him to the end of his deal in order to raise the price of that player. That is of course until it becomes clear that it is impossible for that player to remain at the club. Luka Modric might not quite be at the point of no return, but he’s not far off either.
Ever since Jean-Marc Bosman won his court ruling against the Belgian Football Association in 1995 player-power has been increasing. The threat of leaving for free at the end of their contract has been enough for countless players to either hold their club to ransom or move on to another team without opposition. However, recently we have begun to see that regardless of whether or not a player has multiple years left of their contract they still have the ability to manipulate almost any situation to their advantage.
Modric is the perfect example of this. He signed a six-year contract just two years ago; how then does he have any power of his club? How is it acceptable that he should miss training for a team that pays him a considerable amount of money? The problem for the clubs is that in any other industry you would simply terminate the contract of the individual. That, however, does far more harm to Tottenham than it does to Modric – who would then be able to join whomever he pleased.
Modric isn’t the only high profile player to forced a move to a bigger club whilst in theory the club could have prevented it. Robin van Persie is currently trying to do the exact same thing, but with slightly different tactics. Instead of not turning up to training the Arsenal captain released a statement saying how he disagreed with the way in which the club was run and that he was looking to leave.
Or you could look back to how Rio Ferdinand forced his way out of Leeds in 2002, or how Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas left Arsenal in 2011 or how Berbatov forced a move to Man Utd in 2008.
However, the question that needs to be asked is: are we really talking about player power here or is it more an issue of agent power? It is impossible to deny that player agents are having a negative effect on the game. Only yesterday Alex Ferguson revealed that Eden Hazrd’s agents’ personal demands were £6m and he said that it was the same with Samir Nasri’s agent the year before. If these people are in a position to demand that sort of money it is clear their power has got out of hand.
Moreover, their ability to destabilise relationships between players and their clubs has got to a point whereby UEFA and FIFA really should be considering some kind of cap in terms of how much these agents can earn.
Ultimately the Bosman ruling in ’95 set the tone for things to come. As soon as players had power to move freely at the end of their contracts then clubs had lost the upper hand. The power had shifted, perhaps not irreversibly but certainly to a significant degree. Edgar Davids and Steve McManaman set a precedent with their moves from Ajax and Liverpool respectively, since then a host of players have used the threat of following in their footsteps to force the hand of their clubs.
The problem is that now we have reached a stage where the length of the contract is barely even relevant. If a player kicks up enough of a fuss he can still force a move away from the club and with wages as inflated as they are it is rare that a club can afford to keep that player on the books but in the reserves as punishment.
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Player power does not always succeed. If you ask Niko Kranjcar or Gio Dos Santos whether they have the power to force a move away from a club and they might think a little differently. Nevertheless, it is plain to see that the potential for a club to dictate a player’s career is diminishing every year. With every Tevez and Modric comes a dangerous precedent, an example for others to follow. Clearly players should have a say in how their career pans out; agents, though, are manipulating this situation for their own benefit more than anything.
Arsene Wenger is one man that is clearly splitting opinion in and around the Emirates. The Frenchman once walked on water around these parts but six years without a major trophy has seen patience tested to the ultimate limit, with few willing to sit back and accept the excuses anymore. It could have been a whole different summer for the Frenchman had his charges not failed to show up at Wembley back in February. The problem with unrest at a football club is that causes people to panic and I truly believe that is what happened by Arsene on deadline day.
I have to say Arsenal’s activity completely baffled me if I am honest. Of course the signing of Per Mertesaker was superb and much needed, but can the same be said of the rest of the additions? The loss of Fabregas and Nasri was obviously a problem hole to fill, but is Benayoun and the injury prone Arteta really the answer? Wenger must have known that he was set to lose the duo months previous which makes the decision to replace them in the last hours of the transfer window all the more confusing – knee jerk reaction to their 8-2 trouncing perhaps, I mean it wasn’t as if these players were readily available to sign at any point this summer.
