FootballFanCast.com » Tottenham Hotspur

Saha reflects on dream debut

FFC News Desk — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:23:26 +0000

Louis Saha has reflected on a dream home debut for Tottenham against Newcastle, and praised coach Harry Redknapp and strike partner Emmanuel Adebayor.

The French attacker scored twice in Spurs‘ 5-0 victory over Alan Pardew’s men at White Hart Lane on Saturday, and was delighted with how things went.

“It was a great, great feeling,” Saha told Mirror Football.

“I am not that young, but it’s just like I was living the dream of a young boy – to make your debut and score on your home ground, it’s just amazing.”

Saha has thanked boss Redknapp for his faith in him, and was impressed by fellow forward Adebayor.

“He is right up there with the best managers because he has so much quality around the team and he gets more than 100% from every player.

“It’s immense. That shows he has great quality.

“It’s great to work for him. He gives you so much confidence. He has a desire to win things. You can see it in his eyes.

“The last two weeks have been really difficult for him and it was nice to end it with a great win and a great performance.

“Adebayor was immense. Physically, his work-rate and desire to get involved in everything was great.

“He was involved in everything. It’s dead easy to play with him and he is a great character to be around,” Saha concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

The TEN great ‘footballing mysteries’ of recent times

Matt C — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:45:20 +0000

Players can come out of nowhere and burst onto the Premier League scene, wowing supporters and managers alike. Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to fall from the limelight and disappear into a being an unknown footballer that should and could have been brilliant. Whether it be an expensive signing after impressing abroad or making a name for themselves as a prolific youngster, it is unsurprising that so many footballers fall into an abyss of disappointing superstars.

It is a mystery at how much players are built up before they have even kicked a ball in the Premier League and here is a look at the top ten footballing mysteries that have occurred in the Premier League over the past 20 years.

Click on Mido to unveil the top 10 football mysteries

Arguably the TEN ‘poorest’ players in the Premier League?

Roy James — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:38:19 +0000

While too many people the Premier League is deemed the best league in the world, given its competitive nature and the quality of players that have plied their trade on these shores, whether it be a Jurgen Klinsmann, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Gianfranco Zola or in more recent times Cristiano Ronaldo. Few can doubt that the Premier League has had its fair share of talents to grace the pitches around, but at the same time I do feel important to recognise that it has also had to bear witness to some absolute shockers as well with the likes of Mido, Boogers, Prunier and Cheyrou still etched on their respective club fan’s mind.

The Premier League has always been a mixed bag of players and I always welcome witnessing a mismatch on the field whether it is Ramon Vega looking to mark Dennis Bergkamp; Tony Hibbert attempting to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo, or simply Gregorsz Rasiak attempting to take on any Premier League defence; the bad will always play a major part in adding to the excitement of the league.

This current Premier League season has been no different and this is the FIRST PART in my look of who I consider to be arguably the worst players plying their trade at present:

Click on Stefan Savic to unveil the top 10

The Premier League’s ‘Bosman XI’ up for grabs in 2012…some team!

Roy James — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:50:52 +0000

While Jean-Marc Bosman lives on benefits and in his council run property, many footballers will be deciding about their next big move this summer, or which super car they should buy to complement their ever expanding fleet. Little attention or credit is ever given to the man who fault for their freedom and who has subsequently changed the landscape for footballers, and who has made them richer beyond their wildest dreams.

The players now call the shots at football clubs and are controlling the contract situations, while parasite agents tout their client out from club to club in order to get a new club or bigger deal. I’m sure this wasn’t Bosman’s intention when he first set out in the courts to fight his right to freedom, but the subsequent change in EU Law has created the beast we are not witnessing now.

A staggering 109 players who were registered for Premier League football are out of contract at the end of this season resulting in many clubs looking to either move them on in the summer or risk making a loss in May. There will be plenty of chances to earn a new contract for the future Bosman players, but having now let their contracts run down to just over six months remaining, perhaps the clubs are eager to get rid of them.

