Tottenham are continuing their pursuit of Junior Hoilett and sent scouts to watch the Rovers ace in action at Ewood Park at the weekend, reports the Daily Mail.
The Blackburn winger is out of contract at the end of the season and it doesn’t look as though signing a new contract is an option for the 21-year-old. The north Londoners were keen on snapping up Hoilett in January, but the Canadian was advised to wait until the summer by his agent.
Spurs chief scout Ian Broomfield was at Ewood Park on Saturday to watch Hoilett in the 1-1 draw against Villa, suggesting that Spurs want to pick up where they left off in January.
Despite their interest Tottenham will face stiff competition from north London rivals Arsenal and Newcastle, it was also suggested that Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were also interested in the Blackburn player.
A move to a bigger club is on the cards and with Spurs said to be leading the chase, Hoilett’s future at Blackburn is very much in the balance.
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Millionaire Premier League footballers just don’t seem to have the time to get a half decent haircut. In the last 20 years there have been some shocking efforts and Joey Barton, who probably thinks it is a useful mode of expression, started the season in fine form with an appalling attempt of his own last weekend.
Has the extra money affected their thought and common sense so much that their huge ego’s can be covered by a big mop of hair? Some players are more renowned for their head of hair rather than their footballing capability. Maybe that is the plan, to distract from their limited ability on the pitch?
Whatever it is, it looks to be an increasingly worrying trend, can someone please sort out this misconceived style mistakes and get these players a new barber please.
Just click on Cesc below to view the 20 Worst Haircuts in the Premier League check out the fashion faux pas.
England’s top football clubs have spent millions developing their academies and bringing up a large number of boys from a very young age, yet many have little, or no end product to show for it. Chelsea, for instance, have brought hardly anyone through since John Terry’s progression to the first team, and it has now become common for many clubs to scour other countries for talent, instead of developing youngsters at home. The youth development system in this country has been overhauled so many times, but have any of the changes made any difference, and are British academies failing the youth in this country?
It is over a decade since Howard Wilkinson launched the Charter for Quality document, which set out to revamp youth development in this country, by establishing the academy system that we are now familiar with. The document granted power to professional clubs, who it was thought had the coaching expertise to be able to take talented youngsters to the next level. It also geographically restricted where clubs could draw their players from, to localise and spread elite player development.
There are currently over 40 club academies, and they register children from as young as eight years old. Some have even started to look at younger children from the age of six, which makes you wonder what exactly youngsters are being assessed on. From the time when they are registered, boys are shed by clubs year on year, until there is very few, if any, left to make the jump professionally. Trauma engulfs the academy set up, as youngsters who had set their hearts and hopes on a football career, and little else, get rejected at tender ages. The ones who do come through, are more often than not given little opportunity to play in their clubs first teams, and many have to go elsewhere to develop any further. Clubs invest a lot of money and time developing their academies and youth set-ups, yet the outcome of the system is shattered dreams for the majority, with few positive results.
The way the academy system is set up, sees clubs scour the nation for the best prospects and sign up tens of thousands of children, in order to ensure that no talented child is missed. This often leads to heartbreak and disaster further down the road, as so few youngsters can actually make it in the game professionally. Only 1% of trainees will ultimately play football for a living, which shows the slim odds that those trying to make it are up against. The majority of boys will have given most of their young lives to academies only to suffer disappointment, which is a devastating blow to take after they have invested so much time and effort. Often they are tossed aside, with little thought for what happens to them from that point onwards. There certainly needs to be a better system in place to help young players, once they are cast aside from a clubs academy set-up and this is one of the main failings of the system. Another of its failings is the preference of clubs to scour other countries for teenage talent, which serves no benefit to the youth in this country at all. If you are bringing up your own kids, then what is the point of looking elsewhere for expensive talent, who will then jump ahead of your own academy prospects.