Looking at some of the Arsenal blogs there does appear to be optimism in their transfer dealings. I often wonder if that is more to the delight of seeing new faces and seeing Wenger spend some money, rather than thinking they will actually improve the current team. Mikel Arteta has masses of ability, but let’s be honest he isn’t in the same league as the two departed. It also begs the question that with this obvious optimism among supporters as to whether this will buy Wenger more time to bring success to the Emirates? I am sure the answer to this question in most cases will be no, but surely you can’t expect all the new signings to hit the ground running?
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Wenger has been in the game long enough to realise that he is under pressure to deliver silverware therefore why didn’t he look to have his new look squad ready weeks before the season started? Could it actually be, as I truly believe, that Wenger felt the likes of Ramsey and Rosicky would be able to fill in with ease this season and their unconvincing start forced his hand? There just doesn’t appear to be any other logic behind the delay in strengthening this squad, given the amount of money they received with the sales of Fabregas and Nasri alone. Delaying his purchases until the last knockings has done nothing but put Arsenal back this season as they are completely underprepared for the rigours ahead. Wenger is certainly not the first manager and won’t be the last to react to pressure, I just wonder if the poor preparation and subsequent panic buying may have taken his Arsenal side back further.
Tottenham will turn to Jonathan Woodgate after revealing injury stricken captain Ledley King is set for more surgery.
Woodgate has not played first-team football for English Premier League outfit Spurs since November 2009, but could be rushed back into the side because of injuries to King and Younes Kaboul and the suspension of Michael Dawson.
Woodgate, 31, has featured in two practice games for Spurs in his latest comeback but has yet to put in a 90-minute shift.
The former Leeds, Real Madrid and Middlesbrough central defender is nonetheless under consideration by Harry Redknapp for a start at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, although his manager has pledged not to take the decision lightly.
“He’s not played a game of any note but he’s in my mind because he’s such a fantastic player,” Redknapp said.
“I’m dreaming he can come in and be somewhere near what he was straight away, but it’s not going to be easy and I’ll have to think about that one today.”
“He’ll be involved in some way but I’ve got a mind to throw him in at the deep end. I’ll think about it (starting him) today and see how he looks this morning, but it’s a big ask for him.”
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The news gets no better for captain King, who has made just four Premier League appearances this season and has not seen action since Spurs’ 2-1 win over Fulham in October.
Having been ailed by a degenerative knee injury in recent seasons, it is now King’s groin that will need attention from the surgeon’s knife.
The reaction Spain received at this summer’s Euros from English football fans (predominantly) was enough to say it all about the way football is viewed in this country. Some might want to take offence to it, and that’s fine, but why should Spain have to apologise for excelling at the technical aspect of the game? Their performances and ability far outweigh anything England has been able to produce, and yet English football seemed to be the standard that the Spanish were failing to live up to.
Worryingly, this view isn’t just concentrated to a select few who prefer a more direct approach to the game—again, something which is fine. But the view of football in this country has and may continue to severely hamper the wider football education of young people.
At some point it has to reach a bigger audience that pace and power and lumping the ball up to the big man is a horrible way to educate youths on the game. It encourages people to disregard any real technical ability and composure, and discourages smaller kids from pursuing the game.
The changes the FA proposed earlier in the year was hugely refreshing to see. Instead of the regular 11 a-side games dominating football from all ages, the changes will see younger players in the correct environment of smaller pitches and teams and a great emphasis on seeing more of the ball. A good start and something which should pave the way for a much improved level of ability over the next few decades.
But is it enough? The Premier League should also consider launching a league that sees youth players in much more competitive environments, rather than lending each club the choice of whether to compete in a reserve league or not. While it is important for younger players to be educated in a manner which flies in the face of the win at all costs approach, they also need to be made aware of competitive matches that aids them in their development toward top-flight football.
Spain operate in an interesting way, whereby clubs have their youth teams playing in the lower divisions and in weekly competitive matches. It forces the issue of players working to the ideals of the first-team and eases the transition from one level to the next. However, that proposal may not be as easy to introduce into English football, but it’s worth looking at the positives it brings.