The list of out-of-contract players is not just packed with squad players and bit-part first team members, but star internationals that have brought a lot to the Premier League in the past five years or so.

At the end of last season there was not a huge rush to snap up free signings from the Premier League as there was very little to choose from. Hargreaves, Ba and McFadden were about as glamorous as it got last May but this year a team could be built solely from free signings that could well finish in the top half of the league. A club could spend their whole transfer budget on wages for these players and have a better side than most in the Premier League next season.

Click on Tomas Rosicky to unveil the Bosman XI for 2012

Tottenham could bag up to £15m as money appears to be no object

FFC News Desk — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:52:38 +0000

David Bernstein has revealed that the FA won’t penny pinch when it comes to appointing the New England manager.

Harry Redknapp has widely been tipped to take the managerial reins from the departed Fabio Capello and the FA chairman is fully aware that the cost of acquiring a manager, also means potentially having to pay out for their assistants as well so the compensation packages will run into the millions; something that clearly isn’t a deterrent for the Bernstein and Team England.

“Prising a manager and his backroom staff away from a club could cost a lot of money – it’s one of the considerations. But we won’t be penny-pinching on this. We will pay what we need to pay and we will have to assess what the situation is with any manager we look at and his club.” Bernstein told the Daily Star on Sunday

Bernstein will also be blissfully aware that Daniel Levy is a shrewd operator and, the man who Sir Alan Sugar once described as the toughest negotiator he had ever known, will certainly be looking for suitable compensation should his manager be prised away from White Hart Lane.

It is thought that a figure between £5-15m is the sort of ball park that Tottenham will be looking at in terms of compensation; something that Team England are seemingly prepared to pay if it means that they get the right man to replace Fabio Capello.

Does the job really need to be a full time role?

Jak Penny — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:22:13 +0000

As Fabio Capello’s deserted desk chair enters its final revolution the search for his successor has already began to pick up heat. The Italian’s decision to quit as England manager last night surprised few who had reached the conclusion that his tenure at Wembley had simply become untenable. The Football Associations’ decision to go over his head and strip John Terry of the captains armband proved to be the final straw for a man who was never universally accepted by both the media or supporters. The verbal sparring on twitter over a predictable selection of names, topped by everyone’s flavor of the month Harry Redknapp, is becoming increasingly dull. The Tottenham chief is the nations preferred choice to fill Capello’s seat in the dugout before it’s even had a chance to cool down even in these subzero temperatures.

However with Spurs currently in the midst of a three-way tussle for the Premier League title it’s unlikely Redknapp would be willing to abandon his mission at White Hart Lane in favour of England, which, in essence, is a bit-part management role. Whilst an inevitable tug of war between FA chairman David Bernstein and Spurs supremo Daniel Levy will ensue over the 64-year-old there have been suggestions that the job will be offered on a part-time basis. The idea of a manager fulfilling the role on an interim basis has been mooted before but should the FA finally choose to scrap the England job as a full-time position?

It’s a role that leaves a manager with a substantial amount of time to sit and twiddle his thumbs along with taking in the occasional football match; in Capello’s case that meant anywhere within a 150 mile radius of London. The former Real Madrid chiefs £6 millon-a-year salary has seen him become labelled as an expensive mistake in some quarters. In the current economic climate fans are being forced to dig deeper into their pockets to attend football matches so would the FA be willing to appoint another manager on a similar deal? They’re almost caught in a catch-22 with their clamour to find a cost effective Englishman who possesses the necessary experience to end the Three Lions’ 46-year trophy drought. I’m just making assumptions here but you can bet your bottom dollar the FA will be anxious to avoid splashing out heavy six-figure sums on a deficient English coach never mind another johnny foreigner.

