After only one win in twenty games, Tranmere manager Les Parry was sacked on Sunday after a run which has seen the super white army win just one of their last eleven games. It came as a somewhat as a surprise to many who thought it was inevitable that Parry’s job was still safe with the prudent owners unwilling to spend added cash.
It now seems that Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Chesterfield was the final nail in the coffin and after the defeat to one of our relegation rivals Chairman Peter Johnson ended Les Parry’s tenure as manager.
Don’t get me wrong, Parry has been a fantastic servant to the club and his determination to succeed as a football manager is admirable. However, the job has gradually few tougher and tougher for Parry, and ultimately a run of poor form has ended in Parry being sacked.
Parry will be best known for his service as the club’s physiotherapist. He has been at the club for over 1000 games and surprisingly managed to keep Tranmere in the league two seasons ago with a victory on the last day against already relegated Stockport County.
At times, Parry’s ego hasn’t helped him at all. His stubbornness to change things and his inability to change a game has proved his downfall. I’m unsure whether he will get another manager’s job but I know for sure he has a very good CV. As a result “Dr” Les Parry will almost certainly be able to get a physiotherapy job either at a new football club or elsewhere. That is the least he deserves.
I expected Parry’s replacement to be someone associated with the club or a manager who demands a very low wage and Martin Allen’s name had been linked with the job. However the club announced last night that Ronnie Moore will take charge of the club on an interim basis until the end of the season.
Moore previously managed the club for the three years from 2006 but was dismissed after missing out on the League One playoffs at the end of the 2009 season. The decision to bring him back will be welcomed by the fans who still believe that Moore shouldn’t have been sacked in the first place. I am confident that he is the right man to ensure that Tranmere remain in League One come May.
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected Patrick Vieira’s recent claims that his side get the best of refereeing decisions.
The Manchester City football development executive claimed that match officials are scared to award decisions against the Premier League champions at Old Trafford, after a Michael Carrick foul on Danny Murphy in the Red Devils’ box went unpunished in Monday night’s game with Fulham.
However, Ferguson feels that luck evens out through a season.
“From the referee’s position, I can see why he didn’t give a penalty when Danny Murphy was brought down,” the Scot told reporters, reported by Sky Sports.
“The ball moved to the angle as Michael Carrick challenged him. From that position, it wasn’t clear.
“It was a good claim but City could have had a penalty against them at Stoke for a foul by Gareth Barry.
“Every club gets breaks here and there, you get good ones and bad ones.
“It evens itself out over the season, that will never change.
“We had a terrible decision earlier this season when Newcastle got a penalty and Tottenham could claim the same when Mario Balotelli wasn’t sent off and ended up scoring the winning goal.
“You could go through millions of things like that.
“Maybe smaller clubs feel that (decisions go against them when they play big clubs) but someone said some years ago that we get lots of penalties. It is only averaging out at three a year.
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“You can’t say that is a lot when you are attacking teams all the time.
“Most managers believe the breaks even themselves out,” he concluded.
In the most exciting of circumstances, Chelsea and Bayern Munich achieved a most unlikely double this week by defeating the two giants of Spanish football in the Semi Finals of the Champions League. Chelsea knocked out reigning European Champions, Barcelona, 3-2 on aggregate on Tuesday night after gaining a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp whilst Bayern saw off Real Madrid in the Bernabeu after a penalty shoot-out on Wednesday.
Both games were overloaded with excitement, with the victorious teams winning through against all the odds and in Chelsea’s case, against impossible circumstances after being reduced to ten men following captain, John Terry’s, sending off and two nil down!
Following a 1-0 lead from the first leg then impetuous was on Barcelona and their intense pressure finally forced a mistake allowing the ball to find its way to Sergio Busquets in a position where he simply passed the ball into a gaping net after 35 minutes.