With the Premier League launching an academy league that mirrors the top-flight of football, it will also give less importance to clubs loaning out their younger players for competitive action. For example, Tottenham’s reserve team last year were playing games that certainly didn’t compare to the type of football youths at that age should be exposed to. Yes it’s good to receive match time, but where’s the significant level of competition that allows the players to progress.
The Next Gen series was hugely successful this past season, opening up the door to genuine interest into youth football. The participation of a number Europe’s biggest clubs next season will also be a great bonus for the competition and, of course, the competitive nature that youth players need. There was certainly a feel of a European competition to the tournament, and the interest does appear to be growing. However, it would be a good move to see domestic leagues build on that and force the issue of needing to reignite youth football closer to home.
Youth football in this country is undoubtedly flat, and with the Olympics approaching, Team GB (horrible name, by the way) do not create the same type of buzz and excitement that you’d find from other nations. If the younger players in this country are truly found out, it really does just give another incentive for youth football to be taken a little more seriously.
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America is currently, and has been, thriving off minor or youth leagues across a number of sports. The NCAA is fantastic, whereby college students compete nationwide for trophies and personal accolades. Of course, there is also a great deal of emphasis on being drafted into the major leagues, but college basketball and football do have an extremely large and loyal following. The facilities are outstanding, as is the coaching. It would be great to see youth football in England take off in a similar way in the future.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has denied claims he is a dictator, made by former Executive Committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam.Deposed Asian Football Confederation president Bin Hammam used the term to describe ally-turned-rival Blatter, soon after the Qatari was found guilty of corruption charges on Saturday.
But Blatter, 75, hit back on Wednesday in Rio de Janiero, ahead of Saturday’s preliminary round draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.
“I am not a dictator, as has been said,” the Swiss said.
“I am not alone, I work with my executive committee, with my administration, and with a lot of advisors.”
“They know what it means to have transparency on one side, and anti-corruption on the other side. Do not forget that in FIFA we have 300 million people who work directly in football and in 300 million you cannot have only good people.”
“But I will not make any comments on the decisions of the Ethics Committee, and the follow-up by the media, and I ask you to understand my situation and let FIFA work in compliance with the strong demand of the FIFA Congress to go forward.”
Blatter refused to comment specifically on Bin Hammam, who is planning to appeal the findings from the FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
FIFA also announced that the 2014 World Cup would run from June 12 until its conclusion on July 13.
Manchester City spoiled the return of Sven-Goran Eriksson to defeat Leicester City 4-2 in their FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday.The English Premier League title-challengers were held 2-2 by the Championship club at the Walkers Stadium on January 9, in a reunion between Mancini and Leicester manager Eriksson.
Mancini was a player and assistant under Eriksson at Serie A side Lazio, and also had a five-match cameo as a player with Leicester in 2001.
Former England manager Eriksson served as manager of Manchester City for a single season in 2007/08, with the cup replay his first match back at Eastlands on the opposition bench.
Argentina international Carlos Tevez put the hosts in front after 15 minutes, but Leicester levelled just three minutes later through striker Paul Gallagher.
French veteran Patrick Vieira restored Manchester City’s lead in the 37th minute and winger Adam Johnson made it 3-1 less than 60 seconds later.
Tevez could have put the match beyond doubt from the penalty spot in the 59th minute, but the skipper hit a tame effort directly at Leicester goalkeeper Chris Weale.
The underdogs threatened to mount a comeback when frontman Lloyd Dyer pulled a goal back to make it 3-2 with seven minutes remaining.
But an equaliser never arrived and defender Aleksandar Kolarov’s 90th-minute goal booked the home side a fourth-round tie away to League One Notts County.
Fellow Premier League club Stoke City needed extra-time to overcome second-tier high-flyers Cardiff in their third-round replay.
After securing a 1-1 draw in the first instalment at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium, Dave Jones’ team – third in the Championship and challenging for promotion – held the visitors goalless throughout the regulation 90 minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium.
But two extra-time strikes from John Walters sealed the win for the Stoke.
Tony Pulis team will now face fellow top-flight club Wolverhampton Wanderers after they demolished Championship outfit Doncaster Rovers 5-0 at Molineux.