It would be easy to argue that the academy system is not to blame and that talented youngsters would come through if they were good enough, but it seems as if a lot of talent is actually turned away due to the footballing mindset within this country. If we look at the way academies select kids, they often tend to prefer the athletic, tall, strong children, whilst the smaller boys-who could arguably be more skilful-are turned away from an early age. Academy football is also played with a very rigid style, which means that true talent never really gets a fair chance. This priority of physical presence and athletic ability, has certainly not helped to develop technical footballers in this country and needs to change if we are to start developing more world class modern footballers. There is also a problem with the pressure that is put on young children at academies, instead the emphasis should be placed on putting the fun back in the game at the younger ages, with the focus on enjoyment over winning.
The changes that the Charter for Quality set out to make have not really provided the strength in depth, in terms of a bigger talent pool, that they were supposed to. However, it could be our expectations that we need to revamp rather than the academy system. Compared to the footballing superpower of Brazil, England has a much smaller talent pool to draw on, and perhaps we need to scale back our estimations as to why we aren’t successfully developing more world class players.
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Continued on Page TWO
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The academy system hasn’t been all doom and gloom, and there are many thriving academies which have produced top quality players over the last decade. The West Ham academy is just one of the success story’s, with several of England’s so called ‘golden generation’ passing through the ranks of the famed academy youth system. The environment in the set up, is hailed as an important factor in its development, and maybe this is the problem with many of the academies around the country. You can throw all the money in the world at developing young players, but it takes more than that to produce Premier League quality players. Due to the amount of money that is around in the modern game, academies are now filled with foreign talent, which must be disheartening for the English kids, who are then told they are not good enough. The academy system was never set up to be filled with anyone outside of English youth, and it is a shame in terms of English talent that they are turned away as foreign talent is brought in.
It is interesting to look at the developments at the Liverpool academy over the last few years which illustrate that the academy system is not a total failure. Liverpool implemented changes to their failing youth set-up, taking on the Barcelona mould of developing talent during Rafael Benitez’s reign at the club, and it is already proving to be successful. Their academy has progressed at an astounding rate, and it shows that the academy system can work in this country successfully, if it is well run, and if the youngsters are given time and patience to develop, and are given the opportunity to transition to the senior team. There are success stories in terms of youth development, but there should be more if we consider the widespread changes that the academy system brought in. Perhaps it is unfair to judge the academy system so harshly, as there is so much pressure and demand for instant results in the modern game, that it has never really been given a fair shot to succeed.
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It seems as if the problems and the blame for the state of youth development in this country lie somewhere between the FA and the Premier and Football League’s. The FA can’t monitor the quality of academies as the league’s don’t want them to oversee clubs work, and there is also no central body that is in place to reform and run the system. The Premier League is set to introduce the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which is the newest reform on youth development, and it will be interesting to see if the changes that are proposed can take youth development in this country from its current state of limbo.
Changes like the EPPP, show that those in charge are not averse to change and trying something new to revamp youth development. The changes will make way for the English clubs to match continental methods of training youngsters, and it will certainly be interesting to see what difference, if any, is made. Patience needs to be the key though, as the changes will take time to implement and we can’t keep relying on short term solutions and quick fixes. It is harsh to suggest that the academy system has failed, but it is clear that certain aspects have affected the development of British youth. Despite its problems, a lot of talent is being produced by academies in this country, and perhaps the real blame lies not at the feet of the academy system, but somewhere higher up the development ladder.
Do you think the academy system has failed the young players in this country? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
Steven Gerrard missed a considerable portion of last season after struggling with a long term groin injury. Over the early summer he had a groin operation to rectify the problem, but unfortunately he has now suffered complications and could be out for the first few months of the season.
A few years back this would have signalled alarm bells for Liverpool. The Liverpool side in previous years was defined by many as a two man team, heavily reliant upon Gerrard or Fernando Torres. Gerrard was absolutely vital to the Liverpool side, and his absence would have had many a Liverpool fan worried, but has all that changed?