Frankly the options are thin on the ground at the moment with many free agents considered inadequate for a position of this magnitude. Stuart Pearce could be tempted into the role but having already admitted that he isn’t prepared for the big job it’s unlikely he’ll be the man the FA turn too. That has the entire country scribbling Redknapp at the top of their list of candidates to fill the breach. From my viewpoint the England manager’s job has become something of a poisoned chalice in recent years with the pressure to succeed in a major tournaments proving to be the undoing of several individuals including Capello. Would the media’s tendency to change their opinions at the blink of an eye and ruin reputations once results go south appeal to a manager already coping with the stress of domestic management?

Once again it all comes down to the financial incentives that come with a position that situated firmly in the glare of the media. Despite Redknapp’s supposed patriotism it’s unlikely he’ll leave Tottenham, whether it be permanently or part time, to manage England on the cheap. The same applies to any club manager the FA has in it’s cross hairs. Truthfully the current squad is in need of a major overhaul after Euro 2012 with the supposed ‘golden generation’ failing to perform in a decades worth of major tournaments. It’s in this respect that the need for a full-time manager would come in useful purely for scouting purposes. The need for fresh blood in the squad requires some serious reconnaissance stretching the length and breadth of the country which is something that Capello failed to do adding yet more justification to describe his pay cheque as absurd. The fact is a part-time manager wouldn’t have the time to tackle such a burdensome task due to their commitments at club level therefore having to rely on a team of scouts to effectively choose the squad for him. Even a manager without club ties might feel that he isn’t compelled to make the effort if it isn’t included as part of their pay packet.

For me there is no definitive answer to whether the England manager’s job needs to be a full-time position. The pressure, constant media scrutiny and hopes of a nation weighing heavy on one mans shoulders makes it a position requiring an experienced and level headed individual. However a man possessing those qualities usually comes at a cost and it’s unlikely the FA will ungrudgingly fork out a large sum once again even if they have their eyes set on Redknapp. The prospect of an amateur stepping in surely leaves the FA in a quandary over whether a full time manager is the right path to take. Where they go from here is unknown.

Football News – Man United put on transfer alert, Liverpool face battle for Mbokani & much more…

FFC News Desk — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:54:27 +0000

Luis Suarez’s failure to shake the hand of Patrice Evra has caused a storm in football with every man and his dog condemning the Liverpool striker’s actions. Sir Alex Ferguson believes he is a disgrace and that the he should never play for the Reds again. Kenny Dalglish on the other hand feels that the media scrutiny around the race row had made matters worse and created the tensions between the two players.

Elsewhere in the news Mancini set to hand Carlos Tevez a lifeline; Bernstein claims the England job is an attractive position, while the HMRC are determined to clean up the game and expose the murky financial side within football.

Sir Alex Ferguson has caused Luis Suarez a disgrace and believes his actions prior to the game at Old Trafford could have incited a riot – Guardian

FA Chairman David Bernstein has claimed that the England job is an attractive proposal and that ‘serious’ managers will be keen to take up the opportunity if it was presented to them – Guardian

Roberto Mancini has suggested that Carlos Tevez still has a role to play at the Etihad Stadium and could feature for City between now and the end of the season – Guardian

The HMRC will not be deterred in their quest to clean the game up and exposed the murky financial side within football – Independent

Roy Hodgson remained coy over his own personal ambitions to take over the England national job – Independent

Kenny Dalglish has implied that media scrutiny has played its part in the ongoing tensions between the two football clubs – Sky Sports

Wayne Rooney has thrown his hat in the ring for the vacant England Captaincy. The United striker will welcome the opportunity and believes he will thrive on it – Daily Mail

Andre Villas-Boas bemoaned Chelsea’s defeat and claimed it was arguably their worst performance of the season – Daily Mail

Tottenham will line up move for Jurgen Klinsmann to replace Harry Redknapp, should he wish to take the reins of England – Mirror

Nicolas Gaitan has put both Manchester clubs on alert by suggesting that he may be leaving Benfica at the end of the season – Metro