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Steven Fletcher opened the scoring for Wolves with six minutes gone on the clock but the visitors remained in contention until just after the hour mark, when Geoffrey Mujangi Bia made it 2-0.
Kevin Doyle netted a third goal to put the match beyond doubt just five minutes later, before Matthew Jarvis got in on the act in the 74th minute.
Former Manchester United midfielder David Jones completed the rout three minutes into injury time.
Liverpool’s quest for success has led to them appointing former Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers this summer. After only a season in the top flight and with no European experience, Rodgers was a surprise choice for many so how much work does he have to do to make Liverpool a success again?
After a disappointing season where 8th place represented their worst league finish since 1994, the situation couldn’t be much worse for the Northern Irishman. The gap between Liverpool and the big boys is widening ever further and even their European qualification is tainted by having to play in the dreaded Thursday night UEFA Europa League. Their league form is bound to suffer and it’ll be a steep learning curve for the new manager. To make matters worse the squad he’s inherited is lacking quality throughout team with only Pepe Reina, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez good enough to get in any of their rivals’ first XIs. It would appear he’s got his work cut out but Rodgers has signed a three year contract and he believes that should give him enough time to introduce his methods.
“This is long-term, that was important to me, to come into a project over a number of years.
“For me, the attraction is to defend the principles of this great club — offensive football with tactical discipline and to retain the values of the club.
“That was the attraction, along with the history of the club.
Rodgers clearly understands the challenge he’s undertaken for the Anfield job is particularly sought after. With names like Pep Guardiola and Fabio Capello apparently being overlooked, placing such an inexperienced man in charge is a clear sign of faith from the Fenway Sports Group but he remains confident of working his magic.
“We might not be ready for the title but the process begins today.
“It’s a new cycle and that is something that we will work towards in the years to come.”
If Rodgers is to revamp Liverpool’s fading ambitions then the main stumbling block would appear to be the owners’ level of patience. After all Rodgers blended a group of relative unknowns into an attractive passing unit at Swansea and Liverpool’s current squad is far better on paper than the Welsh side. If Rodgers can persuade his new cohorts to follow his ideas then there’s no reason why the Reds can’t improve on last season. Merely improving on last season is perhaps the minimum requirement given how disappointed fans were with their league form but re-establishing themselves above Everton would be a good start and help convince the owners they’re on the right track.
Their chances of success will be greatly improved if Rodgers is given money to enhance his squad and time to implement his philosophy. Realistically Liverpool need a new centre back, striker and some decent wingers but as many as 7 of the current first team plus the majority of their squad needs to be replaced if they’re ever going to compete with the top 4 again. It will require large sums of money to attract the calibre of player needed and fans will also have to tolerate the time it takes for them to settle in. The Northern Irishman insists Liverpool can challenge for major honours but has warned fans it may take time before his philosophy comes to fruition.
“It is going to take time for how I want to play and the philosophy I want to introduce to happen.
“But we will make our first steps and, hopefully over the next couple of years, we will be ready to challenge and ready to compete.”
The job is evidently doable but will Rodgers be given enough money to revamp the squad and then subsequently have enough time to shape them into the decent side?
There’s a lot of work to do but three years isn’t a lot of time to do it and the increasingly competitive Premier League has seen managers like Andre Villas-Boas come and go because they’ve failed to gather momentum early on. Rodgers will have to contend with these factors if he’s to be a success but he proved himself last season with the Swans and Liverpool supporters seem willing to give him a chance.
The pressure at Anfield is a huge step up from the Liberty Stadium and Rodgers is facing a major transformation if he’s to remodel his new side into title challengers. Some clever signings and a strong start could see Liverpool return to their rightful place at the top but another year of overpriced flops and poor league form will leave Rodgers walking alone in Merseyside after another false dawn.
Do you think Rodgers will be given enough time to be a success at Anfield? Are Liverpool making a mistake appointing an inexperienced manager? How long will it be before Liverpool at challenging for the league again?
Let me know your views and opinions by following me on twitter – Tweet me @Alex_Churcher
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