Terry’s dismissal soon followed following an after the ball incident which saw Terry knee Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez in the back of his leg and this left the Blues with no recognisable central defensive partnership after Gary Cahill had limped off the pitch in the first ten minutes with a hamstring injury. It took Barca just seven minutes to extend their lead when Iniesta struck the second, a goal which everyone thought would be the “final nail in Chelsea’s coffin” – except of course the remaining Chelsea players and interim Head Coach Roberto Di Matteo.
On the stroke of half time, Chelsea’s Ramires found a run to the edge of Barcelona’s box to meet a superb through ball delivered by Frank Lampard and the Brazilian audaciously chipped the ball over Barca keeper, Victor Valdes, head and into the empty net. The goal brought the aggregate score to 2-2 but crucially it put Chelsea back in the “driving seat” on the away goal rule.
Chelsea’s ten men went out for the second half knowing that they had just 45 minutes to survive but to survive against a side that had scored 104 goals at the Nou Camp this season was a tough ask!
It certainly seemed the tie was over early in the second half when an accidental trip in the Chelsea box made by Didier Drogba on Lionel Messi gave the home side the chance that they needed. The penalty also provided the Argentine International and World player of the year an opportunity to score his first ever goal against Chelsea. Incredibly his spot kick smacked heavily against the bar and bounced away to safety giving rise to the hope that this was after all going to be Chelsea’s night.
For the rest of the half, Barcelona attacked relentlessly while Chelsea defended heroically, shots were saved, tackles made, vital interceptions became common place and fouls were given away when nothing else would suffice. Cech was inspired in goal and in Drogba, Chelsea had a striker who gladly slotted into both full back positions when called upon and who also made a series of great defensive headers. He was also on hand when needed up front and held up the ball on its rare visits to the Barcelona half.
Attack after attack rained in on Chelsea’s beleaguered ten men but Barcelona, despite having 90% of the ball could not score a goal. They had the ball in the net but it was ruled offside and a glaring chance was wasted by Busquets who scooped his shot over the bar.
Barcelona were running out of ideas as the game wore on and Chelsea’s place in the final was confirmed when Fernando Torres broke clear on the counter attack, rounded Victor Valdes in the Barcelona goal and score a minute into stoppage time. Torres, who had come on for an exhausted Didier Drogba could not have scored a more important goal to silence the many critics who have questioned his performances following the £50 million move to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool last year.
The second part of Chelsea’s battle to win the one trophy that has eluded them since Roman Abramovich took over ownership of the club in 2003 will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich where the Blues will face Bayern Munich, who become the first team in the Champions League era to hold home advantage in the final.
Di Matteo is the ninth manager during Abramovich’s tenure to try and deliver Champions League success at Stamford Bridge and whilst the odds favour the Germans, after overcoming Barcelona, Di Matteo and this Chelsea team will be confident of defying the odds once again.
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After another disappointing end to the season for Sunderland, Martin O’Neill finally gets the chance to stamp his authority at the Stadium of Light this summer.
The Black Cats have been busy in the transfer market during previous seasons but have little to show for their efforts after big spending former managers Roy Keane and Steve Bruce left them with an unbalanced squad. After the improvements made under O’Neill it’s expected chairman Ellis Short will back him with funds but can Sunderland actually afford to invest heavily again?
Every fan craves a little transfer action but it may not be so easy for Sunderland as clubs around Europe prepare for the new UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules. Teams will have to spend within their means and many will use the time to streamline their squads before the rules kick in. Sunderland have already released nine players this summer including Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon and more are expected to follow.
It’s a difficult situation for O’Neill as he knows his squad is lacking in a few areas but he can’t spend big to flesh it out. His rebuilding job will have to coincide with the club offloading fringe players and tightening the purse strings.
Becoming a self sustaining business is something many teams are focusing on but there are some Sunderland fans who can’t understand where the money has gone. Bruce was backed heavily but his transfers actually made a profit for club. The sales of Darren Bent (£24m) and Jordan Henderson (£16m) combined with the money from TV rights and the reward of a mid table finish means they should have plenty of funds to work with.