Gerrard missed considerable portions of last season-only featuring 21 times-and during his absence Liverpool played outstandingly well. This could just be due to the revolution under Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke that took place, rather then Gerrard’s absence. However, the side did play better as a team when he wasn’t playing, with players like Lucas Leiva, Raul Meireles, Maxi Rodriguez and Jay Spearing really stepping up to the plate and performing to their potential in Gerrard’s absence.
With Stevie in the side, it seems as if the players around him try too hard, and rather than focus on their own games, focus too much on the captain’s. Gerrard is also at times guilty-probably because he has had to do it so many times in the past-of trying to do everything himself, demanding the ball, and trying to go at it alone, which obviously would have a negative effect on his team-mates and their own confidence.
With more new recruits coming in over the summer, Liverpool are certainly not lacking in the centre of the park for replacements, and they will be queuing up to fit into Liverpool’s starting 11 in Gerrard’s absence. Meireles did the job exceptionally well last year, and we saw the best of the dynamic midfielder in a free roaming role. Charlie Adam, could also slot right in there, with his deft passing and creativity. Gerrard’s absence gives others the chance to impress, and this competition for places at the start of the season can only be a good thing for the side, as each could push each other onto greater things. If Liverpool do start the season well, it then brings up the question of where Gerrard fits when he returns to fitness?
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I am not disputing Gerrard’s quality or his importance to Liverpool over the years, he has produced moments of sheer brilliance that have salvaged the club and propelled them to achieve great things on so many occasions-FA Cup, and Champions League titles-and nobody has done more in the past to save distinctly average Liverpool teams from the brink of defeat. On his day Gerrard is unrivalled, a man single handedly capable of winning a game, the heart and soul of the club, but he isn’t getting any younger and performances of that outstanding quality will now become rarer. It seems as if his role needs to evolve somewhat as a part of Dalglish’s new side. Suffering with fitness and lacking the dynamism of old, perhaps his role needs to change to become more of a team player rather than a one-man-battering-ram. There are now better players around him-which is maybe what Gerrard was lacking all along-, players that he should trust and with less pressure on him to do everything, he can concentrate on his own strengths, and we could see the best of Gerrard again.
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Liverpool showed last season that they are arguably a better team without Gerrard in the side, but they can also be a better team with him in it as well, they just need to adapt his role slightly, so that the other players and Gerrard himself can shine together. A fit Steven Gerrard should always be the first name on the team-sheet, but Liverpool certainly shouldn’t fear his absence any more, as once may have been the case.
Let me know your thoughts on how Liverpool will cope without Gerrard, by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter
Tottenham attacker Rafael van der Vaart has stated that his side will bounce back from their 5-2 north London derby defeat to Arsenal, and that he is still playing for the capital’s best team.
Harry Redknapp’s men were put to the sword at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday and have a tricky game against Manchester United this weekend; the Netherlands international is confident that the loss was a one off.
“It won’t be difficult to lift ourselves,” the Dutchman told The London Evening Standard.
“Do we have the mental strength to put this behind us? Of course. It will be difficult against United but the confidence is there. This season, we have nearly always played well at home. Yesterday was a bad day but that’s all it was.
“The title? Of course you always hope but Manchester City are winning their games so easily, especially now we have lost, so maybe the title is over. Third is our main goal now and I’m really confident we can finish there,” he stated.
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Continuing our look into the foreign wags that put the Premier League ones to shame…
Arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Gigi Buffon has made giant strides in world football and has been pivotal to both club and international success in recent years. There aren’t many centre forwards who enjoy playing against Buffon when he is on top of his game; hence why Juventus are so keen to keep him in Turin.
While his exploits on the pitch continue to draw widespread recognition, his exploits off the pitch draws an equal amount of adulation as he dating one of the most beautiful women in the world. Alena Seredova is a former Czech supermodel and TV presenter whose surname actually translates to ‘ugly person’ – let’s be honest by flicking through the gallery she is anything but…
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Click on image below to see Gigi’s latest lady
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Barcelona and Real Madrid’s tapping up habits are getting out of hand. Sandro Rosell’s recent comments about Bale and Real Madrid’s announced interest in Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere cannot be seen as anything other than a blatant flaunting of the tapping up rules. But wait, what are those rules again? ‘Any clubs caught tapping up players are heavily punished unless you are Barcelona or Real Madrid’ – ah yes that’s it.