Everton have joined Liverpool in the transfer race for Anderlecht striker Dieumerci Mbokani – Metro

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has revealed that he has funds for a big signing, amid reports that the Scot has been told to tighten the belt of the club coffers – Mirror

The perfect deal for Tottenham & Spurs’ reason for an inactive transfer window – Best of THFC

Weekly Round-up — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:57:06 +0000

It has been quite a week for Harry Redknapp with the Tottenham boss being cleared of tax evasion charges and subsequently being installed as favourite to take the England job. Harry certainly hasn’t ruled out the possibility, although was to quick point out that he won’t make any further comment on the speculation until an official approach is made to Tottenham Hotspur. Some would say Harry would be on a hiding to nothing, especially given the fantastic football team he is building at White Hart Lane. The North Londoners won 5-0 this evening, further underlying their title credentials.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles that includes the Tottenham team that Harry could have had; Bostock proving an example to them all, while Levy faces up to his toughest appointment.

Best of FFC

Harry – lets see the Tottenham XI you could have signed in January

Football’s Bargain XI vs Overpriced XI…quite a contest!

Harry Redknapp for England – haven’t we been here before?

John Bostock proving an example to them all

Caption Competition: Parker and Suarez make acquaintance

The Top TEN Tottenham tattoos…well sort of!

Levy could face up to arguably the toughest appointment of his tenure

The reason for the inactive January transfer window?

Best of WEB

Tottenham expects – Dear Mr Levy

How Harry got off: A Juror speaks. – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2

Here’s The Haringey Council Agenda For 13.02.12 – Harry Hotspur

Harry and England Tug of Love Struggle – Tottenham On My Mind

Eden Hazard Would Be Just Perfect For Spurs – Transfer Tavern

Quote of the Week

“They’ve been fantastic to me, the Tottenham people. The fans last week at the Wigan game, it was incredible the reception they gave me.

“It wouldn’t be right to them to focus on anything else but Tottenham. My only interest is Tottenham Hotspur.” Redknapp responding to the speculation linking him with the England job (Daily Mail)

This afternoon’s action from White Hart Lane

The Top TEN Footballers ‘misbehaving abroad’

Matt C — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:59:43 +0000

In light of FFC’s focus on troublesome footballers this week, I have decided to constructed a Top Ten list of footballers misbehaving abroad. Although the sport has increased in professionalism over the last few decades, there are still a number of stories reported that show the players in a worse light off the pitch. Although, we must remember that they are only human, like us and can’t be expected to behave like machines, some of the following is inexcusable.

So whether it’s team mates coming to blows, the paparazzi snapping players boozing it up or just stupid and bizarre actions, they make it onto the list. What didn’t make it was the England WAGS from the 2006 World Cup, they reportedly distracted the players during the tournament and although it wasn’t the players misbehaving themselves, they nearly made it into the top ten. Also, quite a few people recommended Cristiano Ronaldo photographed in speedo’s as a criminal activity, but again it failed to make the ten below…..

Click on Gazza below to see the Top TEN!

Compiled by Matt Freebody

Top TEN Premier League players who like to ‘con the refs’

Thomas Hallett — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:44:15 +0000

The Premier League has been built on a foundation of physicality, strength and competitiveness. It’s all well and good for the entertainment aspect of the game when you see end-to-end action and goals a plenty. It only strengthens the debate that the English league is one of, if not, the very best for entertainment and action.

But then comes that controversial, ugly side of football; like a late, late substitution by the opposition you hoped wouldn’t make an appearance, but diving is all too common and certainly takes away from the integrity of the game. In fact, the very mention of integrity in the modern game has become laughable, but that is the situation we’ve come to accept.

Far too many regular divers and conmen line-up for Premer League clubs each week. And it’s not necessarily the fact that you want to get rid of them as players, but rather highlight and eradicate the persistent diving to win one over on the other team. Common, ugly, and with no rightful place in the game.

Click on Didier Drogba to unveil the top 10