Unfortunately it’s never as simple as that. In reality Bent was bought for £10m rising to nearer £16m and his short stay in the North East meant Sunderland still owed instalments to Tottenham when he left. Also Aston Villa didn’t pay £24m in full so the club isn’t as rich as some might think. Early season criticism of Bruce was that he never replaced Bent but he actually signed Stephane Sessegnon during the same January transfer window so it was only the Henderson money that really inflated their bank balance.
After Henderson’s departure Bruce embarked on a massive recruitment drive that saw over 10 players join the side. The permanent arrivals did much to appease fans who were frustrated by years of loan signings that only papered over the cracks. While spending £30m on 10+ players sounds great, each player was only worth roughly £3m so Sunderland were actually left with an inflated wage bill and a team full of squad players. It meant the club were unable to improve on last seasons 10th place finish and O’Neill told Sunderland Echo that any strides made during his reign will not hide their fragility for long.
“Despite us wanting to finish in the top 10, had we done so it might have glossed over a few things that we needed to address in terms of strengthening.
“After spending the second half of the season in charge here, I’ve a great idea about the strengths and weaknesses of the side and what we need to do to try to improve.”
Unfortunately Short has told O’Neill he must lower the wage bill before he can bring new players in so how much can he actually spend?
Loans of Wayne Bridge, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Nicklas Bendtner will not be made permanent and the impending departure of Asamoah Gyan should help swell the coffers. There are returning loan players who are surplus to requirements and rumours over the futures of Kieran Richardson and Ahmed El Mohamady so Sunderland should generate enough funds to improve the team.
The only problem is selling current squad members will mean replacements are needed. Sunderland already need a left back, centre back, cover for both fullbacks, right and left wing cover and at least two new forwards to form a competitive squad with depth in every position. Fans know they also need a creative midfielder to counter grafters like Lee Cattermole and Craig Gardner so suddenly O’Neill has gone from choosing a few select signings to needing a complete overhaul of his squad.
It’s exciting for the fans but would another season of massive player turnover be a good thing given the clubs recent lack of stability?
Sunderland’s transfer policy will have a major say in their aspirations for next season. They have potential but need quality to embellish the consistent performers they already own. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve failed to maintain a balanced squad and this time the situation is magnified because they have to sell before they can buy.
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Rivals Newcastle recently illustrated what can be achieved with some successful wheeling and dealing. It’s a precedent Sunderland fans would begrudgingly love to follow for they know if O’Neill struggles to improve the squad they’ll face another year going round in circles and have little to play for come the end of the season.
The phrase ‘In O’Neill We Trust’ has never held so much importance and fans will hope he uses his funds wisely to propel them into the top 10 for good.
Do you think Sunderland should spend a lot this season? Do you trust O’Neill to invest wisely this summer? Let me know your views and opinions by following me on twitter – Tweet me @Alex_Churcher
Dimitar Berbatov has admitted that he will leave Manchester United this summer, after becoming frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities.
The Bulgarian forward has fallen behind the likes of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck in Sir Alex Ferguson’s preferences, and has had to watch on from the sidelines for the majority of this campaign.
Berbatov will look for a new club, and feels he can still play at the highest level.
“My time at Manchester United is running out. I no longer feel like a valuable part of this team,” he told bTV, translated to English by Sky Sports.
“I think I did well in the few opportunities that I received. But I am a little frustrated by the way this happened, I do not think I deserved it.
“I’ve talked 10 times or even more with the manager and he always told me there would be a place for me in the team. But after that I continued to stay on the bench.
“But I have dignity and I stopped going to such meetings, it is clear that I’m leaving United. It’s obvious that I have to leave.
“I’m looking for a new place now… I know I can still play at the highest level,” he concluded.
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Well, we’re deep into the summer recess now, and with no league or cup action to satisfy our footy cravings, we turn to the Euros.
Here’s my latest blog on players and staff at Euro 2012 with strong, or extremely tenuous links to Crystal Palace FC.
Where better to start than the manager of the England team?