In all seriousness though any club wishing to buy a player must go through the club first and ideally give up if their inquiry is rebuffed, try telling the Spanish and Catalan capitals that. The inconsistencies in the punishment of tapping up players have seen Arsenal, and Chelsea punished for tapping up of numerous players whilst Clubs like the Spanish giants consistently get away with it.
Chelsea
The tapping up of Arsenal’s Ashley Cole saw Jose Mourinho, Peter Kenyon, Cole and his agent all punished with six figure fines in 2005. Rightly so too, their approach for Cole and Chelsea were in breach of Premier League rule K5 which states that which states that no approach can be made by club or player for a potential transfer without first receiving permission from the parent club.
Chelsea were also punished by FIFA who initially banned Chelsea from signing players for two transfer windows for causing Gael Kakuta to break with his contract with club FC Lens in 2007. Whilst eventually it was decided that Kakuta’s contract with his French club had not been binding and therefore the ban was repealed the fact remains that FIFA were quick to come down on Chelsea for what they perceived to be wrongdoing.
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Arsenal
Arsenal too have been at the centre of tapping up rows for the signing of Nicolas Anelka and the potential signings of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Joleon Lescott. The case with the latter two was something that was staunchly denied by Pat Rice in 2009 when the Arsenal Assistant manager said: “Arsenal have never been and will never be a club that taps up or illegally approaches a player it wants.” To be fair to Arsenal there was little evidence for any of these occurrences but ultimately they too have been under high levels of scrutiny for their transfer dealings. So why doesn’t the same apply to the Spanish clubs?
Inconsistencies
The problem that we face today is how to define the ‘meetings’ that constitute the tapping up of players. Tottenham have not given permission to Barcelona to start inciting rumours about a transfer to Barcelona much the same as Arsenal didn’t with Fabregas. Real Madrid too have come out and said that Wilshere is part of their ‘two year plan’ and that they intend to sign him. Is unsettling players in this way not the same as approaching them with a view to a possible transfer? Just because they may not meet face-to-face it doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t still the same.
Barcelona seem to think that just because Guardiola himself doesn’t like to get involved in press releases like this that it is ok for the rest of the club to do it. Over the past few years Arsenal have had to put up with comments about Fabregas from the club president and the majority of the Barcelona first team too, just as they had to when Arsenal said they didn’t want sell Thierry Henry either. This war of attrition may appear to be harmless wishful thinking announced to the press but in reality it is a carefully executed plan to unsettle a player which normally results in a slight loss of form and increased pressure to sell.
If that isn’t tapping up I don’t know what is. And now the same will presumably happen with Bale. Real Madrid will also now begin with Wilshere, Goetze and Hazard. Many will think that this kind of complaint is hypocrisy from Arsenal as they are repeatedly linked with players but to be honest you never actually hear any of the Arsenal players or staff saying anything more than they think a player is ‘good’. And even that would be an extravagant divulgence from Wenger.
Barcelona in particular have become the masters of this form of approaching players and it is about time FIFA grew a pair and took on the Catalan club and punished them. Why is it that clubs in England are pulled up and punished over this issue whilst others get away? Spurs fans may enjoy seeing their rival’s players being tapped up and pinched but they will soon realise that they too will be on the receiving end of such deals. They have ambition of becoming a major club but will find it hard to maintain certain levels quality if episodes like the Modric one begin to happen every summer.
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For more debate follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay
John Terry is reportedly set to lose the England captaincy, as his trial over allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand is set for July.
The Chelsea defender was charged by the FA of making derogatory comments to the QPR defender in a clash between the sides at Loftus Road back in October, and these charges have been taken to court.
The Telegraph indicate that the FA will dethrone the veteran centre back from his position as England captain, as the player’s leadership comes into doubt.