Roy Hodgson grew up in Croydon and was on the books at Crystal Palace as a school boy during the mid-1960s. Hodgson never quite made it as a pro player, knocking around the non-league ladder before finishing up at another local club Carshalton Athletic. (Author note – I’ve actually played a couple of games for Carshalton too, although I think it was the 7th team or something!)
Hodgson has selected as his right hand man a coach with much stronger links to the boys of SE25. Ray Lewington joined Crystal Palace as coach in the late 1990s, before becoming assistant manager to squint-eyed gaffer Alan Smith. Following Smith’s demise, Palace had a short-lived spell where they tried to adopt a more ‘continental’ approach to football management with Lewington being appointed as Head Coach, but again this did not really work out. Lewington has been around the football circuit from managing Brentford to coaching in the Premier League with Fulham, and is highly respected amongst the footballing fraternity.
You might think this is where the Palace connection’s to the England coaching staff ends, but no. Ray Clemence, one of the two goalkeeping coaches that Hodgson is taking to Poland, is actually Dougie Freedman’s father in law. Clemence’s daughter Sarah is married to our Dougie, lucky lady. Not a lot of people know that… If I can stretch the tenuousness of these Palace connections to breaking point, clearly Gary Neville, another of Hodgson’s new coaches, is a Palace fan.
Who could forget him describing Darren Ambrose’s wonder strike against Neville’s other love, Manchester United, as “…the best goal I have ever seen an opposition player score at Old Trafford.”
So, what players heading for Poland and Ukraine have any connections to the Red n Blue army? Well the most obvious one is Ashley Cole. Before Cashley was tainted by the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, he was loaned out to Palace from Arsenal in the 1999-2000 season making 14 appearances in the red and blue, scoring once. It was during this period that Cole made 2 appearances for England under 20s. Cole now holds the record for the most capped England left back, eclipsing another former Palace player, Kenny Sansom in 2011.
Away from England, Paul McShane was a last minute called up to the Republic of Ireland squad. In fact, the call up was a slightly controversial one, replacing Kevin Foley who was in Trappatoni’s originally announced final squad of 23. McShane, the flame haired defender, spent the latter half of the season on loan to Palace from Hull. The big Irishman had hoped to get some game time in order to impress the Ireland manager enough to make the plane to eastern Europe. Clearly Palace had worked their magic again.
Another Irishman started out at Palace too. Stephen Hunt came through the Palace academy and made three appearances for the first team before moving to Brentford under the influence of Sir Steve Coppell. He followed Coppell to Reading before moving onto Hull, and was relegated this season with Wolves.
Slightly more exotic, Cédric Carrasso, the third choice French ‘keeper had an extremely brief interlude at Crystal Palace during the 2001/02 season. He came on for the injured Matt Clarke during a 0-0 draw against Birmingham City. Carrasso had been on loan from Marseille at the time, as part of his rehabilitation following a broken leg. Hopefully his roly-poly physique of that era can be attributed to his lengthy lay off, and having broken into the French squad, he now has the frame more befitting an international level athlete! Carrasso has is now plying his trade at Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.
So, will a connection to Palace be a good omen to those out in Poland and Ukraine? History would suggest otherwise. Remember England crashing out at the group stage in 2000? Who was in goal for the final game against Romania? Former Palace keeper Nigel Martyn. Martyn, a top drawer club keeper for Palace, Leeds and Everton, never really captured the same form at international level and performed poorly on the night.
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What about 1996? What a great tournament! Would have been even better if former Palace skipper Gareth Southgate hadn’t pea-rolled the decisive penalty comfortably into the German keeper’s arms in the shoot-out. Anyway, not sure if Southgate can claim to have any remaining Palace connections, having been disowned by a lot of Eagles fans due to his development of the much criticised Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).
It felt as though he was handing the keys of the very academy that brought him through, over to the dirty handed agents and scouts of the Premier League. We all want the national team to do well, but does it need to cost the integrity of the league, and the soul of small clubs like Palace?
Come on England! PS Keep your eye out for the number of players wearing red and blue striped boots. It’s surprisingly high.
Controversial midfielder Joey Barton may well be heading out of the Premier League, as QPR look to loan him out to Blackburn according to The Daily Mail.
The temperamental midfielder has had a career full of ill-discipline and scandal, with the latest incident his sending off for the R’s against Manchester City on the last day of the 2011-12 season.
Barton was dismissed for elbowing Carlos Tevez, but also tried to head-butt Vincent Kompany and kick Sergio Aguero, resulting the FA handing down a 12-match ban.
With Mark Hughes stripping Barton of the club captaincy already, the ambitious London side are thought to be ready to offload Barton as he is thought to be more trouble than he is worth.
QPR owner Tony Fernandes has admitted that Barton is on his last warning, but the midfielder could well be on his way to Blackburn for a season-long loan deal.
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Rovers were relegated from the Premier League last term, and Steve Kean is eager to bolster his squad this summer, with Danny Murphy and Leon Best already joining the Ewood Park club.
Another week and the Robin Van Persie saga continues to rumble on with no discernible end in sight. Just what is it with the Gunners and the transfer window? Each year, without fail, they become embroiled in a summer long hullabaloo concluding with Arsene Wenger losing a star player and cutting a forlorn figure for the first half of the season. And whilst he continues to hope for a Van Persie U-turn the Frenchman appears to have learned from his past mistakes. In Oliver Giroud and Lukas Podolski he has two strikers highly-regarded around Europe acquired at a rock-bottom combined price of £22 million. It’s also emerged in the last seven days that Spain international Santi Cazorla is primed for a move to the Emirates Stadium further strengthening Wenger’s attacking options and proving that he see’s life after Van Persie, who’s exit continues to look inevitable as three of the continents leading clubs battle for his signature. It could be said that in this period of transition letting the Holland forward leave is a necessary step that the club must take in order to remain on the evolutionary path.
This week on FFC should Thomas Vermaelen be named the new Gunners captain and which Arsenal old boy fancies a return to the Emirates.
[divider]
Best of FFC
Forget RVP, Paulinho Could Bring The Best Out Of Arsenal
Should suitors think twice before bidding for Robin van Persie?
Now or never for Arsenal ace
The next Arsenal captain?
What Future Do Arsenal Fans Envisage For him?
Are these really necessary for Premier League clubs?
A potential transfer coup for Arsenal?
Will his return prove a Shrewd Move for Arsenal?
Arsenal closing in on £16m deal for Santi Cazorla
[divider]
Best of WEB
Ambitions – The Life And Death Of A Football Club – A Cultured Left Foot
Are we ever going to get rid of him? – Gunnersphere
Am I a fan or a Muppet? – Online Gooner
An obvious observation? – Gunnersphere
Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Daaaaan! Dan! Dan! – Arseblog
Cazorla deal nearing a close | Robin training with a good attitude | Would you relegate Spurs given the chance? – Le Grove
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Defender signs! Midfielder Next? Wenger to sign Malaysian player & New Coach set to join…. – Highbury House
Will Arsene Really Replace With Fernando & Trigger £28M Release Clause? – Transfer Tavern
[divider]
Quote of the Week
[divider]
He is a world class player and we do not want to give him away. If he is determined to leave then that is up to him, but giving him away is not on our agenda.
“To be honest I do not understand him at all. I understood Cesc Fabregas wanting to go home to Barcelona last summer. I had sympathy with that. But I thought Robin was happy at Arsenal. Especially after the season that he had with us.” Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood wants Robin Van Persie’s suitors that he won’t be sold below his valuation
So with silly season in full swing, rumours are flying out left, right and centre at the moment, with no club escaping the ludicrousness of the rumour mill. One cheeky little rumour that did catch my well trained eye – well when a bottle of wine is around that is – was that of a £12 million bid from Real Madrid for Manchester City and England international Micah Richards.
This got me to pondering for a number of reasons, and exactly what Mourinho was thinking was a prominent one, but that aside, it has got to be just about the only English player who has been linked with a move abroad this summer, whilst a huge number of foreign players arrive transfer window after transfer window.