The situation is made all the more tricky due to Rio Ferdinand’s probable inclusion in Fabio Capello’s squad for the tournament in Ukraine and Poland, as the victom’s brother is sure to have lost respect for Terry in the wake of the scandal.
Mirror Football have stated that one of their sources has indicated that the FA are ready to make a move on this immediately, and Terry could even be stripped of the armband in the next 24 hours.
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Fabio Capello recently stated that he believes young Chelsea star Josh McEachran should go out on loan to aid his development. Capello believes that the development of young English stars could really suffer if they receive a lack of top flight exposure due to limited opportunities at their Premier League sides. Is it really Capello’s place to say this though?
He is the England manager, and obviously he wants the best possible squad, and wants the talented youngsters to move from the youth sides right through to the full international side. Capello does have a duty to look after the next generation, and nurture them so that they come through to be the next generation of England stars. So on the one hand he is correct, in trying to ensure that young English players are given enough opportunities so that they can successfully develop and become better players.
Chelsea’s Josh McEachran is a player that Capello believes needs some first team football elsewhere. Chelsea do not have a great structure for bringing through young players, in fact they haven’t brought anyone through since John Terry, which is a worry, considering the talent of young McEachran. During the Abramovich era Chelsea have bought big from outside, which has hindered the development of youth prospects, so you can see Capello’s point. There is a number of players who will be ahead of McEachran in the starting line up, even with Essien out, there is still Lampard, Ramires, Mikel, Benayoun and they have just signed Romeu also a centre midfielder.
McEachran has been given his chance in pre-season and impressed over the games, which may indicate that Chelsea are willing to give him a shot and he might get more playing action than the 9 appearances he made last season. However, this remains to be seen. Is it best if he sits on the bench at Chelsea, getting substitute appearances here and there, and playing in the Carling Cup competitions, or should he go out on loan to get more experience?
Going out on loan could make him a more accomplished player, especially if he is playing week in, week out at another Premier League side, learning the game at the highest level. It could also provide a platform for him to showcase his undoubted talents, which could see him force himself into the Chelsea side on his return. Jack Wilshere spent the last six months of the 2010 season on loan at Bolton, and on his return became a first team regular for Arsenal and an England international, so the loan process does work. England interntionals like Beckham, Terry, Ashley Cole and more all spent periods on loan during their progression and it certainly didn’t do them any harm. Some of Manchester United’s youngsters like Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck excelled on loan last season and will likely play a bigger role with United in the season ahead.
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Capello does have a duty as England manager to ensure that young players are not stifled at bigger clubs, and missing out on this vital time in their development as players. He needs to ensure that the future of the national team is in a good place and that the excellent prospects in this country are given a fair shot to make it. However, McEachran is Chelsea’s player and it is up to them as to what they see fit for his development. Who knows, Villas-Boas may have been so impressed with young McEachran during pre-season that he might play an even bigger role in this seasons Chelsea side than we might think, which would be great for his development. However, if he isn’t going to be playing week in week out, then Chelsea should send him out on loan, if not now then in January, for the sake of the players future and the England national side.
Let me know your thought’s below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more debate.
It was inevitable that Manchester United would be drawn against League Two minnows Aldershot Town with the Carling Cup throwing up a right old fairytale money spinner on par with anything the FA Cup could throw up.
The Red Devils will face off against the lowest ranked team still left in the competition with the visitors likely to give youth and Michael Owen a chance at the Recreational Ground. There will also be a Championship presence in the Quarter Final with Crystal Palace hosting Southampton at Selhurst Park whilst Burnley travel to Cardiff.
Serious contenders for the three handled pot are Arsenal who host Bolton at the Emirates desperate to avenge last seasons defeat in the final against holders Birmingham. Newcastle are also actively seeking silverware and will fancy their chances against Blackburn at Ewood Park along with Liverpool who could see the trophy as a route into the Europa League.
Carling Cup Fourth Round
Wolves v Man City
Cardiff v Burnley
Blackburn v Newcastle
Arsenal v Bolton
Stoke v Liverpool
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