Think about the international teams at the Euros, or even a World Cup. Most have players who play in all the major leagues across Europe – most except for England that is.
Of course there are the occasional whispers of Lampard to Inter Milan, or Rooney to Madrid, but these are most likely created by an anonymous tip off to a tabloid paper from the player’s agent themselves around contract negotiation time.
It is so rare that a genuine move materialises for an English player to go abroad – you can count them on your hands for the past few years –Owen, McManaman, Woodgate, Gazza, Beckham, Lineker, Keegan and Ince. Even the younger players do not seem interested or required for a move – Elliot Kebbie is the only one who has made the move to La Liga in recent times, but why is this?
Is it simply because other clubs view English players as not tactically or technically gifted enough? Or is it the players themselves unwilling to have a dramatic change in life or culture for even just a couple of years? Everyone knows footballers are not exactly renowned for their IQ scores, but if Joe Cole (who Lampard claimed isn’t the sharpest tool in the box) can spend time on loan at Lille in France, anyone can do it – yes, Wayne, even you!
It seems a shame that English players do not take advantage of such moves that could be open to them, where they can improve their game by playing in a new league – perhaps the Premier League is so good that players do not need to move abroad – yet the lack of players abroad arguably has an effect on the national team, and not a positive one.
Nearly all other national teams, even the German one, have players who have spent time playing in a variety of other leagues, and it is this experience that they bring to the table and use to improve their team further during international tournaments.
In times gone by, it could be put down to club loyalty, with players like Giggs or Scholes having the chance to move if they so wished, but preferring to stay at the club they loved, yet in the mercenary modern game, there are very few who feel like this – see Nasri, Cashley and now RVP for further referencing material on this point – but it is safe to say, club loyalty is not paramount anymore.
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Of course, players are now more keen than ever to end their playing days in the MLS or Asia for a big pay check, but this is not comparable to a move to a Real Madrid or AC Milan at the peak of their powers, and from the looks of things, sadly for the players and the English National team, this does not look set to change any time soon and more worryingly the only reason for a lack of change is that the majority of English players simply are not rated by top European clubs.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has warned his side that they will have to contend with being favourites for their Europa League play-off away at Greek side Atromitos tonight. Newcastle begin their European campaign tonight after an impressive fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
Pardew told the Guardian, “For Atromitos, it’s a big game- we are a big scalp for this team, we are under no illusions about that.” Pardew believes that defeat tonight would not only reflect badly on themselves but also on the Premier League, “We must look upon ourselves as ambassadors for the Premier League. We believe it’s the strongest league in Europe, and we need to replicate that in terms of the performances we put out.”
The Newcastle manager also accepts that the game in Greece is hardly ideal, with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea only two days away. As a result, Pardew has decided to leave key players Fabricio Coloccini, Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba at home, “We have brought everybody who is fit. We have got three or four younger players who we would like to have brought but unfortunately they are injured too, so the senior group is all here.” Despite this, Newcastle are still expected to field a relatively unfamiliar outfit tonight.
So what do we know about Greek side Atromitos? They were founded in 1923 and finished fourth in the “Super League Greece” last season. The more ardent football fans will remember a couple of familiar faces in the Atromitos line-up tonight. The man trying to keep Newcastle at bay will be the former Liverpool reserve goalkeeper Charles Itandje. Additionally, at left-back is the former Liverpool, Rangers, Portsmouth, Southampton and Birmingham City Frenchman Gregory Vignal.
Newcastle have been prone to the odd upset in the past, none more famous than a 1972 FA Cup third round replay when non-league Hereford United defeated a first division Newcastle United side 2-1. However, Newcastle have also been the instigators of a crushing victory, including a 13-0 victory over Newport County in 1946 and an 8-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 1999.
Under Pardew, Newcastle are a good side. If they display the consistent levels of performance they have displayed since the beginning of last season they will progress to the group stages of the Europa League comfortably.
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